Author: Faridah Abike-Lyimide Pages: 480 Overall: 4.5/5 Setting: 5/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Cheers Factor: 4/5 Pairing: Aces This drink has one of my favorite gins. If you have been here for a while you know that's Empress so I naturally had to use it again. Ingredients -2oz Grapefruit Juice -1oz lemon juice -½ oz simple syrup -1 ½ oz Empress Gin -ice -Lemon Wheel for Garnish Instructions -Combine grapefruit juice, lemon juice and simple syrup in a shaker with ice -Shake and strain into glass with fresh ice -if using optional garnish of lemon wheel(s) place in glass with ice before adding gin -Gently layer gin -Enjoy responsibly “Small, because the smaller the group, the less people know about you - and the more they want to know.”
Take a Shot: Chiamaka and Devon are two students at Niveus Private Academy. They are also the only two black students and when a suspicious anonymous online bully by the name of Aces starts spreading the secrets of both Devon and Chiamaka we start to find that it might have more to do with the color of their skin than we originally thought. Setting I loved the private school aspect that we get from this title. I think that the idea of a private school is always illustrious to those of us who never went to one. I also like the combination of a US private school using british private school concepts like Head Prefect and Head Master. Characters I really loved the characters of this with the exception of Chiamaka at most times. I felt her to be wholeheartedly mislead in a lot of her beliefs and I wanted to shake her when it became wildly apparent what was happening. As such an intelligent character it took her far too long to figure it out and discover that her friends would be the first to betray her. Plot and Themes I loved the truth to the story and the authenticity of the plot. I knew it was written so well when I felt angry and frustrated enough to want to put the book down. Kudos to the author for such an enthralling tale of injustice. Conclusion If you like Gossip Girl mixed with the evil A from Pretty Little Liars then this is the book for you. The author even mentions both of those concepts as inspiration for Aces and I had said that before even finishing so it hit the nail on the head. Reasons to Raise a Glass: Stellar writing, easy emotional investment, stand alone, LGBTQ+ BIPOC!!! Too Strong: Chi annoyed me sometimes with her optimism “I lose parts of him constantly. This was bound to happen someday.” Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk.
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Author: Katharine McGee Pages: 374 Overall: 4.5/5 Setting: 4/5 Characters: 4.5/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Cheers Factor: 5/5 Pairing: Empress Gin French 75 I know it’s the same drink as the first novel’s pairing, but this book felt like it was such a switch up when really it was the same so it felt fitting to change the flavor profile but keep it relatively the same. Ingredients -1oz Empress Gin -½ oz lemon juice -½ oz simple syrup -prosecco (or whatever sparkling wine you like) -ice -optional lemon peel Instructions -Add ice, gin, lemon juice and simple syrup to shaker -Shake and strain into champagne flute -Top with sparkling wine of choice -Option to garnish with lemon peel twist -Enjoy responsibly “Facimus quod faciendum est. We do what we must.”
