3-Star Archives - The Litertarian

Book Review:: Girls Our Age | Pheobe Thompson

This psychologically intense story of female friendship was kind of like a fever dream, if I’m honest. Lily, Ana, and Margot have been friends since they were roommates in college, and now ten years later, things are more complex than ever.

Girls Our Age by Pheobe Thompson Book Cover

Each of the girls is struggling in a different way. One with the resurgence of a mental illness that once consumed her. One with her relationship with her high school sweetheart and coming to terms with her social status. One with her career.

The novel lives inside each of their heads, walking through the state of their thinking and the facts of their lives. The friendship is what ties them together, but, as with many old friendships, the thing itself is hardly ever a priority, and that becomes part of the story too.

I don’t know, maybe this book deserves more than three stars. If I was judging by writing craft alone, I would certainly rate it higher, but all I can do is rate it as an experience as a whole, and there’s something holding me back there for that fourth star.

Perhaps you love reading about the complexities of female friendship and the kind of coming-of-age that comes through dodging psychological shrapnel. In that case, I can recommend this title to you whole-heartedly. But for me, there was a layer of something missing. My feelings about this book probably say more about myself than the book itself.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Girls Our Age
Author:: Phoebe Thompson
Genre:: Literary Fiction
Publisher:: Lake Union Publishing
Length:: 340 pages
Published:: May 5th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Homemade God | Rachel Joyce
The Greatest Possible Good | Ben Brooks
The Goldens | Laura Wilson
Bittersweet | Hattie Williams

Book Review:: Drive Me Crazy | Lizzy Dent

Buckle in, chappies, we’re going racing!

Drive Me Crazy by Lizzy Dent Book Review

We all know I’m a sucker for romance, and racing, so a romance with a backdrop of racing should be my holy grail of commercial romance — but it just isn’t.

I’ve read a fair few of F1 romances now, and while this ranks near the top of them, I have to say the trope as a whole hasn’t been very reliable. Apparently there is only so much trauma one can manufacture for an F1 driver. The wound is almost always the same.

That being said…this one is more successful than most, and I think the difference was Chloe. She is a badass, and constantly underestimated, and in a position that draws real scrutiny. The forced proximity in this one is real, and the conflict Matt is struggling with is very real as well.

Now I feel bad that I trashed the entire genre at the beginning of this review, but it’s a very real problem I’ve noticed, and I’ve read more than a handful at this point, so I feel pretty confident saying it. If you’re going to pick one up though, let this one be it. And if you know of another good racing romance (not just F1), send your recs my way!!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Drive Me Crazy
Author:: Lizzy Dent
Genre:: Sports Romance
Publisher:: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Length:: 368 pages
Published:: January 6th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Once Upon A Boy Band | Jenny Proctor
The Perfect Putt | Annah Conwell
The Paradise Problem | Christina Lauren
The Tourist Attraction | Sarah Morgenthaler

Book Review:: Over and Over | Becky Hunter

So it turns out I’m a sucker for love stories through time (who knew there were so many of them?!), but this one has a twist on whatever standard there may be. It’s fully contemporary romance, there is no time travel — there are but the smallest hints of past lives, and they seem to be pointing Lissa toward a guy she recently met. A guy she really shouldn’t have any feelings for, but can’t seem to stop herself.

Lissa meets Ash through the guy she’s casually sleeping with at work. That is, after Ash saves her life on the street. She’s in a pretty dark place, being the anniversary of her sister’s death, and despite not getting off on the right foot, every time they run into one another, there’s this undeniable…something.

This book is mostly about grief, or more specifically, unprocessed grief. Lissa has a lot of healing to do with her family surrounding her sister’s death, and out of nowhere she starts getting these weird flashes of almost…memories. It gets bad enough that she searches out help for someone who specializes in past lives, even though she feels foolish for doing so.

I would call this a high concept novel, and the author stays true to her vision. I’m just not sure it entirely worked on me. It felt like a tall order, tying in the past life passages and trying to relate them to the current timeline. I would get more specific, but that feels like stepping into spoiler territory.

Don’t choose this book if you’re looking for a sweeping romance that covers generations. Don’t choose this book if you’re heavy into the metaphysics of it all. Do choose this book if you enjoy complex stories about grief and unlearning negative stories about yourself. There is a worthwhile journey in the pages of this book, it’s just not really the one that was promised.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Over and Over
Author:: Becky Hunter
Genre:: Speculative Romance
Publisher:: Forever
Length:: 400 pages
Published:: February 24th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

The Book of Lost Hours | Hayley Gelfuso
PS I Hate You | Lauren Connolly
Work in Progress | Kat Mackenzie

Book Review:: Graceless Heart | Isabel Ibanez

Isabel Ibanez is on my watch list. I’ve truly loved some of her work in the past, so I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to read her newest book, Graceless Heart.

Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibanez Book Cover

Moving from Egypt in her previous historical fantasy series, this one takes place in Italy, a setting replete with historical potential.

It took a hot minute for the story to grab me, and I still felt like I was sort of bashing my way through a jungle of vines in order to get to the good stuff.

But the good stuff was good. Saturnino was one of those characters where you weren’t entirely sure the entire time if he was someone you could trust. Ibanez is so good at this morally ambiguous love interests! And the finale at the end of the book was truly fascinating and memorable.

If you are new to Ibanez I would honestly recommend her previous duology, beginning with What the River Knows, over this. I found it more immersive and chalk full of adventure and mystery I was more interested in. This one just felt a little too heavy with extraneous world building/political details that, while they may pay off eventually, also had an adverse effect on the story this novel could have been. As a writer myself, I understand the impulse to show off the impeccable world you’ve crafted that the story fits inside of…there just wasn’t enough, as a reader, to grab onto and really care about all those tracks.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Graceless Heart (The Spellbound History Quartet #1)
Author:: Isabel Ibanez
Genre:: Historical Fantasy
Publisher:: Saturday Books
Length:: 488 pages
Published:: January 13th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book Review:: Silver & Blood | Jessie Mihalik

Romantasy fans, this one’s for you. Part fairy tale, part romance, this book is bound to satisfy many romantasy lovers.

Silver & Blood by Jessie Mihalik Book Cover

Riela is taken to an enchanted house in the woods, where she is essentially trapped with a partly terrifying, partly misunderstood brooding powerful man, his wolf companion, and enough magic to protect them from the evils outside. But strange as that is, it becomes ever stranger when she accidentally does the one thing she was told never to do, and opens an entirely new can of worms.

In some ways, this book was refreshing in the face of other romantasy novels, but in others, it’s still the same note. Romantasy heroines are essentially all inter-changable, and I found that to be the case here as well. They’re always doing things they ought naught, having an attitude about it, being stuck in magical situations that barely make any sense at all…

But…

Somehow it is still interesting enough to keep you turning pages. Did I want to know what happened next? Mmhmm. Did I fall in love with Garrick alongside her? Um, duh. Are the politics nothing but window dressing? Of course. But that’s what romantasy readers want, and here, they get it. A fulfilled promise. An entertaining handful of hours. A new series to track.

And will I read the sequel? …probably 🙂

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Silver & Blood (Silber & Blood #1)
Author:: Jessie Mihalik
Genre:: Romantasy
Publisher:: Avon
Length:: 448 pages
Published::January 27th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Quicksilver | Callie Hart
Rose in Chains | Julie Soto
Heartless Hunter | Kristen Ciccarelli
Divine Rivals | Rebecca Ross

Book Review:: The Highlander’s Lady of Loch & Sea | Heather McCollum

Looking for your historical Scottish hunk fix? Fan of true-blue bodice rippers? You’re going to love The Highlander’s Lady of Loch & Sea by Heather McCollum.

The Highlander's Lady of the Loch and Sea by Heather McCollum Book Cover

Laria is a fierce heroine who knows her own mind. In her first scene she’s seducing a powerful man she’s promised to kill. She would do anything for her family and her people. These are strange times, which call for strange measures.

Cyrus, her intended victim, is in a pinch of his own. With an imminent and complicated inheritance on the horizon, the last thing he needs is a complication as beautiful as Laria, but…she’s bewitched him.

For me, I wasn’t as interested in the perhaps overly-complicated political side of things peppering the novel with drama. It felt like a lot of telling, and though the characters cared about these conditions, I didn’t, really. It gave the book some scaffolding to stand upon, but it didn’t add a lot to the reading experience.

There is something about them Scots though – this book is a great escape for when you need something straightforward and sexy.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Highlander’s Lady of the Loch & Sea (Brotherhood of Solway Moss #3)
Author:: Heather McCollum
Genre:: Historical Romance
Publisher:: Entangled: Amara
Length:: 346 pages
Published:: January 26th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Book Review:: Christmas People | Iva-Marie Palmer

Jill Jacobs is a scrooge who hasn’t been back to her hometown for years, avoiding a certain someone she was once hopelessly in love with. Things between them ended badly, weirdly, uncomfortably. But when she gets there it’s not only her ex around town – her high school crush is also there, and single. Is this her chance for real happiness?

Christmas People by Iva-Marie Palmer Book Cover

This book is magical realism. Magic Santa gives her a ghost-of-Christmas-past experience where she gets to explore her hypothesis without any actual real-world consequences.

