Super cute slice of life romance that touches on burnout in academia really well

I wanted to read this book after having so much fun reading the author's previous book The Woman in the Library, but I think having those expectations hindered my enjoyment slightly as this book has a very different tone. The decisions the main character made could get frustrating, but I think the author did a decent job at incorporating her backstory to explain her characterization. I think the book was at its strongest when the main sibling relationship was at the focus.

I flew through this, but at a certain point it was because of me wanting the book to be over because of how cheesy things got. The author's next book does sound intriguing so I will at least be trying it out.

This wasn't bad by any means, but it was my least favorite story that I've read from this author so far. This novella explores some interesting themes, but I never felt invested in the characters to feel impacted by what they were going through.

So far, the YA Remixed Classics series have been hit-or-miss for me; some of the books I've really enjoyed while others were just okay. Luckily, Teach the Torches to Burn was a hit- I thought it did a really good job of subverting expectations while still keeping true to the themes of the original play. The writing also felt authentic to the play without coming off as too try-hard.

So far, this has been the only cozy mystery series that I've truly enjoyed out of the one I tried out, and thankfully this installment was just as likable as the first.

I thought Legends and Lattes was fun but not super memorable, so I went into the prequel with mostly neutral expectations. To my surprise I ended up liking this one even more; I thought the writing and plot were both much stronger this time around, and the bittersweet ending made it even a bit emotional.

A very strong sequel with a bittersweet and emotional ending