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spellbindingtomes's reviews
321 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Did not finish book. Stopped at 83%.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really wanted to like this more than I did, but I had a lot of issues with it. Their entire schemeโwhere Sawyer tries to ruin romance for Mason, a hopeless romantic, by using all the romance tropes and clichรฉs against himโmade very little sense to me. When Sawyer says "she was going to become the blueprint for Mason's other half", while Mason falls in love easily just seems like a recipe for disaster.
Mason falls head over heels for Sawyer in just a month, which feels unbelievableโespecially for someone known for being a grand romantic gesture type of guy. Their relationship comes across as forced and rushed. I struggled to see why they were supposed to be a good match for each other.
I was not a big fan of Sawyer. She came off as immature and inconsiderate so many times. She also only hears what she wants to hear and she kept making a big deal out of a problem when it was really a minor thing (i.e., Mason and the film rights). There were many times I felt bad for Mason, which is unfortunate in a romance book. We don't see much character growth here. I felt their resolution was quickly brushed over. They didn't really do any work to fix themselves and when they got back together at the end they didn't even talk about what they fought about.
All that said, I think this had great potential! I really enjoyed the definition of each trope at the beginning of every chapter and I loved that this took place near the holidays. I will be on the look out for the author's next book!
Graphic: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
- 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
4.25
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Emily Walker and Jack Bennett, two rival teachers, who also happen to be neighbors must work together to steal back a mistakenly sent manuscript, leading their antagonistic relationship to develop into something more.
โข
โข
โข
THIS WAS SO STINKING CUTE!! I loved Emily and Jack and their story so much. It was sweet and their banter had me laughing throughout.
Though it was a slow start for meโthere was a lot of inner monologue narration in the first couple of chapters that felt like the main plot wasn't progressing at all. Once I got past that, this was absolutely enjoyable and I fell in love with both Emily and Jack. I loved how their romance blossomed naturally and slowly.
I enjoyed being back in Rome, Kentucky. This one ranks between Practice Makes Perfect and When in Rome with the former being my favorite. There's just something so special about Sarah Adams' writing. I swear I had a smile on my face the entire time I read this ๐ฅฐ
I'm so excited to read Madison and James' book! Sarah heavily sets the groundwork for their romance and I'm (not so) patiently waiting for it.
Thank you to NetGalley & Dell Romance for this ARC.
Read if you love:
๐small town romance
โ๐ผwriters' romance
๐rivals to lovers
โ๐ผcolleagues
๐next door neighbors
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
Graphic: Death and Grief
- 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
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
- 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
Graphic: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, and Stalking
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I wasn't as thrilled or invested with the romance as I was with Dungeons and Drama. I didn't really buy into Quinn and Logan's chemistry. I thought the whole dilemma of the no-dating rule came off as too dramatic and could have easily been avoided with a group discussion amongst all the players.
But I understand that this is the type of thing to expect in a YA novel and other readers may find that enjoyable, so take my review with a grain of salt!
What really shines in this story is Quinn's grandma. She was by far my favorite and I so badly want to play pickleball with her!
Dating and Dragons is a perfect palate cleanser for readers looking for a quick and sweet entertaining story.
Thank you to NetGalley & Delacorte Romance for this ARC. ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ญ๐ฎ/๐ฏ๐ญ!
What to expect:
๐ friends to lovers
๐ฒ D&D references
๐ the best grandma wingman
๐ฒ forbidden romance
๐ TTRPG live stream group
Graphic: Bullying, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment