This isn't really my genre of reads, but it also didn't totally keep my attention. On audio it was hard to tell but there were these kind of small passages sometimes at the beginning of the chapters(?) that seemed to be from the house's pov (kinda?) and those were the most interesting bits. I think it could've been even creepier overall. I did really like the concept of a house haunted by colonizers, but it didn't quite hit for me in the end *shrug*

I really enjoyed how Sabrina uses stories or information about sea life to relate back to human existence, especially as a queer POC.

Be sure to check content warnings!

I read the first book in this series so long ago that I didn't remember much of the prior interactions between Bobbi and Bunty (which start in book 1) so I wish that the beginning of this book had built up their relationship a bit more. Once we got into their relationship though they had a good dynamic and some good banter (mostly over text tho cause Bunty is often on the west coast for business). I loved how Bunty was always feeding Bobbi, making sure she ate well (food as a love language).

Bobbi is planning her bff's Desi wedding (Kareena and Prem from book 1) and Bunty is friends with the couple as well. But someone is trying to sabotage the wedding and Bobbi is dealing with all these mishaps along the way. This story line added a bit to the book, but it was also a tad silly in places. Both Bobbi and Bunty are next in line to family businesses (one wants that and the other does not) and so they are often dealing complex family dynamics related to that.

Spice: 4/5, kink positive

If you're at all familiar with Brené Brown's work this is right in alignment with many of the concepts she talks about frequently. Framed from a more business-leaning mindset it has some great advice on how to lead with courage and vulnerability. I will definitely be referring back to my physical copy and looking at the worksheets available on her website. 

Definitely showed how my past work situations were doing basically the opposite of everything in this book which is why they were so toxic.

I think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if not for how it started. I am just really not a fan of the instant-attraction, hookup trope (like they are hooking up in the first few pages - that's really fast) and that really tainted the rest of the book for me. The hook-up also just seemed rather unrealistic: a famous actress meets a man in her hallway and invites him in and not 5 mins later they are getting intimate? I would have much preferred an initial meeting and attraction that didn't lead immediately to them hooking up. I think their romance could have been more well developed in general as well because it still felt very surface level physical-attraction based. Once we got more into the story Olivia and Mon's character interactions were cute, at times a bit cheesy, but fitting for their characters.

There's great Filipino representation and I definitely appreciated reading a romance very connected with that culture. Sure there's lots of words that I didn't know the meaning of, but it's not my culture and I got the gist of those parts. I'm sure that Filipinos reading this will appreciate the language and references! Lots of discussions around Olivia being a BIPOC/South Asian actress working in Hollywood (constantly dealing with racism and just wishing to be cast for roles that don't hide ethnicity).

This clearly was also written at the height of the pandemic and there were lots of specific topical references that I think in a short time might make this book read a bit outdated. 

Spice: 3.5/5
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

Kelly Andrew is the queen of writing  YA fantasy that will leave you in a puddle on the floor. Her writing is descriptive and beautiful (even when describing gross things). Endlessly quotable and I highlighted so many parts!! The reveals keep you reading and engaged. Even though the ending is foreshadowed you still have to see how it plays out. The one downside is the magic isn’t explained super well so you just gotta go on vibes. I found myself a bit confused at some parts but also reading an eARC formatted weirdly might have been a contributing factor. I will definitely be rereading this once I can get my hands on a physical final copy 🙌

Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic for the eARC.

This really just did not keep my attention. 

Murderbot is just doing his best! Graphic Audios *bow down*

Ali's books have increasingly gotten better and if she's gonna keep writing fantasy romance I'm here for it!