3 stars

BOOK REVIEW: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

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⭐ Quick Snapshot

  • Genre: Cozy Fantasy
  • Pages: 304
  • Published: 2022
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)

✨ First Impressions

I’d heard so much buzz about Legends & Lattes being a “cozy fantasy” that felt like a warm hug, so I went in expecting something lighthearted and comforting—a break from epic battles and dark quests. The concept of an orc giving up adventuring to start a coffee shop definitely piqued my curiosity.

📖 What It’s About (Spoiler-Free)

Viv, a battle-weary orc, hangs up her sword and decides to open a coffee shop in a city where no one even knows what coffee is. Along the way, she gathers an unlikely group of friends—each with their own quirks—who help bring her dream to life. It’s not about saving kingdoms or fighting monsters, but about building community and finding a new purpose.

🖋️ Writing & Style

The writing is simple, accessible, and deliberately low-stakes. Baldree has a knack for painting warm, cozy settings that make you want to curl up with a latte while you read. That said, the straightforward style sometimes felt a bit too plain, and I occasionally wished for more depth in the descriptions or conflicts.

👤 Characters / Key Ideas

  • Viv: A refreshing protagonist—an orc who isn’t out for blood, but for peace and fulfillment.
  • Cal, Thimble, and other supporting characters add charm and heart.
  • At its core, the book is about reinvention, community, and small joys, which is a nice change of pace from high-stakes fantasy.

💡 Highlights & Favorite Moments

  • Watching Viv learn the ups and downs of running a business was surprisingly relatable.
  • Thimble’s pastries? Honestly, the descriptions made me crave baked goods.
  • The found-family dynamic was sweet, especially how the characters rallied around each other.

🤔 What Could Be Better

While the coziness is the book’s strength, it’s also its weakness at times. The plot moves at a very gentle pace—so gentle that I occasionally found myself wishing for more tension or surprises. Some characters could have used more layers, and the conflicts wrapped up a little too neatly.

🎯 Final Verdict

Legends & Lattes is a charming, low-stakes story that offers a warm escape from darker fantasy tropes. If you’re looking for action, high drama, or complex worldbuilding, this probably won’t hit the mark. But if you want something cozy, comforting, and a little different, it’s worth a try.

📌 Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3/5)

💬 Let’s Discuss!

Have you read Legends & Lattes yet? Did you find it cozy and heartwarming, or did you crave a bit more action? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

BOOK REVIEW: Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

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Audiobook Length: 8 hours and 1 minute

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, LGBT

No. of Book in Series: 0

Goodreads’ Synopsis: When an injury throws a young, battle-hungry orc off her chosen path, she may find that what we need isn’t always what we seek.

In Bookshops & Bonedust, a prequel to Legends & Lattes, New York Times bestselling author Travis Baldree takes us on a journey of high fantasy, first loves, and second-hand books.

Viv’s career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam’s Ravens isn’t going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she’s packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it.

What’s a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn’t possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn’t all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

Read Start Date: April 1, 2024

Read Finish Date: April 8, 2024

My Review: I borrowed this audiobook from the library as it was on top of the “popular” list. I knew nothing about it, nor did I even read the synopsis before reading (as is mostly the case when I check books out this way). The characters are fantasy creatures such as Orcs, Elves, etc., but I felt the author could have easily just transferred the characters to humans, which would have made no difference. I never really felt how each species was different i.e., how their species made them unique or what attributes it gave them (other than being big in Viv’s case) or what the characters looked like.

Essentially, the story is about an Orc who works as a mercenary. She is injured and must convalesce until her mercenary group returns from their next mission. While looking around the town, she finds a bookshop and becomes friends with the owner, Fern, a “Ratkin” (which I assume is some giant rat?). Fern says swear words a lot, which fell flat if it was supposed to lend a funny air to the book.

While this book was imaginative and entertaining to listen to, I struggled to identify what this book was trying to be. It was definitely not your typical fantasy book. I couldn’t help making parallels to the book I read a while back called The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan (see my review here). Bookshops & Bonedust felt more like a feel-good story about saving a struggling bookstore than a fantasy adventure. I should note here, however, that a subplot does involve a necromancer.

