dapperreads's Reviews (1.29k)

I definitely expected this to be funny. It was more just a telling of things that many parents do or tell their children (like when that super annoying toy just magically stops working but we took the batteries out…). At the least I would have enjoyed it to be told with a funny tone rather than the stilted version I experienced.

I received the audio through NetGalley and I’d say this would likely be better served in any other format. It’s short and it was fine, but where these books usually make me giggle, I barely cracked a smile in the 53min listen - and I think it’s just the delivery didn’t hit for me. 

I’m gonna go a neutral 3⭐️ though because I do think this would be more enjoyable in literally any other format. 

As usual, I’m not rating a Memoir but I will share some thoughts on it!

I absolutely adored the Spice Girls as a young one. This was my first real look into any kind of music that wasn’t for children and I have devoured any book any of them have ever written. I was very excited for this one and it didn’t disappoint either. She gives us her insight into the Spice Girls and what was going on in her life and her head during the years they were active. We learn what it was like to be “Sporty Spice” while still trying to maintain Melanie. I really enjoyed it.

Once this got going it was good. But it took longer than I felt necessary to get there. 

This book definitely built the drama in the beginning. We find a couple that is engaging in an extramarital affair and on top of that because of workplace rules, their relationship isn’t allowed even without one part being married to someone else. So of course there’s drama. This particular part of the story covers about half the book and sets the scene for the final part - which is where it FINALLY gets good. 

Clearly I believe it got VERY good because this was a mid to below mid level read until that second part kicked in. It was the most realistic court case I have ever read in my entire life. I was on the edge of my seat, I couldn’t put it down - I HAD TO KNOW what this jury was going to do!

I was left with some unanswered questions at the end - just something that was bugging me throughout the entire book but likely didn’t bother anyone else. Or maybe I missed the answer - which is also possible because I was so into knowing what happened I could have blocked out the answer I was seeking. Who knows - I sure don’t 🤷‍♀️

This a perfect start to a new mafia romance series! I love the dark, angsty nature of a good mafia romance and this delivers with the promise for more!

Without giving too much away, we find ourselves diving immediately into the mafia lifestyle. We meet our MFC, Nicky, in a coffee shop where she runs into an incredibly hot man - and then all hell breaks loose. She ends up essentially kidnapped, and without the protection Romeo offers, her smart mouth likely would have gotten her killed. 

So we follow these two down their path and learn everything we need to know about the basic running of the Parisi mafia family, we learn where the biggest threats are coming from and we also learn about Nicky and her past and what her future is likely to look like. The ending ensures there will be more to the story and I’m here for it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I actually enjoyed the story. What I didn’t enjoy is the format. It’s a play. That’s fine, I wasn’t prepared for that going in, but that’s my fault - I’m sure it’s widely known I just can’t say I looked. 

The play format on audio really took away from the magic of the story. Hearing “act x scene x” was very distracting and I found myself losing the magic of the previous moment, only to gain it back just in time to lose it again. I can usually block out chapters, but the act and scene was too much for me to block out I guess. 

While the narrator was great, due to what I’ve said above, I wouldn’t recommend the audio. I’d get a different format. I think that would be a better way to enjoy this story. It is quite good, and I recommend the story but maybe not on audio. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I went into this expecting a romantic comedy and it wasn’t. It was still good, don’t get me wrong but I was prepared for a lighthearted romance full of laughs and this was considerably more emotional that I was ready to handle at the time. This led to it taking a long time to finish this book and that made it more difficult to keep up with. It’s a heartwarming story, but certainly not lighthearted and it’s pretty emotional which is not my thing. However, I’m glad I read it and I probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the 12 Books 12 Friends challenge!

I’m willing to believe it isn’t the book, it’s me. I did not like this. But it’s also not that I didn’t like it, it’s that nothing about it appealed to me, which is odd since this is 100% my wheelhouse. 

I’m a speed reader and this took me a week to finish. The reason for that being that every time I sat down to listen to it, I found literally any excuse to turn it off - an app that will shut off the sound, steaming my carpets, using power tools…you know loud things that aren’t compatible with audiobook listening - until I forced myself to just listen and get it over with so I could move on. 

So what about this didn’t do it for me? I have no idea, but not one bit of me could get into it. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook!

Did I download this purely for comedic relief? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely it was. 

It’s super short with fantastic narration. I enjoy these “out there” erotica stories - dinosaurs this time - since it doesn’t have to even try to be realistic to be good - I mean, it is monster porn after all. 

Am I also on team “what have done with my life that has lead me to this moment?” … yes I certainly am. In reality though, this is hilarious and it’s 100% worth a listen. It definitely fits into the category of erotica and shouldn’t be anywhere else. This is definitely Dinosaur Erotica - it’s not super well written, but it’s well enough to be readable (listenable?). If you like other books in this realm I’d think you’d enjoy this one too.

⭐️⭐️💫

What did I like about this book? 

-the cover

-the synopsis 

-the narrator 

That’s it. 

The story had a lot of potential, but the execution was not there. It was a very slow burn with a rushed ending. This could have been paced better, it could have been beefed up to make the characters feel like people, it could have been a lot of things it just wasn’t. 

I’m willing to believe that had I read this when I was younger I’d have enjoyed it more. I don’t think I’m the target audience and that’s okay. But I didn’t like this one. 

⭐️⭐️ for the three things I did like….

Another pick for 12 books 12 friends!

Starting this one I was super unsure. I don’t like sad books and the initial vibes along with the subject matter certainly seemed that it was going to lean to the sad. While it did, I wouldn’t call it make you cry sad - just regular “awe that stinks” levels of sad. It’s also jam packed with humor and that helps. I loved it and I’m surprised by that.