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stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)
Mini Audiobook Review: This was the first of the novellas that I listen to from the collection!
I thought this is such a smart idea to focus on just the meet cute part of a romance.
"That's the thing about kindness. You never know how big the ripple is. How one little selfless gesture can make all the difference for the person who receives it."
This one in particular was had some heavy themes which I was not expecting. I love the back and forth with the letters and gave me the feels like her book Yours Truly. Both Holly and John have such big hearts and are so good to people. I am so glad their paths crossed again for them to connect to move forward.
Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber are the narrators and we all know how I feel about Mr. Zachary Webber - fantastic!
I thought this is such a smart idea to focus on just the meet cute part of a romance.
"That's the thing about kindness. You never know how big the ripple is. How one little selfless gesture can make all the difference for the person who receives it."
This one in particular was had some heavy themes which I was not expecting. I love the back and forth with the letters and gave me the feels like her book Yours Truly. Both Holly and John have such big hearts and are so good to people. I am so glad their paths crossed again for them to connect to move forward.
Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber are the narrators and we all know how I feel about Mr. Zachary Webber - fantastic!
Thank you so much to my friend Jenna for gifting me a copy of her book of poetry!
23 Summers of Sarra is a collection of poems written by the talented writer Jenna Ragsdale.
I have known Jenna since we were in elementary school and continue to be present in each other lives with the help of social media. I love following her poetry and seeing the drawings done by her aunt that goes along with the poem.
This book was dedicated to a wonderful human, Sarra Josephine whom we only had on this earth for 23 years. I wish I had the opportunity to know Sara Josephine as themselves. I had previously knew them in their prior life with their dead name but once I graduated we had gone separate ways and missed that opportunity. But I will always hold the time I had with her close to my heart.
If you are interested in relatable, short but poignant poems, give Jenna a follow to see more of her poetry @jennaragsdalepoetry!
I have included one poem that really hit home was called “the woman”:
i admit
i was lost
floated away
took foolish chances
wasted years that i took for
granted; sadness swallowed me whole
every weekend i had to go on apology tours
but then came my 30s & the fog started
fading how lucky am i to get an act II? i’m
finally finding the woman my mom raised me to
23 Summers of Sarra is a collection of poems written by the talented writer Jenna Ragsdale.
I have known Jenna since we were in elementary school and continue to be present in each other lives with the help of social media. I love following her poetry and seeing the drawings done by her aunt that goes along with the poem.
This book was dedicated to a wonderful human, Sarra Josephine whom we only had on this earth for 23 years. I wish I had the opportunity to know Sara Josephine as themselves. I had previously knew them in their prior life with their dead name but once I graduated we had gone separate ways and missed that opportunity. But I will always hold the time I had with her close to my heart.
If you are interested in relatable, short but poignant poems, give Jenna a follow to see more of her poetry @jennaragsdalepoetry!
I have included one poem that really hit home was called “the woman”:
i admit
i was lost
floated away
took foolish chances
wasted years that i took for
granted; sadness swallowed me whole
every weekend i had to go on apology tours
but then came my 30s & the fog started
fading how lucky am i to get an act II? i’m
finally finding the woman my mom raised me to
Thank you so much to St Martin's Press for the advance copy!
Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the complimentary audio!
This book will be published on March 5, 2024.
"That's the problem with trauma. You can decide to change how you think about it, time can fade it, but it's never going to disappear."
This is my 3rd book by Carola Lovering and once again I am just amazed at her skills. She has such a way of pulling the readers into a world where you are just pulled into this world of lies and deceit.
We learn the whole premise of the book in the prologue and it sets the stage for the rest of the book. I wouldn't say that there was a clear villain in the book as both characters are unlikeable at different parts throughout the book. Though I will say I did not like Mckay at allll even if her intuition was spot on. I did feel bad for Cassie after the kidnapping and her paranoia as a result of it.
Even with the crime of the kidnap and the fall out after it, the root of this book is the deep friendship between Cassie & Billie. Billie had such a sad teen years and what she had gone through no person should have. Though it made the bond between the girls stronger it also led to a lifelong secret that was always a dark cloud over them. This also shows how some friendships tend to grow apart as adult which is normal but when the kidnapping of her baby happened, the only person she wanted by her side was Billie. I don't want to go into too much detail of what happens in the book as it would take away from the fun in reading but its a ride.
