Little Café Readathon Wrap-Up

I've been wanting to join in one of the seasonal Little Café Readathon's for a little while now. Unfortunately, I was behind with my own Fall Scavenger Hunt challenge and only got to one book read on time. But whatever, I was able to get to the other two in December. Next time I join I won't overload myself with other challenges. I ended up reading better books as I went along. I read a two-star book, a three-star book, and then a four-star book. Two of these books I've been anticipating reading since I first heard about them so I'm glad I persevered and finished this readathon even though I was late. The person who created this challenge is doing another one called Moonlight University in January which I am considering joining. But for now, I hope you enjoy my reviews.

It starts with rapping in the ceiling and spirit boards that know them a little too well.

Everly and her best friend aren’t your typical college students. Instead of raucous Saturday night parties, they spend their weekends conjuring up things from the beyond. Ectoplasm, levitation, death photography - you name it, and Everly knows all about it. But while this obsession with the supernatural is only supposed to be in good fun, the girls soon discover themselves drifting deeper into magic and further from each other. Then when one evening ends with an inadvertently broken promise, everything they’ve ever known is shattered in an instant, sending them spiraling into a surreal haunting. Now Everly must learn how to control the spectral forces she’s unleashed if she wants any chance of escaping a ghost more dangerous than all the witchcraft she can summon.

I loved Gwendolyn Kiste's Boneset & Feathers so I decided to pick up this one solely based on the cover. So it was a surprise to me that it was a novella. I haven't read many novellas so I don't know if it was too short to get the storyline clear in my head but I was just confused throughout. I mean everything is explained at the end but this wasn't to my liking. I'll just stick to Kiste's novels in the future. 

It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.

She only knows three things for certain:

1. She has a splitting headache.

2. The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.

And oh yeah…

3. People keep trying to kill her.

She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there’s only one explanation: obviously. . . she’s a spy!

Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister.

Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear. Which is easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught.

Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they’re lying their way across Europe—dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.

But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…

I loved Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series so I was expecting this to be the adult version of a fantastic spy series. And it was but... the romance didn't do it for me. I was flying through this book but I felt bored most of the time. I initially liked our main character and the love interest but of course, a fast-paced book means fast-paced romance. I did find the twists and overall adventure to be entertaining but the romance wasn't for me. It felt too much like a soap opera for me to connect with the storyline. This is a good book objectively but I wouldn't be interested in reading more.

When Natty’s mom kind of takes a break from her dad and sort of the whole family, Natty and her dad move to his childhood hometown of Miller Creek. Now she’s starting middle school for the second time, this time in Miller Creek—without her mom—or her BFF. But Natty’s doing great! Really. Anything is possible. And what’s the point of dwelling on the stuff that stinks when there’s so much good stuff to think about?

Natty is absolutely, positively sure that she can turn it all around. Like 1,000 percent sure. As long as she stays absolutely positive! She’ll get her dad off the couch, make her tons of new friends, and even convince her mom to come live with them in Miller Creek. First step? Starting a pep squad to spread the good vibes.

But what happens when the leader of the pep squad has no more cheer to give?

Absolutely Positively Natty has such an intriguing storyline. I thought Natty's motives and overall outlook on staying positive to be fascinating because of not only how she put a positive spin on everything but also how everyone reacted to her. She immediately makes friends with a girl named Mack who wants to prove to her that there is no such thing as good vibes only. She needed to feel all her feelings. Mack ended up being a great friend, supporting her when she made a cheer club for the school. The other "friends" in her life were downright mean to her. They didn't treat her like a real person. That's probably because middle schoolers can be cruel but also she was a false version of herself. Her mindset of "you should only be positive" negatively affected Mack and her friend from back home who accused her of not listening to her. Mack at one point said she didn't listen to her when she said she didn't eat anything all day. She also was always trying to get some sleep at school. Mack and the whole town were struggling and I wish the story had really dived into more than it did. 

I loved Natty's character growth even when she was positive all the time. Her mom was depressed and wouldn't come to see her and her dad was dating her teacher. I think being positive is a great thing to try to aspire to be like honestly, but there needs to be a balance. She needed to learn to feel her feelings and stop avoiding the issues in her life. I wish Greenwald would have had Natty cheering on the teachers and trying to help the town a little more than just at sporting events because the town was suffering from poor working and housing conditions. I also wish Mack's home life struggles were addressed. This is such a great story but I think it could have been longer or even be redone as a young adult book. I will be sure to read more from Greenwald because this had such interesting ideas and characters.