Blog – Zakiya N. Jamal

How to Get Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs)

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

*Updated: September 22, 2024*

A question I get asked a lot is “How do you get free books?” What people typically mean is, “How do you get advanced reader copies?” If you’re unfamiliar with the term, advanced reader copies are uncorrected proofs of books that haven’t been released. There are physical ARCs, which typically look like the paperback version of the book, although a lot of the times the cover won’t be final, and there are digital, or electronic, ARCs, which come in the form of a file that can usually be read on a tablet or reading device, like a Kindle.

ARCs are sent out to the media to create early buzz about the book. Media includes everything from big name publications like Entertainment Weekly and The New York Times to bloggers and social media influencers. So how exactly do people get ARCs? Well, there are a few ways.

1. Someone will reach out to you

If you have your contact info on your blog or in your bio, publicists/marketers or self-published authors may reach out to you and ask if you would like an ARC or finished copy of their book. This is definitely the easiest way to get an ARC, because obviously they want you to have one if they reached out to you. The only downside to this is figuring out how to say no to books you actually don’t want or wouldn’t read.

Sometimes it can be really exciting to be offered a free book. When I first started I said yes to everything and then I ended up with a lot of books I never read. That’s why if you have a blog, it’s a good idea to have a Review Policy page, where you explicitly say what kind of books you do and do not want to receive. You’ll probably still get requests for things you don’t want, and if that’s the case you can either politely decline or you are allowed to ignore emails.

2. Request a physical ARC

If there’s a book you’re really interested in, you can request an ARC of the book. Typically, the way to do this is to find out who’s publishing the book and look up their publicity or marketing contact information. For example, if I wanted to request an ARC of Can’t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan I would go to Forever’s website and look up their publicity or marketing contact information.

For most publishers, specifically the Big Five, there’s an email address you can write to. There’s a number of ways you could write out your email, but this is how I do it. For the subject line I write, “ARC Request for CAN’T GET ENOUGH by Kennedy Ryan” Then my email would say:

Hello,

My name is Zakiya Jamal and I am very excited for the release of Kennedy Ryan’s newest novel, Can’t Get Enough. I absolutely love all of Kennedy’s books. I know my followers, just like myself, are already excited about Kennedy’s new novel and I would love a chance to read and review it early.

I review books on my blog, which gets about XX views every month. I also post pictures of my favorite books and books I review on my Instagram/TikTok/YouTube, which has XX followers. If I receive an ARC of Can’t Get Enough I would promote the book on all of my platforms. Below please find my name, phone number, and mailing address. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Best,
Zakiya

You always want to include your mailing address in the email, because that just makes it easier for them to send you the book right away rather than having to ask you for it. Typically, you won’t get a response to your email either way, but if they do decide to send you a copy they’ll just send it.

The most important thing you want to do in your email is make it clear why they should give you a book. Make sure to always play to your strengths and if you have done ARC reviews before, especially if you’ve received books from that publisher before, make sure to indicate that as well.

Also, some publishers now do forms for requesting ARCs, rather than emails. For example, I’ve received a few ARCs through The Novl, which is Little, Brown for Young Readers’ social media page. They send out these forms in their newsletters, which come out about once a week, so make sure to sign up for their newsletter so you know when they’re looking for new reviewers.

3. Request a Digital ARC

There are two websites you can sign up for to get digital ARCs: NetGalley and Edelweiss. I’ve received ARCs on both. The best way to get ARCs through these sites is to sign up for their emails. Edelweiss sends out a weekly newsletter, which lets you know what new books have been added to the site and are available for request. NetGalley emails a bit more frequently, but you can adjust your email notifications for how you see fit. You can also always search both sites if you’re looking for a specific book to request.

I wouldn’t say getting a digital ARC is easier than getting a physical ARC, because it always depends on a lot of different factors, particularly how popular a book is. What I will say is there have been a few times when I received a eARC of a book after I couldn’t get a physical ARC. So it doesn’t hurt to try both, especially if it’s a book you really want.

The most important thing to remember about these sites is to always keep them updated. Make sure your profile has your most accurate information, including the most up-to-date links to wherever you post your reviews. Additionally, always add your reviews directly to the sites. Publishers can see your stats on reviewing the books you receive and if you never review books that’ll make them less inclined to approve your request for a digital ARC.

4. Giveaways & Bookish Events

Truthfully, I think I’ve gotten the most ARCs from going to bookish events. Additionally, I’ve also won a lot of ARCs from giveaways. In my experience, it pays to receive newsletters from publishers. I’ve won a number of ARCs just by reading literally every email publishers send me and entering almost every giveaway in them.

If you’re willing to look for them, you’ll find there are lots of giveaways happening all the time and if you enter enough of them you’re bound to win some.

I believe that about covers it. If you have any other questions about how to get ARCs just let me know in the comments. I hope this helps, and that you get as many free books as your heart desires. Happy reading!

How Leni Kauffman Became the Romance Cover Girl

Posted on May 24, 2024May 24, 2024 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

If you’re a lover of romance novels you’ve probably heard of cover artist Leni Kauffman. Or, at the very least, you’ll recognize her work. Since being commissioned to do her first romance cover for Mimi Grace’s Along for the Ride, Leni has done many covers for indie authors and traditionally published authors alike, including Hannah Grace, Becky Albertalli, Danielle Jackson, Lily Chu, and Ashley Herring Blake, to name a few.

I was so excited when Leni agreed to sit down with me and discuss her journey into become one of the most well known cover illustrators in the romance genre, and what she’s working on next. Enjoy our full interview below!

Zakiya: Hi Leni! I’ll just dive right in. Obviously, a very easy simple straight forward question. How did you become a book cover artist?

