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abinthebooks
“I have done some of the best work of my life because of you. And I know you have done some of the best work of your life because of me. I don’t know a better way to explain what love means to two people like us.”
AHHH!!! This was academic rivals to lovers excellency!! I Kissed Shara Wheeler kind of feels like a YA version of Gone Girl set in a Christian high school with an Alison DiLaurentis x Emily Fields romance (those two characters are from Pretty Little Liars if you didn’t understand that reference). And I really enjoyed my time reading it. I have read (and DNF’ed) Red, White & Royal Blue by this author previously, but I absolutely detested the writing style. I think McQuiston’s writing has drastically improved, and while this book is very pop culture heavy—which is what irritated me about their debut—it didn’t bother me nearly as much as did in that book.
Essentially the plot of the story follows three main characters: Chloe, Smith & Rory. Their towns golden girl has kissed them all and mysteriously vanishes on prom night. The trio make it their mission to figure out where their it girl, Shara has gone, and all for different reasons at that. Smith just wants his girlfriend back, Rory has been in love with Shara forever, and Chloe wants to beat Shara for valedictorian.
I loved the romance and the friend group in here the most! I really liked Chloe as a main character. She was very relatable, and her and Shara were really good together. Academic rivals to lovers is one of my favorite tropes of all time, and this didn’t fail to hit that for me. This was a more subtle approach to this trope, but the way it all came together was so fun, and I highly enjoyed my time reading it. I also loved the friend group in here. They all are very tropey at first glance, but I really like how McQuiston fleshes them out and gives them unique characteristics and traits so they differ from their assigned “trope”. I just feel like all these characters had really good chemistry together, and it was fun to read about Chloe, Smith and Rory all running around trying to find Shara.
So yeah, I really liked this book. A lot more than I thought I would actually! I don’t read YA very often anymore, and this was a good start to get back into it. I think if I read another McQuiston book it will definitely be from their YA books instead of adult.
➸ 4.25 stars
★ listened on audio
AHHH!!! This was academic rivals to lovers excellency!! I Kissed Shara Wheeler kind of feels like a YA version of Gone Girl set in a Christian high school with an Alison DiLaurentis x Emily Fields romance (those two characters are from Pretty Little Liars if you didn’t understand that reference). And I really enjoyed my time reading it. I have read (and DNF’ed) Red, White & Royal Blue by this author previously, but I absolutely detested the writing style. I think McQuiston’s writing has drastically improved, and while this book is very pop culture heavy—which is what irritated me about their debut—it didn’t bother me nearly as much as did in that book.
Essentially the plot of the story follows three main characters: Chloe, Smith & Rory. Their towns golden girl has kissed them all and mysteriously vanishes on prom night. The trio make it their mission to figure out where their it girl, Shara has gone, and all for different reasons at that. Smith just wants his girlfriend back, Rory has been in love with Shara forever, and Chloe wants to beat Shara for valedictorian.
I loved the romance and the friend group in here the most! I really liked Chloe as a main character. She was very relatable, and her and Shara were really good together. Academic rivals to lovers is one of my favorite tropes of all time, and this didn’t fail to hit that for me. This was a more subtle approach to this trope, but the way it all came together was so fun, and I highly enjoyed my time reading it. I also loved the friend group in here. They all are very tropey at first glance, but I really like how McQuiston fleshes them out and gives them unique characteristics and traits so they differ from their assigned “trope”. I just feel like all these characters had really good chemistry together, and it was fun to read about Chloe, Smith and Rory all running around trying to find Shara.
So yeah, I really liked this book. A lot more than I thought I would actually! I don’t read YA very often anymore, and this was a good start to get back into it. I think if I read another McQuiston book it will definitely be from their YA books instead of adult.
➸ 4.25 stars
★ listened on audio
DNF FOR NOW @ 29%
I’m listening to this one on audio and it’s not working for me. There are too many characters for me to be listening to this on 2.5 speed. I have no idea what in the hell is going on. So I’m going to come back to this one in a few months and read it physically.
I’m listening to this one on audio and it’s not working for me. There are too many characters for me to be listening to this on 2.5 speed. I have no idea what in the hell is going on. So I’m going to come back to this one in a few months and read it physically.
I actually really enjoyed this book (even though it took me forever to read). The world was so lush and everything was beautifully written. I think this story was a little bit too court politically heavy for my taste though. The first part of the story has very little court politics, and it’s just kind of thrown at you in the second part, and I just didn’t really enjoy it. I think my favorite part about The City of Brass was the romance between Dara and Nahri! They’re absolutely delightful to read about, and I love their banter and interactions. We got a lot of them in the beginning, and very little of them in the middle and end.
Speaking of the beginning vs middle I feel like this story had a few pacing issues. The first half of the book was very very slow. Nothing happens, and it seems like your average road trip fantasy. The second half of the book is a complete 180 from the first half. Everything is going way too fast, and court intrigue is just kind of thrown into your face. This book took me so long to read because I just didn’t really like the second half of the book as much of the first.
