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Explore honest, spoiler‑free book reviews across genres — from romance and contemporary fiction to memoirs and thrillers. Use the search bar or browse by category to discover books you’ll love.
Romance
Latest Book Reviews
3.5
With salacious and witty banter, a bad boy athlete in need of a career rescue, and an independent, kind-hearted fan turned caddy, Fan Girl Down had the making of a knockout read. Yet, as my first full Tessa Bailey novel (I did enjoy her novella Same Time Next Year), this fell short.
Wells Whitaker and Josephine Doyle had great one-liners and tension; I felt their attraction was more physical than emotional. Wells’ conduct makes him unlikable, and while he improves his golf game and attitude, there is no character development. In terms of romcoms, the amount of plot was par for course, aka slim. Although, the epilogue was sweet.
Perhaps using the audio for this one led to my mediocre experience. Wells has much to say about their bedroom (and shower and golf cart) rendezvous and the narration is uncomfortable. The blunt language was a lot for me, but I think that is Tessa Bailey’s style based on my scanning of reviews for her other books.
🩺Type 1 Diabetes🩺: I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on diabetes management. Having access to insulin and needles, managing highs and lows, the need to count carbs, and having to plan more for travel is an everyday reality. Two qualms: Josephine mentioned she would rather be low than high. While both extreme highs and extreme lows can be an emergency, low blood sugar will kill someone significantly quicker than high! Additionally, she irritatingly kept referring to T1D as her “condition”; with close care, diabetics live “normal” lives.
Overall, I still enjoyed it (in that I couldn’t put it down, but I also was zoning out). I plan to pick up the next book in the series (their meet cute was alluring), and I actually sent this paperback to my sister ( surprise! It is literally in your mailbox). Moving forward, I will avoid dual POV audios that are not dual cast.
Thriller/ Horror
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4.5
This book is one of the most terrifying books I have ever read. I was petrified to turn the page, and I was unable to sleep and wasn’t even sure if I could finish the book, yet it was one of my top reads this year.
Suppose you list some of my top fears and put them in one book; that would be my summary of this book (to avoid spoiling this book, I won’t list them). From the opening line of “There was someone in the house,” I was nearly paralyzed by fear and felt my heart racing along with our main character. Her struggle to protect her children drove the plot, but her inner monologue kept me addicted to the book. I wanted to know her, protect her, and befriend her.
More than just hair-raising suspense and outstanding writing (the way she describes a house is unmatched), the heart of this novel looks at the doubt and underestimation so many women face, a fact made glaringly evident by Sierra’s decision to leave her unidentified. From a lifetime of being told she is different due to her vitiligo and small stature to poignant descriptions of motherhood, we learn about all the times she has been dismissed and belittled by others, especially men. As we watched in terror to know the outcome of her home invasion, I found myself rooting for our MC, and she was not to be overlooked!
If I had not been so anxiety-ridden reading this novel, it probably would have been five stars; it is outstanding! If you like psychological thrillers and suspense, this should be your next read! Tracy Sierra writes perfectly crafted characters and chilling uncertainty. I can’t wait to see what she does next!
Romance
Latest Book Reviews
5.0
It was torrid tryst and I needed every page of it! After seeing this book everywhere and knowing the movie was coming, I finally got it off my Libby holds. I proceed to read this book in less than a day! Our star, FMC Soléne, is a sexy, intelligent girl boss and divorcé pursued by Hayes Campbell, a 20 year old boy band sensation. Their whirlwind romance gave me such butterflies that I could not put this book down (maybe I have been listening to So High School too much, but it was just #swoon). The Idea of You had so many themes that I admire; I love romance novels about women in their late 30s-40s. I love feeling how smitten they are with each other and when he #fallsfirst. I love a celebrity following for a seemingly “normal woman.” I love seeing real-feeling conflicts (how does this affect my kids/ my job/ my friends) come to life in books! I just enjoyed reading this book so much!
Without spoiling anything, the ending was perfect realistic, and it made the story feel more believable. I know this book has a lot of mixed reviews, but would we care about a 20-year age gap between a man and a younger woman? (No, it is literally an entire romance novel genre). Also, I am glad I read this book as a mom and not before; that made me like it more! I found Solene and her insecurities and inner monologue very relatable
I felt myself grappling with how I would feel if one of my friends started dating someone super young. There was a lot of discussion on the value we put on age and beauty, and I truly enjoyed the more serious parts of this age-gap romance! We need more books about older women with younger men! This felt fresh and relevant, and I truly enjoyed it (in case you couldn’t tell!)
