shreya

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I freakin' LOVED this book. I devoured it. I read this so fast it's not even funny.

I really liked the fmc. I didn't find her annoying, which is always a plus, and I like that she was confident in herself and her abilities as a chef.

I FREAKING LOVED the mmc, James.
“Is he trying to make me fall in love with him? Because he's one more crepe and book adventure away from it, and he doesn't even know it.”

I'll be honest, I still don't understand why he didn't like her initially, BUT their banter was fun; seeing them slowly start to trust and like each other (as friends) was super enjoyable. I loved seeing all the tiny gestures he would do for her.

“So, you want to keep me?” “Are you kidding? I've wanted nothing more. I want you so badly I'd eat the terrible cruise food for the rest of my life if it meant you'd be sitting next to me.”

Both of them together were actually so cute. like I loved their relationship and that it wasn't insta-love.
AND here's the best part (I could totally be wrong, or it wasn't big enough to notice), BUT THERE WAS NO THIRD ACT BREAK-UP? As far as I remember, there wasn't one, and I LOVED that.
Even the cooking parts of this book were super fun to just read about.

I really, really enjoyed this book; I definitely think you should read this.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5

okay, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!

I was immediately hooked. I loved the way the book was written and how it didn't stall and take forever to get into the plot.

I freakin' loved Logan and Coco. From their first scene together, I could immediately sense the chemistry. Their banter was absolutely giggle-worthy. I read this book while I was at work, and lemme tell you, it was so hard not to physically laugh out loud and not get caught smiling at my screen like a doof.

Here's a line with absolutely no context because ARGH

“I won't lie; it's kind of nice. Yes, she's unconscious, so that's not ideal. But still. Nice.”

okay, it sounds creepy with no context, but read it, and it'll make sense, I promise.

minor spoilers?
(they're not big spoilers, but if you wanna go in blind then just stop reading here<3)

Now, let me get to why I docked off a half point. The conflict. That was just not it for me.
If I'm being honest, it was barely a conflict. It lasted all of two chapters, maybe. But I mean, I guess it was entertaining to wish I could just yell at these two for being stupid.
I understand where the conflict came from, but it was way too quick; I got whiplash. Maybe if it'd had been like they actually had a conversation about it rather than her just stomping away and making assumptions, I would've liked it more. I don't know. not my favourite part of the book, but still fine.
totally worth it for the rest of the book.
I also wish we got to see more of Coco and her ice skating. I mean, I get that she's incapacitated in the book, which is basically the whole premise, but it still would've been nice.

my favourite parts:
-Chapter 34 was the best part of this entire book. LIKE AHHHHHHHHHHH.
-the necklace
-Poppy, I wish we saw more of her. She slayed.
-the gifts!! especially the puppies.
- Logan. he was just an absolute golden retriever.
“That one was for you.”

Overall, I loved it. definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso book tours for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb for this book was so appealing, which is why I requested this arc in the first place. Unfortunately, this was a big miss for me.

I'm not exactly sure what went wrong with this book for me; I just know I was super bored and confused a lot of the time.

The pacing of the book was very off, and even the writing was a bit confusing. I couldn't tell who was actually speaking a lot of the time, so I had to re-read a couple of paragraphs.

Now to the main characters. I was truly confused by their relationship. One second they're the bestest friends, and the next, they're kissing. Then they don't see each other and try to get over their “awkward moment”, then they're going on dates, then they're kissing. It just felt like I was being tossed around for no real reason. There were just a bunch of filler scenes, I guess that just didn't contribute to the story in any way.

The ending. It was cute but like why? It was so fast. Like they were barely together throughout the entire book. they kept saying how they've known each other for so long, but as a reader, I didn't feel that.

Overall, it could've been good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate Callaghan for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

So this was a super fast-paced and quick and easy read. I ate this up in a day. This book was in the third person, which is not my favourite but it was pretty okay to read; I didn't mind it that much. However, the use of exclamation points was a tad bit excessive. I'm not sure if it was the third-person writing or not, but sometimes the thoughts in the characters' heads just annoyed me. I can't pinpoint a particular reason it was probably the writing, I wish it was first person , but I did skim through some of their thoughts a lot.

I really like how Autumn's story was told. I liked that we got to see how she deals with her trauma from the past and kind of learns to live with it. please please check trigger warnings before you read.

I also LOVED Elijah. He was adorable. I liked the cutesy little things he would do for her.
“Oh, she's beautiful, but hostile as hell.”

i did actually love the banter and the pranks. I caught myself smiling at the dynamic of the two; it was pretty darn cute.

“Hating him was a lot less complicated.”

This is marketed as enemies to lovers, but it's more of just a bad first impression, forced proximity, girl is grumpy, girl is used to being alone, guy is adorable, guy has dog, etc, etc.

“The only tension between us is frustration.”

Overall, definitely enjoyed it; it was a fun read. The whole stalker-y aspect of it was interesting as well. I was making guesses and definitely suspicious of everyone (lol) so I was definitely interested throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso book tours for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5/5

So, I really did not like this book. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. It was fine okay.

I was really excited because the blurb made this book sound so cool. Like Book Bar versus Sports Bar?? Um yeah???
Unfortunately, this book did not deliver.

I couldn't get myself to care for the main characters as a couple. I liked the FMC; she was tolerable. The MMC was so bland? All he did was complain and drown in his sorrow of “my parents don't listen to me, I hate my life”
Also, I just want to add Chuck truly did not do anything for his own business at all. Like I can tell he's smart and a good businessman when he said a few things to Isadora about her business, but he didn't use any of that for himself. Like, I get that his bar wasn't his, but it was his dad's, but he could've still done literally anything other than sit in his office. towards the end, he did help Isadora with hers, but I just thought it was so weird. He really annoyed me sometimes with all the complaining. His thoughts just pissed me off sometimes a lot

Now, between the two, I just did not feel the chemistry. They both talked so much about their exes that it got hard to root for them as a couple. They were also super childish. Like the pranks were stupid, and it just kept getting out of hand. Out of hand in the sense that they could've done things that were much funnier without literally jeopardizing each other's businesses. It basically felt like two teenagers taking the pranks so far just to one-up the other without caring about who gets hurt in the process.

They also just randomly started liking each other. like, I was super confused when their thoughts would just shift from hate to love. like did I miss a chapter? or ten

Also, the whole other side plot of the Eva character was just so weird. like what purpose did it serve exactly?

Overall, it was a super quick read, which is why I finished it, but it's definitely not my favourite of any sort.

Chuck's cat, Betty, was the highlight of this entire book.

thank you to NetGalley and Briar Boleyn for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review

verryyyyy strong 3.5 stars.

I am a very heavy romance reader. I love fantasy too, but if it doesn't have romance, I tend to get bored quite easily unless the fantasy plot is EXTREMELY interesting.

The plot definitely picked up after about the 60% mark. It was a pretty quick read and i did enjoy it a lot. the only thing missing for me was the romance. i understand that it is all building for the later books, but i would've liked a bit of development with the two main characters.

Other than that, i did enjoy the book. It was a lot of world-building, so it did take a bit of brain power, which is why i give this a 3.5
I did enjoy the writing style, though. i wish it was dual pov cuz that would've made it so much better.

also, the ending???????????

3.75/5

thank you to booksirens and Paris Wynters for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review

I really did enjoy this book. it was a fast read, it was super cute, and i thought the main characters had good chemistry. there were a few plot holes that could've been done better, and i wish the story flowed a bit nicer at some parts. but other than that i had a good time. it was a fun and enjoyable read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2.75/5

3.75/5

4.5/5

4.75/5

3.75/5