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The Game Is Afoot (Mavis Miller Mysteries)
Elise Bryant
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A clever and hilarious new mystery about a mother who thinks she has to do it all—even solve a murder—from the author of It's Elementary.
After rage quitting her job, Mavis finally has time to get all the rest she’s been putting off. Or she should have the time. Hypothetically. Except she’s taken on a new role: Supermom. Her hours are filled with chauffeuring her daughter, Pearl, around to her extracurricular activities, somehow ending up class mom, and…investigating another mystery?
When Coach Cole, the director of the kids’ soccer program, drops dead on a sunny Saturday morning, no one suspects foul play. However, the police soon discover something suspicious left on the field, making it clear that someone had it in for the coach. But who? Sure, parents got mad when he made their precious star athletes sit on the bench, but not that mad.
Mavis is determined to find out, even if it takes her into the dark, dangerous underbelly of gentle parents and MLM girlbosses. Plus, it’s an easy distraction from everything else going on. Like the panic attacks she keeps brushing off. Or the fact that she’s unemployed and totally lost as to what her purpose and path in life should be.
And then there’s her ex-husband who’s back in town and doing everything she’s ever wanted, just as she’s beginning a new relationship. Mavis knows a murder investigation probably isn’t the self-care she needs right now. But how exactly are you supposed to take care of yourself when you don’t even know who you are anymore?
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Posts about this title from chronicallybookish
chronicallybookish\
\
Kaley\
\
• Nov 4 2025
october wrap up--yes no maybe
As always—remember to check TW if needed 🫶🏻 #booktok #bookreviews #yesnomaybe #readingwrapup #romancebooktok
20 books
chronicallybookish\
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Kaley\
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• Sep 1 2025
Hey hi hello and welcome to a running list of every book with disability representation that I’ve read so far this year–and what I thought of them!\
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As of right now, the list starts in July, but I’ll be slowly filling in the prior months as I get a chance.\
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You Started It by Jackie Khaliliah IBS, anxiety, and undiagnosed autism representation (all own voices)\
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4.75 stars\
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I started off the month with an audiobook of You Started It by Jackie Khalilieh which I absolutely adored! Khalilieh’s debut is a favorite and her sophomore novel lived up to my expectations and more. These characters were so messy in a way that so perfectly encapsulates teenagerhood, especially neurodivergent teenagerhood. Jamie was so easy to love and root for that I was watching through my fingers as she made the most terrible decisions–but they were decisions that made perfect sense for her character. I cannot wait to see what Khalilieh does next!\
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Like a Charm by Elle McNicoll dyspraxia representation (own voices)\
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4 stars\
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Like a Charm is a sweet middle grade fantasy about a neurodivergent girl who discovers the existence of magic when her grandfather wills her a magic book upon his passing. It was fast paced and reminiscent of many of my own favorite childhood books. There were some aspects of the magic system, and how it was tied to neurodivergence that I was unclear on. There were a few times when characters spoke of neurodivergence and magic being the same, and I could not tell if it was meant in the way that “they are similar because both cause you to be othered by society and see the world differently than everyone else” or if it was meant in a literal “neurodivergence is magic and neurodivergence is caused by being a witch” the latter of which falls under the mystical minority/mystical disabled character trope, of which I am not typically a fan. I’m hoping this will be clarified in the second book–and that it is more in line with the former.\
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A Dance of Lies by Brittney Arena chronic pain, dizziness, and fatigue representation (inspired by the author’s experiences with EDS, POTS, and other disabilities)\
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2.5 stars\
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This book was a highly anticipated release, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. It was an interesting premise with a lot going on, but the execution was shallow. I never connected to either romantic subplot, the pacing was rushed, and the writing was overly flowery without actually describing anything. So many abstract metaphors and almost no grounding details.\
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I enjoyed the disability representation in the beginning, but as the book went on that aspect became almost nonexistent. While it was clear that while the author was writing from a place of lived experience, she lacked the skill to balance the disability representation with the plot and character arcs, and that left the representation feeling shallow and at times haphazard (please note I say this as somebody with many of the same disabilities).\
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Full review HERE\
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I’ll Pretend You’re Mine by Tashie Bhuiyan anxiety representation (own voices)\
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4 stars\
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This was such a cute, fun, and easy to fly through YA romance! The anxiety representation was definitely more on the back burner here, but it was still a present part of the story. I loved that the book acknowledges that Summer’s anxiety is “high functioning” while still showing how it affects her on a day to day basis in her relationships and career.\
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Brighter Than Scale, Swifter Than Flame by Neon Yang limb difference and chronic illness representation\
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2.75 stars\
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This is another one with an interesting premise and lackluster execution. The scope of this story is far too much to accomplish in 150-odd pages. It felt more like the outline of a novel than a completed novella. The disability representation in this one is essentially non-existant. In the first chapter, our main character suffers an injury that permanently costs her the mobility in her dominant hand, only for it to pretty much never be mentioned again for the rest of the book.\