Leni: I’ve been a freelance illustrator since 2012 or so. I was doing lots of different odd jobs so things like background illustration for animations, or the odd book cover, or a couple of editorials, but it was lots of very little different jobs. Nothing that I sort of stuck to. Then, back in 2019 or 2018, an author called Mimi Grace contacted me and she said, “I saw your work.” She was a romance author. Still is! She was my first romance cover that I did. From there, I did that cover and it was released into the world. After I did that particular cover I got more and more requests for romance novels, and sometimes [young adult] novels, and things kind of snowballed from there. So I kind of fell into it, a little bit. I didn’t set out to be just a cover illustrator, but that’s how things turned out.

ZJ: That was literally one of my questions. What was the first cover you did?

LK: Yeah it was that one. Actually that’s not the first book cover I ever did, but it was the first romance cover I ever did.

ZJ: What was the first book cover you ever did?

LK: That’s a really good question. It was about Venice. Someone’s life in Venice. It was called The Politics of Washing Real Life in Venice so I think it was autobiographical. Not fiction.

ZJ: Was that just something that someone came to you for? Was it commissioned?

LK: Yeah somebody approached me. So, in that case a small publisher in the UK approached me. It was just a one off. And after that I didn’t really see any more book projects come in.

ZJ: Did you always have an interest in doing book covers?

LK: I guess as an illustrator, especially as a freelance illustrator, I’m still open to all sorts of projects. And I think book covers was one of the areas that I did want to see my work on, but I’m still open to doing all sorts of projects. Whether that’s packaging design or children’s books or editorial. But I think a lot of illustrators want to try a few different things. But I’m very happy book covers are checked off my list now.

ZJ: So, what’s your process for creating these covers?

LK: With an independent author, it’s maybe slightly different to working with a publisher. But in both cases the publisher or the author will reach out to me and they’ll say, “Can you work on this?” And then we’ll have a chat about what the project’s about. So they’ll initially send me a brief. That brief is sometimes very specific. Sometimes they’ll give me photo references for things like, “I want the characters to look like this. I want them to be interacting like this. I want the background to look like this with minimal color or lots of color. And I want this type of color palette.” And then other times the brief can be very open and they’ll let me do my thing. They’ll say, “As long as the characters look vaguely like this I don’t mind what you do with the rest of the cover.”

After that I’ll look at the references and send over a sketch based on what I think they want and then it’s a process of going back and forth with the client about what changes they want, what kind of requests they might have, what kind of tweaks. And then once the sketch stage is done they’ll approve me to move on to color and that’s when I render the illustration to full cover and I’ll add things like shadows and highlights and make it fully rendered. From that stage they’ll usually just give me feedback on specific colors. If I’m working on the design I’ll then move on to the design part of the book. So, picking a typeface for the title or I’ll draw out a typeface by myself. Or draw out the lettering by myself. Then, do the rest of the design of the cover. The back cover, the spine, all that stuff.

If it’s a publisher usually they just ask for the illustration. So, they have a whole design team that does that side of things. I really only do the design if I’m working with an independent author. So, yeah that’s the sort of general process for both.

ZJ: Oh wow I didn’t realize you design the whole thing for indie authors. That’s awesome! Okay, this is probably a hard question but what has been your favorite cover to create so far?

LK: Oh that is a hard question! (laughs) I think I have a few favorites based on different reasons. The first romance cover I did with Mimi Grace still means a lot to me because it opened up this whole world of book covers. I think the cover I did for The Stand In by Lily Chu. That really meant a lot to me because that was the first cover I was asked to draw an Asian character and I’m half-Japanese so that meant a lot to me because I was drawing someone from my background. And then I would say the cover I did for Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade. That’s still one of my favorites. And that was one of the first big publishers I worked with. That was a milestone for me. And I really like working on Olivia Dade covers. She’s a lovely person.

ZJ: Kind of related to that, your covers include a variety of people who are different races, ethnicities, body sizes, etc. How do you ensure you capture these characters the right way with your art?

LK: So, I mentioned photo references from authors. That’s really important, especially for capturing accurate body sizes or hairstyles or skin colors. I think working from not just one photo reference but a variety of references is really helpful. Especially if I’m drawing someone from a culture I’m not very familiar with. I think it’s super important to do my research into all sorts of things. What would be the appropriate clothing for this person? What would be the appropriate hairstyle? And then depending on the process I’ll run that by the author or the author will send it to me in the first place. If I’m working by myself and I don’t have many references I try to ensure that I do my research first and then I’ll work really closely with the author on the sketch phase just to make sure things are accurate and represented properly.

ZJ: I feel like there’s a lot of conversations about lack of diversity in publishing so I was wondering if that’s something you feel exists in the art world as well. Are most cover artists white and do you feel we need more diverse artists?

LK: I would agree. There’s not much diversity in the book cover world. Within the book covers that I get commissioned to do it’s overwhelming white and very heterosexual. Even before I started to work on book covers, it was really important to me to draw people from different backgrounds with different skin colors. That was a personal mission of mine. And that was just because within illustration all I was seeing represented was a very specific body type: very skinny, only one skin color, usually white. And I wanted to help break that. It’s not just one way we all have to look. As with any other industry I’m sure the book cover world could do with a lot more diversity and a lot more different types of artists working within it.

ZJ: There’s been a lot of conversations about AI covers lately. Unfortunately, I think it’s becoming more prevalent. Is there anything you’d like to say on that especially to authors and publishers who are using AI? Why do you think it’s a bad idea or bad for artists?

LK: For people who don’t know, AI generated images are created by all sorts of AI generator machines, such as Midjourney or DALL·E or all of these different companies. Essentially how they create these images is they feed thousands or even millions and millions of images into these machines and the machine essentially copies all of these images and supposedly creates its own version, but it’s really not. It’s been proven to be a hodgepodge of existing art that has been stolen from artists. The reason it’s ethically bad is because it’s mostly been taken from artists and illustrators without their permission. It’s an issue of consent. And if you are making money off it, (which these companies are making money because a lot of them have subscription services,) then you are making money off of the backs of stolen artwork without the artists’ consent. This goes for photographers, and all sorts of people who’ve made images.

