GENRE: Contemporary, Romance, Female Lead RATING: 2/5 *Note this book was gifted to me by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review* This was really hard to read if I am being quite honest, and if this hadn’t been a novel I was gifted on NetGalley, I would have surely stopped reading this book 20% in. There were a lot of aspects of this novel that I didn’t enjoy, and not enough that I did. Firstly, Kate, Julia and Ben are all in their 40s and seem to just be surrounded by single people and are looking to settle down (well our protagonist Kate is). I am 27 years old and i am already feeling the pressure of needing to find someone and settled down since so many of my friends are married and having kids and I am just debating if now is the time to move out of my parents house with a looming recession… How is this 43 year old not surrounded by these things? Other than the wedding mentioned at the beginning of the novel, there are no people around who she interacts with who aren’t single. Everyone is single and that really feels like someone’s early 20s rather than their early 40s. Where is the outside pressure? Your mom or auntie asking you when you’re going to “settle down” and “find someone” and “start a family” … It also feels so unrealistic and just… meh. Secondly, the novel is set in Saskatchewan which I thought would be dope to see, as someone who is from Montreal, Quebec, I was excited to maybe get a peak of what life is there, since you rarely see novels set in that part of Canada. But honestly it really felt like this could have been set anywhere, I wish that we got more of a glimpse of what living in Saskatchewan was like and maybe mentioning specific places that one may even see when visiting. Another issue I had, was while the characters were in their 40s, they all acted and spoke like they were in their late 20s and early 30s… it was just out of place to me. Like Kate has a mini crush on her barista, Jesse, and she makes comments about how he’s too young for her, because he’s 13 years younger than her… That would mean she’s 43 and he’s 30! You mean the biggest issue for you is his age, rather than the fact that he is a barista and doesn’t seem to be working towards anything of substance at that age? Like seriously I would understand if she was 33, and he was 20… but the novel doesn’t make sense this way… It really feels like this novel was originally made with 33 in mind and someone pushed the author to make it 43. I think the whole book would have been more tolerable if those were the ages. Especially because the novel was well written. ***SPOILER ALERT*** I also dislike that we have Ben’s perspective included at all in the novel. WE KNOW HE LIKES KATE even just from her perspective even though she is obviously oblivious… But i have to say… it is already frustrating that Kate is already so oblivious but like by 50% into the novel and we haven’t had even like a smidge of sexual tension or like “almost” moments between Ben and Kate… its just… this was such a let down. I am giving this novel a 2/5 solely because if the novel had been written with a different age in mind I would have rated it higher. (Probably a 3/5). If you read this, please comment and tell me what you think? Perhaps I am too harsh, maybe you can open my eyes to a different perspective.
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GENRE: Romance, Witchy, Love-the-Villain RATING: 5/5 SPICE: 3/5 This Witchy Rom-Com was the perfect way to start off my Spooky Season reading list. I have so many feelings, it’s so hard to get anything out that is more than just a happy squawk. I loved this book! It was so much more than I expected and I have to say its going to be a contender for one of my favorite books of 2022. Our main character Reggie, knowns nothing about magic, and responds to an add in the paper to work at her favorite card game, Spellcraft: The Magicking. It is not quite what she thought it was, because she ends up as an “assistant” for an eccentric older witch named Drew. Drew is fun and Reggie quickly takes a liking to her, but her nephew Ben is rude, dark, mysterious and insufferable! But when things go bad, Reggie has to put her feelings towards Ben aside and work together to break the curse set on loveable Drew. Without giving anything away, Ben is everything I love in a romantic interest. He first comes off as rude and obnoxious but he is ultimately the guy who hates everyone but you. He has a dark past (yeah real skeletons in his closet) and he is grumpy but sunshine Reggie seems to pull him out of it. The novel is narrated by Reggie and Ben, and I honestly felt like Ben’s narration stayed true to his character and his gender expression. Regardless of what the cover may depict, this book had SPICE! So if you’re looking for a tame Hallmark Rom-Com; then perhaps this isn’t for you. But, if you love rom-coms with spice, falling in love with the villain, and the meant-to-be trope; then pick up this book during this wonderful Spooky Season! GENRE: Fantasy, Romance RATING: DNF Get ready for a rant... here it comes. I had to DNF at 30% complete because it only got interesting as of CHP 8. I also want to say "interesting" is a loose term in this case. Honestly, it just felt like The Little Mermaid with extra useless steps. She starts off as a 25 year old in our modern time who is in the military. (Who by the way is in the airforce but is deathly afraid of flying, which is repeated, over and over again btw) Then she prays to a random sea goddess while drunk on her birthday and NOTHING HAPPENS but like wind... then while on a flight the flight CRASHES, and she while drowning turns into a mermaid... but more of a freaky-friday body swap with a mermaid that makes her hotter? then the sea goddess tells her she can go to this land and if she can make a man fall in love with her then she can just stick to legs.... and then she ends up in a time period with medieval-prince-arthur-vibe people. Yeah it is alot and not in a good way. I cannot believe I got as far a I did to be quite honest. Maybe when I run out of audiobooks, I'll go back and try and finish this but for now, its in my DNF pile. To boot, the