kassielovestoread's reviews
398 reviews

This was a great read! Not perfect, but this book hits so many pluses on what I look for in a romance novel. 

I loooooooved Ryder. He was utter perfection! Ryder is smart, devastatingly handsome, funny and nerdy and sporty. I loved how he had so much going for him and he wasn't one of those cocky dudes who constantly showed off. Willa was a force of nature compared to his chill persona. At first I saw a lot of myself in Willa- a hothead who can sometimes jump to conclusions rather quickly after bad first impressions. But there is so much more to Willa that develops throughout the story. I appreciated her arc- I thought it was well rounded and she seemed to learn that putting up walls and keeping people at arms length is no way to truly live. 

A few things I disliked: Willa unconsciously speaks her inner thoughts out loud and when it happens, it's usually unfiltered and embarrassing. But it happened in every single dialogue, it was just too much. I got it the first 25 times, LOL. Secondly, the miscommunication in this book was far too much for my liking. It was a frustrating reading experience! What I failed to understand is how can Willa and Ryder hold so much contempt for each other for failing to disclose what they perceived to be these earth shattering secrets about themselves? Especially considering that when they do manage to converse, all they do is banter/argue! Like when exactly was Ryder supposed to tell Willa about his past with soccer and Willa's mothers cancer prognosis? Right after the pranking or the almost kisses? Ugh, it didn't make any sense. 

Anyway, this book was great despite its faults. I think Only When it's Us has great deaf representation and I genuinely learned a lot from Ryder's story! I definitely want to read the rest of series. 

Aw man, another L read for the month of March :(
I didn't really have any expectations going into this book either- this was a free read for me for being a prime member. The worst part is that this book had the potential, if it were marketed and written to be a thriller I think I would've loved this. The plot twist was great and genuinely unexpected but it happened wayyyy too late in the story. By the time it really picks up, the book abruptly ends. 

Anitta was so insufferable. I seriously cringed so hard at how desperate she was for validation. Her development gave me major secondhand embarrassment and I think it's going to be a hot minute before I get over it. How can one character make so many monumentally terrible decisions in one book!? I get that it was supposed to teach Anitta (and therefore the readers) a lesson on vanity and naiveté or whatever. That point was not lost on me. It was straight up poorly executed! By the time Anitta "learns her lesson" I have no idea how/why she comes to it. It's like the author forgot to include the big inner reflection and instead wrote a few lines on how the Goddesses started to feel off. It was missing critical development there. 

I also hated how the author made certain concessions for Stacy and Max. Stacy, the culture vulture, who is fake woke and will spout facts about income inequality and racism but doesn't seem to acknowledge that all the woke ideologies in the world can't save you from being a shitty human being. And Max who LITERALLY said to Anitta that it's harder for him to get a job these days because no one wants to hire the straight white man! WHAT WORLD ARE YOU LIVING IN, MAX??? Make no mistake: Stacy and Max are horrible people. And the author tries to sell you forgivable versions of them in the epilogue so it's no shock when Anitta is still hooking up with Max and remains friends with Stacy. Gross all around.

I disliked this book with a burning passion lmfao. Save yourself by not reading this dumpster fire of a book. I would not reach for another book written by this author and will not recommend to anyone! Even if it was the free book for being a prime member! 

This sucks so badly to write, but I really disliked this book. I loved the first one so I was hoping for a similar reading experience! No such luck though. There was so much to hate about Things We Hide From the Light, this may end up being a rant more than an eloquent review.

Ok first of all: Nash and Lina are probably the worst MC's I've ever had the displeasure of reading. Lina is MAJORRRRR pick me energy. She actually said, "This is why I don't have female friends/I prefer male friends." And not just once. She tried so hard to be mysterious and devil may care but it came off as cringey with a side of desperation. I understand it's all a part of her traumatic childhood but I still didn't care for her attitude. And she overused Nash's nickname till I was absolutely sick to death of it, UGH.

Second of all, I really disliked how Nash handled his distrust with Lina. He borderline abused his authority to get her to tell him the truth about her job that had NOTHING to do with his beef with Hugo. That shit was so ickyyyyyyyyyyy. In hindsight I should've dnf'ed right then and there but I wanted my money's worth from this book. And the fact that he was super overprotective of Lina when her capable ass is on the job? And she had confided in him that she hates when her parents do it? It was not giving "I love you but I don't know it yet, so I show it"- Instead it gave "I can't handle my girl doing a dangerous job, so I'll act out." Cringe. No thank you.

