juanat77's reviews
152 reviews

Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is my first Kristan Higgins book. I must confess I never read one because the covers look like it’s a Rom-Com or straight up romance. Yes, I judged a book by its cover! I was wrong. Very wrong. It is MORE than romance. In fact, I would say there isn’t much romance. It is a story about loss, healing, change, self discovery and female friendships. There are three storylines told by three different POVs. There’s fake dating, trying to get over a loved one’s death and a marriage in trouble. While there are serious undertones in the book there is also humor which helps soften the story. Look on the Bright Side is mostly set in Cape Cod and at times in Boston. The descriptions of the locations transported me to sunshine, the beach and even the busy streets of Boston. The pacing is fast, the characters are likeable, with the exception of one but he grows on you by the end, there’s hilarious moments and of course emotional ones. If you enjoy Elin Hildebrand you will definitely enjoy Kristan Higgins. Definitely going to check out her other books! 4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Wicked Serve

This was my first hockey romance and my first book in the Beyond the Play series. It was cute and I really appreciated the mental health representation. I felt it was a bit too long. And there was A LOT of sexy times. Too much for me anyway. A different audience may appreciate it more. Nik and Izzy were a cute couple and very supportive of each other. I did not appreciate how Izzy was always pressuring Nik to confide in her or how she was so adamant in including herself in his mental health journey when it was clear he needed to do it himself. All in all it was a solid read. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series! 3 stars!

Releases 8/13/24

Content Warnings