chronicallybookish's Reviews (1.53k)

I didn’t love the disability rep

 Overall rating: 3.75 stars
Age Rating: 18+
Spice Level: 1.5/5

This book is hard to review. I honestly enjoyed it. It was fast, engaging, and the food descriptions were to die for. Easily the best I’ve ever read.
But this is a romance novel… and the romance was the weakest part of the book by far. I did not feel an ounce of chemistry between Julie and Bennett. The descriptions of their attraction, their kisses, the sex scene were all so dry and almost clinical. Especially with the juxtaposition of how visceral the descriptions of food were, the romance fell flat.
The romance was sweet, and I do root for them as a couple, but compared to the other aspects of the book, I expected and wanted more. The way the chemistry and attraction were described felt more befitting a romantic subplot than a romance book.
But this book was strong enough without that, that I still enjoyed it a lot. As a person who runs a sort of social media blog and social media reviewing platform (though books instead of food), I really enjoyed the premise of Social Media Reviewers vs more “professional” paper reviewers (please note the existence of the quotes. Social media reviewers are professionals too). I liked seeing the differences between Julie and Bennett and Jada, and I liked the emphasis on all options being valid, so long as you’re being honest and true to yourself.
The characters, too, were pretty strong. I liked Julie. It was easy to connect with her and feel for her. Bennett, Alice, even Jada were strong side characters, with distinct personalities, motivations, and lives. I also enjoyed the discussions of class that Emerson Leigh’s character brought up, though I felt she relied a little too heavily on stereotypes. I understood the point, but it was kind of annoying to read, and she never came off as a remotely real person.
The star of the show, however, is definitely the food. Elliot is a master of food descriptions I swear I could taste the food as she described it. I genuinely found myself salivating while reading—and I’m not even a huge food person. I loved the glimpses into foods from so many different cultures (and especially the little cameo from the MC of her previous book, Sadie on a Plate!). This book is a must read for foodies everywhere, and I’m definitely looking forward to picking up Sadie’s book. 

<i>Quick Stats</i>
<b>Age Rating: 18+</b>
Over All: 2.25 stars 
Plot: 1.5/5
Characters: 2/5
Setting: 3.5/5
Writing: 2/5

<i>Special thanks to Berkley Romance and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.</i>

So. This book… was a book.
The premise was interesting. Woman moves to Scotland to write a cookbook. Meets broody scotsman. Romance and found family and lots of yummy food. Yay!
And that was executed—especially the food descriptions. This book was very wordy when it came to describing the settings and the food. Not necessarily in a bad way, but it was something I noticed.
My main issue is that I was so, so bored. None of the characters had a personality. Ruby didn’t really have any motivations driving her. There was not even a hint of a plot until the 70% mark. The only thing driving the story forward was miscommunication and secret keeping. My gosh did Ruby keep making the stupidest decisions. Like, “oh, this lady I’ve spoken to once before wants me to keep this massive secret from the guy I’m about to start sleeping with? A secret that it makes absolutely no sense to keep, because keeping it would hurt 1. Said guy 2. The woman who opened her house to me and who I love and 3. Me, my livelihood. Well, she called me her friend and I pinky swore, so I can’t betray her confidence!” What the fuck was that. It made zero sense for her to keep that secret. 
Every “plot twist” was evident from like, page one. Every single one. And it was annoying to keep having these “mysteries” hinted at when it was so obvious.
The first 30% of the book was honestly…fine. It was boring, the characters were flat, and there was no plot, but it was tolerable. Once we start to get those secrets and hints of plot twists and such it got painfully annoying to read.
At 70% we get a real plot and the pacing finally picks up. The plot we get here is interesting, in theory. If that aspect had been taken and woven into a real driving point for the whole book, I think the book would have been a lot more interesting. However, it really only becomes relevent and actively addressed at the 70% mark, where there’s no time to fully explore it. This leaves it feeling rushed. Not to mention this is also the point at which all the secrets and miscommunication come to a head, taking away from any enjoyment I may have had from the actual plot.
I didn’t enjoy this book. However I don’t think that means no one will. If you’re really into Scotland or food, those aspects of the book might well make up for the slow pace and lacking characters. I think this book has potential to be enjoyable to some, just not me.

 Quick Stats
Age Rating: 15+
Over All: 3.5 stars
Plot: 3.25/5
Characters: 3/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 2.5/5

Special thanks to Wednesday Books for sending me an ARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

TW: (as stated in the front of the book) depictions of blood, gore, physical/sexual assault, sexual trauma, and death. For more information, please visit the author’s website.

I’m really glad this book has a TW in the front, because I think it might be the darkest YA book I’ve ever read. These are not just passing mentions of abuse, gore, and SA. They’re repeated, and often described to a graphic extent. The rape isn’t directly described, and it takes place a year prior to the start of the book, but we do get flashbacks of it that while they don’t describe the act itself, they do go into enough detail that it made me physically sick to read.

I think the premise far outshines the execution of this book. The writing is fine, but could be stronger, and I think that by making this book YA, the author was unable to delve as deep into the darker aspects of this book as she wanted to, leaving some of the darker scenes feeling as if they were lacking depth. It takes a lot of skill to navigate these topics in a space where you have to portray these aspects in a complete and powerful way, without getting too graphic, because the book needs to remain suitable for younger readers. I don’t think that Blackwood quite achieved that balance here.
I enjoyed Victoria as a character. I think she was a strong protagonist, well rounded, with believable goals and motivations. She was easy to root for. I cannot say the same for any of the other characters. They all felt very… shallow. I don’t think any of them had much individuality, much personality, and most of their motivations rang hollow. I think they just needed more.
The writing also felt… choppy? I’m not sure what word to use. The narration was very serious, matching the dark content and atmosphere of the novel. However every once in a while, there would be a pop culture reference/quote thrown in randomly. Now, I’m terrible at pop culture references and such, so I didn’t always know where the reference came from, but it was always obvious when it happened, because someone would say something that was both out of character for them and that did not fit the vibe of the narration or what was happening at the time. Like, imagine a severely dark and fucked up story, very seriously narrated, a very serious main character, who has just watched a bunch of people get brutally murdered, throwing out a “What, like it’s hard?” No. Just no. I love Legally Blonde, but it was so clunkily in there. Every reference was so clunky.

I did really enjoy the setting. I think that the jungle, the lore around it, and Victoria’s connection to it was fascinating and really well executed. This aspect of the book was phenomenal. When it came to the descriptions and Victoria’s interactions with the forest itself, the creatures, River Mumma, all of those aspects were great. This is what I wanted, when I was reading Beasts of Prey. If everything in this book had been executed to the level that the jungle was, this could have been a five star book.