a_stylish_bookworm's Reviews (1.53k)

I am a huge fan of Keeland's books and was exited to listen to Jilted who was narrated by Andi Adrnt and Aiden Snow who are some of my favorite narrators. Wilder and Sloan meets at a wedding where Sloan is working and ends up being a last minute bridesmaid and pairs up with Wilder. They had instant connection and ends up with a kiss. 

They end up seeing more of each other because Sloan's next assignment involves Wilder's friends' wedding. They are good together and love the banter between them. 

I liked the flashback to Wilder's past and what let him to be so commitment phobic. Sloan and her family was great and added some depth to the characters. Wilder and his friends played such a small role in the story despite it being about them getting married. 

The 3rd act breakup was not my favorite but the story ended up nicely. 

Thank you @brambleromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of the audiobook.

If you are looking for a debut fun rom com with all the tropes, look no more. This one is filled with:
- Disastrous meet cute
- Forced proximity 
- Enemies (sort of) to lovers 
- Only one bed 

Margot flees to Alaska after a leaked document of her un-HEA to her well loved romance books. She meets Forrest, the inn owner's son who is there to help with running the place as well as take care of his dad. 

They are total oil and water and Margot drove me nuts in the beginning. She was in an Alaska and not prepared and didn't ask for help. Forrest was a total grump but I appreciate how he took care of Margot. I liked that this was a slow burn and both held back. 

The romance was fun but what I really loved was Margot's relationship with Savannah, her sister. They were best friends and the letters really showcased their relationship. 

I look forward in reading what Lavine writes next. Thank you @atariabooks for a copy of the book.

This book grabbed me from the first chapter with Cam, a new mom returning back to work after maternity leave and a day where goes downhill when she learns her husband is the prime suspect as a gunman for a hostage situation. The story is tense and I felt so bad for Cam as a new mom and facing such bad news and she is positive this can't be her husband. The story is told in past and present so you get an idea what happened. 

7 years later and Luke is still MIA and Cam hasn't moved on. I struggled with this part of the story with it slowing down. As the story unfolded, I did not buy it and felt it was a bit over the top and you need to suspend your belief to have the story work. 

Emilia Fox did a great job on the narration and I felt the tense feelings in the first half of the book.

Thank you @williammorrowbooks @bookclubgirl @libro.fm for a copy of the book.

I am always a sucker for books about family dynamics. This book is about Miranda who is an actress in France and her aging parents doesn't live too far and she goes and visits them frequently. We see the dynamics of how Miranda interacts with them as well as how her parents interacts with each other. 

Parts of this story resonated with me about her mom keeping food that is from the 80s. I am in the process of cleaning out my mom's home and found every card, letter, paperwork back from the 80s.

At parts the story was a bit slow for me but I did find this entertaining with how Miranda emailed her sister Charlotte to commiserate about their parents. This is exactly what my sister and I do via text. 

Harriet Walter did a good job with the narration. 

Thank you @scribnerbooks @dartfroggco @simon.audio for a copy of the book.

Alex is a struggling true crime writer. She gets a job as a ghostwriter in Vermont to write about an orphanage that is being developed into a residential development. 

The story is very atmospheric and as Alex speaks to more people and dig into the disappearance of Tommy that happened 50 years ago, things are starting to happen in this small town. 

I loved that you didn't know whose story to believe and what really is happening and why are so many people dying and how is this all connected. 

There was a full cast of narrators: Cassandra Campbell, Chris Henry Coffey, Jason Culp and Jackie Sanders did a great job with this debut novel. 

Thank you @atriabooks @simon.audio for a copy of the book and audiobook.

The Love Haters covered a lot of topics which included to body negativity, cheating ex, job in peril and facing your fears. We have Katie that goes to the Keys to do a special video on Hutch who is special coast guard. Hutch also happens to be her co-worker's estranged brother. 

There a lot that I enjoyed this book:
- George Bailey, the Great Dane rescue dog 
- Rue, Hutch and Cole's grandmother
- Katie facing her fears 
- the complex relationship between Rue and Hutch and Cole

There were a few things I felt distracted me from loving the story:
- Cole, he seemed so self centered and his relationship with Katie seemed distant and odd 
- there was a lot of stuff with coast guard that felt a bit too much 
- I didn't buy the romance, I wanted Hutch's POV. At times, he was too closed off. 

Patti Murin did a great job with the narration. I could feel the tense moments when Katie was weathering the storm with George Bailey. 

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

I have loved the Jaipur series by Joshi and was excited for this new standalone which is about Sona, a nurse in Bombay that befriends a patient that is an artist. Mira suddenly dies and asked Sona to help fulfill her wishes. 

This wish is to travel out of India and share paintings with people. We follow Sona through this journey. I enjoyed seeing her perspective as 1/2 Indian and 1/2 English and how she was treated in India and abroad. 

I appreciate that while Sona was naive, she grew so much through this journey. I love how each character added so much depth to the story. 

Sneha Mathan did a great job with bringing all the scenes to life. 

Thank you @_mira_books_ @htpbooks_audio for a copy of the audiobook.

My goodness this was such a fun sports romance. We have Sophie, the coach's daughter and sports doctor for the team. She meets Xander and one of the best disaster meets. A random run in and they agreed to fake date to help each other.
Sophie is very sheltered and I love how Xander took her under his wing. The more they hang out together, the more I love them together. Xander is more than a hockey player looking for a puck bunny. He is attune to Sophie and I am here for it. 

Tim Paige and Shiloh James did a great job bringing Sophie and Xander to life. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. 

Thank you @authorsarahs for a copy of the audiobook.

Thank you @prhaudio for a copy of the audiobook. 

This was a great historical fiction from Junie's POV, who is a teenage slave that was about to be away from her family as her master's daughter, Violet, is pending a marriage. This story is about grieving, love, race and complex relationships. I loved that this story was inspired by the author's family and she created Junie that was educated and full of hope. 

The story is heartbreaking but also hopeful. This was a great debut and Angel Pean did a great job bringing the story to life.

Thank you @berkleypub @prhaudio for a copy of this book. 

We have Vera back and is happy with life with her busy tea shop and her son is dating the police offer, Selena Gray who helped her in the precious book. Vera meets Millie who is looking for her friend. Vera starts her investigation and meets people who is connected and loved how the mystery revealed. 

My main gripe with the story is the age of Vera. From the over, I would assume that Vera is in her late 70s. She is in her 60s and was repeatedly told she is an old lady. Maybe it's my own age but 60 is not old as how the author described Vera. 

The end sets up for the next story and I will for sure read Vera's next adventure. Eunice Wong did a great job with bringing Vera's curious ways to life.