Rosa By Any Other Name is inspired by Romeo and Juliet. But this isn’t a tragedy. It’s a murder. I clenched my fists while reaActual rating 4.5 stars.
Rosa By Any Other Name is inspired by Romeo and Juliet. But this isn’t a tragedy. It’s a murder. I clenched my fists while reading.
The story digs into the supposed integration of Mexican Americans in the 1950s. Supposed, because even though Mexican kids have been allowed into white schools for two years, it’s still dangerous. So Rosa becomes Rosie. A white girl, at least on paper.
This story grabbed me by the throat. Not just because the Romeo and Juliet thread is gut-wrenching. Or because Rosa watches, caught in the middle, unsure what to do. Until she finds her voice and starts pushing back. It hit me just as hard because of what’s happening in the US right now. The feeling that a story like this could be real again. Unthinkable not long ago. Now, it feels frighteningly close.
So yes, this story is raw, infuriating, and heartbreaking. But there’s a sliver of hope in it too. Not everything is solved by the end, far from it. And that feels right for a story like this.
If you’re expecting a romance, this isn’t it. Marco is the love interest, and there’s a hint of enemies-to-lovers, but that part shifts quickly. Above all, Rosa By Any Other Name is a contemporary story that left a brick in my stomach.
THE HATE U GIVE, but make it autistic. This story is amazing! And the brotherly love is so, so beautiful!
Do you know that feeling when you find a speTHE HATE U GIVE, but make it autistic. This story is amazing! And the brotherly love is so, so beautiful!
Do you know that feeling when you find a special book about a special person—in this case, two special people? A book that draws you in immediately and pulls at you like a magnet and won’t let go?
”You’re Black, and you have big emotions, big reactions … but we live in a society where those emotions in a Black body aren’t as acceptable.”
Aiden is Black, autistic, a high school junior, and loves football, even though he’s not on the high school team. His older brother Brandon is the biggest football talent in the US and has a bright future ahead of him. Then, Aiden finally gets his chance to play the game he loves the most. But when a fight breaks out, Brandon defends Aiden as officers walk in, and Brandon ends up being arrested himself.
Football is organized chaos. Rule-driven disorder. A route, perfectly run, is the most beautiful dance. A formation, altered on the fly, is the best improvisational theater. I have always loved it. I have always wanted to be a part of it.
I rarely read a book where the brotherly love is so palpable on every page. Even when Aiden feels guilty, and Brendon blames him. Even then, their bond is powerful. But it’s not only those two brothers who captured my heart. Side characters like Isabella, and Reg and Bernard (two footballers, boyfriends, and such fierce cinnamon rolls) crept inside my heart, too. Even Greg, although I had to warm up to him. I rooted for those two brothers so much and wanted to scream out loud to those cops: just listen to Brandon. Listen to what he has to say! Throughout the story, rage simmered in my chest, but those last couple of chapters made tears shine in my eyes. Not because I was angry but because of those beautiful conversations Aiden had with his parents and Brandon. And I loved Aiden’s nuance, even though I’d fully understood if he wouldn’t hadn’t. In the end, I closed my ereader with a satisfied sigh.
”When people get to know you, they tend to see you as a good person despite being Black, rather than accepting that maybe Black people aren’t what they thought in the first place.
I can’t wait what she has in store for us next! DeAndra Davis is definitely an author to watch out for.
Thank you so much, Simon and Schuster Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this amazing ARC!
Sometimes, a book is special, and this one is. The English Problem is a story told in a dual timeline about an Indian boy in 1931, chosen by Gandhi toSometimes, a book is special, and this one is. The English Problem is a story told in a dual timeline about an Indian boy in 1931, chosen by Gandhi to learn British law so he can help India become independent. A boy who hastily marries before he leaves but finds forbidden love in London while at the same time, he is also confronted with racism and all those rules the English have.
”What you don’t understand is that if you want to be one of us, you have to show you know the rules. Even when you get to be in a position where you can ignore them. Trust me, I know my people well!”
Shiv learns fast but not fast enough—until he meets Lucy, an upperclassman who discards all the rules but shows Shiv what the British want from him.
We’re—the British, I mean—used to sifting wheat from chaff. We invent new rules all the time in order to exclude people, not to include them.”
