Tag: romance review

WWW Wednesday | 2-9-22

WWW Wednesday | 2-9-22

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This is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words that asks us to answer the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading: I picked Kingdom of the Wicked up again this week. I’m about 25% through, and I’m still unsure how I feel about it. I love the atmosphere so far, but nothing has really hooked me yet. I think maybe I’m not super into witches. I was reading at work and had to stop to end my shift–pretty sure I was about to get to the good stuff. Taking a flight on Friday, so hope to get some good reading time in then!

Recently finished: I spent the first week of February reading How High We Go in the Dark. I enjoyed it, but it was definitely hard to get to. I found myself putting this one down a lot just because of how dense it was. Ultimately glad to have gotten through it and onto something new.

Reading next: I got approved for an ARC of Kelly Piazza’s Don’t Overthink This. I think by the time I finish KOTW, I’ll be in the market for a good hard-hitting romance, which should be exactly what this one is. Not many reviews for this one yet, but the ones that are out are overwhelmingly positive, so I’m excited! I might even get to this one this weekend if I have some good reading days at work.

[REVIEW] The Moonstone Girls by Brooke Skipstone

[REVIEW] The Moonstone Girls by Brooke Skipstone

by louisereads ♥ 1 Comment

I really, REALLY wanted to love this book. Queer girls, 60s/70s culture, and a road trip to Alaska? Sign. me. up. It had everything going for it in the summary.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at about 65%.

What I liked:

  • Obviously, I love the queer girl representation. This book actually made me reflect a lot about my own queerness and my gender presentation. I think there is a lot of value to a story that discusses issues of identity.
  • There were parts where I really did like Tracy’s character and her story, especially at the beginning where she is exploring her newly discovered identity.

What I really didn’t like:

  • There was a lot of very uncomfortable comparison between the oppression faced by queer people in the United States and the oppression faced by Black Americans. Tracy would casually say things that suggested she thought life was much easier for Black Americans at the time than for queer people. I’m not sure if this was supposed to be a commentary on white feminism where Tracy is able to confront and correct her past remarks, but I highly doubt this happens in the short amount of pages left from where I DNF’d. I just did not see why this comparison was necessary.
  • The dialogue felt incredibly stilted and awkward. Every time Tracy had a conversation with someone else, especially with people in her family, it felt so incredibly forced. I can’t picture anyone saying most of the things Tracy and her family say to each other.
  • The pacing also just seemed… off. It felt like things were happening so fast with no pause to really get the full impact of the events. I get that it’s supposed to seem like Tracy is telling the story from the present and is going through the events of her life, but it just really did not work for me.

I’m definitely in the minority with my feelings on this book. Maybe it just wasn’t for me, but I gave it two stars for the queer representation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skipstone Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★

January Wrap-Up

January Wrap-Up

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Books read this month: 12

Average rating: 4.25 stars

January was a good reading month for me. I went into 2022 wanting to really ramp up my reading habits for the year. Last year, I read a total of 76 books, a big increase from the 43 I read the year before. This year I want to go even bigger with my total if I can. So, January consisted of me trying to fit in time to read every day which I mostly succeeded at. Something that I’ve always wanted to make a good habit of is reading before bed so that I’m not on my phone right before I sleep.

My partner gave me a new Kindle for Christmas which I was over the moon about (my old one was from 2013). Reading on my Kindle has made it so much easier to read before bed while my partner sleeps and it motivates me to check more books out from the library through my Libby App, books I maybe would not have picked up at the bookstore for myself.

Now that my work and grad school have picked up again, my reading has slowed down. I still make sure to read before bed, even if it is just for a few minutes. I also have a few more shifts working at the library this semester, which gives me more time to read at the desk.

I feel good about my reading in January and hoping it sets a good precedent for February! 🙂

Favorite January reads:

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

So many people have raved about this romance, but I need to repeat what they’ve all been saying. This book is. SO. Good. Possibly one of my favorite romances of all time. Women in STEM and fake-dating trope are always a yes for me. So, so looking forward to Hazelwood’s next release!

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

I’ve been a little wary of Young Adult Fantasy recently, but this one was so much more than I could have ever expected. So many twists in the story and Shiori really took action–she was not a passive character in the least. This book had everything I need in a fantasy–good characters, brilliant plot, and a cute budding romance. Full review still to come on this one!

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

This is one of those epic tales I feel like everyone needs to experience. The story jumps back and forth in time from Marian, a pilot in the early 20th century, and Hadley, the girl who plays Marian in a new film. There is so much to this story that I can’t fully describe what it is or why it is so good. Mostly, I think it does an incredible job of capturing the human condition and life for queer women. It is a historical fiction novel, but Marian and Hadley’s lives really spoke to me. Definitely won’t forget this one for a while.

