Ahhh I loved this!! Hockey romance AND surprise baby?? Two of my favorite things of all time. I loved how tender this story was while also being so funny, heartfelt, and steamy. Hannah and Barry were two characters who I immediately felt drawn to and whose happiness I was rooting for the entire time. Also, the supporting cast of characters may be some of my favorite side characters ever!!

I cannot overstate how effortlessly funny this book was. It started in the beginning with Hannah's comical lack of knowledge when it came to hockey, Barry's talent, and his celebrity. Those ongoing jokes made me laugh every single time. Aside from that, Barry's quick wit and the little ways he teased Hannah were so good. The way humor was weaved into even the most serious situations was really well done and I enjoyed it so much.

My heart achedddd for Hannah and Barry!! Hannah because of how little she thought of herself and Barry because of how much this man cared about Hannah and their little baby. I think Hannah needed someone like Barry who would not only show her time and time again how capable, strong, and hardworking he thought she was but also, someone to spoil her with his affection, time, and generosity. The way Barry showed his love needs to be studied. I mean, the meal prepping???? A true king amongst men.

I was honestly impressed with Hannah and how stubborn she could be. Like, she should lowkey be proud of herself lol. I understood her reasoning behind a lot of her motivations and while I didn't always agree with how she handled things, I couldn't fault her for it either. I know better than anyone that sometimes you just need to see things in your own time, no matter how long it takes, and she eventually got there! Her growth was heartwarming and I ultimately loved her progress by the end of it.

Hannah's family was so precious!!! Kath Richards writes family relationships so well and in a way where the family dynamics are so relatable and real. I loved every single person in the Harvey family, but especially her siblings. Their bond reminded me a lot of me, my sister, and my brother, and I swear they were making me tear up with even the smallest moments lol. The support Hannah's family gave her and their genuine joy for the baby was so special and moving. I hope this isn't the last we see of them because I need more.

Anyway, I loved this so much. Kath Richards has cemented herself as a favorite author and the more I read from her, the more I fall in love with her writing. Highly recommend!!

THIS BOOK. Ugh it ripped me to pieces over and over again. I honestly had zero idea what this book was going to be about going in, but I was not expecting such an emotional, tragic, jaw-dropping story. It was outlined in the most skillful manner to allow for incredible storytelling and maximum heartbreak. I was in awe of the writing and I can't wait to read more from this author.

At first, this seemed like it would be a run of the mill murder mystery with an alternating timeline to the past, near present, and the trial but it was so much more. While the trial was an important part, it was probably the least important part of the whole picture. This story was about love, heartbreak, tragedy, secrets, and sacrifice. Beth and Frank's marriage had been through the wringer and they suffered some heavy losses, but I had faith in them the entire time, even accounting for Beth's.. extracurricular activities.. lol. Gabriel had his moments, but I never believed he was the man for Beth.

Lots of awe inducing twists and turns. I was taken aback by how deeply I was affected by some big moments in this book. The last 10% ish had me sobbing and a complete blubbering mess. I love the way it ended. Will be thinking about this for a while!

Ahhhh I loved this book so much!! It's been on my tbr for a while now and I can't believe I waited so long to read it. As soon as I read the dedication, I knew this book was going to special. Lulu and Jesse were each such relatable characters in their own way. I loved them each individually, but also together. This book also had incredible mental health and queer rep. Loved every moment of this.

Lulu and Jesse are set up on a blind date by their mutual friend and I'll admit, I wasn't initially sold on their chemistry considering how awkward things were, but I quickly saw the vision. Especially once they kissed. Yes, it was fast but I think it showed that there was real potential between them. Also, as someone who cannot relate more to Jesse and how quiet and introverted he is, I knew there was more to him than met the eye when it came to what he thought about Lulu and I was right!!

It's rare sometimes to see myself so clearly in a male main character, but Jesse made me feel so seen. It was like looking in a mirror and I emphasized with him all throughout, especially when it came to his inability to find the right words at the right time. I was invested in his growth. His backstory made my heart ache and it was tough to watch him struggle to find himself again while also dealing with the decline of his grandfather's health. I loved him so much though - his soft disposition and quiet devotion to Lulu was everything. The way he fell for her so earnestly was one of my favorite parts about this.

Lulu was my girl!! In many ways, I also saw myself reflected in her as well. Feeling like too much but not enough was a feeling I once knew so intimately and it killed me to see Lulu feel that way. She deserved all of the love, kindness, and patience!!! I loved seeing her find her place again in her hometown at and the college. Made me so, so happy. Also, as someone who also likely has undiagnosed ADHD, I loved getting to see that kind of representation in a book.

Despite how different Lulu and Jesse were together, I loved how they were able to commiserate on how alone they felt and be vulnerable with each other while discussing their shared loneliness. I think it allowed their friendship to grow from a familiar place and really blossom into something more. They were so good together and omg, the sexual chemistry?? Insaaane. The way the author was able to write the hottest scenes way before they actually had full on sex needs to be studied.

Anyway, pls read this!!

As someone who has never really wanted to have kids and who only feels more secure in the decision as each year passes, I really appreciated reading this. It was fascinating to read about first hand accounts from people who decided not to have kids and learn about their reasoning, their experiences, and so on. While I didn't relate to every single writer in this anthology or agree with some of the things they wrote about, I did see a lot of myself in several of them and I felt validated and so seen reading this.

At times, I have been made to feel like I am selfish, shallow, or self-absorbed in my decision to not have kids, but I know myself and know that I am none of those things (or at least not wholly) and that was something made apparent to me while reading this collection. How it can actually be such a selfless thing to not have a child.

