30something_reads's Reviews (820)

*sighhhhhh*

I have to gather my thoughts but this was a huge letdown after loving A Dowry of Blood as much a I do.

"SO CUTE! So. Fucking. Cute." - me during the majority of Bitter Medicine.

A little weird, very charming, and utterly sweet genre-bendy goodness. Urban fantasy meets Contemporary Romance with some of the most earnest and tender characters.

The world is set up in a way where the fae and magical creatures are living quietly alongside/behind the scenes in modern day. Our characters work for the magical company, Roland and Riddle, and the descriptions of the bureaucratic minutiae that occurs was very Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy funny to me.

So, in essence, it's kind of a workplace romance. But it's also full of family dynamics, secrets, and dangerous missions.

Elle and Luc are a couple that you root for immediately. Their respective quiet yearning (OMG the YEARNING!!!) from the start just had me by the heartstrings. The mutual secret pining was delightful. I loved them. I loved their journey.

I read this in tandem via e-book and audio and I really enjoyed the narrator. It was also really nice to be able to hear the multiple languages used spoken out loud.

I also really enjoyed the author's note on language in the afterward:
...and her reasons for including English, Chinese, and French dialogue.
When discussing growing up in the Taiwanese diaspora, in a multilingual environment, she mentions the experience of a conversation partner switching to a language she didn't know and how it often felt like "a door being shut."

Obsessed ❤️❤️❤️ !!!!

And thank fuck I just noticed that little <i>#1</i> next to the title because there's no way I'm ready to be done with Xiaodan and her two emotionally constipated dumb dumbs.

Chupeco's irreverent humor very much reminds me of Tamsyn Muir's writing and that might help explain why I loved this so much. 

Messy court politics, fantastic battles, snarky MCs, polyamorous vampires... 😘🤌🏻 The only thing this book is missing is a map. I'd really like a map..

EDIT:(literal seconds after I finished writing the above) THERE IS A COVER AND TITLE FOR BOOK 2 😩❤️❤️❤️ I will not know peace until I have that book in my hands on October 3rd 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Give me more romance with characters in their 30s and 40s because this was wonderful! This contemporary was so refreshing in that it never felt like the plot was reliant on popular tropes- everything just flowed naturally.

Mickey and Diego were real characters working through very real conflicts. Mickey with her chronic illness and financial instability w/ balancing working in academia and her medical care. And Diego going back to school and finally rediscovering himself years after the death of his wife. They were so sweet.

And I love this cast of side characters- I wonder if Cleo is going to get her own book because I would LOVE to see if there is something brewing with her and that potential new campaign manager she'll have to work with 😏

Also, this is one that I switched back and forth from physical to audio and I actually preferred the physical read. The narrator wasn't bad but they didn't emote very well and it made the dialogue fall a little flat.

Petition to have Gabe Cole Novoa remix all of the Jane Austen classics because I loved this!

It's a daunting task to take on THE Pride & Prejudice but this was such a sweet spin on the classic. Filled with trans and queer joy, this had all of the charm that I was hoping for and then some. 

The audiobook was an absolute delight as well! I listened to it in a single day because I just couldn't bring myself to stop. The narrator did a wonderful job. 

My only complaint is that I wish it had been a little longer. I would have loved a few more scenes of Darcy and Oliver in social settings quietly flirting with one another. 

*Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listener copy*

Let it be known: I had a great time!
But I keep thinking that the biggest reason for that is because this audiobook is masterful. Truly, the duet narration coupled with the stellar narrators themselves really makes this shine.
If I were to have just picked this up as a physical book for the first time, I do not think the experience would have been as good. Fine, sure. But not great.

I mostly contribute that to some of the dialogue. I think it works when you get to hear it in Joe Arden's smoky Irish accent or Lucy River's stressed out rambling. But had I been reading it with my eyeballs, I probably would have been rolling them A LOT. 

This was absolutely dark and twisted- moments that made me shriek out loud in shock. (which is funny when you're making dinner and your partner freaks out because they thought you hurt yourself.) The humor is definitely not for everyone but I was amused. 

Overall, it's hard to separate my rating of the contents of the book versus the audiobook experience. This is 100% a book that I would only recommend via audio. So, IDK. Audiobook- absolutely a 5 star experience. The book itself? Maybe 3.5 stars?

And what a saucy little epilogue. Definitely makes you want to read the next one. (but most certainly via audiobook.)

Only because I just realized that the Satisfiction edition is the indie manuscript and that I want to wait and pick up the trad edition in February (because I'm 99% certain there have been some additions in the updated one - like 50 ish pages worth!) 😆 So I will come back to this on release day because the vibes are immaculate 🥳

I absolutely got swept up in this delightful YA Romantasy debut. And maybe YA is where it's at when it comes to Romantasy for me because this felt fun and fresh and unapologetically Latine. (Where a lot of recent adult Romantasy has felt so formulaic and copy/paste.)

The romance was sweet and sometimes silly. A little insta-lovey at times but it was balanced nicely with their respective denial, scheming, and banter. 

I loved the cast of side characters and it was delightfully queer. There was a very sweet found family dynamic that just gets me Everytime.

As far as the fantasy elements go, I was left with a few lingering questions about the world, the lore, and the magic systems. The romance was definitely the focus which left some of these elements a little underdeveloped.

I wonder if the author will revisit this with a follow up because I think there is still a lot of story to tell by the end. (I would totally read a sequel! ...Maybe from other POVs from some side characters I adored 😉🙏🏻 )

Oh, WOW. 

I love this. I love every weird, magical thing about it. 

Full RTC 

"the poem begins not where the knife enters but where the blade twists"

A reflection on rebuilding oneself after heartbreak, mourning the death of a loved one, forgiveness, and history. 2 for 2 with Hanif Abdurraqib's works bringing me absolute joy. This was wonderful and lyrical and I may go read it again today just to feel something. 

I love reading his work via audiobooks - especially when he pauses to give explanations to the poems or essays. But now I fear I will also have to go buy this physically to have and to hold onto forever. 

I've decided that I will be reading his backlist (and new release) this year.