Novella between Hallowed and Boundless about Clara and Angela's summer in Italy together. I never read it the first time I read the series and that waNovella between Hallowed and Boundless about Clara and Angela's summer in Italy together. I never read it the first time I read the series and that was dumb of me because there's some important information in this. Plus it was great to see Angela's perspective on some things. Now it's time to reread Boundless!...more
A cozy mystery set in a grand hotel in NYC in 1958, this book follows heiress Evelyn. most people think she's an eccentric Marilyn knock of 2.5 stars
A cozy mystery set in a grand hotel in NYC in 1958, this book follows heiress Evelyn. most people think she's an eccentric Marilyn knock off, but in actuality she's an agoraphobic rich woman afraid to leave the hotel. When a guest is murdered, Evelyn decides to solve the case.
The word that comes to mind when I think of this book is "lackluster". I found the story a bit dull and the main character boring. It was fun enough to follow along and I was able to read until the end of the book. But I felt the pacing was all over the place and some of the dialogue too modern for a story set in the 1950's....more
I read this book at exactly the right time. For technicalities sake, this book is not a romance but a fictional novel with romance elements. I feel thI read this book at exactly the right time. For technicalities sake, this book is not a romance but a fictional novel with romance elements. I feel the need to make that clear since it is very clearly marketed as a romance but doesn't technically fit the genre.
Following Hannah, Finn, Priya, and Theo over a span of years, the Christmas Orphans Club is about four best friends who don't have family to spend Christmas with, so they spend it with each other. After a tumultuous few years, Hannah finally feels settled with her friendships until Finn drops a bomb: he's moving to LA. Now Hannah feels the need to make this Christmas better than ever, but there's still some cracks in her personal life that are starting to grow larger.
I really liked Hannah as a main character, I thought she was interesting and I really understood her feelings on a lot of the situations in this book. The author definitely wrote herself into a corner making this book mostly only take place on the Christmas holiday in varying years, but I thought it all came together really well. My favorite part of this book was Hannah and Finn's friendship and how they were really there for each other even when times were hard. By the end of the book I was in tears. Yes, it's a Christmas book but it also wasn't super cheesy like a Hallmark movie (not that there's anything wrong with that)....more
I really wanted to like this book as we don't see a lot of Jewish historical romance, but I didn't care for thI dnf'd this about 30-40% of the way in.
I really wanted to like this book as we don't see a lot of Jewish historical romance, but I didn't care for the writing style and thought it was boring. ...more
The story of Ruth and Catherine, mother and daughter, who have always been them against the world. When Catherine is gearing up to start a new job in The story of Ruth and Catherine, mother and daughter, who have always been them against the world. When Catherine is gearing up to start a new job in Baltimore, Ruth begins exhibiting signs of early onset Alzheimer's/dementia. But as time goes by, Catherine begins to suspect not all is as it seems
This was quite the wild ride. It's funny because even though some things about this book were predictable, I still enjoyed it and didn't expect it to go in the directions it did. This is best read mostly blind, so try not to overthink anything as you're reading along. My favorite parts were Ruth's flashbacks and her story of how she got to present day. Could most of this book been resolved if the two of them just talked to each other? Yes, but then we wouldn't have a book....more
A book about two young Hollywood stars, one on the rise to fame, the other a former child star, and while filming a movie they fall in love. Sounds reA book about two young Hollywood stars, one on the rise to fame, the other a former child star, and while filming a movie they fall in love. Sounds really interesting and fun, yes? It wasn't. Instead what we got was a coming of age story that felt like a YA novel instead of one for adults. And honestly, it was wayyyy more trauma than actual romance. I'd hesitate to call this a romance novel.
This book was a great example of telling and not showing. We were often told things happened off the page (especially a pivotal time in both the characters lives near the end) and there was a Greek chorus type vibe with inserted opinions via Youtube or online discussions. Personally, this book brought me to a mentally bad space and I felt there was some on the page trauma that didn't actually need to be on the page (but that's just my preferences). I never understood why Matty and Logan actually liked each other, they had great sexual chemistry but to be honest, they felt like they were better as each others messy relationships before you move on and find the real thing with someone else.
This is my first book by Kacen Callendar and while it didn't work for me, I'd be willing to read a different book by them in the future....more
Ama is an up and coming wedding planner in the Sacramento area. When she lands the wedding of a high profile internet celebrity, it comes with a catchAma is an up and coming wedding planner in the Sacramento area. When she lands the wedding of a high profile internet celebrity, it comes with a catch: she has to work with their florist. Only she used to date said florist, Elliot and things did not end well. With years of animosity between the two, they both need to put their differences aside to pull of this wedding.