Unfortunately, although Goodreads identifies this book as a “romance,” and there is a romance subplot, I didn’t feel it. There was no heat, no fire. I just didn’t feel the connection between Viv and her romantic interest.

In conclusion, my experience with Bookshops & Bonedust was mixed. I recommend this book to readers interested in narratives that blend fantasy elements with everyday life. However, readers seeking intense romance or action-packed adventures may want more from the book. Ultimately, Bookshops & Bonedust offers a charming escape for those who appreciate whimsical storytelling and are open to blended genres.

BOOK REVIEW: The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Gentle Ways to Stop Bedtime Battles and Improve Your Child’s Sleep by Elizabeth Pantley

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Book Length: 396 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Parenting, Reference, Self-Help

Goodreads’ Synopsis: Guaranteed to help parents reclaim sweet dreams for their entire family New from the bestselling author of the classic baby sleep guide! Getting babies to sleep through the night is one thing; getting willful toddlers and energetic preschoolers to sleep is another problem altogether. Written to help sleep-deprived parents of children ages one to five, The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers offers loving solutions to help this active age-group get the rest they–and their parents–so desperately need. A follow-up to Elizabeth Pantley’s megahit The No-Cry Sleep Solution , this breakthrough guide is written in Pantley’s trademark gentle, child-centered style. Parents will discover a wellspring of positive approaches to help their children get to bed, stay in bed, and sleep all night, without having to resort to punishments or other negative and ineffective measures. The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers tackles many common nighttime obstacles.

Read Start Date: December 26, 2023

Read Finish Date: January 29, 2024

My Review: My daughter is 2 years old and has never been a good sleeper. We have tried everything, but nothing seems to work. I bought this book from Amazon, as it came up in one of my Google searches. I thought it sounded like a good book to read. I only gave it 3 stars because while well written, thoughtful, and informative, I didn’t really find anything in the book that I hadn’t already known from Google. That being said, it was nice to have all the information in one place for simplicity.

Additionally, the suggestions in the book seemed to worsen the situation (e.g., white noise and telling stories at bedtime) rather than improve the situation. My daughter became more stimulated, not more relaxed. So the opposite of the intended result was achieved. I’m sure the book is great when you have a normal sleeper who just needs a little bit more of a routine. When you have a child such as mine, however, I didn’t find it helpful, or I should say, any more helpful than free Google searches.

I don’t know whether the author is a doctor or what her education is in (e.g. whether she has studied sleeping, child development, etc.). However, it seems that she has written lots of books on “No-cry” solutions for everything from naptime to potty training. She does mention a few signs of sleep disorders in children (not sure where she gets this information from) and recommends to seek professional help if your child exhibits any of these symptoms.

In conclusion, I think that this book is good if you have a child who is capable of sleeping normally, but you want to get into a better routine. Then this book will give you some helpful tips as to how to make that happen.

BOOK REVIEW: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

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Audiobook Length: 5 hours and 31 minutes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography

Read Start Date: January 22, 2024

Read Finish Date: January 23, 2024

Goodreads’ Synopsis: The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.

My Review: Let me start out by saying that Britney Spears is an astonishing woman who has lived an amazing yet tragic life. I am not here to make any comments on Spears as a person or artist. I am simply reviewing a book. I know what might come next is not the popular view, but I have to be honest. I am only giving this book 3 stars because while I found it interesting, it felt like something was missing. With only 5 hours and 31 minutes of listening time, there was not enough time to tell Spears’ story beyond the facts. For example, she barely touched on her time at the Mickey Mouse Club. What was it like to be a child star? What was it like to perform at such a young age? I think back to the book I read a few months ago, I’m Glad My Mom Died by iCarly star Jennette McCurdy (see my review here), and I can’t help but compare the two books.

McCurdy’s book was highly emotional, introspective, raw, and satirical. Spears’ book pales in comparison and feels more like an outline than a fully fleshed-out book. Don’t get me wrong. I think that what happened to Spears is atrocious, and the people in her life should be ashamed of themselves. Spears seems like a very sweet and sensitive person who was taken advantage of by the people around her. That being said, and because of that, Spears’ book feels like we are seeing only the surface of a very deep ocean.

