I read this one after it's sequel, To Love and To Loathe, but they both stood well enough on their own that it wasn't an issue. I really enjoyed going back and getting Violet and James' story. There were some things mentioned in the To Love and To Loathe that I knew enough of what was going to happen, but it's less about the destination and more about the journey, so I didn't mind.

This series has definitely made me realize that perhaps I AM a historical romance fan. The covers have always been off-putting to me, they always seemed too serious and... frilly? I don't know... whatever it is, I'm glad the trend to use illustrated covers has made it into the Historical Romance genre, because I'm not sure I would have tried these ones if it weren't for that.

I loved this book! I don’t read historical romance much, but after reading this one I immediately picked up the first in the series as well and now have library holds for more. I loved the banter between Jeremy and Diana and hope to read more from this friend group soon! The only thing preventing this from being 5 stars was the lack of an epilogue. The story felt like it needed just a bit more to really wrap it up.

Wow... this book... so when they say it's a cross between Lost and Stranger Things, all I can say is, if you liked either/both of those, you'll probably enjoy Fractured Tide.

I really don't know how to write much more of a review without being spoilery... so I'll just say that you deserve to go into this book knowing as little as possible. I hope you haven't read any reviews that have spoiled some of the main surprises for you, because I hadn't and it was definitely worth it to figure out all of the little details and experience this book with no idea of what I was getting into.

Highly recommend for fans of sci-fi or if you really loved watching Lost even though you were sitting there wondering what the heck was going on for most of the series. ;)

I enjoyed this YA thriller but it wasn't one of my favorites. Perhaps it felt a little younger than I would normally like, which is perfectly fine, as it is a YA book after all. But I just wasn't as invested in the mystery as I would like.

Just... No. This story was so underdeveloped and predictable. Everything that you thought was going to happen, did happen. Up until the very end. And then you're suddenly left hanging in one of those endings that makes you question why you just wasted hours of your life.

The two best friends felt like they just met at camp. There was no real connection there. Then there were the "love interests," which were supposed to be a little questionable, I think. The antagonist was obvious from the very beginning, as was the reason everyone was at the camp. Everyone had their secrets, and they're all explained in like 2 paragraphs at the end, too little too late. Overall, this had the potential to be a really great story, but it fell flat for me and I just can't recommend it.

I'd say this was a 3.5, rounded up to a 4 for Goodreads. I'm not quite sure I get all the hype that I've seen going around, but I liked it enough to continue the series with book two and see how that one goes. It could very well be that it gets better as you go, in which case, that's not bad at all!

I did like the way the reveal at the end was worked up to - I truly didn't see it coming until it jumped out and hit me in the face.

I. ADORE. THIS. BOOK. I was in a slump when I started this one and it's safe to say that I was kicked right out of that slump. I caught the first "twist" early on and knew that was coming, but that ending... NOPE! It jumped right out and surprised me and I had NO clue it was on the way. I am so excited for the sequel and can't wait to get some answers!

I don't often name other books in a review, but I'm going to do it today. Remember about a year ago when One to Watch came out? And everyone was like, "This is great! A plus size bachelorette romance! How fun!" And then you read that one and cringed all over and wondered how exactly that was supposed to be body positivity? Well, look no further, because July Murphy has given us plus-sized ladies what we WANTED from One to Watch but definitely did not get!

Cindy is a confident plus size fashion designer, who isn't embarrassed about who she is and doesn't try to make excuses for others. She doesn't question the motives of everyone else, she doesn't think less of herself, and she is just living her best life (while going through some things, including creator's block, sure...).

Henry is a guy trying to save the family business who happens to meet Cindy on a plane. Right from their first meet cute in the airport, they really hit it off and you're left rooting for them throughout the whole story. There are cute glances and secret hand brushes... it's a very romantic slow-burn where they really get to learn about each other, all while keeping some secrets required by the fact that they're ON THE BACHELOR (type) show.

I think Julie Murphy did a fantastic job with the body positivity in this book, which is no surprise coming from the author of Dumplin' to be honest. And while this is marketed as an adult novel, it's clean and wholesome and there is no reason that older YA readers wouldn't enjoy it as well.

I loved this book! Much like it’s predecessors, this installment was an amazing story of one of our fave Bros. I love the unabashed way the guys help each other, I love that “we run for grand gesture” and that they are not afraid to read the manuals! Vlad, The Russian, is one of my favorite characters and I’m so glad we got his story. I can’t wait to see who’s next!!

This is a hard review to write. On the one hand, I enjoyed the overall story. I liked the premise that the female main character was career-focused and didn't want more than two dates. But the execution just fell flat for me for a lot of reasons.

I found it very difficult to connect with Willa. I really think she needed to be seeing someone professionally for her anxiety and my own anxiety was actually made worse reading about the way she reacted to so many things.

The subject matter started out pretty light and rom-com-like, but quickly upped the ante into way more serious territory. It just felt out of place and like I was reading two different books sometimes. And it was also about 100 pages too long... the first few times of "this isn't a date because..." were funny, but it started to get drawn out.

That said, Grady was the star of the show. He was fun and playful, living by the seat of his pants, and just wanted to have fun. And I felt that his growth at the end was perfectly done - not too drawn out, just the right amount of attention. If only Willa could have gotten the same type of arc.

Overall, I don't think it was a bad book - the writing was good, it was a fun premise... I just don't think it was one of my favorites. If you don't mind some serious topics in your rom-com (or if you aren't expecting a rom-com at all) perhaps this is just the book for you. There are some steamy scenes straight out of the gate - but they're not done in an insta-love cringey type of way. So I say give it a shot, just don't be expecting a cutesy rom-com and maybe you'll enjoy it more!