A sweet contemporary romance between a matchmaker and the app creator of a dating service, both centered around Chinese zodiac traits. The beginning oA sweet contemporary romance between a matchmaker and the app creator of a dating service, both centered around Chinese zodiac traits. The beginning of this book started off rocky for me as I didn't love the deceit taking place, but the plot quickly changed for the better and I enjoyed the book a lot more after about 40%. I thought this covered a lot of great topics such as family, loyalty, Chinese zodiac, mixed race heritage, and what makes people compatible. I would definitely try another book by this author in the future....more
So, I am actually really mad at whomever decided to market this book as Romancing the Stone/Indiana Jones because it was neither of those things. ThosSo, I am actually really mad at whomever decided to market this book as Romancing the Stone/Indiana Jones because it was neither of those things. Those are adventure stories with lots of action: this was a boring archeological dig where not much action (other than sexual) happens.
I think this book had a lot of potential, and Jo Segura is a decent writer, but this story itself and the execution of the plot was lackluster. We had two such great characters that had decent chemistry (aside from some ick sex scenes, at least ick to me) and yet the actual story was not good! How do you take the really cool story of what these characters were looking for and then make it boring, I don't know. But after not much happening throughout 80% of the book and then a super-dramatic over the top turn in the last 20% is what brought the book down from 3 to 2 stars for me.
An ALC was provided via the Librarian ALC program at Libro.fm ...more
Christa is a scientist working on a remote island studying sea snails when she gets the call: her father who famously disappeared in a plan 3.5 stars
Christa is a scientist working on a remote island studying sea snails when she gets the call: her father who famously disappeared in a plane crash over 20 years ago has been found... and he's alive. Rushed back to Los Angeles, she is reunited with her mom and two sisters and childhood friend Nate. Her father's story of survival seems farfetched, but the family wants to forgive him. Until some things don't add up and Christa needs to re-evaluate her life and relationships.
This was such a fun and interesting premise, like if Steve Irwin was presumed dead and then came back to life. Christa was a really interesting character and there were lost of interesting family dynamics and growth moment. This is my third book by Abbi Waxman, and while I really do enjoy her books for the most part, plotwise they always seem to lack that big punch. There were lots of missed opportunities between the characters to really dig deeper and Christa almost always ran away from it all. So this book is solidly 3.5 stars because it's better than a 3 but not quite there for a 4 star rating.
Review copy provided by Berkley, thank you. I also listened to audiobook via public library ...more
While driving to a vacation destination, Elsy gets lost in a rainstorm and ends up in a small town. After staying the night, she wakes up to discover While driving to a vacation destination, Elsy gets lost in a rainstorm and ends up in a small town. After staying the night, she wakes up to discover she's driven into her favorite book series. Now Elsy gets to meet all of her favorite characters and see all the places she's read about. As Elsy gets to know everyone, she notices the characters seemed to be stuck, but Elsy's arrival has changed everything.
This book hit me at the exact right time and I absolutely loved it. It reminded me a lot concept wise of that British TV miniseries Lost in Austen where the main character entered the world of Pride and Prejudice. There's something very endearing about this book with Elsy getting to know her favorite characters and realizing not everything is as it seems. Elsy getting over her past trauma was a big part of this book and I thought it was done very well. I also loved the romance with Anders: I did guess the twist early on because there was a huge hint, but knowing that just enhanced the story for me and didn't take anything away from it.
I've read three books by Ashley Poston and all of them have been a hit for me. I really cannot wait to see what she writes next, she's an auto-buy author now.
Thank you Berkley for my finished copy of this book for review! ...more
The story of a con-artist fake medium Gretchen who is paid to go and complete an exorcism for a farmer named Charlie on his land. Once there, 4 stars
The story of a con-artist fake medium Gretchen who is paid to go and complete an exorcism for a farmer named Charlie on his land. Once there, Charlie rejects Gretchen as a fraud, but a funny thing happens: Gretchen sees her first ghost. Everett is Charlie's distant relative and warns Gretchen that if Charlie sells and leaves the farm he will die and be stuck in the afterlife. So now, Gretchen has to save the farmer who hates her and think's she's full of it.
