You can see all my reviews here: Books Are The New Black

I thought of Kimberly Lemming when I saw this as an option to download from Simon Maverick Hub. I am mixed on this one because it had some similar themes but was not executed as well.

I did think the audio was good, and I liked Mensah's narration. Narration can make or break a book! I am happy that this was not an issue with this one. I think where its biggest downfall was the main character. Rayna irritated me several times throughout this book. She's supposed to be mature and her behavior was immature/cringe. I expected more, and Rayna does point out she is a successful and well-rounded woman, but she didn't act that way. Why was she surprised with the results of the spell? I mean, what did you think would happen?

I found a few moments that made me laugh, which I appreciated. There is a lot of smut in this book for all my fellow bloggers looking for some spicy moments in their books. Another issue I had was the plot. There is a lot of potential in the world she's created. I felt whiplash because she was disappearing for big chunks of time. I don't know how shocked she would be if people noticed how long she was gone, especially her best friend. How dare you do a missing report? Oh, boy.

Overall, I'm still unsure how I feel about this. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It was entertaining enough that I kept going. I wish we had a mature main character to make things less irritating. She acts like a horny teenager most of the time.

Thank you, Simon Maverick, for the audiobook arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

 

You can see all my reviews here: Books Are The New Black

3.5 stars

I am so conflicted with this story. It had such a great premise and was intriguing from the beginning. I got lost in the middle and struggled to get wrapped into the story. The one great thing was the wonderful friendships.

The characters stood out and kept me interested. Jenny was the stand out to me. Of course, this is mostly about her and told from her perspective. I adored how she tread the line between being "good" and "bad." She recognized that she was a monster but wanted more. I love her relationship with Brackus the most. They were hilarious, and I loved their banter. It got me through many of the duller moments in the story. Temperance was a nice addition. I understand that her character was to show Jenny that there's more to being a monster. There are always two sides to a story, and she was able to see things from a different perspective. I did find Temperance rather annoying at times. I truly understand wanting to do anything for your children, but there are lines.

I thought the Fae world was intriguing, and I liked all the different characters you see throughout. The one hang-up I have is that she overdid it with the fairytales. We had several of them and then thrown into another story, towards the end, that felt out of place. The quests, which took up a good chunk of this book, were not as interesting as I hoped. I am not a big fan of a book that is a journey. The traveling becomes so drawn out. The quests are where the pacing was all over the place for me. I started the book hooked and couldn't stop reading. By the end of the book, I felt it was a completely different book and a different tone.

As I said, I'm conflicted. I loved the relationships, and I loved Jenny. There's a lot to love about this story, but a few things I struggled with. I will pick up what she writes next.

Thank you, Orbit and Netgalley, for the e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own!

 

 

Anytime there’s a book with anxiety representation, I’m all over it! I didn’t know it was happening with this book, but it was a big focus. Leigh is a character that I saw myself in several times. I have seen some reviews where they couldn’t understand or thought she was annoying. They should count themselves lucky that they have never had the same anxiety-filled life.

I’m going to expand on this a little more. Leigh is in an MFA program because she’s lost in life. Her parents are divorcing, she hates her job, and pining over her High School crush. On top of all these things, Leigh is living with a lot of anxiety. When she gets into this MFA program, it rears its ugly head. She likes to have this persona of what she thinks other people like. People pleasing goes hand in hand with anxiety. If we think others think we are pretty, acceptable, smart, etc, there’s a feeling of belonging. She goes to her first workshop, and her thoughts are so relatable. I remember thinking similar things in a new college class or anywhere that it’s a new experience. You don’t want to talk or give your opinion because you are not confident it would land well. The embarrassment of something like that happening is just debilitating. I’m just pointing out another scope to understand the FMC. The way she acts throughout the book makes a lot of sense if you’ve experienced high levels of anxiety. I’m so glad that we get her therapist sessions because it helps open that up further. There is a lot to unpack with her parents.

Anyway, besides the mental health representation, the romance was great. There are many moments in their life when things don’t pan out. They are both holding onto words and grudges from the past that don’t help them move forward in the present. Regardless, I loved Will and how he saw Leigh. He was patient and way more understanding than a normal person would be. To all the spice lovers, there are a couple of moments, but not a big part of the story.I wish I would have gotten more of Will’s POV. He’s reserved, and we don’t know much about what’s going on with him.

The friendships are amazing! I loved Gen and how she didn’t put up with Leigh’s crap. She is really what a true friend should be. The writing workshop crew was great to get to know and love. I flew through this book in a little over a day. I enjoyed it and all the relationships. If you are looking for an angsty romance with a lot of poetry and mental health awareness, this is for you. I couldn’t put it down!

Thank you, Forever and Netgalley, for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.