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Romance
Latest Book Reviews
5.0
There’s a formula that guarantees I will love a book: spicy, based in New York City and a career choice I could’ve never imagined but immediately wish I had considered. Not Another Love Song captures all of these things and then expands on them with a beautiful tribute to the art of classical music.
Despite playing in the same orchestra for a year, Xander” Alex” Thorne doesn’t seem to know Gwen Jackson exists until Gwen captures his ears and heart with an impromptu cello performance. On the other hand, Gwen used to have a poster of Xander on her wall and remains underwhelmed by his arrogance and persistent tardiness. Alex and Gwen’s rival-to-lovers romance was enchanting to read, and their combined musical talent left me feeling regretful that I cannot play an instrument. The cast of supporting characters was well-rounded and helped keep the plot fresh throughout the novel.
I loved the classical music references, the realness of the starving artist in New York City, and the instant chemistry between Gwen and Alex. While the novel is primarily from Gwen’s point of view, we get snippets of insight from Alex, which enable the reader to connect with both characters. Their tension is taut, and their literal and figurative music-making is electric! Soto has an evident love of the arts, and how she has woven music and the physical labor of creating art into this novel was heavenly.
EDITED to add: I would have loved more of Alex’s POV (such a unique touch) because I was so invested but this book can do no wrong! Both MCs personal growth trajectories’ were satisfying and all the side characters got their moments . Overall, this type of romance leaves the reader unable to sleep because you must finish the book immediately. I am ready to read her other book because this writing is ! The tension, the music, the fast paced writing, you will devour this book!
Romance
Latest Book Reviews
5.0
I will have a hard time reviewing this book without spoiling it, so I will start with this: This is how I wish every romance novel was written. Winnifred “Win” McNulty and Robert “Bo” Durant are the stuff of my HEA-loving dreams. The yearning, the quiet actions of love, the messy and honest conversations, the baggage they each brought into the relationship, and how they handled it together. Perfection, beautifully written perfection. I was brought to squeals of joy multiple times while reading this book. I was crying and smiling during the author’s note in the beginning and never stopped (warning: it contains slight spoilers but nothing that can’t be found in the blurb).
The single POV narration by Connelly of Win brings you along on such a profound journey through thoughts of self-doubt, and guarding of the heart to accepting herself and the love being offered. I loved witnessing her internal monologue and slowly feeling her fall for Bo. The limb difference is presented so elegantly that I hope everyone who feels their body does not fit society’s idea of normal has the chance to read this book. The love in this book is pure, without reservation, and the type you desire for each of your friends. The writing is uplifting and the validation of insecurities and the ability to be loved because rather than in spite of them: enchanting.
Bo is sunshine, sexy, goodness, and everything you could dream up in the ideal man. He clearly loves Win from the beginning and gives butterflies in the stomach, squealing with joy energy in his ‘actions not words’ kind of love. Their exchanges radiated passion, openness, and depth. The communication skills alone left me swooning. Their intimacy is delicious and enhanced by the obvious passion and adoration between them.
Reading (okay, listening) brought me such joy! The lovers, the supporting characters, the timing, I adored it all. This amazing book will be released 06/04 with Dell and I cannot endorse it enough.
General Fiction
Latest Book Reviews
4.5
I clearly remember the first patient I ever “lost.” A naive 3rd-year medical, I entered the hospital one morning to find my favorite patient had died overnight. I was devasted not by her loss but rather that after days of spending extra time in her room, she had died alone. The feeling of witnessing a soul leaving remains a constant even without a monitor, or the sights or smell of death to notify me of a loss. While being a physician has made me comfortable around death, and the inevitability of it; I have witnessed denial, profound grief, and radical acceptance of both my patients and their loved ones. In the Collected Regrets we find an alternative to the cold approach we often take toward death.
I connected with Clover almost instantly. Her gift: providing comfort at the end of life and bearing witness to the final moments. Brammer so clearly captures the range of emotions I have seen around death, from rage to sorrow over the loss of life’s simple pleasures. Brammer’s writing is beautiful allowing me to picture Clover and each of the people she ushered through dying. Clover is flawed and living a life full of fear while simultaneously trying to alleviate others’ fear of death. The contrast is inspiring, and her character development drove my love of this book.
Picken’s narration added to the heaviness of this book and provided hope as Clover’s character began to experience the world with a renewed perspective. Her voice added to my enjoyment and truly allowed the listener to get into the head of Clover.
I am not sure this would be a five-star read for everyone, but I think it is a must-read for anyone uncomfortable with death. This book touched a piece of me I so rarely get to share with those outside of work, and I hope that those who read 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 feel an pull towards a life filled with fewer regrets and more living.
