Top Five Wednesday/ Short Reads

This might come as a surprise to some due to the number of books I read monthly, but sometimes, like today, I can’t focus on a book, which stresses me for what seems to be no reason.  Top Five Wednesday is currently being hosted by Stephanie at Books Less Travelled, and I’m co-hosting with her this month.

10th September: Short Reads.
As summer comes to a close, people return to work or school after their break or vacation, leaving little time for reading. So my question for you today is: What are those short reads you are reaching for or want to recommend?

You would think that since I came up with the prompts, I would know what books to put on the list, but nope. I’ll share the novellas I’m most excited about.

Goodreads Blurb:

When seventeen-year-old Sara Johnson decides to transform an abandoned Detroit lot into a community garden, she never expects to find a partner in Hazel White, a sheltered suburban girl with a camera and a secret passion for sustainable agriculture. As they clear debris and plant seeds, Sara and Hazel discover that growing food is just the beginning—they’re also growing a community, challenging their families’ expectations, and nurturing feelings for each other that bloom alongside their vegetables. But when city bureaucrats threaten their illegal garden and family pressures mount, both girls must decide what they’re willing to fight their dreams, their community, or the love taking root between them.

Goodreads Blurb:

Methodical Broadway-trained director Daniel Wright believes structure is everything—until free-spirited actor Ryan Collins crashes his audition for A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As these creative opposites clash over Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, their undeniable chemistry creates drama offstage that neither saw coming.

Amazon Blurb:

When art student Riley needs a fake girlfriend to make her manipulative ex jealous, she strikes a deal with ambitious business major Madison Clarke—networking opportunities in exchange for one night of pretending. But between dress shopping and dancing, their carefully planned performance starts feeling dangerously real. Madison’s controlling parents and Riley’s chaotic creativity should be incompatible, yet somehow they find themselves wanting the same thing: permission to choose happiness over expectation. A contemporary lesbian romance about learning to fight for what you want, even when it doesn’t fit anyone else’s plan for your life.

Amazon Blurb:

When perfectionist fashion photographer Charlie Blake meets experimental makeup artist Sam Mitchell, their creative clash threatens to ruin Spectrum magazine’s biggest cover shoot. But as they discover an unexpected artistic synchronicity, their professional partnership evolves into something more intimate—and more complicated. Can two male artists risk their carefully built careers for a love that might be their greatest collaboration yet?

Set against the glamorous backdrop of Manhattan’s premier gay lifestyle magazine, Picture Perfect explores what happens when creative passion meets personal desire, and when the most beautiful art emerges from learning to trust someone else with your vision.

Amazon Blurb:

When city-raised Emma Blake arrives in rural Colorado for a wildfire prevention internship, she never expected to find herself evacuating a ranch with Sage Morrison, the firefighter’s daughter who makes her question everything she thought she knew about courage, home, and her own heart.

As dry lightning ignites multiple fires across the mountains, Emma and Sage must work together to save not only Sage’s family ranch but also the future they’re beginning to imagine together. Between controlled burns and crisis evacuations, defensive space and desperate choices, two girls discover that some fires destroy—and others forge bonds strong enough to last a lifetime.

A story about finding your place in the world, the power of community in crisis, and first love that blooms even in the shadow of wildfire.