the_cover_contessa's Reviews (1.75k)

I swear Hazelwood never fails to entertain me. She could write a grocery list and I'd be utterly enthralled. But what she does best is pull all kinds of emotions out of me. Even in her short stories. This book had an absolute chokehold on my heart from the very beginning.
This has a he fell first trope to it with a bit of unrequited love then a friends to lovers aspect through forced proximity.
The story is told in present day with flashbacks important to setting up the relationship between the two main characters: Marc and Jamie. The story is focused solely on them, so you don't get much in the way of the relationships between the other characters who are introduced. You do see some of that through the main character's eyes, though. I can see how this might be hard with a short story, though, as you really need to focus on the main theme and not much else outside of that can really happen.
I love how the characters are lifelong friends. Marc knows so much more about Jamie than she even thinks he knows. He sees her and that really resonated with me. Being seen is so important, even in our times where we are not at our best. And he's so raw and open. Unafraid to be rejected and willing to fight for what he knows he wants, no matter how long it takes. He's patient and protective. Jamie, on the other hand, is blinded to how he feels and then when she knows, she constantly pulls away because she is too afraid to open herself up to love and the potential of hurt. But you know Hazelwood can't leave you with something that's not happy in the end without taking you through a struggle.
I don't know how she does it, but this author always gets into my brain and my heart and makes me love everything about the characters she writes. My one complaint is that it was a short story. I really wanted something much longer to soak in and let sit with me. It was over too fast. 

Wow, that was just...bad. I'm being generous with two stars.

Love me some Hazelwood. This one was fun.

 Unfortunately, the extremely long chapters on the audio brought my rating down on this one. It was great but those lengths took me out of the story. 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I will be truthful and say I wasn't really ready for a Christmas story until I read this. Now I'm in the mood for all the Christmas tales!
I'll start by saying I am in love with this cover. I love the play on the Grinch so much. It's one of my all time favorite Christmas stories and I watch it every year. The story varies a bit from the original but it has many of the key elements that put you in the Christmas mood!
The romance between Storee and Cold is cute. There are some sexy scenes that made me a little hot under the collar, in a good way! I enjoyed the enemies to lovers vibe that turns into a friends to lovers vibe a bit later. From their backstory it was nice to see they realized there was more to their friendship over the years than just being acquaintances. I will say I would have liked to connect with the chemistry more. It seemed a bit forced to me, like there needed to be sexy so the author took it to the extreme to make it feel like a connection. 
The relationship between Cole and his best friend Max was odd to me at times. Many of the actions made me feel like they were more of a couple as opposed to best friends. And it would have been nice to hear more about Storee's job to get more background of what her life is like outside of Kringletown.
The plot of a Christmas type of competition was also fun. I loved watching all the groups complete the tasks and how each team decided to go about completing them. It really brought the Christmas spirit to the book! I love a town that is Christmas all year round. It's so much fun! And Quinn infuses a lot into the story: competition, love, romance, rivals, craftiness, and a surprise at the end! Also, the names of the characters were great. I loved how they matched up with my knowledge of the Grinch!
This is my second Quinn book and like the other I enjoyed her storyline, her writing, and most of her character development. I did feel this story was a bit longer than it needed to be so there were times when it dragged. And I would have liked to see more interaction with the two main characters and the other competitors. That would have given the story a little more tension. And the addition of a third point of view for one chapter was a little odd. I get why it was done but I honestly thought it could have easily been worked into the MMC's and FMC's points of view.
My favorite part of this book was the outside narrator. I loved the interaction with Cole. Though I was surprised Quinn didn't have the same interactions with Storee. 
If you're looking for a cute rom-com reimagining of The Grinch that reads like a Hallmark movie to put you in the Christmas mood, this one will do it.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audio galley of this title to listen to and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I was very excited for this title when I was approved. I love F1 and follow it pretty closely. And the idea of a female engineer (give me some women in STEM) was the thing that really drew me in. Add enemies to lovers and forbidden love on top of that and it sounds like a recipe for a great romance.
Unfortunately, it wasn't great and I couldn't even get through the entire thing.
My first issue was with the narrators. The female narrator was ok, but just sounded angry all the time. There was nothing endearing in her voice at all. And she was super robotic. And the male narrator? Ugh! I know the character is Romanian but there were so many times I could not even understand what he said due to his accent he was using for the character. Sometimes his speaking was so low I had to rewind several times to even hear what he said. I just was not a fan.
Do you want a female character to hate? This is that book. Phedra (never heard this name before) was just angry at everyone. There was nothing that made me feel she was relatable. She didn't adequately represent a woman in STEM at all. I wanted to see her struggles but I didn't. She accepted all the mysogynistic things that were thrown her way. I thought it would get better, that she would help change things as part of the plot point. However, she never fought for herself. And she did not come across as smart at all, despite her telling us more than once what a prodigy she is. Plus, I can't get with a girl who is an abuser and then blames her victim. Why would we want to put this out into the universe when we are trying to educate people about this topic and make them see it's not ok?
Do you want a a male character who embodies a sexist and chauvinist? Then Cosmin is your guy! The number of times he makes sexual innuendos and advancements in this book was gross. And the fact that there was sexual abuse in his family's past made this even worse. He was be told no but did things anyway was ridiculous. Also, by halfway through the book I really didn't have much of his background as to how he became a driver. I needed that to understand his character.
And don't get me started on the romance between these two. I felt zero chemistry. Apparently he's been pining after her, but I didn't feel that at all. And she hates him but why? He's cocky? Ok, that's par for the course with F1 drivers. But he never did anything to her and you barely see their background of interaction to make this so. They have already been working together so you don't see any build up at all.
The book's pacing was super slow, as well. I felt like nothing really happened. What was the point of the story? I wanted the characters to learn and grow but it was just not happening. The narrators did a lot of telling rather than showing me the story. 
One other point, the language. I understand the main male character is not American, but some of his comments really turned me off. Specifically when he said this: Are you fertile? And then the female characters says this: I expect him to pry my hand off that massive steel hot piston… These things were just a turn off for me.
I'm disappointed in this book. I feel like it could have used a bit more editing and fixing before being put out into the universe.

