Wow!! I love a second chance romance but this one is my first one where the characters are divorced with kids. I loved this one very much as most of mWow!! I love a second chance romance but this one is my first one where the characters are divorced with kids. I loved this one very much as most of my expectations were exceeded.
The main thing I was looking for is chemistry and growth. This was done extremely well because I saw a lot of growth from Josiah, Yasmen, and their kids. They took active steps to find out where the problems stemmed from and work more on their communication. Regarding chemistry, my goodness! You know a story is about to be good when the tension between two people who are obviously still in love can be felt at high levels. I like that this didn’t feel rushed at all, as it gave me slow-burn vibes. I also like that I wasn't necessarily on anyone’s side since they both messed up.
Their relationship with their kids was also quite substantial and the Ryan does a great job of showing how important it was in the mending of Josiah and Yasmen's relationship. Their daughter caught my anger way too many times, but her character did illustrate what is probably common to see in kids when their parents divorce. Still, she did almost catch these hands.
Mental health was also huge in this one. We don’t often talk about how hard it can be to take steps to open up such as going to therapy. I was so proud of the characters who took this step and thankful to Ryan for bringing awareness to this.
“Although my story started a certain way, it ended with love.”
What! A! Journey!!!!
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: I’ll always be jealous “Although my story started a certain way, it ended with love.”
What! A! Journey!!!!
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: I’ll always be jealous of authors who can use words to captivate you in ways you never imagined! This one has been immediately added to my favorite books of 2022 for how amazing it was!
The story’s premise is that these two people, Lowra and Dikembe (Celestine), are connected because of a time in their lives when they were locked in an attic. For most of the story, I was definitely more engrossed in Dikembe’s story as even though I felt sorry for Lowra, I found Dikemebe’s story more in line with what I was looking for in historical fiction.
Dikembe’s story was truly heartbreaking, yet so inspirational. When someone goes through what he went through, we expect them to come out of it being a certain kind of person. Dikembe however came out of his dark times with a goal to uplift other black people around him! Of course, Jaye still allowed us to see how such things affected him: mainly his inability to open up. Scenes that exposed this had me shedding tears because Jaye refused to hold anything back. Looking at the big picture, Dikembe’s life was used to tell the dark history of colonialism and racism, which is more clear when learning about the inspiration for the story. Learning about this history is never easy, as Monty, one of the characters illustrated as he expresses many times the pain in researching this area of history.
I will be honest in saying that I thought I might end up finding this book boring because at first it just felt like regular storytelling. When it started to get a mystery vibe and I started to infer the themes embedded in this book including what it means to win in life and reclaim one's identity, my attention was undoubtedly bought. Jaye even managed to chip in a really beautiful romance.
4.5⭐️ Rarely do I read a romance and can confidently say “These two are meant for each other!” Like “soulmates” kind of meant for each other. This one 4.5⭐️ Rarely do I read a romance and can confidently say “These two are meant for each other!” Like “soulmates” kind of meant for each other. This one could have just been a book about Mia and Noah being best friends and I probably would have liked it as much.
I haven’t read a marriage of convenience in a minute!!! This was a great reminder of how fun this trope really is. Mia and Noah had such great chemistry, so even though there is usually awkwardness that comes with this trope, Mia and Noah's own wasn't extreme because they’ve known each other forever. Their love for each other was overflowing in the book due to their devotion to helping each other and being with each other through tough times. I love it when I read a romance and it’s not just sweet words or sex, but ACTIONS!!!
“It hurts when someone you love pushes you away.” Individually, they are both really struggling, with Mia having health problems and Noah still dealing with the death of his brother. They both struggle to let each other in with these specific issues. Usually, I’m one to get annoyed when characters push people away in the spirit of not putting their burdens on others but Ashley does a great job of making me truly understand these characters' intentions. At certain points, this actually made me want to tear up. Mia’s relationship with her parents also definitely had my attention. Wow, there were so many emotions going through me any time they came up.
This one was a well-done-executed blend of emotions, including humor, and I loved it!
