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2025 READING, WATCHING & BLOGGING RECAP // last year in review ft all the books i read, failed reading goal, all the charts & 2026 goals
Here is my formal plea for you to act very kindly towards an extremely delicate Ruby, who is writing this post right now. She is not feeling super proud, but also can’t resist making these, so maybe we can just ignore the low amount of books read, lack of posts appearing in a month etc. That will be all at this time,,, 2025 RECAP: READING Okay, so books… very low. But apparently, I read 11k pages last year, so at least I read big books, and for that,t I won’t feel bad. I’m also ~very~ chuffed with 3 books I finally read last year, which we’ll get into RIGHT NOW ALL THE BOOKS I READ IN 2025 Decided to be trendy AND update you on the small amount of books this year because on top of reading not a lot, I also threw monthly recaps out the window ̄_(ツ)_/ ̄ ̄ Yay me for reading SO MUCH YA, I went back to my roots in the limited amount of time I did spend reading and no regrets tbh. I mentioned just now, but Storygraph says the majority of books were over 300 pages, so one could say I was LOCKED…
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MOST ANTICIPATED 2026 RELEASES // books, movies & shows coming this year that I’m excited about & so should you!!!
Idk if its just me, but this post took way quickly to put together so idk where all the authors are hiding this year? There are pretty fantabulous books though so without any rambling, let’s get into it! Wait, you can also watch this post in video format and all attention would be appreciated because I’m vain <3<3 books — JANUARY Fated Skates by Victoria Schade (13 January): i’m back in my skating era because to a gay show that I definitely haven’t watched and that’s all I have to say at this time Graceless Heart by Isabel Ibañez (13 January): Rebecca Ross loves this author and I will listen to everything that woman says Next Level Love by Shameez Patel (20 January): Shameez please whack me over the head with a brick, I deserve it for being so behind ~hides in shame~ Half His Age by Jeanette McCurdy (20 January): ofc I have her memoir and haven’t read it but I have FOMO and will be just as excited as the internet about this book!!! FEBRUARY The Which Word by Catriona Ross (February): my favourite publisher has a new adult sexy urban fantasy coming out and I will be…
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THE BEST OF 2025: BOOKS, MOVIES & SHOWS // ranking my top 10 of last year ft. honourable mentions
Oop long time yet again. I’ll talk about my big goals and regrets in my recap post but I do think it’s pertinent to mention that Ruby is really trying to be more active,,, cross your fingers for me!!! In any case, I shall be spending my days churning out all the content for you guys, as I catch up with my favourite posts to put together every year. Still crying tears that I never got around to the mid-year tag last year, so I hope the next few posts make up for that tragedy. As is becoming my tradition, may I present you with my favourite books, films and shows of 2025, all told in journal spreads <3<3<3 best of 2025: shows In order: Stranger Things S5, True Detective S4; The Empress S1 & S2;The Summer I Turned Pretty S3; Adolesence; Heated Rivalry S1 best of 2025: movies honourable mentions: Sabrina (1955); Sabrina (1995); Jane Eyre (2010); Heat (1995); The Fugitive (1993); Se7en (1995); Primal Fear (1996); Inception (2010); Frankie and Johnny (1991) ; Groundhog Day (1993); Great Photo, Lovely Life (2023) In order: The Life List (2025); The Gorge (2025); Mom Jayne (2025); Mickey 17 (2025);A Real Pain…
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AUDREY LANE STIRS THE POT BY ALEXIS HALL // blog tour book feature: it’s been a while and i need to read more from this author!!!
Hi hello friends to those who still remember me because tbh I certainly wouldn’t! I act as if I’m going to be sticking around with a life update but in all honestly it’s the first week of December and I have -100% battery so you’ll see me another day. I also want to screech about how excited am I for this book so let’s do that instead <3<3<3 Big thanks to Colored Pages for having me on the blog tour for Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot xxxx Title: Audrey Lane Stirs The PotSeries: Winner Bakes All book #3Author: Alexis HallPage count: 448Date published: 9 December 2025Genre: Adult contemporary romance 🧁 Synopsis: Audrey Lane is perfectly fine. Really. So what if she left her high-powered job as a Very Important Journalist—and her even higher-powered long-term girlfriend—to live a quiet life as a reporter for the second-biggest newspaper in Shropshire? And so what if she keeps hearing the voice of that same higher-powered long-term now-ex-girlfriend in her head night and day, constantly judging just how small Audrey’s allowed her life to become? She’s fine. She’s happy. She’s perfectly within her groove. Do not-in-their-groove people get weekday drunk and impulsively apply for the…
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AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH A.Y. CHAN // chatting to the author of The Legendary Mo Seto series about middle grade adventures & martial arts!! [ad]
When I tell you I have been excited for this post for literally a year, I do not kid and I am so excited to chat with this adorable author and her adorable series!!!! I’m too excited so let’s get right into it <3<3<3 Book #1: The Legendary Mo SetoBook #2: Martial Arts StarSeries: The Legendary Mo SetoAuthor: A.Y. ChanPage count: 320Date published: 4 June 2024 / 6 May 2025Genre: Middle grade 🥋 Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Modesty “Mo” Seto dreams of being a Taekwondo champion. Even though her mom disapproves, Mo can always count on her dad, who is her number one fan and biggest supporter. Lately, Mo has been on a losing streak, and it doesn’t help that she keeps losing to her archnemesis, Dax, who’s much bigger than her. If only she were faster, stronger, not so petite. Mo can’t even lean on her dad like usual with how distracted he’s been lately. When Mo learns about the chance to audition to star alongside her idol and legendary martial artist and movie star Cody Kwok, she knows this her chance to prove to her dad, to the world, and to herself that she can compete with anyone, no matter…
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IMMORTAL CONSEQUENCES BY I.V. MARIE // blog tour book feature: i am far too excited for this ya rivals to lovers dark academia set at a boarding school for the afterlife!!!
