I REALLY WANTED TO LIKE THIS but I just could not get myself into it unfortunately. The prose just isn't my vibe + some of the stuff I read in reviews suggested this would not be my thing. I may return someday? Never say never and all that cuz there wasn't anything particularly bad that made me DNF. I was just dragging my feet to read it and that is my sign that it's time to stop.

I JUST LOVE IRIS SO MUCH???? From Delilah’s book I have been like ugh Iris is such a bitch I love her and HERE WE ARE AND I WAS CORRECT SHE IS EVERYTHING (by which I mean she is both perfect and also an ABSOLUTE MESS). From the jump I was getting genuinely angry with Iris’s family and Stevie’s friends, but hey we’ve gotta have a set up to make fake dating worthwhile I guess (I know she got her act together by the end but there is no forgiveness for Stevie’s ex for me SORRY NOT SORRY). This book was very sweet, very hot. I forget how much I love Ashley Herring Blake until I read one of her books and just UGHHH I love.

So this is one of those books where if it weren't a historical romance and KJ Charles hadn't been very careful about Robin & Hart and their whole dynamic then it would've ended up being a generally darker story. (Hiding behind the spoiler tag but it's not like a major spoiler)

Robin ends up owing Hart money that he doesn't have, so he offers sex in return for paying off his debt.

A really unhealthy and bad power dynamic in a lot of cases, but as Robin

is more experienced, makes the offer, and genuinely just WANTS to sleep with Hart (not to mention Hart hates the idea and feels weird about it which leads to Robin having all of the power as far as what they do, etc etc)

, it doesn't feel as bad as it would in a different story.

The dialogue/banter in this is top notch, found myself laughing quite a bit! As their relationship goes from purely sexual to them starting to understand each other, the romance part is very sweet. And Robin's loyalty to Marianne + Hart's loyalty to his niece, Alice, show such lovely relationships, especially when you learn more about the way both of these men were raised. Overall, I had a really good time and MANNN I would love to learn more about Alice and Marianne's adventures

This was a lot of fun! I do feel like there was more sex in this one than Behold Her, which I didn't expect (but in hindsight, maybe I should have, because minotaurs). The whole daddy dom thing got a little tiresome by the end but I also really enjoyed Ariana and Wes's overall dynamic together. She is overwhelmed but doesn't want to ask for help from others, and when he comes in to support her and gets her to accept that he truly wants/needs to be able to do things for her, it's so fun to see her start to transform and just have an overall better quality of life, not just because she's in love but because he is actively making her life better???

Also there is a LOT of internalized fatphobia, mostly inspired by how men in the past have treated Ariana. That's not usually my jam but I do think it works well here.

I really appreciated Elaine Castillo's voice in this book (both her writing style and her literal voice, as she narrates the audiobook for How to Read Now). As with most essay collections, I don't have anything specific to say other than the fact that this was definitely informative and feels like an important read.

Also, just a note:  while there's definitely a lot about reading books, that isn't the only focus of reading. More of a general literacy vibe, as Castillo actually spends a good chunk of time talking about movies and shows in this as well!

I read this for the Oliver of it all and I did enjoy him and Gavin, mostly! But I have some gripes:

This was really sweet! I love love love a modern excuse for a marriage of convenience cuz it's always so silly (like is it even legal to require marriage before receiving an inheritance in your will? I don't know but it seems like probably not?), and this one didn't disappoint in that aspect. Combine it with the fact that they're both already secretly crushing on each other and it's even better.

This was the first Bergman Brothers read for me, and I enjoyed it! I'm sure I would've been even more into it if I'd read the others in the series and could enjoy family cameos (and probably be more excited about Axel because of that) but it was still a fun time overall. Loved the "sends close family members important info via email" representation, and sidenote? wow wow wow ulcerative colitis sounds miserable.

Second-Chance Romance! Roommates/Forced Proximity! Fake Dating! Workplace Romance!

I swear Katie Duggan got into my brain, figured out some of my favorite tropes, made it gay, and then put it all in one package for me. Jo's fiancée dumped her a year-ish before the start of the book, which sucks anyways, except wait, Kelsey (that bitch) is her coworker and is now engaged to Becky (their boss?!). BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE, they now want Jo to plan their wedding (and all events leading up to the wedding) for them! And THAT'S NOT ALL FOLKS, they also hired Jo's first love from teenagehood (who is also her very new roommate and the person that Jo lied and said she was dating) to be the photographer! So you know, Jo is totally and completely set up for success on this one.

Meanwhile, Hunter recently came out to and was shunned by her family and is just trying to make a fresh start and find community and she's still very into Jo, who she now lives and works with.

Reading this book consisted of me laughing a lot, being very angry at FUCKING KELSEY, and staying up way past my bedtime because I couldn't stop reading. Also, there's a bearded dragon named Dolly Parton, which is so important.

Okay, so I had no idea what this book was about and I decided to just jump in blind, so when the audiobook opened with talking about domestic violence resources I was completely thrown. When a book makes me cry as much as this one did, I've gotta give it 5 stars cuz I was an absolute blubbering mess towards the end.

Alexis is trying to recover from a really difficult breakup with a man who was emotionally abusive, but the people in her life (besides her best friend) will not let her. They all assume they're going to end up back together, her father in particular, and Neil (the ex) even goes so far as to move back into her house (technically their house) so she is stuck living with this awful man on a daily basis.

Daniel is our love interest and he is fantastic. She starts going back to the small town where he lives for their "completely casual" relationship, and partially as a means to get away from the pressures from her acquaintances, family, and hospital as well as FUCKING NEIL. And of course, things get more serious than she ever intended. Meanwhile, Daniel is simping from day one and I love that so much for Alexis.

The whole cast of characters are so lovable with the exception of NEIL, Alexis's dad, and a few elitist coworkers at the hospital. I really didn't expect this book to be as serious as it was at times (while Alexis was previously the victim of Neil's emotional abuse,

there's a character in Daniel's town who is currently a victim of physical abuse from her significant other

) but the balance of serious topics and this book also just feeling like a hug was so good????

Also just in case it wasn't clear, FUCK NEIL

Tanvier Peart has become an auto-read for me after this and The Seven Month Itch. Even the opening scene where Ella catches her husband cheating on her is funny? The fact that she immediately after has to go and hang out at a kids' birthday party (the piñata scene is WILD and the fact that I felt so bad for her but was also laughing my ass off says so much about the tone of this book)??

Then the set-up for her to meet Julian! She needs a place for her and her 2 kids to stay and her best friend ends up giving her access to a house that belongs to the family but isn't currently in use...except that it's Julian's house, and he decides to come home early, so he just gets in bed not realizing there was another woman there. They both think they're dreaming when they start to hook up, ya know, until morning happens and they realize that isn't the case. But once they realize what happens, Julian takes it all in stride and is almost immediately the most wonderful man?? The way he interacts with her kids (btw these kids are some of my favorite fictional book children hands down) and immediately accidentally becomes a part of her family is so so so so so so sweet.

HERE'S THE ISSUE: she isn't technically divorced and can't file for divorce until she's been separated from her husband for a year. However, if she's caught committing adultery, her husband could go ahead and file on those grounds and he is awful enough that he would absolutely do it. So as their relationship develops, they have to keep everything secret and as the story progresses, shit really starts to hit the fan.

However, this means my favorite thing in romance happens:

THERE IS NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP because all of the outside forces trying to ruin Ella's life is more than enough drama for this book thank you very much

I could go on but I shall stop. All to say, NO NOTES. LOVED IT.