"You're my best friend, Baby."
I like that we got both point of views from each of the characters as well as chapters that had stories from their past. It gave the readers a sense of their relationship and how it shaped them as adults. And this is also a reminder that friendships are complicated.
I paired my reading with the audio and I thought both narrators Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker did a great job with each of the characters! Their narration helped keep me invested and pushed the story along.
I think I was waiting for some other shoe to drop and there was a small plot point that I felt didn't get a satisfying enough closure for me. It was addressed and then kind of tossed aside but I thought maybe that could have been played with a little bit more. I also thought there was going to be more of a shock in the relationship with Billie than to how that all transpired (not saying that what happened wasn't major just thought it was going to be more).
The whole premise of the book was so fascinated and I just couldn't stop reading because I needed to know how it ended. And this is my reminder that I still need to go back to read Carola's first book Tell Me Lies.
If you are looking for a book about toxic friendships that just builds and builds - give this one a try!
Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the complimentary audio!
This book will be published on March 5, 2024.
"That's the problem with trauma. You can decide to change how you think about it, time can fade it, but it's never going to disappear."
This is my 3rd book by Carola Lovering and once again I am just amazed at her skills. She has such a way of pulling the readers into a world where you are just pulled into this world of lies and deceit.
We learn the whole premise of the book in the prologue and it sets the stage for the rest of the book. I wouldn't say that there was a clear villain in the book as both characters are unlikeable at different parts throughout the book. Though I will say I did not like Mckay at allll even if her intuition was spot on. I did feel bad for Cassie after the kidnapping and her paranoia as a result of it.
Even with the crime of the kidnap and the fall out after it, the root of this book is the deep friendship between Cassie & Billie. Billie had such a sad teen years and what she had gone through no person should have. Though it made the bond between the girls stronger it also led to a lifelong secret that was always a dark cloud over them. This also shows how some friendships tend to grow apart as adult which is normal but when the kidnapping of her baby happened, the only person she wanted by her side was Billie. I don't want to go into too much detail of what happens in the book as it would take away from the fun in reading but its a ride.
"You're my best friend, Baby."
I like that we got both point of views from each of the characters as well as chapters that had stories from their past. It gave the readers a sense of their relationship and how it shaped them as adults. And this is also a reminder that friendships are complicated.
I paired my reading with the audio and I thought both narrators Helen Laser and Karissa Vacker did a great job with each of the characters! Their narration helped keep me invested and pushed the story along.
I think I was waiting for some other shoe to drop and there was a small plot point that I felt didn't get a satisfying enough closure for me. It was addressed and then kind of tossed aside but I thought maybe that could have been played with a little bit more. I also thought there was going to be more of a shock in the relationship with Billie than to how that all transpired (not saying that what happened wasn't major just thought it was going to be more).
The whole premise of the book was so fascinated and I just couldn't stop reading because I needed to know how it ended. And this is my reminder that I still need to go back to read Carola's first book Tell Me Lies.
If you are looking for a book about toxic friendships that just builds and builds - give this one a try!
I had no idea what to expect with this one. It was a book club selection and I am very happy that it was selected as I think there will be lots to discuss with this. I thought this recently came out as I have been seeing so much of it lately.
This book had so much and yet it didn't feel like it was too much. It was spread out throughout the book and the way the author wrote just kept you guessing as to what was going to happen. I was able to pick up on the twist but still made for an enjoyable read. I am a cis white woman and even though there are things that are challenging for me I am still very privilege and I cannot imagine being a black woman in the 1950s and continue to do so now. It is important that these stories are being written and shared. My heart broke for both Ruby and Eleanor at the things that they had gone through. A quote that really struck a chord with me was "She had married well. He had married a malfunction." This was exactly how I have felt during my trial and errors of trying to have a baby. Bravo to Sadeqa for summing up a feeling.
This book was just so emotional, thought provoking and how these two lives intersect in their parallel stories and yet so different.
I did my reading via audio and thought both narrators were fabulous as their respected characters. The audio blocks in around 11 hours but it went by super quick.
I am looking forward to my book club discussion for this!
I highly recommend reading via ears or eyes but please look up the trigger warnings.
