paperbacks_and_planners's reviews
1177 reviews

"I loved her when I hated her. And I loved her when I didn’t want anything to do with her. I was so crazy about her, the lines had blurred together. Feelings were mixed, emotions twisted together"

Synopsis
This follows Emilia who's family works for the ultra wealthy Spencer family and Baron Spenser, or Vicious. Vicious is obsessed with making Emilia miserable and eventually drivers her out of their small California town.
10 years later, the two meet again, and Emilia is forced to work for the man she hates but is also attracted to. Vicious needs Emilia's help to exact revenge. And they're both surprised how far they are willing to go for each other.

Overview
This is an enemies to lovers story told in dual timelines from the 2 points of view - Emilia and Vicious. Flashing between their high school years and the present day, you slowly learn what drove Emilia away from her home and family as well as Vicious's dark past.

This was such a binge-able read! I never wanted to put this down and would have finished it in one sitting if possible.

Content warnings: Chronic illness, child abuse, neglect, loss of a family member, possessiveness, bullying

What I Liked

"I used to think of you as a villain, but you’re not my villain. You’re your own villain."

1. This is the epitome of redeemable, bad boy romance. L.J. Shen blew me away with her ability to write a character you simultaneously love, hate, and sympathize for. Vicious is so flawed, rude, crass, and so damaged. But I'll be damned if I wasn't swooning for him by the end. Now do I want to be with someone like Vicious in real life - of course the f not! But it made for some amazing romantic tension.
2. The slow burn tension of this book was palpable. You will for sure need a cold shower after this one.
3. Romance gets a bad rep for being low brow, but this book was really layered. Yes it was sexy but it also hit on some really tough things - chronic illness, poverty, child abuse, neglect, loss, etc. The author did such a great job balancing it all.

What I Didn't Like
1. I felt like this wrapped up really quickly. I felt like we went from hate to love in a few quick pages - I just wish Vicious's growth had been a little more gradual.

If you like dark, intense bad-boy romance, definitely check this series out! However if possessive, dominant partners is not your thing, this is not your story.
I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!!

Alright after some reflection I've settled on 2.5 stars. Unfortunately this one just didn't work for me.

Synopsis

"I think it's hard not to fall apart when your view of life is shifting."

This story follows Nina, the heiress to a hotel corporation. Her world is crashing around her as her father's health declines. She is thrust into a role she wasn't ready for, she's questioning her relationship with the man she always thought she'd have a future with, and she is discovering well-hidden secrets about her family. All the while, a connection is blooming between her and her ex-boss.

Overview
My biggest issue with this book was that I felt nothing. This was a book that relied on a connection to the characters and I sadly never felt one.

This is told in 3rd person from Nina's perspective. And for some reason this kept throwing me off. Since the entire story was purely from her perspective it almost felt like it should have been 1st person. This totally may be a just-me thing though!

This book contained a few tropes/topics I didn't love - insta-love and sex-shaming. And it was kind of hard for me to move past them.

What I Liked
1. Santopolo's writing is captivating. Regardless of the story, her writing always keeps me invested. She just has a way of making her stories accessible yet gripping.

"Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human condition. Man is the only being who knows he is alone."

2. The chapters where Nina is grieving were really well done. I felt Nina's pain. It was really the one time in the novel where I felt the story and connection.

What I Didn't Like
1. Overall I felt no connection to these characters. And this was not a plot driven book, so connecting to the characters was vital. I don't know what stopped me from connecting, honestly. I just never felt anything. From anyone. But it made all the romances and missteps feel completely lackluster.
2. Tim. Oh man where to begin. Despite not connecting with the characters, I definitely felt strong emotions about the boyfriend in this. Unfortunately they weren't good ones. At one point, about half way through the book, he blatantly sex-shames the main character. But on top of that I don't feel like it was ever acknowledged as being wrong. It was just like 'oh yeah, that's Tim being boring'. No it's sex-shaming and I'm not here for it. And to keep piling it on, Tim's behavior felt weirdly controlling. He kept telling Nina what she should do, pointing out every little thing she changed. Literally at one point he complains because she adds fruit to a salad.

Spoiler

The final cherry on top, was that at the very end, Nina is still talking about what a good guy he is and how she wishes they will be friends again. ergggg...

3. Nina's actions made little to no sense to me. One minute she wants nothing to do with the corporation and the next minute she's some kind of corporate wiz who exactly how to fix everything. One minute she needs time to figure herself out and 4 hours later she's in love. She was all over the place.
4. The insta-love. Oh how instant it was.

Spoiler

Nina literally breaks up with her fiancé and falls face first into her boss 4 hours later. WTF?!

Overall this was a big miss for me. I will definitely read more of Santopolo's books in the future because I love her writing and story telling. Sadly this one just wasn't for me.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster. This is a multimedia story told from August's point of view. I definitely recommend picking up a print copy of this - there are illustrations throughout the story and the pages darken as the mental illness progresses. Which really adds to the story in my opinion!

