Ahhh I had the best time reading this!! The writing was addicting, fun, and so easy to fly through. I loved the romance, our main characters, and the side characters. I am so excited to get more from this series.

First off, I absolutely adored Lorena. She was effortlessly funny, confident, caring, and honestly someone that I would love to be friends with. Her grief and subsequent commitment issues that stemmed for that grief made her character feel so real and complex. I love the growth that she made by the end of this, she deserved all of the good things that she got.

Santino Amato is the blueprint and I will not accept any Tino slander!! One of the most dedicated, loving mmcs I have read all year. Nothing compares to reading about a man who is so down bad and has been for yearssss. The depth to his feelings for her and everything that he’d done for her AND because of her was so incredibly moving. The epitome of if he wanted to, he would. He loved Lorena with his whole entire heart and it was beautiful.

I loved the food element in this and how it brought the characters together and mixed in aspects from both the Puerto Rican and Italian culture. The representation was one of my favorite parts!!

The side characters elevated this story to another level for me. I instantly was drawn to Sarina and thought she was hilarious. I am giddy just thinking about reading her book. Tomas has my attention, but I think I am most intrigued with Dante right now. I see the crumbs and I simply cannot wait.

Anyway, this book was really fun and so hot, but also had a lot of emotional depth as well. I really enjoyed this author’s writing and I cannot wait to read more from her. Highly recommend.

I was in the biggest audiobook slump but this one took me right out of it!! The author's writing was addictive and kept me engaged from beginning to end. This was thrilling, emotional, and a wild ride.

My hats off to Nell because she was seriously such a badass. I admired her work ethic and just how much better she was than all the men around her lmao. I loved watching her kick ass (both figuratively and literally). She spent a lot of this having to be tough and endure a lot of shit, but I'm glad she got her happy ever after with Bradshaw, the one person she could truly be soft and herself around.

I was iffy about Bradshaw at first, but as soon as we got a glimpse into POV, I knew exactly who I was dealing with lol. Just a broody man who couldn't help but fall for the one person he shouldn't. I'm really glad we did get his POV because it endeared me to him and it was really moving to see the depth of his feelings for Nell.

Los of twists and turns in this one and even some stuff that made me gasp out loud. The ending did feel a little rushed, but honestly I had a great time with this. There's definitely dark themes/moments, so I'd check the trigger warnings.

Cannot wait to read more from this author!!

This book was entirely unexpected!! I've only read one other book by this author and that one tore me to pieces and built me back up, so I really didn't know what we were gonna get here considering it's a totally different vibe, but I really liked this.

Sylas and Anna's dynamic was so fun, and I mean that both in the way they act with each other regularly (their banter was funny and had me kicking my feet), but also sexually. Degradation is not always my thing, but I like how consent was clear here and how Sylas would take himself out of a scene from time to time to make sure she was still ok with it. I think that made a world of difference. Plus, knowing Anna was more than ok with it both by her own verbal consent, but also by her inner dialogue, was key!!

I don't like fake dating, but it worked for me here. I liked how their connection felt so real and not fake at all and how they eventually admitted it to each other. They were so good together!!

BUT THAT ENDING??? I knew it was going to end on a cliffy but I need the next book like yesterday.

“I’ve been inside out, with wanting you.”

What a beautiful book about grief, heartbreak, complicated family relationships, and healing. I can't begin to explain all the feelings this book made me feel!! One moment, I was giggling and kicking my feet, and another, I was deeply moved and fighting tears from such heartbreaking, emotional moments.

At first, I wasn't totally sold on Lou's idea of The Comeback Inn. I was afraid it was going to be cheesy, but oh my god. I could not have been more wrong. This safe haven she created was awe-inspiring and I love how it showed all the ways that Lou was kind, giving, and thoughtful. The guests added a layer to this story that I loved. Their heartbreak, their healing, their growth was just as moving as the rest of it.

Lou and Henry's romance was so tender and adoringly soft. Their flirting was subtle and found in stolen moments but it made me beyond giddy. It felt like they were drawn to each other like magnets and I loved watching them slowly learn each other.

Henry's backstory and his grief was devastating. Despite how vast his grief was, I love how he still showed up for Lou and was trying for her. He wasn't always super open with her, but I understood him needing to take his time.

My girl Lou had such a big heart and I loved the way she cared for others. Seeing her be taken care of for once by someone, especially someone as wonderful as Henry, made me so incredibly happy. Her family dynamics were a mess and obviously difficult, but I did really appreciate the progress we got to witness on that front. Made me so emotional!! Lou's personal growth was also beautiful. I love the compassion and space that she gave Henry and, above all, just a soft place to land.

I loved the author's writing in this. There were some passages that stopped me in my tracks and that I had to re-read more than once. Devastatingly beautiful writing. I cannot wait to read more from her.

The absolutely only thing I'd wish we'd had was a bit more from the development of Henry and Lou's connection. Like, their chemistry was there no doubt, but it felt like they went from just flirting and getting to know each other to Henry holding these immense feelings for her that felt like they had been there for a while. I love single POV books, but this was a case where I felt like I needed to get in his head to see some of this. I don't know, might just be me!! Regardless, I adored this book.

Like many young, impressionable women, I watched America's Next Top Model growing up. At the time, I just saw it as entertaining reality TV competition and never really gave much thought to what these women must have gone through while filming. Over the years, I've heard about how gruesome the conditions were and how awful Tyra was with the contestants, so it was certainly eye-opening to read Sarah's first hand account of her own experience during and after the show.

I feel like the only way to describe ANTM is cult-like. The way they isolated these contestants, controlled every single part of their time and what they did, and manipulated them was abhorrent. The way Sarah described even the very first parts on the cruise ship sounded like she'd gotten kidnapped and was being held against her will??? I mean, in a lot of ways it kind of was like that, even if they had agreed to be on the show, I know for damn certain they hadn't agreed to be put through so much of what they went through.

I really enjoyed listening to Sarah narrate her book. She was just so charming and personable - I felt like I was at lunch with a friend while she told me her crazy story. Her humor flowed effortlessly and definitely brought some levity to it all. I thought she was so funny and could 100% see how she ended up doing stand-up comedy.

It was fascinating, yet equally horrifying, to get a peak behind the curtain on a show I grew up watching. I recently rewatched a season (not the one Sarah was on) and from the get go, it was clear to see how terribly it aged. It makes me sad to think of all the women who were traumatized by Tyra and the production crew. I only hope they all were able to get help like Sarah did to heal from it.

A compelling listen. Would highly recommend!