thesandyreader's Reviews (207)

Finally got this one from Libby and I understand why so many people speak highly of it. 

The story is so deep and emotional. Lily is such a positive person and I really wanted the best for her, and it was heartbreaking to experience her living in those shades of gray. Reading and wondering what and if is going to happen with Ryle. I ended up being so proud of her for putting herself and her child first. 

Ryle is such a complex character as well. I wanted to hate him, but we’re experiencing it all from Lily’s perspective and she sees so many positive things in him that he’s hard to hate. As the book went on I found myself pitying him. He was in the wrong, and would never be able to rebuild that trust, but as you learn his history and watch him respect her current boundaries it’s hard not to pity him for all that he lost and that it was all his fault. 

In the end, it was always Atlas I was cheering for as the solid and reliable person in Lily’s life. I loved the diary reread pages and the building of their history together. I appreciated the ending and the ray of hope it left for both of them. 

This book was cute but not quite to my taste. I’m finding novellas just don’t give me the story depth I’m really looking for, and this holds true with this one. It reads as a smutty spice book rather than a story with spice, and I’m finding I prefer a good story. 

Cute, and if you like spice and them jumping right in you might enjoy this. Not for me though. 

This book had it all - spice, touching moments, childhood friends, competition, family… it was honestly really wholesome and cozy despite the definite ~spice~ going on. 

I loved the relationship building between Storee and Cole. The childhood friends to spitting banter to lovers move is just the cutest, and the fake hate and dating back and forth is so enjoyable. 

The storybook small town centered around Christmas is so cute and I wish I could go visit it. It’s the perfect setting for a holiday romance and all the small town vibes combined with the holiday cheer competition is just perfect. 

And I feel like I just need to mention… that candy cane scene? Anyone else just have a lot of questions….?

Highly recommend this if you’re looking for a spicy but still cute Christmas book. 

I puffin loved this book. It was cute and heartwarming and cozy and everything I enjoy in a cozy holiday romance. 

The book b!tches are hilarious and full of life, and Alexander is drool worthy. Rosie is so relatable and I loved watching her explore her new life and rediscover herself. 

Rosie and Alexander have a great dynamic and I appreciated that it had some heat but minimal spice to really keep that cozy holiday read feeling. 

We all know the puffin was the star of the book though. The little puffin in a Santa cap at the beginning of each chapter has my heart. 

Highly recommend for a cozy holiday romance read! 

Ooookay Sienna, damn you got me. This was an incredible book. Well written, interesting characters, plot depth, the list goes on…

First off, I absolutely love the FMC Isabella. She is a take no shit, do what I want, I can back myself up badass (can I swear on here?) and I am living for it. She is doing it her way and she knows what she wants and she is going to go out and take it. And when that hits the brick wall that is Raffaele… sparks. Everywhere. Their rivalry turned romance is so spicy and I love watching her push his boundaries while he tries to reign himself in. 

The plot itself is twisty and I really enjoyed the variety of layers in it. Family, school, jobs, betrayal… all layered on top of each other and interwoven to make sussing out what is going on difficult. 

And that ending… perfection. Can’t wait to see what they get up to in the next book.  

This falls into my category of books where I love the premise but feel the book is just too short to do it justice. 

The author reached out and offered a copy of this book to me and it was a summary that definitely caught my eye: 

Fantasy-thriller novella, female spies, psychic powers, saving the queen of the world… yep, right up my alley.

Unfortunately, I feel the book just wasn’t long enough for me to get really invested in the characters and fully understand the world building that was happening and how it related to the plot. 

The book throws you into the heart of the action quickly which I liked - right into a murder, investigations, and sleuthing. The opening chapter really sets the scene and I wanted to know more but the setting of context felt slow and piecemeal. The characters are likable enough, but I feel like we don’t learn enough about them to really become emotionally attached and invested in any of them. 

The world building has the potential to be really interesting, but it isn’t fully fleshed out and we don’t get to really understand what it’s like. The writing did a lot of telling rather than showing so I found it hard to really get lost in the book and pretend I was wrapped in that reality. 

The plot and storyline was interesting, and I did not see the variety of surprises coming which I enjoyed. I just wish I had more writing available to really get invested and understand the characters and context. 

Overall, a decent light read, but I wish there was more to it.  

This was an okay romance book. The premise is very cute, and I really enjoyed the farm and animal interactions and the arc of Scarlett trying to save the ranch and make it a rescue. 

For me, the romance piece felt rushed. Like the instant they see each other they’re both thinking of marriage and will they want me despite both coming out of divorces and saying they aren’t looking for someone new. While it does take a few days for that to turn into a relationship, it just feels unrealistic and almost forced. 

The people in the book are very faith based and are constantly thanking the lord for solving all their problems or asking for solutions or a sign or various other things, which personally isn’t my cup of tea. It caused me to skip over some of the lines of introspection as it was irrelevant to the story and felt performative. 

With that said, it was a cute book, but the part I really enjoyed was Scarlett’s journey bringing the farm back together and making it a rescue. I left the book wishing I got more of that and less of a forced feeling romance.