Gah, sucks to have grown up responsibilites or else I might have read this book on time… she says as they drag her away. I’m being honest I swear! Okay okay okay I’ll shut up and welcome you all to my spot on the Immortal Consequences Blog Tour <3<3<3 Title: Immortal ConsequencesSeries: The Souls of Blackwood Academy book #1Author: I.V. MariePage count: 512Date published: 29 July 2025Genre: Young adult fantasy 🥀 Synopsis: Six students at Blackwood Academy, an enigmatic boarding school located at the edge of the afterlife, must compete for the once-in-eternity chance to change their fate—or risk remaining stuck in purgatory forever. An unputdownable debut full of hairpin twists, shock betrayals and world-defying love, for fans of The Atlas Six. Welcome to Blackwood Academy: the legendary school located at the fringes of the afterlife, where students are fated to spend the rest of eternity shepherding lost souls. Once a pupil enters the school’s arched gates, there is no way out…except for the Decennial, a once-in-a-decade celebration that rewards nominees who pass its trials with a choice: formally graduate and join Blackwood’s magical elite, or venture into the unknown and cross over to the mysterious Other Side. Wren…
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BETTER HATE THAN NEVER BY CHLOE LIESE // spoiler-free book review: the feisty childhood enemies to lovers romance you didn’t know you needed in your life!!!
This one definitely *wasn’t* read some time ago,,, no idea what you’re talking about! Here let me divert your attention to THESE Moving on and into this scrumptious little book gem that I have been waiting a while to shove in your faces <3<3<3 Title: Better Hate Than NeverSeries: Chloe LieseAuthor: Chloe LiesePage count: 336Date published: 10 October 2023Genre: Adult contemporary romance ❤️🔥 Synopsis: Childhood enemies discover the fine line between love and loathing in this heartfelt reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Katerina Wilmot and Christopher Petruchio shared backyards as kids, but as adults they won’t even share the same hemisphere. That is, until Kate makes a rare visit home, and their fiery animosity rekindles into a raging inferno. Despite their friends’ and families’ pleas for peace, Christopher is unconvinced Kate would willingly douse the flames of their enmity. But when a drunken Kate confesses she’s only been hostile because she thought he hated her, Christopher vows to make peace with Kate once and for all. Tempting as it is to be swept away by her nemesis-turned-gentleman, Kate isn’t sure she can trust his charming good-guy act. When Christopher’s persistence and Kate’s curiosity lead to an impassioned…
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ARCANA: THE LOST HEIRS BY SAM PRENTICE-JONES // spoiler-free book review: say hello to your next fantasy graphic novel obsession!
The fact that I had this down in my calendar a month late tells you how my life has been lately but hey at I did realise the my error and feel bad about it so hopefully you can forgive me? Big thank you to Toppling Stacks Tours for having me <3<3<3 Title: Arcana: The Lost HeirsSeries: Arcana #1Author: Sam Prentice-JonesPage count: 384Date published: 24 June 2025Genre: Young Adult fantasy graphic novel 🃏 Synopsis: Debut author/illustrator Sam Prentice-Jones explores fighting against your destiny and reconciling the actions of your ancestors in Arcana: The Lost Heirs, a tarot-inspired fantasy graphic novel for young adults. James, Daphne, Koko, and Sonny have all grown up surrounded by magic in the Arcana, an organization of witches that protects the magical world, run by the mysterious and secretive Majors. Eli Jones, however, didn’t even know other witches existed . . . until he stumbled into James. As James introduces Eli to the world of the Arcana, he finds the family he never had, and a blossoming romance with James. The five new friends soon realize that sinister things are afoot and everything may not be what it seems at the Arcana. When the group delves…
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MISMATCHED BY ANNE CAMLIN & ILLUSTRATED BY ISADORA ZEFERINO // spoiler-free book review: gushing over this queer graphic novel retelling of emma for days!!!
Rare that you see a graphic novel review from me right? Well let me tell you SHE WAS WORTH IT AND I MUST SPILL MY GUTS!!! Let’s dive right in <3<3<3 Title: MismatchedAuthor: Anne CamlinIllustrator: Isadora ZeferinoPage count: 264Date published: 3 September 2024Genre: Young adult contemporary 💖 Synopsis: A teen social media star learns he can’t control everything in this delicious, queer graphic novel adaptation that relocates Jane Austen’s Emma to a modern-day high school in Queens, New York. Evan Horowitz has it beauty, brains, and a not-so-secret flair for matchmaking! An Insta influencer with a talent for makeup and a taste for romance, he’s no stranger to playing cupid for those hopelessly clueless in finding love. So when shy transfer student Natalia shuffles into school one day, Evan can’t help but get his hands messy! With so many matches to choose from, it’s not long before he sets a plan in motion for Natalia—much against the better judgement of his level-headed best friend, Davi. But he takes things too far, creating a web of drama that spirals out of his control. Can Evan learn to put the people closest to him before his misguided ambition? Or will he lose…
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THE FAVOURITES BY LAYNE FARGO // spoiler-free book review: the angsty figure-skating romance of my dreams, you need to read it!
If you think about it, I’m only a few months late to this one! Look at the pub date, the book only *just* came out… she says as they drag her away. Cue the tears in this review,,, Title: The FavouritesAuthor: Layne FargoPage count: 464Date published: 16 January 2025Genre: Adult contemporary romance ⛸️ Synopsis: To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession. An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating, starring a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and roller-coaster relationship. Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end. As the ten-year anniversary of their final…
