Sarah G. Epstein

*A Thank you to BookSirens and the author for allowing me to read this. This is my honest and unbiased review*

Hello Fellow Readers,

I was in the mood for a little contemporary young adult and Sugarcoated immediately caught my eye. Honestly, I wanted a quick little book to lighten my mood and bring me back from a reading slump I had. Well this book, while a quick read, dealt with harder topics than I thought it had and that is not a bad thing. Epstein has a way of writing a story that, even with heavy hitting topics, it draws you in but doesn't emotionally drain you.

I really liked Sophie, she's a typically teenager whose life isn't doing so well right now, so she takes the initiative (albeit in a somewhat drastic way) to change it for the best. I've mentioned before that I don't really like enemies to lovers, I didn't mind Simon and Sophie's interactions. Maybe because they are teenagers and act like it? There are times where I felt a bit frustrated, this mostly had to do with Sophie's family drama and her family basically keeping her in the dark. I did see where the plot was heading and I just knew things would go awful when Sophie found out. I do like the resolution, even though it is a bit open ended and it makes me curious for the second book in the series.

Overall, a pretty great YA novel.… (mere)

Thank you BookSirens and Sarah Epstein for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was well written, thrilling, scary, and relatable.

This is a story of a teen named Owen and his family who decide to spend winter holidays in a run down cabin in the remote town of Wooralla. The town is a small community who's fame revolves around many historical UFO sightings.

As tension and paranoia rises in their isolated, grimy cabin, their relationships are put to the test. Things are not always as they seem... Or are they?

I found Owen to be a realistic and relatable main character and absolutely adored his bond with his sister and uncle. I felt for him as things started to go bump in the night and test his sanity.

He does his best to navigate the unstable reality he is faced with. He faces his fears even when panic starts to set it.

Epstein has written a wonderful thriller with just the right amount of comic relief. Her world and relationship building are incredibly enjoyable and authentic. I highly enjoyed Night Lights and look forward to reading more of her work.… (mere)