The last book may not have been perfect, but it will always have a special place in my heart! Even though I’m usually quick to call a sequel unnecessaThe last book may not have been perfect, but it will always have a special place in my heart! Even though I’m usually quick to call a sequel unnecessary, I’m so happy we got this book because it filled in a lot of the gaps from the last book.
We got an Atlas pov!!! OMG! He is the sweetest! We don’t deserve him at all! Learning so much more about him made me love him more and more. And that last chapter?! My goodness. Atlas speaks the language of love and I am here for it. I did not expect his past to come back to get a big part of this story in the manner it did, but it helped us learn more about the many things that impacted his life. He really went through it, and it’s pretty crazy how good of a person he still turned out into.
Did I think he and Lily were kind of rushed? Maybe? But IT'S BEEN SO LONG. WE WILL LET IT SLIDE!!!! They were so adorable and had me grinning way too much. I really like that Hoover didn’t make them sex crazy but more focused on the emotional part of their bond.
I’m also kinda surprised by what happened with Ryle’s character. I won't say anymore because I feel like anything I’ll say is a spoiler, but everything portrayed felt really realistic. We didn’t really know much about what his relationship was like with Lily after everything so this was quite needed.
Lily's character had so much support. She certainly wouldn’t have been able to make a lot of these hard decisions without her support system. I like how this is acknowledged several times because this is not always about being “strong” or whatever, but simply being with people who will help stand up for what’s right. Real talk, Alyssa and her husband could have easily been on a certain someone’s side. I love them so much! Still, Lily had so many relatable things go through her mind and she was an incredibly smart woman who made really good decisions.
Colleen Hoover may raise eyebrows every now and then with her characters' decisions, but she knows exactly how to squeeze your heart in the right places. I love that for her. I will humbly be waiting for her next book.
“When women understand chemistry, they begin to understand how things work. When women understand these basic concepts, they can begin to see the fals“When women understand chemistry, they begin to understand how things work. When women understand these basic concepts, they can begin to see the false limits that have been created for them.”
That feeling when you know a book is going to be 5 stars early on....... This was extremely exceptional, emotional, and funny! I’m still trying to comprehend how talented an author has to be to incorporate humor into a book that is so emotionally provoking! Very few books have extracted emotions out of me from every single page. Usually, I get a break from my emotions when I read a book, but not this one. This one had the purpose to make me want to cry, be angry, laugh, and be angry again.
“I have to admit, some days the human race makes me sick.” Elizabeth Zott is my fucking role model. I am inspired to use logic and facts to make conclusions for everything I do and say. Well, maybe not when I'm writing reviews because my emotions usually win with that one. Yes, I have heard that "those days" were extremely hard for women scientists, but goddamn! Garmus did not hold back with explicit details of this in Elizabeth’s life and emotions. Garmus did not need to say science was toxic and sexist back then, instead, she showed us. It was actually hard to read some of the events that occurred back then. The disdain and constant adversity were so much. You think these people are scientists so they would be able to reason more than the general public. NOPE! Because when it comes down to it any kind of discrimination against a group of people has nothing to do with facts.
“Children set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.” She inspired not only me but so many characters in the book. Who would have known that you can use a cooking show, something that originally had sexist intentions, to get women to start thinking more critically? Only Elizabeth Zott could have pulled this off! I sort of knew food had some chemistry component to it, but like….it really is chemistry guys. If I could use scientific terms while I cook, I would be so powerful. I’m really impressed by how even though Garmus gave us a character that didn’t want to be confined by the roles women are placed in, she still gave motherhood the rightful crown it deserves. That shit is hard and it’s about time it was made pretty clear. Garmus illustrates how this is a patriarchal scam to contribute to the supposed little to no value of this role.
Also, we got a romance?! A really unique one. I was extremely invested in it as much as I was invested in the whole book. Calvin Evans and Elizabeth Zott were peculiarly made for each other. Through their romance, we learn about them individually. There was still this incompleteness since they never really completely opened up to each other, yet I still enjoyed their relationship more than relationships in books that are promoted as romance. Garmus could have easily written Elizabeth as someone who didn’t need love or a man, Zott is still human and I loved seeing it.