This book had so much and yet it didn't feel like it was too much. It was spread out throughout the book and the way the author wrote just kept you guessing as to what was going to happen. I was able to pick up on the twist but still made for an enjoyable read. I am a cis white woman and even though there are things that are challenging for me I am still very privilege and I cannot imagine being a black woman in the 1950s and continue to do so now. It is important that these stories are being written and shared. My heart broke for both Ruby and Eleanor at the things that they had gone through. A quote that really struck a chord with me was "She had married well. He had married a malfunction." This was exactly how I have felt during my trial and errors of trying to have a baby. Bravo to Sadeqa for summing up a feeling.
This book was just so emotional, thought provoking and how these two lives intersect in their parallel stories and yet so different.
I did my reading via audio and thought both narrators were fabulous as their respected characters. The audio blocks in around 11 hours but it went by super quick.
I am looking forward to my book club discussion for this!
I highly recommend reading via ears or eyes but please look up the trigger warnings.
Mini Audiobook Review: This was my first Pride & Prejudice retelling and I really wish I read the cliff notes before I read this. Thankfully my wonderful friend Jana sent me the cliff notes which helped me and since I reached out towards the end of the book it all made sense in retrospect.
I think the hardest part for me was the cast of characters. There was just too many for me to remember who was who. I also don't think politics is something I like in my romances; whenever Liza would talk about it, it would lose me. But what definitely did stand out was the sexual tension between Liza and Dorsey. Payne did such a great job with their tension and their flirting throughout the book. And with the discussion with my friend the storyline was parallel to the original.
I am happy I read this & looking forward to the next book in the series and beyond with Nikki.
I think if you are a fan of P&P this would definitely be up your alley. I will now know better going into the next book in the series to brush on the basic concept for Sense & Sensibility.
I think the hardest part for me was the cast of characters. There was just too many for me to remember who was who. I also don't think politics is something I like in my romances; whenever Liza would talk about it, it would lose me. But what definitely did stand out was the sexual tension between Liza and Dorsey. Payne did such a great job with their tension and their flirting throughout the book. And with the discussion with my friend the storyline was parallel to the original.
I am happy I read this & looking forward to the next book in the series and beyond with Nikki.
I think if you are a fan of P&P this would definitely be up your alley. I will now know better going into the next book in the series to brush on the basic concept for Sense & Sensibility.
Mini Audiobook Review: This has been on my radar for quite sometime due to his popularity in the book community.
I did really enjoy the premise of the book and how wonderful of a friendship that Bree and Nathan had. And I like that we learn right off the back through each of their point of views that they both have feelings for one another.
I am not sure if it was the female narrator's voice, her delivery, or the text but Bree came off immature at time especially during her internal monologue when Nathan did anything that was boyfriend like. It was hard for her just to go with it. Teddy Hamilton of course does a great job narrating with Nathan. I love how Nathan worked with his friends to come up with way to win Bree over. I thought it was so sweet how they all banded together because they knew he was in over his head in love with her.
I know they have been friends forever but the ending felt a little rush and really wrapped up quickly. But at the same time them being together together was my favorite part. And Nathan was super swoony with Bree.
If you are looking for a cute, friends to lover, fake dating romance with some football - check this one out!
I did really enjoy the premise of the book and how wonderful of a friendship that Bree and Nathan had. And I like that we learn right off the back through each of their point of views that they both have feelings for one another.
I am not sure if it was the female narrator's voice, her delivery, or the text but Bree came off immature at time especially during her internal monologue when Nathan did anything that was boyfriend like. It was hard for her just to go with it. Teddy Hamilton of course does a great job narrating with Nathan. I love how Nathan worked with his friends to come up with way to win Bree over. I thought it was so sweet how they all banded together because they knew he was in over his head in love with her.
I know they have been friends forever but the ending felt a little rush and really wrapped up quickly. But at the same time them being together together was my favorite part. And Nathan was super swoony with Bree.
If you are looking for a cute, friends to lover, fake dating romance with some football - check this one out!
Mini Audiobook Review: Thank you so much Libro.FM for the complimentary audio!