What I Liked

1. This was a really intense but wonderful representation of mental illness. K Ancrum clearly did lots of research. And the pacing and writing style just added to the intensity. I felt anxious and on the edge of my seat the entire time. Definitely make sure you are in a headspace to handle these topics, they could be very triggering.
2. I became very attached to August. I want to step into the story and hug and protect him. It was so hard to read about him taking on everything on his own.
3. The relationship between Rina, August, and Jack was handled beautifully. This is a type of relationship I personally can't relate to but fell in love with anyways.

What I Didn't Like

1. I found the story mildly confusing for the first half. The story is written in third person from August's pov and I didn't realize until over half way through that he was an unreliable narrator. So some of the scenes made little sense and I didn't know why.
2. August and Jack have a very intense, codependent relationship that I had a hard time connecting with it at first. And at times their relationship felt mildly abusive and unhealthy.

I think I'm officially settling on a 3.5 but I rounded up here.

Blog Review

Summary
Sunny St. James is finally getting a new heart. And once she has her new heart, she's ready to become the New Sunny. Step 1 do amazing things. Step 2 find a new best friend. Step 3 kiss a boy. But when Sunny finds a new best friend, Quinn, she starts questioning step 3.

Overview
This book is sweet and heartwarming. It is told from 12 year old Sunny's perspective and follows her through and after a heart transplant when her predictable, boring life is suddenly overturned.

Content Warnings: Surgery/illness, abandonment, alcoholism

What I Liked
1. Sunny's character was so precious but strong. She took everything life handed her and confronted it face on. Her best friend betrayed her secret, her mother abandoned her, her heart broke. But she never let any of it slow her down. She was an amazing Middle Grade main character.
2. I really appreciated the heartwarming message of this book. I love seeing difficult topics being discussed in younger books and Ashley Herring Blake handled everything delicately and respectfully.
3. This is a bit of a spoiler so I'll try and keep it vague. I really appreciated how Sunny's relationship with her previous best friend played out. It was refreshing to see such a young character stand her ground and respect herself enough to make such a tough decision.
4. The parents and side characters were developed, present, and engaging. And each of the important side characters had their own story arcs. I would 100% read a spin off about Kate & Dave, they were everything.

What I Didn't Like
1. I don't know if it was the age range (most likely) but I just never strongly connected or felt anything while reading this. I aw'd a lot but never felt emotionally invested. However, I think this is more a personal preference (this is only the 2nd middle grade book I've ever read) than a knock against this story.

Jordan and her boyfriend move in with his father, Pike, when they get evicted from their apartment. As Jordan's relationships becomes more strained, her relationship and attraction to Pike becomes more confusing.

I read this for the Forbidden Romance challenge for the Smutathon and I was expecting something super taboo and kinky. That isn't exactly what I got though. This was surprisingly slow burn.

Things I Liked
1. The romance in this was really well done. The chemistry between Jordan and Pike was palpable and the sex scenes were top notch.
2. I liked how Jordan stood up for herself. She felt like a strong female lead who didn't let me control or walk all over her.

Things I Didn't Like
1. Cole was so unlikeable that it was hard for this to feel like a believable love triangle.
2. The commentary on the sex industry was kind of uncomfortable. Jordan's sister is a stripper and she and everyone else is trying to pressure Jordan into joining. It was just awkward.. half the time this felt like it was shaming Cam for her job and half the time it felt like it was encouraging it because she made so much money.
3. This happens in every romance but there is always an additional fabricated scenario right at the end that pushes the main characters together. But listening to Pike bitch and moan about "what people would think" started to get annoying.

Overall this was enjoyable, smutty romance. But it wasn't my favorite sadly.

I'm giving this 2.5 stars.

There were definitely things I liked about this book - the mildly magical parts were cute and I liked Blix. But damn... the main relationships and love... square(?) drove me crazy. And Marnie was one of the most frustrating main characters I've ever read.

This follows Marnie who is nearly left at the alter by her selfish fiancé. But she convinces him to marry her so they begrudgingly follow through with the wedding. Then end up divorcing just after their honeymoon. Marnie has a breakdown and moves back home with her parents. She quickly rebounds with her (undeserving of any of this damn drama) ex boyfriend. After a hot minute, they decided to get married but then she receives a letter from her ex's Aunt, who has passed away and left Marnie her home in Brooklyn. From here crappy decisions ensue.

Some of the writing in here was so obnoxious. For example here is a complete sentence from the book: "I hate that so much that I can’t even." That might actually be the single most annoying sentence I've ever read in a published story.
But beyond that, the way Marnie treated everyone around her was kind of terrible.

Spoiler

When she cheats on her sudo-fiancé with her ex-husband and then blames the whole shit storm scenario on him for trying to surprise her, I nearly threw my kindle.
"'Oh,' I say. 'Well. This may sound beside the point, but I’ve always said that I hate surprises. Now I know why.'"
Like what the actual fuck is that? Jeremy gets so shafted in this book and everyone just keeps supporting Marnie's crappy behavior.

Overall I just didn't particularly care for this.

This blew me away. It is only 112 pages long but it packs so much in.

"I did not give up. You can change the world with one smile."

Synopsis
This takes place in near future England, and follows a man taking the citizenship test. The test is 25 questions long. If he passes, his family can stay. But a few questions in, the test takes a dark turn.

