initial thoughts:
the show wasn’t even that big a part of the story, connor was bland and annoying and frustrating (him hating romance novels, the whole cheating thing being handled and him talking down to fizzy), it was somehow too long and yet didn’t do enough (what comes to mind: her writing, connors KID, anything about how they work as a real couple with a future, etc). i love fizzy as a character and the banter was well written. kinda it. ]

 netgalley review: 
i liked the premise of this book and loved fizzy in TSE, but the execution mostly fell flat. fizzy is an amazing character and i loved her POV chapters. she's funny and thoughtful and stubborn (love!). connor, on the other hand, was so boring and frustrating. i feel like his disdain for romance as a genre was never fully addressed and just made me not like him from the start. the way he talks down to fizzy after the conflict was also really annoying. the third act conflict was too much (the execs scaring him about losing his job was enough, the past cheating was unnecessary) and overall the book had too much that resulted in none of it really being enough. fizzy's writing, connor having a child, how they'd work in the future were not addressed enough for me to be satisfied by the ending. the show didn't even get as much attention as i would have liked. 

first thoughts after finishing:
characters are well constructed but the plot is somehow too big and yet underwhelming? it’s doing too much but because the book can’t fit in all that the plot is doing it ends up not being enough. this one was hard to get into and didn’t really pick up until about 60% of the way through. also from reading the authors note it seems like this book was supposed to be something else but got rewritten for reasons klune didn’t agree with?? i’m curious as to what the original concept was and why things got changed. this was definitely a dark sci fi concept and i think there needed to be more background and world building, but there was a lot going on so i understand why we missed that. character development was more subtle than other books but vic was an interesting mc. wish the ace rep was more explored. overall this one falls flat compared to THITCS and UTWD which are both favorites of mine. 

review:
tj klune is amazing at constructing characters and found families that have so much heart and humor to them. i loved under the whispering door and the house in the cerulean sea, so i was intrigued by in the lives of puppets, which is science fiction/dystopian rather than fantasy. the plot of this is a bit too big for the book and the writing, which results in the story falling flat as it simultaneously does too much and not enough. i would have read about these characters doing anything (honestly, klune's books are more about the characters than the plot for me and i wish this one followed that) and i think a less ambitious plot would have allowed more exploration of certain characters (especially victor's asexuality which felt very much thrown in). as always the writing is lovely and funny, but the story of this one falls flat. also, reading the author's note suggests that klune originally had a different idea for this book but had to rewrite (for reasons that he didn't agree with)? i'm nosy and i wanna know why

loved the emphasis on friendships throughout and the "everything i learned" chapters

writing was somehow too much and didn’t give me enough? i still don’t really get the plot even after an hour 

read this in about two hours while doing my laundry. writing was good, characters not very developed, plot predictable. fun read, but the whole reality tv show trope is not my favorite. doubt i’ll read it again any time soon

i don’t really know how to feel about this right now! but it sucked me in and i love emily henry’s writing. june and saul were amazing characters and the story was so compelling

carley fortune is a beautiful writer, and MEET ME AT THE LAKE is full of captivating descriptions and punchy dialogue. she bounces between present day and 10 years in the past as well as fern's mother's diary, but it still flows and connects well. fortune is skilled at creating worlds full of characters and history, and the resort is that. maggie's diary gave me big mamma mia! energy and i loved it. i think i was more invested in fern's growth rather than her relationship with will, who was a well-developed character but frustrated me due to his self-deprecating and -sabotaging nature. the lack of communication at the end was hard to get through and it felt a bit rushed. overall, another emotional, family-centered second chance romance set against the backdrop of a canadian lake. 

The concept of this one was too good to pass up! Practice Makes Perfect is a fun, light and fast read (take this one on vacation with you, trust me) that follows a small-town florist and a tattooed bodyguard who is there to protect her future sister-in-law (this is a standalone but is connected to another book by Adams as far as I can tell). Annie is known for being the perfect, shy, angelic girl by her family and neighbors, but she's tired of feeling boxed in by this role that's been pushed on her and is ready to find a partner. Will has been hiding from connection from a young age after growing up around his parents' toxic relationship (this man needs THERAPY). When Annie decides she needs dating "practice," Will becomes her teacher, despite the sparks they both feel. 
While the writing was a bit literal and cringey at times, this was a fun read! I enjoyed the small town vibes of Rome and think Annie's arc was an interesting one. Getting into Will's head in his POV chapters was great (I love a pining man, what can I say) but I wish he was a bit more self-aware. Great premise, okay execution. I audibly laughed during the little league scene. 

fun, colorful and informative!