This is in the description so it’s not really a spoiler if you’ve read it. If not, maybe it is. The mother-daughter bond Garmus had in this book was amazing. I’m so happy we didn’t get a book where the mother and daughter are constantly fighting, but a daughter that was literally in constant awe of her mother and a mother that never underestimated her daughter. My goodness! I really enjoyed these parts of the book. Zott might not have had the conventional family but she truly had one with her daughter and other characters by the end of the book.
Almost every character illustrated the many kinds of people that play a role in the lack of change in society. We had of course the men who directly did bring down women. What we also had were the men who knew what was happening but were scared or did not care enough to try to change things because well it didn’t affect them. This was explored by Walter pine, a man I genuinely expected to hate but had a place in my heart by the end. The ones that break my heart are the women who in today’s terms are called “the pick me’s.” The ones who genuinely think that bringing other women down will grant them favor with men. I really really really liked that Garmus gave a lot of these characters growth. It emphasizes that some human beings can learn to be better people, even if they start out as truly despicable.
Six Thirty, Elizabeth’s dog, has my whole heart! More books where the dogs also have a pov, please!!
Sure things for women are better than they were in the past, at least here in America. It is still a great mission to remind us of how this fight started so we can continue to fight it. Thankful for all the women who paved a way for us.
Okay guys, I’m now wondering how many of the famous men scientists back in the day stole work from women or at least never gave credit!!!! God, I love reading books.
What a multifaceted read: romance, science stuff, hot hot sex, lots of humor, family drama, a secret blog, and a whole crime plot??!!! Hazelwood4.5⭐️
What a multifaceted read: romance, science stuff, hot hot sex, lots of humor, family drama, a secret blog, and a whole crime plot??!!! Hazelwood, I see you chose not to waste my time and I appreciate you for it. I thought the highlight of this book for me would be Bee’s incredible assistant, but overall I was impressed by how well everything came together and how I enjoyed my time. I saw many comparisons to The Love Hypothesis, but I did find this very unique from it actually, if not better!
So now I don’t need to google facts about Marie Curie because I have enough to start talking to people about her. I love how Hazelwood disclosed the sexism and harassment in the science industry by incorporating her story.
Levi and Bea were really cute. Would I die for them? No. BUT……actually, no buts. They were okay as a couple. It’s one of those "it's not them, it’s me," because well I’ve seen this before. “Enemies” to lovers where the girl thinks the boy hates her but it’s not true and he secretly likes her……yeah, not original. I still loved them individually though and it was cute how they realized that they had many similarities. They are people that I would want to hang out with, especially Bee. Bee cracked me up on several occasions. Her character was definitely meant to represent the type of woman we stereotypically wouldn’t think of as a scientist and it was so essential and great! Although, if she weren’t a scientist, she would still be considered to me to be an eccentric lovable character.
I enjoyed the shift in the ending scenes this one took. We went to a more emotional and mysterious aspect. It did surprise me, but it was a good surprise!
4.5⭐️ One thing is for sure. I will never get used to waiting a long period of time for the next book in a series. It’s the most cruel thing I’ve enco4.5⭐️ One thing is for sure. I will never get used to waiting a long period of time for the next book in a series. It’s the most cruel thing I’ve encountered since I started reading religiously. Not only is the waiting excruciating, especially when it ended like this one ended, but I will literally forget some if not all the details. Anyways about the actual book….
This was really long. Even if it wasn’t, it really felt that way especially with the immense details given during the trials. Davenport could have easily shortened some scenes but it was okay because everything in this book gave us a lot of details to understand the characters.
My favorite was the main character, which is a bit too on the nose but hear me out. She is amazing. She has anger issues that seriously needs to be worked on. Well, I kinda liked how angry she got because I personally translated that to a lot of energy and passion for everything she does. At times though, she was just doing the most. For now, I believe Davenport wrote her this way to reveal how her rashness was the reason for some of her downfalls in this book. I hope she recognizes this more and would really encourage Davenport to write her character with some growth in this issue while mainiting her vivaciousness.