So, to authors who use AI generated images. They might sort of think they’re using some silly program that creates a profile picture in the style of Pixar, I’m seeing a lot of that these days. And they think it’s harmless fun, but even those things are created off the back of artists and stolen work. And to those authors I would say how would you feel if someone fed all of your books into ChatGPT and created a book in the style of your writing. Would that make you feel okay with it? Would you be okay with your work being stolen?

For publishers, they’ll have their reasons for using AI. I think maybe some of them might have trouble spotting it. But I think there has been enough of a backlash when we see a cover that’s AI generated that it’s pretty clear a lot of people are not happy with publishers using AI for their cover. I think it’s a huge area and I could talk on and on for ages about this. But I am firmly against any AI generated images. I think it’s ethically terrible.

ZJ: Okay, back to fun stuff! You mentioned you know other book cover artists. Are there any that you love and want to shout out?

LK: I’m going to start with Monika Roza. She’s @monikarozaa on Instagram. She has a mixture of illustrations for more children’s books style illustrations but she’s also done a couple romance covers that are really beautiful. I think she should definitely be much more booked. There’s another cover artist called Jacqueline Li (@jacqlnli). She already works in [young adult] and romance covers. Her work’s stunning. There’s another artist called Charlot Kristensen. (@zolwia). She also does beautiful illustrations and she also wrote her own graphic novel. Also, on Instagram is Charis Jackson Barrios (@charisjb.studio). She’s a really talented illustrator, and I think she wants to take on more cover art as well. I recommend taking a look at her work. It’s really colorful. Her characters are incredible. There are so many artists I could recommend. There are so many artists I’m inspired by but that’s just a small handful.

ZJ: Is there an author you haven’t created a cover for yet that you’d love to work with?

LK: This is a pivot but I’d love to take on a horror cover. I read a lot of horror fiction so I’d like to do something completely different and unexpected and do a horror cover at some stage. I’m open to working with a few authors, but that would be a dream of mine.

ZJ: I am so curious to see what a horror cover would look like from you! Per you reading horror, you do romance covers so do you have a favorite romance novel you’ve read?

LK: With a lot of the covers I do, I often draw them at the same time the book is being written so I don’t get a chance to read the book before I draw anything for it. So, I’m very late to the party on this one, but I recently read Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert and that was wonderful. It really moved me. It reminded me of difficult relationships between myself and one of my parents. It really meant a lot to me and it was a brilliant read. And I feel really bad that it took me years to read it but I have now!

ZJ: I work on a lot of books and don’t get to read them all so that’s very relatable! My last question for you is what are you working on next? If you’re allowed to say…

LK: I’m not sure if I’m allowed to share if I’m working on something. It’s maybe something I should ask. (laughs) I’m going to go with an indie author because I think that won’t get me into trouble. I’m working on a new cover for Nicole C. Moon and I’ve worked with her before on one cover. The reason I’m excited for this one is it’s my first romance fantasy cover. It’s a little bit of a different vibe to my usual covers, so I’m excited for that to be revealed. With publisher covers, I’m not quite sure if I’m allowed to talk about them, but there are exciting covers coming out in the future.

Leaving Scholastic

Posted on April 18, 2022April 18, 2022 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

First, let me start by saying I’ve debated a lot about posting this but I don’t know how else to say that I quit without telling the whole story of why so here we go.

If you would’ve told me when I started at Scholastic in Nov. 2019 that I would be leaving this way I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are. When I was brought into the Scholastic Trade team I was hired as a Social Media Manager, who was going to support a Senior Digital Marketing Manager who hadn’t been hired yet.

I was excited to be starting a new position with a team that was just starting to be built. While I waited for my boss to be hired I reported to the Creative Director, who was great but didn’t know anything about digital marketing. In sum, I was on my own but that was fine because eventually I would have a new boss. Except that day never came. The Senior Digital Marketing Manager position was never filled and once COVID hit the job posting was eventually taken down.

With everything going on in the world, I accepted that this was unfortunately another casualty of the crazy times. However, along with the pandemic came a lot more work for me. Suddenly everything had to be online. I was tasked with uploading coloring and activity sheets kids could do at home and read aloud videos from our authors. My workload tripled overnight and on top of that Scholastic employees were then told we were being furloughed. Twice.

Eventually, things calmed down as people settled into our new normal and I was even given a bonus for all the work I had to take on, but not a raise.

As we continued to live through the pandemic, I asked my boss if I could get an assistant since they were no longer hiring a Senior Digital Marketing Manager. While my boss and her boss were receptive to the idea, it simply wasn’t in the budget and I had to continue to handle my work on my own.

Now, let me explain what that work was because it is a bit confusing. The Scholastic Trade accounts include Graphix Books, for graphic novels, I read YA, for YA novels, Facebook pages for Clifford, Goosebumps, The Magic School Bus, and The Baby-sitters Club, and sharing the Scholastic Corporate accounts with other business units. Unlike other places, the Scholastic Corporate account is not separate from Trade. Everything that isn’t Graphix or I read YA, i.e. picture books, middle grade, licensing, etc. lives on the corporate channels. In fact, 85% of the content that goes on the corporate accounts comes from Trade.

I was managing all of this social, except for I read YA, which is managed by the marketing manager, and that is a whole other conversation. Still, while I didn’t manage the accounts I did work on them and helped launch the I read YA TikTok so it was still part of my job.

On top of all of this, I also was responsible for doing the social for our School and Library team and every overarching social campaign we did like Reading Gives You Superpowers Week, Share Black Stories, the Power of Story campaign, our AAPI Heritage Month promotions, etc. It was my job to make sure all of our other business units and international partners got the social assets and copy for these campaigns and if there were any questions I was the point of contact.

