According to Goodreads I've read this book 4 times, but I for sure have read it more than that. Fangirl is a book that hits home for me, reading it isAccording to Goodreads I've read this book 4 times, but I for sure have read it more than that. Fangirl is a book that hits home for me, reading it is like being enveloped in a giant warm hug.
I jumped to get this 10th anniversary edition (even though I have 2 others ones plus the manga already) but why not have different copies of your favorite book?
Every time I read it I find a new little detail, but no matter how many times I read it, I love it every single time....more
How do I say this.... I enjoyed this book but I also acknowledge that it's not good. In fact, it's proba 3 stars
Yet another mostly incoherent review.
How do I say this.... I enjoyed this book but I also acknowledge that it's not good. In fact, it's probably actually bad. But I was entertained! That's all that matters, right?
One constant thought was pestering me the entire time I was listening to this book... how do you set a romance in college and almost never even mention a single college course? Bestie, I remember college and it was not all frat parties and hockey games. Some balance, please!
What this book had going for it was the spicy parts, but everything else mostly fell flat for me. A lot of the beginning of the book could have been cut out and the book would still have the same impact. I was definitely curious as to why this book was so popular and drawing a blank. As I said before, I enjoyed it but there really wasn't much to it. But I guess we are all allowed to like bad books....more
Well, this was pretty much a three star read (steady but a tad bit boring) up until this one part that totally took me out of the book and hDNF at 68%
Well, this was pretty much a three star read (steady but a tad bit boring) up until this one part that totally took me out of the book and had me rolling my eyes.
(view spoiler)[ She gets stuck in a basement, falls off of a cart, hits her head, injures her leg. The hero then proceeds to bone her TWICE in a cold, library basement. I just don’t know what to do with that. (hide spoiler)]
This book reminds me of why I am reading romance less frequently than I used to. ...more
This is a book I purchased when it was released and always intended to read. Flash forward to now, and it became a part of my beat the back 3.5 stars
This is a book I purchased when it was released and always intended to read. Flash forward to now, and it became a part of my beat the backlist 2019 goal. I truly believe if I had read this book when it came out four years ago, it would be a 4 or 5 star rating. But my reading tastes have changed quite a bit and it didn’t hold the magic for me that seemed to capture many other readers.
“Poetry is just evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash.”
Before We Were Strangers is the story of college sweethearts Matt and Grace. They loved each other when they were young, but circumstances separated them. Fifteen years later and they see each other a moment too late on the subway, and Matt posts an ad in the missed connections on craigslist in an attempt to reconnect.
“It was like the universe was teasing us; we saw each other just a second too late.”
There’s honestly nothing wrong with this book, but it also isn’t 100% right. It honestly didn’t feel that original to me, I’ve read this love story a hundred times. Just with different character names. I enjoyed it while reading it, it’s a great break from reality. Perfect for the beach. But nothing outstanding or amazing, to me.
“Once there was you and me We were lovers We were friends Before life changed Before we were strangers Do you still think of me?”
I ENJOYED THIS SO MUCH MORE THAN THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS SERIES!
^^Sorry, I had to get that out.
This is the story of Jake and Brenna, the star 4 stars!
I ENJOYED THIS SO MUCH MORE THAN THE FIRST BOOK IN THIS SERIES!
^^Sorry, I had to get that out.
This is the story of Jake and Brenna, the star hockey player for Harvard and the daughter of the enemies coach. Their romance is forbidden because of a huge rivalry, but there's something between them that cannot be denied.
The Risk is the Elle Kennedy we know and love back again. Even though The Chase was not a win for me, Jake and Brenna were introduced in that story and I was always intrigued by the chemistry between them. I am so glad they got their own book because it was so much fun to read. Filled with banter, sass, chemistry and some serious flames, this was the book to help break me out of my reading slump.
I love Elle Kennedy and I have loved almost everything she’s ever written. When I heard she was coming out with a new book that she wrote a 3.5 stars
I love Elle Kennedy and I have loved almost everything she’s ever written. When I heard she was coming out with a new book that she wrote alone I was beyond excited and when the arc landed on my kindle I dived in right away. I loved Summer as a main character, she had such spark and personality and such life. Kennedy’s writing style is also something I love because I could fall effortlessly into the story. Reading her books never feels like work and I love the world she’s built in the Off Campus universe.
