First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"If you're as honest and fair as you can be, not only in business but in life, things will work out. I hope that people remember me not just as a good businesswoman but as a great friend—and a heck of a lot of fun."

~ We Might Just Make It After All by Elyce Arons

Strawberry's Sweet Surprise

"Picking fruit and flowers is like gathering a big bouquet of sunshine, she said." ~ pg. 5

Strawberry's Sweet Surprise is a cute new scratch-and-sniff board book. Introduce your little ones to my favorite classic kid character, Strawberry Shortcake. In this cheerful world, you will find a short tale of colorful kindness and sweet scents! Strawberry Shortcake and friends explore the garden of sweet fruits and friendly flowers with a berry special surprise. 

Oh, what a nostalgic treat it was to read this Tommy Nelson board book. I read the digital ARC edition so missed out on the full experience. However, I will purchase the physical board book when it releases in November for my 3-year-old niece. It will be great bonding time reading it together!

Strawberry's Sweet Surprise is a great addition to the library of parents, grandparents, aunts, daycare and montessori teachers for readers under four years old. Your literary little one(s) will love the multisensory experience that promotes word recognition, fruit identification, color association and art. The illustration is top tier!

Happy Early Pub Day, Strawberry Shortcake! Strawberry's Sweet Surprise will be available Tuesday, November 4.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Strawberry's Sweet Surprise
Author: Strawberry Shortcake
Published: November 2025
Pages: 14
Edition: Galley
Genre: Children's Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: Icing on the Murder

(Baker Street #4) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Icing on the Murder, the fourth book in the Baker Street mystery series by Valerie Burns. Social media influencer turned bakery owner Maddy Montgomery is still in New Bison, Michigan, with her inherited 250-pound English mastiff, Baby. She's also marrying the handsome veterinarian named Michael. Perfect timing since the country's biggest bridal expo has come to town.

Maddy secured a spot to showcase wedding cakes and entered a bridal reality competition with the world-renowned wedding planner Serafina. This opportunity would be great for social media content, bakery business and her #DreamWedding. Until Serafina is impaled by one of Baby Cakes' skewers. EEK! Maid of Honor Sheriff April Johnson rounds up suspects at the expo along with Maddy and her great-aunt's friends, the Baker Street Irregulars, to unveil the killer.

"I didn't fall in love with a plastic fork kind of girl." ~ 6%

Icing on the Murder has all the fun elements of a cozy mystery: recipes for the foodies, characters of color, smallish town and a big 'ole adorable dog. It can be read as a standalone but I recommend starting from the beginning of the series to get a gist of all the characters. 

When I think cozy mystery, I think Valerie Burns. Just like A Cup of Flour, A Pinch of Death, this story had me guessing on the right track. Easy mystery but fun to read. Recommended for Bookhearts looking for a quick, light as a murder can be story this summer. Nibble on baked goods, cuddle with your pet in the sunshine and settle in for a good read.

Happy Early Pub Day, Valerie Burns! Icing on the Murder will be available on July 29.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Icing on the Murder

Author: Valerie Burns

Published: July 2025

Pages: 211

Edition: Galley

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"The front door stands wide open. That has always meant a warm welcome at the two-story traditional house where I grew up, but now the sight makes me shiver more than the chilly wind of Christmas Eve whistling in my face."

~ Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan 

The Marriage Monitoring Aunties' Association

"Is this going to find you husband?" ~ pg. 114

Sade is ready to live the Nigerian dream and meet "the one." For sure, this is the year. Especially if her mother, two best friends and younger sister have any say. According to the unofficial Marriage Monitoring Aunties Association, the reason Sade is still single at 50 is because she loves her job and owns her own home. So independent that her prayers for the perfect man are lost. Hence the need for a miracle of romance.

This is a book I judged from the cover and title so it drew my interest. I expected meddling comedic aunties and Nigerian culture. I looked forward to reading from the perspective of a black mature-aged female. I was quite disappointed that the aunties are not a big part of the novel. In fact, it is the main character's helicopter mom that monitors the most. And what I liked most about Sade was negated by end of the novel.

Just because I think The Marriage Monitoring Aunties' Association was an okay read doesn't mean this multicultural romance is not for you. Give it a try, Bookhearts.

Happy Early Pub Day, Ola Awonubi! The Marriage Monitoring Aunties' Association will be available Tuesday, July 11.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The Marriage Monitoring Aunties' Association
Author: Ola Awonubi
Published: July 2025
Pages: 283
Edition: Galley
Genre: Romance
Rating: 🖤 🖤

The Girls Who Grew Big

"You don't know what you're capable of until you surpass yourself, outgrow yourself, and still find your feet on the ground." ~ pg. 213

A fierce group of teenage moms in the small town of Pauda Beach, Florida panhandle are the center of new novel, The Girls Who Grew Big. Simone is the mother of young twins and finds herself weighing options when she becomes pregnant again. Adela's parents send her to live with grandmother as they cannot handle her pregnancy. She meets Emory upon arrival, who is struggling to balance new motherhood and higher education. The whole town has written the girls off as lost outcasts but their bond grows big as their bellies, as the artistic book cover displays. 

It took a good third of the book for me to get into the story. It is told from the point of view of three girls; eventually, their stories intersect in unexpected ways. This is where the storytelling of Leila Mottley shines through the pages. Her writing is raw yet engaging. If you previously read the bestselling author's novel, Nightcrawling, then you know! 

The personal growth of characters Simone, Adela and Emory as they navigate pregnancy, motherhood, relationships and friendships will interest readers. It will make you think twice before judging teenage moms. Readers will admire their resilience and desire to just win. By the time I reached the last page, I cared about each girl and their unique journey. I'm confident you will too, Bookhearts.

Happy Early Pub Day, Leila Mottley! The Girls Who Grew Big will be available Tuesday, June 24.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: The Girls Who Grew Big
Author: Leila Mottley
Published: June 2025
Pages: 303
Edition: Galley
Genre: Coming-of-Age Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Sistah Speak Sunday: Am I the Asshole?

(Sistah Speak: Ask the Sistahs) 

Are you looking for a podcast hosted by diverse women? Listen to the new episode of Sistah Speak: Ask the Sistahs where we discuss some of the latest Am I the Asshole? threads and a family member's burning question from a Sistah's point of view.

Listen Now 🎧 Ep 31 Time: 1 Hour, 41 Minutes

Podcast: Sistah Speak Productions
Co-Hosts: Sistah A, Sistah J, Sistah K and Sistah LM