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582 reviews
How to Read Now by Elaine Castillo
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I really appreciated Elaine Castillo's voice in this book (both her writing style and her literal voice, as she narrates the audiobook for How to Read Now). As with most essay collections, I don't have anything specific to say other than the fact that this was definitely informative and feels like an important read.
Also, just a note: while there's definitely a lot about reading books, that isn't the only focus of reading. More of a general literacy vibe, as Castillo actually spends a good chunk of time talking about movies and shows in this as well!
Also, just a note: while there's definitely a lot about reading books, that isn't the only focus of reading. More of a general literacy vibe, as Castillo actually spends a good chunk of time talking about movies and shows in this as well!
Everything for You by Chloe Liese
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I read this for the Oliver of it all and I did enjoy him and Gavin, mostly! But I have some gripes:
- I was told that this was inspired by Ted Lasso and boy oh boy Chloe Liese made sure I knew it without being told because Gavin certainly was a knockoff Roy Kent and the number of times he said "Oy!" of "Fuck off" (and his weakness being a small child) made it a bit too on the nose for me
- TOO MUCH HAMILTON
- I have only read one of the previous Bergman Brother books so maybe I would've enjoyed this more but this one was jam packed with cameos from the rest of the family, to the point that it took away from the story
- There was just so much Hamilton (deserves to be said twice)
- The sex scenes felt weird? I don't know if this is because the author is used to writing hetero stuff or what but the vibes were just off for me on this one
- Kind of a follow up from the last bullet point, we don't know anything about Gavin's history other than the fact that he's not close to his family until the like, second to last chapter. At which point he lays out EVERYTHING and they have a sweet moment that just leads to more sex? And sure it was like, loving or whatever, but idk it just seemed WEIRD and I think it was probably more of a pacing issue than anything
With You Forever by Chloe Liese
emotional
funny
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
3.5
This was really sweet! I love love love a modern excuse for a marriage of convenience cuz it's always so silly (like is it even legal to require marriage before receiving an inheritance in your will? I don't know but it seems like probably not?), and this one didn't disappoint in that aspect. Combine it with the fact that they're both already secretly crushing on each other and it's even better.
This was the first Bergman Brothers read for me, and I enjoyed it! I'm sure I would've been even more into it if I'd read the others in the series and could enjoy family cameos (and probably be more excited about Axel because of that) but it was still a fun time overall. Loved the "sends close family members important info via email" representation, and sidenote? wow wow wow ulcerative colitis sounds miserable.
This was the first Bergman Brothers read for me, and I enjoyed it! I'm sure I would've been even more into it if I'd read the others in the series and could enjoy family cameos (and probably be more excited about Axel because of that) but it was still a fun time overall. Loved the "sends close family members important info via email" representation, and sidenote? wow wow wow ulcerative colitis sounds miserable.
Back to Me by Katie Duggan
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Second-Chance Romance! Roommates/Forced Proximity! Fake Dating! Workplace Romance!
I swear Katie Duggan got into my brain, figured out some of my favorite tropes, made it gay, and then put it all in one package for me. Jo's fiancée dumped her a year-ish before the start of the book, which sucks anyways, except wait, Kelsey (that bitch) is her coworker and is now engaged to Becky (their boss?!). BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE, they now want Jo to plan their wedding (and all events leading up to the wedding) for them! And THAT'S NOT ALL FOLKS, they also hired Jo's first love from teenagehood (who is also her very new roommate and the person that Jo lied and said she was dating) to be the photographer! So you know, Jo is totally and completely set up for success on this one.
Meanwhile, Hunter recently came out to and was shunned by her family and is just trying to make a fresh start and find community and she's still very into Jo, who she now lives and works with.
Reading this book consisted of me laughing a lot, being very angry at FUCKING KELSEY, and staying up way past my bedtime because I couldn't stop reading. Also, there's a bearded dragon named Dolly Parton, which is so important.
