alyssa
I cried because somehow I had landed somewhere I wanted to be and I realized perhaps it was the first time I'd wanted to be somewhere.I cried because I finally knew what it was to love someone more than I hated myself.
[4.5] y'all know i relish books centered around mental health, and once again, Roan Parrish did not hesitate in bringing forward yet another poignant and accurate mental health portrayal, this time with Invitation to the Blues.
Jude, a recovering pianist back home after a failed suicide attempt. from the depiction of his downward spirals of depression, his anxiety's impact on his day-to-day life, his ever-present negative self-talk, you can imagine his internal monologues aren't a walk in the park, but they carry with it a real rawness that is bound to have you feeling for him, especially if you've been in a similar place.
i think it's awfully easy to relate to Jude's incessant fear of being a burden to our loved ones, and as a consequence of this belief, we either consciously or unconsciously put distance between ourselves and others to prevent our darkness from spreading and tainting them. but Faron, UGH what a soothing balm to the soul he was.
“I don't want you out of generosity. Or because I'm some kind of angel or savior. I want you because something inside you vibrates just so with something inside me.”
everything
[3.4~3.5] I went into this totally blind and was super excited to find the former stepbrothers trope, where feelings hide behind misunderstood animosity, and a most adventurous expedition to find a lost city. Glad I went with the narration, because Joel Leslie brought even more life to the story! That said, I am someone who likes all her i's dotted and t's crossed, so I would have liked for the more fantastical elements to have been expounded upon rather than allowed to lie where they were. I also wouldn't consider the romance to be the most convincing either, but I still had a jolly good time with these two on my commute
the beginning was really promising, and even though the dialogue had a rhythm of repetition to it, i can't blame these two for being hyper-excited in their honeymoon phase. but i have to agree with the sentiments re: the third act conflict - it's a real concern and i'm glad immediate steps were taken to rectify the situation, but the reactions and the act itself both felt out of place, like being forcibly pulled out of the super comfy & fluffy seat for the sake of some kind of strife.
[3.9] even though i caught on to the general gist pretty early on—TJ Klune wasn't aiming for subtlety with his copious dropping of hints as to where the story was heading—the prevailing air of disquiet that bled out of every page had me on pins and needles regardless.
while classified as a romance, this book isn't one in the typical sense, and i would even go so far to say that your usual overt displays take a backseat to the overarching suspenseful unease, but there's something indescribably resonating in the extreme lengths people are willing to go to for love.
same as Olive Juice, the author refrains from injecting his classic humor into the mix to ease the sting of truths as they're slowly uncovered.
did i cry? no.
did it leave me lying on my back, staring at the ceiling with a sinking feeling in my stomach, this somber, laden hollowness? yes. yes, it did.
it is such a challenge to put into words what emotions i was experiencing at the very end, but a comparison to a certain Netflix show might just do the trick. as some might consider it spoilery, i'll hide it behind a spoiler tag just in case, but the way i'd feel at the end of an episode of Black Mirror essentially captures my headspace to a T
audio: ✨stellar✨
story: 3.25* - subject to change once i've read the rest of the duet because my petty heart needed to see Cador groveling for the next millennium (if someone did that to my books...
[3.75] Such a delightful short read! Mr. X was who I'd hoped it would be and I had fun observing their note exchanges :)
Where I saw vast expanses of nothing but whiteness and dull comparisons of reality, Devin saw things in the brightest forms of Technicolor, and constantly acted as if he'd basked in its glow during his sleep. I wanted some of his color to rub off on me. I wanted more of his smiles.
[4.5] those who've been with me know that i hungrily gobble up books centering on mental health and mental disorders, so i knew i had to pick this one up next in my Nash Summers's End-of-Year Bingefest 2021. for a novella, i was impressed by the author's approach to easing us into Jude's character and his life with severe OCD and social anxiety, as well as Devin's role in bringing Jude out of the tiny world that is his apartment.
“I asked about you. Your first and only response was to tell me about your disorder. You aren't your disorder. You told me about all the things you don't like and none of the things you do like. I just find it hard to believe someone like you is completely comprised of dislikes and not a single like.”
never
i'm honestly sad this wasn't a romance between a human and an alien, but forced proximity and telepathy bonding is still
A second-chance romance between two former college lovers who parted ways after Jax never returned from a trip home. Skip to when they're older, Wild has translated his heartbreak into a bestselling book that Jax comes across one day, and looking for closure, Jax ends up reaching out to Wild via email—but takes on the persona of someone else and essentially catfishes him for the first half of the book
LOVE LOVE LOVE! A delicious paranormal, second chance romance mystery novel with my favorite witty banter
[3.5] when your plans to seduce your man backfire (but is it a bad thing when you end up getting what you really wanted anyway?
