NJ
3.5 stars
It seems Alexis Hall's main characters are always messy but in this case, I really liked Rosaline.
I, however, was not crazy about the fact that she was in a relationship with another man for most of the book. It took away from the 'relationship-building' time that Rosaline and Harry could have been having.
I was prepared to love this book but early on, Sam exhibited something jerk-ish behavior and after reading a review that confirmed he got much worse around the 75% mark, I decided to abandon this book. Right now I need something warm and light and a hero who's a jerk will just make me angry as opposed to happy. Might return when I'm in a different mood but I probably won't.
This was my first Christina Lauren book and after rereading it I am reminded of why I love their writing so much. This book was so sweet and I love the focus in the end on Holland herself and her development. There were a few moments that gave me pause, for example, I really disliked that the only female musician that was spoken of was disparaged. It was especially disappointing because I know Christina Lauren identify as feminists. Anyways, small moments like that in books always irritate me but I'm trying hard nowadays not to let them ruin the whole book for me.
This is possibly one of my favourite books of the year so far. I love Laurie and Jamie. I love them together so much. I remember thinking when I read [b:Tiny Imperfections 51918673 Tiny Imperfections Alli Frank https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565887389l/51918673.SX50_SY75.jpg 71683994] earlier this year that it was a book about a black woman written for a specifically white audience. In that certain things about the black female experience were explained in a way that didn't feel organic to the story's narrative because the author felt they had to be explained to her readers. I didn't get that feeling here. Laurie was a biracial heroine whose experiences weren't erased or even written specifically for people who didn't look like her. This is not to say that her characterisation was absolutely flawless, but rather that this is one of the better characters of colour I have seen written by a non-POC author.I loved the romance aspect but more than that there was so much feminist commentary that was snuck in this book that it was a joy to read. I had several laugh-out-loud moments, along with several heartbreaking ones. In short, this book worked for me on multiple levels. I absolutely loved it.
3.5 rounded up to a 4.
I really liked it but I probably would have liked it better if she hadn't changed her mind about wanting treatment. I understand that it's a romance and we signed up for an hea, but I felt like all the work the book did trying to get the readers and her loved ones to understand the validity of choosing not to have treatment was undone in the end. . Still, it was a really good book.
I like slow-burn romances, they may in fact be my favourite trope. This book, however, was not a very good slow-burn romance (in my opinion). I love slow-burn romances because I love to see a relationship develop slowly between two characters who were otherwise not expecting it. Unfortunately, slow-burn isn't just about the slow development of the romance for me, it's also about the copious amounts of sexual tension and chemistry between the two main characters. This is what I felt was missing in this book.
Carter is an injured baseball player who temporarily returns to his hometown and in the meantime rents a house next to his former chem lab partner, Olive. He is initially returning home to rekindle a romance with his recently divorced ex Felicity, in an attempt to recapture the good old days before his fame got out of control. Carter spends a good portion of the book still pining after a not-yet present Felicity while developing a relationship with Olive. While Carter and Olive had great banter, they struck me as very good friends. I did not feel they had much chemistry and there seemed to be very few moments of tension between them. Thus, by the time the romance finally developed (about 75% into the book), I felt they would have been better off as platonic best friends, rather than romantic partners.
This book was cute and there were feminist undertones that were nearly impossible to miss. If I don't think about this book for too hard or too long, it leaves me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. But when I sit with the book for a bit, I can't help but be troubled by the resolution of its non-romance plot. My complaints about this book, mirror the issues I had with [b:Spellmaker 54245639 Spellmaker (Spellbreaker Duology, #2) Charlie N. Holmberg https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1592969483l/54245639.SY75.jpg 72395126]. Ultimately, if your villain raises valid points about inequities in your society, and those inequities are left unaddressed by your protagonists, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. How am I to root for people who would let unjust systems stand untouched? Makram's brother Kinus gets a lot of flack for rightfully pointing out that in the old system the most powerful mages held power whether they were good people or not. Yet, Naime and Makram want the return of the old system for the balance of the wheel, forgetting that it was when the wheel was in balance that a mass genocide of one of the houses occurred. The wheel's equilibrium did not stop Naime's ancestors from hunting an entire people. Yet she advocates a return to that system with no checks or balances that would ensure future generations would not commit the mistakes of the past and it seems there is to be no restitution for the damages caused in the past. I don't need every fantasy I read to end in a democracy. However, I need the protagonists to thoughtfully grapple with the inequities of their society and at least come to a semi-sensible resolution. One of the few series in which I have seen the protagonists engage with the valid points made by the antagonists is the [b:Daevabad Trilogy Collection 57213849 Daevabad Trilogy Collection (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1-3) S.A. Chakraborty https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614338979l/57213849.SX50.jpg 89547986] and reading [b:Reign & Ruin 50607309 Reign & Ruin (Mages of the Wheel, #1) J.D. Evans https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579555916l/50607309.SX50.jpg 73107342] has made me appreciate it that much more.
