thesandyreader's Reviews (207)

This book gave me gossip girl/ clique vibes, but the male version. I enjoyed it!

I loved the variety of POVs and the different cast of characters. Each had a unique voice and it became easier to understand each of them as their pasts and secrets were slowly revealed. 

The romance and plot felt very high school and familiar in a good way. The asshole bully, the never caring friend, the stiff and secretive friend, the new kid who is resistant to the status quo and shakes it up… a comforting and enjoyable read. 

The mystery aspect was something I wasn’t really expecting - trying to find the person behind the accident, what happened that night… an interesting additional plot and if the book didn’t leave me wanting the sequel already, that cliffhanger definitely did 👀

This book just wasn’t what I was hoping it would be. 

I loved the premise of it - a peasant girl who works for Robin Hood, whispering secrets of the household she works in. Robin’s tricks implicate her in a murder and she needs to decide if she is a pawn in the game or an equal player. 

Unfortunately, I don’t think the book really lives up to it. There isn’t much action in the book, it feels like a long drawn out story that meanders from place to place but doesn’t really pick up till 60% of the way through. I didn’t find myself wanting to read it. 

Jane is a selfish main character who seems forever unhappy with what she has gotten in life and I found it difficult to care about her.

The story is at its core about the hunt for Robin Hood by three different people, and that Robin Hood is not the hero he is perceived as. In that sense, it did a great job getting that across, but the story lost the sense of adventure that typically comes from Robin Hood stories. Instead this was a brutal and almost gory version where it’s just a timeline of people murdering each other. Jane has no chance to grow and there is no pivotal moment where she is really implicated and needs to make a tough decision or can really have an impact and think for herself. She’s supposed to be the main character but is really just subject to the whims of everyone else until essentially the last page. 

This might be for you if you prefer books that are dark twists on fairy tales and want to explore human nature. 

I really enjoyed getting lost in this book. It feels so real - an influencer who is faced with the reality that she doesn’t enjoy her life anymore. The passion that she first had, the life she thought she was living, went astray and she never even noticed. 

This book really drew me in. It felt like I was there, experiencing all the ups and downs with Lola. It was a ride because she generally felt unlikable. Bland, self absorbed, just like the article that takes her down says. The book from her perspective feels fast - the summer melting away. And yet I found myself cheering her on as she explored her sexuality and grew into a new person with renewed hopes and dreams. I loved the slap of reality she got, and I wanted to just squeeze Ryan for being the absolute best friend. And at the end… the hope I felt for her. For fresh starts and new beginnings and joy. 

Oh boy. Not me just sitting on the couch teary eyed at the end of this book. And I really don’t cry from books! Emily Henry just has a way of really getting all up in my feels with her romances 🥹 this is my second one by her and gosh I can’t wait for the next one. 

But this book. It’s all about home. Your happy place. It’s about your happy place being friends who turn into family, and the life partner who just wants happiness for you. 

And yes, it made me cry. 

Maybe it’s because, similar to Harriet, my happy place has always been a vacation home surrounded by people I love. And as I grew older, it expanded. To moments surrounded by friends and family, and now it’s being with my partner. Wherever we are. 

This book feels so relatable. It feels like home, like feelings we have all been through. And the writing just sweeps you away into the moment until these are my best friends and my fiancé and my heart is breaking along with all of theirs. 

This book is about a happy place. A happy place that is anywhere with the ones we love. 

I can’t recommend this enough. 

If you’re looking for a cute and cozy spooky mystery, this is it. 

I loved the Nancy Drew references from the main character and how she worked to embody the character to try and save her aunts. 

The Aunts and other people in the house are eccentric and it’s so endearing watching them do their best to create a spooky fun house and prevent murder. 

And the cats… adorable. Mischievous. 

The whole feel of the book is of a classic spooky house mystery with a dash of romance. Highly recommend adding this to your fall to be read pile! 

