Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

This is a classic "it's not the book, it's me" situation. At least I think so.

There was loads that drew me to this book when I first stumbled upon it: the diverse cast of queer characters, the romantic comedy aspect (I've never read a romantic comedy with a genderqueer character and was READY), the premise of the youtube show etc. etc.

Speaking of the Youtube show... I mean, the Love Study is the name of the book, right?
Somehow, the Love Study only went on for three dates because that's how long it took for the Protagonist to confess his feelings for the show's host and so they started dating. I would have loved more build up here. Because two people who both freely expressed that they didn't date, this... happened quite fast?

I did like the negotiations they had about how they wanted to define what they had because every relationship does not need to be textbook. But it sort of just got... A LOT. I felt like half of the book was just discussing the state of the relationship.

A lot of this book is dialogue - which I don't hate! - but it felt often stilted and unnatural to me. More than once I had to read and re-read a sentence and thought "would anyone really say that like that?". Sometimes, the conversations also felt a little like going in circles. There was some definite repetition in here. And for some reason I was really bothered when either the MC or the Love Interest said things like "there is an innuendo in here but I can't find it". Because that happened more than once and I wasn't sure if the author tried and couldn't find it or if ze didn't try?

The fact that they did always try to find innuendo in everything also felt a bit... immature I suppose. I am all for sex positivity in books but in this case I thought it was weirdly inappropriate because they found innuendo in everything (or didn't) while also having very "psychotherapist-y" conversations. Generally they felt more like college students to me. Early 20s instead of almost 30 what with Sidney's "graveyard of veggies" and both of their tiny living quarters. I just found myself not being able to relate to their situation at all, which also added to my confusion.

Lastly, I felt like at this point - after reading this book - all I really know about the characters is the kind of relationship they want to have, that they both live in tiny quarters and that Declan can cook and left his last boyfriend at the alter and that Sidney does Youtube. I wasn't able to connect to them at all, which, seeing as most of the book was dialogue between those two is a bit unfortunate.

I am sure there are a lot of people who will enjoy this, but sadly it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC

I will start with some trigger warnings: pretended drowning, death of a child, death of a parent.

Now. First thing I will say is that pretending to drown to get someone's attention is NEVER okay and the scene hasn't been sitting right with me.

HOWEVER. Not taking this scene into the equation, I loved it? It was the perfect mix of romantic, sexy and serious and I enjoyed every second of it.

I came to really care for Connor and Tris (and James if I'm honest!) and I was rooting for them and being excited and I may have even swooned a little bit once or twice.

Similar to other reviewers, I did not expect this to take the dark emotional turn that it took but I absolutely loved it. It showed the manifestation of the relationship between Connor and Tris and also had the benefit of... "setting Tristan free", which made me nothing but happy for him.

I enjoyed this book a lot and can only recommend!

You know what, when I finished listening to this audiobook yesterday, I went on here and gave it 4 stars. Because I liked it, I really did. But it didn't immediately go up there to where my all time faves are. Then again, it is quite a feat to reach my all time faves...
Then, I went through a whole day before coming back on here and changing my 4 star review to a 5 star review. Or, more precisely, a 4.5 star review. Because this is a great book. An amazing book that I enjoyed immensely and that while it does not reach my all time faves list (yet), it is definitely worth more than the 3.81 average it currently has. Here's why: This book stayed with me. I kept thinking about it all day and I kept thinking back to my favourite moments, my favourite quotes. THAT, ladies and gents and everyone in between, is an amazing book.

Let me tell you why this is an amazing book.
When I decided to listen to it, I thought the cover looked cute. I thought the title sounded adorable and I was so ready for a cute, no brainer YA romance. This is what this book is not. Sure, it is a romance but it's so much more than that.

Meet Isa and Alex, two teens who meet on the subway in New York City, and no, they don't immediately fall for each other. But there is some immediate attraction. Which I LOVED. To walk the line between "they meet as strangers and leave as strangers" and "two strangers meet and it's unrealistic love at first sight" is a thin one to walk. Ismée Amiel Williams walked it beautifully. As I said, there is attraction at first sight. Some gentlemanliness from Alex (but I choose to believe that that was because he's just that much of a good person who would've done it for everyone). The love story between them is beautiful. It has so many of my favourite things, there is pining, love-letter-poems hidden on the subway, nervousness, love confessions - ALL of that good stuff.

And then, this novel hits you with this: racism, because Alex is Dominican-American and Isa's mother is Cuban. Mental illnesses in the family. Strict families, families who are so strict it almost suffocates their children (The pressure on Isa to consider becoming a doctor, the pressure on Alex to become a baseball-pro). Insecurity (because of society-made issues). There is violence and street gangs and injuries.

Of course, the book has more positive things to offer than just the romance. Isa's friend who is there for her no matter what. Isa and her brother's relationship. Alex and the way he cares for his little brother, his mother and his friends. The poetry, the going to dance performances, the texting, the hidden Instagram messages - so many things that are highly, HIGHLY enjoyable.

For me personally, the heritage of the two characters is amazing. I loved the usage of Spanish in this book and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into a culture that is very different from mine. I enjoyed seeing family dynamics that are very different from what I know. I enjoyed the descriptions of the food, of the traditions, of the heritage (and I'll also happily listen to Gary Tiedemann speak Spanish for forever).

Let me just tell you this. Do yourselves a favour and get this book. I promise you, you will not regret it.

Simon James Green has done it again! This is an absolute gem of a book and even though I am decidedly NOT a 10yo, I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing out loud all the way through this!
Riley and Brad are such great characters - both different but so, so loveable!
I can just recommend this with all my heart!

Holy shit.
Pardon my language.
I have just found a new favourite series.
Legendborn was a wild ride from start to finish. The world it is set in, the very very real historic events some plot points are taken from, the characters, Bree...
I am completely and utterly in love.

And this review is going to be a super short one because if you have not read this book I want you to go in there unprepared. I want you to be caught off guard. I want you to feel every plot twist and every new and exciting fact of this world. I want you to grieve and to rejoice and I think the best way to enjoy Legendborn at maximum level is to go in blind.

I recommend this to absolutely everyone and I will already count the days until Bree's story continues...

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I thought Accidentally in Love was overall very very cute. I love books set in the UK and I loved the duality of London and Sheffield. Kate is such a sweet character and I found myself rooting for her constantly. She felt incredibly relatable to me and I really liked her narrative.

I found myself a bit perplexed at her quickly forming relationship with Kit because from where I was sitting, there was no chemistry at all until the very end but I was nevertheless very pleased for her. I was also a bit confused when people would just... accuse her of being selfish etc. when I thought she cared quite a lot about other people, she just also cared about herself. Which was a huge plus point in my book.

Besides the romance, the family dynamics and Kate's passion for art made this book very enjoyable for me. And the way she took a leap with her life and escaped some toxic situations was honestly amazingly done.

Definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of Common Goal!

I am SO excited about this book!
It was romantic, it was really really sexy and it was so funny!
I had the banter I love, I had pining... Honestly, Rachel Reid gave me all I needed in this one.
Absolute fantastic fourth installment in the series and I am BEYOND happy that Kyle finally found someone. Also Eric of course. Both incredibly precious.

If you are wondering whether or not you should read this book: The answer is yes. Read it. Read 1-3 beforehand. Swoon. Squirm. Salivate. YOU DESERVE IT.