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… and it turns out making an asshole a president just means you end up with an asshole president. Probably could’ve guessed that—being president doesn’t change you, not really; it just brings out more of the you that you already are.
Raphael Bob-Waksberg, creator of Bojack Horseman, really wrote: Never again to Martial Law. And let Leni lead.
Recommended!
While I enjoyed Act Your Age, Eve Brown, I have to say that this is my least favorite in the trilogy.
A lot of my sentiments are summed up quite nicely in Cindy's review, especially in finding the first half a lot more enjoyable. Things became progressively dull for me once the openly mutual attraction between Eve and Jacob was cemented. And maybe it was a bad idea for me to binge-read this trilogy within the same month because I couldn't shake off the feeling of sameness between this book and the other two before it. Particularly in terms of humor and couple-y banter -- it grew tiring for me personally.
Still, on its own, Act Your Age, Eve Brown is a very well-written, laugh-out-loud romance between two compelling characters. It just didn't shine quite as brightly as the first two books, unfortunately. But your mileage may vary.
Recommended!
A lot of my sentiments are summed up quite nicely in Cindy's review, especially in finding the first half a lot more enjoyable. Things became progressively dull for me once the openly mutual attraction between Eve and Jacob was cemented. And maybe it was a bad idea for me to binge-read this trilogy within the same month because I couldn't shake off the feeling of sameness between this book and the other two before it. Particularly in terms of humor and couple-y banter -- it grew tiring for me personally.
Still, on its own, Act Your Age, Eve Brown is a very well-written, laugh-out-loud romance between two compelling characters. It just didn't shine quite as brightly as the first two books, unfortunately. But your mileage may vary.
Recommended!
As a proud owner of four (4!!!) editions of Dial A For Aunties, no one is more disappointed by my less-than-stellar experience with this sequel than me. Truly.
I try not to pit books against each other, but since these are installments within the same series, I have to say that Four Aunties and a Wedding failed to deliver the same charm, feel-good antics, and laugh-out-loud humor that the first book had in spades.
Even with me shooing away all semblance of logic and common sense, the plot was held together by a very, very flimsy thread. Try as I might to lean into its absurdity, I just couldn't do it. And on top of that, it was incredibly difficult to find humor in the family chaos when there was an underlying current of melancholy throughout the book. It's one thing for shenanigans to happen at your client's wedding (like in Dial A for Aunties), but for everything to disastrously implode on what should be the happiest day of your life - and forcing you to abandon your soon-to-be husband for most of your wedding? It's not funny. It sounds absolutely miserable. And all I could focus on was how bad I felt for Meddy and how even substantially worse I felt for Nate.
Not recommended.
* I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book from its publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are all mine.
I try not to pit books against each other, but since these are installments within the same series, I have to say that Four Aunties and a Wedding failed to deliver the same charm, feel-good antics, and laugh-out-loud humor that the first book had in spades.
Even with me shooing away all semblance of logic and common sense, the plot was held together by a very, very flimsy thread. Try as I might to lean into its absurdity, I just couldn't do it. And on top of that, it was incredibly difficult to find humor in the family chaos when there was an underlying current of melancholy throughout the book. It's one thing for shenanigans to happen at your client's wedding (like in Dial A for Aunties), but for everything to disastrously implode on what should be the happiest day of your life - and forcing you to abandon your soon-to-be husband for most of your wedding? It's not funny. It sounds absolutely miserable. And all I could focus on was how bad I felt for Meddy and how even substantially worse I felt for Nate.
Not recommended.
* I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book from its publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are all mine.
This short novella promised a kinky first date, and it definitely delivered. Spicy and it gets the job done lmao.
Recommended!
Recommended!
Behind the incredibly pretty cover lies unrealized potential and, quite frankly, the most irritating main character to ever exist.
Final impressions:
• The Infinity Courts offered a deliciously fascinating premise but greatly underdelivered.
• Poor pacing, poor world-building, and poor characterization.
• While I love a good philosophical exploration of morals, ethics, and the complexities in between, I think that the impact of the dialogue was cheapened due to its repetitiveness. Reading this book felt like being repeatedly hit in the head with the same ideas, the same arguments, and the same unsatisfying conclusion.
• In line with this, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Nami struggled with the exact same moral dilemma in every chapter (i.e. "Does saving humanity justify the cost of fighting back against the AI residents? Do robots deserve human rights?")
