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Favourite
Latest Book Reviews
5
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Favourite
Latest Book Reviews
5.0
READ VIA:
Libby audio
ABOUT:
Despite being a romance author, Sawyer no longer believes in romance. While suffering from writer’s block, she finds herself explaining the concepts of meet-cutes to Mason, the man she gets stuck in an elevator with.
After they run into each other a second time, the two decide to pair up and attempt to cure Mason of his hopeless, romantic, lovesick ways, and perhaps give Sawyer the spark she needs to write again
MY THOUGHTS:
Y’all, this is a debut. Immediately charming, funny, and sexy, with complex characters that draw you in.
You know I love some longing, and Sawyer and Mason were down bad with each other from the beginning. Despite their opposite outlook towards relationships, there was something about the way they each longed for each other that I found so endearing throughout the book.
Erin’s voice brings a unique perspective, particularly in the use of tropes, in a way that feels so refreshing and is an homage to the romance reader and the romance genre. It truly felt like reading about one of your romances, girls, and having the.BEST time while doing it!
Also unexpectedly, I LOVED the holiday setting, with several main scenes set on Thanksgiving and during the winter holidays. I love books where a couple does ordinary things and falls in love while doing them, and this definitely had those vibes.
Not only is this book witty, but it is also smart and sexy. I was kicking and screaming from every little pinky touch. And when they get together, my goodness, was it good.
Erin Connor is an author not to be missed!
AUDIO:
The audio was “chef’s kiss” good. Both @miahutchinsonshaw Lee Osorio gave strong performances that brought so much joy and heart to life via Mason and Sawyer.
SIMILAR BOOKS:
The steam and strong character work will appeal to fans of Ali Hazlewood or Abby Jimenez.
SHOULD YOU READ:
I highly recommend this book, and I also think it would be a perfect winter read given its late-fall, early-winter setting. Cannot wait to read her next book, Still Into You (coming in February)
Favourite
Latest Book Reviews
5
Witches, a strict ruling party, and main characters who pretend they aren’t falling combine in this spellbinding read. Ya’ll, am I going to be romantic girly now?
I am the first to admit I am not a huge fantasy reader. To be honest, there are a few things I could be critical of here, but I am ignoring them because I DEVOURED this book.
Favourite, Romance
Latest Book Reviews
4.5
READ VIA:
Thank you so much, @hachetteaudio , for the #gifted copy, and @readforeverpub for the e-book!
ABOUT:
Noah and Ramin were unlikely high school friends, but lost touch after graduation.
Freshly heartbroken and looking to reinvent himself, Ramin travels to Italy hoping to enjoy the scenery and have a carefree time.
Meanwhile, Noah is blindsided when his ex-wife states she wants to move to Italy and potentially take their son with her. She suggests a family vacation.
Then suddenly these two find themselves in the same gelato shop in Milan and find themselves rekindling a flame neither realized stilll exists.
MY THOUGHTS:
Oh how I adored this book. The swoon , the spice, the realistic depiction of everything that happens before and after intimacy.
Why am I typically not a fan of “lessons” I felt the spice here was both educational for the reader and for Noah as he explored his bisexual identity. I especially appreciated the frank way he approached the messier sides of sex.
Ramin and Noah both have complicated back stories that were revealed through dual timelines and dual point of views. There were some finer details that I wish I did more flushed out, especially in relation to Noah‘s parents and Ramin’s body morphinism. However, overall, I feel we got the depths we needed to understand their pain.
Finally, this book truly felt like a vacation from the wines to the foods to the train through Italy. I felt like I was traveling right along with them.
AUDIO:
Corvin King and Vikas Adam bring this fun book to life. Their voices offer district narration that easily allowed the listener to follow the changing point of views and dual timelines.
SIMILAR BOOKS:
I really enjoyed this author why novels but I think his adult work reminds me of MA Wardell.
SHOULD YOU READ
This is for lovers of queer affirming love stories with some realistic spice!