What brought the rating down for me was Fitz. I literally wanted to smack him for 75% of the book! God, that man drove me crazy and not in a good way. I get that he had trouble expressing himself and his parents totally screwed him up, but I really hated how he constantly bashed Summer and called her drama all the time. She’s a human being with emotions dude, not a robot.
I think lots of readers will love this book and for the most part I did too. I will eagerly be waiting for Brenna’s story because she was one of my favorite things about this story and I think her book will be amazing.
An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
This is a book that’s been getting a lot of great buzz, a lot of my book friends really loved it and I’ve been hearing good things all around 3 stars
This is a book that’s been getting a lot of great buzz, a lot of my book friends really loved it and I’ve been hearing good things all around. I was a fan of Julia on the show Once and Again and I had the pleasure of meeting Julia at another author event for a book she narrated and she’s absolutely lovely. All those things combined, I was very eager to read this book and really wanted to love this book and I had high hopes. And while I didn’t love it, I enjoyed it and I think this was a really great debut from this author.
There were a lot of moments when we as readers were supposed to feel a lot, and I felt a bit like a sociopath in those moments because I didn’t really feel anything and I knew I was meant to. Plus, a lot of the dialogue and some of the vocabulary was way above my head and I felt, well, unintelligent at moments while I was reading this book.
I think Julia Whelan is a fantastic writer, I think she delivered a very interesting and engaging story. I also think a lot of readers will love this book and I while I didn’t love it, I will be recommending it quite a lot because I think many of my friends and close ones would really enjoy this story.
Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Jojo Moyes and Sally Thorne, this is your next book to pick up!
A copy for review was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss
This was so bad. I'm actually quite shocked! If this had been my first Megan Erickson book I never would have tried her again and that's a shame becauThis was so bad. I'm actually quite shocked! If this had been my first Megan Erickson book I never would have tried her again and that's a shame because she's actually an amazing author....more
So, we are not allowed to reveal the “douchebag” this book is about, so I am gonna do my best without spoiling everyone (even though it’s p 4.5 stars
So, we are not allowed to reveal the “douchebag” this book is about, so I am gonna do my best without spoiling everyone (even though it’s pretty difficult). This all starts when a member of the wrestling team is getting hazed by his teammates. As a part of the hazing, they decide to put up posters advertising his need to get laid. Suddenly, this hero is getting hundreds of text messages, but one of them stands out among all the trash.
While I can’t say who the hero was, this is who I pictured the heroine as: [image]
Sarah Ney had delivered one of my favorite new adult romance series! For some reason, the college romances seem to have disappeared from the romance genre recently, and I feel like Ney is the only one keeping it alive. I am so grateful she is, because I love college romances! And the douchebags are some of the best heroes there are!
What I can say, is I really loved the hero and the heroine. Both are flawed and don’t always know what they’re doing, or to articulate how they feel. But together they were perfect. This book was also super hot! Steamy romance fans you will be pleased. There were also some small doses of angst that I appreciated, but being me I wished there was a tad but more.
If you haven’t picked up the douchebag series yet, now is the time! It’s perfect for fall weather and curling up with a coffee/tea and these books.
ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley. All/any quotes in this review came from an advance unedited copy and may be subject to change in the final product.
Sarina Bowen writes the best MM romance! Hello Forever is a rerelease of the novel, Never Over, previously published under Bowen’s pseudonym 4 stars!
Sarina Bowen writes the best MM romance! Hello Forever is a rerelease of the novel, Never Over, previously published under Bowen’s pseudonym Nealy Wagner. Hello Forever is in the same universe as the book before it, Goodbye Paradise, but features different characters.
Axel and Cax were sixteen years old when they were caught kissing in the woods at church camp, and from that day on they were separated never to see each other again. Years later, Axel is considering taking a job in the sports department at a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts, when he sees Cax on tv in the audience at that schools basketball game. That, combined with the fact that he had no other paying job offers, Axel accepts the position and moves there.
