@pxw1@Tonepoetic

Tagging @pxw1. Let's see how it goes.

7/10

Adeline is a new NHL Boston Bolts coach. But very few know that the goalie, JJ Hanson is her ex-bestfriend. And everyone except her knows that JJ has feelings for Adeline

One thing which I loved was the way female characters were written - especially Adeline. Halfway into the book, I wanted to give her a hug and be her friend. It's not easy being a good friend, a good daughter, ambitious , staying true to your values while people have misconceptions about you; but she does it all. Her bond with Avery is so sweet and motherly. The miscommunication trope felt a little out of character for her, but honestly she is so pure of heart, that I was willing to let it go.

On the other hand, the MMC is kinda a red flag. His decisions seem self centered. There were times whem his action jeopardized her career which felt like a major problem for his character - something which I couldn't ignore. His redemption was is in the last chapter of the book, so felt a little excused.

If you aim to read this book, I would recommend to read at least the summary of other books by the author. I didn't do that and plunged into this one. This book is a second gen book of a previous series with 3+ families/couples. There are lots of couples and children, lots of back stories and lots of epilogues crammed in the initial chapters of this book - which is sometimes confusing. Also because of the HEA of the previous book characters, Addie and JJ have no major issues in their love story except for their own insecurities and one external factor. For example - their parents own the company they play in, they are rich and mentally healthy. Thus, if any problem arises with the lead couple, it is solved within seconds, thus making them seem privileged and sometimes nepotistic too. But the good thing is that this is addressed in the book from time to time.

I liked the ending of the book. So definitely a +1 for that. Also Avery is a cutie!

Register for FREE here

I have the honor of hosting Deesha Dyer, author of UNDIPLOMATIC and the Former Social Secretary for the Obama White House, tomorrow on Zoom at 6pm EDT. She is part of our Haus of Phoenix Professor Phoenix series, and as a special thank you, I'd like to extend the invitation to join to all of our Bindery x Inky members!

Deesha will be talking about her experience with imposter syndrome, life at the White House, and everything it took to get there. Hope you can join and pick up a copy of her book!

My friend, I can hardly believe I'm writing this, but Twig's Traveling Tomes is finally in your hands!

Before anything else, thank you. Truly. This book exists because so many of you believed in myself and Gryffin long before Twigs had a cover or pub date. Your support helps make moments like this possible, and I am so grateful that you get to be among the very first readers to step through the door of Louella's magical bookshop.

Now comes the fun part: it's time to read it.

My wish is that you curl up somewhere cozy, make something delicious and warm, and allow yourself to be overtaken Gryffin's whimsical world. I am so excited for you to meet these characters and experience all the romance and questing and BANTER! I hope it makes you laugh and smile, and maybe even feel comforted.

But what happens after they all live happily ever after? Here's a few ways to support the launch as we inch closer to September...

1) Share it on socials.

If you enjoy Twigs, one of the biggest ways you can help is by talking about it. Share your reading updates, favorite tropes or scenes, cozy reading setups, or reviews on social media. If you're comfy, feel free to tag myself, Bindery, and Gryffin so we can repost and celebrate alongside you!

If you'd rather wait until release day, that's helpful too! The official release date is September 8th, and we'd love to see the internet filled with Twig's excitement that day. Whether you post now, on release day, or both, every share helps more readers discover the book.

2) Rate & review.

Another incredibly helpful thing you can do is leave a rating or review on Storygraph and/or Goodreads, Amazon, etc. once you've finished. And I mean this sincerely: please be honest. Thoughtful, honest reviews are what help readers decide whether a book is right for them. We want your genuine experience with Twigs, because your feedback matters deeply to us and to the cozy community. I promise you won't hurt anyone's feelings, we stay out of there for the most part anyway ha!

You'll also find a dedicated #arc-readers channel in the Cozy Quill Discord where you can share your honest thoughts, favorite moments, and first impressions. To help everyone feel comfortable speaking freely, Gryffin and I won't have access to that channel. It's a space for readers to talk with readers. Our mod team will be there to help with any questions and to monitor the convo, but please know you're safe to share.

3) Share it with a friend!

If you finish the book and find yourself wanting to celebrate it even more, why not preorder a copy for a friend who might love it, too? Another great way to spread the word is stopping by (or calling) your local independent bookstore and ask them to carry it. The more buzz, the more accessible the book becomes to cozy readers, which is always the goal!

Thank you again for being part of this journey. It means more than I can possibly say to myself and Gryffin. We have SO MUCH to celebrate ahead! The audiobook narrators are currently being chosen, we're setting up some book store signings...it's going to be a gorgeous fall!