Fantasy, Favourite, Young Adult
Latest Book Reviews
4.5
aw with grief from her mother’s unexpected death, 16-year-old Bree enters an early college program at UNC. Immediately, a tinge of magic and lore is in the air. As Bree begins the initiation process in an ancient order, she finds she uncovers a power she never imagined and forms connections she is not sure she is willing to make.
I was instantly drawn into Tracy Deonn’s incredible world-building. Layering magic into the folds of a historic institution, Deonn creates a world where nepotism and racism weigh heavily on her characters.
The writing here is brilliant. I especially enjoyed reading how Bree navigates a PWI. While Bree is never isolated and even championed by Nick, she constantly feels she is navigating a space where those around her do not welcome her.
I could not help but instantly root for Bree. Despite struggling to navigate her grief, she is passionate, brave, and, at times, quite spontaneous with her actions. There is a significant theme of struggling to connect with your ancestors, and I appreciated how Deonn spoke about her loss of connection after losing her mother.
The double standards and microaggressions were a reminder that the work of dismantling oppression both begins and belongs to the oppressor.
There is a raw truth to her writing that I found particularly engaging. As someone who resides in the southeastern United States, I especially appreciated Deonn’s willingness to discuss how the same buildings Bree attends class were built by those within the chattel slavery system.
Nothing here feels surface-level. From character backstories to the hierarchy within the order, Deonn crafts effortlessly and with great detail. While there are so many layers to this book, I felt they were handled with care.
Yet, there were numerous twists I did not see coming.
𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘯 is addictive, brilliant, full of magic, relevance, courage, and a special found family.
I cannot wait to continue to book two!
Favourite, Romance
Latest Book Reviews
5
Perhaps one of the most beautiful romances I have ever read, Promised Me Sunshine is an emotionally gripping novel about love that is genuinely based on caregiving and friendship. Lenny is heartbroken, functioning, but not living after the loss of her best friend and soulmate, Lou. While also trying to survive in her late 20s. She is a ghost of her for herself, trying to navigate being left behind and survive her late 20s. While Miles may have an incorrect first impression of Lenny, he quickly pivots and can just see her. And the WAY he see her… it was just magic. Miles becomes her support system as Lenny slowly begins to live again. And yet, Miles himself also has suffered from unimaginable loss and heartbreak through helping Lenny heal herself. Miles slowly begins to reckon with those parts of his grief he has chosen to ignore. I just wanted to wrap these two broken people up and protect them, and Bastone’s writing lets that happen. Miles and Lenny form a beautiful friendship with just a blurry edge of a line you can’t help but hope they cross. I loved Miles’s restraint and knowing Lenny was not ready to enter a relationship. He shows his love for her and his little family over and over again. Cara writes a raw depiction of grief and a beautiful description of new and old friendships. Since I finished this book, it has had a vice grip on my heart; I cannot get over how tender it was. This book is quite a slow burn, but the relationship between Miles and Lenny is so well-developed that I hardly even noticed. This cemented Cara Bastone as one of my absolute favorite authors, and I can’t wait to read what she writes next. If you like your romance filled with depth and honest emotions, this is an absolute must-read and one of my top books of the year!
