Asia
3/5
My first Tessa Bailey book and tbh I'm disappointed. I had such high hopes! Unfortunately I didn't like it much, though it wasn't awful.
Stella went through a lot and I'm glad she's stronger now but she can be so naive. I loved Aiden in the first 50% but in the second half he was being annoying.
The first half was so cute! I loved them picking out gifts for the other , that was fun.
I can't get over the egg scene. Come on, dude! CLEAN TOUR LEG! And matching robes at the party? Seriously? Couldn't she wait till morning and go in a normal dress? Ugh
I've never watched Ted Lasso though i know what he looks like so ngl I was imagining him every time Aiden was there lmao.
I didn't enjoy the ending. How come he can ignore his fmaily and don't have a relationshipnwith her but Stella does? And he'd been sending them her window dispays? Come on! Such a breach of privacy tbh! IF her larents wanted Stella in their life they would have reached out. It was not Aiden's job to do it and convince Stella to meet them. At all.
All in all, I didn't have it but I didn't love it either.
4.75/5
HEY WERE MARRIED THIS WHOLE TIME?
When I tell you my jaw dropped Oh my god I had to take a walk after that revelation. I love it.
Okay, first things first. this is the FIRST EVER book with demisexual representation I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT AND I NEED MORE BOOKS WITH THAT SEXUALITY, THANKS.
Second, Levi “my wife” Matthews was DELIGHTFUL. I love him. Cass treated him horribly and my poor guy suffered because of it. I want to hug him and let him know everything will be better soon. HE IS PRECIOUS OH MY GOD. THE WAY HE LOVED HANNAH WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND TRAGIC AND HOPEFUL AND OH MY GOD HE'S SO OBSESSED WITH HER STILL I LOVED IT.
Hannah was amazing too. I loved her character development and that she gave them a chance even while preparing for the worst.
While sometimes I have issues with second-chance romance, this one felt real. The pain? The growth? The distrust, hurt, and resentment, turning into trust, joy and love? The hope that they both had? Oh my god, I'm emotional. it was so beautiful and raw I will definitely think about this book for a long time.
The writing of this book was so much better than the previous one. I loved it. The author definitely grew into writing and became more comfortable with it and you can feel how much she loves her characters. I loved this book so much.
Levi and Hannah's relationship was beautiful and I'm still crying. I loved it and I hope they will be very happy together and have many kids which they both clearly want. The only thing I'm slightly disappointed by was the lack of Levi talking to his younger sister. I hoped we'd get this scene but we didn't. It doesn't affect this book in any any, I just wish it was slightly longer.
4.5/5 IT WAS SO GOOD!!
Okay, I LOVE this book and I have to read the second one immediately. It's amazing.
Both Miriam and Noelle are well-rounded characters with tragic backstories and trauma. They are both scared at the beginning and both of their character development is beautiful. I love how much they grow and learn.
Hannah was AMAZING, I can't wait to read her book and I'm very curious about Levi. Also, Mr and Mrs. Matthews were amazing and I love them. But the person who stole the show for me was Cole. Awesome, I love him so much, more than Miriam and Noelle lmao. I hope his book will be written soon.
In terms of writing, I've got a few issues here. Some choices of words were just wrong, for example, one character says “I resemble that remark” instead of “I resent that remark” and it was an ongoing problem. And there were too many “she” and “her” instead of the name given which confused me when two women were speaking only and I had to figure out who was it about. The book needed more editing, for sure. The book felt dragged on at times while not fleshed out in other places. But all in all, I enjoyed this book. I can't tell if all of the information about Judaism was correct, I can't judge that that's not my place - but I enjoyed learning about the religion and traditions.
the only good characters were grandma and the mailman. the main couple annoyed me and theeir letters were mostly cringy. What self-respecting adult in their late 20s/early 30s, writes “winces” in an actual letter to the stranger? COme on.
also, if my ex showed up at my house wihout asking to stay and started actinc as though he belonged there (even if he was the one who got away) without any apology i would have kicked him out immediately
Thank you so much for the ARC.
5/5
This is the first book of over 50 that i read this year, that i'm giving full marks. loved it. I was laughing, crying, giggling and smiling throughout the whole book.
I love enemies to lovers AND fake dating tropes and combined they make absolutely explosive mixture I adore. Something about the person seeing you absolutely at your worst and still agreeing to be your fake partner and PROTECTING you and being by your side no matter what is my favourite.
Hazel and Rory. Not only they knew one another from high school, they spent a lot of time together as Hazel used to tutor Rory as well for 2 years. They aren't strangers who are thrown together because their best friends/family members are getting married, like so many romance authors make of their nain couple. They have a common past instead something to link them, a foundation to their relationship. They don't start from scratch even if it seems that way - they continue moving forward, as a team this time around. And that's what I love about this series, the main couple knows each other from before and it makes the relationship more realistic and believeable.
