stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)

Mini Audiobook Review:  Is there a Laurie Frankel book that I haven't loved?! Uh no!
Whenever I think she can't do it, she knocks it out of the park!

I did audio of this and it was so enjoyable and even though this clocked in at almost 15 hours it definitely did not feel like it. Patti Murin is a fantastic narrator and I thought she was so good as India.

I love that we got to see India grow throughout this book through the past timeline and see how the decisions and relationships she made affect her in her future life. I also love how she surrounded herself with positive people in her life. Even when she was a teenager and had this huge responsibility she came across as so mature and so set her what she wanted.

I love the connection between all the family members. It was just so special to see! Especially when you think of adoption, it doesn't always come with positive thoughts but in this everyone was thriving! I love the relationships between the kids and India's relationship with them as well as her past relationships. It also was a bonus of the Hollywood connection and even more of a bonus is that in a flashback scene there was KARAOKE! And you all know how I feel about karaoke!

I definitely think you'll be seeing this one making its book club rounds in the next few months!

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for an advance copy!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book was published on January 23, 2024.

I picked this book out on a whim soley judging by the cover and the brief synopsis that I saw on the sign up form. And I am so glad I did!!

I was hooked on this story from the very start. I have not read many books adult and not that dealt with a stalker and this definitely kept me on edge the whole time while reading. I could not imagine being in Charlotte situation at such a young age and even as an adult going through the things she went through. I am so glad she found a friendship with Nate to be that constant support that she so desperately needed. I was very frustrated with her parents that they weren't taking her claims serious and couldn't see the things that were happening in her life.

I can't go too deep into all the things that happened in this book because I fear of saying too much and taking away from the mystery of it all.

I paired my reading with the audio and queen Jesse Vilinsky who embodies teenagers so well with her voices! She is one of my favorite narrators and she nailed Charlotte's vulnerable/scared tone so well.

Please check trigger warnings - this has a high amount of stalking & emotional abuse in a relationship so proceed with caution.

I am excited to see what else the author will do in the future as this was such a strong debut.

I highly recommend if you are looking for continuous suspenseful guessing game that keeps you going until the end!

Mini Audiobook Review: Thank you so much to @HarlequinPublicityTeam & @HarlequinBooks for having me on this tour & the gifted book!

"We're just different. At different places in our lives. Like that old saying: some friends stay with you for a season, some for a lifetime."

This was such a unique concept of a romance! You not only have the budding romance between our two main characters Jesse & Lulu but there is also the theme of finding friendship as adults. I love how they were set up on a blind date and then found their way back to one another through the friendship study.

This is my second book by Ruby and just like with the first book, she brought the SPICE!!! Also in my memory I don't ever remember a romance that had mutual masturbation?! Jesse and Lulu's chemistry was so hot and they just felt so comfortable enough to have that level of intimacy. And I love the fake that they were both bisexual and could relate to each other. Their romance felt so natural and their sexual connection was so strong right from the start. And I love how their friendship grew from that sexual chemistry (

also can't believe we got a road head scene!

).

We did get to see their growth throughout the book separately. My heart did break for Jesse and his relationship with his grandfather. He wanted so badly to be able to be honest with him but just never got the opportunity before his Alzheimer got bad. I felt bad for Lulu because she wanted to break away from her dad's shadow and figure out her own thing.

I read this via audio with having the book by my side. I thought both narrators were great! I am glad we had two separate narrators for the dual POV.

If you are looking for a spicy romance with queer FMC & MMC then check this out!

Mini Audiobook Review:
“She made me ​feel like I must have done something right in a past life to get the privilege ​of being with her.”

I am so so mad at myself for not diving into the Abby Jimenez world even after so many people I know have read this and loved it. After reading Yours Truly, I knew I had to go back and read this one and my gosh this was perfection. 

I absolutely loved everything about this book! It gave me the romance that I adored, top tier book boyfriend, hard working woman, baggage on both sides and of course I love a small town! I thought this was an insta love/connection that worked so well!! I will be thinking about Daniel Grant for awhile. He just seems like such a great person and was exactly what Alexis needed at the right time. 