I don’t really have much else to say about this one though. I enjoyed the first half and beginning much more than the second, but I’m excited to pick up book 2. I’m kind of questioning the accuracy of this book since it was written by a white woman, but I still enjoyed this regardless.
➸ 3.75 stars
Speaking of the beginning vs middle I feel like this story had a few pacing issues. The first half of the book was very very slow. Nothing happens, and it seems like your average road trip fantasy. The second half of the book is a complete 180 from the first half. Everything is going way too fast, and court intrigue is just kind of thrown into your face. This book took me so long to read because I just didn’t really like the second half of the book as much of the first.
I don’t really have much else to say about this one though. I enjoyed the first half and beginning much more than the second, but I’m excited to pick up book 2. I’m kind of questioning the accuracy of this book since it was written by a white woman, but I still enjoyed this regardless.
➸ 3.75 stars
Originally 4 stars, but brought up to 5
”’Baby, I could watch you watching paint dry, and I still wouldn’t be bored.’ Garrett Graham, my own personal sweet-talker.”
I literally loved Garrett and Hannah so much. They were absolutely fucking adorable, and the way they loved each other just made me so incredibly happy. This story was really fun, and despite this being a lot like other college romances I’ve read, I feel like it sticks out because of how much you could tell Garrett and Hannah love each other. Literally could not put put this down.
Off-Campus Series
The Deal - ★★★★★
The Mistake - ★★★★★
The Score - ★★★★★
The Goal - tbd
Briar U Series
The Chase - tbd
The Risk - tbd
The Play - tbd
The Dare - tbd
”’Baby, I could watch you watching paint dry, and I still wouldn’t be bored.’ Garrett Graham, my own personal sweet-talker.”
I literally loved Garrett and Hannah so much. They were absolutely fucking adorable, and the way they loved each other just made me so incredibly happy. This story was really fun, and despite this being a lot like other college romances I’ve read, I feel like it sticks out because of how much you could tell Garrett and Hannah love each other. Literally could not put put this down.
Off-Campus Series
The Deal - ★★★★★
The Mistake - ★★★★★
The Score - ★★★★★
The Goal - tbd
Briar U Series
The Chase - tbd
The Risk - tbd
The Play - tbd
The Dare - tbd
It’s been almost a year since I listened to the first book in this series, A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder and I’ve finally decided to continue on with this series. This is probably one of my favorite books I’ve read so far this year. I loved getting back to these characters, and the fictional town Holly Jackson has crafted in this series. The audiobooks for this series are phenomenal, and I’m so glad I chose this route to read books one and two. The format of the book really felt like a podcast, and really enhanced my enjoyment overall. The mystery was just as good as book one, and the ending was fantastic. I’m really excited to see what happens in book three, after that very ambiguous ending!
”’I need you. I can’t stand the thought of being without you.’ He released a shaky breath. ‘You’re the last person I think about before I go to sleep, and the first person I think about when I open my eyes in the morning. You’re it for me, baby.’”
I’m so in love with these books and this series so far. Elle Kennedy isn’t that great of a writer, but I’m literally so in love with these stories, and these characters. Logan was so sweet, and the way he literally groveled and simped for Grace almost the entire book just made me so fucking happy. I also loved Grace which seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I feel like I could really relate to her character and sympathize with her. Anyway, I fucking love this series and I’m probably gonna start Dean’s book after I finish this review.
Off-Campus Series
The Deal - ★★★★★
The Mistake - ★★★★★
The Score - ★★★★★
The Goal - tbd
Briar U Series
The Chase - tbd
The Risk - tbd
The Play - tbd
The Dare - tbd
I’m so in love with these books and this series so far. Elle Kennedy isn’t that great of a writer, but I’m literally so in love with these stories, and these characters. Logan was so sweet, and the way he literally groveled and simped for Grace almost the entire book just made me so fucking happy. I also loved Grace which seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I feel like I could really relate to her character and sympathize with her. Anyway, I fucking love this series and I’m probably gonna start Dean’s book after I finish this review.
Off-Campus Series
The Deal - ★★★★★
The Mistake - ★★★★★
The Score - ★★★★★
The Goal - tbd
Briar U Series
The Chase - tbd
The Risk - tbd
The Play - tbd
The Dare - tbd
”All my senses are filled with her—her sounds, her smells, her touch. Her.”
It’s official. This is now one of my favorite series ever. God, I’m in love with not only this book, but this entire series. I just can’t stop reading these books, and these characters. Dean Heyward-Di Laurentis is my favorite man in this entire series so far. He’s so fucking charming and funny, and he’s absolutely adorable. I could not get enough of him, and he did not have enough POV time. And Allie was such a change a pace from Hannah and Grace, who were both more tame characters (not to say I didn’t adore Hannah and Grace—because I absolutely did) while Allie was a little bit more wild.
