stephsbooktalk's Reviews (915)

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advance copy of this!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for a complimentary audio! 

This book will be published on August 1st.

I became a fan of Alicia Thompson's writing after devouring her debut in one sitting last year and did a re-read of it earlier this year and still loved it. So when the opportunity came to read her follow up, I was super psyched!

This book EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS AND MORE!
I absolutely loved everything about this book. It gave me everything I could ever want in a romance.

"Pull my hair anytime."

I am such a fan of enemies to lovers and throw them being co workers into the mix and having to work together - such a perfect recipe! Asa was such a great MMC and I love the fact that Thompson gave him blue hair, tattoos and he is a bisexual king. The reader could tell that he had some sort of crush or feelings for Lauren from the start. The playful banter, the small gestures and just the way he kept wanting to be a part of her life.  I love that we got to know Asa throughout the book and see his personal journey with his relationship with his family and how he established those boundaries with his parents.

Lauren was such a great FMC. She was messy but not so much that she is unbearable. She likes things a particular way and is a rule follower. We also learn about her background and why she is the way she is. There was a moment where she gets drunk to try to be a "Fun Lauren" to which she thinks people will like her and it really hit home for me. I think we all have times where we think we need to be a certain way for X reason and for some they think by drinking or taking substances makes them "cooler" when really it doesn't.  She just wants that feeling of belonging that she lacked growing up and my heart just went out to her.

"It was just hard for me, keeping it a secret. I want to be able to talk about you, to touch you in public, to go out together without worrying someone is going to see us." 

The setting in this book was such a cool concept!!! My brother lives in Florida and I know this is something he would definitely go with his family possibly all year long. The way Thompson describe the different activities I could picture them so clearly. 

The friendships in this group were amazing! I love how they created their own family unit in their apartment and just are a solid group for individuals. Kiki was such a great middle person between Asa and Lauren. She was so welcoming for Lauren and bringing her into their group even if she was hesitant at first. 

Compared to the debut, this one delivers with being more of an open door romance. There were so many scenes that made me blush in all the best ways! 

I read this in tandem with the audio and I thought the narrator, Lindsey Dorcus did such a great job with all the characters. She really brought to life Lauren and Asa. 

Once again I have no clue if I am rambling or if I expressed enough to show how much I have loved this book. 
I am so excited to see what Alicia is working on next & I know she will continue to get better and better with time. 

A new feature for romances I am doing is a Swoon Meter & is karaoke featured (my favorite niche trope):
Swoon - 12/10
Karaoke - YES

Lastly, THIS COVER IS ONE OF THE BEST COVERS OF 2023!!! IT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! 

PS - I should have expected such a wonderful acknowledgement section from what I know of Alicia's writing in her substacks but seeing a shout out to Harry's House made me squeal! 

PSS - If you don't already follow Alicia on IG, what are you waiting for?! She has the best stories & also a great newsletter/substack. 

Mini Audiobook: Going to keep this review short and sweet - Absolutely loved it!!!

The audio was great with the dual POV & narration. 
I love a road trip romance!

This is veryyyyyy spicy!!! 

Thank you so much to Courtney Kae for the advanced copy of the book!

Courtney is one of my favorite authors I have discovered in the last year and not only have I enjoyed their books but also their conversation. We have bonded over millennial things and also my constant championing their podcast with fellow author Falon Ballard. After loving the Hallmark-esque debut In The Event Of Love, when the opportunity came to review the 2nd book in this series, I knew I had to have it!

"And what does happiness mean to you?"
"Not being tethered to my fears."

With In the Event of Love, it took me a little to get into the setting and the characters but with this one I was fully invested right away. I am not sure if it was because I was already familiar with the characters or perhaps the way it was written was just different.

There were a few times that I found myself cackling with different dialogues that were happening. One of my favorite lines (that I even messaged Courtney about) came from Ben's internal monologue - "I would have never let him sleep on my floor. I would have offered to share the bed. It's called manners."  Also the G-Ma in this was hysterical! I hope I can be as cool as an 80 year old having a two week party to celebrate all things me.

The relationship that Ben has with his grandmother and his mother were both really just love him so much and were so worried for him! And I think we needed their sunshine in contrast to his horrible father. He just made everything sour. I don't want to go into too much detail as then you won't be surprised while reading.

"Darling."