Oh man, I just love a good hockey romance! This was my first book by Leah and I’m pretty sure I need to go back and read the rest of this series now!

This had everything I want in a feel good romance. A pining and hot man who will do anything for love, a sassy woman who is getting her confidence back, found family, and some good hockey. He waited a year and a half to have her after one kiss 🥺 I mean come on, how cute is that?? And gifting her an oven… yes please. Sign me up. 

This is a very controversial book. I got the ARC copy of it and not long after quite a few things came out about quotes of the book and a rough non-apology from Sophie about it. 

With all that in mind, I’m going to keep this brief. 

The book was cute. I enjoy a good romance and a save-the-day vibe. The slow burn was spicy and the teasing was lovely. I enjoyed them all pulling together as a family. 

I do not enjoy unnecessary racist comments in a book and unneeded comments praising Musk as he destroys our government and tries to ruin progress. I also do not appreciate it when authors don’t own up to their mistakes. 

It’s a shame. This is a fun book and would have been an enjoyable 4 star romance. 

Yes yes yes!! Now this is what I expect from Holly! Incredible!

I really enjoyed this book. We get backstory, insight into plots and twists from the previous series that are well described and have an impact on this book, blackmail and backstabbing, redemption, and a dash of honest love. Just perfect. 

The weaving of this story was exceptional - even when I thought I had all the information and was sussing out what was going on, it quickly became clear I was missing things and it all just wasn’t quite lining up. And I loved it. That’s the kind of story I love from Holly - plots on plots on plots, everyone out for a different goal and working in the shadows to get it done. 

Highly recommend if you enjoyed the rest of her books, and definitely read the rest of this series first for full context. 

This was an interesting one. I wish I had read the Cruel Prince and Wicked King series again before reading this.

It felt like in some ways I jumped into the middle of this book. There were a lot of references to battles and plots that I’m sure were in the previous books but I don’t really remember, and I feel they would have fleshed out the story more. Many of the characters referenced seemed to have backstory and history tangled up with each other that wasn’t fully explained here and made it a bit hard to track. 

With that said, my limited memory of the other books did help some, and while I think it would have added a lot of context and understanding to have had that history, the book on its own was still an enjoyable read. Most of the characters seemed a little flat, but not to a point of disinterest, and I really enjoyed Wren. There was some complexity to the plot though it seemed to drag a bit.  Generally, it doesn’t hold up to what I recall the other series being. 

I would recommend this book if you enjoyed and remember the previous books. On its own, I think it loses some of the luster. 

I really wanted to rate this 4, and it might have been if I had read the others recently and remembered the story details. I simply cannot justify 4 stars for a book that should stand on its own, and yet I would not recommend without another series fresh in your mind. I will probably go back and reread the others soon for additional context to this story. 

The joy I felt returning to this world and these characters… so damn excited. 

I feel like we really got a great view of the world of Tirene in this book and I really enjoyed it. I want to learn more about their culture, and I really appreciated the thoughtfulness when describing how the architecture is different to accommodate wings - it’s a thoughtful touch that helped embed me further in the story and picture it more accurately and I appreciate that level of detail throughout the books. 

The story itself was very enjoyable, but admittedly it felt more like context and setting up for the next than the last one. Don’t get me wrong, didn’t want to put it down (bath water got cold) but I was hoping for a bit more action. With that said, that ending really scared the crap out of me and I can’t wait to see what happens next!! 

Lark and Knox have it baaaad for each other and watching the two of them dance around and send lingering looks and stolen touches… 🤌🏻 perfection. The constant tension between them is beautiful and I really enjoyed watching Knox especially open up and begin showing more of his true self to Lark throughout the story. I just love them together. 

And Jasper… I still don’t know what to think about him. He kept my feelings swinging from dislike to maybe softening understanding to wow what an a$$hat and ending the book with thorough pride and respect. What a rollercoaster. 

The dragons are fabulous additions to the book and honestly I’d love to be a dragon caller and meet some of them.