Additionally, the book was published on October 24, 2023, and ends with the fact that Britney Spears was very much in love with her husband Hesam and was looking forward to her future with him. However, in July 2023, the couple separated and were getting divorced. Poor Britney. I feel so bad for her. Couldn’t the publishers have allowed a rewrite at the end of the book to get rid of that part? Or were they just another group of people taking advantage of Britney? In fact, I couldn’t help but think that throughout my reading of this book. The publishers wanted to strike while the iron was hot — Spears has been in the news recently due to the ending of her conservatorship — and she was in the spotlight again. I feel like they rushed the book to the presses to make money off her name. This book was good, but it could have been much better if there had been more time to flesh out the stories and give more time to explore Spears’ emotions and provide for her introspection.

All the above being said Britney’s journey to reclaim her agency and fight for her freedom is incredibly inspiring, and her book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the often exploitative nature of the music industry, particularly for young women. It sheds light on the pressures, manipulation, and control exerted on artists. I just wish there was more.

I hope Britney Spears comes out with a longer and deeper memoir in the future. If she does, I will definitely read it.

NETGALLEY BOOK REVIEW: The Edge of Reality by J. Allen Hynek and Jacques Vallee

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Audiobook Length: 11 hours and 51 minutes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Science, Aliens, UFOs

Read Start Date: October 31, 2023

Read Finish Date: December 22, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: From the outset, Hynek and Vallee make their position UFOs represent an unknown but real phenomenon. The far-reaching implications take us to the very edge of what we consider known and real in our physical environment. Perhaps, say the authors, UFOs signal the existence of a domain of nature as yet totally unexplored.   In this mind-stretching book, the authors sample UFO reports, including those allegedly involving humanoids, and describe the perceived patterns in the behavior of the phenomenon. They also establish a framework for further study. Where might such study lead? What can be studied, and how? What is the real nature of the UFO phenomenon? Does it originate with the actions of other intelligences in the universe? If so, where and what might they be? Does the UFO phenomenon have a purely physical explanation, or is there a vast, hidden realm that holds the solution?   In this invaluable work, we gain insight into the thinking of Hynek and Vallee’s research and investigations into UFOs, including Project Blue Book, the Pascagoula case, and the Betty and Barney Hill experience.

My Review: I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The book delves into the history of UFO sightings, the plausibility of extraterrestrial explanations, and the implications of these encounters for our understanding of reality itself. While the book seems to be well researched, and I found the subject matter to be interesting, I am only giving the book three stars for several reasons:

The book is told in a narrative fashion, like an interview or conversation, that probably is easier to follow when reading it in written form. I often got lost in the narrative and wasn’t sure who was speaking. There are also photos and other exhibits referenced in the audiobook that the reader cannot see but would be available in the print version.

Through the aforementioned interview style, the authors present “evidence,” including firsthand accounts, statistical analyses, and physical evidence, which suggests that UFOs are not simply misidentified natural phenomena or hoaxes. They explore the possibility that these objects may represent advanced technology from another civilization or even a different dimension of reality. I write “evidence” in quotations because the book relies heavily on anecdotes/stories and does not provide definitive proof of any of these “sightings.” In other words, it is speculative, and the conclusions are open to interpretation. This is nothing new, and with all other things UFO related, you either believe, or you don’t.

I grew up watching The X-Files and know a lot about aliens and the UFO culture, so this book didn’t really tell me anything new. However, if you are just getting into the topic, there are a lot of interesting stories in this book that would be a good starting point.

Reviews Published
Professional Reader
10 Book Reviews

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

BOOK REVIEW: Emp Attack: Crucial Lessons on How to Survive the Most Overlooked Disaster the World by Mark Gibbs