In sum, it was a lot of work for one person and while I certainly had help from our corporate social team as well as the marketing managers I was struggling. So, in the summer of 2021 I started looking for another job. I ended up getting a job offer, which I brought to Scholastic and they countered, which I accepted. As part of the counter offer, a Marketing Director who was getting an assistant would share their assistant with me, I would be promoted to Senior Manager of Social Media with a raise, and I would report directly to our Senior VP of Marketing. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted but it was enough.

Until last week. During a regular conversation with the Corporate Social Media Manager, I learned that she was making $11K more than I was. To say I was shocked was an understatement. While I appreciate what she does, her title is lower than mine and when I came in at her level I was making almost $30K less than she’s making now. Additionally, I have a direct report, and to be frank my workload is heavier. I have to post on the corporate accounts, as well as the other trade channels, on top of the other things that I do.

The only reasoning for this discrepancy was that she worked under Corporate and I worked under Trade and apparently that meant I would inherently make less. If the Corporate and Trade channels were separate entities I could’ve maybe understood the discrepancy but that’s not the case here. I was posting on the same channels she was and then some. So what was the difference?

I was determined to find out and brought this to my boss, who thankfully was also shocked and supported me 100 percent. She was more than willing to fight for my salary to be raised, which I greatly appreciated. However, after thinking about it all weekend I realized the damage was done. Even if my salary was raised to meet my co-worker’s or even go higher, it wouldn’t change the fact that I had been severely underpaid. Nothing was going to rectify that for me.

So, I quit.

This was the hardest decision I think I’ve ever had to make but I know it is the right one. I want to thank my friends who helped me figure this out and my mom who when I told her about this whole situation simply said, “Do what you gotta do.” I could not make this decision without having her financial support behind me. To my colleagues at Scholastic and all the incredible creators I’ve had the opportunity to work with for over the past two years, I am sorry things are ending this way and I wish you all the best. We all deserve better. ♥️

From Page to Screen: P. S. I Still Love You

Posted on January 27, 2020May 28, 2020 by Zakiya N. Jamal in From Page to Screen

p. s. i still love you.jpg — Credit: Netflix

*I attended a free early screening of To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You in New York City. This did not influence my review of this movie in anyway. This is an honest review of the movie as I saw it. This movie will be released on February 12.*

When To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before came out last year it was an instant hit. Whether you’d read the New York Times bestselling book series by Jenny Han or if you were meeting Lara Jean Song Covey (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) for the first time, fans instantly fell in love with this movie. The actors became stars and with the film’s success Netflix moved forward with not just one sequel, but two more, confirming that all three of Han’s books would be translated to film, much to fan’s delight.

Thus, the hype for To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, along with the expectations, were incredibly high, but could the sequel really hold up to the original? Unfortunately, not quite.

There were a lot of qualities that made To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before a hit. For starters, Condor and Centineo’s chemistry resonated off the screen. From their very first scene together, this was a couple you were rooting for despite all their missteps. But besides their sweet romance, there was also the relationship between the Covey sisters and their dad that really resonated with viewers. Kitty’s (Anna Cathcart) meddling in Lara Jean’s life was the perfect set up for the entire plot of the first film while Lara Jean’s struggle of having a crush on her older sister, Margot’s (Janel Parish), ex-boyfriend brought in a complication that also influenced the plot of the film.

Thus, Lara Jean’s relationship with her family was strongly interwoven with the relationship she developed with Peter creating a cohesive story that was altogether heartwarming. But the layers that made To All the Boys I’ve Loved You such a heartfelt film fell a bit flat in its sequel.

For starters, Margot is only in the film for one scene. While Lara Jean’s mom is heavily referenced throughout the film, we never see Lara Jean try to talk to Margot or Kitty about missing her mom, the two people who would probably understand her grief the most. Additionally, though we do get to see a bit of Kitty’s noteworthy meddling as she attempts to set up their dad (John Corbett) with the next door neighbor, Trina (Sarayu Blue), that storyline easily got lost in the background of the main plot.

Another loss was the lack of Kitty and Peter interactions. There was only one brief scene with Kitty and Peter that people will recognize from the trailer. And perhaps this loss could be attributed to not enough time, but the film also added an unnecessary romance plot line featuring Chris (Madeleine Arthur) as well as the introduction of Peter’s friend Trevor (Ross Butler) who also didn’t add much to the film.

But more than anything what P. S. I Still Love You really suffered from was trying to figure out how to continue telling Lara Jean and Peter’s story in a way that would keep the feel good vibes of the first movie. From the promotions to the trailer, it was clear P. S. I Still Love You was setting up a love triangle for Lara Jean between Peter and John Ambrose McClaren (Jordan Fisher). However, for there to be a love triangle the film had to throw a wrench into Lara Jean and Peter’s relationship and unfortunately it’s much more fun to see a couple fall in love than it is to watch them fall apart.

Perhaps if it seemed like there was ever a chance John Ambrose and Lara Jean were actually the couple to root for, maybe John Ambrose and Lara Jean’s romance could’ve been filler for Lara Jean and Peter’s fracturing relationship. Instead, however, John Ambrose just felt like another complication to the couple fans had already fallen in love with in the first film. Thus, any romantic moments John Ambrose shared with Lara Jean rang false.

Even so, there were still plenty of moments in P. S. I Still Love You that will make viewers feel all the heartwarming, fuzzy feelings as they felt with the first movie, beginning with Lara Jean and Peter’s first real date. P. S. I Still Love You also held onto some of the humor and charm from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and as always Condor’s facial expressions truly shined through in this film.

While the movie will certainly break viewers’ hearts at times, fans can rest assured that they’ll come out of the movie believing that though love can be complicated and messy, it’s ultimately still worth those bouts of heartache.

To All the Boys: P. S. I Still Love You begins streaming on Netflix on Friday, February 12. Watch the trailer below:

ARC Review: The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

Posted on November 12, 2019May 28, 2020 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus.

Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels–fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.

Expertly capturing the thrill of first love and the self-doubt all teens feel, debut author Phil Stamper is a new talent to watch.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from Bloomsbury YA at BookCon. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on March 17, 2020.*

I honestly don’t even remember how this ARC ended up in my hands at BookCon but I’m glad it did. I was aware of Phil Stamper because of the whole Handbook for Mortals scandal but I didn’t know him for his writing. Turns out that’s probably because The Gravity of Us is his debut novel, and what a great book to jumpstart a career.

First, I truly wanted this book just based on the cover alone, but then I read the synopsis. The story follows Cal, a teen journalist/vlogger who’s father just got accepted to join NASA’s very highly publicized trip to Mars. This in it of itself would’ve been interesting but Stamper heightened the stakes by adding in StarWatch. What is StarWatch? I’m so glad you asked. It’s a reality show all about the astronauts and their families, including the kids who are known as Astrokids.

Because of the show, the astronauts and their families are celebs, which is cool except Cal doesn’t think his family is fit to be in the spotlight. Oh, and also, because of the show he won’t be able to do his internship with BuzzFeed like he planned. He’s also not supposed to continue his vlogs, but Cal decides that he won’t let StarWatch halt his career just as it’s about to take off (pun intended) and so he continues with his vlog anyways.

There’s just one (or two) problems. The more time he spends with NASA and the crew of StarWatch the more unsavory things Cal uncovers. And while he knows sharing this story would be great for his career the truth about StarWatch could hurt a lot of people, including Leon, another Astrokid who Cal has feelings for. In other words, things are pretty complicated and I loved it.

I’m not a big science person but Stamper did a great job of making all the space stuff interesting. Honestly, I found some of those points even more interesting than the drama with StarWatch, though the drama was quite good. Stamper definitely surprised me with the plot of this story. I’m not sure what I was expecting exactly, but I love when I can’t predict the ending of a book and this story definitely kept me on my toes.

The surprising elements of the story could probably be contributed to how much was going on in this novel. Cal’s parents are going through a tough time in their marriage; when Cal leaves New York he has to leave his best friend/ex-girlfriend behind; Leon is dealing with depression; and there’s the StarWatch drama mixed in with the actual problems NASA is facing as they try to finally get to Mars. There was a lot happening in this book and yet I never felt lost or like it was too much.

And at the heart of this story was romance but also a lot of familial love as well. Though there were definitely some not so happy moments, overall I’d say this was a feel good read that made me smile and laugh and ultimately fall in love space and all the people working to get us there. Stamper also did a great job of handling Leon and Cal’s mom’s mental health. Honestly, I think my only complaint is that I would’ve liked a smidge more of the romance, but I always want a smidge more romance so I don’t fault this book too much for that.

If you haven’t already pre-ordered The Gravity of Us I highly recommend doing so. Besides this just being an awesome book, Stamper is hosting an epic pre-order campaign where you can get a signed book plate that’s been to space! How brilliant is that? Get yours before it’s too late and if you’ve been luck enough to already read The Gravity of Us let me know your thoughts below!

Highlight here (depression, anxiety, untimely death) for trigger warnings.

Borrow or Buy: Buy it, obviously!

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My Definitive Ranking of Christina Lauren Books

Posted on September 30, 2019September 29, 2019 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

The first book I read in 2018 was Autoboyography by Christina Lauren. It was the first book I read by the author duo comprised of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings and I was pretty much hooked from there. Thus, I made it my mission to read every single book they published and finally, over a year later, I’ve done it.

To be clear, I’ve only done books that have been published. Thus, I did not read their WattPad story, A Little Crazy, though I plan to at some point. Instead, I read all 26 of their books that are currently available to me (one was a digital ARC).

For clarity, I will be ranking the books from my least favorite up to my number one pick. Please feel free to agree or disagree with my choices in the comments. Let’s begin!

Sublime

To be fair, ghost stories aren’t typically my cup of tea anyway so I think that was part of the issue with Sublime for me. I just didn’t really connect with either of the characters and I also didn’t really get it. By that I mean, the logistics of one of the characters being a ghost didn’t really work for me. Thus, Sublime is unfortunately coming in last.

Beautiful Bastard

I know, I know! This is the OG CLo novel. How can it be so low? The answer is simple, I don’t really like Chloe and Bennett. Plus, I’ll admit that while I enjoy erotica this one was just a little too much for me. I’d say almost every chapter had a sex scene, and I’m pretty sure at one point I legit said to my book, “Alright you two, calm down.”

Dark Wild Night

Honestly, a major part of the issue for me was that I listened to the audiobooks for this series and the narrator for the woman was exactly the same for the first three books. Thus, by the time I got to Lola it was hard for me to separate her from Mia and Harlow. Moreover, her relationship with Oliver just didn’t do it for me, which is saying something because typically if Steve West narrates it it’s already five stars in my book.

Beautiful Beginning

I think I partially disliked this novella because Chloe and Bennett’s anxiety about their wedding low key gave me anxiety so this was just a no for me. There were some cute moments though.

Beautiful Bitch

Chloe and Bennett are back at it again, but I actually enjoyed seeing these two being a full on couple. And the proposal was hilarious. That cuteness made me rank this one a little higher.

Dirty Rowdy Thing

I usually enjoy a hate-to-love story, but Harlow and Finn just didn’t work for me. The romance was fine but I don’t remember feeling like I couldn’t stop listening. I was just kind of meh about them.

Not-Joe Story

I wasn’t even sure if I should count this one since it’s so incredibly short, but I honestly really enjoyed it so I figured why not. The only reason it’s not higher on this list was because I wanted it to be longer. Also, if you haven’t read this gem you can read it here!

