docrobreads's Reviews (2.62k)

What is it about Dutch dirty talk?!? First, we got Deep End from Ali, and now Wouter from What Happens In Amsterdam. I feel like a journey to Holland is in my future. 😏

 The core of this book is its heart. 😍 I think my mistake was believing I could drop into book 4 of a series (even though they are supposed to be interconnected standalones) and not be confused by some of the relationships. I also think the story would have been well-served by having an editor who didn't mind being a little mean(er?). Overall, I think the story had some positive beats, but I probably should have started the series from book 1, so that's on me. 🫣

Wow. 🥵 Up to this point, I have only read Clio's paranormal romances, so I wasn't sure what to expect with a contemporary by them. What I got was a sexy, emotional, swoony romance that was a 5 on the chili-pepper scale and a 5 on the emotional scale. Salt (MMC) and Pepper (FMC) were both broken from their past experiences and were able to heal themselves while coming to grips with who they were going to be moving forward. If you like kink, and you've been a fan of Clio Evans' prior work, you are going to LOVE this one. 🥰

Noni created a winner with this tale. The characters were lovely and relatable (despite the fact that some were really famous), and the emotional impact of their experiences, past and present, cannot be understated. There were several times in the book where tears were streaming down my face. Which is a good thing! 😂 Overall, this was a great YA story about how hard it is to grow up regardless of who you are and what you've gone through. 🥰

Full disclosure: I love Tarah Dewitt and her writing. All of her books are auto-buy for me. That being said, Left of Forever is my favorite. 💖 Second chance stories can be risky because the reason the MCs didn't work the first time around has to be a "forgivable" offense, which can be a challenging needle to thread. Wren and Ellis' story was emotional, sexy, and at times, hilarious. I can't wait to see what Dewitt tackles next. She has a forever-fan in me. 🥳

I have never read a Mia Sheridan book before, so thought this would be a good way to "break the seal". I had ZERO idea that this was a post-apocalyptic/dystopian story, and I was even more surprised at what a page-turner it ended up being! Romance in the time of tragedy is a special kind of story, and Sheridan did it really well. 💖