"I wish I could really, really get myself to understand that the things that make you happiest are the things that can tear you apart and leave you so empty that nothing feels any more."

GENRE: Romance
RATING: 4/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc
Tropes: Single Dad, Sports Romance (Lacrosse), Small Town, Mental Health Rep

Overall Impression: A lovely tale that takes you on an emotional adventure (literally) with the characters as you experience their journey with them.

Review:
I've started getting into Sport Romance and when I saw that this was Single Dad x Sport Romance? I was in for the adventure!

Now, Long Hot Summer was an interesting read for me in that the way we get to know the MCs was done differently than what I'm used to. In the beginning, I had a lot of questions as to who were both of our MCs, Jordan and Rod? We only knew them as they knew each other, which was superficially and that left space for a lot of curiosity as a reader. As we progress through the story, we get to know them as they know each other and I think this was uniquely done and super fitting for both of our MCs, who have been scarred in the past and do not trust easily.

This writing style and way of exploring their love for each other won't work for all readers and will require patience from whoever reads it. I do think it is worth it, seeing them find love and finding support in one another that they never did elsewhere.

My favourite thing might just be how they both eventually shed their tough exterior and open their hearts up to each other at last. It's been a lovely way of seeing it blossom and I think it was a fun to see Jordan bonding with Rod's family, especially Tali (my recent obsession in Romance is Single parent trope as it leads so naturally to found family).

And the way Esha Patel wrote Rod and his mental health journey? Oh what a way to read it and how accurate it felt as someone who has gone through something similar. I think, ultimately, Long Hot Summer does not shy away from the heavier theme but is done in a unique narrative style that has it hitting you all at once and you get to feel the entire journey with the characters. This is especially true with both MCs, with Rod and his mental health journey plus his past with his ex and how he became a single dad. It is true with Jordan, her past and childhood, which led to the fear of being in a relationship.

I am very excited to read Esha Patel's other stories, see how her narration style plays out in there in comparison to Long Hot Summer. Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the Arc copy in the exchange for my honest opinion.

"We're bugs in a terrarium. Not being hunted. Just watched."

GENRE: Horror (Body Horror with Worms)
RATING: 4.25/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc

Review:
Indigent is such an interesting story that tackles a lot of social commentary in a perfect way for this horror book with Worms (!!) in it. The way it's weaved in and with some of the social commentaries, you do have to pay attention and reflect back to it (and reread it, which I will be doing) in order to grasp it all. Briana does a lovely work of combining so many commentary, themes and important message together in the book.

I also quite enjoyed that we get multi-POV and I am always going to be a huge fan of books that have multiple POV, especially from minor characters. Some of the characters, like Xavier and Ari, get deeper POVs and more of them so we get to know them a lot more. Others, we see their POV and understand their impact on the main characters instead. I think in this way, the multi-POV feeds in beautifully together to deliver the themes across.

Essentially, I dont want to share anything as to avoid spoilers but the author wrote this book as a commentary to the medical system and healthcare in the USA. We see the impact of society, lack of funding and finance on people who cannot afford healthcare and we see what greed and so many other things do to further this.

The writing in here was done well and I quite enjoyed the fact that we also have so many anatomical phrases, which Xavier uses throughout the book. Also, I loved the footnotes in the book, I'm always here for having them in fiction books! I am looking forward to more by the author and can't wait to read their future work!

Thank you to the author and netgalley for the Arc copy in the exchange for my honest opinion.

"Traveling as much as she did, home hadn't been singular in a very long time. Each place holding a special corner of her heart based on what happened there."

GENRE: Romance
RATING: 5/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc
Tropes: Sport Romance, Fake Dating, Black Cat FMC x Golden Retriever MMC, He falls First

Overall Impression: This one is for us who are from everywhere and are in search of a home that represents us and its for those of us who had to say goodbye to those we loved from far away🤎 May this story heal you the way it healed me

Review:
Salacia Project is the story for those of us who are in-betweeners, you know, those of us who never really fit in anywhere fully. It's for those of us who are always one foot in this world and one foot in another. It's also a story that follows the consequences of that and what we miss because we are never fully in any place.

Salacia has my heart as someone who is mixed and grew up somewhere that isn't their home. It's about speaking multiple languages yet mastering none. It's about growing up in one place but leaving to find a place that feels true to you, one that is home to you rather than to everyone else in your family and circle.

And the mention of Grief in here, exploring how it affects Sofia, how she goes back home and gets to be with her loved ones as they go through it? That hit so hard. The dedication alone just shows that this is for those of us who live away from what is meant to be home, whether because we have to or because we are in search of somewhere that is home for us
"For my grandparents and my aunt, and for everyone who had to say goodbye from far away."