Favourite, Romance
Latest Book Reviews
5
Conceivably one of the most emotionally gripping romance books I have read in a long time, 𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘎𝘰 is an absolute stunner of a book.I love second-chance romance, and what I loved about this book was that I wasn’t sure how Yasmen and Josiah would cross the chasm that had opened between them. Ryan crafted their initial split perfectly—except that even apart, there was a force pulling them together.From the opening pages, the reader is confronted with two individuals who had their passionate, deep-rooted, love-filled marriage shattered. Ryan’s extraordinary writing not only portrays Yas and Josiah’s individual experiences with grief but also how it influenced their children and marriage. There are so many moments in this book where I ached for them, for who they were before, and for what they could have had. They had love, success, wealth, family, and then..They broke and while the physical attraction remains, they both know the risk of reopening their hearts (but did the love even go away?)The chemistry is explosive, and their mutual reverence had me screaming and kicking my feet the second they kissed. Ya’ll, Kennedy Ryan can write an in-depth conversation, but man, does she knock the spice out of the park.In addition to all the complexities of Yas and Josiah’s relationship, the crafting of their preteen children was also tremendous. I particularly admired how Ryan used their daughter Deja to help deliver some of the back story of their relationship while using their son Kassim as a foil for communication. Finally, I enjoyed learning bits and pieces about Yasmen’s best friends, Soledad and Hendrix. I love a solid female friendship, and I can’t wait to see where their stories go. I am already anticipating the next book in the series and the third, which will be published this May! Kennedy Ryan is a must-read for any romance reader. Source: Libby CW: grief (others are spoilers)
Favourite, Romance
Latest Book Reviews
5
Thank you Hachette Audio for the advanced copy. If you’re looking for a book that will have you squealing in delight and kicking your feet, Audre and Bash Are Just Friends is for you.When her summer plans fall through, Audre decides she needs a bucket list before college applications. Who better to help than the mysterious Bash, with his carefree attitude and handsome face? Get ready for a fun, engaging, and tender teenage summer. Having loved Seven Days in June, I was curious to read more about Audre. From the opening lines, Tia Williams has written a complex and insightful teen. As someone who excelled in high school, I could not help but relate to Audre’s stress.Meanwhile Bash is seemingly nonchalant with absent parents and spontaneous days. Yet, he is also incredibly giving of his time and truly thinks of others. Yet both are yearning for something a bit more. Williams dives into the hard stuff, not afraid to explore the complicated feelings of separated parents, the pressure of being an elite student/ athlete, and the desire to be independent while still seeking the comfort of your parents. As an adult reader I could not help but appreciate the tension between mother and daughter. I could see myself in both Eva and Audre. Additionally, I enjoyed how Williams expanded on her previous novel without rehashing too much from Seven Days in June.Yet the vast majority of this book had me giddy, and this thoughtful combination of depth and teenage antics will appeal to adults and young readers alike. It was pure joy to watch Bash and Audre sort through their feelings for each other. The audio was so fun to listen to, from the text message exchanges to the highs and lows experienced by these teens. I could not put this charming book down, and I know that the narration enhanced my experience.Jordan Cobb and Torian Brackett’s narration was perfect for teenagers, and the DUET perfectly captured the emotions of a 16-year-old.With outstanding narration, an incredible plot, and brilliant writing, I highly recommend Aubrey and Bash Are Just Friends
Favourite, Romance
Latest Book Reviews
5
You guys, this book! I was nervous going in, but honestly, it blew me away. My third Ali Hazelwood book this year, 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦, with its intimate, entertaining, and unique premise, might be my favorite. I used a mix of audio and ebook here, and both were excellent. The stylistic editing here is extraordinary: the inner thoughts, the texts, the conversations, the meaningful chapter titles. I think I am swooning over typography.I initially put on the audio for a long drive at chapter 11, “We work it out of our system, and never think about it again” (IYKYK). I could not get over how perfectly Clarke’s (warm and gravelly) and Dalton’s (sharp and aloof) voices matched the characters I had already developed in my head. The duet style was perfect, and I could easily distinguish inner monologue, emotions, and characters!I know other readers had difficulty with the amount of physical intimacy in this book, but I thought the context surrounding it, including the use of consent (throughout the encounters) and the level of trust between them to try something new, was stunning. Yes, they avoided putting their feelings into words, but they certainly were communicating in bed.Additionally, we got a lot of bare vulnerability in their conversations. I loved that Rue and Eli were trying to find a reason they were incapable of raw, intimate love by confessing their most private secrets. The message is that not everyone can open with everyone, which is okay!{slight content spoiler ahead}Ali is incredibly talented. With the profundity of the content covered (college sports, complicated sibling relationships, found family, corporate financials, patents, and the struggle of grad students), there was a possibility it would feel disjointed. Then, the deeper layers of food insecurity, the death of a parent, and trust issues—she covered a lot of depth. Ali nailed it, and it came together wondrously.I already was a massive Ali Hazelwood fan, but after experiencing her incredible stylistic range, and her tenderness towards dark (yet essential topics) she reigns as one of my top authors, hands down.