The first 30% of this book was good, and as a wannabe New Englander, I loved the setting. However, Ruth just pissed me off the entire time. Justice for Louis. Justice for Nadia. Honestly, justice for anyone in her life. Being that selfish and still making stupid decisions at 30 years old is wild.

A huge thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!!! :)

One of my reading goals for this year was to start reading books that are out of my comfort zone, and sci-fi is definitely one of those genres. I’m still a newbie, so this book was a lot for me at some points, but I still overall enjoyed the story. It was definitely giving 1984 vibes (which made me want to go read that book again since I read it over a decade ago). While I’m not completely obsessed, I can see myself continuing the series.

(4.75 stars) She does it again!!! There is not a book written by Carley Fortune that I don’t love. I absolutely devoured this book—I had to make myself slow down just so it wouldn’t be over. Although Frankie was incredibly obtuse when it came to George, I still really enjoyed her as a character. And George Saint James…jeez, even his name is delectable. In addition to writing the most scenic and atmospheric books, Carley knows precisely how to write a phenomenal MMC every single time. I’m gonna need to see this one on my screen ASAP.

I think I enjoyed this book more than most of the AW’s thrillers I’ve read, but I still wasn’t obsessed with it. I was more invested in the political part of this book than I was the romance aspect. I love reading about badass women in male-dominated fields. I just didn’t really feel the chemistry between Lee and Ben, and frankly, Lee needs to worry more about starting therapy than she does starting a relationship. Also, I am not a general hater of the cheating trope—I think there are some books where it works. HOWEVER, “I’m going to cheat on you before you can cheat on me” is not one of those times where it works, in my opinion. Overall, this was a mid-tier read for me, but I could definitely see myself reading the next book about Lee’s sister. Even though some parts of her stories aren’t my favorite, I enjoy AW’s writing.

A huge thank you to Nisha and Entangled for an e-ARC of this book!!! <3

Nisha and her cliffhangers…absolutely diabolical. She said on IG recently that the cliffhanger in this book is worse than the one in Storm Breaker, and yep, I have to agree. I think part of the reason this one felt worse is because the stakes are just so much higher at this point in the story, and I am also even more connected to the characters. I’d say the first 15% of this book was a tiny bit slower, but it didn’t take very long for us to start finding out very crucial information and meeting new characters. Despite the emotional turmoil, I’m having so much fun with this series, and I can’t wait for everyone to read this book when it releases on September 1!!! (And I am already itching for book 3…)

(2.75 overall) Soooo I don’t think I would classify this book as a romance. It wasn’t bad, per se, but it just wasn’t what I expected. I would almost categorize this book as general fiction that focuses on sexuality and mental health. I know Austin is a young character, but his immaturity at some points irked me a bit. I also just didn’t feel much of a connection between the two MMCs—this story takes place over roughly two weeks, and while I know some people fall in love in that amount time, I didn’t buy it with these two. Don’t go into this story thinking it’s going to be anything like Heated Rivalry, despite what the blurbs might tell you. I did, however, really love learning more about tennis. I’ve always been a very casual watcher and player, but I’ve never taken the time to learn the rules or terminology. I’m also, of course, a sucker for a New York setting.

I went into this book thinking I was going to be absolutely obsessed with it, and I think my super high expectations might have been why I was a bit disappointed…oops. I’m definitely not saying this was a bad book, but it just wasn’t as mindblowing as I was led to believe. I really enjoyed the first 50ish% of this book, but the moment the big plot twist was revealed is kind of where it fell off for me—mainly because there were two chapters where the characters were finding out this giant shocking thing, but I was sitting here saying “wtf did they find out?” because the writing was so vague. THEN you finally found out what it is. But the two chapters stringing me along while we danced around what was happening honestly took me out of the story. From there it really just felt like a drag to the finish line, all while the FMC was being horribly stubborn and making the worst decisions imaginable (she actually did that through the entire book if we’re being honest). All of that to say, I liked the theatre setting and the overall dark vibe of the book. I also quite enjoyed the MMC. I just feel like we could’ve accomplished the same thing with perhaps 150 less pages.