Take a Shot: In an America with Royals and the recent death of the monarch Beatrice must step up and take the throne long before she thought she would. She also must marry because of political instability due to her gender. She’s also marrying the man her sister loves and Sam is not about that. Nina and Jeff are no longer dating because of the way the media harassed her and Daphne sees this as her in. Read along as these characters all navigate their way through heartbreak and back to love. “In real life, no one would make the person they loved social climb to prove their worth.” Setting I said this last time, but I love the setting. I also love the addition of new locations and new names like Orange for what is now the California region. I love the changes that the residence gets too and the more we get to see as wedding preparations begin for the family. Characters Once again the characters are so good and I loved them a lot. I think in this one we see a lot more in depth sides of all characters particularly Daphne and that’s really refreshing to see and a reason to read in and of itself. I still want more of the other characters, particularly Jeff. He’s literally a royal sibling and he’s in like a pitiful amount of chapters. Plots and Themes The flip of the storylines from the first book was great to see how the characters come back. I originally was not a fan, but about halfway through fell in love with the way that the story was working. Each of the characters really changed and grew into themselves and it’s great to see. The theme of the character growth was my favorite part. Conclusion I think I originally was hesitant and didn’t love the book, but kept reading and truly grew to respect a lot of the characters and their decisions. It was truly a great duology. Reasons to Raise a Glass: character growth, realistic relationships Too Strong: WHERE IS MORE JEFF?, it’s hard to get through the beginning until you understand the characters motives Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk! Author: Katharine McGee Pages: 448 Overall: 4.5/5 Setting: 4/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 5/5 Cheers Factor: 4/5 Pairing: French 75 This is a very regal drink in my opinion that then goes beyond just being champagne or prosecco so it felt fitting for our cast of royals, tangential royals, and friends. Ingredients -1oz gin (I used Breckenridge) -½ oz lemon juice -champagne/prosecco, really whatever your favorite sparkling wine is you can switch it up and do cava too for my Spanish friends (; -dash simple syrup -lemon peel -ice Instructions -Add ice, gin, lemon juice and simple syrup to shaker -Shake generously -Strain into champagne flute (you could do a coupé glass but for this mix of a cocktail I think a flute is best to keep as much of the bubbles present as possible) -Top with sparkling wine of choice -Garnish with lemon twist -Enjoy responsibly *fun fact: the glass pictured below recently shattered in my dishwasher so this is my memorial to it Take a Shot: What would happen if George Washington hadn’t been the President of the United States and instead the Washingtons became the royal family of the United States? Well this book explores that as the three siblings of the royal family are the modern American equivalent of royals. Told from four women’s perspectives it’s a great look into the lives of a royal and those who run in the sphere of the family itself.
Setting It’s interesting to think about the White House being a palace, but it was definitely very interesting to see the way that the US could end up having royal estates. I loved all the parties that our characters were able to go to and all of the opulence that does exist for the rich and wealthy as well as political figures currently, but it was fun seeing it in a royalty context. Characters I love the way that we get the four different young women to follow in their stories. We get Sam who has a wild side, Nina who just wants to be herself, Beatrice who feels the pressure of the monarchy and Daphne who is manipulative until the end. Truthfully the range of all these lovely characters is the best part of them and it shows the depth of understanding McGee had for her characters. Plot and Themes I think the plot and themes are truly interesting and I love a good royalty novel, but I think it’s really neat to see it in an American context. I also felt that the story moved very well and wove all four of our main characters together quite well. Conclusion This book is really amazing and is great for fans of The Selection by Kiera Cass. It’s really well written and the story follows an entertaining format. Reasons to Raise a Glass: STRONG. FEMALE. CHARACTERS., four perspectives, dystopian but not, fun concept Too Strong: not enough communication between characters, not enough of the brother or other characters outside of our 4 Warning spoilers ahead if you click read more. Proceed at your own risk! Author: Adam Silvera Pages: 389 Overall: 3.5/5 Setting: 3/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot and Themes: 4/5 Cheers Factor: 3/5 Pairing: Virgin Lemon Drop Martini I recently found this fun mocktail account that’s inspiring me so here is a mocktail for this book because any alcohol would have made me cry more while reading it. "I wasted all those yesterdays and am completely out of tomorrows." Ingredients -2 oz lemon concentrate -2oz water -1 oz simple syrup -dash of bitters -lemon zest -sugar -ice Instructions -Grate a lemon peel for zest -combine with sugar -dip martini glass in a plate with water so the rim is wet -combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake -strain into glass and enjoy “You definitely don’t need the same blood to lose a part of yourself when someone dies.” Take a Shot: In this fantasy of the real world a service by the name of Death Cast exists. Death Cast is a service that calls people on the day of their death. On this fateful day strangers Rufus and Mateo both receive their calls. Determined to live out their last day by going out with a bang Rufus and Mateo find each other on Last Friend an app for Deckers (people who are set to die) and those who wish to spend their last days with them.
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Cheers FactorEach book here at Cheers&Chapters is rated based off of certain categories that are genre specific, however every book will get a Cheers Factor. The Cheers Factor is how much we wanted to raise our glass while reading it. So get your glasses ready and cheers! Archives
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