This just gave me everything I needed. I am looking forward to going back to reading Abby's other work and now I am even more excited for Just for the Summer. 

I do own this book but I read this via audiobook and it had two of my favorite audiobook narrators - Queen Julia Whelan and King Zachary Webber! They both were such perfect narrators for these characters (granted every character they play they are perfect). Highly recommend doing the audio for this as well as Yours Truly.  

If you haven't read any of Abby's work, I suggested starting with this series. 

Thank you so much to Berkley for the advance copy of this book!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book will be published on February 13, 2024.

This is the final installment of the influencer series. I really enjoyed the prior two books in this series so my excitement for Mel's book was high!

I did not look up the blurb for this so I'm not sure if going in completely blind was good or not. I will say, even though this is only my second book to have a fishermen in it, I must say I love fishermen and I will be needing to find another romance to have in my back pocket.

The beginning of this was a little rocky for me and just wasn't holding my attention until the fake engagement trope began after an accident left Evan in the hospital and being engaged was the only thing Mel could explain as to who she is. It really started picking up in the 2nd half of the book when the feelings all came out and the struggle to hide it from his family. Some of the antics in this book would not happen in real life but makes it fun for books.

"None of that even matters at the end of the day."
"How does it not matter?"
"Because I love everything about you. The real you."

His family was something else. Just like with any family there are complications but at the core they are always there for each other. It made me happy when they all banded together at the end and supported Evan.

I just love the way Amy writes and the chemistry she has between her FMC & MMC. And in this case with Evan being a grump and the tension building between him and Melanie. I love that he brought this other side out of her and she just kept cracking down his hard exterior. Even though they were so different, they seem to have complimented each other.

I paired my reading with the audiobook and Kelsey Narravro Foster knocked it out of the park with the narration! She was able to capture all the characters in this in the variety of voices. She also has one of those tone that I was able to speed up the voice and it would not get terribly distorted.

This wasn't my favorite of the 3 but I still enjoyed it enough to want to keep going with and I am very excited to see what Amy Lea does next!

If you love fake dating/engagement, fishermen, meddling family than check this out!

Thank you so much to BookClubFavorites for the copy of the book! 

I wish I would have paired my book with the audio because then I think I would have appreciated it more. There was just a lot going on - important and very horrific things happening within the book and I think some of it got lost in the audio.  I also think this could have been a me issue as I had to keep stopping and going while listening. Within the chapters I could follow along but as a whole I was forgetting what had previously happened and how they all connected. 

I would recommend reading the book with the audio or just go with the book if you are deciding to read this. 

Mini Audiobook Review:  I went into this book completely blind & I am glad I did. This is categorized as a thriller but I really didn't get thriller vibes from it. Maybe a little suspenseful but even that was subpar. I would just consider it a fiction. Anywho, this is a told from two different perspectives (thankful that this was with two different narrators to help separate the two) - Jasmine who is from China in hopes to find her daughter in NYC and Rebecca is a wealthy, educated, working woman with an adoptive Chinese daughter.  Each story was such a ride I learned a lot especially on Jasmine's side. And all I wanted for her was a happy ending. She had gone through so much and she is just one of many who do. The whole book builds until a moment in the last few chapters where things just all come to a head. I luckily did have the physical of the book and for the last 30 pages I switched over to reading from the book because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. 

Thank you so much to Berkley for the advance copy of this book!
Thank you to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book is out now!

I am still new to the paranormal romance world and this one may have challenged me. I am not big in world building and fantasy and I felt that this book had more of that than I was expecting. Of course I know there is an element of that in a paranormal romance but it just may have been a tad too much for me.

"I know you don't like my scent."
"I fucking love your scent."

I am a romance reader so let's start there. Lowe and Misery were an interesting couple. I am not sure if I felt their chemistry at all until the rubbing of scents began. I think I was the most frustrated with Lowe because of his reasoning for resisting his feelings for her which is understandable giving their different species but still! I also am not a fan of slow burns and this was the slowest of burns. When they were together, they were really hot and of course Ali kills it with the spice! Also I just cannot take knotting seriously. It makes me laugh every time.