Cax is busy helping out raising his three younger brothers. After the death of his mother, his homophobic father has made it clear Cax won’t be allowed anywhere near his brothers if he’s gay, so he hides himself and pretends to be straight for the sake of his brothers. Axel is excited to reunite with his childhood friend turned crush, but Cax proves to be a bit more skittish. The two begin a tentative friendship, but it’s hindered by Cax’s fears of his father finding out about them. What was a happy reunion may not be a happy ending, but it’s up to Cax and Axel to figure out a solution.
Despite the subject matter, this book was much sweeter and less intense than the book before it. At the beginning it reminded me a bit of Bowen’s other mm romance novel The Understatement of the Year, but once it gets going the two grow apart from there. This is the romance between a graduate student and a faculty member, friends to lovers and second chance romance all wrapped up in one!
I live in a liberal bubble, and I like to believe that people are accepting of the LGBT community, but that’s not really the case. This book was a good reminder that not everyone is tolerant and can embrace love and acceptance, and my heart went out not only to Cax, but to all the other men and women like him who were shunned for who they are. I loved reading Cax’s journey to himself, and I think Axel was the perfect man to help him to it.
I do wish the relationship between Axel and Cax had been developed a bit more, we got a glimpse of their past but I felt it wasn’t enough. Without that, this book borders on the line of instalove, but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment. I honestly hope Sarina Bowen never ever stops writing mm romance, or stops writing in general. She’s a go to author for me and has never let me down. I urge and encourage you to pick up her books if you haven’t yet, and you need to make sure you read this one.
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
180 seconds is about a college junior Allison. After sixteen ye 4 cried my eyes out stars
“It’s going to hurt until it doesn’t anymore.”
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180 seconds is about a college junior Allison. After sixteen years of being tossed around the foster care system, unwanted, she was adopted by her father. Now years later in college, she still lacks social skills and would prefer to spend her time studying or in her room. While talking a walk one day, she gets roped into a social experiment where two people stare into each others eyes for 180 seconds, no breaks. The person she does this with is another college junior named Esben, and the experience has a profound effect on the both of them.
“We are engaged in a form of intimacy that scares the absolute hell out of me. It’s as if there is a weight on my chest that I want to shove off, and I’ve never been this terrified before. Or this whole and hopeful and connected. My body starts to tremble. I want more of what I’m feeling, and I also want none of it.”
I went into blind and it was wonderful! It was on the sweeter side and more emotional than I usually like my books, but I still really enjoyed it all the same. I love heroines that aren’t the norm, and Allison wormed her way into my heart very early on in the book. This is a story not just about love, but friendship, family and kindness to others. But what I loved most actually was this was a new adult college read: I really missed reading that kind of book, it feels like no one is writing them anymore.
Anyways, if you are up for an intensely emotional novel, this book is the one for you! I really liked it and look forward to more that Park has to offer readers in the future.
“You can't reach what's in front of you until you let go of what's behind you.”
"Not everyone has a broken wing that needs mending, Violet. Maybe this guy isn't worthy of your special brand of caring."
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Zeke Da 5 stars!
"Not everyone has a broken wing that needs mending, Violet. Maybe this guy isn't worthy of your special brand of caring."
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Zeke Daniels isn't just a douchebag; he's an a**hole.
^^^From the blurb itself, this man was a D. I. C. K. But oh, how when you peel back the layers you see what he truly was.
While I read and enjoyed the first book in this series, The Studying Hours, I went into this book with literally no expectations. And it completely blew me away. I mean, immediately after reading I went online and ordered a paperback, that's how much I loved it!
The Failing Hours is about Zeke and Violet. Zeke is the grump jerk on the wrestling team who needs to be tutored. His bad attitude has gotten him into hot water with his coach, and coach begins making Zeke jump through hoops to remain on the team. Violet is the timid tutor who spends her time in the library. When she first meets Zeke she's so unbelievably intimidated by him and the dark cloud surrounding him, she doesn't want to be his tutor. But the more time they spend together, they both see there is more behind what they look like on the outside.
