TJR does it again! I breezed through this book. I love that the book was set in the 1980s and all the references during that time. I am anxious to see what TJR does next as if sequence goes, the 90s will be next! I really liked the back and forth between the past and present. The past played such a role in the present. I love the connection between the siblings even through their conflicts with one another. I’d love to see what happens to the Rivas family including Mick. The ending was underwhelming but I will still give it a high rating due to everything else being superb.

4.5 - Audiobook: such a cute book! It took a bit to get use to the English accent while listening but I managed. Emmie is such a wholesome protagonist who has a devastating secret that just clouds over her. She put this secret in a balloon when she was 16 & was found by a teenage boy name Lucas. They became best of friends after this & she is in love with him. But Lucas is engaged to someone else & asks Emmie to be his Man of Honor. This breaks her heart. We really see Emmie grow up through the course of the book. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I am happy how the book ended.

4.5 - This was such a treat!! I had to keep telling myself that this was just a book because the predicaments they got themselves into could not happen in real life. Or at least I’d like to think it wouldn’t. This book has family, little bit of love, murder & wedding all rolled into one! I did find myself laughing at times. You never knew what was coming next for the Chan family but they always stuck together. There will be a sequel so I can’t wait to see what they get themselves into.

4.5 - Audiobook: I absolutely loved Elizabeth’s audio of her book! I felt like she was Emoni. I love how this is not a typical YA novel that I usually read. Emoni is a teenage mother who lives with her grandmother. Her mother passed away after she was born and her father lives in Puerto Rico. She has such a passion for cooking & wants to hopefully do that as career. I love that cooking and food was the main focus as opposed to romance (which is what I gravitate towards). It was such an enjoyable listen & of course I loved all the Philly references! Grandma was an Eagles fan :)

Loved this on audiobook! I love the different POVs and the flashbacks of past and present. It definitely kept me guessing and I loved that I had no clue who to suspect until the last quarter of the book.

Audiobook: Right off the back, the steam in this book was REAL. I am not sure there is a trope for this? But you get the steam within the first 30 minutes so no waiting until the end like you do with some. I could feel myself blushing while listening. I love that the female protagonist is a smart, beautiful woman who happen to also have Aspergers. She hires an escort to make her a better lover after a comment from a co worker and it takes off from there. Very enjoyable!

3.5 - Audiobook: I had high hopes after enjoying The Kiss Quotient but this one didn’t hit the mark. I still enjoyed it and looking forward to the 3rd book of the series. I do love that the author showcase love for those who are Autistic & that they can have healthy relationships. Also loved how the book connects characters from The Kiss Quotient to this one and will continue to the 3rd. I felt slightly uncomfortable at the idea of someone picking a woman from another country and bringing them to the US to be someone’s spouse. It seems so unnatural but I think happens way more often than not.

3.5 - Audiobook - I really wanted to love this more because the reviews I read spoke highly of it. Abby took a DNA test & found through there that she was a 100% match to a girl, her sister. We see how their relationship grows, stumbles and grows again. Abby had such a wild summer between learning this family secret, relationship with her best friends changing & a budding romance. This gave me such Parent Trap vibes but for 2021. I needed more Leo & Abby - such a cat and mouse game throughout the book. Still was an enjoyable listen!

I hate comparing books but I loved R,W & RB so much that I was hoping that I was going to fall in love, but I didn’t. I struggled until about 100 pages in and then it started to pick up. But once it got going, I was all in and wanted to keep reading.

A love story on a subway with a girl who is stuck on the train. Woven in with the love story is also 2 mysteries - one being how someone gets stuck on a train for 45 years and the other what happened to August’s (main character) uncle who disappeared in the 70s. A highlight from the book were her friends. I felt like I wanted to be apart of their group. Overall, it still was a solid book & I recommend.

I am looking forward to see what is next for Casey!!

Audiobook: I thought this was a good YA book. A teen moved from his small town city to the big city life & was excited to finally be around other gay people.

I copied down a quote from the book that stuck with me: “Sure, hand holding and kissing and coming together all seemed like they would feel good when I eventually got to do those things but I never knew I would feel more like a complete person when someone else recognized me as somebody they could want - sexually, romantically, flirtingly, all of it. The gay agenda made me feel more complete, like a human being worthy of love and human connection instead of some lonely side show.”

Because isn’t all we want in life is to feel a connection and to be loved?