I loved those two men together. Lucy was such a beautiful gem, and his love for Shiv shone through the pages. And Lucy was everything to Shiv.
He is not they, just as I am not them, back in India. He can no more be me, than I can be him. But together, we shine. That was all that mattered.
But Shiv had a mission. Gandhi specifically told him when he was just a kid that he had to give up desire. And there might be other people than Lucy too.
There are two kinds of happiness in love, the one that does thrill at a touch from your lover and wants more of it, and the one that notes it and is pleased to have the touch, regardless of whether it thrills or not, as comfort.
Like I said above, this story is told in a dual timeline: the first one starts in 1931, when Shiv arrives in London, and the second one starts in 1941, when he returns to India. A lot has happened over the years, and through trial and error, Shiv learns to stand his ground and even disobey in England.
The last quarter of the story gave me lumps in my throat—I loved those letters to Julia—and while I was reading those last pages, my eyes flooded with tears.
Healing rain, we need so much of it.
I don’t think this book is for everyone. The pacing is on the slower side, and sometimes, it dives deep into all those people and their relations back, then jumps from Ghandi to Virginia Woolf to Miron Grindea to E.M. Forster and lots of others. But if you want to know more about an Indian man moving to England and then back to India, then this is a fantastic book to read.
Thank you, Crown Publishing and NetGalley, for this beautiful ARC!
In the last couple of years, dark academia has become one of my favorite genres. I have a soft spot for those morally grey characters who I’d condemn In the last couple of years, dark academia has become one of my favorite genres. I have a soft spot for those morally grey characters who I’d condemn in contemporary or romance.
We Are Villains has the same blunt writing as Felix Ever After (Kacen Callender’s most popular book) but with darker vibes. From the blurb, Milo and Liam seem to be the main characters, while, in fact, Ari sets the pace of this story. I love books with multiple POVs, but if there are more than two, I always get a little wary. In this book, Kacen Callender used at least eight, but I didn’t mind and found it very interesting to be in all those other minds for a short time. Their chapters were just little snippets that gave an extra layer of depth to what happened to Ari and the atmosphere of Yates, the boarding school.
Just like so many other dark academia stories, this book is f*cked up. Yates is central where tyranny and patriarchy rule, everyone is pretending to be something or someone else than they really are, and the reader starts sympathizing with the ones, who are bad news. My favorite was Liam, even though I hated him too for what he did. But love and hate are never far from each other, right?
It’s always easier to look at someone else—to see how they’ve made mistakes. Always easier to see how someone else is the villain. It’s harder to admit when we’re the villains, too.
Don’t expect a romance because there isn’t any. Also, don’t expect lots of angst. Instead, We Are Villains focuses on all those messed-up teens, their f*cked-up relationships, and what they’re trying to hide. I flew through the pages because of Kacen’s vivid writing, even with so many POVs.
Stars in Your Eyes is one of my favorite adult romances, but I wasn’t a huge fan of Infinity Alchemist. I was a little afraid to see another genre, but I shouldn’t have feared because I really liked this one and will definitely read other dark academia stories by Kacen Callender.
Thank you, Abrams Books and Edelweiss, for this ARC!
Think of the grittiness of a small village without any prospect that affects its youth. Darkness looms over Hollis Brown, and he constantly pushes theThink of the grittiness of a small village without any prospect that affects its youth. Darkness looms over Hollis Brown, and he constantly pushes the boundaries. A lonely boy who lets other teens beat him, who doesn’t care, and goes to the train tracks to … well, train hopping and do other things that are not safe. The movie Trainspotting came to mind, even though that story is way different. It’s the atmosphere, I guess.
Kayla Ancrum has a specific way of writing, and I love it. I already said it before: her chapters are short, blunt, and bitten off, and her lyrical writing feels almost like writing in verse. You can’t do anything but surrender, and from the first page on, my heart got stuck in my throat.
Just like Icarus, this story is about loneliness and finally believing in a future. Walt and Hollis were so good for each other. Two boys living in one body, Hollis is angry at Walt, but soon, they start to cooperate as one. Hollis, the one who doesn’t care; Walt, the one who might care too much—two boys who complete each other.
I’m afraid of a lot of things.
And I’m not afraid of anything. Maybe we were meant to teach each other shit or something. I can teach you to face your fears, and you can teach me to actually be nice to people.
