stateofiction's reviews
616 reviews

This book certainly was enjoyable for the most part, but it was nothing special unfortunately. I was super excited for this and I do feel a little let down. Not the greatest way to end 2020 with a bang but oh well.
original rating: 3 stars on 12/31/20

UPDATE 8/23/23: DNF @ 30%
I reread this partly because my mom wanted to read it, but also because I wanted go back and see if I stood by my original rating. 30% in and I can tell that I do, so there's really no point in moving forward.

This was such a fun set of stories! Seeing this old lady wreak so much havoc just because people slightly inconvenience her is so fun.

An Elderly Lady Has Accommodation Problems - 4/5
this was fun! Jasmin was so annoying and seeing Maud's plan really come together was a blast

An Elderly Lady on Her Travels - 4/5
Old love (I guess?)

An Elderly Lady Seeks Peace at Christmastime - 5/5
Honestly overall everyone got what was coming for them

The Antique Dealer’s Death - 4/5
I actually really liked the other pov and I think it’s fun to see the other side of a death that we obviously know Maud caused

An Elderly Lady Is Faced with a Difficult Dilemma - 4/5
I liked that we also got her point of view in this, and I wasn't expecting that. I think I actually still preferred the last story over this one, but this was still just as much fun as the rest of them.

maybe it was my weird determination to never read an EH, but something really didn't click with me like it should have. and by something I mean the flashbacks. most of them I would find myself putting the book down to scroll on my phone or do literally anything else.

this was decent, and I see myself trying her books again in the future, but it was certainly no favorite

I can't. I'm so bored. I kept setting this down because I didn't think I was in the mood for it, which is definitely true, but I think the main reason I kept putting it down is because I simply am not vibing with it.

ugh this cowboy and his cowgirl I'm obsessed. but every time I would get too sucked in, I would be violently reminded that Luke wears muscle shirts that he makes himself and it would bring me back to reality.

also these covers are so amazing and I can't wait to read the next books and definitely buy copies for myself

so this definitely isn't a rom com, but I personally was not under the impression that it was. this dealt with how addiction effects relationships and tells the reader that love doesn't solve your problems. you have to.

I really liked how human Ethan and Grey felt. they had real problems and real flaws and were the farthest from perfect you can get. seeing them grow with each other and learn from their mistakes and seeing Ethan find a place in his life where he actually wants to fix his life was wonderful.

while the side characters were a little more one dimensional, it didn't bother me at all. I loved just how supportive they were. Both Ethan and Grey had people in their lives that supported them and loved them in the ways they needed.

this book isn't perfect, but it is definitely worth the read if you think you'd be in the right headspace.

so I did enjoy this book and by the end I was going for four stars, but it was such a bitch to get into that I just have to deduct a half star. if you can get 100 pages in, I personally found it interesting and fun to read. but there is sooooo much info dumping at the beginning. just a bunch of crap to the point where I mostly skimmed a lot of it. but now that we're probably mostly past that, I definitely see myself reading at least the next book in the series when it comes out.

but even with that info dumping, there's continuity errors? maybe the editors and beta readers skimmed too. anyway one little part bothered me. at the beginning, the city is described as being so densely packed that when it rains you only really get damp or splashed from the gutters. but then later, Calla runs inside a building to avoid getting rained on? maybe that was because she was in the rich area or maybe it's lazy writing.

so jumping to the relationship. once Calla and Anton meet and start an alliance, there's a lot of jumping around in time. that part didn't bother me at all, but presumably the two get closer during these times. so it seems to the reader that at some point they're randomly in love? I would have liked to see at least some of their bonding even when we jumped around.

IN DEFENSE!!: I've seen reviews saying that this book is super pro monarchy etc, but I completely disagree. I think Calla and August are delusional thinking that August really can fix the kingdom and that is the point. literally everyone else around them know the toll of being a leader and tell them that August is going to be a tyrant. And, as the story goes on, we see what August is willing to do to get to the crown, showing that he is not as benevolent as he thinks.

back to my regularly scheduled complaints. this book straight up rips The Hunger Games.
- battle royale style competition 
- dystopian
- alliance that the audience assumes is romantic
-
*SPOILER TERRITORY*
-
- young friend competitor that dies while teaming up with main character

but you know what???? that ending??????? I was so gagged. when the fuck did Anton learn how to jump without the light? where even was August in proximity to Anton for him to jump?? I'm screaming. this is gonna be lovers to enemies to lovers in the next books I just know it I CAN'T WAIT