Wonderland Reader

  The Sweetheart List   by Jill Shalvis Sunrise Cove #4 Published: 13th June 2023 by Headline Eternal Other works:  The Family You Make ,  The Friendship Pact ,  The Backup Plan Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This in no way affects my review. Synopsis When Harper Shaw’s life falls apart, she knows it’s time for a change. She removes everything that doesn’t spark joy—from her soul-sucking job to eating kale to making lists—and sets off for the last place she was happy, Lake Tahoe (who wouldn’t feel good there, right?) to fulfill her dream of opening her own bakery. With her Sugar Pine Bakery in between a tavern, owned by sexy, grumpy Bodie Campbell, and a bookstore, run by her new BFF, she feels a peace she’s never experienced since…well, forever.. Then she meets Ivy, a teenage runaway, who barrels into her heart. She sees a lot of herself in Ivy and takes her under her wing, but the teenager has secrets… When those secrets explode, it chan

  Small Worlds   by Caleb Azumah Nelson Published: 11th May 2023 by Penguin I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review. Azumah Nelson's debut, Open Water , was one of my favourite books of last year, and came as an unexpected surprise, so I couldn't wait to read his newest work. His writing blew me away with how genuinely beautiful it was, and it was exactly the same this time around too. Even though the story dealt with sensitive topics, and I wouldn't say it was light reading, I found myself completely immersed and not wanting to put the book down. Having this be set around the time of Mark Duggan and the subsequent riots felt very poignant, as it's something I remember well. I also loved reading about the family dynamic, and the sense of community forged through a love of music and a shared culture. I think Azumah Nelson portrays a really lovely message of gaining independence at such a formative time in a youn