Just Read Jessie

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris | Book Review

posted on

13/1/2026

by

Jessie

in

Book Reviews, Heather Morris, Historical, Romance

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Series: The Tattooist of Auschwitz #1
Genre: Historical, Romance
Pages: 270
Published By: Bonnier Books on 11th January, 2018
Format: Paperback
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Book Synopsis:

I tattooed a number on her arm. She tattooed her name on my heart…

In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival – scratching numbers into his fellow victims’ arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust.

Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale – a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer – it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself, but to ensure this woman, Gita, did, too.

So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the tattooist of Auschwitz.

Book Review

I’ve had this sitting on my TBR for a good few years now but I’m glad to have finally got around to it. This review will be quite short as I think this book speaks for itself…

Woven across the awful environment/situation was a beautiful love story between two people. Despite the circumstances they found themselves in, they fell in love and this was equally emotional to read about. Beautiful, well written and utterly heart-breaking at the same time. This will be a story that will stay with me forever!

I appreciate that the author included additional information at the end which helped with visualising and understanding more of the story. It was nice to put the MCs names to faces and having the inclusion of documents from this time to help provide more information.

My only thing that let it down was the writing style. This fast-paced book held my attention and made it hard to put down However, the writing read very simple in my opinion which at times made me feel disconnected from the story. That being said, the writing style makes this a strong introductory book for young adults who want to learn more about this part of history.

I definitely think this is an important read because it provides deeper insight into what truly happened. It’s hard to say whether I would recommend this book due to the nature of it. However, if you find books about WW2 interesting then I’d suggest giving this one a read.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
10 Things To Do Before I Go by Chantelle Mathewson | Book Review

posted on

10/1/2026

by

Jessie

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Book Reviews, Chantelle Mathewson, Contemporary, Romance

10 Things To Do Before I Go by Chantelle Mathewson
Series: 10 Things ️️️#1
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Pages: 212
Published: on 25th January, 2024
Format: eBook
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Book Synopsis:

As a twenty-two year old college drop out, Stella uproots her life for the summer to move into her Aunt Milly’s oceanside home in Maine. She has always felt as if everyone was doing so much better than her, and her Aunt Milly was the only one who ever made her feel heard. Hoping only to outrun a past in which she never felt good enough, the last thing Stella expects to find is love.

Until she meets Oliver.

Mid panic-attack on an unfamiliar beach, Stella opens up an abandoned journal and begins to read, finding within its pages a list of reasons to stay. When Oliver catches her invading his privacy not only is he not mad, but he is instantly intrigued. He makes it his mission to convince her she is worthy of every little thing she has convinced herself she doesn’t deserve.

Stella and Oliver have a spark that even disapproving Aunt Milly can see. But when pasts catch up and secrets are uncovered, will love be enough? Stella’s perfect picture of her oceanside escape is shattered and she has to choose – is she willing to recognize that nobody is perfect and love them anyway? Or will she run away like she’s always done?

Book Review

I came across this book when I was looking for something to read to fit BooksandLala Buzzword prompt of “before” and “after” for January. Honestly, I can say that I never expected to become as obsessed with this story as I am!

I believe this is the author’s debut novel and I think they did a brilliant job. I will point out that there are a few grammatical errors throughout the book which may annoy some people. However, I didn’t let it bother me. This tends to happen with self-published books, so keep it in mind if you’re thinking of reading.

This book hooked me right from the beginning and was an incredibly quick read. This book took me two days to finish which shows just how much I didn’t want to put it down. I think this was purely because of the MCs. I absolutely adored them both and I love how they interacted with each other. We follow the story from Stella’s perspective. I’ll admit that this story feels quite “insta-lovey”… This trope usually isn’t my thing, but I became fully invested from the start.

The main focus of the story is surrounding the characters mental health struggles. I think the author represented these in a way that would help an outsider looking in to understand. The characters feel very relatable and I felt emotionally connected to them throughout. The side characters felt like a great addition to the story. I ended up loving them just as much as the MCs.

I liked the balance between there being some mystery, some spice and lots of emotions. I really enjoyed watching the MCs relationship develop as the book went on. This is definitely a more character-driven story rather than plot-driven. The ending did make me think that there may be a book two but I can’t find any information regarding it so that’s a little disappointing… *Update… I reached out to the author who said the next book should be coming out some time this year, yay!*

Although many people may not know this author, I highly recommend reading this book if you’re in the mood for a good romance.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher | Book Review

posted on

9/1/2026

by

Jessie

in

Book Reviews, Fantasy, T. Kingfisher, Young Adult

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 306
Published By: Argyll Productions on 21st July, 2020
Format: Paperback
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Book Synopsis:

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn’t like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can’t control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt’s bakery making gingerbread men dance.

