alltheradreads's Reviews (1.9k)

OKAY yes this one got the series back on track 🙌🏼 like with book #1, i found myself feeling so seen in this story, with how lotus handled sex and intimacy after r—pe. even more than with iris in long shot, i could relate to lotus and resonate with her internal monologue and her choices and her fears, and it was healing and meaningful to read. and this story, like book #1 did but #2 didn’t, had a redemptive arc i loved, and character development i could believe and root for, and even though it wasn’t quite a slam dunk, i really liked this one. (the flashback chapter to the scene of what happened to her as a child was graphic and one i’d personally recommend skipping.)

and there goes my streak of only reading five star books in 2024 ☹️

this was just… not it. opening with a rich white boy being told to “f— the fat girl” to make it into a secret society gave me the ick IMMEDIATELY even if he did shut it down, refuse their offer, etc… because he STILL slept with her and i just never for a second believed he was genuine.

i wanted so much better for banner!!! the way she was both a badass force to be reckoned with in this story but then totally let jared (JARED!!! 🤢) get to her EVERY TIME, so much that she ruined a good, healthy love for him? nope. no way.

this just did not work for me. it did not have the power and redemption and heart that book #1 had, at ALL. it just felt slimy all the way through, or slippery, maybe? just something off that i didn’t like at all.

(yes i am already reading book #3, so stay tuned to see if this series can turn things around…) 🤞🏼

this one got me in my feels!!! i want this made into a movie immediately. i mean come on, it’s got a precious matchmaking grandpa and old academic rivals who of COURSE fall in love as they hear about the lost forbidden love between their grandparents through the letters grandpa paul shares with them along what would have been their honeymoon roadtrip, WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT. oh yes also of COURSE there is perfect spice, and an ending that had me squealing, and so many tender, tear jerking moments along the way…

y’all— this one WRECKED ME. plz check trigger warnings (@the.storygraph is the best for that) because there is a lot to be aware of in this one, but for me, it was something i could keep reading even with my own story echoing so much of what was happening in the ab—sive relationship in these pages. i did skim some of the more graphic scenes to protect myself but wow wow wow, this book was powerful and redemptive and beautifully written and so, so raw, real, and honest.

(also let it be known— the hero here is the good guy!! the ab—ser does not win in the end. it’s important to me that you know that.)

i had never read @kennedyryan1’s work before and now am about to flyyyy through her catalog! holy moly. this one absolutely shattered me at times but then was such a story of strength and perseverance, of family and love and fighting for healing, of redemption and hope and JOY. what a freaking stunner.

an essential deconstruction/evolving faith read ↩️

i was introduced to @peteenns at @evolvfaithbut this was the first book of his i’ve read, and it resonated SO MUCH (see ALL THE FLAGS for evidence). i deeply appreciate his incredibly thorough, rational, intellectual, and expansive thoughts on faith, on the bible, on god, and on how he’s navigated his own journey along the way. 

i learned so many new things in this one, found myself thinking about my own faith and experiences and beliefs from new angles, appreciated how he wove his own story in humbly and frankly, and how his privilege was laid bare throughout. connecting dots between history and science and faith, between blown elbows in baseball and moments in taxis and changes in plans to faith, all to help expand our view of god? yes. so beautifully done, and so compelling to me. i have a lot i’m still thinking about from this one, and i love that! i want to keep ruminating on it for a while. 

a fantastic read, and one i highly recommend! 

set your logic aside regarding time travel and this book will absolutely charm, woo, and delight you. the way ashley poston writes romances with such nuance around grief and love and loss is absolutely STUNNING and truly unlike any other author i’ve read. there were lines in this book that stopped me in my tracks and read like such poetry i almost got emotional!!!

i truly don’t understand how the magical apartment and seven year slips of time worked but tbh i don’t want to ask questions because this is just a gem of a cozy hug of a book.

a lovely end to our year of #alltheradreadsbookclub picks! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (would have been five but i really do have questions that tripped me up lol) 🙃