Julie Soto is one of those writers who can suck you into her story very quickly. I actually finished more than half of this book in just one sitting, I couldn't put it down. I love stories with complicated heroines and Ama fit the bill in this one. When you have a mother that has been married 15+ times, I can imagine that wouldn't put the best picture of marriage in a child's head. I thought Ama and Elliot had great chemistry in the flashback scenes, it was a bit harder to see in the present day ones. But I thought this was a fun romance filled with flowers, weddings, and donuts....more
It's difficult for me to articulate why this book was so bad, but I'm going to try. Horrendous pacing, insufferable characters, and a weak plot? Yes, It's difficult for me to articulate why this book was so bad, but I'm going to try. Horrendous pacing, insufferable characters, and a weak plot? Yes, all of those things. Plus it felt like I was reading it for weeks, this book was so easy to put down. It was actually a 3 star rating for me until one part (view spoiler)[ which was randomly fade to black sex scenes? Bestie you said it was the best night of your life and we are just supposed to take your word for it? (hide spoiler)].
Beth O'Leary is a hard to gage author for me, so far I really liked one book by her and somewhat despised the other two. Not sure I want to pick up more in the future after wasting so much time on this wreck of a book. (yes it made me angry, I tossed it across the room when I was finished)....more
Two rival journalists find a magical connection and love through enchanted typewriters. Iris Winnow lives a hard live with her alcoholic mother[image]
Two rival journalists find a magical connection and love through enchanted typewriters. Iris Winnow lives a hard live with her alcoholic mother and her brother fighting the war and missing in action. Her rival at her newspaper job is Roman Kitt, and the two are fighting for the same job. Iris writes letters to her brother which she places under a wardrobe where they magically disappear, and unknowingly to Iris, they go to Roman.
I read this book based on the recommendation of a book seller and I am so happy I picked it up. I didn't even realize this book was considered YA fiction, because even though the main characters are teens this read more like an adult novel/story to me. I loved listening along to what was happening with both characters, especially the world building. And the last 20% of this book broke me and I need the second book right now....more
The story of two writer friends: Athena Liu who is famous and acclaimed, and June Hayward who is flopping badly with her debut. When Athena u 4 stars
The story of two writer friends: Athena Liu who is famous and acclaimed, and June Hayward who is flopping badly with her debut. When Athena unexpectedly and tragically dies right in front of June, June steals Athena’s work in progress, rewrites it as her own, and publishes under Juniper Song. All told from June’s first person perspective, we follow her down many disturbing rabbit holes.
Right off the bat this book is utterly compelling, while at the same time incredibly disturbing. Reading this while in the mind of June Hayward was unsettling. Even though I could predict most of what happened, I was so drawn in by how the story was told I couldn’t put the book down. Definitely a lot of topics were jam packed into this book like plagiarism, racism, authors in readers spaces, the publishing industry and some of its failures and more. I think this is one of the few books where you can absolutely hate a main character but also want to know what they’re doing and what happens next.
Incredibly well written and thought provoking, and all it did was make me think that I’ve been missing out on this author and need to read more by her....more
Reread November 2023, still like it but don't love it
3.5 stars
Fleeing from a bounty placed on her head, space princess Ada von Hasenberg teams up w Reread November 2023, still like it but don't love it
3.5 stars
Fleeing from a bounty placed on her head, space princess Ada von Hasenberg teams up with renowned criminal Marcus Loch to flee her jilted fiancé. But Ada notices something suspicious about the ship they escaped on, and may have accidentally started a war.
I enjoyed this for the most part. I wasn’t super in love with the romance between Ada and Loch, I didn’t really feel their chemistry. And the story/plot felt like it dragged on forever instead of coming together seamlessly. I am interested in reading the other books to see if things improve, but I find myself more of a fan of Milahik’s Starlight’s Shadows series than I am of the Consortium Rebellion series....more
I've been rereading teen books I read a long time ago to see if I still loved them, and Hallowed was next up on the rere First read 2013, Reread 2023
I've been rereading teen books I read a long time ago to see if I still loved them, and Hallowed was next up on the rereads. I remember when I read this series in 2013 I binged them all and couldn't get enough of them. I still loved this book, but it took me a little bit to get into this second book before it took off.
Hallowed follows Clara, part angel teen as she navigates the aftermath of the first book. After making choices that changed her purpose, Clara begins receiving visions of a new purpose but it's one that alarms her. Clara also loves her boyfriend, Tucker, but is beginning to have complicated feelings for Christian.
I think this was a great filler book for a trilogy, it ups the stakes and also fills in some of the blanks we didn't get from the first book. Lots more on angel mythology and worldbuilding in this one, more on Clara's heritage as well. The plot points with her mother hit harder for me on this reread than they did the first time I read it. A really wonderful teen series and although it's outdated now and not popular, I still love it....more
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