I found this to be a really interesting take on friends-to-lovers. This typically isn't my trope of choice, but I managed to finish the book in just one day!

'My Favourite Half-Night Stand' follows the development of a romantic relationship between self-certified best friends Millie and Reid. Following their steamy night together, the friendship group decides to join a dating app to find dates for an upcoming work event. Millie creates a profile for her alter ego Catherine, who begins to bond with Reid.

The plot was fast-paced and jumped almost straight into the romantic relationship between Millie and Reid. The prose was really digestible too. Not only does the perspective switch between Millie and Reid, but the text switches between text messages and prose. All of which made the book really digestible and a quick, light read!

Another trope I really don't like is miscommunication. Concealing Millie's identity for so long to drive the plot forward was a little frustrating at times, but didn't take too much away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

The contrast between Reid's sensitive nature and Millie's penchant for emotional repression was actually quite refreshing. I feel like it isn't very often I read a romance where the MMC has to encourage the FMC to be in touch with and communicate her feelings. One thing I couldn't really shake for the rest of the book is that Reid sleeps with Millie when he's completely sober, but she's really tipsy. This might not seem problematic to everyone, but it did rub me the wrong way from the get-go. Aside from these two, I felt like the side characters, particularly the other members of the friendship group, could have been fleshed out a tad more.

3.5 ⭐️

I feel so ridiculous giving one of - if not the - most iconic vampire novels of all time anything less than five stars. How do you even go about writing a review for a book written two centuries ago? The answer: by taking comfort in the fact that the author will never read it.

First disclaimer: I am not a Classics girly. I’ve been a huge fan of vampire stories for as long as I can remember, so I felt obligated to read one of the biggest inspirations for these. At first, the writing style felt like trudging through sludge, sending me straight into an almost year-long reading slump. As the book progresses, more characters’ POVs become incorporated in the chapters. Jumping from perspective to perspective felt a little confusing at first, but ultimately it was this variety that helped me race through the second half of the book. The combination of letters, telegrams and diary entries really made the read more engaging.

I also found the pacing of the narrative a bit off. 80% of the book was preparing to kill Dracula, and then he was dead in less than a page. 400 pages of build-up and he’s gone just like that. WHAT? Give me a struggle, give me more detail, give me SOMETHING.

Ultimately, I can’t be too fussy. Would I read this again? Maybe. Definitely as an audiobook. Can I now feel more secure with my self-certified ‘vampire media lover’ title? Definitely.

I loved this! If you're looking for a short, engaging romantasy story, then I highly recommend this. (Also, I recommend this if you're obsessed with the priest from 'Wake Up Dead Man', iykyk.)

I'm a massive fan of opposites attract romances, and this was just that. Sinner vs saint, Louisiana vs Bavaria, magic vs logic. The plot kept moving, without skimping on the description, creating the perfect balance to make me feel immersed and engaged. The concept of distilling emotions is also super cool and intriguing.

I think my few criticisms are very similar to other reviews I've read. Firstly, I really wanted more!! When I first picked this up, I didn't realise how short it was, and I would've loved it to have been even double or triple the length. Secondly, this didn't really feel like a slow-burn or an enemies-to-lovers to me. To me, a real slow-burn could take MONTHS, but the characters actually began flirting really quickly. Perhaps it takes a while for them to actually get together? Either way, I feel Max's character would have been more compelling if we'd seen more of that struggle between his faith and Liberté. In terms of the enemies-to-lovers situation, I didn't really feel any hatred between Max and Liberté. This in no way got in the way of me enjoying watching their relationship grow. I would just categorise it as a forbidden romance, personally.

I honestly can't believe I'm counting down the days for the sequel to be released when the first has barely been out!!

Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC through BookSirens in exchange for my honest review.

NO. NOTES.

This book is honestly perfection. I am SO SO glad this is going to be a series.

The female main character - Lys - might actually be my favourite protagonist of the year. It's so refreshing to have a fantasy FMC who isn't like 16. She had such interesting and varied dynamics between the other characters.

The setting of the Woods, especially, is such a gorgeous concept that Wolf does a great job bringing to life. I really like elemental magic systems as well, which I hope feature even more heavily in the sequels!

Thank you to BookSirens for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst this book is definitely targeted at those born into Hindu families (a category I do not fall into), it is still a great start for anyone interested in learning some of the fundamentals of practising Hinduism.

I appreciated the note at the beginning specifying that the book would particularly be covering traditions from Punjab, as this acknowledged the great deal of variation in Hindu traditions.

The holidays chapter did feel a little bit repetitive if you read straight through it. I recommend using this section as more of a reference guide instead.

I will definitely be holding onto my copy for future reference, and would recommend to a friend!

This is not my usual type of review.

Whilst I found certain chapters informative and engaging, the way O'Sullivan discusses particular conditions - and sometimes even the people - featured was downright distressing.

If any of the topics discussed in this book, I would recommend you be cautious when approaching those chapters, especially if you are neurodivergent.