Even though The Corruption of Hollis Brown is an eerie and gritty story, it also warms you on the inside. There’s so much love, and I believe we need books full of love these days. And if you like baking: Kayla included several recipes, especially of bread.
Thank you, HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley, for this fantastic ARC!
Take the emotions from ‘Stars in Your Eyes’, add a splash of Rachel Reid, cover it with Jonny Garza Villa’s writing, and ta-da: Futbolista is born!
AndTake the emotions from ‘Stars in Your Eyes’, add a splash of Rachel Reid, cover it with Jonny Garza Villa’s writing, and ta-da: Futbolista is born!
Ander & Santi is my favorite of Jonny Garza Villa’s books, but it now competes with Futbolista, and Futbolista might be the winner.
When I started reading this book, I wasn’t sure if this story would hit me that hard. I even sighed for a moment when Gabi began to like Leana. But, oh boy, this story has so much to offer.
Gabi’s growth throughout this story is immense. Starting as a cocky, almost macho soccer player, he turns into a thoughtful goalkeeper who opens himself up to changes. Vale helps him with it, but indirectly, his philosophy professor Coolidge, maybe even more. Gabi’s so scared of falling out of line. Of being ‘not normal.’ And that part of being scared to be ‘not normal’ resonated so much with me. From that moment, I couldn’t tear my eyes from Futbolista.
I didn’t think this story would bring me to tears, but while reading the second part, so much rage simmered inside my chest. I wanted to yell, scream, and fight, but instead, I just sat on the couch, those tears burning behind my eyes.
But I also smiled. I loved, loved, loved Vale! Sweet, sparkling Vale. He was such a cute cinnamon roll. And I also adored Pérez. And Kat. Jonny writes such awesome characters. And in the end, a smile danced on my face while my eyes were wet again.
As someone from Europe, I cheered for Jonny Garza Villa so much because they called soccer football in this book, and that is the only right word for this sport!
Read this one y’all! Read it because you love sports romances. Read it because you love character growth. Or just read it because you’re a fan of Jonny Garza Villa’s books.
Thank you, Querido and Edelweiss, for this fantastic ARC!
I want Isaac’s therapist! I highlighted so many of her observations! Isaac’s Song is a beautifully written story, that almost Actual rating 4.5 stars.
I want Isaac’s therapist! I highlighted so many of her observations! Isaac’s Song is a beautifully written story, that almost reads like a biography.
The first pages took my breath away. The story starts when Isaac’s father dies and Isaac cries to his surprise. Weeks later, he visits a therapist because he loses weight and hardly sleeps. Isaac’s meetings with his therapist are the bones of this book and with her he goes back to his childhood and how he perceived his parents, his Blackness, and his sexuality.
”Apologies don’t heal the wounded. They’re for the perpetrator.”
This story digs deep. It’s about love and what we feel and what we think happened. Isaac’s relationship with his dad was always difficult. But while he rethinks what happened, he finds out he might have judged his father too harshly. And might put his mother on a pedestal she didn’t always deserve.
”Some of the truths you discover, Isaac, are going to conflict with what you feel in your heart. Still, don’t back away from them. This is what you’re looking for. It comes to make us reconsider what we think we know.”
I flew through the pages and through Isaac’s life. His childhood, his time at university, when he started working and still didn’t feel comfortable as a Black gay man.
”You become an agent of your own existence the minute you stop blaming others for what they did to you. Those who hurt us cannot heal us. That’s our job.”
When I read his father’s letter, tears leaped into my eyes. The love that shone through those sentences. The fact that his father tried, even though he called his son a sissy and girly. I really need to read Daniel Black’s Don’t Cry for Me. I think it will make me bawl my eyes out.
Thank you, Harlequin Trade Publishing, for this beautiful ARC!
Spanning almost fifty decades, Freedom is a Feast is a multigenerational, political story set in Venezuela. It’s full of idealActual rating 4.5 stars.
Spanning almost fifty decades, Freedom is a Feast is a multigenerational, political story set in Venezuela. It’s full of idealism but also of hurt and trying to survive. It raises questions about how far we’ll go to get a (supposedly) better world.
While reading the prologue, my chest already tightened. Maria and her son Eloy, followers of Hugo Chavez, the president in 2002, live in a poor neighborhood in Caracas. When shooters enter their neighborhood while anti-government protests are underway in the city center, Eloy gets shot.