All the characters in this book were written really well, including the “evil” characters. Also, there’s just something about sexual tension in a book that is mainly advertised as fantasty and action. Let’s just say my ass thought this was YA at first. Please please let there be more of that in the next book.
I liked how Davenport incorporated racism and misogyny in this high fantasy thing. Ikenna’s life was literally in danger most of the time because of these prejudices. These elements were a great part of this work since it immediately makes her relatable for a lot of readers.
And of course the best parts of this book was the secrets, twists, and betrayal. Some of them actually got to me. I really can’t wait for the next book. This girl needs answers and more!
I loved being on this journey with Ikenna as she learns more things about herself, others around her, and the world she lives in. I do honestly believe that there is a lot of potential to release a fantastic end to this duology!...more
“There’s no greater right for a woman than having a choice .”
We follow the life of Civil Townsend, a nurse, who is assigned to two girls called India “There’s no greater right for a woman than having a choice .”
We follow the life of Civil Townsend, a nurse, who is assigned to two girls called India and Erica. Civil grew up a bit more privileged than most black families in Alabama, but still sees the many disparities in the healthcare system for black families and is hoping to do as much as she can for these girls and their family. She soon becomes more than their nurse, as she takes care of their grooming, education, and even their living conditions. Something really sad and really hard to take in happens to them around halfway through the book, and it stirs up hard conversations about the state of healthcare among certain communities.
Amazing, heartbreaking, and inspirational story!! This one had me crying those really silent, calm tears instead of the intense sobbing some books put me through. This is loosely based on a true story about the lives of two black girls, Mary Alice and Minnie Lee Rolf. Don’t google them yet if you don’t want spoilers. This book exposes many things that you might not necessarily hear about if you’re not actively trying to discover what healthcare was and is like for certain communities. The girls and the family really illustrate what many poor and minority communities lack, including basic things they should know about their health and illiteracy. The distrust these communities have with the system is also clearly disclosed. Civil Townsend is an exceptional character. She truly fell in love with this family, and what happened to them literally affects her for her entire life. We see this because the book travels to the future in which who she is now is clearly a reflection of the past. I also like that we learn a lot about her, her past struggles, and the people she is closest to enough for us to connect to her individually as much as we are connecting to the story. We also engage with the law quite a bit more than halfway through the story.
“Because history repeats what we don’t remember.” The story is definitely one that captures your heart and keeps you going. This rightly made me angry and sad at certain points, but I definitely felt an overwhelming sense of peace by the end. Some people in this story took very courageous steps that didn’t pay off exactly as we wanted, but it was definitely something. I just want to be this brave to call out bullshit anyway I can. This is one of those books you can feel is going to be 5 stars early on in the book. At this point, the only way I want to learn about history is through books like these. Nurses truly are such an integral part of medicine!!!
“Maybe love shouldn’t be built on a foundation of compromises, but maybe it can’t exist without them either.”
I didn’t expect to end this one in tears,“Maybe love shouldn’t be built on a foundation of compromises, but maybe it can’t exist without them either.”
I didn’t expect to end this one in tears, but it got me. I was just broken down with how complex and beautifully detailed this story is. My favorite thing about this one is how I could spend hours dissecting each character. It was a story of love, not just a romantic one, but also the kind of love that comes with family. There was so much love everywhere and I just wanted to tap into it!! Emily Henry knows how to grab hold the attention and heart of "book lovers" everywhere and she did just that with this one.
Nora is quite ordered in her life. She is the kind of girl to have checklists including when she’s dating. She makes sure to ask the right questions, even if that means knowing their credit report early on. Unfortunately, her dating life is still not really going well. Nora and Charlie first meet in person when she asks him to edit her client’s book. It wasn’t a great encounter as he wasn’t really the nicest person on the planet and wasn’t really a fan of the book. Fast forward years later, Nora and her sister go on a vacation to Sunshine falls with the intention of doing something fun and new and bonding more with each other. Unexpectedly, she bumps into Charlie and it turns out that he’s actually from the town. After many encounters, things start to escalate. While she is figuring out what exactly her relationship with Charlie is, her relationship with her sister might not be like she thinks because it’s possible that Libby is hiding things from her.
