• ARC Review for The Rival by Emma Lord, out 1/21/25

    Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC! The Rival by Emma Lord is out Tuesday, Jan. 21. 

    “I don’t think I could explain what Seb and I are to each other in any singular word, but friends certainly isn’t it. Whatever we are, it goes so deep that the word feels too flimsy for it. Like there should be a new word, something as crackling and maddening and inevitable as we are.”

    I was utterly charmed by this YA romcom from Emma Lord! I thought it would be up my alley when I read the description on NetGalley, but I didn’t expect to fall as deeply in love as I did. The Rival ended up being one of my favorite reads of 2024. 

    The Rival is a joyous, touching and chaotic-ly funny story – part coming-of-age and part romance. The book follows Sadie and Sebastian, rivals from thick-as-thieves families who end up attending the same university. Once there, they continue their competitive relationship, going head-to-head for a single spot on a prominent campus zine – think The Catullan in The Sex Lives of College Girls. But while vying for the spot, and fighting to preserve student org funding on campus, the duo’s complex rivalry morphs into something new. 

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  • Welcome to Katie the Book Reporter: The Blog

    My first formative reading memory isn’t about a specific book – it’s about a natural disaster. 

    In 2005, when I was nine, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. While my family’s home north of New Orleans was largely spared, we were without power for a few weeks save a small generator. With no TV, video games or other entertainment, I turned to books – reading by the light from windows during the day and by flashlight at night. I had always liked to read, but in the aftermath of Katrina my interest in reading exploded. Reading was entertainment, joy, an escape, a window into something different during a stressful time. 

    My love for reading has stayed strong since then, growing with me through middle and high school, college and my mid-to-late 20s. I’ve bonded with friends over our mutual love of books and found new ways to express myself through my passion for books and reading. Which now brings me here. 

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Hi,

I’m Katie!

I’m a Louisiana girl currently living in southeast Michigan. I love reading, exploring indie bookstores, chatting about books with friends and collecting bookmarks. You’ll typically find me reading romance, contemporary fiction or fantasy books, but I like to include a dash of everything in my reading life.

Let’s connect

I’ve been thinking about Emily Henry’s silence in the wake of Patrick Schwarzenegger’s casting as Gus Everett for the last month, and what do you know? Just as I’m about to upload a blog post about my thoughts, she breaks her silence (kind of!) on TODAY with Jenna and Sheinelle. Nothing like a book at the beach ☀️⛱️ The temps in Michigan may still be flipping back and forth between winter and spring, but the trees, bushes and flowers have burst back to life in the last few weeks. I love that outside finally matches the energy of my current sticker collection on my Kobo! Last week I threw my soft book buying ban out the window — because it was my birthday! Celebrated #independentbookstoreday and kicked off my 2026 #mibookhop with a visit to @shopbooksweet, a longtime Instagram follow but first-time in-person visit. Tomorrow (4/25) is #independentbookstoreday but it’s only the first day in a monthlong celebration of indie bookstores across Michigan, as store owners kick off the 2026 Michigan Book Hop! I got to close out January and kick off February in one of my favorite places on earth, Park City, UT, including stops at the indie bookstore with the warmest place in my heart, Dolly’s. I’m travel reading ready with my @kobobooks! I’ve got the audiobook and ebook for Crash Test by Amy James queued up for the flight and I’m ready to re-read through it as I mark up my favorite quotes in the ebook version. Review forthcoming Don’t hate me for some of these!

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