I hope you enjoy your time in Louella's world, and I cannot wait to hear what you think when you return from your travels!

With so much gratitude and love,

Meg

What We're Reading

Published in 1966, Hell's Angels by Hunter S. Thompson chronicles a year spent inside the Oakland chapter of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club, blending firsthand reporting, cultural criticism, and Thompson's signature voice into a portrait of postwar American myth-making.

Hell's Angels is the book that invented a genre. It won the vote, and it deserves its reputation.

Happy Reading!

About the Author

Hunter S. Thompson was an American journalist and author whose work redefined what nonfiction reporting was allowed to do. Thompson embedded himself inside the stories he covered, not as a passive observer but as a participant whose own psychology became part of the material. His approach drew comparisons to Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer, but Thompson's voice was always his own: corrosive, funny, and unwilling to let the myth stand unchallenged. Hell's Angels was his first book and remains one of the most important works of American journalism ever published.

Reading and Discussion Schedule

Week 1: Sunday, June 8th | Chapters 1 to 5 (through page 68)

Week 2: Sunday, June 15th | Chapters 6 to 9 (pages 69 to 136)

Week 3: Sunday, June 22nd | Chapters 10 to 14 (pages 137 to 204)

Week 4: Sunday, June 29th | Chapters 15 to 18 (pages 205 to 271)

Note: Links to live calls will be posted in the Discord server 30 minutes before each call in the corresponding discussion thread for that week.

If you haven't connected to our Discord server yet, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/settings/apps

Interviews & excerpts

Hunter S. Thompson Meets A Hell's Angel (1967)

The Hell's Angels: Hunter S. Thompson Interview

Yesteryear won the vote for the book I (Will) read in June! Very different from what I usually read, but it's very well written, and I'm having a good time with it so far.

Have you read it? If so, what did you think?

One of my goals this year is to help you spend less time wondering what to read next and more time actually reading.

Every Tuesday on Instagram, I share a roundup of books hitting shelves that day. But over here, we get to answer the real question: Should you read it or skip it?

This week's stack was a reminder of just how many directions speculative fiction, horror, and thrillers can take you. We’ve got a wellness retreat that feels one bad decision away from becoming a cult documentary, a Peter Pan retelling that may permanently ruin Neverland for you, a time-travel story that had me both crying and questioning the nature of existence, and a thriller-horror that absolutely steamrolled its way onto my list of favorite books of the year.

As always, these are just my personal reactions. A book that didn't work for me might end up being your next five-star read, and a book I loved may not land the same way for everyone else. That's the fun part of reading.

So let's sort through this week's new releases and figure out which books earned a spot on your TBR and which ones deserve a pass.

🩺 Obstetrix

Read or Skip: SKIP

Rating: 3 stars

This is one of those books where I loved the premise more than the execution.

The story follows an OB-GYN who has recently stood trial for performing an abortion in a state with an abortion ban. Just as she's beginning to put her life back together, she's kidnapped by a religious community and forced to provide medical care to the women living there.

That's an incredible setup, and the subject matter feels especially relevant right now.

What worked for me was the tension. Once Liz arrives at the compound, the story becomes genuinely stressful. The pacing moves quickly, the stakes are clear, and there was never a point where I felt bored. This is a relatively short novel, and it keeps the pressure on throughout.

Where it lost me was the emotional depth.

Liz has been through two incredibly traumatic experiences: a highly publicized trial and a kidnapping. Yet she felt surprisingly well-adjusted throughout much of the story. I kept wanting the book to spend more time exploring the psychological aftermath of everything she'd endured.

I also would have loved to see the political and social commentary pushed further. The novel touches on some fascinating ideas surrounding reproductive healthcare, bodily autonomy, and religious extremism, but never digs quite as deeply as I wanted it to.

Final thought: The premise is timely, the pacing is strong, and the tension absolutely works. But if you're hoping for a deeper exploration of the themes it raises, you may find yourself wanting a little more by the end.

🌲 The Break-Up Retreat

Read or Skip: READ

Rating: 4.5 stars

An isolated wellness retreat in the Swedish woods. A founder who feels equal parts therapist and cult leader. An undercover journalist trying to uncover the truth behind a string of disappearances.

Say less.

Camilla Sten took a premise I already love and somehow made it feel fresh. The atmosphere is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. The entire book feels claustrophobic despite being set in the middle of a forest, and there’s a constant sense that something is wrong long before anyone can prove it.

The first half leans heavily into psychological suspense. The second half shifts into full popcorn-thriller territory with twists, reveals, and plenty of "just one more chapter" energy. I flew through the final hundred pages.