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If We Survive This by Racquel Marie OCD representation (own voices)\
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4.25 stars\
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Racquel Marie’s zombie apocalypse road trip novel starring a main character with contamination OCD was…hard to read. In the sense that it was so incredibly well written that Flora’s anxiety and OCD were visceral and far too similar to my own. I read this in one sitting, my skin crawling the entire time, because I could not put it down until I knew what happened. Racquel Marie is a master of character, which I had known from her YA contemporaries, but her world building, pacing, and plotting were flawless in an apocalyptic world as well.\
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True Biz by Sara Nović Deaf representation (own voices)\
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4 stars\
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True Biz is a contemporary, borderline literary, fiction novel set at a school for the Deaf that immerses the reader in Deaf culture. It’s a timely, politically driven story that is deeply character focused as well. I am not someone who is very familiar with Deaf culture, and I loved learning more about that throughout this book as well as connecting with the cast of characters.The anarchist elements did lose me at a few points, I wasn’t entirely sure what Nović was trying to say in those instances, but overall I enjoyed this one.\
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For One Night Only by Jessica James(Glitter Bats #1) anxiety representation (own voices)\
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3.5 stars\
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For someone who doesn’t tend to love celebrity romances, I did in fact read three of them this month (I’ll Pretend You’re Mine, this one, and Some Kind of Famous), though this was the weakest of the group. I enjoyed the anxiety representation here, though I found it a bit difficult to connect with at times, as I generally found the characters in this one a bit rote and difficult to connect with. I can’t quite put a finger on what fell flat for me here, I was simply left unsatisfied.\
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Accidental Demons by Clare Edge(Accidental Demons #1) type one diabetes representation (own voices)\
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3.75 stars\
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The premise of this book–a preteen blood witch who has just come into her powers and just been diagnosed with T1D keeps accidentally summoning demons every time she tests her blood sugar–was so clever and the execution was exactly what you would want in a middle grade novel, fast paced and engaging with a heartfelt focus on friendship, family, and coming-of-age.\
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Fighting Spirit by Anna Harrison ADHD representation (own voices)\
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3 stars\
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Have you ever been called out by the rep in a book? Because that was me when Ruth was talking about how she doesn’t use her ADHD accommodations because the paperwork overwhelms her (I really need to do that ASAP before the quarter starts…) This was a fast paced, fun, sports romance following a mascot and the QB of a rival college’s football team. I enjoyed the themes and premise of this story, but the connection between the characters was ultimately a little lacking. I wanted a bit less forward progression and more time spent really diving into the emotional interiority of our characters.\
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A Smile in a Whisper by Jacqueline Middleton crohn’s disease representation\
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3.25 stars\
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This was the second in a string of four underwhelming romances that I read for this challenge. This book felt like the literary equivalent of a Hallmark movie with spice, and I’m not a fan of Hallmark movies. It was overly cheesy and oftentimes felt shallow and the connection between our main characters felt like it never developed beyond a schoolgirl crush. The writing itself felt very young, which made the explicit scenes feel out of place and almost uncomfortable. I did enjoy the chronic illness representation in this one. I thought that was the strongest aspect–though the way the past storyline culminated (and the way that reveal was handled in the present) was ridiculous.\
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A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson kidney disease representation (own voices)\
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3.5 stars\
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I really enjoyed the chronic illness representation in this one–well, enjoyed may be the wrong word because it absolutely pissed me off how Laniah was treated by her doctors, but it portrayed that in such a realistic and far-too-relatable way. I enjoyed Laniah as a character and narrator as well, but as a romance, this book didn’t quite work for me. I found Issac’s character to be pretty one-dimensional, and never connected to his and Laniah’s relationship on either a platonic or romantic level. I felt like, for a romance novel, the two of them rarely shared page time. I think this story would have worked better as a contemporary/women’s fiction, because as a romance, it was lacking.\
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Love Flushed by Evie Mitchell(All Access #1) crohn’s disease representation (own voices)\
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3 stars\
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At a little over 200 pages, this book couldn’t decide if it wanted to be a novel or a novella, and thus the execution of plot, pacing, and character development was far too rushed. I really enjoyed Mitchell’s prose, and the crohn’s representation in this one was fantastic–I’ve read many books with crohn’s and colitis rep, but I have never read any that are so unafraid to get into the more “socially unacceptable” sides of IBD, and I think in order to have a truly realistic portrayal of the chronic illness, you need to be willing to go there. I wish that this book had another 100 pages fleshing out the plot and character work, because it had so much potential, but in the space allotted, there simply wasn’t time to adequately tackle everything that Mitchell tried to take on.\