Romance, Thriller/ Horror
Latest Book Reviews
3.5
Thank you to @netgalley and Melissa Dymond for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Outwardly, Paging Dr. Hart is a fun romance between two radiology residents with some forced proximity and a cinnamon roll MC. However, Dr. Tiffany Hart is much more complicated than her ice-cold demeanor leads on. Told through a single POV and dual timeline, the plot swaps between Dr. Tiffany Hart’s childhood and the present day. This quick read kept me entertained and hooked enough to stay up late to finish.
When Dr.Ethan Clark becomes the newest resident in her program, Tiffany is forced to bring him to speed. However, she finds his handsome face challenging impeding her goal of impressing her residency director. I always get nervous reading books about physicians but Melissa Dymond, a physician herself captured hospital life quite well. You do not need to be in medicine to follow along with this story, and I didn’t notice any particularly confusing medical jargon.
Dymond shapes Tiffany wonderfully and with great detail. Through the events of Tiffany’s childhood, all her idiosyncrasies are clear, and the reader gets a clear insight into who Tiffany is. I loved the contrast to Ethan and learning their different paths to medicine. This authenticity and helped make both of these characters come to life. Their conversations are playful, and their chemistry is palpable.
The ending caught me off guard with a convoluted plot climax I did not see coming, and it felt rushed once things came together. I don’t want to spoil things, but the events seemed over the top, and I had trouble buying the storyline. The author describes this book as romance with suspense, which is accurate. If you liked the combination in the Knockemout series by Lucy Score, you would probably enjoy this novel as well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend (especially to all those dreaming of workplace romance).
Romance, Young Adult
Latest Book Reviews
4
Mallory Greenleaf no longer competes at chess, that is, until she enters a charity tournament as a favor to a friend and beats Noah Sawyer, the reigning king of chess. When Mallory refuses a rematch, Noah sets out to get her back to the board. It seems that Noah’s support might be what Mallory needs the most.
This novel completely enthralled me. Check & Mate’s rivals-to-lovers build felt organic with a slow burn that frankly had me questioning whether they would become lovers at all. There are a lot of chess references but I was able to follow along easily (my sole exposure to chess is reading The Queen’s Gambit).
This is YA but works well for adults who prefer closed-door or even those who just like slow burn. The characters are young but do not feel excessively immature. I have seen comments that this isn’t appropriate for teens due to references to alcohol and the closed door scenes; to me those comments are misguided and I feel this book would be an excellent springboard to discuss these topics with teens. Those who feel these topics aren’t suitable for most teens must be quite out of touch with reality. The presentation felt compatible with real life to me and not glorified. Of note, there are multiple references to the death of a parent, a loss Mallory struggles with throughout.
I really relished the character development of Mallory. Mallory suffers from eldest child syndrome, one of my favorite micro- tropes where the female MC feels she can’t achieve her own dreams and instead must take care of her family. Hazelwood perfectly constructs Mallory’s inner turmoil. While I am the eldest, I am fortunate to have never felt that pressure; yet, it is easy to identify with her sense of familial duty and her internal guilt (personally I had a lot of pressure to perform academically). I certainly was less mature than Mallory at 18 yet I connected with her easily and feel my younger self would have as well.
Romance
Latest Book Reviews
4
Clementine outwardly appears to have it all: a publishing career on an upward trajectory, an NYC apartment in a building with a doorman. Yet, her love life is a mess; she doesn’t enjoy her job, and her apartment is an inheritance she never wanted. Her confidant, her aunt, passed away suddenly, leaving her heartbroken. In addition her aunt left her with two words of wisdom: the apartment is magical and she should never fall in love in it. Then she finds Iwan, a decidedly attractive aspiring chef, in her apartment and finds it difficult to follow the second rule. That is not her only problem; the Iwan she wants is seven years in the past.
It is tricky to compare this to anything but Poston’s other novels; the blending of magical realism with real-life events was seamless, and I found myself rooting for Clementine and Iwan. The dialogue was well-developed, and for the most part, I bought the attraction. There was an element that felt “insta-love” to me but by the end that felt remedied. Poston gives her central characters depth and character shortcomings that help power the narrative. My main complaint was that the ending felt rushed. I wanted more time with Clementine and Iwan to experience more of them together.
It is noticeable that Poston has been profoundly affected by grief. If you read my review of Dead Romantics, you know I didn’t believe the FMC was grieving. It was clearly portrayed here with Clementine still reeling from her loss. In a previous interview, Poston mentioned she was dealing with grief when writing Dead Romantics, and you certainly felt that pain in Seven Year Slip. Despite the focus on loss, her writing still feels light and is easy to inhale.
I sat on this review for over a week, but the more I thought about it, the more I enjoyed this book. She sets herself apart with this second chance with a twist of romance. Her next novel is in June, and I am excited to experience her writing again!