I also loved the mixed-media elements, the suspicious cast of characters, and Isobel as a narrator. She's complicated, messy, and exactly the kind of character I enjoy spending a few hundred pages with.

Final thought: If you love isolated settings, cult vibes, suspicious characters, and thrillers that steadily crank up the paranoia, this is an easy recommendation.

🪝 It Came From Neverland

Read or Skip: READ

Rating: 4.5 stars

The moment I saw "Peter Pan meets Stephen King's IT," I knew I was going to read this book.

The good news? It absolutely delivers on that promise.

Set against the backdrop of World War I London, this horror retelling takes everything familiar about Peter Pan and twists it into something genuinely unsettling. The wonder is still there, but it's layered beneath grief, trauma, and a growing sense of dread.

Wendy was easily my favorite part of the story. Years after escaping Peter's grasp, she's still carrying the scars of what happened to her, and now she's forced to confront the nightmare all over again. Her emotional journey gives the story real weight beyond the horror elements.

What I loved most, though, was how the book forces you to reconsider a character we've spent generations viewing as magical and innocent. This version of Peter Pan is something else entirely.

Final thought: If you enjoy dark fairy-tale retellings, atmospheric horror, and stories that take beloved childhood classics and break them in fascinating ways, put this one on your summer reading list.

⏳ The Traveler

Read or Skip: READ

Rating: 4 stars

Every once in a while, I finish a book and immediately struggle to explain it.

The Traveler is one of those books.

At its core, it's the story of a father who begins involuntarily jumping forward through time. One day. Then two. Then four. Then years. While Scott is losing pieces of his life in an instant, his son Lyle is growing up without him and dedicating his life to understanding what's happening.

Yes, this is science fiction, but it's also a family saga, a meditation on time, and one of the more thought-provoking books I've read this year.

What impressed me most was how seamlessly it blended deeply personal stakes with massive existential questions. One chapter had me emotional over a father-son relationship. The next had me contemplating humanity's future and our place in the universe.

The second half becomes much more abstract and philosophical, which I suspect will be divisive. For me, it worked. I found it moving, ambitious, and surprisingly emotional.

Final thought: If you loved the emotional heart of The Time Traveler's Wife, the scope of Interstellar, or the high-concept ideas of Dark Matter, this one is worth your attention.

🚔 Headlights

Read or Skip: READ IMMEDIATELY

Rating: 5 stars

This is one of my favorite books of 2026.

I went into Headlights expecting a thriller-horror. What I got was part police procedural, part supernatural mystery, part meditation on grief, and one of the most memorable reading experiences I've had all year.

The story follows a deeply traumatized FBI agent pulled back into a horrific case that turns out to be far bigger than anyone realizes. The less you know going in, the better, because this book takes several turns I never saw coming.

What starts as an addictive mystery eventually evolves into something much larger. It's a story about grief. About survival. About the darkness people carry with them. About the things we refuse to let go.

Colorado itself feels like a character. The Stephen King influences are obvious in the best possible way. And there are scenes from this book that I genuinely don't think I'll forget anytime soon.

Final thought: If you love Later, Odd Thomas, Red Dragon, or thriller-horror novels that have something meaningful to say beneath the scares, put this at the top of your TBR immediately.

And that's a wrap on this week's new releases.

If you're looking for my biggest recommendation, it's Headlights without question. If horror isn't your thing, I'd point you toward The Traveler for a thoughtful, emotional science fiction story that will leave you staring into space for a while after you finish it. And if you're in the mood for a page-turner, both The Break-Up Retreat and It Came From Neverland deliver plenty of tension and late-night "just one more chapter" energy.

There are also several other releases hitting shelves this week that I'm excited to get to, including Harvest Season and Light Wielder, two sequels I've been eagerly anticipating.

As always, I'd love to hear from you: Which new release is at the top of your TBR this week?

Hello, all! Happy New Release Tuesday! There are a few great releases today, so let's jump in!

• Headlights by CJ Leede (Ryn's top read of the year so far!)

• It Came From Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo (******)

• Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer

• The Other by Annie Neugebauer

• The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones by Lex Croucher

If you're in the Chicago area, Cynthia Pelayo will be in conversation tonight with Christina Henry about their two Peter Pan-inspired books at Bucket 'o' Blood at 6:30pm!