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"He swears too much. He isn't nice. He isn't sweet. He isn't kind. Or generous with words. Or affection. But he's reliable. Dependable. And he was there for me."
This was a book I picked up as a side piece. Yup that's really as bad as it sounds. It's the book i chose to read in situations where it was inappropriate to read paperbacks or kindles in front of others. I was sneak reading it on my phone/ipad. The first 20% was actually pretty slow for me, and Zeke was SUCH AN ASSHOLE I didn't know if I would like it. I mean, he was a special brand of mean. BUT once I got about halfway this lovely book was no longer a side piece but my top choice and I devoured the last half of it.
Asshole heroes are always hard for me to like, because they never seem to be regretful or tend to walk all over the heroine. But that's not the case here. Zeke was damaged from a childhood of neglect, and my heart friggin BLED for him. I legit just wanted to give him a giant hug the entire book. And Violet, though she may be quiet and stutter, she is no one's doormat. I admired her resilience and strength with all she faced in her life, and the fact that she was firm in the fact that whomever she ended up with respected her.
An emotional read, I found myself sighing, laughing, and tearing up when reading this book. Sarah Ney placed herself among my auto-buy authors with this book. Woman stepped up her game with this book and I find myself in awe of her talent. I am so excited for the next book!!!
“But you’re not jaded—not like me. I’m a beautiful mess. You’re just beautiful.”
I've been in an M/M mood lately and this one came up on KU. Since I recently read 2 others by this author and enjoyed them I decided to gi 3.5 stars!
I've been in an M/M mood lately and this one came up on KU. Since I recently read 2 others by this author and enjoyed them I decided to give this a whirl. A great college romance between a former jock and a moody-broody guy. There's a lot more to it than that but I just wanted to say I enjoyed reading this a lot and want to explore more from this author....more
This is a book I've been seeing around the interwebs, lots of book friends have loved this one. I thought this book was an excellent escape 4 stars!
This is a book I've been seeing around the interwebs, lots of book friends have loved this one. I thought this book was an excellent escape from reality and a quick and fun read! I'm not going to write an official longer review, but I highly recommend this if you are a college/sports romance reader, this will check all of your boxes! I am so excited for the next book coming out soon :)...more
"In Zeno's paradox, halving the distance between you and what you sought meant that you would go on forever, always moving closer but nev 3.5 stars
"In Zeno's paradox, halving the distance between you and what you sought meant that you would go on forever, always moving closer but never actually reaching it. But maybe if you set your sights on a thing beyond what you sought then you would eventually find yourself smack in the middle of it, having tricked the universe into rendering up exactly what you wanted."
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Roan Parrish is easily one of my new favorite authors that I discovered this year. Her writing is spectacular and she always manages to deliver complex and empathetic characters while highlighting issues most readers don't really consider in their day to day lives. When we met Leo and Will back in the first book of this series, their story was one I was highly anticipating and was longing for.
That's why it kills me that I didn't love this book. I think my expectations were way too high and the reality of Will and the insurmountable ass he ended up being were too much for me.
Where We Left Off felt more like a coming of age novel to me than a romance, Leo is dropped in a new environment and he doesn't know anyone and he must navigate this new world on his own. I really enjoyed his personal story, seeing the young boyish person he was at the beginning and then going through all of his experiences and epiphanies that made him into a young man by the end of the book. Essentially he needed to learn that he cannot mold himself to please everyone and at some point he has to let things go and let them be. The side characters were brilliant, I loved all of Leo's college friends and coworkers, but then again Roan is amazing at setting a scene and creating characters that are so vivid and real to the reader.
What I cannot really get past is Will and the giant bag of dicks he ended up being. By the end of the book I understood where he was coming from, but I feel he used his past to make excuses for who he was instead of overcoming it and being a better person for it. I know Parrish doesn't usually do dual POVs but this is a story I feel could have very much benefitted from it because I think I would have been more empathetic of Will knowing his background, instead of being left in the dark like Leo was.