narrator is super robotic and just... bad. I am shocked I didn't give up sooner. Like how did she get this paying job? I have been using audible for two years now, and she is by far the worst narrator I have ever had to listen to. I wont name names, I don't want to slander anyone's name, but I will be avoiding their future narrations because... omg. GENRE: CRIME, ROMANCE, FEMALE-LEAD, ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS RATING: 2/5 I have never been more disappointed in a Tessa Bailey novel than this one. I am honestly so surprised that it was published. It was overall weird. Firstly, Miles’s narration was awful. I honestly think that if you cannot embody the voice of a man, it might be best to not write in that perspective. Like - show his side to ANY dude and they’ll tell you that this was way too off, and in no way believable. “clearly interpreting my silence as irritation, with her, Taylor turns on a heel in the sand and sashays towards the far side of the cove” No matter how much RuPaul a straight man watches, there is no way he says that. Another big issue with this novel was the relationship between Taylor and her brother, it honestly felt like really gross. No sister and brother (gay or not) would ever speak to each other like that - it really felt like this book was supposed to feature the “gay bestie trope” and last minute it was removed. No matter how close me and my brother are, I will NEVER… NEVER tell my brother that I am going to buy a dildo. And I sure as hell would never tell my brother details of my sex life… Now back to Miles, there are points where he made allusions to be jealous… OF HER BROTHER and basically seeing him as a threat… like wtf… Like on p.118 Miles would make a comment how annoyed he was at Taylor getting male attention and then in the same paragraph… makes comments about how her brother seems decent and then goes back to talking about the guys who are hitting on her. Like I said very weird. Now, not only that but this novel is riddled with inconsistencies. So on page 118, Miles says that she is a suspect and that he hast to distance himself but then nothing happens really because he still in that same situation where he’s with her and then on page 121 says that she isn’t a suspect anymore because the time of death made it so their alibis were fine. He never received a call, he never left her side during those pages… but she’s suddenly not a suspect? Taylor’s character is also sort of annoying. I have friends who are elementary school teachers… and I swear not everything is about how your students related to this issue. She acts like she has no adult friends who she talks to and relates to. Not everything has to be “but my fourth grade students” or “if one of my fourth grade students acted like this I would…” I am only giving this 2/5 instead of 1/5 is because the sex scenes and the sexual tension were extremely well written. Anyways, hope this helps… you can skip this book honestly… Booktok lied. ***This book has triggers, please check them if you need before reading this novel*** GENRE: CRIME, FEMALE-LEAD RATING: 3/5 I thought this was a really interesting novel. It is a crime novel; something I don’t usually read but rather watch on television but this book did surprise me. It was well written and you can really tell that the author has worked in the industry. There is a lot of background information that I wasn’t privy too before having read the book. The only reason I am giving this a 3-star instead of a 4-star read is the narration. Obviously this was an audiobook but I found myself getting lost at times because the two narrators who each depicted one perspective (Charlie’s and Erica’s) were two women with similar voices -but different intonations… I sometimes got lost as to WHO was narrating. Perhaps that is my ADHD but I would have preferred if the chapters were read “CHAPTER 23 - Erica” In the fall, I always take the time to rewatch BONES. This was a murder-solving series that aired on FOX that aired between 2005-2017. It was one of my favourite shows, and that is why I always rewatch it. In between, rewatching this series as well as reading this book, I found myself in a crime solving little bubble and it all came together perfectly. If you are someone who enjoys crime mysteries, this is honestly a great fall read. Also, it is really cool that part of the novel is actually narrated by the author! Check it out! ***Note this book was gifted to me on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*** ***This book has triggers, please check them if you need before reading this novel*** GENRE: Historical Fiction, Greek Mythology, Retelling RATING: 4/5 I absolutely love Circe, and that is something I never thought I would say after having watched Game of Thrones! (yes cringe joke, but back to the review) I really liked this read a lot, especially because Circe although she is a Goddess, is very relatable to me, as someone who was always told to keep quiet and was very much ignored. There is so much in here that really just made me smile like turning men who r-word into pigs, as well as they tie-in to Song of Achilles (as within the original myth, Circe meets Odysseus post Trojan war). I also love how we see her progress as a character and see her own worth and strength as the book progresses. If you are someone who isn't afraid of a long story without a clear-cut plot, as this story very much follows the Greek style of not really having a specific climax and ending... If you are someone who loves Greek myths or historical fiction... If you love witches... then this is a read for you. SPOILER WARNING BELOW When Circe is pregnant, I found it interesting that none of her magic worked to help with her pain, that regardless of Goddess or human, child birth is hard and that if one experiences, they are just as powerful as Gods like Zeus. This was evident through the use of language to describe the pain. ex: dropped from the sky like a thunderbolt --- she literally uses Zeus's weapon to describe her pain and she overcomes without her magic regardless. There is also a moment in the novel where Athena threatens Circe, and the last thing she says