I loved the dynamic between Sofia and Ilias, getting to know their family and friends and watching their loves blossom and grow. I loved that Ilias helps Sofia with breaking down her walls post her break up and that he is there with her during her grief. I loved how Sofia helped him with his family business and how they just brought the best out in each other

I can't wait to read the next book in the series and I'm SO excited to read Elena's backlog! What a book😍

Thank you to the Author for sending me an early copy (& a netgalley copy) as well!

"I wasn't sure I had one - a belief in any perfect, untouchable oasis. Then again, I had always moved through life a little too skeptically. I'd been raised to mind the gaps. The deceptively small ones. The one you think you can jump, even though you know those that try never make it."

GENRE: Cyber-punk Sci-Fi Retelling (The Great Gatsby)
RATING: 4.5/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc

Review:
A Retelling of The Great Gatsby as a Cyerber punk story? I knew this one was going to be a good one and I'm glad I wasn't disappointed!

I read The Great Gatsby in high school os its been many years now since I've read it and analysed it (meaning I didnt remember all the finer details but knew the overall story enough) and I think Local Heavens is a lovely retelling of it. My favourite parts are that there is an introduction of them vs us and instead of New Money vs Old Money (its still there and a bit more to the background), there's more of a focus on being othered, a POC and marginalised communities.

The concept of corruption, people who are self serving and billionaires who think of themselves only is blended really well with the idea that "third world corporations" and people who want to destroy America are coming back to hurt them. We see this through Tom and how he sticks to so many of his learnings of being morally superior as an Old Money, non-modded American.

And yet, everyone that stands and tolerates Tom's talk is no better. Nick, our narrator, is meant to be someone watching from the outside and someone who slowly fits in and uses his privileges to his advantage. In fact, it is said by Tom that he forgets Nick is "one of them" from third-world nations. I think Nick is our ideal character that essentially becomes a wallflower. He absorbs what happens and tries to minimise the damage by not really being proactive or doing much about it.

I genuinely enjoyed the character development in Nick and how we got to see him change and embrace that he is different. He can't really blend in and do good that way. The ending of the story isn't meant to solve all of the issues that arises throughout but to show a realistic understanding of how using your privileges the wrong way can still be harmful. Nick had one foot in both worlds and you truly see how he changes as a character in the book with everything that happens.

There are so many other themes done beautifully in the story, like chasing your legacy, building a relationship and finding who you are amongst it all, understanding your privileges and doing better and I think K.M. Fajardo did a beautiful job connecting them all while standing true to The Great Gatsby as a retelling.

I think the only thing that would have made the book better for me is if we got a deeper dive into the Sci-Fi element of the book as I really wanted to know more about the mods and the way it all worked (being a diver...etc.). I appreciated that the author wrote about her struggles of getting a balance between her own author voice vs the original works voice in the book. I do think we can see this struggle a little bit throughout the story but K.M. Fajardo's voice is unique, lyrically beautiful and mysterious in just the right moments throughout Local Heavens and it was lovely to be able to read that.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the Arc copy in the exchange for my honest opinion.

Hi Ifrits,

April is upon us (where is time going!!) and in the US, it is both a SWANA Heritage month and Arab Heritage month together so its the perfect timing for us to read and dive into the stories by Authors within the region 🥰

Resources to find New Reads for this month:

Here are a few helpful links for this month (bare in mind that the 2026 releases lists gets updated periodically too):

• Storygraph Challenge

• GoodReads for 2026 releases

• Pagebound List for 2026 releases

• Story template & Instagram templates (Monthly & genre)

Here's a post that I did in collaboration with Val and the lovely Bec, Dija and Meg from Sleepy Readers Club to spotlight 155 SWANA stories from our Storygraph Challenges!

Ifrits & Ink Book Club Spotlights:

As we are entering a new season, we are going to say goodbye to our old spotlights! This few months have been quieter as I've had a lot happening in my personal life but I am hoping that in the next upcoming year, we can have more fun discussions with all of our spotlighted books🥰

Here's our first Season Spotlight of 2026 and I'll be picking this season's in the next few weeks and sending it out to you guys

Hi guys!

It's the time for our seasonal giveaway (where is time flying by AHH) and as I've had so much issues with my post office these last few weeks, we're going digital for this giveaway. Hopefully for the next season we can resume our mail giveaway but as of now, I'd rather make sure you guys receive your giveaway in time🥰

Before we dive into it, I just wanted to apologise that it has been a bit quieter in here! I do plan to send a longer email but this has been a crazy busy time with my health and life in general and hopefully we can get back on track but I am also looking to see how we can keep going sustainably! Thank you for sticking around 🤎

For this giveaway, you can choose to get a giftcard to any of the following:

• Bookshop.org or any indie bookshops

• Any small business that do any Cozy Hobbies, Teas or anything to support your slow living

• Steam or Indie Games giftcard

• Really anything within the same theme as above but might not exactly fit! (Feel free to DM/email me to dicuss this)

As usual, fill out this form before April 17th and I will be in touch with the winner! Can't wait to see what you guys choose for your giftcard🥰

"In fact, what she most wanted, and could never before articulate, was to find the place where she made sense and help others do the same."

