Kelly

If you're looking for a college murder mystery with twists and turns, this is a good book to pick up. I really enjoyed the twists and turns, but there were too many dead ends to the “investigation”. By the time I got to the ending I was like finally we made it! It felt unbalanced, there was a lot of build up for an un-explosive ending. I'm not saying the ending was bad, in fact I think it was solid, there was just too much filler to get there. 

Bonus points for the audio book using different voices & accents for each character.

If you're looking for a light hearted romance don't read this book. It deals with some heavy topics, which is fine...but not something I want in romance books.
 It starts off fun and exciting but quickly becomes Anna's journey with her autism diagnosis, family acceptance, and learning how to standup for herself. It gets really heavy and dark at points, especially with how Anna's family views her neurodivergence as weak and lazy character flaws. There's also a fair amount of family gaslighting going on. These experiences were incredibly raw and left me angry, emotionally drained, and appreciative of Hoang's vulnerability. 

Given the above it felt wrong trying to enjoy the hot smutty scenes. And it didn't gave space for Quan to make mistakes, he felt stifled being perfectly patient and even keeled for Anna. I was really hoping we'd get other sides of him or learn what it was like being Khai's older brother. 

I feel like Anna's story was strong enough to stand on its own.

I love Simu and will see every movie, show, music video, and stock photo he's on :) But the memoir felt inconsistent. The first half was filled with reflection, vulnerability and appreciation for those around him. The second half seemed more of “I'm successful because I never gave up” sprint and lacked the relatability & rawness of the first half. 

If you're wanting an age-gap romance with lots of spicy smutty scenes then you've found the book you're looking for. 

I picked this up out of curiousity, a steamy romance with a doctor? Yes please. I knew there was an age gap, but good grief a 19 year old girl with a 40-something year old man. I didn't have high expectations for the plot line (I'm here for the spicy smut) but the ending was extremely cringe.

Spice - 5 stars
Plot - 1 star

It was funny and cute fish-out-of-the-water love story, with some very unrealistic but charming parts. I'm not a fan of insta-love. I kept getting pulled out of the story, probably because I kept yelling in my head “you've only known each other 5 weeks, how can you know?!” 

The multiple smut scenes were spicyyyy.

A sequel I didn't need. Harsh, I know, but this story just dragged on and diluted everything great about the series. I'm disappointed because this sequel had potential to be just as strong as the first book.

There were parts I enjoyed, the gorgeous descriptions, consequences from the first book playing out, and exploration of morally grey choices. The story starts off strong, we face a new villain playing the long game and uncover imperial schemes. We learn the backstory of several characters adding to the richness and complexity of the Celestial Kingdom. 

Unfortunately as the book continued, the plot started to meander and break apart. There were too many side plots each with it's own bad guy, the magic system lost it's logic, and the ending was doubly disappointing. This is the most undecisive love triangle I've ever read.  There's no romantic tension or engaging rivalry (like the first book). The hottest immortal bachelors throw themselves at Xingyin, but she can't accept her “true” feelings or make up her mind until the last few pages, literally.

I still love the Celestial Kingdom, just not this one

I dove head first into this book and was mesmerized by the story, the world, and the evocative descriptions. I love a slow burn, layered approach to building character relationships. And that's exactly what we get with Livira, Evar, and their respective friends and family. We follow them across time as they uncover the mysterious of the Library and what that knowledge yields. The themes of history repeats itself and how knowledge can be wielded as a tool really drive the plot. The world building was spectacular and magical, I felt like I was part of the world. 

There were a few nods to pop-culture or our history (“we're not in kansas anymore” or the Raven's name) that pulled me out of the book, but didn't impede my enjoyment. However, some parts did get repetitive and not in a meaningful way. I don't think it's a stylistic choice because it's mostly world building elements or past events that get rephrased every so often. 

I can't wait for the next book in April 2024!

Jack can call me stumps anytime <3

A very light hearted, funny, upbeat rom-com. I had a lot of fun listening to the audio book and really enjoyed the dynamic between Jack and Hannah. I liked how the author used a lot of established romance tropes (fake dating, 1 bed, forced proximity, etc.) but added wholesome twists to keep it a good time. 

I wasn't a fan of the final conflict, felt underdeveloped and out of left field. 

It's too slow paced and I'm no longer interested in content.

This is one of the cases where my personal tastes didn't align with the book. It was a quick read, I enjoyed the writing, and I thought the ending was really good. 
As much as I tried to like Chloe & Red I just didn't enjoy their banter - I'm not a sarcastic person so that could have been why. The insta-love chemisty didn't work for me, which is fine because I prefer slow-burn romances anyway. 
The smut scenes were A+, definitely steamy.  But as a reader, I didn't enjoy that shortly after each scene there'd be some kind of huge conflict. If that were to happen to me in real life I'd feel so disrespected and end things. 

I never thought I'd be so interested in Coriolanus Snow's origin story. Are villians born or made? We see Coriolanus' formative years during a much simpler Panem and learn about the people and events that influenced him. 

One thing I really loved about Hunger Games triology was that everything felt intentional and concise. But this prequel felt more long winded than needed and I found myself rushing through parts. 

Absolutely amazing, there needs to be more mature/older main leads in fantasy. Amina's life experiences as a seasoned female pirate and mother make for a witty, complex, and action packed adventure. 

It was cute and funny, but lacked the sparkle that made the first book (Half a Soul) so special. 

Some of the critiques I had in the first book carried over to the second book, so I'm debating if I'll continue the series. 

A classic whimsical fairy tale for adults. I really enjoyed the banter and dynamic between Tristran and Yvaine. 

