a_stylish_bookworm's Reviews (1.53k)

This was a good angsty second chance romance. Chase is bff with Alina's brother and they grew up together. I really enjoyed their backstory and how Chase was so troubled and broke Alina's heart. 

When he returns after leaving years ago and is back to take care of his family business, they run into each other and must work together. I love how much Alina put up a wall and distant herself from Chase but their connection was just too strong. 

I was happy to see Chase's growth journey and his acceptance of his past and family issues which led him to be able to love. 

Liam DiCosimo and Brittany Pressley did a great job bringing out all the feelings and emotions. 

Thank you @libro.fm @blackstonepublising for a copy of this audiobook.

I was told I need to read this and the answer is totally YES!!! This had total Hunger Games vibes and where contestants are chosen to participate in the trials. There are 2 types of people, people with power, The Elites and without, The Ordinary. The people without are considered inferior. 

Paedyn is an ordinary hiding in plain sight pretending to be an Elite. She ends up in the games and meets the Kai, who is a prince. The pining they have for each other is so good. 

Paedyn's friendship with Adena was so strong and I love how they helped each other so much with their strengths. 

The story leaves your jaw drop at the end. 


The narration of Chase Brown and Cecily Bednar Schmidt kept me hooked from the first chapter.

This was a story with a lot of angst. I really enjoyed the backstory between Justin and Amelia and what led to their broken friendship. Having them staying at Amelia's grandmother's home and seeing them rekindle their friendship was a bit frustrating for me. 
This wasn't a love triangle necessarily but it felt like it. I really enjoyed seeing Justin and Amelia and Bea. Justin's won my heart then.

Freddy and Ro love story had me from the first chapter. This was a great friends to lover story between a hockey player failing his class and his tutor. They were just so good together and brought out the best in each other. While I loved their journey, I need wanted less of Ro and Tyler's story. I was mad at Ro for taking the shit he put her through. 

Ro and Freddy's love story doesn't start until about 70% in. I always love dual POV in romances and Caitlin Elizabeth and Bradley Ford did great job brining the characters to life. 

Thank you @atariabooks @simon.audio for a copy of this.

I recently read another sports romance where the MMC was being auctioned and his BFF's sister wins the auction to save them. The other one was also a fake dating and I was worried it would a repeat of what I just read. 

Though the stories were similar, there was enough differences so that I was able to enjoy this one. I enjoyed Cooper and Violet together. They were both much fun together and the banter was great. I liked that they lifted each other up and there really wasn't any tension and no 3rd act breakup. 

I appreciated Cooper's relationship with his mom and his dedication to the sport. I love his approach to dating his best friend's sister as well. The supporting characters added a lot of fun to the story as well. 

Thank you @sourcebookscasa for a copy of this book.

I always know what to expect in this cozy mystery, a lot of laughs and Finlay and Vero getting into shenanigans. This time we have Mrs. Haggerty, the noisy neighbor that ends up staying with Finlay because there was a dead body in her backyard. Finlay and Vero it not connected to the dead body as in the previous books but somehow is tangled in it. 

Mrs Haggerty is canky and really stole the show. The story is entertaining and I do recommend that you read the other books to know what is going on. This also leaves you on a cliffhanger like the other books. 

Anglea Dawe did a great job with bringing all the fun on
the story. 

Thank you @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress for a copy of this.

** spoiler alert ** A reality show on a remote island that had creepy vibes, count me in. We have the host, Maverick, that is known for crazy stunts and selected influencers to join in a survivor style game that is broadcasted. One of the main POV that intrigued me was Adele, a single mom who joined wont hopes to win the big cash prize. 

The story is told in multiple POV, I wished the narration was told by multiple narrators. Vivienne Leheny did a good job but it would've been a more enriched experience with different narrators. 

One part of the story that really bothered me was that Adele left her kids alone. I can't recall how old they were but leaving time for a time would not be something I would be comfortable doing in real life. I also didn't like that the dad appears and has a change of heart all of a sudden. It felt so forced to be part of the story. 

Thank you @parkrowbooks @htp_hive for a copy of the audiobook.

We have 2 mystery for the price of 1 in this story. There's Shelby, who survived an attack a year ago and recently started getting anonymous messages. We also have her best friend, Mac, whose husband went missing a year ago. 

The story is told in 3 POV: Shelby, Mac and Flora, a senior citizen living in the assisted home run by Mac. My favorite POV was Flora and her friends at the home. They added an unexpected humor to the story. 

I liked how the story unfolded and the narration by Brittany Pressley; Stacey Glembosk and Petrea Burchard brought all the characters to life. 

Thank you @graydonhousepress @htp_hive for a copy of this.

We have Jane, who is dealing with the sudden death of her dad, trying to find something to distract her and stumbles on true crime forum. 

She gets involved and soon forms friendship with 4 other true crime sleuths and tries to solve cases. I really enjoyed the found family aspect of the story and the messages in the forum. 

The book was way too long and the first 75% of the book dragged for me. I did enjoy the twist and how the story played out 

Thank you @bookmarked for a copy of the book.

This was a second chance romance between Jack and Brooke who met as student/TA in college. Brooke returns to college to help her mentor, Mhairi's memoir. She also happens to be Jack's aunt. The story is told when they were in college as well as their hiking trip which Mhairi's memoir focuses on. 

I felt that younger Brooke and Jack were just horny kids and were reckless and knew what the consequences were and Brooke should not have been so angry with Jack. 

I enjoyed their hiking trail interacting with other hikers and the beauty of nature. They didn't learn from their first go and still didn't communicate despite being in close quarters. 

Thank you @canarystreetpress for a copy of the book.