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Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century edited by Alice Wong multiple disabilities (all own voices)\
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I am not completely sure what I was expecting from this anthology. I’ve had it recommended to me more times than I can count, but the actual book itself was not quite what I expected. Some of the essays are personal stories, others are political calls-to-action. Some essays were easily accessible to the average reader, others were steeped in disability studies academic lingo. Overall I did enjoy the anthology, and I definitely recommend it, but I sometimes felt as if the essays didn’t quite feel cohesive as a collection.\
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The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs autism and chronic pain representation (both own voices)\
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3.75 stars\
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This book started off so strong–the Legally Blonde references were fun easter eggs as I read, the world building was interesting, and I enjoyed the Gaelic inspiration and the fact that Jacobs actually used the Gaelic words and names instead of americanizing the fae mythos. I also appreciated how, from the beginning, we see Clía experiencing sensory overload in the crowded ball rooms she must navigate as princess. As the story went on, however, I found the pacing to be a bit too quick. This is a book that felt more like two 350-400 page novels edited down into one 500 page book, one plot beat after another, and much of the character depth and supporting storylines rushed or condensed in order to fit everything into one novel. That said, I did still enjoy my time reading it, and I am excited to see what Jacobs does in the future whether it is expanding this world, which was left open-ended, or creating a new one.\
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A Theory in Dreaming by Ava Reid(A Study in Drowning #2) depression, PTSD, and psychosis representation (all own voices)\
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4.5 stars\
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I was not the biggest fan of A Study in Drowning, so my expectations for A Theory in Dreaming were pretty low. However, I ended up loving this book. Ava Reid’s prose is lush and evocative, but unlike in the first book of the series, it does not overshadow the characterwork or story but adds a layer of depth that further drew me in. There isn’t much I can say about this book without spoiling book one in the series, but I highly recommend this book–even if you didn’t love Study–however, please check the trigger warnings before reading if you are sensitive to any potential mental health related triggers.\
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Some Kind of Famous by Ava Wilder addiction and BPD/c-PTSD representation\
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4 stars\
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The characters in this book, especially Merritt, are so wonderfully, realistically messy. This has led to mixed reviews, but I thought it added so much to the story. Merritt felt like such a real, well developed character, and I was invested in unraveling her backstory and what led to the dissolution of her music career, and also in her current journey to finding love. I did find Merritt and Niko’s connection to be a bit on the shallower side, especially at first, relying a bit too heavily on instalust. I was never quite convinced of their actual feelings for each other, and most of my enjoyment of the book was motivated by Merritt as a character as opposed to the romantic story arc.\
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Full review HERE\
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Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson polycystic kidney disease, traumatic brain injury representation\
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4.5 stars\
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I love a Holly Jackson murder mystery, and the premise of this one is truly unique–our MC solves her own murder after the “failed” attempt leaves her with seven days to live. It was absolutely twisty and while I figured out some of those twists, others left me guessing. I was fully engrossed and along for the ride–I read the whole book in one sitting, and yes, I did shed a couple tears.\
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The disability rep in this one was decent as far as I could tell (I do not have PKD or a TBI), though it felt mostly utilitarian for the plot to work, and less like an effort to genuinely represent chronic illness/the disabled experience.\
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What Does It Feel Like by Sophie Kinsella brain cancer, memory loss, aphasia representation (own voices)\
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4 stars\
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Sophie Kinsella describes this book as a fictionalized take on her own story with glioblastoma, and that shows in the level of intimacy with which this story is told. What Does It Feel Like is a novel told in almost disjointed flashes of our main character Eve’s life as she navigates a new diagnosis of terminal brain cancer, and the effects that it, and the surgery to remove the tumor, have had on her memory and cognitive function. It’s a quiet, slow story, but it is very effective.\
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Fake Skating by Lynn Painter anxiety representation\
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3.5 stars\
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This book is a classic YA romance–fast paced, saccharine sweet, and compulsively readable. I loved much of the dynamic, banter, and chemistry between Dani and Alec. I did appreciate the anxiety representation, especially how this is something that affects both Dani and her grandfather, though I wanted more from how she begins to learn to manage it other than “take deep breaths.” \
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The story as a whole was cute and, for the most part, enjoyable. However, there were multiple plot points–including just about everything surrounding the third act conflict–that were so ridiculous that it made me not want to quit reading the book right then and there it was so underdeveloped and unrealistic.\
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Behooved by M. Stevenson chronic GI pain & nausea/celiac disease representation (own voices)\