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Book Length: 183 pages

Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction

Read Start Date: November 4, 2023

Read Finish Date: November 8, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: Are You Looking for a Deeper Understanding of Emps and an Easy-to-follow Guide So That You Can Safeguard Yourself, Your Family, and Even Your Neighbors From an Electromagnetic Pulse Attack? If That Is You, You’re in the Right Place!In the Aftermath of an Emp Attack, Much of the Population Could Perish From Famine, Dehydration, Illness, Murder, and Suicide. The Power Grid Could Be Down for Years. Almost All Modern Equipment Would Quit Operating Instantly. What Does This Mean for You and Your Family? The Topics That We Will Cover Today – What to Do Right After the Power Goes Out- The Components You Need to Create a Self-sustaining Power System- Solar the Best Kinds to Use- Solar Panels Inverters- Why You Need a Ham Radio- Making Your Phone Untraceable- Building Faraday Cages- Getting Ready for Natural Disasters Even Though the Average American Citizen Is Not Prepared Whatsoever for an Emp Attack, That Doesn’t Mean That You Have to Be. This Book Is Going to Cover Survival Lessons (Plus a Few Bonus Lessons) on How to Prepare for an Emp Attack Before It Strikes and How to Survive Once It Does. It Doesn’t Matter Whether You Are Just the Average Person Looking to Become a Little More Prepared for an Emp Attack or Are Already a Seasoned Survivalist Looking for More Ways to Become Prepared, as There Is Valuable Information That You Will Learn From This Book.

My Review: I am currently writing a sci-fi novel where aliens knock out communications across the globe with a massive EMP attack. However, I know absolutely nothing about EMP attacks, the aftermath, or what to do if one should occur. I went online to see if I could find any books on the subject and came across this book by Mark Gibbs. When it arrived, I noticed that it had been obviously self-published. There is nothing wrong with that (in fact, I intend to self-publish a book soon). As I read the book, however, I soon began to notice various things that did distract from the overall message of the book, which is why I could only give the book 3 stars.

If you are interested in the subject of EMP attacks and you are capable of overlooking grammar mistakes, repetition of words, and headings that are not always correctly formatted, then I would recommend this book. It is very interesting and informative, and it is obvious that the author cares about this subject very much. I would not be surprised if the author himself was a prepper and that he practices what he is preaching.

Stats: As of writing this review (December 11, 2023), the only review on Goodreads is mine.

BOOK REVIEW: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

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Title: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Author: Max Brooks

Book Length: 342 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Fiction, Horror, Zombies, Post-Apocalyptic

Read Start Date: August 18, 2023

Read Finish Date: October 1, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”

My Review: World War Z explores the global response to a zombie apocalypse. The book is presented as an oral history, with various individuals recounting their experiences during and after the outbreak, which occurred over a decade before the interviews took place. The novel begins with a brief introduction explaining the origins of the zombie virus, and how it quickly spreads worldwide, causing the dead to reanimate and hunger for human flesh. As the outbreak intensifies, governments and societies are unprepared, leading to chaos and widespread panic. The book then shifts to a series of first-person accounts from survivors, including soldiers, politicians, doctors, and everyday people from different countries and backgrounds.

I recently watched the movie adaptation of World War Z on Netflix (starring Brad Pitt) and I loved it so much, I watched it three times in a row. I remembered that I had World War Z on my bookshelf — a recent purchase from a used book store during my list trip to the US — and so began to read it. I was a little disappointed that the book was nothing like the movie. There was no Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator, who was recruited by the government to travel the world and find a way to stop the infection. Lane travels to South Korea, Israel, and Russia, where he learns more about the zombies and their weaknesses. eventually discovering a sort of cure. In the book, there was no singular story to focus on. Rather, each chapter is told by a different person and we only get to see snippets of the zombie apocalypse through each individual’s memory.

While the book was interesting, it wasn’t the action packed adventure that I was expecting. It was more slow paced and at times I struggled to get through certain stories. Ultimately, whether or not you enjoy World War Z will depend on your personal preferences. If you’re a fan of zombies, horror, or science fiction, then you might enjoy the novel and/or the film.

Stats: At the time of writing this blog post (October 10, 2023), this book has a rating of 4.02 on Goodreads. My rating of three stars falls a little below the average rating.

Recommended? Yes, but either read the book before the movie, or honestly skip the book all together and just watch the movie.

BOOK REVIEW: Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

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Title: Alone With You in the Ether

Author: Olivie Blake

Audiobook Length: 9 hours and 57 minutes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Literary Fiction

Read Start Date: August 23, 2023

Read Finish Date: August 28, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: CHICAGO, SOMETIME—

Two people meet in the Art Institute by chance. Prior to their encounter, he is a doctoral student who manages his destructive thoughts with compulsive calculations about time travel; she is a bipolar counterfeit artist, undergoing court-ordered psychotherapy. By the end of the story, these things will still be true. But this is not a story about endings.