Jill is in denial about history and the future. She’s in a pretty unhealthy mental space, and she really needed this come-to-Jesus moment of self-realization. We all need that sometimes to get over our own BS.

If you’re a fan of hallmark movies, and corny holiday romances, you’re going to love this.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Christmas People
Author:: Iva-Marie Palmer
Genre:: Holiday Romance
Publisher:: St. Martin’s Griffin
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 56m
Audiobook Narrator:: Patti Murin
Published:: September 30th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Change of Heart | Falon Ballard
If I Were You | Cesca Major

Book Review:: Meet Me At Midnight | Max Monroe

What happens when you’re trying to save your new boss, who is your best friend’s big brother, from being sabotaged at work? Turns out, you accidentally fall in love.

Meet Me at Midnight by Max Monroe Book Cover

This new internship is mostly a vanity job for Juniper, who is already loaded, but still, she wants to prove herself (unlike her best friend who blows it off almost completely). But this is Beau’s business. He is a rockstar there, and when a competitive bid contest comes in and Juniper catches wind that someone else is keeping too close an eye on Beau and his work on the project, she decides to let him know…anonymously…through the dating app their company is launching.

The secrecy of it is a catalyst. As he tries to guess who it is he’s regularly communicating with, it gets flirty. The tension building is *exquisite*.

What I didn’t like was the backdrop. This is a billionaire romance (or at least, close enough), and these kids are spoiled absolutely rotten. The best friend was a caricature of a flighty bougie nepo baby who literally trots off to her nails done instead of work. A little too gross to just gloss over and really enjoy the book. But others may not mind that as much.

Overall, the romance of this book snaps, crackles, and pops. If you’re in the mood to not get real deep into every aspect of the story and just enjoy THAT? Then absolutely, add this one to your TBR!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Meet Me at Midnight (Midnight #1)
Author:: Max Monroe
Genre:: Workplace Romance
Publisher:: Mox Monroe (Indie)
Length:: 354 pages
Published:: November 8th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

A Winter Wedding Adventure | Leonie Mack
Leave Before I Love You | Max Monroe
A Lot to Unpack | Portia Macintosh

Book Review:: Yours for the Season | Emily Stone

What do you do when your ex-boyfriend invites you to spend the week of Christmas with his family in Scotland? Turns out he told his family you got back together, and you love his family, and he agrees that you can break up with him very loudly and clearly at the end of it, to set things straight once and for all. So Melanie agrees.

Yours for the Season by Emily Stone Book Cover

All the ingredients for a cute holiday romance are there! Fake dating someone you already have a history with makes everything that much more complicated. There are long standing relationships Melanie has with his large family who are there, too, and many of them are going through big life events and are really bonding with her on this trip. The breakup earlier in the year was brutal, but could there still be hope for the two of them?

Maybe my favorite part of this book was how Melanie was accepted by Finn’s family. When a relationship disintegrates, it often has a lot of collateral damage, and in their case, Melanie lost her relationship with his mother and sisters who she always really cared about, being an only child herself.

I have a soft spot for holiday romances. Is this one extra special? Not really. It’s a typical tropey contemporary romance novel with a holiday twist. The romance is satisfying, and the drama is certainly there. The characters each have lessons to learn before they can truly love and trust the other person. And if you’re itching for the holidays, you should definitely add this one to your list!

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Yours For the Season
Author:: Emily Stone
Genre:: Holiday Romance
Publisher:: Dell
Length:: 336 pages
Audio Length:: 8h 54m
Audiobook Narrator:: Rebecca Norfolk
Published:: October 7th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Christmas is All Around | Martha Waters
Emergency Contact | Lauren Layne & Anthony Ledonne
Work in Progress | Kat Mackenzie

Book Review:: The Summer War | Naomi Novik

In this brief novella by Naomi Novik, the full story of a curse is told. There are kingdoms with long feuds and high emotions, and ultimately it is up to a young girl, and few others, to break the two kingdoms out of inevitable war.

The Summer War by Naomi Novik Book Cover

If you are a big fan of political fantasy, this is your jam. There is a lot of politics and explanation of history between the two nations in this novella. For me, there wasn’t enough of the internal conflict explored on the page. We understand Celia’s motivations, but I never felt them, you know?

Overall, it’s a successful story. We walk from the very beginnings of the conflict to the technically perfect resolution. It just felt a little empty of emotion for me. I’m not sure how else to say it.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: The Summer War
Author:: Naomi Novik
Genre:: Fantasy
Publisher:: Del Rey
Length:: 144 pages
Audio Length:: 3h 47m
Audiobook Narrator:: Ella Lynch
Published:: September 16, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 3-Stars