I just watched the trailer, and Hayes’s casting seems perfect, I hope they change the stroy enough I am not constantly comparing to the book
Thriller/ Horror
Latest Book Reviews
3
From the first sentence, this book made me obsessed with figuring out what would happen; it held my interest and handed out some very unexpected plot twists. The dual narrators both captured their characters well. Then, to my great disappointment, the author turns both heroines into complete dumbs dumbs, andunsatisfactory ending . I had to take a few days before writing a review because I was so irritated by the conclusion!
Lee Gulliver used to have it all. Then, between lockdown and the financial crisis, she loses her restaurant, her friends, and her safety as she ends up running from her financier. Homeless, fearful, living in her car, Lee wakes up to strange noises and finds Hazel Laval seemingly attempting to drown herself and subsequently saves her. Hazel is the wife of a wealthy lawyer, spending her days trying to maintain a a normalcy facade despite her husband’s cruelty. The two form an unlikely friendship and make a plan to change both their lives.
The first twist of this book! And then they just keep coming. You know something is coming, but wow. I loved it! I was excited to see how the heroines would handle the change of plans, and then the novel just fell apart. I didn’t picture the women as similar as the author made them to be. The only thing that seemed identical is that I found both their characters irritating by the end.
Additionally, I found Hazel’s inner monologue in the last 20% of the book to be quite unbearable. It made her appear unintelligent, which made it hard to sympathize with her character despite her circumstances. It’s unfortunate because the book completely captivated me until about 80%, but then I had to keep pausing the (otherwise excellent) audio as I wasn’t paying attention.
I felt so let down by the end of the book; it ruined the entire reading experience for me. I can see why people love the book based on the plot twist.
Romance
Latest Book Reviews
3
So I went into this booking with high expectations and found it to be just above average. There was flirting, witty conversations, and a man ultimately head over heels for his woman. I wanted to book it to completely take my mind off the psychological thrillers I have been reading lately, and this completely did the trick.
Flawless, a fast-paced enemies (but he falls pretty quickly) romance between Summer Hamilton and Rhett Eaton. I enjoyed their banter (Summer’s quick wit and Rhett’s salacious mouth) and felt the dialogue added to the development of the characters. While I thought this book did an excellent job of weaving the threads of their relationship together (and over a believable timeline). I had difficulty connecting with either of the main characters. Rhett, who was supposed to be a reformed playboy, didn’t appeal to me. Although I usually enjoy this trope, it didn’t work here. Summer and Rhett’s behavior was sometimes immature, but I felt that we got enough context from their backstory to understand why they acted that way. I’m probably being too harsh about what is supposed to be a lighthearted romance/smut book, and honestly, this smut was pretty darn good. This book has plenty of spicy content with very detailed language, so if that’s not your thing, I would avoid it.
Flawless is book ⅕ in the Chestnut Springs Series, and I will need to read at least one or two more in this series to make up my mind on Elie’s Silvers writing. I don’t feel this is a series that will become my whole personality. I do admire how well Silver incorporated the secondary characters. Jasper and Cade definitely stood out to me – I’m curious to see where their stories go from here! The relationship between the Hamilton brothers and Jasper reminded me of the Knockemout series by Lucy Score, both endearing and saving a softer side of themselves only for the women they love. Overall, this book was a quick diversion from my last read, and I think I will continue through the series.
Romance
Latest Book Reviews
4.5
Wow, this rom-com is so fun to read. I initially picked up this book as an Amazon First because I liked the cover, and I wish I read it sooner! Oxford-educated and Princeton professor Teddy Ferguson is on a winning streak on Answers!, a trivia-style show, when Maxine Hart, self-proclaimed ADHD advocate and high school dropout, knocks him off his streak and leaves him obsessing about his loss and her lips. When there is a tournament of former winners, Maxine turns to Teddy to help her master her weaker academic topics. Teddy could use some tutoring, mostly learning not to take himself so seriously! The chemistry and banter between these two 30-somethings is fresh and funny, and the spice is on fire! Just what I needed to get me out of my reading rut!
While light-hearted and fun, What is Love also touched on some deep topics. Through the comparison of Teddy and Maxine’s educations, Comfort makes the point that advanced degrees do not make you better or wiser than those without. I also profoundly identified with her descriptions of an ADHD brain, especially the struggles in elementary and middle school! Finally, I relished all the trivia throughout the book. The facts are fun, and I think both Maxine and I got rivers down flat!
Overall this was a flirty, fast-paced read that any (adult) scholar or anti-scholar would enjoy!