One of my favorite romance novels this year. So cute. Retta and Duncan are two genuinely likable characters and have great chemistry. They just fit really well together as a couple. 

I think the reasons to enter the fake dating relationship really made sense. Retta has far more grace than I do because the more details I learned about the ex and cousin’s relationship the more heated I got. 

I also really liked seeing how growing up with parents in a toxic relationship affected Duncan and his outlook on dating/marriage. It was a really interesting and refreshing perspective. He wasn’t  closed off because he was a player, he was closed off because he was worried about following in his parents footsteps. 

This was my first Mimi Grace book and I AM HOOKED. From the first page I knew that I really liked her writing style. It feels very contemporary without relying on trendy speech or pop culture references. If she writes it, I’m gonna read it!

I enjoyed this book for what it was, but I think it would’ve been fantastic as a full length novel. I feel like the emotional connection between Belle and the Beast was there, but wasn’t very developed. Still, it was a super quick, cute, and spicy read.

A super fun read with a serial killer FMC. I really loved both characters.

If you wanted to read Mindf*ck but saw the TW for sexual assault and decided against it, then this is the book for you! Also if you read Mindf*ck and loved it (like me) then you’ll love this too. The FMC does have good reasoning for the killings, but there is no sexual assault. 

Around the middle of the book, the plot got a little lost and rushed through in replace of consecutive sex scenes. I still think it was really good, I just would’ve loved to see the emotional aspect of the relationship and story tie together at a slower pace.

It seems like most people either really didn’t like this book or absolutely loved it, but I thought it was just good. Not great. Good. Solid.

While it’s a huge accomplishment to write an 830 page that doesn’t ever really drag (obviously some parts are slower than others), I never got fully hooked in the story. My interest level stayed consistent the entire novel, which isn’t great since it should’ve increased as I read.

I absolutely loved the West crew (Ead, Sabran, Loth, Meg) and definitely found their storylines the most interesting. 

I loved Tane and her storyline but it feels like she got written out of the middle and didn’t actually get that much story dedicated to her which is weird considering what a large role she plays. Her final chapter was also very lackluster.

I was also disappointed that Tane did come from royal lineage because I loved that she was a common born who defied the odds to become a rider, but really her blood was just as privileged as the others, even if her upbringing was not.

I felt mostly neutral about Niclays and I don’t think his POV was necessary. It would’ve been better to get the info/lore we learned from the pirates through Tane’s time studying on Feather Island. 

Overall, really strong, complex, and likable characters.

The book doesn’t set itself up for a full sequel but I would LOVE a short story set 10 years later to see plot points that were alluded to at the end. I want to see

Ead and Sabran reunite after 10 years and see what came of Loth and the South princess and the fallout of Meg untraditionally running their House as the second born in his stead. Really just like an epilogue.

Beautiful. Heartwarming. Heart wrenching. TJ Klune really takes you on a journey with this one.

As always, the writing style was very beautiful and I never thought the story was dragging. I really enjoyed the story structure and how it managed to cover so many years and different phases of life so seamlessly.

The characters were where this story shines. I really enjoyed watching Oc and Joe’s friendship development into a romance (once it was age appropriate lol). And even though I didn’t agree with every decision the characters made, I really understood where they were coming from and it didn’t dampen my opinion on the characters themselves. Absolutely love the Bennett family/pack. I can’t wait to hear more of their stories in the sequels ♥️

P.S. The redesigned cover is SO stunning! Prettiest book I own. I can’t wait to see what the other redesigns look like I hope I don’t have to wait long.

Wow. This was such a beautifully written and vulnerable book. Not only do I feel like I got to know Stephanie and her story, but I really feel like I learned a lot about complex PTSD and generational trauma. I applaud Stephanie for discussing abuse in Asian communities (a topic that people validly don’t want to bring attention to) as well as sharing snippets of her personal therapy sessions. 

A must read, even if you haven’t experienced trauma yourself. Well researched and well executed.

Supremely mediocre. While there wasn’t anything I hated about this book, there wasn’t really anything I liked either. I predicted the twist very early on in the book. There are definitely better thrillers to reads.

This book made me tear up? I wasn’t expecting that haha. Another good book by Karin Slaughter, but definitely doesn’t live up to Pretty Girls or The Good Daughter in my opinion. The book took a really long time for me to get really into it, but once it finally got going I was hooked. Very satisfying ending.

This is the first book I’ve read where I didn’t hate the inclusion of COVID. I still didn’t love it but I think Slaughter incorporated it in ways that made the setting feel more real.

I’m normally not a fan of small town romances but this book is really wholesome. I think the story, and their reasons for the third act breakup, was really realistic and made a lot of sense. This book felt very adult to me, not in a sense that it’s graphic, but because the characters feel real and mature. I could’ve done without the subtle mysticism of the town though.

I didn’t like this book nearly as much as Wordslut. While this book was interesting, I don’t really think I learned anything that I didn’t already know (obviously I learned greater nuisance and additional information, but on points that I already knew about/agreed with to begin with). I do, however, feel like I now have greater empathy towards people who find themselves in cults or cult-ish groups.

I was bummed that Amanda Montell didn’t narrate this herself, like she did Wordslut. This narrator was good but Amanda was stellar. It felt like gossiping with your super smart friend. This felt like an audiobook.

Absolutely love the cover.