Catherine

It was a good book but didn’t live up to all the hype. It ran on about 100 pages too long and I found Scarlett harder to like as the book progressed. The characters were well written with depth and it pulled you in. It was an enjoyable read that faded towards the end.

It's really good, actually, it's better than I was expecting.

I've never read a book before where the third act break up made sense, at least not that I can recall off the top of my head.

I Had Such Hopes

Ive seen this posted all over social media and liked the sound of the plot. Sadly the book didn't live up to the premise and I skipped through the last 10% to get to the end.

Lily works in publishing for a horrible boss. She's walked over at work and at home by her parents and sisters who keep trying to help her get a better job / boyfriend etc.
She sends an email to her favourite author and is really surprised when he replies. Over the course of a year the sporadic emails supposedly show them falling for each other until he ghosts her. She ends up moving in with her sister and meets her neighbour, Nick. He realises who she is but doesn't tell her how they've already met.

I liked the idea but there were lots of cliches and the writing just didn't bring me along with the story, which is a shame because I really liked the plot.

I loved the first book, I told everyone I knew to read it because it was so good. The second book was great, the third book was good and this... I'm really sorry this is how it ends.

In the earlier books they went in all kick-ass, assuming they'd win. This book was just them expecting to die and telling each other how much they love each other (repeatedly). There was no sass or banter. There was a scene involving the throne room (too much like Iron Flame), there was a cabin in the snow filled woods (too much like ACOTAR). Just when I thought the end was near there was another Trial. It was all about forgiveness and not carrying anger with you, and whilst that's very noble that's not who the characters were through the first three books, and I liked them for that reason. They were real and hurt and wanted revenge. This was not revenge.

For something that started with grit it was too neatly packaged up at the end with no great sacrifice. I get why it had to be this way, but I'm sorry it was.

I don't know if I'm aging out of Karen Swan books or if Karen Swan is aging out of writing 20-something protagonists. I've spent Christmases re-reading her earlier books, but the last few have just been so flat.

Darcy's a PhD art student seconded to Copenhagen for a year to work on her thesis. She's there when they discover a hidden painting behind a classic and she's tasked with trying to figure out who the woman in the painting is. To do so she must trawl through the archives of the artist, held by the Masden family foundation who were the artist's patrons in the 1920s. Max is the corporate lawyer working for the foundation and one of the three men Darcy matched with on an exclusive dating app.

The characters were like the couple in the Christmas Lights - two dimensional and very hard to like. There were a few times I thought about DNF-ing but reading the KS Christmas book is a decade-long tradition. Unfortunately I think this is where it stops. We'll always have Christmas At Tiffany's.

I really like Fangirl Down, but was disappointed by this book. There are elements that are good but others that just really missed for me.

Like Tallulah's whole backstory, still trying to get my head around it. It got really dark, really fast then kinda got glossed over from there. She promised her sister it wouldn't stop her, but her whole family went back to Turkey and haven't visited in 4 years? She hasn't spoken to them on the phone but only sent post cards? For 4 years??

It was a slow start, an ok middle and a rough end. There was a lot of baggage to get neatly parcelled up and it feels like it should have been a longer, darker novel to properly deal with the backstory. I didn't buy it, some of the lines made me physically cringe towards the end and it felt like Tallulah gave up on a lot of her hopes and ambitions for something physical.

DNF at 24%

I've been curious about the social media hype around this series, but it's just not for me. It's too YA and I keep drawing comparisons to The Hunger Games. It's not badly written, it's a unique style that captures the protagonist well, but I'm not in the place to want to watch a young girl discover her power whilst being controlled by men and not getting straight answers.

You can't scroll through Instagram without seeing this series referenced frequently, so I wanted to see what the hype was about. It's YA, which isn't always for me and after the first book I'm not completely bought into it but I think that's more about not enjoying being inside Juliette's head. I'm off to start book two so we'll see how it goes.

I really enjoyed the first book and have waited a year to get my hands on this one. Pity, it was disappointing.