Recent reads include:

• It Came From Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo

• Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle

• He Will Have the World by David-Jack Fletcher

• Our Cut of Salt by Deena Helm

• American Rapture by CJ Leede

• Phoning Faust by Sophia Mutiara Nova

I would recommend them all! My favorite recent read is a tie between It Came From Neverland and Our Cut of Salt, but I think they were all solid reads! Have you read any of the books mentioned above? If you want to pick them up, please use our Bookshop.org link!

Till next time!

-Ryn

Happy Tuesday, mis internet amigxs!

I hope you all are doing well. There's a lot going on in the background, I can't QUITE tell you all the chisme about, BUT... a tiny bit: you didn't hear it from me, but World Cup fever is hitting Discord. If you're looking for community to watch and discuss games with over the next few weeks (there may or may not be prizes), then make sure to lock in on Discord. More announcements coming SOON on socials and in future newsletters.

GET THIS NEWSLETTER EARLY

Support me and the work I do every week AND get a jump on all the latest in Latinx literature by joining as a Libritos or Lectores supporter. In fact, there's a newsletter tomorrow you won't want to miss.

And now, on to this week's releases....

TRANSLATED LITERATURE

Cathedrals by Claudia Pinero and translated by Frances Riddle

HISTORICAL FICTION

Cages by Chantel Acevedo

It Came From Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo (Audiobook)

Cat Love by Tomas Q. Morin (Audiobook)

Paperback Release - Queer nonfiction

So Many Stars by Caro DeRobertis (Audiobook)

xo,

Carmen

Hey BGN friends! A quick reminder if you want to be part of our book club and vote on our June selection to get access to exclusive content and our members-only Discord, you can join the BGN Inner Circle on Bindery for FREE for your first 3 months.

Just use code BGN3FREE at the checkout. After that it's only $5/month. [CLICK HERE]

Hope to see you there!

Hello, BGN Inner Circle and Lit Lounge Members!

It's almost time to choose our next BGN Book Club read! Nominations for this month's upcoming selection will officially begin on June 17, and we'd love for you to be part of the conversation.

Paid subscribers will participate in the nomination and deliberation process, if you haven't done so already please join our Discord community, where we'll begin discussing potential book selections this week:

Join the BGN Book Club Discord:
https://discord.com/invite/rtEz3fDkPq

Gifted codes were provided last month to BGN Followers who are now a part of the Inner Circle tier. You will be eligible to vote on the titles nominated this month.

We’re excited to have your voice in the discussion. We can't wait to see which book our community selects and to read along together throughout the month.

Happy reading, and we'll see you on Discord!

Absolutely devastated and disgusted to hear the news this morning that Tor Nightfire has picked up Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell.

Felix Blackwell is a white man who decided to include Indigenous characters in his horror book, drawing heavily on Native American culture (because he talked to one person and got approval. LOL). All the Native characters in the book end up dead.

I talk about it here and

here (his reddit response WAS DISGUSTING)

Every time I do an Indigenous horror recommendation video, someone recommends this book because they think the author is Native. (because who else would have the audacity?)

Anyway, I'm unfollowing anyone supporting this book and any author who decides to blurb it is going on an automatic DO NOT READ list for me.

Disgusted with Tor Nightfire. Truly

Overall Vibe: yearning.

Final Count: 4 (plus some fics)

Love Song (4 stars)

format: audio

I knew three things. Off Campus was coming to screens soon. I did not like The Charlie Method despite being excited about the why choose. And I still had not read Love Song. I knew what I had to do, Garrett and Logan were waiting for me (because yes I read this more for the parents, we're old friends.) I definitely was slow to warm up to this story, and it's characters. I think that once you're in it, it's a really fun time but if I hadn't been a huge Off Campus fan and came with that nostalgia... I probably would not have enjoyed it as much. This was the closest we've gotten to the original Elle Kennedy flavor since The Play (yes I'm excluding The Dare, iykyk that one just didn't feel like it was in the same family as the rest).

Ride with Me (3.5 stars)

format: audio

I love Simone Soltani, and I love F1. Simone is one of the F! romance writers who you can truly tell deeply understands the sport, the politics, and the social context that she's working within. (I had the chance to meet her earlier in May and can confirm that she's a fellow true F! girlie.) I used to be a bigger marriage of convenience fan before it started to feel played out and less believable, and in the past year I've had TWO exceptions. Play Along by Liz Tomforde... and this. The YEARNING from him? The girl boss vibes from her? Idk man I ate it up it was super fun. I loved every chnace we got to be in the paddock, and I loved the FIA politics, I felt well-served and content.