But Mona’s life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona’s city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona’s worries…

Book Review

I’ve had this book sitting on my TBR for a while now and I’ve finally felt in the mood to get to it. I am so glad I did because I had such a fun time reading this. In my opinion, this cosy fantasy works well. It’s my first T. Kingfisher book I’ve ever dived into so I am excited to read more from her in the future.

The first thing I’d like to point out is that the FMC felt a little timid to begin with but she is still a fresh teenager of 14 which makes sense but I’m glad that her character grows and develops throughout alongside her magic. The side characters in this story are great and each have their role to play within the story. I will just point out that although the blurb says she has a sourdough starter as her familiar… I feel like the gingerbread man is more her familiar. However we do get to see the sourdough starters importance more in the second half of the book.

The pacing for the book was decent overall but I much preferred the second half of the book to the first. I feel like the story really progressed once we hit the halfway mark. The first half is definitely laying out the ground work for the storyline but the second half is where the action is at and I loved it!

One thing to note is that the writing style is clearly YA, which is good since that’s how it’s marketed. Due to this I do think though that some parts could possibly annoy an adult reader but for me I had no issues with the writing. I really enjoyed the FMC first person perspective.

The magic system in this book especially how it was woven into baking, I absolutely adored. I thought it was a clever and refreshing plot idea, unlike anything I had read before. It made a nice change and it definitely fit the Young Adult vibes.

The book is inventive, very funny and a totally entertaining read. If you’re a fan of cosy fantasy, want a magical fairy tale-feeling story or enjoy YA fantasy books then I would highly recommend giving this one ago. I feel like there are some great messages in here for younger readers. I can see how this could feel empowering, showing that they can do big and important things.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Top Ten Tuesday: Best Books I Read in 2025

posted on

6/1/2026

by

Jessie

in

Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Memes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week there is a new topic for bloggers to choose and list their top ten. This week on Top Ten is Best Books I Read in 2025.

Powerless by Elsie Silver

Fate Be Changed by Farrah Rochon

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Paint It All Red by S.T. Abby

Lightlark by Alex Aster

Hopeless by Elsie Silver

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Shady Hollow by Juneau Black

Good Spirits by B.K. Borison

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Happy TTT! Leave your link down below for me to check out and start chatting 😀
Accidentally Wedded to a Werewolf by Isabelle Taylor | Book Review

posted on

5/1/2026

by

Jessie

in

Book Reviews, Fantasy, Isabelle Taylor, Paranormal, Romance

Accidentally Wedded to a Werewolf by Isabelle Taylor
Series: Claw Haven #1
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
Pages: 316
Published By: Harlequin on 31st October, 2024
Format: eBook
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Book Synopsis:

Welcome to Claw Haven, where monsters go to find some peace and quiet.

Spoiled heiress Luna Stack is meant to be sipping mai tais on a beach with her fun-loving fiancé. Instead, a snowstorm strands her in Claw Haven, Alaska, a cozy town full of monsters living the quiet life. At least the werewolf innkeeper’s hot—until he opens his mouth.

Luna’s more than ready to leave the grumpy wolf and his decrepit inn behind as soon as the snow clears, but when a potion mishap bonds the two of them together, she resigns herself to staying in Claw Haven, just for a little while.

She’s only werewolf married, though, not married married, like, legally. No big deal.

Oliver Musgrove wants nothing to do with his new “wife.” He has annoying, friendly townsfolk to ignore, and he’s lost his ability to shift, which means his alpha ambitions are currently on hold.

Unfortunately, no matter how much Oliver wants to keep his distance from Luna, the bond says otherwise. Even though the two can’t stand each other, maybe they can stop bickering long enough to explore the magical spark between them…

After all, what’s a little knotting between enemies?

Book Review

I’d not heard of this author before but ended up discovering it as part of the Romanceopoly Book Club choice for January.

I will start off by saying that I found the FMC very unlikeable pretty much all the way through! This is totally on me (not the book), but I don’t like open relationships at all, and that made this aspect hard for me to enjoy. The FMC is engaged to someone else before meeting the werewolf, which immediately turned me off. I liked the MMC a lot—I felt his character was much more developed as the story went on. He was definitely delivering on the grumpy side which I liked. It was nice to see him soften as the story progressed.

The romance element was okay but I just kept thinking that if it wasn’t for the bond forcing the romance, the chemistry between the two main characters just didn’t feel right. I honestly felt more invested in the FMC career development than I did with the romance. I actually enjoyed seeing more of the cosy side characters in the small town rather than the main characters at times.

The pacing of the book was overall okay but at times I do feel like it dragged out the main plot for a little too long. I also feel like it went from 0-100 with the spice at times. At times, the story included spice in situations where it didn’t feel necessary.