It's got middle book filler almost as bad as Crescent City (I'm still sore about those first 500 pages...). It's just not getting anywhere fast. The characters are great but the plot jumps and never really gets anywhere. There's lots of themes that other books have done in recent years (Shadow Daddies, Dragons) that don't get the same development here. Instead of taking one theme and running with it, it feels like it's got all of them going at once so nothing gets fully developed.

It's obviously very tongue in cheek and there's some cracking one liners. Evie's character develops and I can't picture The Villian as anyone other than The Darkling from Shadow and Bone. So there's lots of positives. I just had to read the book quickly because I knew if I set it down I'd struggle to go back to it. For a story that's an “office” setting with adults the romance has strong YA vibes that just gets frustrating. Will I read book 3? Probably, I'd like to see how it all ends. Would I recommend book 2? Mmmm, I think a good synopsis would work.

I like the idea of a Renaissance Faire, it's something different and I love that it was based on the author's own experiences.

There was no subtlety in this book, it was laid on thick in the first 50 pages so you knew what was coming; the next 250 pages just confirmed it. The pirate costume definitely helped but it felt like there were a few gaps in Emily and Simon's relationship and I couldn't follow how they got from glaring at each other to being in a relationship over a matter of weeks with so few interactions.

Noelle's 28 and lost her gran six months ago. She's subsequently lost her job and moved back into her old bedroom alongside her mum's new Peloton bike. Working through her gram's belongings she finds an envelope with old photos and a love letter addressed from Paul. Her grandfather was called Joe. So she posts a TikTok trying to trace the man in the photos and Teddy replies to say it's his grandfather. Turns out they live in the same city so Noelle arranges a meeting with Paul (the grandfather) and Teddy. Except Teddy is Theo, Noelle's nemesis in high school where they kept pushing each other to be best. Paul begins telling Noelle about Kathleen and their romance, including showing her the map where Kat had planned out their honeymoon once they eloped. They never got the chance - her parents stepped in and forbid it - so Noelle decides she's going to take the journey herself. Paul joins her and Theo joins him so they set off for a two week tour of Yosemite, Vegas and surrounding areas. During the trip Noelle rekindles her passion for photography and her feelings for Theo.

It's a sweet romance. Noelle's trying to work through her grief but gets to learn more about her gran and gains Paul and Theo along the way. There's the 3rd act breakup because obviously Theo isn't opening up and didn't tell her that he was getting kicked out of the company he founded. But he's had a rough time growing up with his dad which is why he's so close with his grandfather. Mostly it's a reminder to go hug the people you love.

Marley's 38 and suddenly back in Culpepper, right back in her parents house and her old bedroom. Having been dumped and fired in quick succession things aren't going great. She'd left Culpepper at 18 with no intention of going back. Now her old high school nemesis (and the reason she's banned from homecomings) is living next door with Marley's ex and a swan.

When it seems like it can't get worse, her mum manages to get her a job covering for the sports coach (PE Teacher) which includes coaching the girls sports team over the summer. They're a band of misfits who haven't won so much as a coin toss, with a rough history. Marley eventually finds out their old coach dropped dead at a game and they need some TLC. But before she gets to that point she tries to kill them with drills in the summer heat. Mostly she nearly kills herself. Throwing up from heat stroke she's rescued by Jake Weston, boys running coach and history teacher. Ex-bad boy, tattooed and fit (of course). She and Jake had a moment under the bleachers a lifetime ago and whatever rumour gets started they're brought into the principals office and made to sign a relationship contract. So they agree to fake-date, Jake will teach Marley (‘Mars') how to teach and connect with the girls, Marley will teach Jake how to date and act in a long-term relationship (he's decided he wants to settle down).
I love Lucy Score books, I love small town romances, this ticked all my boxes. Jake was fine but to be honest the rags to riches story of the girls football team gave me all the feels. I think that was the real highlight of the book.

Having come from the TV show into the book I was disappoint that this was Eloise's story. The wit and banter is a bit part of the series' appeal and a big chunk of the middle of the book was Eloise sitting by herself not talking to anyone. It improved once her brother's arrived but out of the five books so far this was the hardest to read.