I did like this book, despite my issues with Will I couldn't put the book down. Plus on top of that there are some angsty bits and my angst whore ways ate it up. I loved the pop culture references interspersed throughout the book, luckily I've watched Felicity so I understood a lot of them. As I said before the characters feel like people I would meet in person, no one part of them felt fictionalized. By this I mean Parrish could easily have picked a real person and stuck them in the book. But I wish there had been more than what the ending gave, a very quickly wrapped up happy for now scenario. I was left feeling dissatisfied.
I still love Roan Parrish and no matter what I will continue to buy and read her books because she's an amazing author and she writes great stories. Period. I do recommend if you haven't read books 1 and 2 in this series to go and do so now because they are excellent and among some of my favorite books.
"My feelings for Will were a tender and naked heart beating tentatively in an iron cage, each expansion a risk, each deflation both relief and disappointment."
“No one wanted to deal with damaged. It made them uncomfortable.”
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#Nerd is the comedic story of Rimmel and Romeo. When Rimmel is t 4 stars!
“No one wanted to deal with damaged. It made them uncomfortable.”
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#Nerd is the comedic story of Rimmel and Romeo. When Rimmel is told she is supposed to tutor the star football player and campus star Romeo, she’s not exactly thrilled. Rimmel blends into the background as much as she can, hiding behind her long hair and her baggy clothing. When Romeo meets Rimmel, he’s not impressed and doesn’t take her seriously. On top of that, Romeo is rushing a frat, one that is ruthless. And they now want him to sleep with Rimmel as a part of his initiation.
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“You asked me why I'm here," he murmured, leaning in so he was so close his lips brushed mine as he spoke. "This is why I'm here, Rimmel. Can't you feel it too?"
I really enjoyed this book. It may be predictable, sweet and a little bit cliché, but it all WORKED. Rimmel is a character I fell in love with, her insecurities, her feelings of loneliness, and then watching her bloom into a beautiful young lady. Rimmel’s transformation was my favorite part of the book. Romeo ended up being a great hero, he didn’t get off to a great start with me, but by the end of the book I was rooting for him.
If you are looking for a great break from reality, this is the book for you. I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in this series, as this one was so much fun.
“When did everything get so damn complicated?” “When your life became about more than just football.” “You sound like Yoda.” “It’s the beer.”
"He's sweet and earnest and clearly has money, whereas I'm bitchy and stressed and live in the gutter."
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So if you haven't read The 4 stars!
"He's sweet and earnest and clearly has money, whereas I'm bitchy and stressed and live in the gutter."
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So if you haven't read The Score, my review will have minor spoilers. The Goal is the story of Tucker and Sabrina. We've met both in the previous book, Sabrina was portrayed as a raving bitch and Tucker has always been the strong and silent type. The two have an unexpected night of passion, and Tucker is itching for more.
But Sabrina has home issues and life goals that don't make room for a normal relationship, and she has no interested in dragging Tucker down into the gutter with her. So when an a surprise hits the two of them. Tucker wants to step up but cannot break through all of Sabrina's walls.
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"I'm not the girl for John Tucker and I never will be."
I really enjoyed this newest book from Elle Kennedy. I think a lot of people won't like the heroine, but she really didn't bug me at all. I empathized with her situation and I understood her insecurities based on the horrible way she was raised and the unconditional love missing from her upbringing. Tucker was fantastic, as well all knew he would be. Many a reader will fall for him and make him their next book boyfriend. He was perfect!
The pacing was something that could have been better, the beginning was very slow and then picked up near the middle. If you read The Score this book follows some of the timeline of events in that book and it felt a little bit like a rehash at some points. But I also loved getting to know what was happening with Sabrina and Tucker when none of the characters had noticed it was happening.
The sex scenes between Tucker and Sabrina were hot! I did not expect that from him, his confidence and appeal. I guess it's true that nice guys are great in the sack! Because Tucker blew me away!! And for the situation that Sabrina ended up in, she picked exactly the right guy because he was there for her and he knew when to back off. Do I wish he was mine? Hell yes! Am I aware he's fictional? Unfortunately I do have that small level of sanity intact.
Elle Kennedy delivers a great romantic story that readers will love! I cannot wait to see what else she brings to the table in the future.
"You're not alone. And you're not dragging anyone down. I'm here with you, Sabrina. Every step of the way."
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review
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