contemporary

Book Review: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary ★★

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“Sometimes it feels easier to just be the way I was before you. Safer. But…look what you’ve been able to do. How brave you’ve been. And that’s how I want to be.”

Ok, so I never really learn my lesson with the hype. I get caught up in it; sue me. I heard about this book and it’s ridiculous premise and I figured I would not like it (I was right). Howeverrrrr, I heard a lot of people loved it and then it was available at my library and I was curious ok?!? I wanted to see if I’d like it (I didn’t). 2.5 stars.

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Book Review: Paris is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay ★★

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“This. This was the last time I’d been truly happy. My year abroad. It hit me then that I no longer knew the young woman who had fallen in love with Colin and Jean Claude and Marcelino. I couldn’t even remember what it felt like to be topsy-turvy, dizzy from a smile, ass-over-tea-kettle crushing on someone.”

I picked this book up on a whim. I hadn’t heard anything about it, I’ve never read anything from this author before, and it was a new release. So I just went for it!

It turned out ok 🤷‍♀️. It was a mostly enjoyable read, but definitely not something that I am going to remember long term or anything that had any real impact on me. A lot of it was grating and annoying, and you had to REALLY suspend your disbelief a lot of the time. A very plain 2.5 stars.

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Book Review: Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker ★★★★

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“I need you in my life like I need to fly. Like I need this Alaskan air. More than I need this air.”

Oh man, this series. These characters. This writing. This author.

Gushinggggg but it’s so good.

This sequel didn’t quite contain the magic that the first book did for me, but it was very well done, nonetheless. I really appreciate what the author did with the story and how she handled the continuation. 4.25 stars if we wanna be precise 😉.

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Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne ★★★

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“Love and hate are visceral. Your stomach twists at the thought of that person. The heart in your chest beats heavy and bright, nearly visible through your flesh and clothes. Your appetite and sleep are shredded. Every interaction spikes your blood with a dangerous kind of adrenaline, and you’re on the brink of fight or flight. Your body is barely under your control. You’re consumed, and it scares you.”

This one was pretty good. Cute, surprisingly touching in certain areas, and funny. Overall, it was solid and I enjoyed it. However, for some reason I just didn’t connect with the romance all that much. I liked the characters well enough and really felt for them during some scenes, but I just never 100% committed to them. Three stars.

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Book Review: Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams ★★★

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“There’s no force on Earth as strong as a woman who is good and fed up.”

This is more like a 3.5 or 3.75, I think. I definitely thought this was going to be a 4 star read up until about the last 75 pages, which was disappointing. It started out a lot better than how it wrapped up in the end, but it was still very enjoyable and engaging. I am not sure if I like this one or the author’s first novel, The Bromance Book Club, better. I would have said this one right away, when I was still only about 200 pages in, but the ending evened it out for me. I guess I would still choose this one, because the parts that I did really like were very good.

Difficult one to rate here!

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Book Review: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman ★★

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“Nina had looked around and realized she would never run out of things to read, and that certainty filled her with peace and satisfaction. It didn’t matter what hit the fan; as long as there were unread books in the world, she would be fine.”

This book was a huge disappointment. On paper, it sounded really fun and relatable, something cute and easy to fly through. Unfortunately, though, it was none of those things. Instead, it was cliche, boring, lacking, cringey, and very disappointing. I kind of want to give it 1.5 star now, but my initial gut reaction was 2 stars.

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Book Review: Don’t You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane ★★★

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“What I was wondering is, if you too hope we have one of those first dates that turns into days and nights…because we can’t stand to be apart.”

This was an interesting read for me. I went in with set expectations and was taken aback when the book turned out to be quite different. I had some qualms with it, but overall, the parts I liked won out and I gave this book 3.5 stars.

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Book Review: The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker ★★★★★

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“”Helped me?” he repeats.
“Yes. Maybe now you have a shot at getting laid. As long as you don’t speak.”
The wicked smile he flashes makes my throat go dry. “Do you think I have problems in that department, Calla?”“

Ok, now THIS is how you write a romance novel. I can’t believe I loved this so much! I adored everything about this story. I’d say my rating is more like a 4.75, but for the sake of not getting mega technical, I am rounding it up to 5 stars 😊.

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