Hello! I’m here with another installment in my Buzzword Readathon series. **And every day we are reminded that discrimination against marginalized communities is still a serious problem, so click here to find a compilation of resources where you can donate your time, money, or whatever you can to support these communities. I still encourage you to research these causes on your own to educate yourself and find the best way to lend your support.**
This is the sixth post in my Buzzword-a-thon series for 2022. In case you’re new here, Buzzword-a-thon (or Buzzword Readathon) was originally created by Kayla at the YouTube channel booksandlala. It centers around readers choosing books that include specific words or ‘types’ of words. This is the second year where all 12 prompts were selected in advance and it’s being loosely hosted once a month on sites like Goodreads and Storygraph. Last year had an even split of specific words and themed-words alternating every month, but this year it’s more themed-based with a few original buzzword catagories making a reappearance from past read-a-thons. In 2022, I am challenging myself to read at least one book that satisfies the prompt every month, and suggesting books I’ve read previsously that would also fufill it within these posts. June is the only month this year that had a specific word to find in the title, and that word was “ALL.” I had some really good choices to pick from, and I’m overall really pleased with my read this month, and my recommendations of past reads.
Book read in June: All the Feels by Olivia Dade
Alexander Woodroe stars as Cupid in the newest hit T.V. show, Gods of the Gate. He has it all and should be living the dream, except that the latest season has wrecked Cupid’s character growth, Alex is dogged by old demons left to fester, and his post-show future is, in the simplest terms, uncertain. When Alex is caught in a bar fight and tabloids claim his star is falling, the directors hire former ER therapist Lauren Clegg to keep him in line. While she is accustomed to de-escalating situations with dangerous patients, Lauren is surprised to see little evidence of Alex’s recklessness, and what she does see is not without legitimate reason. When another scandal at a convention lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and giving in to what they both want. Alex is determined to keep his impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can, and on a road trip up the California coast together he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all.
We were first introduced to Alex and Lauren in Spoiler Alert, the first book in the series which follows Gods of the Gate co-star, Marcus, and the plus-sized cosplayer / fandom writer whose picture goes viral, April. The event that causes Lauren to lose her job happens at the end of Spoiler Alert, at a panel at a convention, so I’m glad we got to back-track and see the progression of Alex and Lauren’s friendship and relationship before and after that. If I’m being honest, I actually enjoyed All the Feels a little bit more – Alex and Lauren really won my heart over. I felt for Lauren so much – she’s plain, unremarkable, and she knows it, and she’s had to deal with people telling her so and forcing her to apologize for how other people feel. Then enter Alex, who will fight tooth and nail for the people he cares about without any second thoughts of the consequences that could come from it. Alex also loves teasing Lauren, but never takes it too far and always asks Lauren what is wrong when he seems to make her uncomfortable, because he wants to avoid making her upset at all costs. These two just want to make each other happy, but seemingly miss being on the same page as to what they both want. It was lovely watching them figure out their feelings. And it’s certainly steamier than I remember Spoiler Alert being, but that could just be me not recalling those scenes so take that with a grain of salt. There were also text messages from the group chat of several Gods of the Gate actors and snippets of fanfiction Alex is writing to express his distaste for his character’s arc on the show sprinkled in between chapters, which always make for a more immersive reading experience at least for me.
In conclusion, I can’t believe we’re already halfway through 2022. It hasn’t been the easiest six months ever, but here’s hoping that good things are in store for the second half of the year.
Where to find All the Feels:
Bookshop
Amazon
Goodreads
Storygraph
Olivia Dade’s site
Additional Book Recommendations:
–All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson (YA Memoir)
–All Signs Point to Yes ed. By G. Haron Davis, Cam Montgomery, and Adrianne White (YA romance anthology)
–All Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (Adult Sci-fi)
–All the Right Mistakes by Laura Jamison (Adult Fiction) [review]
–All the Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle (YA Contemporary)
–All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace (YA Fantasy)
–All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell (YA Contemporary)
–All the Wrong Places by Ann Gallagher (Adult Romance)
–All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban (YA Mystery / Thriller)
–How it All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi (YA Contemporary) [review]
–I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver (YA Contemporary)
Thoughts About Things 