Gluchie

I have received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the publisher. This has not affected my rating or review in any way. Thank you to Scholastic  for sending me an Advance Reader’s Copy of Mint to Be ! [This review does not contain any spoilers for the first book in the series, Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice, but if you are interested in reading my review you can find it here !] After receiving my review copy of Katie Cicatelli-Kuc's Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice a few months ago, I was also granted a copy of the next installment in the Briar Glen series, Mint to Be! We're back in our cozy New England spot in time for the winter holidays, following childhood best friends Emma and Aiden. Well, former childhood best friends, as they've drifted apart with Emma's move to New York. Now back in Briar Glen for Christmas with her new boyfriend in tow, will Emma and Aiden be able to rekindle their friendship? Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one as m...

Hi all and welcome back to another album review wrap-up! August has been a crazy month on the music side of things, especially for Swifties. But I'm not here to talk about that (yet), so let's get into my reviews! Panda by Ley Soul Released: 2025 I discovered Ley Soul the way I believe most have: through her 2023 song Intergalactic Janet that went semi-viral on TikTok. Now in 2025, she's finally released her debut extended play. Consisting of her four previously released singles, a song she previously only hosted on her YouTube channel, and one brand new song, this wasn't an entirely new listen for me. I love her neo-soul and alt-pop sound so much, and I am anticipating more new music from Ley! Favorites: Into Sands, Intergalactic Janet, Fortune Eyes Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind by Vashti Bunyan Released: 1964-1967 My rating is low, but it doesn't mean this singer is not good. This album is just a compilation of Vashti Bunyan's f...

This review contains spoilers. Read at your own risk. Hello and welcome to the third installment of my reread review series called “ Retrying Books That I Didn’t Give A Fair Chance To In My Youth (Because I Was Influenced By The Bandwagons Of Their Time, Or Simply Because I Was A Stupid Teen) .”  Today’s review is on Victoria Aveyard’s debut novel Red Queen, which I had previously read back in 2017 and had given it and it's sequel both 1 star. I decided to give the series a second chance because, well... I was bored? Let me start by saying that the Red Queen series- because yes, I did end up reading the entire box set- is not one of the worst I've read, not by far. There is much worse fodder out there to hate on than this. Yes, it's a little bit tropey: it has your typical dystopian setting, it has the upper class (Silverbloods) versus the lower class (Redbloods), and then we have our main character Mary Sue Mare Barrow. Mare has red blood. Mare can also create lightning; ...

Hi all and welcome back to another album review wrap-up! I spent this month diving deeper into the music I didn't even know I loved. Unlike previous months, I have grouped some albums together to keep this post clear and concise. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty Released: 2018 Father John Misty's fourth solo album continues to prove to me that he made his best album first, and nothing else he's made has come close. Though I did enjoy this more than Honeybear and Pure Comedy, which is definitely telling for what I am to expect next. Favorites: God's Favorite Customer, We're Only People, Hangout at the Gallows Overall Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Bombshell Oldies Vol. 1-4 by Monica Rocha Released: 2019-2025 Revisited one of the albums from one of my previous Album Review Wrap-Ups, Forever & Ever by Thee Heart Tones, and there is just something that I love about modern Chicano soul music. I began hunting for more from this style of music and came across Moni...

I have received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the publisher. This has not affected my rating or review in any way. Thank you to Scholastic  for sending me an Advance Reader’s Copy of Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice ! Pumpkin Spice & Everything Nice is the first seasonal book by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc, known for her young adult COVID-19 contemporary romances. Set in the cozy village of Briar Glen, New England, we follow high-school student Lucy Kane as she gears up for the delightfully autumnal season. Working as a barista at her mom's coffee spot Cup o' Jo, she's faced with a new challenge as competitor Java Junction opens shop right across the street. It doesn't help that the new kid and her crush Jack Harper is the owner's son. But Lucy and Jack must team up to create the perfect pumpkin spice latte so that Cup o' Jo doesn't get shut down by their next-door competitor. One of the main points from this book is that Lucy hates pumpk...