Twice in a Blue Moon

I enjoyed this book but I hated how unresolved the ending was. I wanted to see what played out after and it felt like the book just kind of ended. I didn’t feel closure and so when I finished it I didn’t really know what to feel at all. Still, the romance was great and I liked the story inside the story that we got through the movie Tate works on.

The House

I was genuinely surprised by how much I loved this novel. Once again this was a YA suspense, though it was a bit stranger than Sublime, but in a way I liked. Without giving too much away, the house that the male protagonist, Gavin, lives in is possessed and isn’t all that happy when Gavin starts dating Delilah. Strange, but fun.

Wicked Sexy Liar

Thank goodness for a new female narrator! I truly think that really helped me fall into this novel. I also loved London and Luke’s story. I was fascinated by Luke, even though we didn’t really meet him in the first three books, but getting his side of things was really interesting. And he and London made a great couple.

Roomies

I think I would’ve enjoyed this novel more if we got Calvin’s point of view as well as Holland’s. Unfortunately, Holland irritated me quite a bit. The romance was really cute though and it had a lot of great humor.

Beautiful Stranger

I loved how Max and Sara’s relationship started. This book was steamy from beginning to end. However, the end made me rank it a little lower. I was kind of surprised by the conflict at the end and Sara’s reaction to it. That kind of ruined it a little for me.

Beautiful Beloved

Max and Sara aren’t my favorite couple of the Beautiful series but they’re pretty close. Thus, it was super cute to see them as new parents and attempt to find a way to still be true to their very kinky selves. Also, the introduction of Niall was *chef’s kiss*.

Beautiful Bombshell

This novella was so fun! I honestly love all the characters in the Beautiful series when they’re all together and that’s (almost) what I got with this novella. Plus, the group in Vegas getting into wacky and steamy shenanigans? Brilliant!

Beautiful

This was the perfect end to this series. I absolutely loved that we also got to jump back into the heads of almost all the characters from the series before it came to a close. Low-key would read a YA series about all their kids because I know things would get interesting.

Sweet Filthy Morning After

If you’ve never heard of this little novella before it’s probably because it’s strictly in audio form. Luckily for me I stumbled upon it recently and it was amazing! It’s in the POV of Ansel, which we never got in Sweet Filthy Boy and honestly it made me just want to read Sweet Filthy Boy all over again. I love Ansel so much!

Beautiful Secret

Niall is my favorite book boyfriends! He was so pure and kind and sweet and having Ruby teach him all the ~things~ was so fun to read. I love this couple so much and they worked so well together. I also liked that their conflict made a lot of sense to me and I could totally understand Niall’s mistake.

Sweet Filthy Boy

As I mentioned, Ansel is the love of my life. He’s French, he’s an eternal optimist, he will marry you and then try to make it work even though you haven’t even know each other 24 hours. He’s amazing. And I also love Mia. She’s been through so much, but she’s so strong.

Beautiful Boss

Will and Hanna are hands down my favorite couple in the Beautiful series. First of all, I’m trash for the guy falling for his best friend’s younger sister trope. But also, bonus is that Hanna’s nickname is Ziggy, which is also my nickname, so for a while I got to pretend Will was speaking to me directly, which was swoony. Anyway, I say this all to say this was a cute follow up to their story and I loved it!

Dating You/Hating You

As I’ve said, I love a good hate-to-love story and CLo nailed it with this one. Not only was the romance great, but they really handled sexism in the workplace quite well. I might be reaching but it kind of seemed like their answer to the problematic bits of Beautiful Bastard.

My Favorite Half-Night Stand

Honestly, the only reason this isn’t higher is because of the catfishing bit. But without it we really wouldn’t have a story so what can you do? I loved this book mainly because I saw a scary amount of myself in Millie. Low-key this book was partially why I finally went back to therapy. So thanks CLo!

Love and Other Words

I honestly didn’t really expect CLo to break my heart the way they did with this book, but here we are. This book very much leans more towards literary fiction than romance, so it was a bit different from what I was used to but still very good. The switching between past and present worked so well, and while I did guess some things the twists still surprised me.

Beautiful Player

I’m pretty sure I already made it clear how much I love Will and Hanna so I won’t reiterate here. Just know this is the best book in the Beautiful series. Period.

The Unhoneymooners

First, love that this featured a Mexican protagonist and her big Mexican family. Second, I loved pretty much everything about this book. Olive was a great protagonist. She was funny and headstrong. Ethan was also an iconic love interest and I fell for him pretty quick. Also, did someone say hate-to-love romance? I think so!

Autoboyography

My introduction to Christina Lauren. Of course, it’s high up on the list! If it wasn’t good I wouldn’t be the CLo stan I am today, obviously. Real talk though, CLo handled this book so well. From the way in which Tanner dealt with hiding his bisexuality to Sebastian facing his questions about his own sexuality while being the poster boy for Mormons, this book tackled a lot of issues. And I never felt like CLo missed the mark.

Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating

If you know me at all you should know I love this book. Pretty sure I’ve never loved a book as much as I love this book. Hazel is me. I am Hazel. Besides the incredible romance here, I can genuinely say that Hazel has changed my outlook on life, specifically my (nonexistent) love life. For the most part, I’m fine with being single, but when I do have those moments where I wonder if I’ll ever meet someone who gets me and will accept me for me I go back to this book. One, because Hazel eventually got her Josh. But more importantly, because Hazel makes it clear she will not be with someone who wants her to change or be someone she’s not. And I feel the exact same way.

So, how did I do? Did I get it totally wrong or completely right? Let me know what your favorite CLo book is below!

ARC Review: No Judgments by Meg Cabot

Posted on September 24, 2019September 23, 2019 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Borrow

Synopsis:

When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island—as well as its connection to the mainland—twenty-five-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried . . . at first. She’s already escaped one storm—her emotionally abusive ex—so a hurricane seems like it will be a piece of cake.

