Blog Tour and Review: It's you every time by Charlene Thomas

 

Title:  Its You Every Time

Author:  Charlene Thomas

Genre:  YA Romance

Publisher:  Scholastic Press 

• Publication date: May 6, 2025
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• Rating:  💥💥💥💥

About The Book

A story about self-discovery, grief, and destiny that begs the question: How do you keep going when your world has stopped spinning?

When Sydney Michaels stops for breakfast in order to put off scholastic ruin a little longer, she never expected to-quite literally-bump into cute-boy stranger, Marcus Burke.

When Marcus invites her to have breakfast with him instead of going to class, she can't ignore the urge to get to know him better-or the fact that this charming new acquaintance seems just as interested in her.

After a magical day together in their hometown of New York City, Sydney is finally willing to believe that maybe-just maybe-after years of loss and heartache, she's finally reached the good part.

But when it comes time to say goodbye, as they linger in a crosswalk, something happens. An accident? Sydney isn't sure-all she knows is that, after screeching tires, blinding headlights, and a moment of searing pain, she opens her eyes and is back in her bed. On September 24-the morning of her big exam-again

My Thoughts 

This was a cute story with Groundhog Days vibes (The Movie).  It was fast paced and such an enjoyable read.  I loved the short chapters.  There are also themes of grief as well as lessons and social themes throughout the book.  And I enjoyed the dual POV..  I think my favorite part was their visit to one of my favorite cities.  The author showed the beauty of it that those of us that live there or near by see often.  And some parts brought straight tears to my eyes, with what they both had to endure.  Especially Marcus.  But the way the author handled their individual grief situations was nothing short of emotional.   I will be looking for future stories from this author 

About The Author

Charlene Thomas started writing when she was a little girl because she has a tendency to love telling stories just as much as she loves living them. She was sixteen when she wrote a manuscript that won the National Novel Silver Award from Scholastic Books, and went on to minor in creative writing at North Carolina State University. She writes books about the world we live in, inspired by her experiences growing up in Montgomery County, MD. She believes a lot in people and what all of us are capable of, and maybe that’s why she loves creating big characters who are steadfastly determined to change their own little parts of the world.

When Charlene isn't writing, she's also a marketer. She earned her MBA from Emory University, a Certificate in Digital Marketing from Cornell University, and a Certificate in Teaching Creative Writing from The University of Cambridge.

Blog Tour And Review: 52 Weeks, A Party Of One by Bianca Pensy Aba

 

Title:  52 Weeks A Party Of One

Author:  Bianca Pensy Aba

Genre: 

Publisher:  Bianca Pensy ABA

Publication Date:  April 23, 2025

Rating: 💣💣💣

About The Book

Aisha isn’t known to hold her tongue, but that’s until she finds out her boyfriend and her best friend are having an affair on New Year’s Eve. This sends her packing. She leaves Denver and moves to Dallas to have the time and space to process the betrayal.

Spending time alone also spotlights other issues she has been trying to conceal: her broken relationship with her mother, her growing apart from her brother, and the impact of her late absentee father on her life.

Aisha is overwhelmed by everything, so instead of using her time away to “do the work,” she spends weeks putting it off and indulging in every possible distraction—until she hits a wall.

Aisha will have to either confront the ghosts from her past before the year ends or continue to pretend they aren’t there and let them haunt her until the very end.

My Thoughts

NGL, the start of the book, had me excited to read the book, but after the first couple of chapters, I struggled with the story.   Although everyone's journey to helimg is different, the FMC didn't really take any step to actually start healing, in my opinion.  It did seem to become more enjoyable at the halfway mark.  I normally don't have a problem with slower paced stories, but this one felt much more slower and parts seemed to drag.  And Aisha's character frustrated me through the story.  But my feelings could be because I've been in and out of slumps recently.  I would still read future books from this author.

About The Author

BIANCA PENSY ABA was born on May 27, 1993, in Yaoundé, Cameroon. She lived in her native country until she turned eighteen. She graduated from Graceland University in 2017. She was a college athlete who played sports most of her life. Her second love was basketball. Her first was writing. She is the author of ACROSS BOTH SIDES OF THE MIRROR and 52 WEEKS A PARTY OF ONE. She lives in Allen, Texas, where she enjoys picnicking, reading, hiking, watching terrible dating shows, sipping a glass of wine on her balcony, and doing whatever else she is in the mood for