noun [kee-smash] a random string of letters and symbols typed out on a keyboard or touchscreen, used to signal intense emotion in written communication:
I am super excited to share my first ever author interview with you all today! Just a month ago, I had the immense pleasure of reading Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin–a warm, heartfelt romantic comedy featuring Muslim families and two rival halal restaurants.
We are half-way into 2021 and every day it seems there’s a new exciting book coming out. This summer, there are few specific books that I cannot wait to get my hands. In particular, I am super excited to read new books from Elizabeth Lim, the brilliant Young Adult fantasy author who penned masterpieces like Spin The Dawn and Tahmima Anam, one of the most popular writers from my home land Bangladesh who wrote award winning novels like The Good Muslim and A Golden Age.
From enchanting fantasy novels, to cute contemporary romances and intense, fast-paced thrillers, here are the most anticipated books of July 2021 that I have added on my ever-growing TBR pile.
Continue reading “Most Anticipated Book Releases: July 2021 Edition”![Review: Hana Khan Carries On By Uzma Jalaluddin [Exclusive International Giveaway]](https://thekeysmashblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/blog-banner.png?w=825 "Review: Hana Khan Carries On By Uzma Jalaluddin [Exclusive International Giveaway] - The Keysmash Blog")
As a South Asian Muslim woman myself, I was beyond excited to get my hands on Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin, a delightful love story featuring a bold, brilliant and ambitious young Muslim protagonist, two competing rival halal restaurants, and a diverse cast of colored characters. I have to admit, this is definitely going to be one of the best book of 2021. Hana Khan Carries On takes all the things you love in a romantic-comedy and gives it a refreshing new twist.
Thank you so much Colored Pages Tour for having me as a tour host for this amazing book, and to Atlantic Books for sending me a review copy. Read on below for my full review (or get the TL;DR version here) & participate in an exclusive giveaway to win ONE FINISHED COPY OF Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin.
Continue reading “Review: Hana Khan Carries On By Uzma Jalaluddin [Exclusive International Giveaway]”![Blog Tour: Crystal's House Of Queers By Brooke Skipstone [Exclusive International Giveaway]](https://thekeysmashblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/05/crystalshouseofqueersblitzbanner.png?w=825 "Blog Tour: Crystal's House Of Queers By Brooke Skipstone [Exclusive International Giveaway] - The Keysmash Blog")
A story about a group of queer girls who want to create a safe house for other LGBTQ+ teenagers and outcasts so they can protect themselves and take pride in their identity? Hell, yes! Crystal’s House Of Queers by Brooke Skipstone sounds like the perfect, wholesome LGBTQ romance for me.
Thank you Xpresso Book Tours for having me as a tour host for this book. I will share my review for this book as soon as I am done with it. In the meantime, check out the full synopsis below and enter an exclusive giveaway for the chance to win $25 Amazon gift card (open internationally)!
Continue reading “Blog Tour: Crystal’s House Of Queers By Brooke Skipstone [Exclusive International Giveaway]”I am a HUGE fan of Kitty Thomas. I fell in love with her books ever since I picked up Comfort Food, which is honestly one of the most phenomenal books I have read on sexual slavery and Stockholm Syndrome. Normally, I stray far away from dark erotica or non-consensual romance, because I think it takes a lot of skill to handle such subjects without being insensitive to victims of abuse.
![Blog Tour: The Monster Keeps Me Safe By Kitty Thomas [$200 Grand Giveaway]](https://thekeysmashblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/05/themonsterkeepsmesafeblitzbanner-1.png?w=825 "Blog Tour: The Monster Keeps Me Safe By Kitty Thomas [$200 Grand Giveaway] - The Keysmash Blog")
But, you see, this is where Kitty Thomas shines. Most of her books are dark and gritty and quite disturbing, and although they all belong in the romance genre, she never actually romanticizes the abuse because she never excuses the actions of the abusers in her stories.
And that’s why I cannot wait to get my hands on The Monster Keeps Me Safe. It was previously published under the name Tabula Rasa, but the content remains the same; only the cover art and title has been changed. Thank you Xpresso Book Tours for having me as a tour host for this book.
Continue reading “Blog Tour: The Monster Keeps Me Safe By Kitty Thomas [$200 Grand Giveaway]”
Important Note: This is a review for the second book in the The Blood Of Stars duology by Elizabeth Lim, and therefore may contain spoilers from the first book, Spin The Dawn. If you have not read Spin The Dawn yet, check out my review of it here.
Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim blew me away; it was a phenomenal and captivating young adult fantasy novel that I absolutely adored and could not put down even for a minute. And after the epic cliffhanger ending of the first book, I had high expectations for the sequel, Unravel The Dusk.
Continue reading “Review: Unravel The Dusk by Elizabeth Lim (The Blood Of Stars #2)”The Twin River High series has been on my to-be-read list for a while now. I was hooked by the premise of the first book and knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible (Covid-19 lockdown being the only reason why I haven’t been able to get it yet).
I mean the premise of the first book, Gutter Girl, was enough to get me hyped up. A football jock who secretly writes fantasy romance? An anti-social goth girl who takes the credit and saves him from potential humiliation? And then the two start to fall in love? YES PLEASE! It sounds like the perfect cheesy rom-com YA fluff that you’d want to read and relax to.
So of course when I heard that a blog tour was being hosted for this series, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Thank you Xpresso Book Tours for having me as a tour host for this book.
Continue reading “Book Tour + Blitz: Twin River High Series By Lynn Rush And Kelly Anne Blount”
Having read some of my friend’s raving reviews about Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim, I knew before going in that I would love this book. What I didn’t expect was to fall head over heels for this story, and finish all 400 pages in one night.
But that’s the magic of Spin The Dawn for you. Enchantingly beautiful and indulgent, Spin The Dawn is essentially a Young Adult fairy tale that will sweep you off your feet.
Continue reading “Review: Spin The Dawn By Elizabeth Lim (Blood Of Stars #1)”
I am thrilled to be a blog tour host for Whisper by Tracy Bilen, which just got released yesterday on May 8th! I’ll be sharing my review of this book very soon; for now take an exclusive sneak peek into this new YA thriller novel.
Thank you Xpresso Book Tours for having me as a tour host for this book.
Stop him
After her friend Samantha is murdered, seventeen-year-old Olivia is the only one who still hears her voice.
Years ago, Jacob closed his eyes. In a park. Playing hide-and-seek. His little brother is still missing. And Jacob’s mom is the FBI agent who couldn’t find him.
Now Jacob has dreams he can’t explain. And draws faces of those about to die.
In a town terrorized by a serial killer, Jacob meets Olivia. Sparks ignite. Their flame burns bright.
Until the voice in Olivia’s head echoes the warning in Jacob’s dream…
You’re next.
This is my third time re-reading The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and once again I find myself completely awestruck by this beautiful gem of a story.
The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo tells the mesmerizing, gripping and heart wrenching story of a global super star named Evelyn Hugo, as she fights tooth and nail to pull herself out of poverty and become one of the highest paid actresses of Hollywood. The real mystery though, is her seven marriages, and her insistence in doing an interview with an obscure journalist.
Shocking, scandalous and riveting, The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo is a gripping novel that explores themes of feminine sexuality from the glittering lens of Old Hollywood. Each time I finished this book, I was left a sobbing, weeping mess.
Read on below for my full review, or see the quick version here.
Continue reading “Book Review: The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins Reid”