Lucy: Speak Out! by Charles M. Schulz

Charlie Brown: Do you know exactly what you're going to be when you grow up?

Lucy: Of course, a smart cookie!

That one interaction gives a pretty good glimpse into the character of Lucy Van Pelt. She is a hard headed young lady who knows who she is and what she wants out of life. Whether she's in the psychiatrist booth, writing a biography of Beethoven, or playing ball, she knows what she wants.

We also get to see Snoopy and his bird troop, a glimpse of the WWI flying ace, and other favorite characters like Peppermint Patty, Marcie, and, of course, Charlie Brown.

Four stars
This book book came out March 12
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley
All opinions expressed are my own

The Summer of Sunshine and Margot by Susan Mallery

Sunshine and Margot are twins who are both at pivotal moments in their lives. They were raised by a grandmother, a beauty pageant consultant, and neither were able to live up to her standards. Sunshine escaped into a series of unsuitable boyfriends while Margot made just one, very unfortunate choice. Now Sunshine is the nanny to an adorable little boy and his widower father while Margo is an etiquette expert. Margot's latest client is an eccentric actress who wants to learn how to navigate in her soon-to-be husband's world of being an ambassador. They're staying at the home of the actress's son, a scholar who specializes in old manuscripts.
This is a lovely story of two sisters. If you are looking for a romance novel, this isn't one. The HEA is sort of wedged in at the end and I felt like the book suffered for it.

Three stars
This book comes out June 11
ARC provided by publisher and Edelweiss
Opinions provided are my own

The Genius Habit by Laura Garnett

This is a wonderful book; using a series of homework examples that have you explore what parts of your personality fit what your "genius" is. We've believed for too long that people can learn to do any job; but the truth of the matter is that we all naturally excel at different things. And this book helps you find your own are in which you will find it easier to excel.
This would definitely be best as a physical book. Something you can fill out and look back on.

Four stars
This book came out February 5
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley
All opinions are my own

The Art of Visual Notetaking by Emily Mills

This was a really interesting book that I think would be better read as a physical book than in ebook form. It was also shorter than I thought it might be but I really liked a lot of the concepts. It's been a few weeks since I read the whole thing but I've been utilizing visual notes and, not only are they more fun to re-read, it is easier to find larger concepts because I remember the picture that I drew as much as where information is on the page or what color I was using that day.

Three stars
This book came out March 5
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

Jessica Stone is not having a good day. She took the role of Princess Amara in order to further her movie career, not to become the queen of the Cons. And yet, here she is. Well,sort of. Because the girl answering questions about being Princess Amara on the Starfield panel is decidedly Not Her.
Imogen Lovelace did not mean to step into Jess Stone's shoes. She just wants to #SavePrincessAmara from death. So when gets the chance to step into the role of Jess Stone, Imogen does the opposite of what the star desires. And that first deception leads to further plans when a script given to Jess is leaked online. Just because she doesn't want to play Amara anymore doesn't mean she wants to commit career suicide.
Told concurrently with Geekerella this is going to delight fans and new readers alike.

Four stars
This book comes out April 2
ARC kindly provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

At 25, Queenie Jenkins has just broken up with her white boyfriend. She's  not taking it well and has decided to make one bad decision after another. And it really is one bad decision after another. She's realistic but it does get a little wearing..

Three stars
This book came out March 19
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley

A Monster Like Me by Wendy S. Swore

This was in the genre "childrens" and has a cover that looks like a picture book. Nope. This book is over 300 pages long. Over. Three. Hundred. I was not expecting that.
That being said, this is a pretty cute story about a kid with a blood tumor on her face. She's dealing with the kind of crap that happens when you look different externally. It begins to affect Sophie internally; she knows that there are monsters in the world because she herself is one, created by her tumor.
She does get to make some friends and learns that she might just be a little bit more human than she thinks.
I wouldn't have put this book in the kids category; more middle school unless it's something you read out loud with your kiddo and then talk about with them.

Three and a half stars
This book came out March 5
ARC kindly provided by publisher and NetGalley