I swear Katie Duggan got into my brain, figured out some of my favorite tropes, made it gay, and then put it all in one package for me. Jo's fiancée dumped her a year-ish before the start of the book, which sucks anyways, except wait, Kelsey (that bitch) is her coworker and is now engaged to Becky (their boss?!). BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE, they now want Jo to plan their wedding (and all events leading up to the wedding) for them! And THAT'S NOT ALL FOLKS, they also hired Jo's first love from teenagehood (who is also her very new roommate and the person that Jo lied and said she was dating) to be the photographer! So you know, Jo is totally and completely set up for success on this one.
Meanwhile, Hunter recently came out to and was shunned by her family and is just trying to make a fresh start and find community and she's still very into Jo, who she now lives and works with.
Reading this book consisted of me laughing a lot, being very angry at FUCKING KELSEY, and staying up way past my bedtime because I couldn't stop reading. Also, there's a bearded dragon named Dolly Parton, which is so important.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia and Medical content
Minor: Fatphobia and Toxic relationship
Re toxic relationship & fatphobia: Jo has Type 1 Diabetes and Kelsey will be extra harsh/judgmental about her eating choices and use her diabetes a "concerned for her health" excuse. This happens on-page a couple of times (with Hunter immediately coming to Jo's defense) and is referenced when Jo talks about the toxic relationship that was her time with Kelsey.
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okay, so I had no idea what this book was about and I decided to just jump in blind, so when the audiobook opened with talking about domestic violence resources I was completely thrown. When a book makes me cry as much as this one did, I've gotta give it 5 stars cuz I was an absolute blubbering mess towards the end.
Alexis is trying to recover from a really difficult breakup with a man who was emotionally abusive, but the people in her life (besides her best friend) will not let her. They all assume they're going to end up back together, her father in particular, and Neil (the ex) even goes so far as to move back into her house (technically their house) so she is stuck living with this awful man on a daily basis.
Daniel is our love interest and he is fantastic. She starts going back to the small town where he lives for their "completely casual" relationship, and partially as a means to get away from the pressures from her acquaintances, family, and hospital as well as FUCKING NEIL. And of course, things get more serious than she ever intended. Meanwhile, Daniel is simping from day one and I love that so much for Alexis.
The whole cast of characters are so lovable with the exception of NEIL, Alexis's dad, and a few elitist coworkers at the hospital. I really didn't expect this book to be as serious as it was at times (while Alexis was previously the victim of Neil's emotional abuse,there's a character in Daniel's town who is currently a victim of physical abuse from her significant other ) but the balance of serious topics and this book also just feeling like a hug was so good????
Also just in case it wasn't clear, FUCK NEIL
Alexis is trying to recover from a really difficult breakup with a man who was emotionally abusive, but the people in her life (besides her best friend) will not let her. They all assume they're going to end up back together, her father in particular, and Neil (the ex) even goes so far as to move back into her house (technically their house) so she is stuck living with this awful man on a daily basis.
Daniel is our love interest and he is fantastic. She starts going back to the small town where he lives for their "completely casual" relationship, and partially as a means to get away from the pressures from her acquaintances, family, and hospital as well as FUCKING NEIL. And of course, things get more serious than she ever intended. Meanwhile, Daniel is simping from day one and I love that so much for Alexis.
The whole cast of characters are so lovable with the exception of NEIL, Alexis's dad, and a few elitist coworkers at the hospital. I really didn't expect this book to be as serious as it was at times (while Alexis was previously the victim of Neil's emotional abuse,
Also just in case it wasn't clear, FUCK NEIL
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
Moderate: Physical abuse
Ella Gets the D by Tanvier Peart
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
5.0
Tanvier Peart has become an auto-read for me after this and The Seven Month Itch. Even the opening scene where Ella catches her husband cheating on her is funny? The fact that she immediately after has to go and hang out at a kids' birthday party (the piñata scene is WILD and the fact that I felt so bad for her but was also laughing my ass off says so much about the tone of this book)??
