the_cover_contessa's Reviews (1.75k)

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an audio ARC of this title to listen to and give an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I'm in love with this series by Award. I love the inclusivity and positivity of her books. And this one was just as great as all the others. I wish I had known about this one around the holidays as it would have made a perfect holiday read!
I really enjoyed the narrators. Especially the female, Allie Shae. This is my first title listening to her. She did a great job brining Sarah Jane alive for me. I've listened to one other book narrated by Kyle Mason and I really enjoyed it. He did a fun job of narrating's Maguire Jerry in this novella.
The chemistry between the FMC and MMC is almost immediate in this piece. I love how they bonded over the rescue of a goose. But I also love their connection and how they are in similar places in their lives: both aspiring to do better at the jobs. Award has a great way of incorporating animals into her books, as well. They often times steal the show! 
It was fun to see some characters I know but as their younger selves (since this piece is a prequel to the other books). I love when a novella can give me some insight into characters that I have already been introduced to. Plus we got to meet a character who is no longer around in the first book and it was great to have that glimpse.
There were many laugh out loud moments that made me smile and some sweet and sexy times between the FMC and MMC, as well. 
Overall, this was a quick fun read that added some good information to the Kingmans world. Award has quickly become one of my favorite romance authors.

I tried, I really did. But, oof, the FMC is so boring and whiny and her whole existence wraps around being a sorority girl. And her distaste for the MMC, Will, it's just dumb. He gave her some constructive criticism in HS and now she's 27 and still holding the grudge despite the fact that she got into a prestigious MFA program? And all the time she says she doesn't belong there? Plus, the pacing was SO SLOW! It was like pulling teeth to try and move along with it. I kept having to rewind because I got bored and missed things. I'm sad because the premise is really good but the execution? Not so much. At first I thought because I don't read much poetry I might have missed the mark, but that was not it at all. I was an English major and have many times contemplated doing my MFA. But this book makes it seem super boring and not at all worth it for me. More to come later...
Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Hachette Audio for providing me with an audio ARC of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Leigh has been admitted to a prestigious MFA program. All she wants to do is keep to herself and write her poetry. When her childhood nemesis, Will, ends up in the same program, she wants to stay as far away from him as possible. But when the work he submits makes it obvious he's writing about her, she can't help but feel drawn to him. Competing for the same fellowship could possibly push them further apart. Or will it bring them closer?
I love the premise of this book. I was an English major who always dreamed of getting my MFA. And if you like poetry and romance, you will more than likely enjoy this title. I wanted to connect with these characters and understand their thought process and reactions. Unfortunately, that was not to be for me. I ended up DNFing this title at 55%.
I need to start by saying I was expecting this to be more adult than it came across. The characters just did not seem like people who were in their late 20s with some life experience behind them. But both main characters came across as immature.
Leigh centers her whole personality around her having been a sorority girl in college, though I actually never got the sense that she had those connections with her sorority sisters I know happen. Her constant insecurities about being in the MFA program also seemed odd to me. She got into the program but was always stating she didn't belong. I cannot imagine she would have been admitted had that been the case. I did not see her growing and developing and understanding her worth. I didn't get a sense that this would change, either. I was also annoyed with the fact that she had one experience with Will in high school she deemed bad and that was what shaped her entire opinion of him. And that moment was about constructive criticism, which she tells us she can take a few times in the book. Obviously this was not the case. Listening to her POV became exhausting and repetitive.
As for Will, I didn't know him at all. He was very surface level. Given the book was only from Leigh's POV, I needed more from her to show who Will was and that just didn't happen. All I saw was what she deemed a pretentious white male poet. But I never got that sense from him. I didn't get much of a sense of him at all.
As for the romance, it felt a little forced. I know the characters had some past engagement that was part of what should have been their underlying chemistry, but it didn't resonate with me. I wanted to feel the emotion between them and it just wasn't happening for me. There were some sweet moments when I though this might turn around but for me it did not.
I really thought this would have been a bit more light-hearted than it was. It was bogged down with a lot of emotion centering around the death of parents and lives that did not go as planned. While I don't mind emotional things in a book, I need to see the characters utilizing it for growth and this was not happening. The blurb made it feel more like a rom-com than it was.
There is much potential from this author, though. I can see it in her phrases and how her words flow. She just needs to tighten up how she portrays things on the page. A little more showing and a lot less telling. I did like the inclusion of the poetry in the story. 
The narrator was fine but I think because the pacing of the book was so slow, it made me not like her as much as I might have.
Overall, the book fell flat for me. The plot was monotonous and the repetitive scenes never seemed to move the story forward. I wasn't invested in the story and I didn't care about the characters. I didn't find the FMC likeable and the themes were repetitive to the point I didn't understand why they were never getting resolved or at least developed past being the same thing over and over again. This book is likened to Julie Soto's works but I just don't see it. I do see I'm in the minority on that opinion, though. Perhaps the book would have hit me better in print and I'll give it a try that way once it's released.

