dermkat's Reviews (2.11k)

This one was interesting. I'd read another by this author and it was actually the second book in this duo that caught my attention this time, but I decided to go back and read this first. It was fine, and I enjoyed it enough to read the next one, but it felt a little longer than it needed to be. I don't often read why choose romances that involve brothers as the MCs (feels a little too close to invest to me even though they aren't there for each other), so I was a little wary the entire way through. It ended up being fine but I still think it took too long for her to get to a place where she could acknowledge her feelings for any of them, let alone all three. I get why she did, the storyline with her narcissistic mother and awful family made that clear. Overall I'm not mad I read it, but it's still book two I'm looking forward to. 

Part 2: The girls are at a party some time later and have ended up being friends with the girl from the dinner. They both kiss her and thought interested in doing more, she wants to take it slow. They go on a date and discuss being in a poly relationship. Then after a few more times hanging out they all hook up  and say I love you. Again, it was fine but they both felt too short and like they would have been better as one novelette versus two short stories. 

This was fine. I got it for free during stuff your Kindle day for the queer and disability rep. It's a short story about two college girls roommates (one is autistic), and they both find out the other is pan at a dinner set up by one girl's mother to introduce her to her also queer daughter. Unfortunately, the mother's friend outs them to each other (don't love that) but fortunately, they have feelings for each other. They go home, hook up, and end up together. 

This was a fun, quick read and a lovely ending to the series! I really liked Brooks and Emma's story, from their meet cute to their fake dating turned engagement, to them truely caring about and for each other. She's an interesting mix of oddball who does what she wants and soft-hearted and healing from hurt. He's a jerk who surprises everyone, especially himself, when he enjoys himself so much with this woman. The timeline is fast so some people might be bothered by that, but if was written in a way that worked. The bonus epligue was also great, giving us a glimpse into the future for every single Salinger brother's family from the POV of their wives mostly, and then also set up the author's upcoming new series, which the only Salinger sister will be part of. 

This was cute! I love a time-loop story so even though I didn't get time to watch Groundhog's Day yesterday, I started this book, a YA time-loop set in Punxsutawney, so it felt appropriate and satisfactory. Andie is new to town and really only met two people during the summer: Colton, who she has a crush on, and Tom, his boss at the theater where she's been hanging out. The night before school starts she discovers Tom is their age and also starting senior year, and then she watches Pretty in Pink with her mom, falling asleep wishing the dream she's living will never end. Then she discovers she's stuck repeating the first day of school over and over again. It follows typical time loop patterns with her trying different things, figuring out how to get out of the loop, etc. but with a fun twist of the John Hughes movies and her trying to figure out how to Breakfast Club the school once she discovers how cliquey things are. And of course, she realizes that Tom is her Duckie. The story is more about her and the people she interacts with as a whole and the romance is a smaller part of it, but that didn't detract from the story for me. I liked it and would probably read more by this author if I come across it, but am not so enamored that I'll go seek it out immediately. 

I enjoyed this one by the end! It felt a little slow to start, I think because I've read another book that felt very similar. The good thing about my chronic illness induced memory issues is that I don't remember a ton about that one and was able to get into this one once I got to know these specific character's. Josh was cut loose during the end of the last season of Hopelessly Devoted and now he's got his own season. Lauren and Krystin are two of 35 women competing for his love. Lauren is a mostly closeted lesbian, and is really there because she's an influencer and wants the publicity. Krystin is a rodeo queen who has never felt like she's met the right guy but goes into this hoping she'll find love. She does... it's just with Lauren. They start a secret behind the scenes thing and there's drama, etc. I really appreciated Krystin's queer awakening story in this book, especially how she thought certain feelings and thoughts she had were what every girl experienced and also that she never allowed herself to know that being queer was an option. I knew the book was written by two women and it was a lovely surprise to find out at the end that they're a couple, but weren't when they first started writing the book. I want to read their story as a romance novel!

This is a bonus story Meg's releasing to her newsletter subscribers that occurs between books 2 and 3. It's short, sweet, a little spicy, and made me want to start my reread of this series immediately (I have to finish some other things first but it's coming!). 

I feel conflicted about this one, specifically it's portrayal of disability. I kept reading, hoping something would change, but was left disappointed. I appreciate that the author's doing a series with MCs with visible disabilities on the cover, but the words and phrases used in the book about the character's partial paralysis and wheelchair use sometimes miss the mark. He clearly had a lot of unresolved feelings and insecurities about his accident and how it changed his life, and I'm pretty sure words like wheelchair-bound, crippled, and others with negative connotations were mostly if not all from him, but the way other people in his life brought things up bothered me as well. From what I could tell, the characters were all saying things from a place of caring and concern, making sure she really accepted him and wasn't going to hurt him, but it could have been better and made me question her experience with disability or whether she got sensitivity readers. I'm also trying to keep in mind that the author is from Germany and writing in a language that may not be their first/main one could play into things (especially as, from experience with someone I knew, German people tend to be frank and blunt in a way North Americans assume is rude when it isn't meant to be). It's unfortunate, because I do think some aspects were really well done: the fat rep was great, the spice was really good, and way the MCs communicate was beautiful. As a disabled person myself (different disability and different mobility aid), I really appreciated the way the FMC asked clarifying questions instead of offering or insisting on help, and found considerate ways to adapt and accommodate without him having to ask (the way she automatically started touching his neck and playing with his hair while they walked together, and how he thanked her later because he was always disappointed he'd never be able to hold a partner's hand while on the move was so lovely). However,  because I'm not okay with the way the negative language makes it seem like being disabled is a negative thing people have to look beyond, this is the first book in quite a while that I contemplated DNFing all the way through and I won't be reading more by the author (even though a small part of me wants to try another to see if it was just this character's view of himself, or is a pattern).

I enjoyed this, like I have the other Appies books. I've been curious what Alec's story would be the entire time, and it's been a while since I've read the others but I what I recalled of him was a happy go lucky, charismatic, ladies man (not in a creepy way) team captain since book one. I figured there would be depth to his story once we got there and I appreciated his experience with chronic pain and how he was struggling with identity and who he would be without hockey if and when it got to that point. I also liked his "I don't do babies" to "holy crap, I love this kid and want to be her dad" storyline. When Evie, his little sister's best friend (a bit of a age gap), moves to town, a single mother with a four month old girl, and needs help? He was a goner. As usual with both authors in this series, the attraction, flirting, tension/longing, and kissing were well done, which is always nice in a closed door romance. I'm a little disappointed that this appears to potentially be the last book in the series and we didn't get a grand epilogue for all the characters, plus there were a few side characters whose stories felt unfinished. 

Josh is a sex worker in the adult entertainment industry and moves into a house for the summer while the occupant is away on your. The occupant is the man Clara's known forever and is in love with, and was supposed to be arriving to live with until she found out he was gone. She and Josh enjoy each other's company, he helps her explore her own pleasure, and they start a more ethical porn company along with his ex and frequent costar. They face some issues like family, his current agent and company, public opinion, etc. while falling in love. This was a reread I'd been thinking of doing for a bit after my sister read it and I realized how little I remembered. Then my book club chose it and I was able to get a copy of the audio, which was a new way to read it for me. Teddy Hamilton narrating as Josh is excellent, as always.  I enjoyed it! I remember thinking it was super spicy the first time; it does have a decent amount and I appreciate how sex positive it is, but it's definitely not the raciest I've read anymore. I enjoy this author's writing and it stood up well to a reread. I wouldn't be surprised if I read it again someday. will be listening to book two now to reread it as well.