genevieve5's reviews
250 reviews

I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I have rarely been as dramatically and repeatedly shocked as I was with this book. When I started it, I had very high expectations, expectations that it seemed, at first, this book would not meet. I was not a huge fan of the writing style at first, as it struck me as a bit different from the other books, a fusion of that style and one or two London dialects. I also came upon a few passages I found slightly repetitive, and a particular characterization that I didn't know if I would like or not. But, the style slowly grew on me, and though I don’t like it quite as well as the styles in the other books, I liked it enough to fall in love with the book overall. And plot has a lot to do with that too.

The plot is, for sure, an area where this book really shines. This is, simply put, one of the most brilliantly plotted books I have ever read. From intensely involved, detailed, and meticulously well-researched plans to dark and complicated character pasts, from interweaving storylines from the previous books to jaw-dropping twists and turns within twists and turns that always kept me hooked and keep the stakes sky-high, the plotting of this book is genius and a very impressive balance of a multitude of details and characters. The romance I loved from the previous books was back with a new unique love story that, while again not my favorite of the series, did develop beautifully, and there were several more characters for me to get to know and fall in love with alongside the ones who had already won my heart in the previous books. 

The ending was a pretty sudden escalation, which was both very exciting and a bit jarring (kind of felt like a gear shift almost) but, while it had little explicit build up, it all ended up making sense, and I certainly didn’t see it coming. In that way, this book was different from the others before it. The best way I can describe it is ‘epic,' and there was a sharper contrast, towards the end, between the action and the romance. It seemed, at times, as if Eden had almost spread herself too thin with the storytelling . . . the operative word there being almost, because she did manage to pull it off, and pull it off very well. She is a very skilled and capable writer, and I will eagerly read anything she writes in the future.

Overall, this book and series are absolutely stellar, and I cannot wait to read more. I cannot recommend this series highly enough! Thank you, Sarah M. Eden!

I’ll say this: from start to finish, I could not put this book down. After reading Boyfriend Material, I was so ecstatic to get my hands on the sequel, and to see more from Luc and Oliver and the whole gang. Based on the first book, I had very high expectations. Some of them were exceeded, and some were not met. But I’m mostly not upset that they weren’t.

'Husband Material' is a poignant, thought-provoking, eye-opening, laugh-out-loud, cry-your-eyes out, melt-your-heart emotional sledgehammer of a book. It illustrates situations of profound vulnerability for the characters, depicts and addresses issues of homophobia and LGBTQ+ rights in heartbreakingly honest clarity, develops its characters and story in very unexpected ways, and captures the trials, tribulations, and utter messiness of relationships and of life in general in ways that at times delighted me with their humor and at times wrecked me emotionally. 

However, it was at times heavy on the bickering between the couple, and I did not like the way some of the arguments were handled by one character in particular (I won’t say any more to avoid spoilers). For that, it loses a star.

Overall, though this is not my favorite book nor my favorite style of writing, it was well done, and I love it. It is a stunning, bold, messy, blunt, honest, insanely emotional, and exceptionally well-written and plotted read that I overall recommend (though again, could have used less of the arguing).

"Thank you, Sarah Morgenthaler," we all say in unison (or at least I do)

I'm pretty sure I almost fell out of my seat with excitement when I heard that the writer of the Moose Springs, Alaska series, which I absolutely adore, was publishing another book-and a Christmas romcom?! I couldn't pre-order it fast enough!

And she did not disappoint. The Christmas You Found Me is heartwarming & heartbreaking in almost equal measure (though rest assured, heartwarming wins out). It is a wonderful romance with a frankly almost too perfect love interest (more on that later), but it isn't only a romance. It's also a beautiful story of healing from a past relationship, of a family coming together, and of a sweet little girl & the people who love her fighting for her life. The story was engaging, the little girl melted my heart, and the characters were sweet as can be.

The only slight criticism I had, and it is a very slight and very odd one I grant you, is what I mentioned before: the main male love interest is simply too perfect. At all times, he was the perfect gentleman, an amazing father, always said & did the exact right thing at the exact right time, cared fiercely about his family, his faith never wavered, and he was pretty much never in a bad mood or really upset/agitated/angry. A lot of the time, part of what makes me fall in love with characters and make them seem multi-dimensional relatable, is the fact that they're not perfect. Even if romcom characters are this idealized standard of romance that never (or rarely) reflect reality, they are still often imperfect people with depth and flaws, people who've made mistakes and get upset sometimes, and something about that makes them more alive for me. It's part of what made the protagonist in this book alive for me.

But this guy, Guy, was so good and so sweet he didn't seem to have any flaws that I could see. I still loved him as a character and loved the book as a whole, but that kind of unflappable perfection kept snagging in my mind.

Overall, though, I would absolutely recommend this. It is a wonderful cozy Christmas read, sure to give you all the feels.