Badam. Badam. Badam. 
Yes I have been saying their relationship name in the tune of the Kylie Minogue's song Padam. But anyhow, I just absolutely ADORED Adam. He just was the sweetest of sweet book boyfriend who was so patient with Ben.  I was very attracted to him and him being a musician was just an added bonus. I love how we had a build up of them expressing how he felt towards Ben. His love for Ben just was just so apparent and just made me swoony. 

I really wanted to shake Ben so many times and one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to romances is when one character self sabotages things in their life. I understood why he thought the way that he thought and trauma just will always be there lurking in your brain but as a reader it was so frustrating. Ben needed to go through what he went through in order to get to the other side and I'm sure even after he was good, he still will have his moments. Even with the self sabotaging I was so proud of him and how hard he was working through all his issues. 

One thing I loved about the couple is that they were really honest with one another. There were a few items I thought was going to be dragged out until the 3rd act break up but it ended up being discussed earlier. I really hope that Ben's character continues to ask for help. He takes on a lot and waits until it reaches eruption before he brings in other resources. 

 I appreciated that Courtney has done in her writing is the positive dialogue with seeing a therapist & different representations throughout the book. 

If you are a fan of friends to lovers, small town romance, cinnamon rolls (the food and book boyfriend) with a side of family drama this one's for you! 

PS - Did you catch the Easter eggs in the book?! 

A new thing to my reviews: 
Swoon Meter: 8/10
Is there a karaoke moment? No-ish? There is a sing along but not karaoke
  
4.75

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House/Ballentine for an advance copy of this book! 

This book dug deeper into heavier topics than I was expected! Sammy Espinoza returns back home after she is hanging on a thread in hopes that she can convince her former crush Max Ryan to give her the scoop on his solo album that could save her job. But coming back to her hometown is with mixed emotions as she is scared to confront her family history and meet the grandparents who never wanted her. 

I did end up really enjoy this book. When I was reading it, I was super into it but I wasn't finding myself itching to go back to it. It wasn't until I received the audio where I could listen in tandem where it really helped push my reading along. The narration from Victoria Villarreal was excellent! I thought they did such a wonderful job with all the characters! 

I really enjoyed the friendships in the book. Willa & Brook were such wonderful characters and I loved anytime they interacted with Sammy. And Willa's parents were such wonderful people!! I love when they were featured. 

One relationship that so wonderful to see the journey that Sammy develops with her grandmother. I love how we had such a negative assumption about her based off what we knew from Sammy. But Sammy herself was wrong about her because of the lies her mother was telling her. It was beautiful to see how close they came in such a short time & Sammy was able to learn about her grandfather and more importantly her father. 

The female main character frustrated me mostly because I wanted her to be honest about her intentions with Max Ryan right from the start. Whenever I think it was going to happen something got in the way. I would have been curious the direction the story would've gone in if she had confessed early. 

The love interest Max Ryan, made me so mad!!! Moreso towards the last quarter of the book. One thing I do not tolerate when it comes to any sort of relationship is ghosting. I understood why he suddenly disappeared but still could've left a note, a text message, SOMETHING. Despite that I really did love his character and come on I'm a sucker for a musician. 

It may seem like I did not like the book but I really did!!! I really love Sammy & Max together. They just connected in a way that felt genuine and at the root really connected by music. I think that is why I was so frustrated in why they harmed one another because they had such a good thing going when it all could've been avoided. Of course one of my favorite moments was when they were singing karaoke! You know I will always point that out in a review. 

If you are a fan of music, queer representation, found family, second chances this is the book for you!!! 

Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for the advance copy!

This is not my first Jessica Goodman book and every time there's a new release I always find myself being drawn her books solely for the covers. Plus growing up in the days of Gossip Girl, messy, rich, high school kids are always a fun ride. 

I am conflicting on how I feel about this because I was drawn to the premise and wanted to know who died & who the killer was. I had previously done audio only for Goodman's prior work and I got about 40% in before I received access to the audio and until then it was a struggle for me to read. Once I got the audio and did them in tandem, it was just a better experience for me (also the narrators were great).  I will say this was probably my favorite out of the ones I read. 

I love the way Goodman was able to put us in the space of an elite high school and how status and who you know is everything. I like the way she broke the story up between the present (at the crime scene) and leading up to the Ball. We could speculate who was the victim and who caused the death and naturally I was wrong as always. These high schoolers in this book felt so much more wiser beyond their years. I know I definitely wasn't has poised and smart as these kids are. 

It is hard to say the things I want to say without giving away spoilers but there was a certain character whose actions really bothered me. And those who read may feel the same way?? 