3.5 stars.
I didn't really like Luc in the beginning but by the end, I liked his and Oliver's relationship. However, I never fully got invested in their romance, partly because they were constantly breaking up. By the final chapters, I wasn't entirely sure their relationship would survive, they were both too eager to throw in the towel any time they encountered an obstacle. After their final reconciliation, it crossed my mind that they were likely to be that on-again, off-again couple that irritated all their friends and finally broke up after 10 years of turbulent coupledom.
All that said, I liked that Luc's father wasn't magically turned into a present dad. It seemed a realistic portrayal of their relationship. Finally, I hated Bridget, I know that I am likely to be in the minority here but I couldn't stand her.
Like most anthologies, the quality of the individual stories was uneven. I loved some and felt meh about the others.
December 2021 reread:
I enjoyed this so much more on the reread. Somehow I found Naomi and Nick's antics a lot more endearing this time around. More and more I realise that my feelings towards a book are very much based on my mood.
Original:
I liked this book but it felt like it was lacking something.
4.5 stars.
I loved these two. As I'm writing this review my face hurts from smiling. Also, I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud this many times while reading. Dani and Zaf are both well-written characters and I was firmly invested in their happy ending. Gigi is always and and forever the best!
It's early days yet but I'm clearly in the minority; I did not enjoy this book. This is probably because I'm going through a weird reading slump at the moment but on the other hand I haven't enjoyed the past few Brooklyn Bruisers novels so it could simply be that this book is not my cup of tea. Sarina Bowen is a gifted writer so her books are an easy read but I had no warm, fuzzy feelings after reading this book.
I should not have read this book so soon after reading [b:The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season / The Obelisk Gate / The Stone Sky 38496769 The Broken Earth Trilogy The Fifth Season / The Obelisk Gate / The Stone Sky N.K. Jemisin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530531199l/38496769.SX50.jpg 60137524].This was a good book. It really was. But I couldn't help comparing it to [b:The Fifth Season 19161852 The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) N.K. Jemisin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386803701l/19161852.SY75.jpg 26115977] and finding it wanting. Perhaps, if I had read it a month from now, I would have been a bit less critical.I loved the characters, the world was interesting, the plot was exciting. It had a lot of great elements but I couldn't help being a bit disappointed with the ending. Not all the plot points were resolved satisfactorily in my opinion. How were they going to ensure in the future that there was no more corruption within the Augurs? What was Dar's plan for Zarin in the long term? How were they going to ensure that he wasn't born a kehok again? I just had a few things that I would have wanted resolved. I found myself wanting the same detailed world-building that I found in [b:The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season / The Obelisk Gate / The Stone Sky 38496769 The Broken Earth Trilogy The Fifth Season / The Obelisk Gate / The Stone Sky N.K. Jemisin https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530531199l/38496769.SX50.jpg 60137524] but I was a little disappointed. But to be fair, it was a really good standalone and I wish the fantasy genre would have more standalones. Additionally, I think this book would make a great movie. Some of the scenes were vivid and epic and I would love to see them on-screen.
Not rating this book because a lot of my feelings probably have more to do with me than the book itself. However, I will say that I think the writing could have been better, it seemed almost clinical at times and it didn't flow as well as I would have wanted. Additionally Rebel Hard, is on some ways very similar to this book and over all I preferred that one (although when I read it I was in a better mood). It is worth noting that this book deals which heavier topics than that one does so the books are not entirely identical.
Just wanted a feel-good romance but this wasn't it. Weston's protective schtick grew tiring within the first few pages. The final straw for me was that he kissed Annie just after she told him how desperate she was to be his student. The dynamics of that made me feel a teensy bit uncomfortable. I might return to this someday, just not anytime soon.
This book is disjointed but it really really works for me. I'm a sucker for romances where the main characters are kind to each other and this book has that in spades. Even when it gets dark (and boy does it get dark) the characters are so unfailingly patient and vulnerable with each other that it tempers the darkness. I've personally struggled to read romances with darker themes this year because I've wanted light and fluffy, but honestly reading this felt necessary. It was important for me to read about people being lovely to each other even in the midst of all the heavy stuff going on.
I had really high expectations for this but I was a bit disappointed. I enjoyed the last 3rd of the book. However, I felt they were in disagreement for too much of the book and I didn't particularly enjoy their pranks, they were a bit too childish. Also I expected more witty banter from the main characters. I might have enjoyed the book more of that was the case.
I was really looking forward to this book but have decided to give it a miss after reading this extremely thorough and well-written review.