• The biggest flaw of The Infinity Courts lies in its protagonist, Nami Miyamoto. On top of her selfishness and bizarre savior complex, I was not a fan of her "Maybe the colonizer and the colonized can hold hands and coexist peacefully" kumbaya nonsense. Catch this weirdo at the nearest All Lives Matter rally.
• Is the shocking plot reveal in the last 50 pages enough for me to pick up the sequel? No. I'd rather not waste more of my time.
Not recommended.
Final impressions:
• The Infinity Courts offered a deliciously fascinating premise but greatly underdelivered.
• Poor pacing, poor world-building, and poor characterization.
• While I love a good philosophical exploration of morals, ethics, and the complexities in between, I think that the impact of the dialogue was cheapened due to its repetitiveness. Reading this book felt like being repeatedly hit in the head with the same ideas, the same arguments, and the same unsatisfying conclusion.
• In line with this, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Nami struggled with the exact same moral dilemma in every chapter (i.e. "Does saving humanity justify the cost of fighting back against the AI residents? Do robots deserve human rights?")
• The biggest flaw of The Infinity Courts lies in its protagonist, Nami Miyamoto. On top of her selfishness and bizarre savior complex, I was not a fan of her "Maybe the colonizer and the colonized can hold hands and coexist peacefully" kumbaya nonsense. Catch this weirdo at the nearest All Lives Matter rally.
• Is the shocking plot reveal in the last 50 pages enough for me to pick up the sequel? No. I'd rather not waste more of my time.
Not recommended.
Things definitely took a turn for the cheesy, but for Courtney and Nicole, I'll allow it.
Final impressions:
• Sapphic rivals-to-lovers with over-the-top competitiveness and cuteness.
• Competitive sex Olympics!!! Lmao.
• I actually preferred the cute domestic scenes over the sex scenes this time around!
• The buildup from high school rivals to enemies with benefits is arguably the most enjoyable part of this book. Banter was great.
• Admittedly, once the feelings-beyond-sex were established (but not yet vocally professed), the enjoyability of the story took a slight dip, especially during the third-act breakup -
• Speaking of the third-act breakup,
• In hindsight, Nicole and Courtney were both annoyingly competitive, but they're such a great match for each other that I hardly cared. Plus, what works for them works for them, you know?
• If you're looking for an intensely steamy romance novel between two women, this is not the book for you.
• Instead, I'd recommend The Last to Leave if you're in the mood for a light, fluffy romance centering two grown-ass, albeit hilariously clueless, women falling in love and struggling to make sense of their feelings. Provided that you can pretend that the third-act breakup doesn't exist at all.
Recommended!
Final impressions:
• Sapphic rivals-to-lovers with over-the-top competitiveness and cuteness.
• Competitive sex Olympics!!! Lmao.
• I actually preferred the cute domestic scenes over the sex scenes this time around!
• The buildup from high school rivals to enemies with benefits is arguably the most enjoyable part of this book. Banter was great.
• Admittedly, once the feelings-beyond-sex were established (but not yet vocally professed), the enjoyability of the story took a slight dip, especially during the third-act breakup -
Spoiler
which was a terrible case of miscommunication that felt supremely unnecessary.• Speaking of the third-act breakup,
Spoiler
the revenge plan (i.e. getting back at Griffin for causing their misunderstanding) felt really juvenile and anticlimactic.• In hindsight, Nicole and Courtney were both annoyingly competitive, but they're such a great match for each other that I hardly cared. Plus, what works for them works for them, you know?
• If you're looking for an intensely steamy romance novel between two women, this is not the book for you.
• Instead, I'd recommend The Last to Leave if you're in the mood for a light, fluffy romance centering two grown-ass, albeit hilariously clueless, women falling in love and struggling to make sense of their feelings. Provided that you can pretend that the third-act breakup doesn't exist at all.
Recommended!
An interracial romance following an Afrolatina abuse survivor who is determined to claim and protect her sexual agency.
Final impressions:
• Behind the fun premise lies a hard-hitting story that gets dark, turbulent, and painful to read.
• This novel tackles the journey of a jaded survivor recovering from an abusive partner and how the trauma has affected all aspects of her life, including her personal relationship with sex and intimacy. Thus, despite the fun series title (The Lust Diaries), this isn't a book to dive into blindly and lightly.