Just no. This was a buddy read and the last 100 pages were read purely to get it done. There was no pleasure.

There's a part where Camille is trying to save someone who's been badly injured and yet, despite the blood, gore and peril all she can think about is Lucy. The person she's had zero chemistry with throughout but she's so ignored that she sees indifference as a challenge? I'm still trying to figure out how and why that relationship developed. I didn't like any of the characters, and the ignorance got unbearable. If only she'd believed in werewolves and connected the dots sooner we could have saved ourselves 100 pages. And to think before we started I felt sad it was such a short book.

I'm sorry it's a brutal review but I felt this was genuinely painful read.

I wanted to love it, I've loved all of the author's previous books and based on The No Show and The Flat Share she's an auto-buy. This just sadly fell flat for me, it didn't have the twists that the No Show had, or the depth of characters from The Flat Share, or even the comic supporting characters from The Road Trip.

Izzy and Lucas work together but hate each other, which is a great premise (The Hating Game is one of my favourite books), but I think the setting killed it. They work in a struggling hotel where the employees are like family. I dislike that idea straight off, you don't fire family members and normally when an employer says “we're like family” it means they're going to take advantage. It touched on too many cliches and I struggled to warm to the characters. It's an ok book but it lacked the spark that other Beth O'Leary books have had.

Sadly not for me. I did this as a buddy read and that's the only reason I kept going.

I couldn't understand the relationship between the two main characters, there was nothing to explain their closeness or why they came to work together.

The author also frequently used popular phrases linked to TV shows and films. Within 30 pages I'd text my buddy reader to complain about a concept that had been lifted from Star Wars and the book was quoting Spock from Star Trek. In addition, the villains are Romans who use a drug, Opian, to control the population. There's too many references to real world things (or very similar terms to real world things) to stay engaged in the world the book attempts to create. The Romans have polluted their world and use science versus the Empires who use magic. It feel a bit preachy at times and the characters were just so hard to like or care about. The book ends with a cliff hanger setting it up for the sequel. I wish it luck and hope it does well but I won't be reading it.

I really struggled, I couldn't warm to Daphne at all. I finished it because I was hoping there might be a twist or gotcha moment and it would all come together and be worth it.

The book jumps between the present and Daphne's past dating history. There's no dates or timeframes so it is a bit bumpy going back and forth. Plus we know none of those relationships worked out so it didn't add a huge amount to the story line. I really struggled to understand how Daphne kept dating these really handsome, rich, successful men because it doesn't gel with my take on her. She seems very average (not in a negative way) and is finding herself in terms of her career and living in LA by herself but the flashbacks are just a string of handsome, successful, rich men. There's no quirky boyfriends or equally-struggling-to-get-established boyfriends, and no dates where he's just too odd and she slips out a back door.

There was a twist about half way through and that's probably the reason I read through to the end but unfortunately it's not a book I could recommend to others.

I was close to DNF-ing the book, it felt a bit preachy at times between the senior dog shelter and the mental health awareness. I couldn't buy into the characters, I got their issues and they were well handled but they lacked enough detail to make it convincing.

The story arc itself was pretty standard and overall it felt too long and slightly repetitive. The MMC was clearly written by a woman (granted, all the best are :D but this one felt like it was written by a woman).

I think because I'd seen so many Bookstagram posts I had higher expectations, and if I'd just picked the book off a shelf it would have been a 3* read.

This was my favourite of the series. Cassidy Tucker is the deputy sheriff and has been in love with Bowie Bodine her whole life. The summer she was 19 she thought they'd finally get together and get their happily ever after but Bowie told her he didn't think of her that way (after punching a summer-timer who was getting too frisky and having words with her dad the sheriff). I know the missing person case progressed but honestly I wasn't focused on that, I was too busy cheering Cassidy and Bowie on.

