I suspect this will join a small handful of books that will stick with me, returning to me at random and not-so-random times.

From being a kid with a Greek mythology phase, I've long known the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, and was already familiar with multiple retellings going into this. HADESTOWN moved me when I saw it on Broadway last year (though my husband was less impressed), but the biggest feeling I had coming out of it was frustration with Orpheus... come ON, my dude, why couldn't you just trust that she was there? More than a decade ago, a theatre I worked at did Sarah Ruhl's EURYDICE, an absolutely beautiful piece of art that gave Eurydice more life, history, and motivation than any other retelling I'd seen before or since... until ORPHIA AND EURYDICIUS by Elyse John. Yes, obviously, she brings more to the female of the pair (Orphia, in this gender swapped version), but she also brings more to her male Eurydicius -- he has a backstory, a family, motivations, deep reasons for loving Orphia, a much fuller writing than the Eurydice of myth who barely existed before her meeting with Orpheus.

Elyse John uses the frame of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice to tell a story far deeper and more poignant than its ancestor. It is simultaneously: an adventure full of lush, evocative imagery; a vindication for an apology to every woman who's ever had their voice taken from them in some way; a manual on and example of the importance of writers and artists everywhere; an examination of family and grief; and, yes, a love story.

This started slow for me. I wasn't sure I could like this Orphia, she just wasn't grabbing me. It also might TOTALLY have been a me thing as I started it right before some medical stuff and might not have been able to focus on it properly. But soon, it had me and I'm so glad it did. I've highlighted more in this book than I have of any book in recent history. This is one particular standout:

"[...] All of your family walks with you, Orphia [...] We are not here because of the blood running though your body, but because we have chosen to be your family. Our support is no accident."
"And I choose you." Tears blocked my view. "I had not guessed that love would shine in the darkest of places."
"That is where love does its greatest work."

You may like this if you like:

Found family
Feminist retellings
Breaking gender norms
Lush imagery
Women making their own places in the world

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley and have provided this honest review.

Love, Naturally by Sophie Sullivan

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.

No particular reason, just wasn't getting into it. May come back to it at some point.

Caught on Camera by Chelsea Curto

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

Bulletpoint thoughts on this one:

I liked the characters, but they felt unreal... almost too perfect. Shawn was almost a characature of the "good guy". I know Lacey lampshaded it in her thoughts a few times but it was just too much of an idealized world that I couldn't find a grip in.
Stakes felt non-existant for a couple reasons. 1) It was so clear from the jump they should be together that it was never really made clear why they weren't (other than instance that they were "best friends", which leads to...) 2) There was a lot of "tell" about their friendship rather than "show". A jump of two years from the last book and BOOM! Besties! I wanted to understand more about how their close friendship developed independent of their mutual friends. It's even said multiple times they didn't hang out solo much prior to the events of this book --- that's "best friends"?
After the first couple, the sex scenes felt like retreads of the prior ones. Very little was shown to us about either character during the sex scenes... they could have been any interchangeable personas.
Dialogue often felt unnatural and not like something people would actually say. This was especially jarring in the more heartfelt moments.

(This review is of a pre-release ARC)

Wildest Winter by Alaina Rose

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Wildest Winter by Alaina Rose is the third novel in her Starling Hills series of connected, but independent small town romances. It's also the third (and presumably last) novel based around the Callaghan siblings, where baby of the family Ari is center stage and a Christmas-set destination wedding has her discovering feelings for her long-time best friend, Gideon, at a time when she needs a friend more than ever.

An aspect of Alaina's writing that's shone through these three books is her ability to balance lighthearted romance with the intense "real-world" problems these characters face without spilling over into overwrought melodrama. Ari's struggles as she approaches the one year anniversary of the death of her father are written sensitively and honestly. I would have liked a little more development of Gid's parental issues as those felt kind of abrupt to me.
The friendship between Ari and Gid is funny, charming, and feels lived-in, like all good long time friendships. While they jump a little quickly to sex for my tastes (maybe I'm reading too much slow burn lately), their choice to do so makes sense and makes for an abundance of well-written sex scenes between them.

Wildest Winter is a lovely finale to the romances of the Callaghan siblings, bringing some stories full circle while planting its own new seeds. I look forward to running into them like old friends as we venture outside the family and into the lives of the other charming residents of Starling Hills in the future.

This is a review of an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) - some specifics may have changed before publication. This review also shared on other sites.

Content Warnings

Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Had to sit with this one for a while, mostly because of

that ending

. This was recommended by a podcast and they mentioned that it had some Twilight DNA in it, but that was totally an understatement. I was never a Twilight fan, but it’s really interesting how overtly this considers and discusses the generation of readers created by Twilight, something we’re now seeing turn into a generation of writers themselves.

A Special Place for Women by Laura Hankin

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mysterious reflective fast-paced