• What really drew my interest in this book was the main character having an anonymous sex blog. So I was pretty disappointed that while her blog provided an avenue for Yves and Elijah to connect, the blog itself played a very minor role to the story. I was hoping for more blog entries or some insight into the blogging niche?
• While this book does touch on the topic of BDSM, I wouldn't readily categorize this book under the BDSM subgenre. Simply because that's all we get: a touch, a whiff, a scene. Also, I'm a little bit iffy that
• In terms of satisfaction, I found In Her Closet abrupt and lacking. I understand that it's meant to set up the rest of the series. However, I don't think the setup was done well, especially in building a bond/connection with the main characters.
• In line with this, while I am all about sexual liberation, I felt that the story's preoccupation with sex held it back from fully exploring its emotional layers and from presenting the characters as dimensional. I think Elijah's character suffered the most in terms of coming across as shallow.
• There was also a weird conversation about immigration that felt really out of place in the book.
• By the way, why was it never explained how Elijah could be really rich from an assistant editor position?
The more I type out my thoughts, the more I wonder why I would even recommend In Her Closet to anyone. However, I can see what this book is trying to do, and I'm certain that there are readers out there who would appreciate its goal more than I do. With that, I don't think it's fair of me to actively dissuade readers from giving it a chance.
Recommended with caution.*
[ trigger/ content warnings: ]
Final impressions:
• Behind the fun premise lies a hard-hitting story that gets dark, turbulent, and painful to read.
• This novel tackles the journey of a jaded survivor recovering from an abusive partner and how the trauma has affected all aspects of her life, including her personal relationship with sex and intimacy. Thus, despite the fun series title (The Lust Diaries), this isn't a book to dive into blindly and lightly.
• What really drew my interest in this book was the main character having an anonymous sex blog. So I was pretty disappointed that while her blog provided an avenue for Yves and Elijah to connect, the blog itself played a very minor role to the story. I was hoping for more blog entries or some insight into the blogging niche?
• While this book does touch on the topic of BDSM, I wouldn't readily categorize this book under the BDSM subgenre. Simply because that's all we get: a touch, a whiff, a scene. Also, I'm a little bit iffy that
Spoiler
Ava (Yves' bestie) compared the BDSM kink to being queer, that was a pretty weird moment.• In terms of satisfaction, I found In Her Closet abrupt and lacking. I understand that it's meant to set up the rest of the series. However, I don't think the setup was done well, especially in building a bond/connection with the main characters.
• In line with this, while I am all about sexual liberation, I felt that the story's preoccupation with sex held it back from fully exploring its emotional layers and from presenting the characters as dimensional. I think Elijah's character suffered the most in terms of coming across as shallow.
• There was also a weird conversation about immigration that felt really out of place in the book.
• By the way, why was it never explained how Elijah could be really rich from an assistant editor position?
The more I type out my thoughts, the more I wonder why I would even recommend In Her Closet to anyone. However, I can see what this book is trying to do, and I'm certain that there are readers out there who would appreciate its goal more than I do. With that, I don't think it's fair of me to actively dissuade readers from giving it a chance.
Recommended with caution.*
[ trigger/ content warnings:
Spoiler
abuse (physical, emotional, verbal); child death; attempted rape; violence; slut-shaming; victim-blaming
Here's our philosophy: let go of yesterday's history before you start your story of today. To put it another way: don't add before you eliminate.
I picked this book up because I wanted to know what the 21-day tracker looked like. And I delved into this with the intention of making fun of the text. (And to be fair, the text is pretty hilarious at times.)
While some of the chapters are very questionable (i.e. detailed steps on how to poop and how to wipe your ass), I can acknowledge that the health tables are surprisingly informative and helpful. Moreover, while I'm of the opinion that asses should be washed (with a bidet) and not wiped, I was thoroughly entertained by this book.
A very quick and fun read. But personally, I think Good Sh*t: Your Holistic Guide to the Best Poop of Your Life should be taken with a generous helping of salt. Far be it from me to take shit advice (no pun intended) from two white women who own neither a bidet nor a tabo. To reiterate: asses should be washed, not wiped.
Recommended with caution.
Can’t believe I’m saying this. But Ice Planet Barbarians was not as entertaining as my friends had led me to believe. I feel bamboozled.