This was so strong until about 60-70% and then it just kind of swizzles down the drain for me. 3.5 stars.

So close to 5. Just a few small things that kind of bugged me. But overall it was great. 

Wanted to love this, the writing is good, but the relationship bordered on abusive for me and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Ok, maybe codependent? I have lots of thoughts.

I’m so sad this series is over. But I cannot wait for what Borison brings next. Let’s go girl!!!! 

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Forever Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an aduio galley of this book to listen to and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
The blurb on this one pulled me right in. I love the idea of a celebrity crush and that crush turning into something more. Plus, Andrew Eiden, one of my favorite narrators! I couldn't pass this one up.
Emma and Jason live in two different worlds. When Emma's novel goes viral and it's based on Jason, their worlds collide. But can a crush turn into something more?
I adored Edien's narration of Jason's part in this book. I think the could recite my shopping list and I'd be enthralled. The female narrator, Stephanie Willing, is new to me. She was just ok. I didn't love her voice. She actually did the male parts better than the female parts for me.
Emma was interesting enough and relatable in the way people are when they are enamored with celebrities. She did feel a bit young for me, especially as the mother of a 12 year old. But overall I found her a bit whiny. I wanted to love her and the connection she made with Jason but it just seemed forced. Like he had to like her because she has been pining over him for so long. Her actions and reactions to being in the presence of a celebrity seemed real enough. I would totally be tongue tied and not know how to act in the presence of my celebrity crush. But at some point that should change. Once you're hanging out with them and get to know them, they should become like anyone else, right? That didn't happen. I will say I was annoyed she kept calling the MMC by his full name throughout the book. We know who he is, so why was this necessary? I liked the relationship between Emma and her daughter, but I felt like she kept leaving her for things and, in reality, I don't feel like this would actually happen, at least from my experience as a mom of three. I needed to feel like that was the most important relationship she had and it just didn't shine through.
As for Jason, I felt like he was forced to like Emma rather than organically fall for her. They were a close proximity romance. Each other's presence and the media basically made them a couple before they even knew one another When they did finally get to know one another, I didn't feel the chemistry I wanted to feel. The aches and heart pains that should come with falling for someone. I also wasn't a fan of Jason's personality. I needed him to be more golden retriever but he was just not much fun and didn't have the emotional depth I thought would happen for his growth. I also would have liked to see more of him as a parent. Since he and Emma had this in common, it would have been nice to see their connection through this.
The pacing was fast enough that I didn't feel like it was bogged down with unnecessary things. The plot left something to be desired, though it was predictable, so I'll give it that. While the characters were fun, and I really enjoyed the side characters, I do wish there was a little more depth and development happening. Plus they didn't really seem like the ages they were supposed to be (30's), they felt much, much younger. Maybe some growth. I did enjoy the writing. I can definitely see myself reading more books from this author in the future as she develops her craft.
Overall, this was a fun read if a little chaotic and over the top. Lots of drama with all the miscommunication and predictable reveal at the end. This will definitely appeal to the social media crowd who love TikTok, Instagram, and any other platforms of that type. I love the celebrity trope. I would have liked to see a bit more chemistry but overall I enjoyed the read and would give this author another chance in the future.