I picked up this book as it fits the bingo square for Diners, Drive Ins and Dives for the 2024 Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo challenge, and I am very glad I did. I never would have picked up this book otherwise and it was so good!! I loved the whole story with Everett the ghost and Gretchen's romance with Charlie which was slightly angsty and the perfect amount of sweet. As strong as the romance was with Charlie, I thought the friendship between Gretchen and Everett was the best part of the book. There was a really good amount of character development for all of the characters which I really appreciated as often that seems to be left out of romance. Also Mara Wilson was a great narrator, she really made the book and characters come to life....more
My first book by Meryl Wilsner (who I've been meaning to read ever since I saw them at LA Festival of Books in 2023). This book follows two soccer plaMy first book by Meryl Wilsner (who I've been meaning to read ever since I saw them at LA Festival of Books in 2023). This book follows two soccer players, one a stoic team captain, the other an outspoken newbie. Attraction sparks right when they meet, but playing on the same team means some conflict and tension.
I enjoyed this book but it was solidly in the "it's just okay" category for me. I had it on my list for a while and it counts for a reading bingo square for "Olympics" so I pushed this to the front of the tbr. There was just a lot of internal monologuing for me, it was endless to the point that it was either that or sex scenes. Which is fine! But I wanted more the character development earlier in the book (with some more plot) rather than the dump we got later. Otherwise it's a fun sports romance and it was nice to see women's soccer in the mix.
An ALC was provided by libro.fm via the librarian ALC program ...more
I think this just boils down to personal preference, but I am not a fan of low plot just vibes books and therefore this one didn't work for me. Most oI think this just boils down to personal preference, but I am not a fan of low plot just vibes books and therefore this one didn't work for me. Most of the story I was bored while reading, even though all of the characters are very sweet and likeable....more
A romance between wedding planner Lear and divorce attorney RJ. I liked this book, but it also didn't wow me. I really loved Denise Williams' first boA romance between wedding planner Lear and divorce attorney RJ. I liked this book, but it also didn't wow me. I really loved Denise Williams' first book How to Fail at Flirting, but I've read 3 other books by her and none of them have blown me away. Hopefully her next book knocks it out of the park!...more
A forbidden romance between a scientist and the man on the team trying to take over her company. Rue doesn't want relationships, she's just looking foA forbidden romance between a scientist and the man on the team trying to take over her company. Rue doesn't want relationships, she's just looking for a one night/good time. After meeting Eli, she finds out the man she was meant to hook up with is one of the people trying to take over her company. What ensues is a forbidden romance they must keep secret.
It pains me to write this, but this book was not good. In that I mean there is way to much science talk of things I don't understand, a lackluster romance between the main characters, and I hate to say it but the worst of all: this book was boring. And I am really sad about this because I loved Hazelwood's last few books! Bride and Love Theoretically were so good and this book was pretty bad; it took me several days to read and I had to force myself to finish it.
The authors note at the beginning said this book was more like erotica than her usual and imo she did not lean in hard enough to the erotica aspects of the book. It might have been better! But what we got to me read like a jumbled mess and while I always saw the attraction between Rue and Eli, I never really felt the love between them.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. This did not affect my opinion when reading this book or writing my review ...more
A second chance romance between a Hollywood director and his production assistant.
I think Myah Ariel is a wonderful writer and I am very excited to seA second chance romance between a Hollywood director and his production assistant.
I think Myah Ariel is a wonderful writer and I am very excited to see what else she writes in the future. For me, second chance romance is a genre/trope close to my heart. This book, the author didn't sell me on the couple's previous romance enough for me to really feel why they were drawn to each other years later. This book was a good example of when authors tell you things instead of showing you.
Lots of really great moments, Kaliya was an outstanding main character. I wasn't the biggest fan of Danny, but side characters Neha and Bella were also amazing and I loved them....more
You know you're a millennial when your brain adds "gossip girl" every time XOXO is said in this book.
I thought this book was super cute, in a lot of wYou know you're a millennial when your brain adds "gossip girl" every time XOXO is said in this book.