is "You do not know what I can do" It gave me chills. So badass. GENRE: Mafia, Romance, Spicy, Erotic, Greek Mythology RATING: 2/5 SPICE: 4/5 This was a decent read. It is important to note that the plot is meh, but like EVERY interaction between Kal and Elena ends in some sort of sexual encounter, so I give this 4/5 peppers in the spice category. If youre looking for something erotic without a crazy intense plot go for it. Although... the amount of times Elena refers to herself as a "Mafia Princess" is way too many. The dark tones seem a little forced, but honestly fine. I feel like the underline language and allusions to Persephone and Hades could have been skipped and would have been way better tbh, the story stood better without them. There really isn’t much I want to say about this novel, other than this is really an erotic piece of fiction with some light Hades and Persephone elements sprinkled in, in an awkward way. Every interaction between Elena and Kal ends in some sexual way. That or Kal just talks about how hard is dick is just seeing her exist. If you are looking for an erotic mafia vibe fiction with some Hades commentary thrown in, this is for you. GENRE: Romance, Ennemis-to-Lovers, Plus Size RATING: 5/5 SPICE: 3/5 I absolutely loved every second of reading this novel. Mary Warren’s A Highlander for Hannah is hands down one of my favorite novels of 2022. This is the third book this year I am giving 5 stars too, alongside Book Lovers and Dating Dr. Dil. While these books were all near perfect, AHFH is the only one to have the fat representation I have been craving for. This novel hits all the marks, its fat without trying too hard. It is effortless, real and relatable. There were so many moments where I literally had to stop reading and hold my chest because my heart felt like it was going to implode. I wish I could comment more, but I really do not want to give anything away… At one point in the novel, Hannah’s mother is shocked that sexy Graham is dating her and as a fat girl, I’ve had these same issues. I had such beautiful skinny friends dating mediocre men and I’ve dated Nigerian footballers, a 6”4’ boxer, and most recently a sexy-Tarzan looking real-estate broker and EVERY TIME there are people who are super shocked at how hot my boyfriends are and it’s annoying. Granted the long term friends have gotten used to it at this point, they know my boyfriends are always hot AF… but anyways there are so many instances where I found myself reading Hannah’s story and looking back at my own life and feeling seen, and understood. And not to say this book is only for fat girls, I am sure that Hannah’s words could be relatable to any woman growing up in this society but being the love interest… the leading lady as it were, is something I have never seen myself as and it was so refreshing to read Hannah’s story. This is also an amazing read if you’re a fan of Outlander. When this releases in September… get your hands on it. ASAP. RATING: 1/5 Stars GENRE: Romance, Plus Size I wanted to love this book so much because it checked all the boxes for me! - Plus size rep + commentary on the fashion industry CHECK - Plus size character as the romantic interest CHECK - Black woman running her business and kicking ass at it CHECK. Sadly, this book is giving "We love white boys who do the bare minimum energy" I cannot stand Reid's character, he is so fucking basic compared to Cassie. She is so cool and awesome and other than her swooning over Reid, she was fucking awesome. Had to DNF this at 50% complete because I really just could not. Also not sure if this is a "spoiler" so continue reading at your own digression... So Reid and Cassie like full on start kissing at the "Friendsgiving party" she throws at her company. ALL HER EMPLOYEES + some friends are there. I have ZERO idea how she started kissing this dude openly at this party when they had never defined their relationship and then to boot... ITS A WORK FUNCTION? maybe I am just a little much right now but omg I would absolutely never. My workplace has ZERO idea of my romantic life and it really should not have been put out there... especially when it had just been starting... Anyways, as I said.... super sad I didn't like this... I really wanted to. RATING: 5/5 Stars GENRE: Romance, Ennemis-to-Lovers, Fake Dating SPICE RATING: 2/5 I absolutely devoured this book. It was so cute and such a great way to break me out of my reading slump. I have been having such a hard time with Circe by Madeline Miller, that this was super refreshing and heartwarming. The characters funny and real, although there were times where I found myself wishing men spoke with their friends about their problems the same way this novel portrays it… It would save us a lot of heartache to be quite honest. There were many themes that emphasized the immigrant-American experience in the Western world, and as someone from an immigrant family living in Canada I felt seen and understood. While Dating Dr. Dil is from a South Asian perspective, the themes do translate very well. For immigrants and children of immigrants, there is this concept that our parents do not have to tell us that they love us. That they show us everyday by taking care of us that there is love… but that is very hard. I constantly find myself needing reassurance, because I find that in my relationships, it isn’t something I get. I am used to understanding that actions are also a way of saying “I love you” but to be honest, reading this novel really made me feel okay with asking to have things said. There is also this idea that we sacrifice our mental health and well-being for our family, and in order to keep them, and that is something I hold true to heart. I even have made the joke on multiple occasions about my living at home for free. It’s not free, I will joke, I pay with my mental health. It was the perfect novel at the perfect time for me. It gives me hope of change and bettering and overall the future being a happy one. I am not sure that was the goal of Nisha Sharma when she wrote this novel, but I am so glad she wrote it and that I picked up this novel. |
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