jennireadsmaybe's Reviews (678)

The gasp that was gusped at the end yall!!! I throughly enjoyed this one for what it was. I’m a sucker for a TV competition plot and Instant I Do was just the right amount of outrageous and fun. 

 

D’Vaughn coming out on the TV show after a life time of hiding her sexuality from her mom was a gut punch. I enjoyed the conversation regarding a parent not wanting to acknowledge a part of who their kid is while also admitting that they know they have to learn what loving their child looks like now. It’s a coming out story that makes me feel so seen as an adult who still hasn’t come out to their parents. Kris is a flirty, social media influencer who makes it known from the first episode that she is looking for love. D’Vaughn + Kris may not have seemed like the couple the show would root for, but they ended up being so much more than the show. 

 

I loved their relationship. It had all the fun of fake dating (er engagement) with the growth to show just how deeply they cared for each other. They both had to acknowledge if what they felt was enough to last after I do. It was magnificent! 

 

The audiobook is the way to go imho. Rebecca Lee saying preciosa as Kris unlocked something deep inside me. She did a phenomenal job with differentiating their voices. I never felt lost in finding out whose chapter it was. It was also just so fun! 

Kennedy Ryan, first and foremost, is THE powerhouse author of this generation!! There isn't a single book I've read from her that I haven't loved with my whole being. This Could Be Us is certainly no exception. 

Soledad's story proves that coming of age happens all throughout our lives. It's a love letter to women falling in love with themselves. It's a becoming. Soledad is an example of just how powerful Kennedy Ryan's FMCs are. I love her so much. 

JUDAH MF CROSS!!!! This man. This FREAKING man. He loved Soledad so deeply, so clearly, so wholeheartedly, so completely, so any way he could. From the start, he met Soledad where she was and wanted her to become who she wanted to be. I just don't think there is a fictional man that could possibly be as in love as he was. 

Let it also be known that This Could Be Us has so many love stories. The love of a mother for her daughters, a sister for her sisters, a friend for her friends, a daughter for her mother, a woman for herself. There are so many versions of love that we weaved into this story. Every page is brimming with love. 

The various representation throughout the novel was handled with such care. You can see just how dedicated Kennedy Ryan is to having accurate representation, even if representation can't be summed up by just one or two individuals. 

Everyone should read this. Full stop. 

As always, Kayla Grosse stuns with another romance with a fat fmc!! Puck Shy is a follow up to Trick Shot that follows Stevie and Lucas after they meet at a Valentine's sex party. It's a quick, fun, steamy novella that proves good things come in small packages (if you catch my drift). 

Stevie is a fun, flirty, and lost (in the same way that most adults struggling to find our place in the world are) fmc. She knows what she likes and isn't going to give that up for anyone, yes even for sweet, sexy hockey player/actor Lucas McKnight. There was such a healthy dynamic between Stevie and Lucas where they have to ask themselves what they really want their lives to look like. I just loved it!!! 

The smut was of course smutting in this one. FM, FFFM, MFM, and MFFM group scenes 🥵 The smut scenes never felt like a gimme, so they contributed to the plot in some way which can be rare in novellas. 

Overall, this was a magnificent time!!! Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fast, fun, and hot Valentine's day read ;)

Thank you to Carina Adores and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

Holy crap!!! The yearning in this one. The Friendship Study reminds me of why I love friends-to-lovers so much. These characters come to know each other so deeply that it's impossible for me to not want them together. Their chemistry was just off the charts electric!!! It also doesn't fall into the trap that penetrative sex is the end all be all in a relationship (freaking hot!!!!). 

Ruby Barrett treads into some often forgotten about territory in the premise of The Friendship Study. Why is it so hard to make friends as an adult? Is loneliness all that we're meant for if we struggle to make friends? Is it too late to discover who we are again? I felt so seen in various aspects of this book. 

The bisexual rep in this was amazing!! MF romances often feature a bisexual heroine, but TFS features a bisexual hero!!!! I loved it so so much. Jesse also lives with chronic pain and uses a mobility aid from a previous injury. You could see the care that Ruby Barrett put into the representation. Although it's not confirmed on page during the story, Barrett mentions in the author's note that Lulu will be diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. 

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a queer romance or a friends-to-lovers romance. It was stunning!!!

First of all, So Let Them Burn is a freaking amazing debut!!! A book about sisterhood is always my weakness and getting to have both Faron and Elara's POV made the book that much more emotional for this oldest sister. Their opposing stories and character growth did so much justice as they both want the same thing and have to navigate that desire in opposing ways. 

This is the perfect example for what a queer-normative world should look like. We immediately know that Elara is a lesbian and her romance with Signey (her freaking dragon riding partner y'all!!!) is everything to me!!! When it is later revealed that Faron is demisexual, it was like a warm hug. She knows who she is and it's just wonderful. 

Because of the differences in each countries magical abilities, the world building was super interesting too. San Irie's magic is very much based on an ancestral style of magic where they receive it by calling upon their ancestors. Whereas, LangIey is centered around the bond they share with their dragons. It made the idea of their previous battles and current outlook on political relations feel that much more recognizable. I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention the dragons. That's right dragons!!! It was so much fun to see how Kamilah Cole built a world around dragons where each country had a different experience and view point on dragons. 

I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking to be in the dragon moment while supporting BIPOC authors and stories. 
 

Space for More is my first book by Emily Antoinette, but it certainly won't be my last. This MFF alien romance was part mystery, part emotional, and part steamy (of course 🥵). I freaking loved this!! The take on fated mates in this was so unique and I was obsessed from the start. Eden, Mezli, and Phelix were just the perfect triad imo. Watching them learn to be vulnerable with each other (especially Mezli and Phelix) made me so emo. 

The mystery/deception plot of this was so fun. I liked having the little bit of added tension because of it. I especially liked the discussion surrounding medical discrimination/withholding medical treatment from lower socioeconomic communities. I think it serves as a timely reminder that reading is always political. Yes, even alien romance, especially alien romance. 

Thank you to the author for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3 

Holy cow people!! A Collision of Stars is Georgia Stone's debut!?!? She blew it out of the water in my opinion. Ava and Finn's slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, strangers to friends to lovers romance is everything to me. The push and pull of attraction and denial in Ava's POV felt so genuine to her character. I loved Ava dearly. Her grumpy, black cat nature combined with her belief that nobody would like for who she really was heart-wrenching. She just felt so real to me. 

Finn O'Callaghan is THE he falls first trope to a freaking tee y'all. We didn't get much in the way of his POV, but we knew he was feeling all the feels for Ava. He was funny and swoony and matched Ava's personality perfectly. 

There aren't many authors that can have me reading a 400+ page romance, but Georgia Stone is definitely on the list now. Pretty please read this delightfully stunning debut!!  

Thank you to Afterglow Books, Harlequin, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest thoughts. 

Unfortunately, I struggled to get into this one. I wasn't the biggest fan of the plot and lost interest around the 30% mark after certain events. I might get back to this at a later date, but right now it's a dnf.