I thought this book was super cute, in a lot of ways it reminded me of the Netflix series XOXO Kitty (I believe this book came out first, not sure). But also as a millennial woman in my 30's I am not the target demographic and it wasn't for me, nor was it meant for me! I mostly read it to complete my A-Z title reading challenge for a title with the letter "X".
A sweet romance between a music student and a K-Pop star. I had fun reading along as the main character moved from the USA to Korea and all of the stories of her making new friends and getting to know her grandmother better. The cast of characters is what made this book strong for me. But reading this book helped me realize (even more than I already have) that I think my reading tastes are evolving away from YA....more
I'm not sure what deal with the devil Abby Jimenez, made but her last three books have all been amazing!! Also this book is the epitome of "If he wantI'm not sure what deal with the devil Abby Jimenez, made but her last three books have all been amazing!! Also this book is the epitome of "If he wanted to, he would".
Justin and Emma both suffer from the same curse: every person they date finds their soulmate after they've broken up with them. So Emma and Justin come up with a great idea, the two should date each other, and when they break up both of them will find their soulmates. But life has more in stock for them and soon Justin and Emma realize there's more to this relationship than a deadline.
Abby Jimenez has become one of those authors I get really excited about with every new release. And it's funny, because I hated The Friend Zone and almost never read another book by her again until a friend (thank you, Christy!) promised me I'd love Part of Your World, and she was right! Abby packs such an emotional punch in her books peppered with her own unique sense of humor. I was laying in bed listening to the last 90 minutes of this book because I couldn't wait until the next day on my commute to find out what happened.
And for those who want to know, Nadia cakes mention count in the spoiler tag (view spoiler)[ She only mentions it once in the first 15% and then never again! Those of you who hate this are spared! (hide spoiler)]...more
I want to start with I am glad this book exists, and as a thirty-something white cis woman this book is absolutely not meant for me and I completely uI want to start with I am glad this book exists, and as a thirty-something white cis woman this book is absolutely not meant for me and I completely understand that. I hope this book gets into the hands of those who very much need it. I read it for a book club, otherwise I probably wouldn't have picked it up.
I won't go much into plot or details. The teenagers in this were mostly insufferable with the exception of Devin and it made me wonder if me and my friends were this awful as teens (we probably were and worse). I thought the book was written really well and there were some really nice moments in it, hence two stars instead of a one star rating....more
Wildfire is about Aurora and Russ who had a one night stand with each other at a party, only to discover the nOkay this one was actually pretty good.
Wildfire is about Aurora and Russ who had a one night stand with each other at a party, only to discover the next day they're working at the same camp all summer. At first, things are awkward between the two of them. But as they work beside each other every day, sparks begin to fly.
One of my biggest issues with Icebreaker was it took place during college but we saw like, no actual college. Not the case with Wildfire! We got hot AND plot *gasp*. We got romance and the camp counselor experience which was a lot of fun to read. I especially loved that we got a quiet and shy nice guy as the hero instead of some alpha male and that Russ and Aurora made each other better and lifted each other up. This book has redeemed Hannah Grace for me and I look forward to reading her next book...more
After the events of the third book, Finlay and Vero find themselves on a road trip to Atlantic City to track down a stolen car and Vero's o 3.5 stars
After the events of the third book, Finlay and Vero find themselves on a road trip to Atlantic City to track down a stolen car and Vero's old friend Javi. Except Finlay's husband, mother and two children are along for the ride as well. Hiding their true mission becomes even harder when Finlay's cop boyfriend Nick shows up with all of this colleagues chasing a lead and won't let Finlay out of his sight.
I think what is bringing these books down now is the stakes: there's too many of them and they just keep going on and on. A lot was resolved by the end of the book but I remember thinking as I was listening that it was all getting a bit over the top (and I enjoyed the first three books!) and if Finlay wanted a relationship with Nick, how could she ever come clean with him? There's too much built up at this point. The highlights of this book were the dog Kevin Bacon, some resolution with Finlay's ex-husband, and some plot lines closed. I'll still be reading these books, I just didn't enjoy the direction this fourth book went in.
An advanced listening copy was provided by the libro.fm librarian ALC program ...more
When Maddy Mooney immigrated from Ireland to America, the last thing she expected was becoming a maid not even paid for her work. When her e 4 stars!