Grace and Dean’s banter was hilarious, especially in the very beginning when Allie really didn’t like Dean and vise versa. And the nickname Allie-Cat dean gave to Allie was so fucking cute, I literally swooned so hard. Dean was literally such a sweet talker and I hung on to his every word. And I literally squealed when when we learned Dean was good with kids, like I cannot. Literally in love with this man and he doesn’t even exist /:
Also, the smut scenes were so much hotter in this book. The Deal and The Mistake have milder smut scenes (except for that one in The Mistake, if you know, you know), but these smut scenes were longer and more detailed, and a lot more abundant.
Anyways, in conclusion—one of the only men I’ll give the time of day is, Dean Sebastian Kendrick Heyward-Di Laurentis <3
Off-Campus Series
The Deal - ★★★★★
The Mistake - ★★★★★
The Score - ★★★★★
The Goal - tbd
Briar U Series
The Chase - tbd
The Risk - tbd
The Play - tbd
The Dare - tbd
It’s official. This is now one of my favorite series ever. God, I’m in love with not only this book, but this entire series. I just can’t stop reading these books, and these characters. Dean Heyward-Di Laurentis is my favorite man in this entire series so far. He’s so fucking charming and funny, and he’s absolutely adorable. I could not get enough of him, and he did not have enough POV time. And Allie was such a change a pace from Hannah and Grace, who were both more tame characters (not to say I didn’t adore Hannah and Grace—because I absolutely did) while Allie was a little bit more wild.
Grace and Dean’s banter was hilarious, especially in the very beginning when Allie really didn’t like Dean and vise versa. And the nickname Allie-Cat dean gave to Allie was so fucking cute, I literally swooned so hard. Dean was literally such a sweet talker and I hung on to his every word. And I literally squealed when when we learned Dean was good with kids, like I cannot. Literally in love with this man and he doesn’t even exist /:
Also, the smut scenes were so much hotter in this book. The Deal and The Mistake have milder smut scenes (except for that one in The Mistake, if you know, you know), but these smut scenes were longer and more detailed, and a lot more abundant.
Anyways, in conclusion—one of the only men I’ll give the time of day is, Dean Sebastian Kendrick Heyward-Di Laurentis <3
Off-Campus Series
The Deal - ★★★★★
The Mistake - ★★★★★
The Score - ★★★★★
The Goal - tbd
Briar U Series
The Chase - tbd
The Risk - tbd
The Play - tbd
The Dare - tbd
”Olivia Finnegan is so pretty that you feel compelled to look at her even when you don’t want to. You want to memorize the delicate structure of her face, her full rosebud mouth. She’s so pretty that pretty isn’t even the word for it. It’s something that makes me feel like I can’t breathe on the rare occasion I see her smile.”
This book was a brilliant fucking masterpiece. I have no other to describe this. I adore this story with my entire heart. I don’t even know how to write a review for this book because I love it so much. So ig RTC???
This book was a brilliant fucking masterpiece. I have no other to describe this. I adore this story with my entire heart. I don’t even know how to write a review for this book because I love it so much. So ig RTC???
”This is your life, and you have to choose how you want to live it.”
Ya know what? It’s time for me to finally give another book 5 stars this year because I’ve only had one or two 5 star reads and this deserves it.
The world in here was so unique, captivating and easy to follow. Clara was such an interesting character who’s development was so believable. The pacing was great (I often times find that books that take place over seasons or explicitly a year have a very slow pacing but this delved right into the action). The love interest was adorable, and I really really liked the writing. It wasn’t to flowery but it wasn’t plain and bland either.
(Also it’s never explicitly stated but Clara, our MC, had a girlfriend in the past so there is some LGBTQ rep in here)
Overall this was such a unique, fun, and page-turning debut. I was sucked in from page 1 all the way to the end, definitely in my top three favorite reads so far this year. I’m very excited to read more from Rachel Griffin.
5 stars
(Maybe a more in-depth review to come? We shall see)
Ya know what? It’s time for me to finally give another book 5 stars this year because I’ve only had one or two 5 star reads and this deserves it.
The world in here was so unique, captivating and easy to follow. Clara was such an interesting character who’s development was so believable. The pacing was great (I often times find that books that take place over seasons or explicitly a year have a very slow pacing but this delved right into the action). The love interest was adorable, and I really really liked the writing. It wasn’t to flowery but it wasn’t plain and bland either.
(Also it’s never explicitly stated but Clara, our MC, had a girlfriend in the past so there is some LGBTQ rep in here)
Overall this was such a unique, fun, and page-turning debut. I was sucked in from page 1 all the way to the end, definitely in my top three favorite reads so far this year. I’m very excited to read more from Rachel Griffin.
5 stars
(Maybe a more in-depth review to come? We shall see)