blewballoon's Reviews (763)

I didn't like this quite as much as The Dead Romantics, but it's still a great love story with a little supernatural twist. I found some aspects a bit too repetitive, and I didn't connect with Clementine as much as I would have liked. I think I was a little disappointed that she was going on stereotypical lead female character journey of "there's more to life than your career" but this was a tiny bit of a different approach to it. Those are all my negatives though, overall I enjoyed it. 

I may revisit this rating. As I said for the first book in the series, the writing and plot often follow the rule of "subtlety is for cowards" which both works and doesn't for me. Like the author's note at the end mentions, the unfortunate events in reality make the book more painful to read even though I think this sequel overall had more hopefulness (that sometimes feels like alternate reality wish fulfillment) than the first. 

In a way, I'm glad I'm much older than the intended audience, because I think if I were still 12 years old this would have hit me too hard. I found my inner middle schooler relating so much to the types of thoughts Noah had. While there are definitely heavy subjects discussed in the book, I think the overall story and tone is hopeful and it was refreshing to see Noah have both supportive parents and accepting,  open-hearted friends.

I really enjoyed the idea behind the writing and setting. The breezy nonchalance of the wacky situations reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall. I don't think it handled the zany adventures and "witty" tone as well as it could have, though. I strongly disliked the romance and found aspects of it uncomfortable to the point it sort of ruined the book for me.

When Cecilia and Ned are first traveling alone together, he encourages her to drink 3+ glasses of wine after he realizes she is getting tipsy after a couple sips and she has no idea she's drunk. He is amused as she makes a fool of herself, and contemplates laying in bed with her because she won't know while she's drunk asleep. She's too drunk to consent to anything. Later when they do have sex, the consent feels a little dubious because Cecilia is apparently so innocent she can't distinguish between foreplay and intercourse. I understand this book doesn't take anything seriously, but I don't think intentionally getting someone so drunk they can't distinguish between what they are thinking and doing is funny. And I think sex scenes where the woman doesn't know what's happening are not sexy.

I also think the characters didn't feel much like people, because the tone of the book was more focused on being satirical and humorous than allowing characters to have much depth. The audiobook narration was great. 

I picked up this book based on the recommendation that it was like The Princess Bride, which I loved both the book and movie of. I'd say that recommendation was fairly accurate with regards to the narrative style and basic plot, but the setting felt very original and creative. I absolutely loved Tress and the group of friends she made along the way. 

I almost DNFd this because I was having a hard time with the ruthlessly fortune hunting main lady and the upper-class judgemental male lead, but then the book took an interesting turn and I was intrigued for the long run. I'm glad I stuck with it! I enjoyed the character growth the leads went through and the romance ended up having a few tropes I actually like. I enjoyed seeing things play out for the side characters as well. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes historical romance for the plot and love stories but won't miss the spice.

When I started reading this series, I had no idea how much I would come to deeply love these siblings. The reaction I had to reuniting with an older Monty and Felicity, and their loved ones, was much stronger than I expected. Each of them is unique, and each of their books feels fresh due to their narrative voices despite their adventures all involving love, adventure, ships, far off destinations, and a bit of magic. I remember I did struggle with Monty's perspective in his book at the start before he has some character growth, and I also struggled sometimes with Adrien, although for different reasons. If you have a hard time reading stories in the perspective of someone with severe anxiety, you may struggle as well. As with the previous books in the series, although the protagonist has blatant flaws and struggles, they feel reel and lovable and you get swept in with how invested in their well-being you become. I am eager to read more from this author and I'm so glad I picked up this series on a whim.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series (The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue) even though I found Monty insufferable at the beginning. Percy and Felicity really carried the interest for me until Monty had some character growth. I had a feeling I would love this book from loving Felicity in the last book, and the audiobook was narrated by one of my favorite narrators Moira Quirk. It was a recipe for success and it was delicious. I loved it from the first few sentences, and I never stopped. There are a few less set pieces and side characters in this one compared to the first book, but I didn't mind and it helped keep the narrative moving more quickly I think. I loved seeing Monty and Percy again. I loved the new characters we met. I loved the ace representation. Perfect book for me.

Just as good as the first book.