The reviewer highlights the same reason that I give most HRs where the hero/heroine was exploring in either Africa or Asia a miss. There is hardly any complex, critical outlook on colonialism. I've heard people make the argument that such anti-colonialist views would be anachronistic for that time period, but I find it hard to believe that there was absolutely no one in England who questioned colonialism, but perhaps even more importantly, let's not pretend that the authors of HR don't pick and choose which period conventions they want to use in their books. There are far more dukes and feisty heroines in romancelandia than there were in that era.
Up to about 80%, I disliked this book. The heroine was a judgmental mess who took advantage of other people and the hero had next to no personality. The heroine's ex was admittedly an ass but the way she treated him was not commendable.
However, it was nice to see the characters grow and become better. I feel like this would have been a stronger book if we had seen the characters grow throughout the book, as opposed to packing all the character development in the last 20% of the book. By then, I had spent most of the book disliking the characters and being disinterested in their romance.
Since this is a debut book, I hope that Trinh manages to iron out these issues in her later books.
Leaving this unrated for now. Will rate after a reread.
I really enjoyed this book. The premise is a bit unconventional and aspects of it were really sweet. However, it sometimes felt like the hero expected his money to solve the heroine's problems. I would have loved the novel more if we had seen her become independent and achieve some level of self-actualization. Instead, her actions in the novel seem centred around the hero and her love for him. He asks her to move in with him after two weeks of knowing each other and despite her misgivings, she does. She makes a major life-decision that affects her main source of income and the hero's reaction is to provide her with money and a new job. There is never a time where they have chat about what *she* wants to do with her life now that she's quit her illegal activities. The hero's actions stand in marked contrast to those of the heroine in Truly by Victoria Dahl; when faced with a heroine who has also made a life-changing decision and is attempting to centre her life around him, this hero reminds her that her dreams are worth pursuing on their own. My enjoyment of the book was limited because I felt like the heroine wasn't given sufficient space and time to find her own two feet. Although I understand that this is a romance, and the relationship is the centre of the novel, I prefer feeling like the characters really respect each other's individual needs, dreams and aspirations.
The very beginning and the middle of this book were cute. There were a few things I enjoyed:1. [a:Lauren H. Mae 19785872 Lauren H. Mae https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1579835032p2/19785872.jpg] is a good writer; it was very easy to get through the book.2. Over the course of the book, the 2 leads were together for about 5 months. Oftentimes in romances, the two main characters fall in love after 2 days and yet the readers are supposed to buy that they have a deep everlasting connection. I really liked that that wasn't done here.3. I liked reading about their established relationship. That was cute.That's really it. There wasn't much to like aside from these three things. There were, however, a few things I didn't like.1. Catia's behaviour in the first 25% of the book is a good argument for why you shouldn't jump into a relationship if you haven't put time and effort into healing after your last disastrous relationship. She was often manipulative and calculating towards Josh who at the time was being open and honest. It really wasn't a good look.2. In one of the first few scenes, both characters seemed fixated on the height of the guy who was creeping on Dani and Catia (he was short). Was he a douche? Yes! Should his height have been such a sticking point for both of them? No. Short men don't get enough love in romancelandia as is (but we're not ready for that conversation), we don't need to heap any more hate upon them.3. Catia had some very valid reasons for being skeptical to move in with Josh that had nothing to do with her fear of commitment. As she had previously mentioned to Josh, she had had to give up her dreams for somebody who wasn't willing to do the same for her. Yet, when he wanted them to move in together he never mentioned possibly moving in with her. That she eventually moved in with him wasn't a problem, what is a problem was that his moving in with her wasn't even discussed . Contrary to what all the characters in the book were telling her she wasn't being ridiculous. They could have explored both possibilities together. They should have communicated better. I personally don't think it is outrageous to expect your partner to be willing to make the same compromises they want you to make.4. As referenced above, all of Catia's friends treated her reluctance to move in with Josh after 5 months as a problem. They referenced her inability to trust anybody after Micah's betrayal. They rightfully pointed out that she could have both her career and a committed relationship. However, this was done against the backdrop of some very valid concerns she had about his ability to reciprocate the sacrifices she was expected to make (see the above point). In addition, Catia's dad called her out for judging her sisters and I hope that off-page he also called Maria out for trying to make Catia's life resemble her own when Catia had made it clear that that wasn't what she desired.5. The two leads never really seemed to communicate effectively. Maria said somethings that upset Catia but when Josh asked why she seemed tense, she brushed his question aside. Josh asked her to move in and though she had legitimate reasons to be skeptical, she neglected to discuss all of her reservations with him (even after their reconciliation). The moment their relationship hit any sort of roadblock, Josh just hightailed it out of there as quickly as possible. Honestly, I don't fully believe that their relationship will last, given their inability to disagree constructively. 6. They had one fight too many. Their relationship didn't need to implode every time they had a disagreement. Despite all these issues, I still enjoyed Mae's writing and will at least try reading one more book to see if I dislike her character's choices a bit less