Book Review: Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis

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Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis is the first installment in the Maya and Sandra Mystery series, a cozy mystery series centered on private investigators. The story follows Sandra Wallage , the wife of a U.S. senator and the newly elected president of Portland High School’s PTA, who becomes the latest target of a vicious gossip website called Dirty Laundry . After a heated PTA meeting, Sandra crosses paths with Maya Kendrick , a private investigator who has uncovered the identity of the person behind the gossip site. When the two women attempt to confront the culprit, they instead discover a dead body. Was it really a suicide, or did someone have a motive for murder? I’m a longtime fan of books by Lee Hollis , which is actually the pen name for sibling writing duo Rick Copp and Holly Simason . They’ve written several cozy mystery series, and what I appreciate most about their books is that they aren’t overly kitschy, unlike some other cozy mysteries I’ve ...
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Book Review: Better Than Revenge by Kasie West

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Young Adult (YA) Romance Book Review of Better Than Revenge by Kasie West
Better Than Revenge by Kasie West is a young adult romance novel with an expected publication date of December 31, 2024. The story opens with Finlay auditioning for the school podcast. Jenson, her boyfriend, decides to audition as well at the last minute and happens to get the position Finlay has been wanting for years. Jenson overheard saying that Finlay is terrible, and Finlay breaks up with him and seeks out to get her revenge by becoming the new starting kicker for the football team. Can Finlay pull off this feat?

A big thank you goes out to NetGalley for approving and providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy ARC of Better Than Revenge by Kasie West. I received a copy for free in exchange for my honest review.

First and foremost, West did a fantastic job with this story. I was pulled into the storyline right off the bat and had trouble putting it down. Despite it being a young adult romance novel and me not being the target audience, I absolutely loved it! 

The author had me rooting for Finlay and empathizing with her. Additionally, all the drama that goes with being in high school brought me back to my high school days. I don't think I would have been so composed if I had been in Finlay's place. For the most part, I found most of the characters to be mostly believable. 

On another note, Better Than Revenge reminds me a bit of how the book in the Sweet Dreams book series were written. I loved the Sweet Dreams book series growing up, but this story has more meat to it than the books in that series.

The expected publication date of Better Than Revenge by Kasie West is December 31, 2024. Five out of five stars is what I gave this book, and I can't wait to read some of the author's other novels.

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