Even though there is romance, it is not the prominent focus of the book. I would say the mystery of finding Misery's best friend/sister Serena. And without going into anymore context, Misery's dad is the WORST!

I paired my reading with the audio & Hazelwood tapped her narrator queen Thérèse Plummer. She definitely pulled off the snarkiness of Misery. What I wish we got more of was Lowe's narrator Will Damron as I love his voice.

This did seem like there was going to be a second book and I likely will be reading as I just love Ali's writing.

Even though this didn't work for me, it probably will work for you because a lot of people love it! I think those that enjoy fantasy would be able to follow this a lot more than me. If you are a fan of world building with a mix of a mystery and romance - this is for you!

Memorable Quotes:
"When do you think your future husband will try to kill you? Tomorrow? Next week?"

"Heartbeats are like fingerprints, one of a kind, distinctive, the easiest way to tell people apart."

"You smell like you're mine, Misery."

"You're not a problem, Misery. You're a privilege."

Thank you so much to St Martin's Press for the advance copy!

This book will be published on February 20th, 2024.

I was in between books so I started this book on a whim before going to bed around 10 pm thinking I would just get a chapter or two in before falling asleep. NOPE! I ended up completing almost 50% of the book in a matter of hours because I was so wrapped up into the story.  And as soon as I woke up the following morning, I went right back to reading. They were all on my mind all night.

"The rest of the room fades to blur, and when I open my eyes again, all I can see is him."

I absolutely loved everything about this book! I loved how they met at a bar and Lexi watched Jake rise from a bar performer to a superstar sensation. I love that we got to see them before, during and after the fame. My heart broke for Lexi after Jake suddenly went MIA as his career took off. Lexi was so determine to make it as a chef and it really gave me the feel of what it was like to be in the kitchen (I know I couldn't hack it).

I really love Jake and how much he was invested in making this work. I know insta love can be a hit or miss but in this one I really felt like it worked and I just love their connection. He loved Lexi and nothing but the best for her and whatever dream she wanted. I did not like how Lexi's friend inserted herself and made decisions for Lexi (also you should never delete anything without having some sort of back up in place). I get where her friend was coming from but still!!!!

Being in Jake & Lexi's bubble just made me do the giddy kick in the air. Jake was just so in love with Lexi and I felt bad that Lexi had that doubt in the back of her head. I totally understand her doubt and it was even more escalated when another female threatened her and made Lexi feel like she wasn't good enough for Jake. Even though Jake never gave that impression.

"Lexi Berman, the whole world is about to know your name."

I honestly thought Lexi was going to start a food blog or become a private chef so she could have that flexibility to be with Jake but still be able to make the meals she wanted. But what she ended up doing made perfect sense and I am glad she was able to bring her friend from the restaurant in to help her!  

I can suspend belief while reading and even though the big grand gesture likely would not happen in real life but in the book - I loved it! I love how her friends banned together and knew that they were meant to be for one another and made the reunion happen. 

I love Lexi throughout this book. She challenged herself as a chef and was trying to balance between doing what felt right for her and honoring her mother's legacy.  I also am glad she went to visit her dad and got some closure that she so desperately needed. 

I am definitely not doing this review justice but I just really loved it!! I am looking forward to seeing what Lindsay has in store for the future and I am an instant fan! 

If you are looking for a quick, cute, he falls first, chef & musician romance - check this out! 

Mini Audiobook Review: I had first heard of this book on a podcast and kept it in the back of mind because the premise of the book is totally up my alley. It is no surprise that I am a Kardashian fan and this gave me all the vibes of them but also being completely different. I don't know much of the story of Pride and Prejudice so I wasn't able to pick out the characteristics of that story and how it was retold. There were a lot of characters and I wish I had wrote them down as I was listening and perhaps that would've helped me keep track of them all. Thought it was still fun! 

If you are looking for a quick read/listen with a cast of characters and an inside look into the downside of Hollywood.