Amanda
Love this one - I really like Phoebe as the lead character. I kind of want to go back and reread [b:Devil in Winter 114166 Devil in Winter (Wallflowers, #3) Lisa Kleypas https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309220205s/114166.jpg 1823830] and [b:Devil in Spring 30179647 Devil in Spring (The Ravenels, #3) Lisa Kleypas https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1467895208s/30179647.jpg 50618062] now, because I like these families so much.
Really interesting look at women's gymnastics and how its new scoring system (along with other things like the end of the Cold War) has brought about changes. Probably not anything revolutionary if you watch gymnastics regularly, but as a four-year fan, I learned a lot. The chapters on Simone Biles, the 2000 American team, and college gymnastics were particularly interesting.
Really enjoyed this, especially the heroine. The conflict was wrapped up a little too easily at the end for me (with no resolution except “oh, that won't be a problem”), and the language in the sex scenes was over-the-top purple and got distracting. I'd have liked a little bit more follow-up about Jonathan once he's found and his recovery, too. I did like that Eleanor wasn't a virgin and it was not a big deal at all, and that the book didn't end with her pregnant and no longer working. Overall, though, fun and a solid four stars.
This took a little while to get started for me and never really came to life in the same way that the first book in the series did. I liked the MC but the hero was pretty meh. Not a bad read at all, nothing that really took me out of the book or anything, but not as much fun as the first. (Also, I came back to add this: I usually don't care a ton about historical accuracy in my historicals, but Regency heroines talking about “privilege” in a way you'd find on Tumblr c. 2015 is just really distracting.)
Probably three and a half stars, rounding up because this was just so fun. First of all, the plot of this book is absolutely ridiculous (mostly in a good way), so if you like a lot of realism in your historicals, this may not be for you. I kind of want to do a Stefan from SNL here: this book has everything! Dead noblemen tied to beds, pirate ships, runaway heiresses, debauched auctioneers ... anyway. Just roll with the plot, and you'll have a good time. I loved the MC and her backstory, and I also loved that it wasn't used to create a lot of needless angst or drama - both the main characters were refreshingly angst-free. The supporting cast was a little light, which surprised me, especially since I think this is the first in a series and I was expecting a bit more setup work for the next book. That's not really a complaint, because too much focus on side characters can also be distracting, more like a note. This book is a lot of fun as long as you can suspend your disbelief about most of the plot. I definitely recommend it!
Random notes: 1) the narrator's Southern accent on the audiobook was a little distracting at times and I don't know why - it's accurate to the character, but it definitely made it jarring every time she said “you guys” instead of “y'all.”
2) maybe I'm cynical, but everything seems to work out awfully neatly at the end? I know the author's note at the end said she made some things easier intentionally (surgery, passing, hormones, etc) but how everyone was basically okay with Amanda at the end of the story was nice, but I wish I believed it would be that easy in the rural South in 2016.
3) I also didn't love how one of the villains of the story is a vindictive spurned bisexual?
4) I loved the writing of Amanda's parents and their struggle to adjust. All those relationships were really interesting and well-done, I thought. Some of the minor characters were flatter than I'd like, though.
5) I also really liked the structure of the book, with the slow reveals/flashbacks.
I don't know - I didn't love this, but I thought it was pretty well-done and worth reading/listening to. I was definitely engaged in the story and cheering for Amanda, all these nitpicky points aside. Well worth your time.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #12 Read a book by or about a person that identifies as transgender)
This was fascinating, but also a bit of a slog - not because it was badly-written or boring or anything, just because it's 800+ pages (or 36+ hours, for the audiobook version). I definitely learned a ton about Alexander Hamilton and the Revolutionary era (and the transition from that to a functioning democracy), stuff I hadn't thought about since AP US History, probably. Would I have picked it up without the musical Hamilton? Probably not, but I'm glad I did. And I want a biography of Angelica Schuyler Church now, please. Audiobook is recommended - the reader is excellent and engaging, and seems to dislike Jefferson a lot, which is amusing.
(Grandfathered into my Year of No Men, because I started it before 1/1/16.)