This was enlightening and I think a learned a little bit more about myself while reading this. Years from now, I'd love to read a similar collection from people in my generation. I felt a disconnect in that sense to the writers because of how much older they were and how I couldn't really connect to their upbringings because of the times. I listened to the audiobook and hated the narrators lol 0/10 recommend listening to the audiobook but would recommend the book itself.

I... have a lot thoughts about this book and I'm going to try to articulate them as best as I can, but no promises on how successful I'll be. Let me just say that, multiple things can be true at once about this book. I can think that the writing was incredible and thought-provoking, while also admitting this book was a tedious slog to get through. I can think that the characters were multifaceted, complex, and worthy of a happy ending, while also continuously being frustrated with them and not being totally satisfied with the ending they got. Like I said, many feelings.

I honestly think Tyler's books could have (and maybe should have) been broken up into more than just this duet. There was a lotttt of ground to cover and I think she did Larissa a disservice by cramming so much exposition into this book the way that she did. I would have happily read her own "Severed Heart" story (so to speak) and patiently waited for both her and Tyler's happy ending in a third book. This book was clunky, overly busy, and confusing. I'm not a dumb person, but this book was so hard to follow with all of the information constantly being thrown at us. The overarching plot was exceedingly convoluted and it grew increasingly cumbersome to try to read and piece together.

This series is very near and dear to my heart, but I think I've always enjoyed how the Ravenhood of it all took a backseat to the romance. In this legacy series though, it's more so been at the forefront. I hadn't really minded it too much, until this book. It just isn't what I love about this series, even less so when it's impossible to keep track off all the threads Kate is weaving. Impressive, yes, but not my jam.

After the ending of Severed Heart, I knew going in that Tyler would be irreparably changed after losing Delphine, but man it was difficult to read about how far gone he was, which I realize was the point. Regardless, I have to admit that I didn't like Tyler for the majority of this book and that makes me SO sad because he was my FAVORITE after Severed Heart.

And, not to sound like a broken record, but it was just tedious to read the dynamic between Larissa and Tyler. The back and forth between them for nearly 80% of a 720 page book was just too much. I needed some variety, literally anything else. That coupled with the pages and pages of info dumps made this for a such a frustrating reading experience. I did like the last 20%, once we finally got Tyler back and saw the man Delphine fell in love with. Well, as close to the same man. I'm glad he worked on himself and became the man Larissa deserved. I loved seeing a different side of him with his little surprises towards the end, too. It was beyond sweet. Larissa was a strong-willed woman and she frustrated me too, but I gave her a lot more grace. She endured the unfathomable and I admired her strength and perseverance.

I loved Larissa's epilogue, but hated Tyler's. I get that she's setting up the next/last book but, my god. Let them rest. Let them have a happy ending!!! Even a happy for now!! I would have taken that epilogue in literally anyone else's POV. It felt cruel to end Tyler's story that way. Anyway.. I don't know. I didn't enjoy my time reading this lol and maybe I'm being overly harsh, but if it weren't for my connection to this series, I would have DNF'd. I'M SORRY. I'll still be reading the last book though

It feels like summer already in Texas so my summer reads have begun! This was an enthralling summer read that revolved around the Levin family in the summer of 1969. There's family drama, secrets and lies, and jaw dropping plot twists. I loved getting the different POVs of 4 members from the Levin family on their experiences during that summer. Historical fiction is not usually my thing, but it was actually really interesting to see how the author incorporated the political climate and events from that year into the story.

I love seeing rich white people be messy, which I think Elin does really well, and this book had plenty of that. I swear I gasped on several occasions while reading this. It was such a page turner and, as a messy bitch, I ate it all up.

The topic of race was interesting in this because I think Elin did a great job at writing what it was like for that time period. I felt uncomfortable reading things like "I didn't see the color of his skin anymore" and other platitudes that white people think are helpful when talking about Black people, but I kept having to remind myself that it was historically accurate. Now if Miss Hilderbrand tried pulling that kind of stuff in a book set now, I'd definitely have some words for her.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did incredible work voicing each of the different characters. I was impressed! Would definitely recommend the audiobook.

I'm so sad that I didn't end up liking this one as much as I thought I would :( I don't think I was in the mood for this genre of rom-com and should have just paused for a time when I was. There was a ton that I liked about it though!! It very much gave the iconic early 2000s rom-com vibes that I think I'd actually love seeing on the big screen. Also, Phoebe's anxiety was incredibly relatable and I appreciated getting such a real fmc like her.

I think you'll enjoy this if you go into this expecting a rom-com that's heavy on the comedy aspect and the ridiculous hijinks that characters get themselves into. I think I was expecting more romance, and is centered around many, many discussions of romance and dating, the actual romance part doesn't really happen until almost the end - and no, I am not referring to spice (there isn't any, anyway.) This book was more about Phoebe's personal growth and her working through her anxiety and accepting that she is worthy and capable of love exactly as she is.

One of my favorite parts about this was Phoebe's friend group. They each individually stood out and felt like real people I wanted to be friends with. There's nothing I love more than found family and this book has such a great representation of it. I especially loved the friendship with Jonathan and how his character development/story line played out. It was so touching!!

My other favorite part was the anxiety representation, specifically when it came to physical intimacy. I have never felt so seen and although it's not something I really deal with anymore, it was something that was my truth for a long time and it felt incredibly validating to know I wasn't the only one. I think that part was so important and will resonate with a lot of women.

The whole plotline of Phoebe kind of juggling 3 guys and wondering who she was going to end up with was a prime example of something I'd enjoy seeing in a rom-com movie, but not something I really enjoy in a romance novel. I don't think it gave us enough time to see her relationship with the eventual love interest develop as much as it could have.

Anyway, I do think this was very much a mood reading mishap on my part but I think a lot of people will love this and I look forward to reading more from her!