Smash or Pass (5 stars)

format: physical

It's YA sapphic sports romance AND autistic rep in women? And it...nailed both. From the moment I opened this book, I felt read to FILTH and so fucking giggly about it all. Birdie nails the way young autistic women create rules, either consciously or subconsciously, to live and mask by. She also nailed how allowing ourselves to be seen, and seeing others' soft underbellies, gives us the space and conifdence to let those masks drop. Being young is HARD (being grown is hard too) and in my experience, being yourself out loud, quirks and all, not only inspires others to do the same, but creates more genuine connections. And the romance? So soft and warm but also so real. You watch a genuine friendship be built, before she ever realizes that she wants it to be more, and it felt so, so right.

I Kissed Her First (5 stars)

format: physical

I think I have a niche favorite genre. Let's call it "Gaylor Agenda". Popstar who's secretly queer and gets to have fun runaway romance with her cook from PTown who has two dads? Guys, I should have known this would be addictive. My favorite read last year was Gaylor Agenda But Documentary Filmmaker edition. The tour aspect was so gooey, I loved getting to feel the runaway travel vibe with all the destinations, posed against the rigidity of Luna's career, schedule, public persona, and "relationship" with another (male) singer. I want to read it again, immediately. I want a sequel. I WANTTTTT I YEARNNNNN

Bonus:

Reputation (CaitVi Taylor Swift/PWHL au fic) by a_pottymouthed_parrot on Ao3

because I love Taylor Swift-esque sapphic stories. And sapphic sports romance. and CaitVi.

Sickooooooos! Monday's = Weekly Checkpoint, tell me what you've been reading and plan to read in the comments and I'll let ya know what I got goin' on!

READING

REVIEW

AUGUSTUS by JOHN WILLIAMS (historical fiction)

Progress: Finished

Who could've possibly known I would've loved this?! Seriously though, I mentioned last week that I was loving, and I ended up still loving it. I can't think of any good reason to deduct any star points. I especially appreciated the way the story of Julia (Augustus' scandalized daughter) was tweaked and how we got to poke around inside her head. The final letter was so brilliantly executed so it stuck the landing perfectly as well. John Williams is 2 for 2 with me so I'll just have to keep trying him until he misses.

EMPIRES OF THE STEPPES: A HISTORY OF THE NOMADIC TRIBES WHO SHAPED CIVILIZATION by KENNETH W. HARL (historical nonfiction)

Progress: 198/410

Still having a love/hate relationship with this one for all the previous reasons plus CAN A BROTHER GET A MAP?! I'm not the best with geography so having to constantly look up places like Transoxiana or Mount Beideng is a pain in the ass. Still, when HAAAARL eventually gets on a roll and into the meat and potatoes of the story of one of these steppe empires or confederations, it's excellent for those stretches. I just finished Attila's portion so I'm going to guess the next chapter is about the power vacuum that created, the conflict among his sons, and how the Germanic vassals were like alright y'all are cooked we're outta here.

THE SPEAR CUTS THROUGH WATER by SIMON JIMENEZ (fantasy)

Progress: 95/518

The Fiction Sickos Book Club pick for this month is a re-read of one of my all-timers and the confusion in the early portions the first time around is now just pure admiration for how skillfully Jimenez sets up this super odd and ambitious world/story. I understand if some of y'all bow out early as it's very much an all-or-nothing book (as we discussed during the Monthly Wrap call last night that went on for hours), but I feel bad for those that do because if this hits you when you're in the right headspace there's really nothing like it.

PREVIEW

I didn't make as much process as I thought I would with my nonfiction read so I'm hoping to finish that this week and get to the History Sickos pick for June: And the Band Played On.

After Spear Cuts, I'll likely be doing another re-read of a favorite, The Lies of Locke Lamora, as this is the first Year of the Scoundrel Book Box for the Sicko Society members and it seems most of those have been delivered (huzzah!).

Might be time to get back into Berserk?!

EVERYTHING ELSE

Better Call Saul is still my background show, I think I'm halfway through S3. I loved Killing Eve S1 so I'll be continuing on with that. I've been re-watching the hilarious Jury Duty with my wife, who hasn't seen it yet, and will be finishing S1 tonight. We also finished S2 of Four Seasons, which we loved.

I'm almost done beating all the missions again in Tropico 6 so I think I'll finish my Disco Elysium playthrough after.

Speaking of games, it's a few months out but I've linked up with another book content creator who is going full-time and we have made a handshake deal to start livestreaming some party games (think REPO, Peak, etc.) with a group of folk we've played with before. Will keep you updated there.

I got my second V5 at the climbing gym today! Progress!

And a reminder that I'll be filming a YouTube Q&A this week, and I'm giving y'all first crack and submitting your questions, which you can do here.