Hazel and Rory used to know one another from high school, when Hazel would tutor Rory for a few years while she tried to get ahead to go to collegge with her then boyfriend, Connor. Rory has had a crush on Hazel for years, waiting for her, and when they finally reunite years later - Rory doesn't seek out other women anymore. For him, it's always been Hazel.
Hazel on the other hand HATES Rory. She has preconceived notions about him that she sticks to and is genuinely surprised when he doesn't act like she expects him to. On the surface, he's quite similar to her ex boyfriend, but when she gets to know him better, she realized that they couldn't be more different. Rory cares. Rory tries. He's got a baggage of his own but he's trying to get rid of it and Hazel helps. And she soon learns that there's the other side to Rory she's never knew, one she secretly adores. And when she does, she doesn't want to run anymore.
I loved the themes in the book, self-love and body issues and how evrrybody is worth love no matter what. And how what people tell you can cut you deeply and you carry it with you for years, but you can learn to heal.
I LOVED the book so much. It was better than the first one and Behind the Net was already my favourite book I've read this year - and The Fake Out kicked it's arse. The plot and spice were so much better for me and I loved every single chapter and every single word. Rory and Hazel's relationship, their progress and character development were beautiful. I LOVED that Rory called Hazel his “fire-breathing dragon” and got her a figurine (and for him to match!). The lingerie, sexting, flirting, everything was cheff's kiss. When he called her “mine” and defended her from her ex, I swooned and melted. The spice was so good I could barely breathe, each spice scene was so hot!!!!!
One of the most memorbale scenes for me was Hazel meeting Rick and letting him know he screwed up. I loved how protective she was of him, and she was not afraid to confront his father, just to let Rory know he was loved.
I love a rich guy obsessed, and boy, did this book deliver. I LOVED it. It's definitely my favourite book of the year and I plan to reread it soon!
Also, can I just say (spoiler alert), the engagement scene was so cute andI LOVED that Hazel knew about it brcause she found the ring!! I think it's the first time I've ever read that the girl knew it was coming and wasn't surprised at all. I ADORED it.
And I love that, while they strted this whole charade to get back at Connor and to improve Rory's reputation as the captain, it soon stopped matter altogether. Hazel was happy to be with Rory regardless of if anyone saw them, and Rory wished it was real and not pretend. And I am so thankful that there wasn't a third-act breakup. I hate them, and so to see that my favourite couple gets to be happy and together without an unnecessary drama was a relief. I LOVED that they could be happy and in love and HE WAS WAITING FOR HER TO TO SAY IT BACK WITHOUT RUSHING HER OR PUSHING HER I AM COMPLETLEY IN LOVE IN THE BOOK AND WRITING AND THE STORY, THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK
2/5
I really don't have any luck with books inspired by Taylor Swift, sadly. I hated the writing, it felt stilted and superficial. All of the characters were two-dimensional, the plot was boring, and the Taylor Swift references were cheap and didn't add to the plot at all. There were way too many chapters, some of them only a page or two pages long that added NOTHING new to the plot whatsoever. The plot itself was weak and boring.
The author tried to write about some hard topics like cancer, rape, or Parkinson's disease, but none of them were handled well and it felt like they were only there for drama.
The conflict and relationship between the main characters were weak, which is a shame because ‘tis the damn season is one of my favourite songs from evermore. And I've read fanfictions based on this song with a stronger plot and much better writing than whatever this book was. I'm disappointed. Time to stop getting recommendations from tiktok.
4.75/5
That was delightful!!! I was waiting for Graham's story for so long and here it is, even better than I hoped!
Kuni is AMAZING. I love her. Her character development is awesome AND SHE USED THE BOAT TO GET BACK TO GRAHAM DESPITE HER FEAR OF WATER!!
I Love the love story between Graham and Kuni. They're both so similar and yet so different, they fit well with each other. I LOVED how obsessed Graham is and SHE ACCEPTED HIS ‘POETRY' AND MADE HER OWN!!!
The dramatic return at the end was amazing and I'm glad that theyvre happy. I loved Kuni's relationship with Wynchesters too, who immediateky accepted her as she is, unlike her own brothers. I can't wait to see morw of them in the future books too!
3.75/5
I liked it, though I was completely taken aback by the ending and how easy it was for Phillipa to get what she wanted, given her mother's past actions.
I loved Phiillpa and Tommy and I liked learning more about them. Phillipa joining Wynchesters on their adventure was awesome and I'm glad she got to have a little fun.
Tommy as the Baron was amazing, I loved her. And I LOVE a fake dating/fake courting trope, it was very well done here, though I wish that the disguise wasn't necessary for them to be dating.
