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bookswithlee's Reviews (669)
2.5 stars. Fourth Wing was another book that just didn’t quite live up to the hype for me. I actually received an ARC but never found the time to read it until now, and honestly, I don’t feel like I missed much by waiting.
At the beginning, I was intrigued. The world seemed interesting, and I was curious to learn more. But as the story went on, I realized there wasn’t a lot of world-building. This is definitely more of a character-driven book. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially for readers who don’t typically read a lot of fantasy. It’s a good, light fantasy novel that’s easy to get into.
The romance was fine if you enjoy an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, but it didn’t completely hook me. And the pacing. especially toward the end, just felt like it dragged on longer than necessary. By the final stretch, I was ready for it to be over.
I alternated between the audiobook and the physical copy, and while the narration was okay, it wasn’t my favorite. One thing that kept throwing me off was how the characters read as teenagers rather than adults. I had to keep reminding myself that they were supposed to be in their twenties.
I wanted to love this book so badly, and while it didn’t quite work for me, I can absolutely see why others love it. It’s an easy, entertaining read, and I’d still recommend it to readers looking for an approachable fantasy with strong character focus.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book an exchange for my honest review
At the beginning, I was intrigued. The world seemed interesting, and I was curious to learn more. But as the story went on, I realized there wasn’t a lot of world-building. This is definitely more of a character-driven book. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially for readers who don’t typically read a lot of fantasy. It’s a good, light fantasy novel that’s easy to get into.
The romance was fine if you enjoy an enemies-to-lovers dynamic, but it didn’t completely hook me. And the pacing. especially toward the end, just felt like it dragged on longer than necessary. By the final stretch, I was ready for it to be over.
I alternated between the audiobook and the physical copy, and while the narration was okay, it wasn’t my favorite. One thing that kept throwing me off was how the characters read as teenagers rather than adults. I had to keep reminding myself that they were supposed to be in their twenties.
I wanted to love this book so badly, and while it didn’t quite work for me, I can absolutely see why others love it. It’s an easy, entertaining read, and I’d still recommend it to readers looking for an approachable fantasy with strong character focus.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book an exchange for my honest review
I wanted to love This Could Be Us, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Kennedy Ryan has such a gift for writing raw, emotional stories, as she proved in Before I Let Go, but I didn’t feel that same depth here. That said, Soledad’s journey was inspiring. Watching her heal, put herself first, and slowly open up to love again was beautiful.
At first, I really liked Judah, but as the book went on, his character started to feel a little flat and repetitive, and honestly, Soledad did too. Their relationship was a slow burn, which I usually don’t mind, but at times the pacing felt dragged out. I get why, though. This wasn’t just about romance. It was about Soledad learning to love herself first, and that part of the story was really well done. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing, especially compared to what I loved so much about Before I Let Go.
Also, I’m not a big smut reader, so those scenes weren’t really my thing, but that’s just personal preference.
Overall, this one didn’t completely work for me as I just did feel connected to the romance. That said, I think a lot of readers will love the slow-burn and the theme of finding love after divorce. It wasn’t my favorite, but I can see why others might really enjoy it. Hopefully the third book brings back some of the passion I loved so much about the first one!
At first, I really liked Judah, but as the book went on, his character started to feel a little flat and repetitive, and honestly, Soledad did too. Their relationship was a slow burn, which I usually don’t mind, but at times the pacing felt dragged out. I get why, though. This wasn’t just about romance. It was about Soledad learning to love herself first, and that part of the story was really well done. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing, especially compared to what I loved so much about Before I Let Go.
Also, I’m not a big smut reader, so those scenes weren’t really my thing, but that’s just personal preference.
Overall, this one didn’t completely work for me as I just did feel connected to the romance. That said, I think a lot of readers will love the slow-burn and the theme of finding love after divorce. It wasn’t my favorite, but I can see why others might really enjoy it. Hopefully the third book brings back some of the passion I loved so much about the first one!
Thank you to Netgally for providing me with this advanced reading copy. With that being said, I have some thoughts about this book.
A quick run down of the synopsis of this book. We meet Feyi who has lost her husband Jonah in a tragic way. The story follows her as she tries to overcome the grief of her husband passing and learning how to love herself again. We watch as she struggles internally with the trauma of losing her husband while also trying to find a way to bring balance back to her life. Enter the romance of the book
Feyi is dating men, but she never truly feels the connection with them like she had with her husband. Feyi finds love, but it is messy and that’s all you need to know. If you want to find out what happened, you’ll have to read it.
This is a slow burn, forbidden love, age-gap, love triangle romance done well.
What I liked- the writing is amazing, but that’s no surprise as the author of this book always comes through with the writing. I also enjoyed how slow the romance progressed between the characters. It got annoying at times, but it made it feel more realistic. I also loved the Black love spilling from page to page. It’s just beautiful.
What I didn’t like- I found the love triangle trope to be a little off putting with how it happened. Just not for me. I also struggled with how codependent the love story seemed, although that can be overlooked as most romance stories seem to have some level of codependency in it.
Honestly I can’t find much to not like about this story. I found the romance to be cute, fun, and it drew me in. I truly enjoyed this story and I think most romance readers will enjoy this one as well!
A quick run down of the synopsis of this book. We meet Feyi who has lost her husband Jonah in a tragic way. The story follows her as she tries to overcome the grief of her husband passing and learning how to love herself again. We watch as she struggles internally with the trauma of losing her husband while also trying to find a way to bring balance back to her life. Enter the romance of the book
Feyi is dating men, but she never truly feels the connection with them like she had with her husband. Feyi finds love, but it is messy and that’s all you need to know. If you want to find out what happened, you’ll have to read it.
This is a slow burn, forbidden love, age-gap, love triangle romance done well.
What I liked- the writing is amazing, but that’s no surprise as the author of this book always comes through with the writing. I also enjoyed how slow the romance progressed between the characters. It got annoying at times, but it made it feel more realistic. I also loved the Black love spilling from page to page. It’s just beautiful.
What I didn’t like- I found the love triangle trope to be a little off putting with how it happened. Just not for me. I also struggled with how codependent the love story seemed, although that can be overlooked as most romance stories seem to have some level of codependency in it.
Honestly I can’t find much to not like about this story. I found the romance to be cute, fun, and it drew me in. I truly enjoyed this story and I think most romance readers will enjoy this one as well!