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #6 Read a biography (not memoir or autobiography) and #10 Read a book over 500 pages long)
This is another book I probably wouldn't have come across if not for the Bookriot challenge, since I read a lot of YA but not much middle grade. Like a lot of the other reviews say, this is one to listen to instead of read - a lot of the book focuses on the power of music, and being able to hear the music the characters are playing and reacting to makes a big difference than just reading the descriptions. I wasn't super-interested in the fairy tale-ish framing device, and some of the writing came off a little bit after-school-special, but each of the stories were interesting, and I found myself getting caught up in the plots and pleasantly surprised by how they all came together at the end.
(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #5 Read a middle grade novel, and #9 Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award)
Glad I persisted with this series after not loving The Duke and I, because this was pretty delightful. I loved the MC, though I would've liked more development of the relationship between her and Edwina (and I was kind of hoping there would be an Edwina book, but looks like no such luck). There wasn't anything earth-shattering or unexpected here, but there's nothing wrong with an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
More like 3.5 stars, not quite as good as the first one in the series for me, but still worth reading. I love Rock (not least because I kept picturing him as Dwayne Johnson in my head). I just like the society drama a bit more than the rural stuff.
Interesting, but nothing earth-shattering. Fun for the light gossip it provides - Nancy Reagan seems like a nightmare to work for - though there aren't any big revelations here, unless you were somehow unaware that JFK cheated a lot. Got a little bit repetitive, as it focused on topics (e.g. “being a child in the White House”) instead of going in chronological order or anything. Still, a fun and pretty quick read - recommended if you like Downton Abbey or other behind-the-scenes stuff.
I really liked Colin in the earlier Bridgerton books, so it's a little disappointing that I found his book in the series a little bit of a letdown. I enjoyed it until the big drama about the last Whistledown paper and Colin's reaction, which seemed to really come out of nowhere, as did his writing ambitions. Other than the plot taking longer than it really needed to wrap up, this was pretty enjoyable and I really loved the heroine.
Fascinating, as a sort of second-wave feminist version of Fight Club. The most compelling plotline to me was Plum's transformation from someone who was waiting for her life to begin into someone who made her life into what she wanted. All the Jennifer stuff was interesting but never quite intersected with Plum as much as I'd like, and it was a little hard to tell what the narrative thought of Jennifer - is it satire or wish-fulfillment? (Though, of course it could be both, and of course the narrative ambiguity may be intentional.) I love how completely this book centers women and their perspectives as well; I didn't realize until writing this review that there are essentially no male characters of note, and certainly no romance plot.
I don't know. Not really all that relevatory - is anyone shocked that there's a “wedding industry” or that companies try to make money off of major life events? This is pretty obviously a pre-crash history as well; I'd like to see something about the rise of the DIY Pinterest wedding. The most directly relevant part was the epilogue, when she actually talked to real brides about why they did things and what weddings meant to them. I'm not a Bridezilla (good takedown of that term, btw), but I'm not a sheep, either, and I don't know that this book gives people enough credit for making their own choices.
(Disclaimer: the author is a friend.) This book was such a great read - I loved all the characters and wanted more when it ended! I love when both characters need to grow and change to get to the happily-ever-after, and it's not about one person being entirely right or totally wrong. This had that and it was so satisfying to watch these two great characters work their way toward each other. Love love love.
Yeah, I didn't like this, but I really wanted to, which seems to be my usual reaction to Sarah MacLean books these days, sigh. I did like the dogs and some of the supporting cast - mostly the Talbot sisters and the dressmaker. The book really seemed to come to life when Sesily was around, and I found myself wishing it was about her instead of Lily, who really came across as a drip without a lot of personality for a good portion of the book. I could've done without all the cameos from the various other heroes, though - even the ones from the books I've read I didn't feel any burning need to see again. And my god, the plot got so damn repetitive! "I want her but I'm garbage and not good enough, but I won't tell her or the reader why!" Repeat at least twice, and then once more after the reveal of the hero's big secret, which was such an eye-roller for me. Alec is just kind of an awful character all the way around, honestly - his only personality traits are being big and tall, being Scottish, and being insanely jealous. While I don't much care for writing out Scottish dialect, it was so inconsistently done here and I wish she'd picked one or the other - either write it out all the time or not at all. And he's just wandering around London in a kilt? Sure. Seems legit. Also, why does every damn historical romance have to end with a baby or a pregnancy announcement? Especially when people have been married like two minutes.
