We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.
Books: The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones; Beach Thriller, & You Won't Forget Me
The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones by Lex Croucher, Ellise Chappell, et al is a unique and intriguing fantasy featuring magic school, dark academia, and a childhood friends to strangers/enemies to lovers romance.
For years, Briar dreamed of attending the Temple School of Thaumaturgy, an elite boarding school which is rumored to teach its students magic. While their childhood best friend, Sebastian, was accepted at age 11, Briar was not, leaving the pair's friendship destroyed and Briar crushed. Seven years later, when Briar comes across a job sorting through the school’s junk-filled attic, they decide to take it. Suddenly they find themself face-to-face with their now-cruel and callous former best friend as well as dark secrets about what is really going on between Temple’s walls.
I struggled a bit at first to get into this book. I enjoyed reading from Briar’s perspective and was fascinated by the story's concept. However, the pacing at the beginning felt too slow to completely keep my attention. I was interested enough to push through, hoping that things would pick up once I got through the set-up but was too bored by the lack of action to be truly immersed. To my relief, around the 30% mark, the plot did in fact pick up, and from the 40% mark to the end, I was completely sucked into the story.
One of my favorite aspects was the complex characters. From Briar to the love interest to the other side characters, each one felt like a fully fleshed-out person, and none were totally black or white. Instead, they all had darkness and light within them, and I appreciated the message that we are not defined by our worst moments or our capacity for evil, but rather by our continuous choice to do good despite them.
The relationships were also compelling. The friendship between Briar and Hadley, Westby, and Tate– a few Temple scholars– was deeply imperfect. These characters hurt and even betrayed each other in more ways than one, but at the end of the day, they had each other’s backs, and I liked watching their group dynamic as Briar became more cemented into their friend group over time.
By far, my favorite part of this book was the romance. The tension between Briar and Bastian was incredible! From their very first on-page interaction, it was impossible not to feel the years of unresolved feelings and intense yearning between them. If you love angst and mutual pining, then this couple is for you! I also loved the way Bastian was so entirely besotted by Briar. The whole school saw him as a terrifying, untouchable monster, but whenever Briar was around, he was putty in their hands. They were simultaneously rough with each other– in a slamming each other against the wall, holding a knife to each other’s throats kind of way– and also remarkably soft. The progression of their relationship from being furious with each other to balancing equal measures of distrust and attraction to slowly learning to let each other back in felt so natural, and I just couldn’t get enough of them together. I can’t stress enough how well-written this romance was! It’s difficult for me to even properly describe exactly what was so perfect about it, but I want to read a dozen more books with exactly this dynamic immediately.
The plot, once it picked up, was also a lot of fun. I enjoyed learning about the magic system, the hierarchy at Temple, and what life was like for its scholars. With all the horrors the scholars went through daily, including Briar themself once they became entwined, the stakes felt really high. Throughout the second half of the book, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out how everything would turn out. The closer I got to the end, the more I feared there wouldn’t be enough time for a proper conclusion, but, to my relief, the author made it work. Aside from one or two tiny loose ends, the ending wrapped up everything in a way that made sense and felt satisfying.
I will say there was a fair amount of violence and gore described throughout this book in varying amounts of detail, so if that’s something you’re sensitive to, you might want to look up more detailed trigger warnings. That said, as a typically very squeamish person, I found that despite my discomfort while reading various scenes, I had no problem handling the contents of this book overall.
Mom - Today, I am talking about Beach Thriller by Jaime Day. After her mother's death, struggling author Holly Sinclair returns to her hometown, hoping to write a novel to turn her life and career around. There she immerses herself in solving the mystery of what actually happened to her older sister who was allegedly killed in a fire, and takes in a young runaway named Jade, whom she finds hiding out in her attic.
The pacing and intrigue of this novel are decent; it keeps you wanting to read. But much of it feels very generic, like something you've read a million times before. Some allegedly shocking twists and turns, you may even be able to guess at from previous reading experiences. Even the ones you won't necessarily be able to guess at don't feel all that fresh or new, but are too similar to numerous other books. Also, the ending is so convoluted that it is hard to process. All in all, this book is as generic as its title.
Mom again - Today, I am talking about You Won't Forget Me by Mazey Eddings. When Cubby Clark's former boyfriend and bandmate releases a song dissing her that goes viral, the negative focus on her actually raises her current band's profile and helps them get a manager. Then, when an allegedly romantic photo of her with another bandmate, Harry, is released, things get ramped up even more, and Cubby is encouraged to enter into a fake relationship with him, which she does for the sake of the band. However, she is really in love with her childhood best friend, Darcy, who is also a member of their band. The pair hook up on the same night the photo of Cubby and Harry goes viral. Afterwards, Darcy begins to distance herself from Cubby, and their lifelong bond begins to fray, leaving Cubby confused and alone while dealing with an outpouring of online hatred,
This novel is disturbing in many ways. Cubby's bandmates profess to care about her, but their actions or lack thereof make it hard to believe they actually do. If they really cared, they would not let her get heaped with abuse and negativity just for the sake of the band. Not one of her so-called friends steps up to say that it's not right to put her through that, and maybe they shouldn't do it.
It may be true that if you're a celebrity, you have to accept that not everyone will love you and that you will have to put up with a certain degree of ill will aimed at you. However, Cubby and her band are not really famous enough for that. Also, the wave of negativity is being heaped only on her, not her fellow bandmates. Plus, she is basically being encouraged to lean into it without regard for how it is affecting her mental health. Any apologies or comeuppances that occur later while satisfying don't really make up for what's come before. This book is perhaps worthwhile as a cautionary tale, but even if you look at it that way, it's still hard to read.
Movie: Cheer Dad
Today, we are talking about Cheer Dad. This film, based on a true story is about a man who becomes the co-leader of his daughter's cheerleading team. While the movie is somewhat sweet and full of warm family and found-family vibes, it isn't really all that interesting. There is very little conflict, and whatever conflict there is gets resolved very quickly, which does not make for a very exciting film. It is definitely family-friendly, however, and perhaps fathers and daughters can bond over watching it, especially with Father's Day coming up this weekend, at least daughters who have not gotten old enough to be cynical, have an attitude, and not necessarily want to hang out with one or both of their parents anymore.
Misc: Mini Digital Camera
Today, we are talking about Mini Digital Camera. This camera is as disappointing as its generic name. On the upside, it is small, lightweight, and easily portable. Plus, even though it feels like it would easily break apart if dropped, it is surprisingly sturdy.
However, the negatives outweigh the positives. The pictures it takes lack clarity. You need a micro SD card to take videos and/or transfer pictures, although this information, rather than being placed prominently on the front of the box, is only found on the back of the box near the bottom, where it's easy to miss. The control buttons are tiny and white. Although it makes sense that they would be small since it's a small camera, it also means they don't stand out, making it unclear what each button is for, especially for anyone not camera savvy, and the white color doesn't help.
It is unclear who this product is aimed at. Most people have cell phones as they are also portable, already come with a SIM card, and take better pictures. If it is aimed at people who aren't likely to have a cell phone, like older adults and young children, it seems it would be too difficult for them to use for the reasons mentioned above.
And that's our view, The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones, Beach Thriller, and You Won't Forget Me were published last Tuesday, June 9. Cheer Dad is available digitally for purchase or rental starting today.
Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.
All images other than film images used in this post are our own. Film images have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or PR firms. Address any concerns regarding image usage here.
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