Ok this one snuck up on me and the ending kinda flipped my entire rating on its head. It was kind of an odd reading experience for me. I was initially into it, things started off pretty good and the setting was strong. The whole isolated boarding school on 300 acres thing was a pretty creepy vibe and then it flipped back and forth between Madeline’s viewpoint and a year prior with a transcript between two anonymous people. As I really settled into the story I did get a little frustrated though, there were lots of things about Madeleine that irritated me, it was the whole damaged female character who doesn’t know if she can trust herself because she takes meds schtick that I’m getting real tired of. But I pushed on despite this and the slow burn because I just had a feeling it may pay off. It mostly did I guess? The ending was pretty shocking and definitely not what I was expecting, it verges on banana’s territory but it surprised me, so I’ll take it. If you have patience with this one I kind of feel like the ending makes it worth it. 

The day after I got home from vacation I was a little depressed so I knew it was time for me to read this one. The authors books are always like the warmest and softest hugs for me and this was no exception. While I love every aspect of her books where I think she really shines is in her great characters and Sadie was the most relatable and overall likable character I’ve read about in awhile. She made me laugh, I cried a little for her and I really admired her resiliency. I normally don’t like a love triangle but the author made me enjoy it here and that’s really saying something. Charmed was my overall takeaway here, I was charmed by Sadie from the moment she had a grocery store dance party by herself. I was also charmed by Joe after thinking there was no way he would ever win me over after his first scene and I was charmed by the amount of heart and passion this book emanated. Pure sunshine and delight here, loved it! 

As the titles says this is such a perfect summer romance and if you’ve read the first two books in the series you know that’s it’s a treat to be back in Avalon Bay. Cassie is looking for a summer fling and when she propositions Tate and he turns her down they decide they’re better off as friends. That actually surprised me in a good way as I thought it showed maturity and a good nature in Cassie especially as she’s so young, I just really liked her character so much, I found her to be endearing and just super likable. Tate was also a great hero, I thought his honesty was refreshing and he did make me swoon a little. You get dual narration and the audio performance from Caitlin Elizabeth and Teddy Hamilton was absolutely perfect. Definitely recommended as a great summer read, some spice, some emotion and great summery vibes.

Book two in a series I’m absolutely loving and somehow the author cranked up the heat AND the emotions and made it work so beautifully. This is a second chance/childhood friends to lovers with sooo many feelings and I swooned so hard over Sofie and Theo. These two have an undeniable, lifelong connection and their break up hurt them both so terribly you get so much angst that really pulled on my heartstrings. Sofie’s history was heartbreaking and the way her and Theo navigated their feelings to fight for their future was so sweet 🥹 I’m obsessed with this series, this town, the characters and the author I need the rest of the books asap they’re SO good. 

If you like character driven family stories this was really good. I truly enjoyed following the Tran families experience as Vietnamese Canadians who struggle to keep their long running family business afloat after a new nail salon opens across the street from them. There was a lot of really good witty humor to be found in the authors writing style and the balance between this and the immigrant experience was really well done. You hear from every member of the family in alternating viewpoints and they’re all relatable in some way. I thought the portrayal of a dysfunctional family was spot on and full of heart as well as really well done as far as showing the intricacies of their unique family dynamic. Overall this was a strong debut and I’ll be looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next. 

Damn it felt so good to be back in good old Outtatowner again. I read a ton of small town romances and this quirky little coastal town may be my favorite of all. Let’s talk tropes this has brothers best friend, ex boyfriends brother, (hello all the forbidden vibes) and grumpy/sunshine. Bennett is the definition of a grumpy and brooding hero and Lena really knows how to write one sexy dirty talking man 🥵 Besides all the amazing spice Kate and Beckett both undergo really amazing personal transformations where they heal from past traumas and work on themselves so they can be stronger together. On top of all of that goodness there was some home renovation madness and some more info about the rivalry between the Sullivan’s and the Kings which I’m dying to find out more about. This series is a must for small town romance fans, the spice, the characters, the setting, everything is just 🤌🏻💋