I want to comment on the actual construction of this book, which I feel was a mess. There was so much to this book that did not need to be included. Example A: literally everything that Nash does on the job to convince us that he's "one of the good guys." It's not until 60% in that Lina and Nash finally start dating and the author sort of shoves a bunch of development and spice and plot at you for the remainder of the book. It felt rushed and forced. And I am absolutely confident that those two will end up divorced and miserable. NGL, I skipped so many pages of unnecessary detail just to finally finish this book. 

The one thing I did like about this book were the crumbs we were fed of Lucian and Sloane. A hate to love trope in a contemporary setting is going to eat every time, and I fear I will be back come September for book 3's shenanigans. I just hope the number of pages will be significantly lower- no contemporary romance novel needs to be six hundred pages! It's absurd! And I hope that the stakes will also be much lower. Why does every women in these books need to be kidnapped and almost murdered? 

"It's monsters like you who make it a curse to be born a woman." Min Maewol. 

Wow. This book was FANTASTIC. I cried, I was outraged, I was wholly mystified...just a few of the emotions I experienced while reading The Forest of Stolen Girls. (A special shout out to my TBR jar that finally got me to read this book!!)

I think this is the type of book that you go into completely blind. Because from page one, June Hur's writing completely enraptures you. I was instantly transported into a dark, atmospheric Korea where we meet a young woman who tasks herself with solving her father's disappearance. The reader unravels the mystery with Hwani and Maewol as they struggle to come to terms with the heinous crimes being committed against these young girls. I genuinely didn't know who was the true culprit- the King who orders these young girls to be given as human tributes or the seemingly unsuspecting men and women in this small village.

And make no mistake- while the story of Hwani and Maewol is a work of fiction, the human tributaries was a very real practice in Korea until 1435. That's what makes this book so much more haunting; the girls that were taken were used as a means of "comfort" in times of war. Did they ever get justice? Do we know their names in 2023? I'm so heartbroken for them. I hope their souls are in peaceful, eternal rest while their slavers and rapists rot in everlasting hell. 

I think the world of this novel. I'd recommend it to all! This piece of history is horrible, but necessary to know. This is the stuff they won't teach you in schools and now (more than ever) it's important to turn to fiction like this to teach us. I'm definitely interested in reading more of June Hur's backlog and upcoming novel(s). The writing style, character development, and plot is just too good to pass up otherwise!

The American Roommate Experiment was just an ok read for me. I was really excited when this book was first announced but I held off on reading it for as long as I did because I was scared it wouldn't be as good as The Spanish Love Deception. 

One thing is for sure though, Lucas and Rosie truly loved each other. I think Elena Armas hit it out of the park with their romance. But I could've done without a lot of the other side stories that seemed to be going on. Like with the brother + dad and the neighbor. I think it took away from the stronger parts of the book. I also think the ending dragged on for a lot longer than what was optimal. 

All the same, I liked the book well enough. Not sure if I'd read more of this authors books though :( The slow burn is too slow for me. I was bored waiting for them to finally give in! 

Wow, what a thrilling conclusion to this amazing story! I'm feeling a little bit of a book hangover coming :( I didn't expect to be so attached to these characters like this! The characters are so quintessentially New York it wasn't difficult at all to fall a little in love with each of them. If N.K. Jemisin ever felt the call to return back to this universe (and the way this book ended, I can easily see a plot that could inspire an eventual book 3), I'd be in there like swimwear!! 

I gotta admit, the pacing in this story was a lot better than the The City We Became. As soon as you start the book, it picks up from book 1's conflict and the story just takes off. I like also how book one does a lot of the heavy lifting for character development so book 2 can focus on the bigger issues plaguing New York's existence. The World We Make also explores how the newly defined avatars of New York are getting along and I just really loved their dynamic and banter. And even though a lot of the science-y and math stuff of the book just absolutely flew over my head (shout out NYC's public education system!), it just showed how carefully thought out this universe and its plot and its characters were. I appreciated the heck out of it, even if I couldn't understand half of it! 

I feel there really is something in this duology for everyone to love. If you love weird, metaphysical/dystopian realities crashing into contemporary settings- give this a try! Sprinkle in multi pov's with unforgettable characters, NYC pride and a found family trope, then you've got a winner in this series. I'd definitely recommend this series to all! These books have a special place in my heart- I really meant it when I said The Great Cities was a love letter to New York <3 

PS. I loooooooooved Istanbul. I wish we could've read more about him! 