When Maddy Mooney immigrated from Ireland to America, the last thing she expected was becoming a maid not even paid for her work. When her employer abandons her in a small town in Montana, Maddy finds herself desperate for a train ticket out of there. Kit McBride's little sister Junebug, has a proposition for Maddy: pretend to be Kit's new bride, and Junebug will buy Maddy a ticket home.
I actually read this series out of order, the second one first and then this one. I wish I had read them in order because while I really enjoyed Morgan's story, I think I would have gotten more out of it had I read this one first. I really enjoyed this story a lot, it had a lot of fun characters the best being Maddy, Junebug and Kit. I love the idea that a child can scheme so well and yet so badly at the same time and all of the hijinks that ensue. It was a fun ride to listen along and I'm hoping we get a third book in the series sometime soon....more
Mallory takes care of her mom and two sisters by working as a mechanic, forgoing college in order to support her family. When Mallory attend 4 stars!
Mallory takes care of her mom and two sisters by working as a mechanic, forgoing college in order to support her family. When Mallory attends a charity chess event for a friend, she defeats the current World Champion in chess Nolan Sawyer. From there, Mallory ends up taking a paid fellowship and is whisked into the world of professional chess.
I really enjoyed this gem of a book, but I usually enjoy Ali Hazelwood's books so no surprise there. I will say this book is definitely on the older side of young adult fiction, pretty much borderline new adult so don't give it to a middle grader anytime soon.
I really appreciated seeing a female character in the world of chess. Aside from the Netflix show, The Queen's Gambit we don't see much of that and I hope this encourages the younger generation to try chess out and see if they like it. Mallory and Nolan were both fun and interesting characters with their own issues and it really added to the story and made it interesting. I had a lot of fun reading this book.
Thank you Kay for gifting me a copy of this book for our holiday book exchange! ...more
When Emmy returns to her small witchy town, she's facing a traumatic past she thought she left behind. Her ex-boyfriend, who is the reason sh 3 stars
When Emmy returns to her small witchy town, she's facing a traumatic past she thought she left behind. Her ex-boyfriend, who is the reason she left town, has also been making waves with some other women in the town. That's when Emmy teams up with them to get revenge. Among the wronged women is Talia, who Emmy is immediately intrigued by. As they work together, sparks begin to fly.
This book was solidly "okay" for me. It was a cute, small town, Hallmark-y vibe story and I can already see myself forgetting it in a couple of weeks. I liked it, but nothing really stood out to be as very special. I liked Talia a lot, and some of the trials and challenges near the end of the book. I do think the cover is stunning and would like to see more covers light it rather than the weird cartoon characters that are popular as of late....more
Funny Story is about Daphne, whose fiancé left her for his best friend Petra shortly before their wedding. Having nowhere else to go, Daphne 4 stars
Funny Story is about Daphne, whose fiancé left her for his best friend Petra shortly before their wedding. Having nowhere else to go, Daphne moves in with Petra's ex-boyfriend Miles. The two are very mismatched, Daphne is a buttoned up children's librarian and Miles appears to be a stoner bartender. Working through their mutual heartbreak the two of them both learn that there is more to the other than meets the eye. But with a charity fundraiser coming up and Daphne's plan to get out of town after, can the two really rely on the other one to stay?
This was definitely more of a slow burn to me than Henry's other books. Normally when I read a book by this author, I devour it quickly. This one took several days and I felt the pacing was a little bit unbalanced. This book definitely picked up the pace in the second half and I was devouring it from then on. I really enjoyed watching Daphne and Miles fall in love, how they were so different but also so right for each other. A lot of the best moments for me was how they supported one another throughout hardships and bad family dynamics. That and the side characters were so fun (I want to be librarian Ashleigh someday!).
I have some nitpicky things about how the role of librarian was written in this book (as a public services librarian myself). I did wonder if Henry even talked to one before writing this book? I won't get into it in this review, but you best believe I was telling my colleagues some of the stuff and we were roasting it. But ultimately it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. And Emily Henry, if you want to write another librarian character in the future, my DMs are open to you.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley ...more