Then the set-up for her to meet Julian! She needs a place for her and her 2 kids to stay and her best friend ends up giving her access to a house that belongs to the family but isn't currently in use...except that it's Julian's house, and he decides to come home early, so he just gets in bed not realizing there was another woman there. They both think they're dreaming when they start to hook up, ya know, until morning happens and they realize that isn't the case. But once they realize what happens, Julian takes it all in stride and is almost immediately the most wonderful man?? The way he interacts with her kids (btw these kids are some of my favorite fictional book children hands down) and immediately accidentally becomes a part of her family is so so so so so so sweet.
HERE'S THE ISSUE: she isn't technically divorced and can't file for divorce until she's been separated from her husband for a year. However, if she's caught committing adultery, her husband could go ahead and file on those grounds and he is awful enough that he would absolutely do it. So as their relationship develops, they have to keep everything secret and as the story progresses, shit really starts to hit the fan.
However, this means my favorite thing in romance happens:THERE IS NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP because all of the outside forces trying to ruin Ella's life is more than enough drama for this book thank you very much
I could go on but I shall stop. All to say, NO NOTES. LOVED IT.
Then the set-up for her to meet Julian! She needs a place for her and her 2 kids to stay and her best friend ends up giving her access to a house that belongs to the family but isn't currently in use...except that it's Julian's house, and he decides to come home early, so he just gets in bed not realizing there was another woman there. They both think they're dreaming when they start to hook up, ya know, until morning happens and they realize that isn't the case. But once they realize what happens, Julian takes it all in stride and is almost immediately the most wonderful man?? The way he interacts with her kids (btw these kids are some of my favorite fictional book children hands down) and immediately accidentally becomes a part of her family is so so so so so so sweet.
HERE'S THE ISSUE: she isn't technically divorced and can't file for divorce until she's been separated from her husband for a year. However, if she's caught committing adultery, her husband could go ahead and file on those grounds and he is awful enough that he would absolutely do it. So as their relationship develops, they have to keep everything secret and as the story progresses, shit really starts to hit the fan.
However, this means my favorite thing in romance happens:
I could go on but I shall stop. All to say, NO NOTES. LOVED IT.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Classism
Heathen and Honeysuckle by Sarah A. Bailey
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Usually romances where we're constantly doing flashbacks are very annoying to me because I just want to get to the current story, and I did have a couple of moments like that with this book but honestly? Most of the time I really enjoyed the storyline no matter which stage of the timeline we were in. The set up of Darby writing a letter to Leo that she never intended to send but her sister sending it to him anyway because cry for help combined with him showing up on her wedding day and her running away with him? WHAT A TREAT. I didn't realize that it would be a roadtrip story as well? I thought they'd get back to Pacific Shores and it would just be figuring their lives out from there, but I thought the road trip aspect was a nice touch.
It was also VERY DRAMATIC. We find out toward the end thatyoung Darby got in a car accident, which is how her dad finds out where she is because the hospital calls her. While she's in the hospital, she learns that she had a miscarriage, but she hadn't even realized that she was pregnant yet? and even though there was a lot of set up to the fact that Darby didn't have a choice in going back to her parents and whatnot, I was still somehow shocked at that reasoning?!
My one gripe: the way that Leo talks as an adult and as a teenager are almost exactly the same. This is perfectly believable with grown-up Leo, but there were multiple times where teenaged Leo was talking and I was like "....there is no way this is a teenager." Which would make some of those flashback scenes feel a little clunky in the dialogue.