(3.75 stars overall) A huge thank you to Dell for an e-ARC of this book!!! <3

I absolutely love the Silver Pines Ranch series, and I can’t believe it’s come to an end. We’ve been teased with Olivia and Asher for quite some time now, and for the most part, I enjoyed their story. I really loved the cameos from all of the other characters in the series since this is the last book—it was so bittersweet to see everything wrapped up and tied with a bow. However, there were a couple things that just really took me out of this story: (1) Asher’s nickname for Olivia (you know the one); and (2) the spicy scenes for some reason just didn’t do it for me. Historically, I’m a fan of PH’s spicy scenes, but something about the ones in this book were a tiny bit cringy for me. All of that aside, I love PH as an author, and I will still continue to read whatever she writes. I’ll miss you dearly SPR!!! <333

Thank you Berkley for the e-ARC of this book!!! <3 While I quite enjoyed the first two books in this series, this one ultimately fell pretty flat for me. I didn’t dislike it, per se, but I found myself uninterested in the plot and not super connected to the two main characters. Their romance was sweet, but their entire connection was based on years of friendship that we obviously didn’t get to see. I really enjoy India Hilton’s writing, especially her humor, which was definitely still present and thriving in this book. I also loved the cameos from the main characters of books 1 and 2. Will I read more books from her? Absolutely. This one sadly just missed the mark for me.

I waited for this book for EIGHTEEN months, and it was worth every single second. It’s no secret that Nightshade is one of my favorite books ever, and after reading Daybreak, I can officially say that this duology is my all-time favorite. Alex and Ophelia mean so much to me, in a way that I’ll never be able to accurately describe. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that my time at Sorrowsong is over, but I’ll be visiting time and time again. Also, the epilogue of this book is hands down my favorite epilogue of any book I’ve ever read. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect ending.

One thing about EmHen is that she is always going to make me laugh, and another thing is that she’s always going to make me cry. Don’t pick up this book thinking it’s going to be a light and cutie romance—it is cutie, but it is also super emotional and hit me straight in the heart. I typically go into books blind these days, but if I had read the description, I would’ve known this book features the rekindling/attempting to save the relationship trope, and that one always gets me. One thing that was a lovely surprise was the Maine setting. Maine is one of my favorite places ever, and the atmospheric descriptions made my heart sing. I always have a good time with EmHen’s books, and this one was no exception.

My current EmHen ranking:

1. PWMOV
2. Beach Read
3. Happy Place
4. Book Lovers

I’ve heard nothing but great things about this book, and that’s for good reason. This story is so powerful, and I’ve truly never read anything like it. As a woman in a male-dominated field, this book really struck true. M.L. Wang’s writing is gripping and beautiful, and there were so many quotes in this book that made me stop in my tracks because they just hit me so hard. I’ll definitely be reading more of her work soon.

Just did my reread before Daybreak comes out…it hurt worse the second time. One of my favorite books of all time—infinity stars.

I’m obsessed with this series, and it was so much fun seeing it come to life artistically. It’s going to be one hell of a TV show one day.

I can’t believe this series is over!!! Ugh what a beautiful ending. Truly the end of an era.

(3.75 stars overall) Well…what the f*ck?!?! I feel this book suffers a teeny bit from second-book syndrome, HOWEVER, I think it was all very necessary lore and world-building. It just kinda dragged for a good chunk of the book. I love that I am someone who can never guess a plot twist because this one really punched me in the face, and then the last 10% of the book proceeded to make me cry and say “WHAT?! NO!!!” I’m actually devastated that I have to wait another 8 months for the next book…

This book has been sitting on my TBR since it came out, and I’m so happy I finally got around to it! I always love a classic and comfortable romantasy, and this one definitely checked those boxes. There were several plot twists/reveals in this book, and it shouldn’t be a shocker to anyone, but I didn’t guess or expect any of them. I really enjoy Odessa as an FMC, and of course, I’m obsessed with The Guardian. I also desperately need my own baby Faze. That cliffhanger was truly brutal, but luckily I can jump right into book 2!!!

While I liked the big reveal in this book the most out of the three AF books I’ve read thus far, I found myself quite bored during the journey to the twist. Bored might not be the most accurate word to use, but there were several times where I was just ready for the story to move on and get to the point. Like I mentioned, the big reveal was pretty good, but the additional twist felt like overkill and kind of annoyed me, and then the last chapter felt pointless, too.

(At this point I’m wondering whether I even want to read His & Hers, or if I should just watch the TV show.)