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mydarlingselene's reviews
180 reviews

Canti di guerra by Stefano Nazzi

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dark informative fast-paced

4.0

Stefano Nazzi è una delle poche certezze che ho nella vita.
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This could’ve so easily been a 5 stars read, if only I didn’t hate Mallory’s family and best friend with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. I could write an essay on this topic, I swear. Mostly, I don’t understand why not a single person apologized to Mallory for being a terrible mother/sister/best friend. They all treated her like SHE was the one at fault. The only one who apologized to her was Nolan, and all HE did was make her life better. Make it make sense!!! The real happy ending would’ve been Mallory learning from Nolan and going no contact with her family and shitty best friend. (I have very strong opinions on this, I’M SORRY)
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

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funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book had so much potential! Fake dating and mutual pining are my favorite tropes, and the banter was super fun. But honestly, things dragged on a bit too much, and the constant miscommunication drove me up the wall. Like, Olive and Adam are supposed to be these genius scientists, but they’re so clueless and oblivious when it comes to their own feelings, it was lowkey frustrating lol
Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery

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emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for providing the audiobook of Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery.

I found the audiobook quite enjoyable, especially Kian’s POVs, as I preferred the narrator for his chapters. The book itself has potential; I liked the premise, and the characters have great, fun banter. However, it falls a little flat beyond that. The pacing is inconsistent, with too many abrupt jumps in the way the characters and their relationship evolve. While I enjoy some miscommunication in my romances, this story leaned a bit too heavily on that trope.

There are a few simple adjustments that could have made this a more enjoyable read: reducing the excessive use of the word “twink,” avoiding long discussions about Harper going to therapy only for him to disregard any progress he claimed to have made, and ensuring consistency by not mixing real F1 teams with fictional ones.

With a few tweaks, this could easily have been a 4-star read—especially in audiobook format.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

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funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

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emotional funny hopeful medium-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

So cute and funny, I absolutely loved the premise of the book. You can see the plotwist coming from a mile away but hey, I’ve rewatched Just Like Heaven enough times to simply not care. The only two things I truly didn’t like are the constant name-dropping of currently popular romance authors and the fact that they didn’t even bother changing his name when they repackaged this Reylo fan fiction. 
Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I’m a sucker for a man down so bad he becomes pathetic. I really enjoyed this, I do however feel like the third act could’ve been better, the conflict felt forced, I think I was expecting (and wanted) it to be more gut-wrenching.