“Just because not everyone gets you doesn’t mean you’re wrong.” Her characters are always so interesting! I love how Nora and Charlie have been both shaped by quite similar experiences but Henry does this in a subtle way. Nora has always felt like it's her job to take care of Libby and Charlie also felt like it's his job to take on the family business, and they both felt this way because of their childhood experiences. I love how we kept learning about them here and there. I rarely feel like book couples belong to each other because there is always something missing. But guys, Charlie and Nora BELONG to each other. They’re SOULMATES!!! I will defend this to the death. Although the attraction and sexual tension were certainly there early on, it didn’t feel insta lovey at all. It wasn’t quite a slow burn either. It was………perfect.
Libby and Nora’s relationship definitely got my attention more than Nora and Charlie's. You could just see how much they love each other from the start to the ending of the book. They’ve had each other since their mother died, and Nora has taken the responsibility in ensuring that she’s okay for a long time. Libby might not necessarily want her to do that anymore, and Nora feels that she might be hiding stuff from her. The effects that their mother’s lifestyle had on them were really evident. Their relationship literally shattered me and brought me back together again. I really just want what they have.
Very importantly, we can't ignore the fact that Emily Henry is a whole comedian. She has made me laugh for a long time and I’m happy to see that this book was just as funny. This is Henry’s love language okay. She makes sure her characters are hilarious, and that is how we readers are able to see which characters have the best chemistry.
Hey, so this was definitely giving a bit of “insta love,” but it’s okay because there was so much more to this book than jus“Grace costs you nothing.”
Hey, so this was definitely giving a bit of “insta love,” but it’s okay because there was so much more to this book than just the romance.
Alexis Montgomery comes from a long line of world-renowned surgeons. She and her twin brother are expected to carry on this legacy, except maybe they don’t want to do it exactly in the way their family members did. As she was headed somewhere, because I really don’t remember where she was going, her car ended up having a problem. Luckily for her, Daniel shows up and helps her. Daniel comes from a local town, where he rents out a family house to visitors. They probably didn’t expect to see each other again, but as fate would have it, they see each other again, and “things” happen. How does their relationship develop from there?
I thought this one was really amazing. I wholeheartedly could not put it down and finished it on the same day I started. Let’s start with the romance. Alexis and Daniel were really really really cute. Like I said from the beginning, it was definitely giving insta love but they still developed their relationship over the course of the book. Alexis and Daniel live different lives in regards to money, so it was really nice to see how they learned from each other through tasks and conversations.
“Don’t let them decide the life you’re going to live.” A huge part of this book was abuse, both physical and emotional. Jimenez does a great job of highlighting how emotional abuse is just as powerful as physical abuse. I want to especially give a high five for revealing that these kinds of abuse can be among family members. My heart hurt for Alexis so much throughout the book. Except for her twin brother, best friend, and Daniel, I literally hated everyone she was surrounded with. How could someone survive with that much toxic energy? It was very realistic to portray this struggle that she had and how she slowly overcame them one at a time. How does she do this?
Of course, Daniel also has his own individual struggles, not abuse, but more on the financial side. I was scared that we weren’t going to see any struggles on Daniel’s side, but we did, even though it felt at times that Alexis' problems were shown more. Daniel is pretty much another illustration of fictional men being amazing. I could smell husband material from the first lines about him. He’s 10 years younger than Alexis, and she made this a pretty big deal. I thought we are in a time when age isn’t a huge deal, but apparently, not everyone thinks this way.
Overall, there were some funny lines here and there, and the pacing was great. It wasn’t really smutty though, which I was kinda surprised by. I’m also surprised that I’m surprised since it’s not like the rest of her books were that smutty. I believe Jimenez has written four books so far, all of which I’ve read. Her characters have so much chemistry. It is something she has definitely mastered. I personally think this is her best one yet!!
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