The small town vibes is what carried this book for me. I loved the descriptions of the Alaskan town and was definitely feeling the wintery vibes. I honestly feel like this book was a Twilight and Hallmark movie mixed together and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

If you’re a fan of monster romances, grumpy/sunshine and small town vibes then you may like this book. It’s not a terrible book; I just think the execution could have been better. I had fun but expected more romance wise.

Rating: 3 out of 5.
Birthstone Book Covers – January: Garnet

posted on

4/1/2026

by

Jessie

in

Monthly Book Challenges
Well, it is officially January! Can’t believe we’re already kicking off 2026 posts for this theme…

Leslie at Books Are The New Black hosts this fun monthly theme and I had a look at January which I thought would be fun to take part in.

The rules are simple:
- Mention the creator (Leslie @ Books Are The New Black) and link back so she can see your post!
- Pick 5+ book covers that match the current month’s Birthstone.
- HAVE FUN!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY… to all the December babies out there!

January’s birthstone is a Garnet and after doing a little research, I found some interesting information on this website for what it means…

“The name “garnet” originates from the medieval Latin granatus, meaning “pomegranate,” in reference to the similarity of the red color. Necklaces studded with red garnets adorned the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Signet rings in ancient Rome featured garnet intaglios that were used to stamp the wax that secured important documents. The clergy and nobility of the Middle Ages had a preference for red garnets.”

Right, lets get onto the book covers that I was able to find from books I’ve read (still own or unhauled). This is the hardest month I have had to do so far. I normally manage to find at least 9 books but for this one I was only able to find 6.
1. The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe (Read – unhauled)
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (Read – still own)
3. Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson (Read – still own)
4. The Donor by Clare Mackintosh (Read – unhauled)
5. YOLO Juliet by William Shakespeare & Brett Wright (Read – unhauled)
6. The Chain by Adrian McKinty (Read – unhauled)
This was a lot of fun to take part in for January and I’ve already taken a sneak peak for February which I will try to take part in!

What garnet books would you recommend? What would you add to the list?
116 Books I Have Unhauled Since 2020

posted on

3/1/2026

by

Jessie

in

Uncategorized

I’m quite brutal when it comes to unhauling books… I want my bookshelves to reflect my reading tastes, so over the years I have really cleaned out my shelves. I have a section on my reading tracker called ‘Graveyard’ where all of my read or DNF’d books that I have unhauled go. After sorting out this section, I realised I have unhauled 116 books since I got back into reading in 2020.

2 Stars

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4 Stars

DNF
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas | Book Review

posted on

2/1/2026

by

Jessie

in

Book Reviews, Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Sarah J. Maas, Young Adult

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 626
Published By: Bloomsbury Publishing on 3rd May, 2016
Format: Paperback
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Book Synopsis:

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court – but at a steep cost. Though she now possesses the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, the mesmerising High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates his dark web of political games and tantalising promises, a greater evil looms – and she might be key to stopping it.

But only if she can step into her growing power, heal her fractured soul and have the courage to shape her own future – and the future of a world cloven in two…

Book Review

Note on the Author –
I’m aware of the ongoing conversations and criticisms surrounding Sarah J. Maas and her work. While I think it’s important to acknowledge those conversations, I’ve decided to go ahead with reviewing the book based on my reading experience. Everyone engages with stories differently, and I respect that this might not be a series/author for everyone.

I’ve been putting this book off for the longest time but WOW am I so glad I finally decided to pick this one up! Everyone had been telling me that this book was amazing and they were not wrong.

I was worried that this book was going to feel too long but it was just right in my opinion. Everything that happened felt like it had a purpose to the story… I didn’t feel like there were any ‘filler’ chapters which is always good. I’ll admit that the start felt a little slow but once it picked up in pace, it picked UP!

I enjoyed that the FMC was just as strong in this book as she was in the first and didn’t always need to be rescued. There’s a good balance between the FMC saving herself and relying on others when needed. Despite her strength, she still faces personal and emotional growth, adding depth to the story.

I’m so invested in a lot of the new characters in this book and was on the edge of my seat for them at parts. I will admit after finishing this book, I am 100% Team Rhysand! Tamlin who? *eye roll*. I very much enjoyed having a chapter from Rhysand’s perspective at the end but I would’ve personally liked more sprinkled throughout.

The world-building in this book was so much better than the first. The detail in describing the different courts especially the night court, brought this book alive for me. The descriptions had me fully immersed within the pages of the book.

This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions and that ending…. I’M SORRY WHAT? Immediately adding the next book to my wishlist!

I am fully aware (as mentioned at the start) about Sarah J. Maas but I will be continuing onto the next book in the series. I don’t agree with her actions or words, but I’m reading the books for what they are—just books. “Separate the art from the artist.” I’m not openly recommending this book, as I respect that everyone makes their own choices based on the information they have. However, I wanted to give my honest opinions on what I thought of the book, NOT Sarah J. Maas as a person.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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2 Stars

2.5 Stars

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DNF

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