Then, the story flashes back to 1964 and follows Stanislavo and his ideals. Joining the leftish guerilla, he has to make personal choices that have far-reaching consequences.
Even though Maria and Stanislavo don’t know each other, their lives are inextricably linked.
This book is set in the past, but the themes are so current. I visited Venezuela a long time ago and loved the nature and the people. But I also saw the differences between the gated communities with those immense mansions and the slums where people were trying to survive to have the basics: a house, food on the table, education.
In recent years, we’ve seen a shift to the extreme right in many countries, trying to restrict so many things like abortion or LHBTQ+ rights. But communist countries like China and Cuba aren’t doing any better.
Freedom is a Feast makes you think about how much freedom is worth to you and how much you are willing to give up for a (supposedly) better world.
But this story is also about love. About falling in love, love between a mother and daughter, love between a mother and son. The son I had a soft spot for. Oh Eloy, you made me cry …
The story and the writing impressed me and I hope many people will get to read it!
Thank you, Little Brown and Company and NetGalley, for this ARC!
For fans of If This Gets Out or Kiss and Tell. Or those with a soft spot for anxious teen boys. And for those who can handle hActual rating 4.5 stars.
For fans of If This Gets Out or Kiss and Tell. Or those with a soft spot for anxious teen boys. And for those who can handle heavier and darker-themed stories.
Even though Under All the Lights is a sequel, this story is perfectly readable as a standalone.
I was curious but also a little scared when I started reading because Ollie was in a solid relationship with Aisha after book one. Although I really wanted to know what was going to happen between Ollie and Jessie, I didn’t want to get stuck in a cobweb of lies because of a love triangle. And luckily, that didn’t happen. But be prepared; this story is messy. Let me just love messy and harder hitting stories! Under All the Lights is about a boy and his confused feelings. About a boy who’s trying to battle with severe anxiety. About a boy who’s suddenly in the spotlights, including sh*tty social media rumors. About a boy and his past and the inextricable link to his internal biphobia. And yeah, it’s also about a boy with a wonderful girlfriend who finds out he likes a guy, too.
I loved reading from Ollie’s POV. I already had a soft spot for him when I was reading When It All SyncsUp, and after I found out what happened to him in the first installment of this series, my blood was boiling, and I wanted to protect him against all costs. And therefore, I fully understood why Ollie felt he needed to ignore his feelings for boys. But after meeting Jesse, his feelings came flying back like a boomerang, and suddenly, he couldn’t shrug off what he knew deep inside anymore.
Some stories hit me hard, and this is one of them. Those two boys, both struggling so much but not letting the other in. I felt their inner fights throughout the book. The soft spot I had for Olly has become bigger, and he nestled himself deep into my heart. Just like Jesse, actually, and I’m secretly hoping Maya Ameyaw will write a follow-up story with a dual or even triple POV because with that ending and all, I’m not done yet with these characters, and I really, really, really need more!
Thank you so much, Maya, Annick Pres, NetGalleyand, and Edelweiss, for the eARCs of this book. I know I needed a few of them before I was finally able to read this story, but I’m so glad I could in the end because I loved Olly, Jesse, Aisha, Neil, and all the others!
For fans of The Ghosts We Keep, When Haru was Here is a messy, painful and at the same time beautiful story about grief and loActual rating 4.5 stars.
For fans of The Ghosts We Keep, When Haru was Here is a messy, painful and at the same time beautiful story about grief and loneliness. And isn’t that cover stunning?
When he loses his best friend, Daniel, Eric more or less stops living. Time passes without him noticing, and he’s in his head a lot. He makes up stories and thinks he sees Daniel everywhere. Then, Eric meets Haru again, the Japanese boy he once had a beautiful day with. Haru becomes Eric’s lifeline, whether he’s real or not.
While reading, I found another summary of this story, probably an older one, and all of a sudden, something in my head clicked. Goosebumps started dancing over my skin because I realized Eric’s feeling of loneliness wasn’t only because of Daniel.
Grief is a complicated thing, and we all cope differently with the abundance of people we love so much. Eric’s coping mechanism is holding on to the beautiful memories he made with Haru and the new ones he’s making. That, he can manage. Real life, he cannot.
