The Love Lyric ARC Giveaway + end of year newsletter

Plus some bookish updates!

Hi everyone!

If this is the first time that you’re receiving a newsletter from me, it might be because you entered The Greene Sisters sweepstakes that was hosted by my publisher and you opted in to be added to my newsletter mailing list. So if that is you, hello! And if you’re someone who’s been subscribed for a while or subscribed recently but not through the sweepstakes, hello as well!

I’m giving away my last ARC for THE LOVE LYRIC. Instructions to enter the giveaway are at the end of this newsletter. But I hope you’ll stick around to read some updates from me and to read about some of my fave books that I’ve read this year and some 2025 books that I got to read early.

Bookish update number 1: THE LOVE LYRIC preorder campaign is live! If you preorder from my indie bookstore Inkwood Books, you’ll receive a custom art print and bookmark. Info for the preorder campaign can be found here!

Bookish update number 2: I’m going on tour for THE LOVE LYRIC!

I’m so excited to visit these wonderful bookstores and to be in conversation with these stellar authors. Tickets and registration links for all events can be found on my website here!

Bookish update number 3: There’s a Goodreads giveaway happening for THE LOVE LYRIC. 25 people have the chance to win finished copies! The giveaway ends on January 5th and you can enter here!

Bookish update number 4: THE LOVE LYRIC received a starred review in Library Journal!

Bookish update number 5: I can finally share that my next YA novel HEARTSICK will publish in Fall 2025! I can’t wait to share more details soon. I’ve seen the cover and it is so adorable!

I’ve spent the last couple months finishing up the final draft of HEARTSICK and I’ve been lucky enough to read some 2025 books early. I read two YA novels that I really enjoyed. If We Were a Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal publishes in April and it’s an enemies to lovers queer romance about a girl who needs a summer job to beef up her college applications, and she gets a job at a local movie theater, where she ends up working with her ex-best friend. Under the Neon Lights by Arriel Vinson publishes in June, and it’s a verse coming of age novel about a girl who experiences first love over the course of one summer. Both were such a joy to read!

On the adult side, I read Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria. Y’all, this book is sooooo good. I inhaled it. I loved the previous books in the Primas of Power series, but Ava and Roman’s story is definitely my favorite. It publishes in May and I’m so excited for everyone else to read it too. The other day I finished reading Myah Ariel’s next novel No Ordinary Love. I loved this one too!! Miles is one of the most charming love interests that I’ve read in a while, and I think that Myah Ariel does such a stellar job at capturing the glitz and glam of Hollywood.

Other than the 2025 books that I’ve read early, I realize that I haven’t read anything new since I sent out my last newsletter! So that means I’ve already talked about my favorite books of the year in previous newsletters lol, but I will quickly run them back! In no particular order, this year I loved Between Friends and Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi, The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson, The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams, When I Think of You by Myah Ariel (I start humming the Janet Jackson song every time I type out that book title lol), Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming, It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant (my first ever cozy mystery!), The Paradise Problem and Love and Other Words (I know this one is older, but I read it for the first time this year) by Christina Lauren, Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, Ready or Not by Cara Bastone and Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonham Young, and I also started (and loved!) Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series.

(I read The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton and Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne in 2023, but both books published this year, so I’m adding them to this list too.)

I was going to write about the movies I saw and loved this year, but the only new movie that I remembering watching and thoroughly enjoying in theaters was Challengers lol. There are so few character focused movies that make it to theaters these days! Streaming wise, I really enjoyed The Idea of You and Upgraded. Meet Me Next Christmas starring Christina Milian on Netflix was super cute too.

Okay, time for the arc giveaway! I’m giving away my last THE LOVE LYRIC advanced reader copy. Giveaway instructions are below!

1. subscribe to this newsletter if you haven’t already

2. comment with the name of a book you read by another author this year that you enjoyed

This giveaway is for US residents only and I’ll pick a winner by this Saturday, December 21st! I will contact the winner via the email used to subscribe to this newsletter.

If you took the time to read The Partner Plot or any of my books this year, thank you so much. And thank you for being here and reading my newsletter. I am wishing good things for all of us in 2025, and I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season! In parting, I’ll leave you with ten songs from my Christmas playlist that I’ve been listening to on repeat this year.

The Christmas Song - The Jackson 5

Christmas Everyday - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Mariah Carey

Last Christmas - Wham!

Blue Christmas - Glee Cast

Its Christmas (All Over the World) - New Edition

Every Year, Every Christmas - Luther Vandross

Christmas Time is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio

Please Come Home for Christmas - Eagles

cindy lou who - Sabrina Carpenter

The Preacher’s Wife is my favorite holiday movie of all time!

xo, Kristina