Leah Mae Larkin heads back to Bootleg Springs after a disastrous run on a reality tv show. As a model she was looking for her big break, but her agent/boyfriend got her onto the tv show and she's being portrayed as a home-wrecker. Bootleggers don't believe that though, especially not Jameson Bodine; the resident artist (metal work) and Leah Mae's best friend when she was a child growing up here.

It's a good story and follows on with the over-arching mystery of what happened to Callie.

It's one of my goals to read all of Lucy Score's books. They don't disappoint. Scarlett is the youngest Bodine sibling, the only girl and the one who found her dad dead in his bed a few weeks ago following a lifetime of drinking. Devlin is hiding out in his gran's house following his separation from his wife (she cheated) and looking to rebuild his political career when the dust settles (he punched the guy she was cheating with). Devlin's trying to enjoy the peaceful rural West Virginian town of Bootleg Springs but his neighbour's having a party. He goes over to complain and finds out his neighbour is Scarlett. He didn't stand a chance. Scarlett worked with her daddy and so is the town handywoman and starts to fix up Devlin's house whilst his gran and her partner are on holidays.
In addition to falling for her neighbour the feisty Scarlett has also been dropped in it by her 3 older brothers to clear out their dad's house. Their mum died in a car accident years ago. Whilst clearing out his bedroom she finds the red cardigan of Callie who went missing 12 years ago. Some people think she ran away, others think she's dead. Small towns love gossip.
This was close to perfect - small town America, murder mystery that spans the series, and all the Bodine brothers.

Raina Bloodgood is 24 and is planning on killing the Witch Collector - the man who rides into their villages every year to bring one witch away with him. He works for the Frost King and took her sister away 8 years ago. Raina lives with her mum but lacks the magic and witchcraft her sister had which is why she's never been selected.

She's making plans to kill Alexus Thibault, the witch collector, but that's put on hold when The Prince with No Name attacks their villages and destroys everything in their way. Raina and Alexus head off together to try and save the Frost King. There's lots of snapping and brooding as Alexus explains his back story and wins Raina over.

It's an ok story - the premise is different which is refreshing, the characters are interesting but a lot of the appeal comes from the tension between Raina and Alexus. It's a bit ye olde worlde in speech and style. I liked this one but ended up DNF-ing the 2nd book in the series.

I liked this. I like this a lot. Misery is a vampyre but she's had a horrible time of it - first her dad (head of the vampire council) sent her off as a child to be a 10-year collateral with the human, then he signed her up to marry Lowe Moreland to make peace with the werewolves.

She does it for her own reasons, her best friend, a human called Serena has disappeared and the only clue Misery could find is a ripped piece of paper with 'L. E. Moreland' on it - Lowe must be involved. Turns out Lowe's kid half-sister takes a shine to Misery when she's stuck in the were complex and Misery tries to save the kid sister. Turns out Serena, like Ana, is a human-were hybrid. Serena was kidnapped by the vampires and kept hostage for months whilst Misery cracked the case.

In the meantime we learnt more about Vampyres and Werewolves and their physiology, shrug every day's a learning day.

Rosie and her sister Bree go to the spa for a day to celebrate Bree's promotion. Rosie gets stuck in a sensory deprevation chamber that hasn't been set up properly and begins to panic. Leo is part of the fire crew called to rescue her and he sits with Rosie chatting to her to keep her calm as they work to figure out how to free her. It's a sweet story and it's Sally Thorne - there's more feels in 40 pages than some 300 page books.

I was hoping for great things, after The Dead Romantics I was so geared up to read this book and it fell short. I know it was short, I know it's a cutsey-theme valentines series but it was a little sparse and I just didn't get it. Audrey Love is the girl before the girl - her ex's all go on to find the one after dating her. She's Best Man at her best friend Rhett's wedding, the Maid of Honour is Theo who she hates. Rhett goes missing on the day of, Audrey thinks she kissed him the night before and now he's run off. But she was blinding drunk so can't be sure. Theo drags her drunk ass round the town trying to find Rhett until they realise Rhett and his bride have gone off and eloped together and Audrey actually kissed Theo. Wasn't feeling it but it was only 43 pages.