I saved this one because the title and cover was very eye catching. I don't know if I learned much from this but it was a fun time. From start to finish this was satire and comprised of essays that felt relatable even though I did not help with actually how to stay productive. I did get a chuckle out of the section on Timothee Chalamet erotic as I felt like I was the target demo. I thought Mara Wilson and Jay Aaseng did a great job narrating with the material they had and I like how they traded off parts within each section. Even though this book was short (around 3 hours via audio), it did feel like it dragged especially in the 2nd half.
If you are a fan of the account Reductress (who I didn't realize until I listened to this was the author) then you probably will like this book.
**I do not rate NF books.**
I saved this one because the title and cover was very eye catching. I don't know if I learned much from this but it was a fun time. From start to finish this was satire and comprised of essays that felt relatable even though I did not help with actually how to stay productive. I did get a chuckle out of the section on Timothee Chalamet erotic as I felt like I was the target demo. I thought Mara Wilson and Jay Aaseng did a great job narrating with the material they had and I like how they traded off parts within each section. Even though this book was short (around 3 hours via audio), it did feel like it dragged especially in the 2nd half.
If you are a fan of the account Reductress (who I didn't realize until I listened to this was the author) then you probably will like this book.
**I do not rate NF books.**
Mini Book Review: Liz kissed like she did everything else. Different, and in the best way.
Immediately after reading Better Than the Movies, I had to find more! Turns out Lynn kept us readers fed and had some mini novellas with follow ups on Wes & Liz.
I was able to get my hands on this courtesy of Simon Teen's website. And I never knew I needed Wes's POV until I read it. We really got to see how in love he was with her while reading this. I highly recommend reading this companion piece to the book which takes place during & post prom.
This just made me really excited to see how Wes & Liz navigate their first year in college.
Immediately after reading Better Than the Movies, I had to find more! Turns out Lynn kept us readers fed and had some mini novellas with follow ups on Wes & Liz.
I was able to get my hands on this courtesy of Simon Teen's website. And I never knew I needed Wes's POV until I read it. We really got to see how in love he was with her while reading this. I highly recommend reading this companion piece to the book which takes place during & post prom.
This just made me really excited to see how Wes & Liz navigate their first year in college.
Reread Sept 2024: "She. Isn't. You."
I wanted to do a quick re-read of this one before I start the next book in the series which honestly I was THRILLED to see that Lynn wrote one. As I was listening to this I was reminded as to why I loved this book so much. This just has everything I love in a YA romance - heart, grief, a dance, just swoony little moments between Wes and Liz. I am so excited to see what college them do!!!
I highly recommend this & it is great via audio!
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Audiobook Review: "Enemies-to-lovers—it's our trope, Buxbaum."
Lynn Painter has become a favorite of mine this year and now I am on my 3rd YA of her in a month.
This one has been high on my list for awhile after seeing so much about it! I know there is going to be a sequel coming out very soon which has me even more excited!
I don't know how Lynn does it but she manages to constantly make me swoon with her romances. In this one I love how Wes and Liz's relationship builds throughout the book with different instances. And then the moment when they do kiss for the first time (which love that she made the first move). *swoon*
This definitely felt like a young adult book but without being overly immature as some YA books are. Wes was just so dreamy and even when he wasn't trying he brought out the best in Liz. One of my favorite moments was early on when they went shopping together.
My heart also went out to Liz who is trying to navigate the last bit of her high school without her mom. There was a moment at the cemetery where Wes followed her and it was just so heartwarming how bad he felt encroaching on her special time. I was happy that Liz was able to connect with her step mother and have a much needed conversation. I just loved how between the step mom and Wes they found ways to support Liz and encourage her relationship with her mother.
Jesse Vilinksy did a fantastic job as Liz and her male narrator voice always makes me feel giggly.
I highly recommend this if you are looking for a quick, cute, swoony, feel good YA book!
I wanted to do a quick re-read of this one before I start the next book in the series which honestly I was THRILLED to see that Lynn wrote one. As I was listening to this I was reminded as to why I loved this book so much. This just has everything I love in a YA romance - heart, grief, a dance, just swoony little moments between Wes and Liz. I am so excited to see what college them do!!!
I highly recommend this & it is great via audio!
-------------------
Audiobook Review: "Enemies-to-lovers—it's our trope, Buxbaum."
Lynn Painter has become a favorite of mine this year and now I am on my 3rd YA of her in a month.
This one has been high on my list for awhile after seeing so much about it! I know there is going to be a sequel coming out very soon which has me even more excited!