This review contains spoilers. Read at your own risk. Fourth time's a charm, I suppose. Of the four Fantastic Four films made at this point, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is superior in major ways. From its star-studded cast containing Pedro Pascal ( The Mandalorian, The Last of Us ), Vanessa Kirby ( Fast & Furious, Mission Impossible 7 ), and Joseph Quinn ( Stranger Things ), to the direction from Matt Shakman ( WandaVision ) and a writer's room of major sci-fi and fantasy big leagues, this movie was destined for greatness. First Steps takes place in Earth-828, an alternate timeline from the main Marvel Cinematic Universe's Earth-616. 828 is a retro-futuristic universe, with technology meeting modern day standards but everything else is based in '50s and '60s culture. That is one aspect of this that I really enjoyed, and it reminded me much of the early episodes of WandaVision. Overall, this film's primary focus seemed to give insight to the Fantastic Fou...

I  have received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the publisher. This has not affected my rating or review in any way. Thank you to Bantam  for sending me an Advance Reader’s Copy of Not Quite Dead Yet ! I think I'm still in shock that I got to read my most anticipated release of the year early. If you recall, Holly Jackson's young adult series A Good Girl's Guide To Murder was my favorite series of the year in 2024- and spoiler alert: The Reappearance of Rachel Price is one of my favorite standalones of this one. I'd been anxiously awaiting Jackson's adult debut, and Bantam providing a galley was simply a wonderful surprise. Not Quite Dead Yet follows twenty-seven year-old Margaret "Jet" Mason after being the sole victim of a violent attack on Halloween night. Told she has just days left to live due to the extent of her injuries, Jet makes it her life's mission- literally- to find her own killer before it's too late.  Right off...

This review contains spoilers. Read at your own risk. I have never left a movie theater feeling so full of hope and joy and happiness before. James Gunn's Superman, a new beginning for DC in film, swept me away. I was never a fan of Superman, having grown up with Zack Snyder's dark and cinematic take on the character, so this film that takes that character and turns it into something happy and fun has given me a new love for the character and universe. The writing, humor, and warmth from Gunn's previous superhero subfranchise, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, transfers over well into Superman. Skipping the origin story as a whole was something I had not expected, but I am so happy that choice was made. I feel like everyone knows the origin stories of the most popular superheroes by this point, and if not the text intro at the beginning can catch the general audience up to speed. The cinematography was gorgeous, especially during fight and flight scenes, and I felt that...

I have received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the publisher. This has not affected my rating or review in any way. Thank you to Berkley  for sending me an Advance Reader’s Copy of The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy ! Maybe I'm delulu, but I think Berkley loves me or something. (If you know anything about Berkley Publishing, you know how hard it is to receive an Advance Reader's Copy of a book of theirs, let alone two.) Either way, my ARC game has been insane lately, and I'm very happy and proud to have gotten to read this early. Adapted from the Dramione (the popular ship of characters Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series) fanfiction, Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being In Love , Brigitte Knightley has reworked the Wizarding World into a Great Britan-inspired fantasy world full of dry humor and a romance that puts the slow in slow-burn. The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy follows healer Aurienne an...

Hi all and welcome back to another album review wrap-up! June's been a really eventful month for album releases and I have quite a few packed in, so without further ado... Honey To The B by Billie Piper Released: 1998 Listened to this in lieu of the newest Doctor Who episode's ending, as Billie Piper may be playing the Doctor? Either way, she made a good r&b-infused pop album. I actually used to hear Because We Want To and Girlfriend a lot as a kid on social media, but this is my first time hearing the non-single tracks. Thous I will say that many of the tracks felt very surface level and lyrically catered to partying teens. The last track, Don't Forget To Remember reminded me a bit of Fiona Apple. Favorites: She Wants You, Honey To The Bee, Don’t Forget To Remember Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars Addison by Addison Rae Released: 2025 Aside from Aquamarine I already wasn't the biggest fan of Addison's singles, but the album tracks were quite underwhelming in compa...