
Member Reviews

This was very cute and a light-hearted, fast-paced read! I had seen the author promoting this book as “the Lizzie McGuire movie meets the Mummy” and that was spot on. Some of the pop culture references felt forced and were disengaging for me (though that’s more just a personal reading preference!) and some of the plot points felt underdeveloped and like they were loosely explained away in the end rather than written into the story, but the action scenes were great, the magic and history aspects were intriguing, the romance was very sweet, and I loved Margot’s personal growth.

Us In Ruins follows a high school student on an archeological dig in Italy in search of a mythological vase, inspired by the journal of the boy who went missing in search of said artifact. While fun, this book felt too old and too you at times. The characters were given situations that would make more sense if they were set in college but also acted very much like teenagers which created a generally disjointed experience. Overall, an interesting premise.

The archaeological trip sucked me into the book, and I ended up liking the book, but I didn’t love it.
I wanted the intercharacter relationships and plot points were a bit more developed. I really wanted more from this story overall.
I think this will be a popular one, it just wasn’t my favorite.

I had so much fun reading Us in Ruins by @byrachelmoore. It was action-packed, the romance was angsty and sweet, and I laughed a lot. Yet, there is also a seriousness to the story, as Margot, our main character, struggles to find her place in the world.
I did a summer abroad in Italy while in law school but didn't make it to Pompeii. I need to visit again because Us in Ruins was so atmospheric, and I need to see Pompeii in person. I felt like I was eating gelato and going through the trials with them.
I would have loved to see Van struggle with the present day a bit more - if for nothing more than the laughs, but if you are looking for something fun and angsty with a bit of magic, I recommend it.

This is a light-read, archeological adventure with a little romance, which is perfect for younger YA readers.
Margot goes on an adventure to look for shards of Vase of Venue Aurelia based on a journal of a missing teenage archaeologist (Van) from the 1930s. She soon discovers a statue, which comes to life, and turns out to be the missing boy Van. Determined to prove herself, especially to her father, she allies with Van to find Vase and its treasures.
It took me a while to get into this book, while there was continuous action and the author set a good pace throughout the book, the plot was very predictable. As an adult, I had to suspend my beliefs on certain things. For example, how's the teacher allowing a high school girl to disappear all the time? I did like Margot's growth, going from someone with lots of self esteem issues to believing in herself. The romance was a slow-burn but I do wish it was developed a little bit more.
I think this is a perfect book for middle-school readers and would make a cute Disney+ series.
P.S. There are some pop culture references.
Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
"You're brave, Margot." His voice was tender, quiet. It had lost all patented snark.
"It takes courage to let people see you for who you really are."

The two things that made me want to read this so bad were 1. Italian history and 2. archaeology. And I was only able to finish this book because of those two things.
The story isn't necessarily bad, but it was just SO young adult and unbelievable that I rolled my eyes more often than anything. I really couldn't stand Margot and how the heck she was getting away with leaving the group so many times. Just too many plot holes. And I felt like there was NO chemistry between her and Van at all. I didn't really care for them.
It felt like a high schooler wrote a fan fiction. It seems like very very young YA. The Venus myth/history aspect was neat and like I said earlier, I'm obsessed with archaeology so that's what made me stick with it instead of DNF'ing. But I'm just very meh about this book. I don't think I'll recommend it. Story is way too unbelievable and not enough chemistry.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me have an early epub of this book. This book was such a fun read, it definitely gave the mummy and treasure hunter vibes. I absolutely fell in love with Margot and van,I could read a whole other book just about them having treasure hunting adventures. I really related to Margot in this book and found my self in a lot of the things she struggled with. This might just be one of my top books this year.

4.5! Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC
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I am learning very quickly I will read, and love, any YA historical fantasy romance. Very specific, but What the River Knows and this were both very highly rated for me. This one was definetly more vibes than WTRK but I found myself smiling and flipping through it at a rapid pace.
The characters were lovable and the romance was very cute, and the story was very fun.
It all felt original and like a cliché all at once. I really don't have much to say but I truly loved it.
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As a lover of the classic 1999 film, The Mummy, I am a fan of this book. (And so are the characters in this book and that made me love them so much. That is all the information needed to love these characters and to pick up this book.)
If you're looking for a modern-day story that gives you the same feel as The Mummy, then this is so up your alley. This follows Margot, who goes on her school's archeology trip with the journal of an archeologist from the 1930's. But when she comes across a statue that looks like the owner of said journal, it comes to life! Isn't that fun?!
There is bickering and banter, booby traps and adventure, and maybe a bit too many pop-culture references. This was such a fun YA adventure, but those references really threw me out of the story for a second. That may date this book for people who pick it up for a read in a few years.
I do have safety concerns when it comes to the teachers at Margot's school and their willingness to let their underage students wander around a different country, doing as they please. But that's a matter the parents of these students can take up with the school board. I'm just saying, legally, this fictional school could get themselves in some hot water.
This was a super fun book, but there are certain things about the main character that made her seem so YA (in a not-so-good way). She is the main character in this book, but she has main character syndrome when it comes to the people and world around her. That can be quite annoying.
And because this book is YA, I found it to be a super fast read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly wrap-up.