For Regan, people are predictable and tedious, including and perhaps especially herself. She copes with the dreariness of existence by living impulsively, imagining a new, alternate timeline being created in the wake of every rash decision.

To Aldo, the world feels disturbingly chaotic. He gets through his days by erecting a wall of routine: a backbeat of rules and formulas that keep him going. Without them, the entire framework of his existence would collapse.

For Regan and Aldo, life has been a matter of resigning themselves to the blueprints of inevitability—until the two meet. Could six conversations with a stranger be the variable that shakes up the entire simulation?

My Review: I wasn’t particularly in love with Blake’s book The Atlas Six (you can find my review here), and so had decided not to read the other books in that series. However, I figured I would give Blake as an author another shot, and so picked up Alone With You in the Ether from the library as an audiobook. I had no idea what it was about, other than it topped the “popular” charts at the Vienna library.

In reading the book, my mood was constantly at status quo. I neither loved, nor hated the book. I didn’t feel much of anything about it, really…it was more something to listen to in order to pass the time. I did become annoyed from time to time at the different voices in the audiobook version, as Blake had some weird “narrator” POV that popped up sporadically and only for a sentence of two to describe to the reader the backstory of what was happening at that moment.

Some people absolutely love this book, like Ary and Books. I believe the review even mentions that Ary and Books bought multiple editions.

“the relationship (Regan & Aldo) in this book is another reason I am still mentally brainrottingly obsessed over it. Their connection is so beautiful and so deep, I loved both of them dearly throughout, but together it was a wild, heart wrenching, beautiful love. I felt through the whole book that I was fighting for them, fighting with them.”

Ary and Books

For me, Aldo and Regan (pronounced Reegan not Raygan) were not particularly enjoyable/likeable characters, and their “love” story was more like watching two trains barreling at full speed toward each other. You know they are going to crash and burn, which is not something you really want to witness, but somehow you can’t look away either.

From all the reviews of this book that I have read, it seems that you either love this book or don’t. I am sorry to say that I fell into the category of don’t.

Stats: My three star rating is below the average rating for this book, which on September 8, 2023 is 3.91 stars.

Recommended? Given that my 3 star rating is below the average for this book, and that other people absolutely love it, I can neither recommend, nor not recommend this book. You will have to judge for yourself :).

BOOK REVIEW: Worms by James R. Montague

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Title: Worms

Author: James R. Montague

Book Length: 186 pages

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Fiction, Horror, Gothic

Read Start Date: June 23, 2023

Read Finish Date: July 7, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: 

My Review: I found this book at the local library. I had never heard of this book before, but it seemed like something that was right up my alley. I usually love horror novels from the 1970s and 80s (Worms was first published in 1979). I was expecting a creature feature similar in style to Jaws by Peter Benchley. However, Worms was more of a thriller with a flavor of worms.

James Hildebrand is not a good guy. In fact, he’s a murderer. Retiring to the Norfolk coast, he seeks peace and quiet, and for no one to suspect him of fowl play in the untimely death of his wife. Invasive in his daily life are the worms, and at first we do not know whether the worms are figurative — a metaphor for the guilt festering in his mind — or whether they are real.

As he begins to suspect that someone knows his secret, the infestation intensifies, leading to an expected conclusion.

I liked the book, but I didn’t love it. I’ve thought about it a lot and I do not know why this book didn’t do it for me. Don’t get me wrong, it was entertaining, and I’m glad I picked it off the shelf, but I also could have lived without ever reading this book. It was good, but not life altering.

Stats: As of August 29, 2023: 3.6 stars on Goodreads from 145 reviews.

Recommended? Yes, but I wouldn’t add it at the top of your list.

