dlrosebyh's Reviews (773)

Skylar Evans' future would include a double-wide trailer, a child, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell if she were the normal Creek View female. But three months of summer remain between straightedge Skylar and art school after graduation, and that's all that stands between her and her goals until Skylar's mother loses her job.

Josh had another means of escaping: the Marines. But when he returned home after losing his leg in Afghanistan, he was a shadow of the arrogant lad he had once been. Working at the Paradise, a quaint hotel along California's Highway 99, is what connects Skylar and Josh. Despite their differences, they are both alone, and as a result, their relationship soon develops into something more. I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios is a potent investigation of love, sorrow, and resiliency. It is compelling and ultimately optimistic.

The plot sounded so interesting, but the execution wasn't. This book literally just proved that military guys are red flags. Josh kept playing the victim when he's literally a manipulator and gaslighter. Like, I get that you're disabled, but that doesn't really give you a reason to be an asshole to others?? He was so insufferable throughout the book and then pulled the "I was only mean to you because I love you" LIKE DISGUSTING PIECE OF SHIT WHAT THE FUCK. But other than that, I loved this book. The portrayal of family issues and disability problems were amazing.

Firstly, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-arc of The Only Man.

Darcy and Brian, our two major characters in The Only Man, loathe themselves because they love one another. They detest the fact that no matter what they do, they are always each other's comfort. With a ten-year gap between their last relationship, this is a second chance romance. And like with every second chance romance in collective memory, it ruined me.

The characters and perhaps their relationship were the book's strongest features, but apart than that, I couldn't wait to finish it. I was desperate for it to be over. I can't say the same about the narrative but the characters are so well-developed. As much as I adore second chance romances, the fact that their connection was the main focus of the story irritated me to no end. It didn't really have a compelling narrative other than "Oh, I love him, but he crushed my heart therefore I hate myself for that." It didn't even center on their relationships with their friends, families, or jobs—nothing. Simply put, it appears that the author rushed to complete this in order to meet a deadline and did not have the time to carefully develop the plot (with the fact that the novel is 58 chapters long).

Firstly, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-arc of Murder of the Modern Girl.

This frolic captures the luxury of the Roaring Twenties and the risks of vigilante justice. It has Gatsby-era beauty, a swoon-worthy love tale, and an indomitable heroine. In kitten heels, a gorgeous young mind reader prowls the streets at night in search of men to murder. A quiet genius toils away in the municipal morgue, determined to discover the science underlying his shape-shifting talent. It was meant to be in 1928 Chicago, when jazz fills the air, gangsters rule City Hall, and every nice girl carries a flask in her handbag.

Ruby, who is 18 years old, has kept her love of poison a secret up until now. She meets a clever youngster working at the morgue, his gift for forensic detail threatens to expose her dark pastime, using her mind-reading skills to target guys who prey on defenseless women, men who escape the clutches of Chicago "justice".

Unfortunately, Ruby, a sassy, independent woman, has developed feelings for him. Ruby delivers rebellious charm to every breathtaking page of Murder for the Modern Girl—not to mention murderous style. She waltzes between a supernaturally enhanced romance, the fight to bring down a gentleman's club, and devoted friendships worth their weight in diamonds. For fans of The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, this fascinating adventure is ideal.

Because I didn't particularly enjoy the writing style, I found this book to be quite challenging to read. All of the characters had such bland personalities that it was difficult to distinguish between them in the dialogues. I would have believed you if you had said that they are all the same person in a different time. The hardest part of mysteries is not wanting to read them because you aren't questioning them or making predictions since you don't know what's happening—even after reading them a hundred times. For the love of God, I tried so hard to like this book, but I just couldn't.

Firstly, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-arc of The Beach Escape.

Molly Lawerence needs to find a way out. After all, she was abandoned by her fiancé at the best friend's wedding rehearsal dinner. She luckily has a temporary veterinary job in Emerald Cove, Florida. What could be better than a welcoming workplace, summertime, and beaches? She is surprised when Grant Torres brings her a patient she wasn't expecting: a massive loggerhead sea turtle. Soon Molly is involved with aiding Grant at the turtle hospital he maintains, and work leads to snorkeling, sunset cruises, a wedding date—and surprising feelings. However, Molly and Grant both have plans to go shortly on their own new adventures while still assisting injured turtles to return to the sea.

This book is such a good beach read. Just imagine romanticizing the beach as you read the warmest romance. Picture Lorde songs as a book— this would be the outcome. I'm sure Lana del Rey girlies would enjoy this if it were a movie.

However, if you’ve known me for a while, I’m not a great lover of clichés. I prefer learning new information; I don't like reading repetitious material. You'll probably be able to predict how the story ends because this book is so formulaic in so many ways, and being able to predict a story can make me lose interest in it.

Firstly, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-arc of The Moment We Met.