This story might seem messy and jumpy, and side characters are hardly visible. I believe my sudden inkling helped me to understand what was happening better, but I also think Dustin Thao wrote Eric’s story like this intentionally. It’s a brilliant concept, even though I also know that it might make people confused. Please just know Eric makes up stories a lot.
This novel shows a very lonely boy being in so much pain, a boy who disjoints from real life because he just can’t cope anymore. And from the moment, I had an my inkling, my chest tightened, and my heart went out to that nineteen-year-old so many times. Those letters and that epilogue … I cried. Of course, I cried—massive tears of love for this lonely and sad boy. But I also smiled because, in the end, I knew he was going to be okay again.
I haven’t read You’ve Reached Sam yet; it has been on my TBR for so long, but I’m definitely going to, and I can’t wait for Dustin’s spin-off of that book!
Thank you so much, Erin, from Macmillan International, for letting me read this beautiful story early!
2024 is the year of YA authors releasing adult books. And I’m not sure if I’m always a fan.
Don’t get me wrong. I really love some of these books; Kac2024 is the year of YA authors releasing adult books. And I’m not sure if I’m always a fan.
Don’t get me wrong. I really love some of these books; Kacen Callender’s Stars in Your Eyes is even one of my favorites. But I’m also wondering why all those authors want to write adult books and if the magical attraction I found in their YA stories also works in an adult version. I’m not convinced, to be honest.
Adib Khorram’s YA books are fantastic, especially the Darius series. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for a third installment. I was over the moon when he announced releasing an adult book because I wanted more of his writing. And now?
You know, this book is nice, but not special, as I felt with his Darius series. It feels like mainstream MM; the only different angle is the Iranian heritage (which I liked) and the older characters (I liked that too; we need more of them!). I enjoyed reading this story, but I wanted more. More mental health rep, more character depth, more emotional connection. And less sex.
So, if you love lighthearted, well-written, spicy MM, this might be your book. But I was just a little disappointed.
The first chapter is a mishmash of thoughts of biracial, lesbian, party girl Blake, aka Big Bad Bee, and immediately, a band tightened around my chestThe first chapter is a mishmash of thoughts of biracial, lesbian, party girl Blake, aka Big Bad Bee, and immediately, a band tightened around my chest. Jas Hammonds's story pulled at me like a magnet and didn’t let go until the end.
Drinking. It’s so normal. Partying and getting drunk and maybe getting reckless. Or careless. To let go. The peer pressure can be enormous. Because you can’t be funny when you don’t drink, right? But it’s not only the people around us who force us to drink. What if we only find the courage when we drink? What if we drink because we only then become a funnier and bolder person? Or what if we only drink because we think other people will like us more? That’s what this book is about.
I know about the pressure. I never liked alcohol but drank because other people expected me to. And I didn’t want to be the odd one out. After my second kid was born, I never started again. It just happened, and now I haven’t drunk for years. Sometimes I take a sip. And immediately know why I don’t like alcohol. I just don’t like the taste and the smell. And still, people frown when I tell them.
Thirsty is a harsh story. But also a hopeful one. Blake falls hard. She’s not a happy drunk. She drowns. She wants to belong. And almost destroys herself. But in the end, she also pushes herself up to the surface. And starts breathing again. For herself. No one else.
I believe Thirsty is an important book. For teens to know they can choose their own path. But also for adults. We all can feel that pressure to belong. If we just respected everyone’s choices and saw the beauty in our differences. If we just saw the beauty in ourselves …
Thank you so much, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley, for this wonderful ARC!
I can handle so much these days. More than I ever thought possible. It’s a strange thing, really, to discover that you were wrong about yourself.
I donI can handle so much these days. More than I ever thought possible. It’s a strange thing, really, to discover that you were wrong about yourself.
I don’t really see this YA as horror, even though it’s pitched as one. For me, it’s more of an apocalyptic story like All That’s Left in the World, with the horror feeling of The Honeys. It’s genre-bending because it’s also part contemporary with its dual timeline and way more introspective than those books above.
The central theme in this story is fear. Flora has OCD even though she has hidden it all her life and might look like a girl who only cares about her appearance. But deep inside, she has locked up so much anxiety, and her biggest fear is death. But this was Flora.