Overview
I still can't figure out how this book covered so much in so few pages. This is one of the best novellas I've ever read. Sylvain Neuvel does not disappoint.

This books is really dark. It looks at humanity and what it means to be a good person. It also comments on racism, sexism, and the role of government.

Content warnings for murder and PTSD

What I Liked

"I am on my knees. I have been here before. I have been thrown to the ground and I have felt the tip of their guns on the back of my neck. I have been through this and I have survived. We will survive. All of us."

1. Idir was an amazing protagonist. I connected with his character so quickly - he's witty, intelligent, and caring. And they way Neuvel wove small glimpses of the family's past throughout the test was so subtle yet effective.
2. This story was just so damn gripping. I read the first couple chapters and thought wow, this book is dark. The test room has been taken over by terrorists, and now they are killing the people inside to get what they want. Then the twist came... and got even darker. This book really makes you think - what makes a good person? Who makes that decision? And how much say should they have?

What I Didn't Like
1. I didn't totally love the "after" chapter. It definitely showed the lasting effects of the test, but it felt.. rushed? I appreciated the depiction of PTSD. How the test may have determined the type of person they were, it also changed that person. But it also felt it took away for the impact the final twist had.

Overall this is one of the best novellas I've read. The impact this story had in so few pages blew me away. If you're looking for a hard-hitting speculative story about human nature, definitely pick this one up. It does not disappoint.

ARC provided by Simon and Schuster via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary
Elisabeth grew up in the Great Library among grimoires - magical books who whisper to her from behind their iron chains. But when the Great Library is attacked, Elisabeth has to work with the only people that don't think she's the attacker - an evil sorcerer and his demonic servant. Now they're trying to stop a centuries long plan to destroy the world.

Overview
This is a fantasy novel told in third person from Elisabeth's POV. It's a high fantasy (it does not take place in the known world) with a low magic system (magic exists but does not have many explicit rules). This does have (very briefly) mentioned queer rep as well as a light romance.

Content Warnings: Death, PTSD

What I Liked
1. Silas is one of my new favorite side characters of all time. I absolutely loved him. His character had so much depth and heart. I loved watching his warring sides - he is a demon who has somehow grown to truly love humans but can't survive without consuming part of their life. It was such a unique character concept and I adored it.
2. I loved the concept of the sentient books, or grimoires. I have never read anything like this and found it completely captivating. The grimoires had personalities and character arcs. I can't explain how much I loved this concept.
3. I thought the romance in this was really well written and sweet. I appreciated the slow(ish) burn - this had insta-attraction, but definitely no insta-love. You could tell immediately that they wanted each other, but it took quite awhile for them to act on it. And by the time they did, I 100% shipped it.
4. This book was overall really well paced. There was lots of action without it feeling to rushed or easy and I never wanted to put this down. I absolutely flew through the last half of this.
5. This ending made my

Spoiler

Silas loving

heart so happy.

What I Didn't Like
1. I wish the sorcerer's magic was explained a little better. Overall it was pretty vague as to what the limitations and rules were. But this is definitely a personal preference thing! If you aren't big into high magic systems, this is won't be an issue for you at all!

Overall I loved this novel! It had the perfect balance of action-packed fantasy with a hint of romance. I loved all the political sabotage and twists with intense, well written battle scenes. And the unique take on a library setting was amazingly executed.

ARC provided by Simon Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Summary
This follows a group of young woman at a prestigious boarding school designed to teach them how to be the "best of society" - beautiful, proper, and obedient. But the school has dark secrets and Mena and her friends are determined to discover them, and in turn, who they really are.

Overview
This is a little hard to describe without getting mildly spoiler-y. And I recommend going into this with as little information as possible! There aren't any blatant spoilers below, but some of my thoughts may give you ideas about the reveals.

It feels like the YA love child between Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro and The Handmaids Tale by Margret Atwood. It's definitely not going to be for everyone - especially considering those are both polarizing books. But I loved the themes in here.

HUGE trigger warnings for abuse and sexism. And this gets pretty graphic so if blood makes you queasy, you may want to avoid this one.

What I Loved
1. The friendship between these girls was so well done. At no point was there any cattiness or competition. These girls supported each other through thick and thin. It was such a beautiful representation of strong, supportive friendships.
2. This did a really good job of building suspense. This book isn't a thriller by any means but the setting and lack of information give so much suspense to the story. For a lot of the book you're questioning everything.
3. The themes in here were fantastic. Not only was this a feminist story but it also brings to question what makes us human. It's one of my personal favorite themes, so I may be slightly biased, but I thought it was really well done.

What I Didn't Love
1. The reveal became pretty obvious around the half way point (and I had guessed it even earlier). So the big reveal wasn't as shocking as it could have been.
2. The ending did feel a little heaving handed. And it is extremely open ended! I have no idea if there is a sequel coming but there are a lot of loose ends left.

Overall I flew through this story. I was so captivated by the world and trying to figure out all the threads. And it covers some of my all-time favorite themes. I definitely recommend checking this out!

Damn. Full RTC