But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can . . . but to do so, she’s going to need help—help she has no choice but to accept from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell, the Mermaid Café’s most notorious heartbreaker.

But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her penitent ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound

Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from William Morrow at BookExpo. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on September 24, 2019.*

I typically love Meg Cabot’s books. Whether it’s her YA novels or her adult novels, I almost always enjoy them. Which is why I was very disappointed by No Judgments.

It’s been a while since I read a Cabot book, but she was signing at BookExpo and I figured why not. I mean, she’s Meg Cabot. She’s, to put it mildly, a legend and an inspiration. I could not miss out. So I got an ARC of this book, which I didn’t really know much about, and decided to give it a try (after I read the quick novella that precedes it, Bridal Boot Camp). Unfortunately, No Judgments wasn’t really interesting.

The novel follows Bree who lives on Little Bridge Island, a fictional island off the coast of Florida, that she used to visit with her family over the summer. Except Bree is now there to stay because her father is dead, her ex sucks, and her mom didn’t totally believe her when she tried to explain why her ex sucks. The premise of this novel, at least based on the synopsis, is that a hurricane comes through the island and many residents have to leave the island without their pets so Bree decides to rescue them all. With some help from the town hottie Drew, of course.

The issue is that plot point doesn’t come until you’re about halfway through the book. Most of the book is build up to the hurricane. Bree gets calls from pretty much everyone who’s not on the island warning her to leave; she refuses. Meanwhile, everyone on the island is chilling as if a hurricane isn’t heading right towards them. Basically, there were just way too many conversations about this hurricane and not enough actual romance, which is simply because the romance doesn’t really get going until the hurricane arrives.

Thus, I was pretty bored for most of the novel. Once the hurricane hit things got a little more interesting, but because it took so long to build up to the romance it just ended up feeling pretty rushed to me. There wasn’t really any kind of slow burn or instalove with conflict that pulls them apart and then they make their way back to each other. Bree and Drew kind of just fell into each other and then the book was pretty much over.

Therefore, I cannot recommend this Cabot novel. Don’t let this dissuade from reading Cabot’s books entirely if you haven’t yet though. I suggest reading the Mediator series if you love YA and The Boy Next Door series if you like adult romance. But No Judgments? Skip it.

Highlight here (sexual assault/harassment memory) for trigger warnings!

Borrow or Buy: Borrow.

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ARC Review: Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Posted on September 5, 2019September 4, 2019 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Frank Li has two names. There’s Frank Li, his American name. Then there’s Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Frank barely speaks any Korean. He was born and raised in Southern California.

Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl–which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. Brit, who is funny and nerdy just like him. Brit, who makes him laugh like no one else. Brit . . . who is white.

As Frank falls in love for the very first time, he’s forced to confront the fact that while his parents sacrificed everything to raise him in the land of opportunity, their traditional expectations don’t leave a lot of room for him to be a regular American teen. Desperate to be with Brit without his parents finding out, Frank turns to family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar bind. Together, they come up with a plan to help each other and keep their parents off their backs. Frank thinks he’s found the solution to all his problems, but when life throws him a curveball, he’s left wondering whether he ever really knew anything about love—or himself—at all.

In this moving debut novel—featuring striking blue stained edges and beautiful original endpaper art by the author—David Yoon takes on the question of who am I? with a result that is humorous, heartfelt, and ultimately unforgettable.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound

Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from Penguin Teen. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on September 10, 2019.*

I would argue that Frankly in Love by David Yoon is the most highly anticipated YA release of this fall. Besides the fact that Yoon is married to NYT bestselling author Nicola Yoon, the book has been everywhere. And did you see the book trailer? If not, do yourself a favor and watch it here!

My point is, the hype for this book is off the charts and ultimately well deserved.

The premise of the book is one of my favorite tropes in the history of tropes. Frank Li is falling for a white girl, Brit Means, but his Korean parents only want him to date another Korean American person. Thankfully, Frank’s friend Joy Song fits the bill perfectly. Thus, they hatch a plan to pretend to date each other so that Frank can date Brit and Joy can continue to date her Chinese American boyfriend. Of course, nothing could possibly go wrong in this scenario.

Now you might be thinking to yourself, I totally know how this will end, this is so predictable, blah blah blah. Except, you’d be wrong. Because while Frankly in Love is being sold as a rom com, I hate to be the one to inform you that it goes way deeper than that. I’m talking almost-made-me-cry-on-the-train deeper than that. Yoon uses Frank’s love life as an entry point to discuss the nuances and difficulties that come with being the child of immigrants and he does so brilliantly.

Frank has to reconcile with the fact that his parents are racist, but also that they come from a completely different life than the one he lives. Frank struggles with being the kind of son his parents want him to be while also trying to figure out what being Korean American means to him. It’s a constant culture clash for Frank and while he disagrees with his parents on many things, he’s also can’t deny how much they’ve sacrificed for him and his older sister to have the lives they do.

With all that said, I urge you not to go into Frankly in Love expecting a romance novel. That’s not what this is. Yes there is a romance, and it is really great, don’t get me wrong. But this book also deals with heavy topics and it will certainly surprise you, but for me, those surprises worked in the best way. I truly could not put this book down and I loved it from beginning to end. That is why I highly recommend picking up Frankly in Love when it goes on sale.

Highlight this space (parental death, cancer) for trigger warnings!

Borrow or Buy: Buy it, duh!

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ARC Review: Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

Posted on August 1, 2019July 27, 2019 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first: Her first love. Her first everything. Including her first heartbreak.

During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other in only the way that first loves do: sharing all of their hopes, dreams, and deepest secrets along the way. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate—the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars—ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.

Fourteen years later, Tate, now an up-and-coming actress, only thinks about her first love every once in a blue moon. When she steps onto the set of her first big break, he’s the last person she expects to see. Yet here Sam is, the same charming, confident man she knew, but even more alluring than she remembered. Forced to confront the man who betrayed her, Tate must ask herself if it’s possible to do the wrong thing for the right reason… and whether “once in a lifetime” can come around twice.