‘Love,' he explained. She looked at him with eyes the blue of the sky. ‘I hope you choke on it,' she said, flatly.

This could have been a great book for me except I was confused half the time. There's an overwhelming amount of world building and politics going on. If I re-read this then the politics would make more sense, but I don't have time for that. 
Honestly, if it wasn't for the end of the book I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the book as much. I'm on the fence about continuing the series, I want to know what happens but do I really want to read another 2 books?

The audio narrator nailed the WASP voices, definitely recommend the audio book if you decide to pick this book up. This book is more about a tight-knit family who just happens to be part of the 1% and the personal struggles they go through. I enjoyed the witty banther amongst the Stockton family and getting to see a slice of life of an old money family in Brooklyn. It was a fun, lighthearted read for the most part. 

You can't have a story about millionaires without bringing up class and privilege. While I wasn't expecting this book to take a stance on these topics, I felt slightly unsatisifed at the end. The author showed character growth by having them come to terms with their respective family and money problems. It was a fitting end for the book but I was wanting more reflection and depth from the characters.

Omegaverse books don't appeal to me but this book kept popping up in different recommendation lists, so I figured why not. Lola and the Millionaires was pretty good! 

I loved that Lola is a beta and comes with the baggage of being an alpha-chaser and realizing she'll never be an omega. The pack of 6 males she ends up with is caring, considerate, and patient with her.  While there are dark elements to this book, Lola's relationship with this new pack is built on trust and respect.  It's a very modern and positive polyamorous situationship.

What didn't work for me was the lack of development for all the characters, especially those in the pack. I found myself forgetting all the time there's supposed to be more than four in that group. Hoepfully we learn more about them in part two.

A cute, sapphic historical romance. I appreciated all the history and research woven in, you can tell the author really wanted to the Chinese American and the LGBTQ+ experiences in the 50's and 60's justice. Lily's journey of self awareness and acceptance was inspiring and well done.  But sometimes the plot would veer off course, and we get stuck with filler chapters of relative's backstories. There were also a lot of minor plot points that don't get resolved. 

Exactly what I'd expect from Diana Wynn Jones. It's magical, whimsical, and light hearted. There's great descriptions of scenes and characters that really help set the mood for everything. Perfect middle school read! 

I've read the Howl Series and would say this is my second favorite. To rank them book 1 is the best, book 2 you can skip, book 3 is fun read.

Melodramatic, self righteous, predictable. There was potential but I question the author's choices. 

Everyone is unlikable, vain, and selfish. It was fun getting to see them lay their secrets out and the drama it caused. Character development was vastly unbalanced, which I found odd for a this being a group of tight knit friends.  I liked Jess, she is definitely main character vibes. She has a huge chip on her shoulder; thinks she's the princess with bad luck but realizes later she's the villain. Her unhinged descent into villainy, jealousy, and desperation was enthralling. 

But for someone who considers herself so unremarkable, it's extremely odd that two guys liked her.  Also Eric's role is terrible, wtf lol. He makes the whole setup absolutely absurd. He literally pops out of nowhere & always butts in after someone confesses something. In the same exchange he'll tell people they need to confess and figure out who murdered Heather, while also dropping clues or clearing out red herrings. 

I didn't expect to enjoy this alien romance as much I did! I was apprehensive because alien romances aren't my thing. And I've heard booktubers talk about the start of the book being really traumatic But I'm glad that I took the chance and pushed through. Georgie and Vektal's relationship was the perfect blend of sweet, spicy, and savory. The writitng was pretty good too, there were funny and sweet moments. 
I'll definitely keep reading the series but not all 20+ books. 

Started off dark and ended with a cute HEA.  Considering this is a short book it did a decent job of character development. Raina and Cain's relationship was the best part, their relationship felt believable as they protected each other's mental and physical health. But there's a lot of gaps in plot and world building that kept pulling me out of the story. 

I'm excited that Hall gets his own story in the book two,

Q-Anon fan-fic meets stalker “romance”. This book is extremely problematic, absurd, and lacks any character development. There's also zero romance - it's sexual assualt that turns into a forced “relationship” and eventually the stalked gives in to her dark desires and starts a relationship with her stalker. Yet it had sorching hot scenes and good buildup of sexual tension in a dark romance type of way.  

I hated Zade's entire exsistence, he's a terrible character and even more horrendously written. What I mean by that is he has zero personality, no backstory, and has contradictary motivations. Zade's entire purpose is rescuing the women and children that are trafficked by the Society. His desire to rescue and protect these victims is so high that he created an entire organization for this purpose. When it comes to Addie he becomes the same kind of sexual predator that he routinely murders - forces her to do things against her will, calls her baby girl, and inflicts fear into her. It's so cringy and uncomfortable.  

Bridgerton meets Howl's Moving Castle <3   

I loved every moment of this book. I'm a huge fan of fake-dating trope and this did not disappoint. The whimsical magic really enhanced the romantic moments It was wholesome, cute, and made me feel all warm inside. The main characters were witty and didn't hesitate to call things as they see it. I adored seeing their feelings for each other grow as the book progressed.

The Faerie world is introduced at the end of the book and it left a lot of questions. Origin stories are hinted at but never explained in depth. I'm hoping the sequel will answer these questions, so I'm not too concerned right now. 

Also bonus points for including non-gorgeous Fae

I just wasn't in the mood or right headspace for this book. This is a type that you should read in multiple sittings to really enjoy and appreciate. I liked the humor and sharp observations by the author, but I wasn't vibing with the material.