bandherbooks's Reviews (3.65k)

i am entirely overwhelmed by the sheer force of this book. i see where the author is trying to go (very stream of conscious writing style, pov of the monk brother) but i am not really able to follow along very well without losing focus. thankfully short chapters, but i think this would be best read with a group // class, and slowly.

the mongolia setting is so lovely and wonderous, as is the questioning of buddhism that pervades the main character's thoughts. of which there are so many. no quieting of the mind here.

Wonky, sexy romp featuring a beleaguered Cancer researcher student, a former boy band shirtless bad boy turned animal rehab island owner, and a yowling, screeching cougar named Baby.

Zoey Fong and Davy Hsieh crash into each other at Zoey's lab, causing her to misplace her precious slide she needs for her research, and ending up with her on Davy's private island searching for the slide amidst his many crates of essentials he needs to survive mostly alone in solitude out there. What follows is a sexy romp as both Zoey and Davy immediately are attracted to one another and find themselves defending the other's quirks to everyone else they encounter. I had a blast reading this, and i hope you all do too!

Thank you to the publisher for the arc

Content notes: set in Canada, Zoey is Chinese-Canadian; Davy is Tawainese Canadian. Zoey's sister had cancer as a kid (she survives, is the reason Zoey decides to try to be a cancer researcher). Davy has social anxiety and was addicted to prescription pills (in recovery)

Two recently single men connect during a friend vacation to Alaska, both finding the other irritatingly sexy and not wanting to start anything that could seem as a rebound, until an avalanche strands them from their friends so why not have a little fling after all? but oh yeah, all the feeeeelings.

as per usual, Erin McLellan knocks the novella romance out of the park with the sheer amount of heat, humor, and ennui I've come to find in this fantastic series. Exploring the multitude of ways one can have an HEA is what she does best!

Bonus points for the 3some on the fainting couch AND the aurora borealis, two favs of mine!

Content notes: Tyler Vlachos is a white, cis man, and a school teacher. Dean Humprhies is a white, cis man, and art teacher. bad exes//breakups discussed, sex toys used, ethical non-monogamy and group sex

Unfunny, soul-less, & flat christmas romcom missing both the com & the rom for me.


SPOILERS

Spoiler

Choppy writing with flat characters (what did ANYONE look like? I don't know), along with just a baffling look at the making of a "romcom" that even read by someone who literally doesn't care about picky job details seemed baffling at best and just wrong?? at worst. Also, I thought we left head-hopping in scene to the early 00s and WHY was the open door sex only for the horrible director and hollywood star Amari (what does she look like, we don't know) and not the main couple?? We got a "they banged THREE TIMES" fade to black moment (not forgetting that main character Kerri is still affianced at the time, ope) and a pointless love triangle on top of a pointless fake engagement on top of a why do these people even like each other anyway story.

wouldn't watch this as a film & don't recommend reading the book either.

thank you to the publisher for the ARC

collection of personal anecdotes from a collection of Wisconsin Dairy farm owners and some of their workers, mostly of Mexican descent and undocumented, and how they have more in common than not; except in my opinion that the workers here, how candid can they really be?

I appreciated hearing about the bridges program so dairy owners can visit their employees' homes in Mexico, and that most of the workers are working as hard as they can in grueling, unforgiving jobs that most Americans will not take, so they can better afford a life back home.

The true hardships of these workers to cross the border, safely, is hard to read about, and i found the otherwise rosy tone odd. of course the workers will speak kindly of their employers? Also, the stories began to feel repetitive and there's no true investigation into what it will take to change things, beyond personal opinions and attitudes.

that said, i think this would be a book you could hand to your up north fam and acquaintances that they might actually read, and learn something from.

Airy and whimsical and sweet like cotton candy tale of an actual Prince (charming) who is cursed until he can find his perfect kiss and ascend his fae throne.

overall, personally, this was a bit too low-stakes for me. There's pining, but it is very cute. There's heat, but it is muted and lovely. If you are craving a warm, fuzzy read that's like a hug, definitely give Freya Grove a visit!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

Read for Fight Club 2023

I think I'm ready to review now, after having a lot of time to ponder my feelings. The Seven Year Slip is a book I'm going to continue to think about for a long time to come. I really didn't know how an HEA could be pulled off, with one lover in the past seven years, but wow Poston, she did it!! The casually magic apartment with the allusions to water color paints and how they mix up, and Clementine's own watercolor paintings were just lovely to listen to. Brittany Pressley does a great job on the narration, and whew i loved her Iwan voice A Lot. Iwan as a chef also, quite tasty, and Clementine getting to meet him as both younger, starry eyed new to NYC Iwan and then encountering him as James Ashton, celebrity chef, and getting to fall in love with them both, oh how it worked for me. This really encapsulated one of my favorite things of "we only have this night // time" because Clementine never really knew if she'd see Iwan again, if the apartment would bring them back together.

Okay, so here's where things got a little sticky for me, and they are spoilery, so do steer clear if you are going to read. I will content note grief // suicide

Spoiler

What didn't work so much for me was the reveal that Clementine's aunt Analea's past lover who she met thanks to the apartment turned out to be Iwan's family member...perhaps his grandma or mom? I can't recall now; and it made me so sad because basically Analea did not get an HEA, pined for her lover for forever, and then died by suicide. The queer dead aunt trope keeps popping up for me (see also Mrs. Nash's Ashes) and I don't know how I feel about that just right now

Troubled boy in the foster system meets beautiful blonde rich girl after she gets in trouble at a drag race. They fall in love but various troubles continue to threaten their relationship and safety. A bit overblown on the drama for, this is not my favorite McGarry novel. I like my ladies a little more bad ass.

Utterly gorgeous photos of the baker himself, his adorable west highland terrier, and his husband Patrick surround enchanting essays and delicious and easy to create recipes. With a focus on local ingredients and traditions, the author does a divine job of making you feel confident in your own baking skills (as long as you try using a scale to weigh your ingredients) while also regaling you with stories both mythological and personal.

I was lucky to receive an early copy to review, and was able to interview the author ahead of the book's USA release for my work.

Thank you!

Chandler Cohen is aghast to discover her next ghost-writing partnership is with her (terrible) one-night stand who just so happens to also be mildly famous for his turn as a college sweetheart of a werewolf in a popular teen show. Finn Walsh, whom she had immediate sparks with, could not find her cl1t with a GPS and she was determined to forget about that night until she's spending every waking hour watching him shine on his national ComicCon circuit. One night she finally confesses why she ghosted him, and Finn then asks for Chandler's help...just not with his debut book this time.

Sex lessons, chemistry off the charts, and a rollicking fun time. I really enjoyed this so much! It was lovely and refreshing to see such honest and frank discussion of pleasure, boundary settings, and what makes someone tick in bed. And the way student Finn is? Whew, he makes up that failed test with aplomb.

I also appreciated the care the author took with Finn's OCD, and just really, what a dang good romance. Also, the audiobook narrator was really fantastic with the single POV narration and the many voices.

CW: anxiety, OCD, care of elderly parents (one hospital scare, everyone is okay), emotionally abusive parents (discussed, in the past), parental death from cancer (in the past)