I'm not sure why I finished this, honestly. I probably should've given up halfway in. This book should've been about Sesily, since she's the only character I enjoyed reading about. Well, her and Stanhope.
(This has nothing to do with the book, but ugh, Goodreads, could you make it more annoying to switch editions? Or tell people when they've added duplicates? Or something?)Books like these are the reason Tessa Dare is on my auto-read list. This was so much fun, hilarious and still heartfelt - probably better if you've read the first two in the series, since all of those characters make appearances, even including the two proto-goth wards from [b:The Governess Game 36111620 The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke, #2) Tessa Dare https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517431977l/36111620.SY75.jpg 57700166] (delightfully). It's four stars because of the somewhat rushed pacing at the end, but that aside, this was exactly what I expect from Tessa Dare, and she delivered wonderfully.
I think Sarah is my favorite MC of this series - loved her and the chemistry with Jake!
This was a slow starter for me (like most contemporaries seem to be, for some reason), but once it got going, I was all in. Loved the MC and the side characters, who all felt realistic and well-drawn, even if they didn't get a lot of time - particular favorites are Sadia and Aunt Maile. Effortlessly diverse with a truly compelling plot. Loved the representation of mental illness/depression. I'm stopping by the library today to get the next book in this series, and I'm probably gonna try to read Rai's back catalog after that. I'm not a huge contemporary reader but this is a standout. And, um, not for nothing, but this book had some of the best sex scenes I've read - especially the first one, goddamn.
3.5 stars, rounding up. The main plotline here suffers a little bit from “last book in the series” syndrome and the need to tie up every loose end or answer every question from the earlier two books. When it focused on the two main characters, though, I really loved this - in particular the whole "stranded in a remote cabin with no one else" trope, which I was impressed Rai managed to squeeze in here. Also, the sexy Monopoly. All in all, this was a little overstuffed but still really enjoyable. I'm probably going to add Rai's backlist to my TBR shelf and get to it in approximately 2027.
(Goodreads messed up the dates I was reading this, but whatever.) This book is delightful and so much fun to read. I loved Sofia and her family and friends were all such great, individual characters. The pacing seemed a little off, with a whole lot of plot crammed into the last 20% or so of the book, but that's my only real complaint. I really enjoyed reading this and learning about a world I'm not familiar with. This would be a great movie.
(4.5 stars, rounding up.) It's still rarer than it should be to read a book that gets fandom culture in the Tumblr age right, but this one does and it really informs the entire book, from the characters down to the story. I haven't been in a boy band fandom, but I've definitely been in fandom and felt like I couldn't explain my “internet friends” or what I was doing online till 2:00 am to my family or “normal” friends. I don't know if you need that background to enjoy this book, but as someone who's been there and is still on Tumblr to this day, it's really nice to see an author get modern fandom.
On to the book - Grace is something of a passive character (and/or in her own head) for a lot of the book, so if that bothers you, this may not be your cup of tea. I really liked how the book explored the end of high school and gradually growing apart from your old friends but still wanting to keep those connections, even though you're not in the same place anymore. Some of the boy-band characters were a little vaguely sketched, but you may get more from them if you're fluent in One Direction (which I'm not, though I could still tell who most of the Fever Dream guys were analogues for). All in all, this is an excellent wish-fulfillment/coming-of-age YA novel and I devoured it in less than a day. After I finished, I flipped through and reread a bit, because yes. This book.
One spoilery thing, though: Grace, girl. Put a passcode or thumbprint lock on your phone, especially if you're at the center of a fandom scandal!
Good non-judgmental and non-panic-inducing advice and guidance through pregnancy. Read this and Expecting Better instead of What to Expect.