GENRE: Cozy Fantasy
RATING: 5/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc

Overall Impression: What a BEAUTIFUL story! This one is for those of us who are a little bit lost, looking for a place to call home and a community that accepts us as we are. It teaches us that we don't need to change and one day, we'll find that perfect home and found family that shows us that

Review:
Okay where do I start? I LOVED everything about The Moonsingers, from the whimsy and the tone, the themes that focus on finding yourself and your home, building a community and a small town? Plus the entire adventure of trains, telegrams & letters, folklore and so much more? I AM IN (or well, I was and then I read it and I loved it😂)

The Moonsinger is a Cozy Fantasy that focuses on so many things but ultimately, to me, it was a story about standing out in a community that never understood you and having to leave to find your home and place in the world. Ismay never fit in society and didn't understand all the unsaid rules. Because of this, she struggles to find her own community outside of her family and even then, her own family loves her but doesn't understand her.

And so Ismay moves to a smaller town for a job to fix her own situation and intends to go back but OH WHAT AN ADVENTURE SHE EXPERIENCES!!

Ismay moves to Glenmaidens and becomes a private tutor to the Underhill sisters and oh, what a lovely community they build. It's two different communities who have always been outsiders, never fitting in finding each other. Ismay leads all the three girls through different lessons and learns with them that fitting in isn't necessary when you are in a place that will accept you as you are. With that, they all find a home in each other and a community. Sometimes, you have to leave the place you grew up in and find a home somewhere else rather than work to fit yourself in somewhere you were never meant to be in.

Oh and the adventures in The Moonsingers? We have Ismay meeting Hamish Breck, finding out about the secrets that are hidden in Glenmaidens with a dose of magic and Ismay making friends and meeting new people in the community. OH and obviously, them trying to stop the train from being built where the Oak tree is!

This Cozy Fantasy is for those of us who feel a little bit lost and dont know where home is. It's for those of us who haven't found our community and feel that loneliness at not belonging where we grew up. It's a story that gives us hope that there is a place for us somewhere that will accept us as we are and people that will love us for who we are. It's a lesson that we don't need to change to fit in, we will find those who love us for who we are.

What a beautiful and lovely story. I now want to try Tablet and can't wait to acquire some!

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the Arc copy in the exchange for my honest opinion.

"Have you ever heard of the invisible string theory? ... It's this idea that two people who are destined to be together are made up of all these invisible strings that lead them to each other."

GENRE: Romance
RATING: 4.25/5
FORMAT: eBook Arc
Tropes: Fake Dating, Second Chance, Popstar x Screenwriter, Slow Burn

Review:
This was an interesting, fun read and in many ways, showed us a different kind of love: The Vulnerable kind that survives outside pressure with Sienna being famous.

We basically follow along from Sienna's POV as she gets a second chance at love with Luc through a fake relationship that might become the real thing?

Sienna is a complicated character, one that the author clearly wrote to make us empathise with her yet feel frustrated at her. There were a lot of moments that I related to Sienna: how hard it is to trust people, how grief changes who you are and you lose sight of it which impacts how others see you and the inability to be able to control everything. It's also protecting yourself from hurt when its been a lifetime of them.

I think writing a character like Sienna with the focus being that she became a pop star so young and that it has dominated so much of her life making her mistrust her own judgement of people and not being able to be her own person added a depth to the story that was done beautifully.

We also get to see Sienna acknowledge her privileges and how she balances that struggle with being Burnt out from her career and we do dive into this as a theme in the book, which I enjoyed overall.

We then meet Luc and as this is Sienna's POV only, we get the entire story from her eyes. My heart did go out to Luc and the hurt they had both endured. I think I would have liked to get to know more about Luc but usually, getting to know the other MCs in a single-POV Romance tend to be a hit or miss depending on the narrative style the authors choose. We do get to see Luc is a kind MMC, one that is willing to stand with Sienna through all her journey and is willing to be there, if she'd accept him. It did hurt my heart when he got hurt, not going to lie but that is a testimony to building a connection with our MMC.

I also loved the theory of Invisible strings, how two people are destined for one another in every life no matter what. It's when Luc tells Sienna that they would have met even if she never became famous🥺

I really did enjoy Infinite Ghost and I can't wait to read more by the author! As her debut, I think this is a lovely book and I'm excited for more releases.

Thank you to the author for the Arc copy in the exchange for my honest opinion.