If there was ever a love letter to NYC in novel form, The City We Became is it! I think N.K. Jemisin really nailed it in the head with this book. I can't explain in great length the absolute glee I experienced while reading this book because the FDR Drive was a major setting in this novel and I grew up living right next to it!! That's the representation I never knew I needed until I had it. I felt a surge of New York pride after reading this book :) You nailed it, Jemisin!! 

I LOOOOOOOVED the symbolism carefully interwoven in The City We Became. There are these horrific monstrous creatures popping up all over New York City taking the form of mega cops (YUCK!!!! CAN YOU LITERALLY IMAGINE ANYTHING WORSE), Karen's, and greedy, lifeless corporations taking over NYC's food, music and art culture. And the way that the city's chosen avatars fight back? Through the personification of what makes each of their boroughs so unique. I thought it was so spot on and I can't wait to see more of that in the sequel. 

If you watched The Eternals (the Marvel movie) and loved it, then definitely read this book. There are some similarities between the two, but not so much that you feel like you've already "seen" this story before. Just keep in mind that the chapters are really long (30-40 pages minimally) and that this book is book one of a completed duology and not a trilogy like my (and probably yours) copy claims. I think that if the chapters were just a little shorter and this book featured faster pacing for the plot, then it would've been an easy 5 star read. Nonetheless, it was really good as is and I'd absolutely recommend to all (but especially New Yorkers!!!). 

Sucks to say, but I disliked this book. I think there were too many inconsistencies with Layla's character that grated on me. And I did not like Luke, Josh, and Zack. It was really strange to me how Luke was Layla's former high school teacher (no, it doesn't matter if it was ten years ago, nor does it matter if he didn't remember her. it's still weird to me). And Zack and Josh needed some serious therapy. Love should not totally transform you, it should not automatically cancel out your problematic behavior or your trauma. 

The spice in this book was overwhelming. My mistake for not double checking, but this book is nearly six hundred pages and half of the book is just smut! I know that for some that's probably a gold mine and that's totally understandable. And I'm the type that loves smut in her books, however, it was just too much for me. I for sure knew this book wasn't for me when every spicy scene started right after a really emotional conversation between the guys and Layla. Maybe once or twice is ok, but every single time?! How can anyone wanna get it on after talking about their dead mother, ex-wife, or dead fianceé? 

I wouldn't recommend this book and I won't read anything else by this author. On to the next! 

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I'm honestly struggling with how I feel about that ending...

The actual construction of this novel was a mess. The book opens up with a scene of a woman fleeing from something. But you don't actually get to understand that prologue until 50% or so into this book. You have to bear with the story as it tries to set us up for a mic drop moment of a plot twist. For me, that plot twist was delivered so matter of factly that it came off as a "...are you serious? thats it?" moment. This book is advertised as a thriller so I was hoping for a bigger reveal to leave me truly on the edge of my seat. I was still horrified at the reveal, don't get me wrong! I just think this book had a fantastic concept; if the author would've taken a deeper dive into a sci-fi element rather than a contemporary/literary one, then this could've been a 5 star read for me. 

There are a few perspectives the reader is introduced too but again, they were done so poorly that I felt no connection to those characters, nor could I really understand the significance of the varying perspectives. I'm disappointed because this could've had such an interesting take on the pick me's of the black community (Ben Carson, Stacey Dash, Candice Owens...etc). That ending left me with such a bleak feeling- was this supposed to be a cautionary tale? Or was it to showcase that the fight against OBG's isn't worth it since they're always one step ahead? 

Anyway, I wouldn't recommend this book. It's possible that I just didn't get it and I'm okay with that! There was so much potential in this concept :( 

If it's a marriage of convenience trope, trust that I will eat it up every time! This book was no exception. I loved Gio and Isabel's story- even more than Loren and Catalina's! The romance is always really well done, so I commend the author on that. And the spice was excellent. 

The grammar and spelling errors were particularly prevalent in this novel though. Every other line in this book had such an obvious error in it. I can't help but think that maybe the author wrote this book in one go and didn't bother to proofread it before publishing. In my opinion, I couldn't recommend this series to anyone knowing you probably won't get your money's worth from it on that fact alone. Which is a shame, because I really liked these books! I can only hope in the future that the author considers re-releasing these books with major editing.