Now Flora doesn’t care at all (even though her OCD still screams in her head). Nothing is the same anymore, and Flora fights. She runs. Always runs. To stay alive. And most important of all, to save her brother. But as her brother says, ”You don't always have to be the hero.”
I loved the sibling dynamics between Flora and Cain, but the scene that touched me most was the one with Biscuit and Adán and June when tears sprang to our eyes.
Although there is a lot of action in this story (with bloodshed and gore), it’s mainly character-driven, and Flora's internal (sometimes spiraling) thoughts predominate. I skipped some parts because I'm not the best for so many graphic scenes with blood, but overall, I flew through the book. Racquel Marie’s writing always fascinates me, whether it is contemporary or something more gruesome.
Thank you, Fiercereads and NetGalley, for this harsh but beautiful ARC!
I loved Seven Days in June, and therefore, I was really excited to read A Love Song for Ricky Wilde. But DNF at 21%.
It’s me, I’m the problem, it’s me.
I loved Seven Days in June, and therefore, I was really excited to read A Love Song for Ricky Wilde. But when I started reading, I felt nothing. I struggled to get through the pages, and I can’t even remember what I was reading. I reread some passages from some of my favorite books and tried again. But nothing happened in my brain. I didn’t feel any excitement or love for the story. So, I decided to DNF. I might be in some kind of a reading slump. Like I said, I’m the problem, it’s me. Not the book. Please check out other reviews if you want to read this one!
I must have been living in a cave. Why didn’t I know Ann Liang? That writing! The banter! Those emotions! The relatability! Dang, this book made me anI must have been living in a cave. Why didn’t I know Ann Liang? That writing! The banter! Those emotions! The relatability! Dang, this book made me an immediate Ann Liang stan!
From the first page, I had hardly time to breathe because there were so many words and commas—and taking a deep breath— more words and commas. Soon, my heart started beating faster. Sadie’s stress became my stress, her anxiety became my anxiety, her suppressed anger became my anger.
I Hope This Doesn’t Find You hit sooo close to home. Sadie is powerful and strong. She’s only meant to absorb what others feel, present the best side of herself, sit still, and swallow her own emotions. Dang. Sadie’s feelings catapulted themselves into me. Friends, family, coworkers all call me powerful. Fierce. They always say YOU will get there, YOU will be fine, everything comes so easily to YOU. But what if you struggle in life? What if you’re feeling vulnerable? What if you desperately want to lean on someone else? That’s what this story is about.
It’s a gift when an author can make you feel the emotions of book characters so clearly. Like I said, I’m immediately an Ann Liang stan, and I’m so happy she will give us two more books in 2024. I can’t wait to dive into them!
I received an ARC from Scholastic and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
1921. A rich Black girl writing anonymous articles about everyday Black people. A biracial, white-passing boy with a connection to the Chicago underwo1921. A rich Black girl writing anonymous articles about everyday Black people. A biracial, white-passing boy with a connection to the Chicago underworld. A love story.
The prologue set a few years before the actual story, immediately grabbed my attention. But I had to warm up to the story itself. I found the pacing rather slow and had to get used to the writing. And somehow, I didn’t understand everything. I had to look up lots of words (it might be because English is not my native language), and it took me out of the book. But slowly, I got invested in Nelly’s and Jay’s story. It was rather chilling to read about topics like racism and misogyny, to have to hide your identity and to become aware we still face those issues these days.
This is not a romance, and I also don’t think it’s a real love story. It’s a novel about a girl on the cusp of adulthood who meets a boy and feels a strong connection towards him, but lots of times they’re not together. They only meet a few times in the first half of the book. And only halfway, Jay promises to help Nelly with her investigation. Next to Nelly and Jay, there are many, many side characters, Sequoia with her encyclopedic social knowledge, hiding a secret at the same time, and Tomás, the Spanish-Mexican polo player who had his own experience with racism and had so many similarities to Jay, being the most interesting.
Like I said, it took me some time to really like the story, and in the second half of the story, I started doubting again because, at 60/70 %, I still didn’t feel that promised love story. I liked the setting and the topics and think it’s a solid debut, but the love story just fell flat for me, so I doubted my rating. Eventually, I decided to rate this novel 3.5 stars and round it down.
I received an ARC from Disney Publishing Group and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.