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bookswithlee's Reviews (669)
First I want to preface this by saying I am not an avid romance or smut reader. I do read some here and there, but it’s not my default.
I picked up this book because I’m someone who likes to diversify my reading (including reading different genres) and I thought the plot sounded interesting, so I picked it up, and yes it delivered.
What I liked:
I really enjoyed how the author was able to make you feel apart of the family. This story is riddle with South Asian cuisine, traditions, and a very realistic family system and dynamic.
Not only did the main characters feel dynamic but the side characters did as well, which is a rare find.
I also found myself laughing at some of the jokes placed throughout the story. When a book can actually make me laugh (not just think about laughing) it’s always a small win in my book.
I also liked the two main characters relationship. It was an enemies to lovers trope done well. I don’t know if the characters were ever actually enemies, but there was a distaste for one another that was palpable.
What I didn’t enjoy:
The smut scenes were a bit much for me, but that’s not the fault of the book, just my own preference. I’m a more fade to black type of person. If you’re like me, don’t worry I wouldn’t say there is an overwhelming amount. There’s just enough in my opinion to balance the story out.
(Yes, Prem did name his penis Charlie; however, the author did a great job explaining the reasoning this was done. Which has been tagged in her goodreads comments.)
I also thought the story started to lose momentum towards the end, but it picks back up.
Overall I thought this book was funny, sweet, and romantic, with a bit of steam. I enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more from Nisha Sharma
CW: discussion of grief and loss
Read: audiobook
I picked up this book because I’m someone who likes to diversify my reading (including reading different genres) and I thought the plot sounded interesting, so I picked it up, and yes it delivered.
What I liked:
I really enjoyed how the author was able to make you feel apart of the family. This story is riddle with South Asian cuisine, traditions, and a very realistic family system and dynamic.
Not only did the main characters feel dynamic but the side characters did as well, which is a rare find.
I also found myself laughing at some of the jokes placed throughout the story. When a book can actually make me laugh (not just think about laughing) it’s always a small win in my book.
I also liked the two main characters relationship. It was an enemies to lovers trope done well. I don’t know if the characters were ever actually enemies, but there was a distaste for one another that was palpable.
What I didn’t enjoy:
The smut scenes were a bit much for me, but that’s not the fault of the book, just my own preference. I’m a more fade to black type of person. If you’re like me, don’t worry I wouldn’t say there is an overwhelming amount. There’s just enough in my opinion to balance the story out.
(Yes, Prem did name his penis Charlie; however, the author did a great job explaining the reasoning this was done. Which has been tagged in her goodreads comments.)
I also thought the story started to lose momentum towards the end, but it picks back up.
Overall I thought this book was funny, sweet, and romantic, with a bit of steam. I enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more from Nisha Sharma
CW: discussion of grief and loss
Read: audiobook
“Reading these back again, I wish I hadn’t been so angry at him. I wish I had picked up the phone. Maybe then everything would be different.”
You’ve reached Sam tells a beautiful story of loss and grief and how we learn to live again. I enjoyed the overall message of this book, but I do think there were some things that could have been executed a bit better.
What I loved:
This is a story that is very well written. The flow was great overall with some hiccups here and there.
I loved the concept of being able to stay connected with someone after their passing through the phone. Another book with this trope that comes to mind is landline by a Rainbow Rowell.
This book pulls on your heart strings (although I didn’t cry) I think those who may have experienced grief are rating this book higher because it may draw on some memories. I know it did for me.
I loved how grief was represented as it’s not a linear process it takes time, and you never truly stop grieving you just learn to cope.
What I didn’t like:
I didn’t really feel a strong connection to the main character and Sam’s relationship as we don’t learn a lot about them in the past. The reader is expected to have an emotional connection to characters who are not very developed
Otherwise any other things that I didn’t enjoy were not the fault of the book, so I won’t share. However I did enjoy this book and I think it will resonate with a wide range of people, especially those who have experienced lost.
I will recommend this book; however, go in knowing that this book is almost entirely character driven with no plot.
Trigger warnings: Grief, death of a loved one, sudden death, depression, bullying
You’ve reached Sam tells a beautiful story of loss and grief and how we learn to live again. I enjoyed the overall message of this book, but I do think there were some things that could have been executed a bit better.
What I loved:
This is a story that is very well written. The flow was great overall with some hiccups here and there.
I loved the concept of being able to stay connected with someone after their passing through the phone. Another book with this trope that comes to mind is landline by a Rainbow Rowell.
This book pulls on your heart strings (although I didn’t cry) I think those who may have experienced grief are rating this book higher because it may draw on some memories. I know it did for me.
I loved how grief was represented as it’s not a linear process it takes time, and you never truly stop grieving you just learn to cope.
What I didn’t like:
I didn’t really feel a strong connection to the main character and Sam’s relationship as we don’t learn a lot about them in the past. The reader is expected to have an emotional connection to characters who are not very developed
Otherwise any other things that I didn’t enjoy were not the fault of the book, so I won’t share. However I did enjoy this book and I think it will resonate with a wide range of people, especially those who have experienced lost.
I will recommend this book; however, go in knowing that this book is almost entirely character driven with no plot.
Trigger warnings: Grief, death of a loved one, sudden death, depression, bullying
After reading the blurb and the first half of the book, this most definitely gave me Caraval vibes with a location change to a hotel.
The first half had me fully invested. I love books that have any magical settings, and this book delivered. However, I slowly started to lose interest as the book went on. It stated to feel a bit repetitive.
In this story we follow two sisters who visit the magical, legendary ✨Hotel Magnifique. ✨This hotel has the ability to travel and it’s in their town, so of course they want to visit. Both sisters are excited to be apart of the experience until one sister start to realize some shady things going down. It all hits the fan from there and some secrets are uncovered
We get love, mystery, fantasy, and all the good vibes.
Hotel Magnifique gets 5 stars for the aesthetic, but it didn’t captivate me in the way that I hoped.
The ending felt rushed, the middle was slow, but I liked it overall.
Thank you to Penguin Teen for the advance copy of this book. All thoughts in this review are my own and have not been influenced in any way.
The first half had me fully invested. I love books that have any magical settings, and this book delivered. However, I slowly started to lose interest as the book went on. It stated to feel a bit repetitive.
In this story we follow two sisters who visit the magical, legendary ✨Hotel Magnifique. ✨This hotel has the ability to travel and it’s in their town, so of course they want to visit. Both sisters are excited to be apart of the experience until one sister start to realize some shady things going down. It all hits the fan from there and some secrets are uncovered
We get love, mystery, fantasy, and all the good vibes.
Hotel Magnifique gets 5 stars for the aesthetic, but it didn’t captivate me in the way that I hoped.
The ending felt rushed, the middle was slow, but I liked it overall.
Thank you to Penguin Teen for the advance copy of this book. All thoughts in this review are my own and have not been influenced in any way.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into with this book. I think it does a good job highlighting the intersectionality between race, sex, sexual orientation, and religion, but the smut was a bit much for me and the book felt like it was drawn out maybe a little too long. Otherwise, good book.
