*Please check the trigger warnings before you read this book. If it's advertised as a rom-com and that's all you know, you will be shocked by the tragedy in this book.

General Description: Kristen doesn't take anyone's shit (well except her mom's) and unfortunately for her, she will need a procedure to keep her alive that will make her unable to have kids. She's been keeping this from her best friend, who's wedding is coming up. Kristen meets the best man in the wedding, Josh, and there is an instant connection (at least to best friend Sloane) but in reality, Kristen and Josh had an awkward meet cute shortly before they are formally introduced. When Kristen needs a handyman for her business, Josh steps in. From there, their relationship begins, but with Kristen harboring her secret. How will their relationship grow?

The good:
- I really appreciated Kristen being a woman with firm boundaries and standing by those boundaries, even if she was kind of toeing the line, she was consistent.
- Josh is probably one of my new favorite MMC: he's a bit cheeky, but deep down, he took the time to really understand Kristen and I appreciate it.
- Sloane MADE this book for me as well. I am so excited to follow her journey in the next book.
- While the book gets extremely emotional, I feel like that added to the complexity of the story which I greatly appreciated as a reader.

The loss of a star:
- I just couldn't understand how Kristen did not tell Josh about her personal struggles sooner just based on how their relationship progressed/Kristen just assuming what Josh wanted without giving him the full context. It wasn't miscommunication, it was a lack of communication, which I feel is an important distinction as I don't mind miscommunication, but I don't like lack fo communication.

Overall, if you're look for a heavier romance book, one that reminds you to find love even in the darkest moments, this is the book for you.

General Description: Six bakers are chosen to compete in Bake Week, a competition that could change their life. However, when a murder occurs during the competition, the six bakers are now looked at suspects. Who was murdered? Who committed the crime? How can the inspectors put the pieces of the puzzle together?

The good:
- I feel like the multiple perspectives were very defined and easier to follow.
- I love a cozy baking mystery.
- Each character is very unique and makes the reading experience more exciting. I love the full cast in the audiobook!
 
The loss of 1.5 stars:
- Time is not as defined in this book as some others, which I personally don't like as i like the structure of time.
- There is a large gap between what you get in the prologue and actually getting to it in the book, which is not my favorite set up for a book.

Overall, If you appreciate a low stakes mystery, which would be a good book to pick up and give a try!

General Description: Hallie was 14 years old when she had an almost-kiss with Julian Vos. Julian went away and Hallie stayed. However, years later, when Julian returns to the vineyards, Hallie decides to drunkenly leave him a secret admirer letter. Julian receives it and write back, while at the same time developing a relationship with Hallie in real life. Who will Julian choose: the secret admirer or Hallie in person?

The goods:
- I felt like the spicier scenes made sense with the plot.
- Julian's sister was my favorite side character and kept me engaged.
- Hallie's best friend was also refreshing

The loss of 2 stars:
- I do not think Tessa Bailey's writing style is for me. I feel it is very unique, but it was not something I enjoyed
- The premise made the conflict a bit bizarre? Like I didn't end up liking either main character due to how they handled the conflict of the secret admirer letters.

Overall, I think if you want this to be your first Tessa Bailey book, it's a fair shot. Then you can determine for yourself if you enjoy her writing style or not.

Please note: this is the 5th book in a series, so there will inherently be spoilers, just an FYI.

General Description: Bobby is back in the flume and finds himself on Eelong, a territory where the klee (cats that can work on two legs) rule and the gars (aka people like Bobby) are seen as second class citizens. However, soon the klees may turn the gars into food. Bobby also has a reluctant Traveler, Kasha, but luckily her acolyte, Boon, is on Bobby's side. While those three try to keep the gars safe, Courtney and Mark get drawn into the mystery of Halla more than they ever had before.

All the good:
- Eelong is such an imaginative world and the way DJ writes put you right in the middle of all situations
- Kasha being the first truly skeptical throughout most of the book was refreshing to see
- Courtney and Mark's subplot is HUGE in this book and I love the growth
- Blackwater is one of the biggest twists in the series and I love it.

The loss of a half star:
- I don't think the pacing of the book was ideal because I found myself putting in down more often than picking it up. And I feel like that means i can't rank the book 5 stars even if I couldn't put it down at the very end.

Overall, if you read the first 4 books, no reason to stop at book 5!

General description: You follow 2 brothers: Grayson Hawthorne and Jameson Hawthorne. Grayson is focused on protecting the family that his birth dad cannot take care of. Jameson is focused on proving himself to a father he just met. Both care about their family, but is their care placed in the right people's hands, or will they find that family isn't who you're related to, but who you choose to be in your family?