I don't know how Lynn does it but she manages to constantly make me swoon with her romances. In this one I love how Wes and Liz's relationship builds throughout the book with different instances. And then the moment when they do kiss for the first time (which love that she made the first move). *swoon*
This definitely felt like a young adult book but without being overly immature as some YA books are. Wes was just so dreamy and even when he wasn't trying he brought out the best in Liz. One of my favorite moments was early on when they went shopping together.
My heart also went out to Liz who is trying to navigate the last bit of her high school without her mom. There was a moment at the cemetery where Wes followed her and it was just so heartwarming how bad he felt encroaching on her special time. I was happy that Liz was able to connect with her step mother and have a much needed conversation. I just loved how between the step mom and Wes they found ways to support Liz and encourage her relationship with her mother.
Jesse Vilinksy did a fantastic job as Liz and her male narrator voice always makes me feel giggly.
I highly recommend this if you are looking for a quick, cute, swoony, feel good YA book!
Thank you so much to Harlequin for the advance copy!
This book will be published on March 5th, 2024.
"There's a peace in the permanence of the hills. A reminder that all will go on with the world. To appreciate the beauty of the moment we're in, no matter how long we get to enjoy it."
Alexandra did such a wonderful job at painting such a scene and made me want to go to Scotland! You could tell that she put a lot of thought into how she describe the setting to make the reader feel like they were there.
The relationship between Addie and Logan was a journey. They had the cutest meet cute and things were very promising between them until it wasn't. But even after Addie was there to assist with rebuilding Logan's family business, Logan was still gone for her. You could tell how passionate he was for his tours & knew that this is what tourist wanted. I could feel Logan's frustration towards Addie. I wouldn't say there was miscommunication but Addie definitely held back from giving her full 100% self because of her fear of connection. Logan's love for her was very apparent and we could see the cracks of it from her until the a-ha moment occurred.
"Addie, I want to support you."
"You already are."
Addie went to Scotland for business but she also had a personal connection as her mother was there when she was younger. It was so cute how Logan was helping her retrace her mother's footsteps. I found myself wanting more from Addie's relationship with her dad. We knew Addie's side of things and we saw their brief moment when she spoke with her dad but I would have liked them have a second conversation about how they left things off. And then suddenly at the end all was we.. I just needed a little more closure for that.
As much as I enjoyed reading this, I did feel like it dragged a little bit which normally romances take me between 2-4 days to read and this one stretched to 10 days. But I feel that this was a me problem and others may not have similar issues.
I am looking forward to seeing what else Alexandra has up her sleeve!
If you are looking for a romance giving you all the Scotland feels - check this out!
This book will be published on March 5th, 2024.
"There's a peace in the permanence of the hills. A reminder that all will go on with the world. To appreciate the beauty of the moment we're in, no matter how long we get to enjoy it."
Alexandra did such a wonderful job at painting such a scene and made me want to go to Scotland! You could tell that she put a lot of thought into how she describe the setting to make the reader feel like they were there.
The relationship between Addie and Logan was a journey. They had the cutest meet cute and things were very promising between them until it wasn't. But even after Addie was there to assist with rebuilding Logan's family business, Logan was still gone for her. You could tell how passionate he was for his tours & knew that this is what tourist wanted. I could feel Logan's frustration towards Addie. I wouldn't say there was miscommunication but Addie definitely held back from giving her full 100% self because of her fear of connection. Logan's love for her was very apparent and we could see the cracks of it from her until the a-ha moment occurred.
"Addie, I want to support you."
"You already are."
Addie went to Scotland for business but she also had a personal connection as her mother was there when she was younger. It was so cute how Logan was helping her retrace her mother's footsteps. I found myself wanting more from Addie's relationship with her dad. We knew Addie's side of things and we saw their brief moment when she spoke with her dad but I would have liked them have a second conversation about how they left things off. And then suddenly at the end all was we.. I just needed a little more closure for that.
As much as I enjoyed reading this, I did feel like it dragged a little bit which normally romances take me between 2-4 days to read and this one stretched to 10 days. But I feel that this was a me problem and others may not have similar issues.
I am looking forward to seeing what else Alexandra has up her sleeve!
If you are looking for a romance giving you all the Scotland feels - check this out!