3/5
I like Penvale, I liked him since the moment we met him actually. I'm glad he's got his own book, though I'm quite disappointed. The story felt rushed especially, that unlike other books that take place in the span of a fortnight, this book takes place in the span of 4 months and it feels rushed. Especially the first days o the marriage when they were content not to see each other at all for hours.
While I like Penvale, Jane was annoying. This estate was his childhood home, the one he'd dreamed about and missed since he was 10 years old, working for decades to be able to afford to buy it back - and even knowing that, she had no qualms about continuing with haunting just to drive him away. I get that she loved this house too - but she lived there for all of 3 years and had no right to it, despite her wishes. it was HIS childhood home. The one he grew up in with his family. The one that was not only sentimental for him but was also rightfully his. She had no right to drive him away from his house. Just because she was a Viscountess now, this house meant more to Penvale than it did to her and she knew that and still continued with her stupid plan.
And the staff helping her? If I were Penvale, I'd fire every single one (perhaps except for Crowe) and hire new ones. Wonder what would Jane do then, being responsible for everyone losing their jobs? And especially the housekeeper, who was she to continue with hunting, especially during the diner party? She didn't think he would leave thinking it was Jane still? Ha, I don't believe that, she knew exactly what she was doing. She didn't deserve to keep her job tbh, she was pissing me off as did Jane.
Penvale deserved better
4.5/5
I'm only disappointed about the fact that they didn't sleep together until 70% of the book. For a book that is marketed as “Character A and Character decide to sleep together”, only ONE sex scene in 70% mark and a few kisses before is quite disappointing. I was expecting much more about that.
The author is lucky that the characters were engaging and well-written and I was enjoying their banter way too much. Loved the book but I'm disappointed - the whole premise of the book is that Jeremy wants to know if he's skilled at sex and wants Diana's opinion - and they only kiss, he tries to touch her ONCE at 58% and they don't sleep until 70% of the book. Come on, we need them to shag more with that premise!
Loved Diana and I relate to her philosophy of starting her day at noon and doing nothing requiring effort. Amazing. True inspiration. Jeremy was so obliviously in love with her since the beginning, I LOVED that.
JfC I haven't read about this level of delusion yet. The ending??? Like I knew he would be the villain, duh, but he was even more cold-blooded than I expected at the end.
Lucy was amazing. I believe in her survival but I HATE open endings lmao.
Pure as Snow? Ha! In his delusions!
What I'm more interested in is how did Snow's cousin end up helping Katniss in the rebellion? Nothing suggested that she wpuld betray him all those years later. Maybe she was jusy horrified how much he changed?
Honestly, this book was only written because Suzanne wanted to get more money.
The book was boring and throughout this whole book I wished I was finished with it already. Not excited for the movie though there are some things that put the hunger games trilogy in different light. Especially the Hanging Tree. Amazing.
4.5/5
That was delightful. I LOVED this story and the schemes Violet and James were up to to vex their spouse. I felt for Violet, poor thing TAKING ALL THIS WAY to Kent only to see James alive and annoyed that she learned about his accident? I'm petty and I'd probably take revenge too.
Now, hiring an actor might be a bit much, but it was hilarious. I loved James's reaction to learning his wife was sick, when he thought it to be genuine - and then his realization and reaction when he learned it was all a ruse. Amazing.
I wouldn't have Violet's grace when James flirted with Sophie in front of her - I would hysterically cry instead, but I LOVED how calm Violet was and her lecture the next morning. And when Sophie started making James uncomfortable? Hysterical. I loved it.
The only critique I have is this: we didn't learn what the argument was about until 60% of the book. Around 45% we only learn that Violet has allegedly betrayed James, with no details whatsoever - and only at 60% we learn the whole story. I was annoyed a bit by that, I was hoping for a quicker reveal. It was too dragged out, especially, since their closest friends never learned at this point - no, that was revealed to a stranger. Come on.
Also, Jeremy's role in this whole thing and James's reaction. He needed the barest excuse not to trust Violet and he destroyed the marriage. But he learned how Jeremy was involved and... Nothing? Not even an argument? Not a raised voice? Seriously? He treated Violet like shit for the past 4 years when Jeremy was more responsible than Violet ever was? Come on! I get that people changed and they both matured, but seriously, at least give me one argument between them. So what Violet was though could be at least a little justifiable.
That's the only reason it's not 5 stars for me. The book was great, the story amazing, and I loved James's grovel and action to fix his mistakes. And I loved that despite everything, he was still in love with his wife, to the point where he always came home and hated sleeping in the countryside when she wasn't there with him! It was sweet!
4/5
I really enjoyed this book. I LOVE regency romance and spy romance is always exciting, but to combine them? Amazing.