The day Tiwanda Harris turns 30 marks a significant turning point. Tiwanda is now able to see her mother as an adult after receiving her late mother's notebook as a gift. Soon later, the aspiring businessperson is awarded a grant to help launch a tempting business prospect, but her sweet aspirations don't stop there. A dating app called Met has been provided to Tiwanda and claims to have four matches, one of whom is her soul mate. Tiwanda just needs to select "Yes" once.

She may not think she can fit romance into her life, but she has a choice. Tiwanda is shocked to see that perhaps there is some hope for the future there after all as the matches start to appear. But which of these may result in true love? Time will only tell. If she can just find the time.

Tiwanda is exhausted from pursuing so many goals, as her attention is split between starting her job, mending old family rifts, retaining friendships while forming new ones, and also attempting to open her heart to romantic love. But who can say? There may be a possibility for all those aspirations to come true if fate is on her side.

The plot seemed quite flat, despite how fantastic the blurb seems. I struggled to keep up since there were too many characters and storylines. The relationship is a major component of the plot even if it isn't the book's primary emphasis, however it was so underdeveloped.

I believe you will enjoy this book if you enjoyed The Love Hypothesis. I didn't necessarily love this one as much as I didn't enjoy The Love Hypothesis. The major characters, notably the love interest, are similar to Adam and Olive. Even if thematically, it resembles an Emily Henry novel, I still couldn’t get myself to love this book. 

A top-secret, US government-sponsored underwater facility in the Micronesian Islands that was vitally engaged in biomedical research on a rare jellyfish known as the Blue Medusa abruptly stopped. . . vanishes. A bathysphere is attacked by an underwater vehicle off the coast of Bermuda at the same time, leaving its passengers— including Zavala helpless and half a mile below the surface.

Only Kurt Austin's brave actions keep them from drowning, but Austin alerts the NUMA team to the situation because he thinks there may be a link. He has no idea the situation he just got them into a terrifying round of medical tests, a criminal group in China, and a newly discovered virus that poses a global pandemic threat. Although Austin and Zavala have faced challenging circumstances previously, this time saving millions of lives is more important than simply their own skin.

I found it impossible to put down this book because of how fast-paced it is. However, I wouldn't rank it among the top thrillers I've ever read. It's undoubtedly one of the greatest pandemic-related thrillers I've ever read. This novel published in 2009, featured "scary characteristics" of a Chinese virus and a potential third world war. Reading this in 2022 makes me truly nervous since this book foresaw the future in some way.

Carey Parker aspires to be a diva and rock the house with her singing. Every note of all the greatest pop and Broadway tunes can be struck by them. Despite their brilliance, Carey finds it more difficult to discover their voice because of emotional wounds from an encounter with a homophobic classmate and their grandmother's developing dementia.

Once Carey meets guitarist/singer Cris, for the first time in their life, they feel noticed. The excitement of a brand-new romance gives Carey the courage to audition for the part of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the school musical, which sparks prejudice from her tormentor and other students. Carey, Cris, and their pals must stand up for their rights, and they won't be intimidated.

It was difficult for me to read this book since I didn't enjoy the writing style. The message is fantastic, and it's undoubtedly a touching read. I adore the plot, except for the last part. I believed that the resolution of all the problems was hastened. For my taste, there were also much too many pop references. If the pop culture references were toned down, I would have given this book a better rating.

The Love Square centers on cancer survivor Penny. She said that because of her ex-boyfriend, she wanted to put all of her attention on herself and avoid letting any men into her life. She started hanging out with another chef named Fransesco after meeting him one day. Little did she know, she started falling for him.

Penny has always believed that she is unfortunate in either love or in life in general. After taking "a break" with Franseso, she bumped into Priyesh, the wine salesman for her Uncle David, and Thomas, a player who had a soft place for her. We watch as Penny regains her composure and allows herself to make errors, experience pain, and cope with the three guys who are in love with her. 

I'm not sure what it was about this book that I didn't like, but I didn't particularly like it. It contains strong prose, complex characters, and an engaging storyline. The numerous love interests trope, in my opinion, is just not for me. No matter how much I attempt to appreciate that trope, I always end up abhorring it intensely. I also abhorred her eventual partner, which is another thing. I wished she would simply concentrate more on herself and stop basing her decisions on men she had just met.

This story is set in 1981 and 1982, and it’s obvious with the background references to some of the historical global events of the time, such as the Falklands War, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, as well as the birth of Prince William. The book is written in a diary style and focuses on the worries and regrets of a teenager who believes himself to be an intellectual. Margaret Thatcher is a target of harsh criticism from Mole, who lists her as one of his deadliest foes.

The reading of someone's diary was fascinating (even though Adrian is a fictional character). It was intriguing at first, but then it grew dull. Adrian is just your average teenager guy; he doesn't really stand out. You may read his opinions on a variety of topics, including self-discovery, love, friendship, and school. In essence, the book is a collection of the views that a British white man would have had back in the 80’s. I would have assumed Adrian was younger than fourteen if not for the age in the title. At most, twelve. I suppose a better comparison would be Catcher in the Rye, but with a dumber main character.