It was also VERY DRAMATIC. We find out toward the end that
My one gripe: the way that Leo talks as an adult and as a teenager are almost exactly the same. This is perfectly believable with grown-up Leo, but there were multiple times where teenaged Leo was talking and I was like "....there is no way this is a teenager." Which would make some of those flashback scenes feel a little clunky in the dialogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Death
Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is the 2nd book in the past month that I've read that has a main character named Clementine and that uses the song Oh My Darling Clementine, though I will say that its use in this book was so much more entertaining than the other. (Luke has the house band at his bar play it to fuck with her and the whole scene is very charming, I fear)
Emmy & Luke were both super lovable characters and the author did a great job of showing Emmy how her views of Luke when they were growing up weren't quite as fixed in reality as she thought they were and how everything is more complicated than it might originally seem. Learning about Luke's upbringing and his complicated relationship with his mom to this day was truly heartbreaking. Watching Emmy work through her anxiety about literally getting back on the horse (did I just realize that it was a literal version of that idiom as I typed it out? Yes, yes I did) was really really heartwarming and also
THANK YOU LYLA SAGE FOR DELIVERING ON THE ANGRY BROTHER IN A BROTHER'S-BEST-FRIEND ROMANCE
Emmy & Luke were both super lovable characters and the author did a great job of showing Emmy how her views of Luke when they were growing up weren't quite as fixed in reality as she thought they were and how everything is more complicated than it might originally seem. Learning about Luke's upbringing and his complicated relationship with his mom to this day was truly heartbreaking. Watching Emmy work through her anxiety about literally getting back on the horse (did I just realize that it was a literal version of that idiom as I typed it out? Yes, yes I did) was really really heartwarming and also
THANK YOU LYLA SAGE FOR DELIVERING ON THE ANGRY BROTHER IN A BROTHER'S-BEST-FRIEND ROMANCE
Spindrift by Anna Burke
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Our two main characters are Emilia and Morgan. Emilia is really struggling with a lot of internal stuff with the loss of her dad, recently being released from the hospital after a mental breakdown, and her girlfriend leaving her. Morgan was left by her fiancée in the last year and is super overworked because they can't find another vet to help her out so she's on call all the time. Emilia had a crush-from-afar on Morgan when they were younger, but they don't really know each other and first impressions are not the best in this story.
Overall, I really enjoyed it, though it was hard for me to get into this one for some reason. There were a couple of things where I rolled my eyes (stuff that I wouldn't have been bothered by in a book that wasn't, overall, as serious as this one) and I felt like the end wrapped up a bit too quickly. My one rant relating to how the end...ended:There's a promise that they'll be there together "forever" immediately after the third act breakup and that is simply not something I will ever vibe with. IDK FOREVER PROMISES ARE A LITTLE MUCH unless they've been together for a bit!
Overall, I really enjoyed it, though it was hard for me to get into this one for some reason. There were a couple of things where I rolled my eyes (stuff that I wouldn't have been bothered by in a book that wasn't, overall, as serious as this one) and I felt like the end wrapped up a bit too quickly. My one rant relating to how the end...ended:
Dark Restraint by Katee Robert
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
WE ARE BACK!!!
So disclaimer: this is the first Dark Olympus book that I decided to read with my eyeballs instead of doing the audiobook and that is a key reason why I ended up loving this particular book. I really love Zara Hampton-Brown, but unfortunately Alex Moorcock's narration for the male characters felt stale by the time I got to book 6. I think it'd be super helpful for a series that goes this long to get different narrators for different books, especially since they're in first person.
With that out of the way, I really enjoyed the balance that this book had between the romance story and the overarching plot of the series. I loved Ariadne, I tolerated Asterion (The Minotaur) because Ariadne loved him. Truly my favorite thing about this particular book was the Hermes and Dionysus of it all, and they were both in this book more than they usually are in the others.
So disclaimer: this is the first Dark Olympus book that I decided to read with my eyeballs instead of doing the audiobook and that is a key reason why I ended up loving this particular book. I really love Zara Hampton-Brown, but unfortunately Alex Moorcock's narration for the male characters felt stale by the time I got to book 6. I think it'd be super helpful for a series that goes this long to get different narrators for different books, especially since they're in first person.
With that out of the way, I really enjoyed the balance that this book had between the romance story and the overarching plot of the series. I loved Ariadne, I tolerated Asterion (The Minotaur) because Ariadne loved him. Truly my favorite thing about this particular book was the Hermes and Dionysus of it all, and they were both in this book more than they usually are in the others.