While I agree with other reviewers that Simone's narration required a lot of grace, overall I enjoyed this book. While she was, for lack of a better word, annoying at some points, Simone's heart was always in the right place. And once Ray came out to them, she was their staunchiest defender. I mean my goodness, the way she was willing to go in on everyone behind them not respecting Ray's name and pronouns was sweet to read. Yes there were missteps on her end but she earnestly wanted to correct herself and be better.

It was a bit frustrating how oblivious they were to each other and the blooming feelings. I felt there were more than a few instances where, if nothing else, Ray would have picked up on vibes but in their defense they could have just seen Simone acting as a good ally. But man...and this is a slooooooow burn y'all so be forewarned in case you're one who enjoys faster paced romances.

And Ray was an amazing love interest, but weren't without their own flaws. Both characters were very human and I appreciated that.

Still, I liked it and woud recommend and re-read. Yes there are CW/TW for deadnaming, transphobia, homophobia, and everything you would expect from close-minded people. But the balance of good allies were amazing as well. Can't wait to erad more from this author.

Wow...this book was beautiful on all accounts. From the cover art to the story contained with its pages, everything was amazing. The story unfolded at just the perfect pace. And even though some may argue that some places were too slow, when you to the end and everything was revealed, it all made sense. And there are very few books that do that, even outside of the magical realism genre. And it even touched on very real world topics, such as the unrealistic and unfair expectations society has on women especially in the toxic purity culture, how blended families aren't always the happy go luck Brady Bunch type, and colorism, even within family settings.

Like...*sigh* it was great. I stayed up late to finish this because I just had to know what happened and it's been a while since I've done that for a book. I don't want to even run the risk of spoiling anything so I'll stop there and just say I highly recommend this engaging novel.

I adored this book. It was magical, sweet, and something that I could se being just the right thing to bring someone out of a reading slump. I typically don't like giving other books or movies as comparisons for multiple reasons but the ones that are being assigned to this one are accurate all around, especially for the found family aspect.

Which isn't to say that there aren't a few blips on it since I was not a fan of Terracotta for most of the book. I'm not someone who hates kids in books but I do not like bratty kids who don't ever have to face the consequences of their actions. There's enough of that in real life to be frank so seeing them in novels tend to grate.

I also feel some readers may roll their eyes at the very end, specifically how everything came together, since it was a bit too convenient . However, it also made sense in a way especially given the other reveals that were made.

All in all highly recommend and it's perfect for for Fall for the witchy vibes of Winter for the winter holiday ones. Although any time of the year, although it would also be great.

Not bad but just okay. There was too much ambiguity for me to Dave's mental state and the middle dragged a bit. Once it picked back up it was all right but not sure I would reread.

Let me start off by saying that I knew this was going to be a different vein than Mexican Gothic, so that wasn't a disappointment for me whatsoever. However, it was just an okay read for me. It was just too much of a slow burn for me and maybe that's the way it is with all noir type fiction which means that, as a whole, the genre isn't for me. It took until page 214 for an actual body to appear on page and it's only 278 pages. That's just too long for any type of action and while I appreciate how it call came together in the end, at that point it was a little too late for me.

That said, I fully intend on reading more by this author because her prose is amazing and she does know how to draw you in and keep you engaged. This was just not a top read for me at all and was enjoyable enough to finish but not to re-read.

This is a soft three because, while I didn't like it as much as her first one, it was still enjoyable enough to not DNF. that said, I will say that there were some things that were similar from the "The Love Hypothesis", such as character traits for the FMC and MMC as well as the conflict which turn some readers off.

I feel that others may feel that some of the plot points are too obvious, such as the pen pal one, but there were some twists that did throw me so I'll give credit there. Also some of the characters were too large than life for me or exaggerated.

And, if you didn't like Olive as a character, then you probably really won't like Bee as she is a slightly more chaotic version of her. I liked Bee for the most part and her phrases but her naiveté grated. After a while I got use to it but I kept yelling at her through my Kindle.

Overall enjoyable but again not as much as the first one for me. I'll still read others by her though since I do enjoy her humor and writing style.

This is more like a 3.5 but we all know how Goodreads feels about half stars.

I did enjoy this book, especially all the Shakespeare reference. Those were well done, such as the part about the Juliet character being a nurse. True, in the play it was Juliet's nursemaid that was her confidant and her sister Cat (who is in the sequel, Kiss Me Catalina, yet another play on Shakespeare) filled in for that part, horniness and all. And the opening prologue.

That said, some parts were a tough read for me and it had everything to do with all the patriarchal bull. Maybe it's because the world is currently the dumpster fire it is due to men still trying to control women and their bodies and a break from that would be nice. It seems the last few F/M romances I've read have that play a big heart so it's been a bit of "ugh" thing. And I know that was part of the conflict but still it was tough to read sometimes.

Plus I didn't like how everything about the conflict was put on Angelo's uncle. One of the good things about the play is that you never find out the reason for the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets; you just know it's there. Here, it was obvious that it was all due to Hugo and, as a result, he was over-vilified to me. He was still a dick for his views don't get it twisted. But the underhanded things he did in addition to that was just a bit too much overkill for me personally.

Again overall I enjoyed it but there were drawbacks to it as well. Would recommend.

This was a delightfully sweet little 'off the pages' WLW romance about hockey rivals to friends to lovers. I loved the believable way that Jen and Maisy went through these steps as well and that it wasn't just instant. I also think that Kelly did a very good portrayal of the internal conflicts that someone who comes out later in life may have and I really loved how Jen was super supportive of that all around. Such a sweet little romance and I can wait to read the next one. Hopefully we'll see cameos from them as well as Amy and Caro that one.

This was my first book by the author and that was all due to it being the first one that interested me. I have heard the lukewarm reviews of others, but that had no bearing since I am one who believes that everyone needs to try something for themselves to know if they like it. And while others may have seen what I guess would be the big twist coming, I didn't and was caught completely off guard. It is one of those that I almost can't wait to reread it, knowing the ending to search for the clues until the big reveal. It kept me on the edge of my sheet and I spent most of the book thinking it would turn out one way only to have it completely come out left field. I can't speak for her others but I strongly recommend this one especially for those who like the locked door/secluded murder mysteries.

While I enjoyed this overall, I will admit that there were times where the mother's un-matchmaking attempts were beyond infuriating. I understand that this was a crucial part of the plot and went in knowing that; I just didn't expect the extremes they would go to. And I am also honestly surprised that Leora stayed as along as she did. I probably would have bounced after the s'mores incident, even after make out times. But, again, I also know that the characters here were younger than me (well at least Neil and Leora) so took that with a grain of salt.

Still a fun read, which is what you get with every Lau read. But, I think I much prefer the matchmaking family members rather than the ones that try to drive you apart.