The good:
- Jameson's story and the addition of an underground secrets type of den was compelling.
- Grayson's sisters were wonderful characters to read
- I love how much of Avery we see alongside Jameson.
- Xander and Nash are still around and are great additions to following the main brothers.

The loss of a star:
- It felt like two novellas combined into one book and with random jumps in both stories. It actually made it slower paced to read, but not in a good way.

Overall, if you have read all the Inheritance games books, this is a nice addition. If you want to read The Grandest Game, this is NECESSARY to read before it if you want to know all the context of that book.

General Description: Florence needs to escape with her daughter Mariel. We get to see Florence and Mariel grow up. Mariel meets Ned, the heir to a chain of diners, which makes their relationship strained as Mariel is devoted to her local supper club. How will all three folks live their lives as they continue to center the supper club that's led to so much tension in their relationships?

The good:
- I feel seeing each character's life cycle was sweet and I felt fulfilled by the end, with no lingering questions.
- The three different perspectives you follow were just enough and I liked how they were all interconnected
- The idea of the supper club in Minnesota was definitely well described and I felt like I was at the supper club during scenes that were describing it.

The loss of 2 stars:
- There was a lack of plot. Extremely character-driven, which some folks like! But it is not for me.
- I feel like overall it was way too personal and real of a book and I did not have an enjoyable time reading it, it was a sadder read.

Overall, if you can handle a book that might hit a bit too close to home if you're 25-45 in the midwest, you may like this book. If you need a book with a clear plot, I would not pick this up.

General Description: When a dead body rocks a community of summer vacationers, secrets and lies start to make their way to the forefront of the summer. Who committed the crime? Who was the crime committed against? Can the community ban together to catch a killer?
 
The good:
- Once i let go of my expectations, the book has some ridiculous banter that was funny.
- The story being centered around a new tennis coach and getting an outside perspective of the community was interesting.
- The multiple perspectives (like 10+) give you a true birds eye view that I appreciated while not being completely overwhelming.

The loss of 1.5 stars:
- The length between the prologue and getting to that same point in the traditional novel took sooo long. It made the book feel much slower
- Folks have quite cringy behavior in this book that I could not let go of.

Overall, if you aren't hung up on the prologue and figuring out too much and you like books where you appreciate the journey and not necessarily the destination, you'd probably like this!

General Description: After a one night stand and a bad bout of miscommunication, Russ and Aurora find themselves working at the same summer camp. While both are initially thankful for the "no fraternizing" rule, eventually, the rules are bent on both sides. How will Russ and Aurora come together, when they both have their own demons they are trying to run from at summer camp?

ALL the goods:
- The meeting between Russ and Aurora made SO much more sense than the meeting of the MCs in Ice Breaker.
- I enjoyed how both Russ and Aurora had family backstories that were explored and left me with no questions at the end.
- The environment of the summer camp added an additional element that gave me more insight into Russ and Aurora as people.
- I loved seeing the continued characters in the Maple Hills universe!
- I felt like the spicier scenes in this book fit a lot better than Ice Breaker

Overall, I was shocked how much I liked this book, so if you were on the fence after ice breaker, you should pick this up if you enjoy romance books. I think it was definitely a step up!

4.5/5 stars

General Description: Evie Porter is on a job. Her mission - understand Ryan and try to uncover what his secrets are. Mr. Smith will accept nothing less. however, as Evie and Ryan become closer, Evie finds herself questioning Mr. Smith himself. Who will Evie backstab: Ryan or her boss?

All the goods:
- The twists were immaculate.
- The pacing was extremely quick.
- When all the pieces fell together, it was extremely satisfying.
- While Evie is our main character, I really did like the addition of Ryan as our 'MMC'

The loss of a half-star:
- I think the first 2 hours of the audiobook were confusing without the context of the descritpion

Overall, read the description and decide! I feel like if you like mystery/thrillers this is a great read but check out the description first.

General Description: Ricki does not want to join the family funeral business. Thanks to an elderly benefactor, Ricki has the chance to open her flower shop. However, she can't fully focus on her shop when she keeps having mysterious run-ins with a musical stranger. How will this person change her life? For the better or for the worse?

The good:
- Ricki and Ezra's relationship was very sweet
- The mixture of historical fiction with the magical aspects were nice to see
- The side characters as a whole (especially Ms. Della) were such a great addition to this book.

The loss of 2 stars:
- The random addition of perspectives after over halfway of the book threw me off and it made it a bit harder to follow, especially on audiobook.
- The pacing of this book was not for me. I felt like there was no forward motion or mystery that made me want to keep reading.

Overall: I would recommend 7 days in June before this one and if you like Tia's writing style, you could pick this up and may find it enjoyable, but if you did not like 7 days in June, I would not recommend picking this up.