I will probably continue to check out Goodman's future work because I do get invested into the storylines and I need to see how it ends.  

I recommend this if you love multi POVs, unreliable narrators, messy, rich, high school students with messy parents. 

**I will not be rating Non Fiction books as it is based on real events and real experiences.**

I somehow managed to listen to this audiobook in one sitting. I had heard that it was not a linear timeline and though I wish it had been it still didn't deter me from following. I still thought it flowed beautifully and got me to learn more about them.  

Elliot is an excellent narrator and I was drawn in by the tone and ease in their voice. I am not even going to pretend to know what it is like to question my sexuality much less question my gender so I can't imagine what one goes through. And then throw in being a celebrity. It also goes to show that no matter what level of success, those inner demons are still there and you are still susceptible to pain. 

This book also continues to show how the entertainment business is such a toxic environment. Things that happened to them should not have happened. It shouldn't happened to any child actor. More and more stories come out and I imagine they will continue to come out as long as there are child actors out there. 

I am so glad that Elliot was able to become their true self & so glad they were able to share their story to help inspire others. 

Protect trans kids. 

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advance copy!
Thank you so much to PRH Audio for the complimentary audio!

This book will be published on July 11th.

Ya'll this is going to be one of my top books of the year!!!

This was such a stellar debut from writer Jessica Joyce. I have hit such a jackpot lately with romances and these writers constantly amaze me. Somehow the formula and stories are continue to be fresh and honestly just make me smile so much!

If you know me, I often make disclaimers before I start to ramble on about books that I love. So I apologize if this comes off disjointed and chaotic. Because well that is my brain. But hopefully my appreciation for the book comes across.

I loved everything about this book.
I never found myself internally screaming so much as I did with this book. I would be up late reading & then thinking about the book when I couldn't read.

This is the first book that I can really recall where really relating and cackling over the internal monologue of our female main character Noelle. She came off so fresh and honest. It was reflective in her playful personality. There were so many great lines that just made me laugh - "This man is in Forbes, and I'm in Spongebob sleep shorts." to "It's fucking rude that he's so good-looking. It offends me" (which I will be saving an using often when describing Harry Styles). I love her love for her grandmother and it made me wonder where I went wrong with my relationship with my grandparents. You just don't realize how important individuals are in your life until they are not around. I was happy to be on the ride on Noelle's journey of re-discovering herself.

Theo, Theo, Theo. WHEW!
This man is top tier book boyfriend. He is smart. He is sexy. He has such a love for his grandfather. He loves to travel. His love for Noelle was evident from the beginning. Could you say he fell first? It sure felt like that even going back to when they were in high school (at least that is what it implies).  He pushed his pain and fears aside to focus on Noelle and her grief & quest to get closer to her grandmother. Somehow Theo made neck touching./choking so sexy - "I like feeling your heart beat fast for me. That's how I know you like me." COME ON! This was just one small sample of the swoony things he says and does.

Noelle and Theo were just such a great couple. Even though they were enemies/rivals their banter was always playful and their constant volley back and forth was so fun to read. The banter continued after they began their relationship especially their innuendos *cough* "Two fingers are enough to satisfy you tonight, huh?" *cough* 

And the glue between them came with Theo's grandfather Paul. He knew from the start the chemistry between the two. I feel like it is implied that Paul's relationship with Kat parallels Theo and Noelle's relationship which is why he kept nudging them to be together.

Despite grief being a strong component of the book, there was much more joy and happiness within the book. Noelle's relationship with Paul is so sweet and all men need to be like Paul. If any character needs to live forever, let's give it to him. This line from him really broke my heart in the best way, "You were hers. So, now you're mine too." Paul also just seemed like the coolest grandparent ever. It's not every day that an 80 year old decides he going on a road trip & hiking! 

I paired this book with the audio and I thought Kyla Garcia did a fabulous job with all the characters in this! The way she could float in and out of the different characters and their voices was fabulous. I mean it is skilled to go from a 28 year old female to an 80 year old man - flawless! 

I probably missed so much but you just need to read this yourself & see why I am so flustered over it. 

I recommend this book if you love top tier banter, love for grandparents, road trips, ONE BED & traveling! 

I will be adding this to the list of books I will be screaming about this summer. 
I am so excited for the next release by Jessica (which was teased at the end of the book). 

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! 

Thank you so much to St Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book!
Thank you so much to MacMillan audio for the complimentary audio of this book! 

Last year the surprise romance that I end up loving was The Bodyguard so I was super excited to learn we were getting a new one from Katherine this summer!

