Friends with ARCs | The Light Between Worlds + The Resolutions

It's been five years since the night Evelyn and Philippa Hapwell were hiding in a London bomb shelter with their older brother. Five years since all three siblings were transported into the magical realm called the Woodlands, where the fantastical beings became their friends-like-family and the world became their home. Five years since they returned to the same moment they left London, and both nothing and everything has changed since then. For Ev, the greatest wish of her heart is to return to the Woodlands no matter what. For Philippa, she longs to carve out a place for herself in the world. When Evelyn disappears, Philippa is forced to confront the truth of her sister's despair and of the truths that have been swept under the rug all these years...

It's always difficult to talk about a book that I liked okay, which is the case with The Light Between Worlds. It was interesting to see the aftermath of two sisters returning from the magical land to the real world, and how their paths and choices wildly diverged from one another. While I much preferred Philippa's portion of the novel over Evelyn's, the deliberate decision to explore both made for a story that felt pretty multi-dimensional. My biggest disappointment lies in the fact that I expected a little more from the fantasy/Woodlands aspect of the story (because I am admittedly a sucker for portal stories and have always expected to open a wardrobe and find my way to a magical world). I also didn't connect to either sister (and I struggled with Evelyn's chapters at times), which I think would have made this reading experience just a touch better for me.

Which world would you want to visit? Apart from the obvious (Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and Hogwarts), I think it would be pretty cool to be able to visit Terrasen post-Kingdom of Ash.

The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth | Publisher: Harper Teen | Publication Date: October 23, 2018 | Source: e-galley downloaded from Edelweiss (Thank you!)

If you like making resolutions (at any time of year, not just when the year starts), you'll probably be as intrigued by the premise of The Resolutions as I was. Jess, Lee, Ryan and Nora are four best friends who have a tradition of making resolutions together on New Year's Eve. But this year, Jess has a new twist in mind: instead of picking out their own, they'll pick out resolutions for each other. As the year unfolds and the resolutions shape their lives, these four friends soon discover that life doesn't always go according to plan.

I really enjoyed Mia Garcia's debut novel Even if the Sky Falls, and that was another reason to look forward to The Resolutions. I'm happy to report this lived up to my high hopes! This contemporary novel just felt so real to me, with each of these four main characters written with such strong individual journeys and specific voices. I also just really liked the fact that it was about so many aspects of life as I experienced it when I was a teenager. It tackled relationships of all sorts - with yourself, with your friends, with your romantic partner, with your family; it depicted what it feels like to lose your way, then find it again or find a completely new way. I really ended up liking The Resolutions a lot, and would definitely encourage you to check it out!

What's a New Year's resolution you've made and actually stuck with? I am usually pretty good at keeping up with my reading goal resolutions (which I count), but one resolution that I've kept for a couple of years now is traveling out of town at least twice a year.

The Resolutions by Mia Garcia | Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books | Publication Date: November 13, 2018 | Source: e-galley downloaded from Edelweiss (Thank you!)