BOOK REVIEW: Spare by Prince Harry

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Title: Spare

Author: Prince Harry

Audiobook Length: 15 hours and 39 minutes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir, Autobiography

Read Start Date: June 20, 2023

Read Finish Date: July 3, 2023

Brief Summary of the Plot from Goodreads: It was one of the most searing images of the twentieth century: two young boys, two princes, walking behind their mother’s coffin as the world watched in sorrow—and horror. As Princess Diana was laid to rest, billions wondered what Prince William and Prince Harry must be thinking and feeling—and how their lives would play out from that point on.

For Harry, this is that story at last.

Before losing his mother, twelve-year-old Prince Harry was known as the carefree one, the happy-go-lucky Spare to the more serious Heir. Grief changed everything. He struggled at school, struggled with anger, with loneliness—and, because he blamed the press for his mother’s death, he struggled to accept life in the spotlight.

At twenty-one, he joined the British Army. The discipline gave him structure, and two combat tours made him a hero at home. But he soon felt more lost than ever, suffering from post-traumatic stress and prone to crippling panic attacks. Above all, he couldn’t find true love.

Then he met Meghan. The world was swept away by the couple’s cinematic romance and rejoiced in their fairy-tale wedding. But from the beginning, Harry and Meghan were preyed upon by the press, subjected to waves of abuse, racism, and lies. Watching his wife suffer, their safety and mental health at risk, Harry saw no other way to prevent the tragedy of history repeating itself but to flee his mother country. Over the centuries, leaving the Royal Family was an act few had dared. The last to try, in fact, had been his mother. . . .

For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.

My Review: I think most people know who Prince Harry is. He is a public figure, and has been one since birth. Spare, a title taken from the English saying “the heir and the spare,” is a revealing memoir about Harry’s life from childhood to the present. It is hard to write this review without acknowledging that I had read a fair bit about the book in the media prior to actually reading it. I was expecting something very dramatic and damning of the Royal Family. In this aspect, the book did not really meet my expectations.

The brothers fought? Of course, they did. They are brothers. Is William supposed to be someone above reproach because he’s the next in line to the throne? Why is it so scandalous to portray the Princes as human beings with emotions? Maybe because I’m American I don’t get it, but I didn’t find any “oh my God” moment in the book.

While I liked reading about how the “other half lives,” I feel the memoir missed the opportunity to show more of what it is actually like to be a Prince beyond the “pap” harassment. I thought the story spent too much time explaining how Harry took drugs, how his penis got frostbite this one time, and complaining about being the spare. The whole time, I kept thinking that Harry has some enormous chip on his shoulder because he’s not the heir and yet has to deal with all the unwanted attention that comes with that title.

I think on this note, the best book review to read is from Orangutan Librarian. One of my favorite paragraphs from the review is below.

“Irritatingly, a lot of Harry’s narrative comes down to infantile whining. Forgive me for not feeling sorry for him that he had the smaller bedroom in a castle- I can’t exactly relate. Then again, this prince is delusional about class, privilege and money- seemingly completely unaware that you can’t get into Eton without a shed load of all of the above (even if they let a few plebs in every year to maintain charitable status, it’s undoubtedly a club for the rich and powerful). Yet here he is, lamenting his lot in life and feeling sorry for himself. Not that I don’t sympathise- I guess I am just too far removed from the line of succession (probably about 357,405,837th in line to be precise) to understand the point when #TIARAGATE matters in the grand scheme of things.”

Did this book make me feel bad slightly that they were harrassed by the media? Yes, actually. I did think it was terrible, but at the same time, he seems to confirm that a lot of what the media said about him was true.

Mybookworld24 had a different opinion.

“I think he might have everything material-wise but not what he really needs, which is family support and perhaps therapy to help him deal with the loss of his mother. It’s sad to see him carry that trauma into his adulthood, and I find that the palace and the media seem to forget that celebrities and royals are people too. After his second and final tour fighting for his country, he suffered from bad PTSD episodes, and when he told his family, they weren’t the most supportive until he hit rock bottom. This memoir felt raw and honest, which is why I gave it four stars.”

Stats: As of writing this blog post on August 21, 2023, this book has a 3.91 rating on Goodreads. My review is less than the average by nearly 1 star. So, I would recommend to read these other fabulous reviews for some comparison: Sprayed Edges and George L. Thomas.

Recommended? This book was good but not phenomenal. If one were to manage expectations, this book would be a good read, especially for people interested in the Royals.