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4 stars\
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Despite being a bit of a romantasy hater--I thoroughly enjoyed this quintessential romantasy book! Behooved really forefronts the romantic storyline, and makes it clear that the political element and worldbuilding are secondary, and so even though those elements were definitely on the weaker side, it wasn't an issue because they were not trying to be a driving force of the novel. I really enjoyed Bianca and Aric both individually and as a couple, and the focus on how neither of them are strong in the traditional sense that is valued in their world, but they are still strong nonetheless.\
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The chronic illness representation in this one was definitely my favorite part--Bianca's symptoms are almost identical to my own, and the way they were woven into the narrative and her character was very well done. I wish we had seen her discover the "root cause" of her "poisoning" (aka celiac disease) on page and not just had it be explained in the author's note, but I do see how that wouldn't have worked within the pacing and timeframe of the novel.\
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Yumi and Monster by Kam Redlask GNE myopathy (muscle wasting disease)and mobility aid user representation (own voices)\
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not rated\
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I don't have many young children in my life, so I almost never read picture books, which leaves me unsure of how to review this book. The artwork was gorgeous, the story didn't quite work for me--and I can't put a finger on why. I'm not sure how I feel about the framing of disability as a monster, even if it is a friendly one, and the narrative itself was odd--kind of amorphous and very metaphor-heavy with metaphors that didn't quite land for me, and that I think will go completely over a child's head. But again, I don't actually know much about children so I can't say that for certain.\
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Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage(Rebel Blue Ranch #1) anxiety, ADHD representation (own voices)\
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4 stars\
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This is a book about anxiety and burnout, and despite seeing this book talked about everywhere on TikTok, I've never seen anyone mention that before? Done and Dusted is a fast-paced, sweet, and sexy romance novel. The audiobook was under 7 hours. I think it suffers a bit for being so short, the pacing is a bit too fast to grapple with the themes that it has chosen quite as deeply as I wanted it to. A lot of Emmy's dealing with her anxiety and burnout seems to happen off page, or in split-second realizations, which left me feeling a bit rushed through her character development. However, I still really enjoyed her as a main character, and I thought she and Liam balanced well together. This was Lyla Sage's debut, and I think that shows, but I am looking forward to continuing this series and seeing how she grows as an author in her subsequent books.\
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Unseelie by Ivelisse Housman(Unseelie #1) autism (own voices)\
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4.5 stars (reread)\
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I read Unseelie for the first time when the book released a few years back, and I had a lot of fun with it! I love Seelie, and I really enjoyed the care and detail that Ivelisse Housman included when representing Seelie's autism. The final book in this duology came out this month, and I knew I needed a reread in order to fully engage with it. On my first read, I'd had a few issues with the acing of the novel, but reading on audio this time around really helped smooth out that experience. I had a lot of fun revisting Seelie and co. and I'm excited to dive into book two soon!\
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Skalterra by Nightmare by M.T. Zimny(Skalterra #1) trichotillomania representation (own voices)\
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4.5 stars\
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The premise of this book had me hooked from early on: a girl who is transported to an alternate world upon sleeping, and must embark on a dangerous journey in order to save that world and her own, while balancing her normal life during waking hours. The worldbuilding of Skalterra was fascinating, but Wren herself was the most compelling aspect of this book. I connected to her so deeply, and really enjoyed being in her head and watching her journey, both in Skalterra and the real world. I thought this was a standalone when I started it, and I must say I am slightly devastated to learn it is in fact a duology and I must now wait until the second book, but I'm excited to see what will happen.\
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The Game is Afoot by Elise Bryant(Mavis Miller #2) anxiety representation\
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3.5 stars\
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This book did not quite live up to my expectations, unfortunately. While I really enjoyed Mavis's character growth in this story, how far she has come since the beginning of the story, and the themes of mental health and seeking help, I found the mystery--which is, of course, the main plot of a mystery novel--not especially compelling. I think this boils down to the fact that I didn't find any of the tertiary characters compelling. I cared about Mavis, of course, and her father, Pearl, and Cory, but pretty much every other character in this book--from Jack, to the victim, to every suspect--were underdeveloped and shallow. Jack felt like a cardboard cutout, which was so disappointing when I'd loved him in the first book, and every other character Mavis investigated lacked any depth beyond a basic stereotype. From MLM pushers to mommy bloggers to Coach Cole himself, they lacked all depth, and thus I did not care about what Mavis uncovered about them, and when a killer was revealed, their motivations were equally shallow, which was especially disappointing given the complex, nuanced reveal in It's Elementary.
Mini Reviews: Every Book I’ve Read in 2025 With Disability Representation
26 books
Posts about this book from across Bindery
chronicallybookish\
\
Kaley\
\
• Nov 4 2025
october wrap up--yes no maybe
As always—remember to check TW if needed 🫶🏻 #booktok #bookreviews #yesnomaybe #readingwrapup #romancebooktok
20 books
chronicallybookish\
\
Kaley\
\
• Sep 1 2025
Mini Reviews: Every Book I’ve Read in 2025 With Disability Representation
26 books