"I'd give you the whole sky, Justin, and all the stars too I'd give you all the constellations, the planets, the Moon, the Sun, the Milky Way. Hell, I'd give you the entire galaxy, if you'd look at me, even for just a moment, the same way you look at yourself."
oh Justin, you blind, self-centered boy bonks on the head but i do love a redemption tale, and that last display at the end after learning Connor's backstory was so full of heart
[3.5] Short cute Las Vegas wedding story! Would've liked more but I appreciated the order in which the events were revealed :)
[3.5] this was completely and utterly unrealistic (the author kindly warns readers of this at the start so don't go in saying you didn't see it coming
me hitting the streets, innocently peddling Greg's books
given that The Sophistries of June is one of GA's earliest publications, there are bound to be areas in his writing that are rougher in execution compared to his more recent work, but take the objective age of the series with a grain of salt - Alex's journey still managed to capture my attention above many other fantastical reads i've tried over the past few years. join me in smothering this absolutely underrated adventure with all the attention it deserves!
—-
It was one of those moments that, even as it was happening, I knew I was going to remember it forever. The look of him, the sunset painting his cheek and his lips, the line of his jaw, and his snowflake eyes reflecting a patch of violet sky.
*detailed trigger warnings can be found here under the Dysfunctional heading: https://isabellucero.com/trigger-warnings/
[3.75] a psychopathic killer doing his darndest to suppress his murderous proclivities and the sociopathic stalker-killer who's caught his interest walk into a bar...
the title spells it out loud and clear. dysfunctional is the most apt description of this twisted rendering of a dark, gritty romance, and i was absolutely here for it.
given how out of the norm it falls in the spectrum of romance fiction, i crave the incomparable dynamic of two killers who complete each other's deepest desires. if you're on the search for obsession reaching toxic heights, extreme bouts of jealousy, and of course stalker behavior all in the name of ~love~ (by their definition, that is), then you're in the right place
*Update: I FORGOT ALL ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATIONS WITHIN THE JP EDITIONS!!! can't show them all here (a few below) but just google for more
"You haven't asked me what my future looks like."A whisper, "What does your future look like?"On another yawn, Jason said, "Y'know, I think it looks just like yours."
[4.3] for those about to pick this bad boy up: exorbitant cheese ahead! beware if lactose intolerant
[3.6] lots of fears and insecurities taking hold of our characters in this relationship focused installment
"I have nothing to hide.""Neither do I," Eli purred. "Look at us. Two open books.""Sure. Except yours is written in code. And invisible ink. And has one of those paper snakes that pop out and scare the shit out of anyone who picks you up."Eli made that odd huffing sound again. "I assure you, Mr. Doran, I've never received a single complaint from those blessed enough to pick me up."
ELIIIIII IT'S ILLEGAL TO BE THIS SUAVE, YOU SMOOTH CRIMINAL
>>> technically standalone but i highly recommend everyone first read the Big Bad Wolf series for the ~Total Experience~ <<<
[3.9] welcome back to Maudit Falls, our infamous hush-hush shelter for rebel pack runaways! and what a return this was, with some long-awaited dual pov goodness dances in the ocean of grief and trauma that comes with having twice the number of perspectives
we finally get to see the world from the eyes and mind of a wolf character, and it is the one-and-only snarky flirt of a fashionista Elias (Eli) Smith, manager of the new haven and MY KING. i've adored him since he appeared in the original series, and i still laugh at the irony of him falling in love with a human when he said he would never. the human in question? Julien Doran, fading Hollywood actor following his brother's bread crumbs to discover the truth behind his mysterious passing.
Eli and Julien resemble two animals of prey in a dance, gauging each other amongst a crowd of other suspicious characters with witty banter and sneak peeks at vulnerability cushioning the space in between. things take a rapid turn when dead bodies start piling up, and they have no choice but to join forces while keeping their own secrets close to their chests.
i shouldn't have expected anything less, but color me surprised by the bumbling, shy school boy energy Julien would exude in the face of Eli's flirtations, where his blushing face became indistinguishable from a tomato. but despite any underlying hesitation given a general lack of experience with men, trust me when i say he's a whole new breed of man in bed