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desthom17

Historically into historical romance. Lately into cozy, magical realism, spec fic. Always into romance.

1541 points

0% overlap
Level 5
Cozy Fantasy
Greek Myth Retellings
My Taste
A Love Like the Sun
DallerGut Dream Department Store
The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 1
August Lane
The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach)
Reading...
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
11%

desthom17 wrote a review...

6d
  • The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach)
    desthom17
    Jun 10, 2026
    The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach)
    5.0
    Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 4.5Characters: 4.5Plot: 4.5
    đź”…
    🍪
    📚

    Happy Pub Day!! And Happy I-Just-Finished-My-ARC Day!! Thanks to Berkeley and NetGalley for the ARC.

    Kristina, girl. I was not familiar with your game. This is my new fave fake dating book. Chef’s kiss, delicious food.

    Jeremiah and Noelle were both so relatable, dealing with money issues, grief, loneliness. It’s all so real, and it made these characters feel so fully-formed.

    The tension in this being immediate, like a fast high heat with some yearning that edges you into a slow burn. I looove that shit.

    All of the side characters also felt so genuine, and I love when the next book is telegraphed (and I have beautiful and complex ideas about books three and four, Kristina, call me).

    This was a really great, short, sweet summer read. I wish I had read it on a beach.

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  • desthom17 finished a book

    6d
    The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach)

    The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach)

    Kristina Forest

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  • The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach)
    Thoughts from 34%

    Not this already becoming one of my fave fake dating books. Kicking my feet and blushing

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  • desthom17 started reading...

    1w
    The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach)

    The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach)

    Kristina Forest

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    desthom17 made progress on...

    1w
    Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

    Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

    Samin Nosrat

    11%
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    desthom17 started reading...

    1w
    Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

    Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

    Samin Nosrat

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    desthom17 wrote a review...

    1w
  • Enemy of My Dreams
    desthom17
    Jun 04, 2026
    Enemy of My Dreams
    4.0
    Enjoyment: 4.5Quality: 4.0Characters: 4.0Plot: 4.0

    Love a historical not set in Regency or Victorian England. Making that my whole personality this year.

    This was really good. It had a slow start, to me, but it really speeds up. Went from being my gym listen to my main read.

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    1w
    Enemy of My Dreams

    Enemy of My Dreams

    Jenny Williamson

    77%
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    desthom17 wrote a review...

    2w
  • Summer's Echo
    desthom17
    Jun 01, 2026
    Summer's Echo
    4.0
    Enjoyment: 4.0Quality: 3.0Characters: 3.0Plot: 3.5

    View spoiler

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  • desthom17 earned a badge

    2w
    Level 5

    Level 5

    1500 points

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    desthom17 made progress on...

    2w
    Summer's Echo

    Summer's Echo

    Robbi Renee

    52%
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    2w
  • Summer's Echo
    Thoughts from 38%
    spoilers

    View spoiler

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  • desthom17 wrote a review...

    3w
  • Before I Knew I Loved You (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #6)
    desthom17
    May 24, 2026
    Before I Knew I Loved You (Before the Coffee Gets Cold, #6)
    3.0
    Enjoyment: 3.5Quality: 4.0Characters: 3.5Plot: 3.5

    Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

    This book was another that was much the same as the previous books in the series. I thought it was really well paced, and the stories were good, but I think that by the sixth book, they do lose some of the potency. I only teared up once.

    I do find it interesting how the books all jump through time, we see it through Kei’s presence or absence, Miki’s age. And I don’t mean the past/present travel, more so the story timing itself. This one takes place at a time before and after the other books, so it was nice to situate it in time.

    Before I Knew I Loved you also attempts to bring more context to the lives of the cafe regulars and staff, which I think helps ground them in the realism of the magical realism.

    To me, this one wasn’t a standout, but it felt like stepping into your most comfy leggings, just really familiar and lived in.

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  • desthom17 made progress on...

    4w
    Enemy of My Dreams

    Enemy of My Dreams

    Jenny Williamson

    36%
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