First off, can we get some commotion for the cover?! Just like her prior work, this one is bold and colorful and truly does stand out. And now after reading it, all the items on the cover make sense.

Back to the book, one thing I love between last year and this year's book is Katherine has provided a fresh take on romance storylines. In The Bodyguard, the female was the guard and in this one the FMC has a rare brain lesion and from the surgery has acquired prosopagnosia.

Did I see where this was going? Yes absolutely!
Was I still hooked from the beginning? Yes!
Did I find myself feeling emotional while reading? Yes!

I like how this story followed Sadie before, during and after her diagnosis. Though being almost 30, you could tell the trauma of losing her mom and her effects of that still weighed heavily on her life as an adult. She was constantly striving to impress and make her father proud after all the years of feeling like a disappointment to him.

"We're all just muddling through, after all. We're all just doing the best we can. We're all struggling with our struggles."

Joe. 
I was trying to hate him. Especially after that disastrous moment in the elevator (which I am glad they cleared up that moment later in the book). I won't say too much but my only qualm with his storyline is WHY DIDN'T HE SAY ANYTHING.!? There were plenty of opportunities for him to question Sadie's actions or connect things but did not. Despite my side eye from the elevator moment, I did love the relationship he had with Sadie throughout the book.  I definitely thought they could have bonded on a deeper level though if that happened then the story would be over. 

Sadie. 
As I mentioned above, she was just trying so hard to still work through her grief after all the years and then to somehow make a living out of doing her favorite thing - painting. I thought it was a nice connection to her mom to include the art show. I like that she tried different ways to incorporate her new diagnosis in with her art. BUT I wish she would've told she interacted with often about the condition. Once again though, if she would have then we would have had a totally different story. I love how much she loves her dog Peanut. It goes to show that the love for our pets is unconditional no matter what the circumstance. My heart went for her when it come to dealing with her stepsister Parker. She truly was terrible even as someone in her 20s. She knew how to press all of Sadie's buttons and Sadie let her. I think Sadie could have used a lesson on boundaries when it came to her family. Though I am glad by the end there was a little more balance and hope for the future. 

If you are looking for a steamy romance, this one is not it. And honestly I did not even miss it. 
There may have been a moment or two where it could have happened but like I said I did not miss it. There was other things happening that kept me intrigued enough to not need it. 

I paired my reading with the audio and as always Patti Murin did a fabulous job with the different characters and especially bringing Sadie to life. I also thought she gave Parker the best attitude and snarkiness in her tone. 

I think this book is perfect for summer and by the pool. 
If you love unconventional romance with art references, check this one out! 

Also don't skip out on the author's note at the end. It gave extra info on prosopagnosia as well as a short vignette on writing and romance that I thought was really relatable. 

Mini Audiobook Review: Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio for the complimentary copy of the audio!

This book will be published on August 8th.

This is my first Catriona Ward book and my goodness I really enjoyed it!!! 

There was a small section where I think having the physical copy would have helped me with following along especially with the blur lines of the past and the magic that was involved.

I thought the male narrator was great. His tone reminded me of the voice over that would do the narration on VH1's Behind the Music. The female narrator was also fine. And going back and forth with a British accent and an American helped with the POV shift. 

I thought this story was very unique and there were a lot of layers involved. I feel like I will need to check back and look at more in depth reviews to make sure I fully understood what was happening. And the one part of the book it gave me flashbacks to one of my favorite episodes of Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark (S3E6 "The Tale of the Bookish Babysitter"). 

I wouldn't say that I was scared while reading this but there was definitely an aspect of it that did freak me out as I was listening so I guess it did its job. 

Highly recommend if you like true crime, main characters are teens into adults, element of time travel & magic. 

Audiobook Mini Review: This book was gifted to me early on in my reading journey and just kept getting push back. So when it was chosen as this month's romance read, I was excited to finally have read it. 

As I have often put in my reviews, I don't ever really look at synopsis and go by vibes & what other readers recommend. So I had this preconceived notion that this was going to be a steamy read that takes place over 7 days in June. While this did take place in 7 days in June, there was minimal spice. I almost would borderline this as romance fiction (which is a new term I learned at the book club). 

I love that both main characters were writers & that they wrote about each other. And there was such history between the two. We did get to see the two timelines between past vs present. So we got to see how their love story began, what the downfall was and how they reconnected. 

Everyone in the book club loved it & so I was definitely in the minority but I love the discussion and glad I read it.