With Christina Lauren’s signature “beautifully written and remarkably compelling” (Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author) prose and perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, Twice in a Blue Moon is an unforgettable and moving novel of young love and second chances.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound

Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book from Gallery Books via NetGalley. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on October 22, 2019.*

I went into this novel not really knowing much because at this point if Christina Lauren wrote it I’m going to read it. Period. So I was intrigued to find that we were beginning in the past and that it would not be an alternating past and present type of situation but a lot of past and then a jump to the present. This wasn’t a format I expected but I was into it and it made sense for the plot.

The story is told solely in Tate Jones’ POV. She is the daughter of a big movie star, but when she was a kid her mom left her father and they moved back to her mother’s hometown where they kept Tate’s true identity a secret. Thus, Tate grew up out of the spotlight but she also had to keep this major secret from pretty much everyone in her life.

Enter Sam Brandis. While on vacation in London with her grandmother Tate meets Sam and it’s basically love at first sight. And as one is wont to do when they’re in love (or so I’ve heard) Tate bared her soul to Sam, which included telling him her the truth about her identity. Unfortunately, Sam, along with his grandfather, then left London and Tate’s secret was leaked to the tabloids.

Fast forward to the present and now Tate is a well known actress in her own right. Her relationship with her absentee father is strained at best but Tate is hoping that by working on a movie together that’ll bring them closer. However, what Tate wasn’t expecting was to run into Sam on the set of the film. Now Tate is stuck on location with her father and the guy who sold her secret. What’s a girl to do? Fake it until you make it, amirite?

I really loved this story because it wasn’t black and white. What Sam did to Tate was wrong but it launched her career in a way. Additionally, he of course had his reasons. Whether or not those reasons were valid…well I’ll let you read the book and decide for yourself. The more important question is whether or not Tate is able to forgive him and then trust him.

Obviously, the book dealt a lot with forgiveness and trust, but this wasn’t just through Sam and Tate but also with Tate and her father, which I found really interesting. I also loved learning Sam’s backstory and the movie that Tate was working on was just as interesting as Tate’s own story. The film dealt with racial prejudice and it was really well done. Honestly, I wish it was a real movie. I’d watch it.

But anyway, my point is I enjoyed this book. I wanted a bit more from the ending because it didn’t feel totally resolved to me, but otherwise it was a great read.

Borrow or Buy: Borrow. I actually don’t think I’d reread this one, unfortunately.

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Blog Tour Review: Say You Still Love Me by K. A. Tucker

Posted on July 30, 2019July 27, 2019 by Zakiya N. Jamal in ARC Reviews, Books to Buy

Synopsis:

Life is a mixed bag for Piper Calloway.

On the one hand, she’s a twenty-nine-year-old VP at her dad’s multibillion-dollar real estate development firm, and living the high single life with her two best friends in a swanky downtown penthouse. On the other hand, she’s considered a pair of sexy legs in a male-dominated world and constantly has to prove her worth. Plus she’s stuck seeing her narcissistic ex-fiancé—a fellow VP—on the other side of her glass office wall every day.

Things get exponentially more complicated for Piper when she runs into Kyle Miller—the handsome new security guard at Calloway Group, and coincidentally the first love of her life.

The guy she hasn’t seen or heard from since they were summer camp counselors together. The guy from the wrong side of the tracks. The guy who apparently doesn’t even remember her name.

Piper may be a high-powered businesswoman now, but she soon realizes that her schoolgirl crush is still alive and strong, and crippling her concentration. What’s more, despite Kyle’s distant attitude, she’s convinced their reunion isn’t at all coincidental, and that his feelings for her still run deep. And she’s determined to make him admit to them, no matter the consequences.

Purchase From:

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound

Review

*I received a free advanced reader’s copy of this book via Atria Books. This did not influence my review of this book in anyway. This is an honest review of the novel as I saw it. This novel will be released on August 6, 2019.*

I’m so excited to be a part of the blog tour for K. A. Tucker’s upcoming novel, Say You Still Love Me. Full disclosure, I hadn’t read a novel by Tucker prior to this book but the synopsis sounded so good and I love romance so I figured why not and I was not disappointed.

This novel jumps between the present when our protagonist Piper is dealing with sexism at her father’s office and the past were Piper is a counselor at a summer camp for the first time. At both stages of Piper’s life she runs into Kyle Miller, a man who’s the opposite of who her father would believe is a good match for her. The difference? In the present, Kyle pretends he doesn’t remember Piper and in the past they were each others first love.

Thus, while in the past we see Kyle and Piper fall in love and then fall apart, in the present we see them try to find their way back to each other and man did they pull at my heartstrings. It’s so easy to question how two people who are obviously meant to be together struggle to get together but I felt for both Kyle and Piper. Their issues were real and valid, and trying to untangle the mystery of their past kept me turning page after page. I truly couldn’t put this book down and finished it in a day.

The romance was steamy with a dash of smut, but what Tucker almost effortlessly pulled off was the twist at the end. I was totally unprepared to discover what happened during that summer at camp and the unfortunate outcome of it all. Yes this story is about Kyle and Piper but I like how Tucker made this into a bigger story, encompassing Kyle and Piper’s friends from camp as well.

Overall, this was a great read for me. I’ll definitely be checking out more of Tucker’s books in the future. Make sure to grab your copy when the book goes on sale on August 6 and/or enter to win a copy here!

More About the Author

k. a. tucker.jpg — Photo Credit: Christa Hogan, Storeybook Studios

K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge. She is the bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series and the novels He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, and The Simple Wild. She currently resides in a quaint town outside Toronto with her husband and two beautiful girls.

Borrow or Buy: Buy for the cover alone honestly (though the inside is just as wonderful, obviously).

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