DNF at 40%.
Unfortunately this book was not for me. I thought I would love it from the synopsis but struggled to get into the plot and didn’t click with the characters.
Note: I do not post reviews of books I DNF on social media.

This might be one of my favorite reads this year, I admittedly was roped in by the cover but the story and dynamics between Van and Margot kept me enthralled the whole time. This was a brilliantly written and a beautiful story. I’ll be following this author!

With such a beautiful cover I knew Id be in for a treat and I was right. This was such a fun read , fast paced and kept my attention all the way through. The story reads like a movie, as an action packed romcom in Italy. I loved how Margot, our fmc ,was softer compared to the more popular “badass” fmc recently. She was able to be feminine but still fully capable. I adored the tender moments when we got to between Margot and Van, being vulnerable in a way that many of us can relate too- feeling like youll never be good enough. ( you are!)
There are some “cheesy” moments, but those are part of what makes romcom type stories great.
All in all, I loved this story and already started recommending it to some of my friends.

This book was fun and I really enjoyed the dynamic between Van and Margot, but there were a handful of elements that felt under-developed to me.
I felt like Van adjusted to the modern world way too quickly and he kinda just sounded like a modern dude. I really wanted him to feel like he was stuck in time and that didn’t really happen.
Also, the lack of adult supervision was astounding. These are almost high school seniors just traipsing around Italy. The fact that the teacher never cared that Margot was constantly disappearing stressed me out.
I also found the resolution to be a bit too quick and tidy. I was hoping for it to be a bit more complex tbh.
But, I did really like Margot and Van and it was still a good time. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was SO ready to read a new book by Rachel Moore. Besides connecting with her and supporting her in the book community since 2018 (?) I also read her debut and adored it. Rachel is bringing rom coms back with a hint of magic. Her stories are so much fun and I can't wait to see what she does next.
Read this if you love Brandon Fraser, The Mummy, and some Greek/Roman mythology sprinkled in your book.

The premise was interesting, and for a YA reader this would be relatable and engaging. However, I found the protagonist's blatant disregard for the archaeological process off-putting, and her obsession with romance before she meets her historic beau made their connection seem less genuine. Die-hard romance fans would probably enjoy this, but I stopped at 17% through.

This book was a puzzle solving adventure with a sweet love story. Margot wasn’t just on an actual adventure. She also was on a journey of self-discovery. I enjoyed the development of Margot and Van’s relationship. It took time for them to warm up to each other, which I appreciated. I was surprised at the ease they had evading security guards and their chaperone, but I suspended my disbelief. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy young adult books.

Omg this was omg. Loved this book. I really enjoy the archeological part of it , I like how the FMC is not letting her circumstances stop her to try to do something that she will like. Enjoy the whole dynamic between Margot and Van . This is definitely a must for any fans of What the Rivers Knows . Totally would recommend

This book is a light and quick read perfect for summer. It gives the reader a taste of adventure, archaeology, mythology, and romance. The quest to put together the Vase of Venus will take readers on a ride. They will love watching to romance bloom between Margot and Vance. I also believe young girls will relate to Margot, and her witty, emotionally honest nature. This is a sweet, cozy adventure book perfect for YA readers and readers who just want a light read.

Thank you so much for the arc! I really enjoyed this book! It was just the right amount of action, humor, and romance. I really loved that Margot was more of an emotional character because I feel like with a lot of novels with a female lead they are typically very calm and collected so it was nice to see a character who, like me, will get very emotional when things happen to them. I also do always love a dark and brooding male lead like Van was until they start opening up to the main female lead. All in all I had a lot of fun reading this book. The plot kept me engaged and guessing and I loved the characters!

As someone with a background in classics and archaeology, I knew I had to read this after reading the excerpt--and this book was everything I'd hoped it would be! I loved the immersive feel and the magical realism. In the acknowledgements, the author says that this book is a mash-up of Encino Man and the Mummy, which I think is very accurate--I was thinking the same thing while reading it! I also loved the romance (while sometimes a bit cheesy, but I love cheesy) and while both of the MCs had their flaws, they were still lovable nonetheless. I can't wait to see what's next from Rachel Moore!
Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.