I felt for Sophia throughout the book with her struggles, but I'd love to flesh out her backstory more. For example, we never learned about her brother, nor did we have a glimpse about him AT ALL until Sophia told Adrian his story. It was hard to connect to that and while this explains why she has such trouble trusting Adrian, it was hard to actually believe it. Nothing before that suggested that she even had a brother, so to hear about his murder was hard for me to believe why would it shake Sophia so much since it was the first time we heard about it at all.
I'd also love more backstory about Adrian and his father instead of focusing on his father's betrayal so much, I'd love to hear more about it before. And ngl, it was hard to believe that a 3-year-old child would be able to remember everything with such details into his adulthood. His parents would have fought constantly so really, that was the memory he remembers all this time? As a 3-year-old? Just say he was 6 and it's instantly more believable. NOTHING would change about the story if Adrian was a little bit older at the time.
I'm nitpicking because those two are the only things I have issues with I think? More fleshed-out backstory for both of them, including keeping up their identity from each other. What did Adrian think when Sophia was out of his house for days at the time? I don't believe he was always sent on a mission at the exact same time as her - after all we know that Adrian's excuse was to go to the club for a few hours when Sophia was home, but what about the times when their mission took them days to complete? I would LOVE to know more about their life before they lost their jobs and they learned the truth about each other.
3.5/5
I enjoyed it! I like all the Wynchesters so far, yes, especially Chloe and I loved this little story of them saving the orphans. I love how close the siblings are and how much they care for each other.
Oh, bean made me cry, I loved him too! I hoped he would get better.
I can't wait to read Chloe's story with the Duke. hell yeah! The fact that she's so invisible he can't even see her? Kind of hilarious and kind of relatable. I'm sure something will happen that he WILL remember her lmao.
That was bad. It started cute with her quitting, but where was the promised groveling? Because he apologized, made a deal with her, and that was it until the very end. Are you kidding me? If you promise a grovel, I expect a grovel during the entire book, not during the maybe 3 chapters in the entire book. A grovel is a grovel and it takes time.
Also, the book was badly written. What the hell does the sentence “Lucy narrows her eyes and her pupils grow wide” even mean? You do realize it's physically impossible, right? And it wasn't the only time I was shaking my head at the stupidity I read.
The entire love confession at the end was making me cringe because all throughout the scene all I could think of was: They are live on Instagram. It's not cute or whimsy or nice. It's awkward and humiliating, honestly. Just full stop. And the poor guy standing next to them - just no.
And WHAT THE FUCK WAS WITH THAT PROPOSAL AT THE END? Really? He proposes via COMPUTER?? The dude literally said he couldn't log in and when she clicked recover password the marriage proposal was there?? And when she types yes that was the answer?? Are you kidding me?? Who finds that cute or romantic?? Absolutely not.
The ONLY good thing about this book and the only reason I even gave it 2 stars instead of 1 is the loveliest description of brown eyes I've ever seen. THAT was hot. THAT was romantic. THAT was wholesome. Not cringy hashtags Lucy used to describe herself or the way she got sick and he rubbed her back because what was even the point? It didn't lead anywhere, it didn't give him the realization that he wanted to take care of her for the rest of his life, or that he would choose to be there with her even while she was sick. There was none of that. And it was only one scene that didn't really move the plot forward.
Honestly, the only good thing was this:
“I'm not finished.” I press a finger to her lips. I won't sit here and listen to her talk about herself in such disparaging terms. Not when I see her so completely. This trip has been a pain in the ass in more ways than I can count, but it's opened my eyes to the incredible woman before me. “Your eyes are brown but not the same rich espresso shade as your hair. They're a deep umber that grows darker, almost black, when you're angry, and when they catch the light, they soften, revealing a warmth few possess.” Her breath hitches, but she remains silent. “The most fascinating thing I've noticed is that when you're excited or making a snarky comeback to put me in my place, your eyes sparkle, lighting up your entire face. Like they're doing at this very moment.”
Lets romanticize brown eyes!
4.25/5
Oh, this was delightful. I absolutely love enemies to lovers and this was SO GOOD! The bickering! The yearning! The stolen glances and lingering touches! The desire! AND THE SPICE! Yes, the spice was great too!!
I love Gill though I wish we learned more about his life in The Beyond and saw him reuniting with his parents. Butt he epilogue sure made up for that!
TILDA IS AMAZING, A WALKING DISASTER WHOM I LOVE. Holy shit, I felt so sorry for her because of everyone's prejudice and judgment against her but I'm so glad that her family was on her side, always! She really has a great support network!
The plot was interesting and I'd love to read the next book already. Though I can see that the titles on goodreads and in the book don't match, I wonder why - was the title changed or the order of the siblings? Though I REALLY Hope we'll get to see Leonne's and Erik's story soon, it sounds incredible too! And I'm really interested in taking down the Council!