I want to thank Penguin Group/Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest feedback. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Just as some background, I have not read Tahir before. I know this series is somehow connected to An Ember In the Ashes and I'm not sure if I should have read that series first, but I was able to understand this book so I am not sure it's necessary. But I did see it recommended.
I'll start by saying wow, Tahir can write. I don't read a ton of YA these days so if I do I want something that will draw me in and Tahir did that immediately. I was super curious and invested in the story trying to figure out who each of the three POVs were. Yes, THREE POVs, though later in the book Tahir does incorporate two more! I was worried it would be confusing but it was not.  And I can only assume introducing the other two POVs will be integral in the next book of this series.
Tahir builds a fabulous world. A world full of magic and political intrigue as well and romance. I loved the culture the author created. It was very rich and even included language which supported it. Tahir holds nothing back and often keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the book. She drives the story with a fantastic mix of plot and character development. I often thought of Bardugo's Six of Crows series when I was reading this one (and Bardugo is a favorite author of mine!). There is a great deal of layering in this world with things building on top of each other until finally they come together and it all makes complete sense.
All three main characters, Sirsha, Aiz, and Quil were uniquely done and very well developed. I understood each of their motivations and who they were in relation to the politics surrounding them. Each of their stories was important to what was happening around them and to them. I related to all three, as well. The prince who doesn't want to assume his position. The girl who stole his heart but had an agenda all his own. And the other girl who just wants to save her found family. The rotation of their POVs keeps the story moving and kept me wanting to turn the pages to know more. Each character faces their own demons and challenges and grows from this. 
he one thing I will complain about was the length or the chapters. I prefer shorter chapters for the most part so I don't feel bogged down.
Overall I really enjoyed this one and I can't wait to see what happens in the next book with that bit of a cliffhanger ending.