[REVIEW]: P.S. I Hate You by Sophie Ranald

[REVIEW]: P.S. I Hate You by Sophie Ranald

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Release date: March 3, 2022

Abbie has been with Matt for twenty years. That’s 7,305 days, not that she’s counting.

Ever since Matt saved Abbie from a pigeon when they were seventeen, they were meant to be. But fast forward, and their happy ever after is light on the happy. Their sex life is officially extinct, Abbie’s lingerie is officially dusty, and Matt officially doesn’t know how to use the dishwasher.

Hoping it’s just a phase – aka the longest dry spell on record – it’s time to initiate Operation Memory Lane. Maybe they can spice things up by recreating their first date (Nando’s fixes everything), their first holiday (getting jiggy on the beach), and even their wedding.

But revisiting the past isn’t always plain sailing… Abbie didn’t bank on her secret coming to light – the one she’s kept for two decades. And she had no idea that Matt’s been hiding something from her too.

Can they get their spark back? Or is Operation Memory Lane a sure-fire way to blow up their marriage, leaving Abbie single, terrified to mingle, and with a drawer of dusty underwear for company? [Goodreads]

It’s typically hard for me to really get into stories about struggling marriages. I’m not married, and thinking about people who were once desperately in love and now aren’t just depresses me, usually.  That being said, I am in a seven-year relationship (a long time for any 24-year-old).  Though they were married 20 years, Abbie and Matt’s struggles were ones I could certainly relate to.   

Ranald does an incredible job of showing what it takes, in my opinion, to make a relationship work.  Abbie takes advice from friends to recreate some of her and Matt’s past thinking she can spark a connection.  I absolutely love that this is not the solution Abbie thinks it will be.  This novel was really a display of how putting work into your relationship is necessary for it to thrive, and Ranald is so smart for the way she portrays this.  

I loved how normal Matt and Abbie are. So many novels will try to give you characters who proclaim themselves to be special or just different from anyone else in that world. Abbie and Matt are not those people—they could be anyone which makes them that more relatable.  

I also really appreciate how Ranald handles the topic of infertility. Not everyone who goes through IVF will end up pregnant, and I think it is really great to have that representation for couples struggling with infertility.  

I personally prefer romances with a little more tension between the two characters, but this this is a really solid romance with lots of emotion and value.  

Rating: ★★★1/2

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for and e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[REVIEW] Rules of Arrangement by Maren Mackenzie

[REVIEW] Rules of Arrangement by Maren Mackenzie

by louisereads ♥ 2 Comments

I had no idea what to expect going into this book. I thought it would have more art heist vibes, but then I saw it classified as a romance. My expectations were all over the place.

Despite this, or maybe because of this, Rules of Arrangement was a lot of fun. The story was so creative, so unlike any other romance I’ve read before. Adelaide Wright is a college senior who sells papers to her peers to get by. Declan, a childhood more-than-friend turned TA finds out and uses this fact to blackmail her into helping him get his art back from Jack Nolan, the art dealer who stole it.

When we first met Jack, I couldn’t help but picture him like Frank Lundy (my roommate and I have been binge-watching Dexter this week), a 60 year old man. I had to keep reminding myself he’s only 38. When I recalibrated my brain to picture Jack as my attractive next-door neighbor, I was able to enjoy the story much more.

On a serious note, Addie and Jack’s relationship was so compelling. I finished this book in two sittings (I had to take a break for sleep and work, unfortunately). While Jack annoyed me at times with his demands and I was a little uncomfortable with the age dynamic, the tender moments between him and Addie were perfect. Not to mention, those sex scenes were ****ing hot.

Mackenzie’s depiction of grief and Addie’s family dynamic were also realistic. It had been three years since her parents’ deaths, and I really felt the grief that came through on certain occasions such as holidays or when talking about her childhood.

I do feel like Addie’s friends, Imogen and Katy, got the short end of the stick. There really wasn’t any great resolution between the friend group in the end. It seems like Addie just kinda forgets about them in favor of her family and Jack.

However, I was really pleasantly surprised by this one. I’ll be interested to see what Maren Mackenzie will publish in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★☆

[REVIEW] The Buy-In by Emma St. Clair

[REVIEW] The Buy-In by Emma St. Clair

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The Buy-In is a slow-burn, second-chance romance. It follows Lindy and Pat as they navigate a marriage of convenience to keep Lindy’s niece, Jo, in her custody.

This romance started with elements that would normally turn me off. I’m not a big fan of dual-POVs, and nothing turns me off faster than a group of hyper-masculine men.

That being said, I ended up really enjoying this one, and I absolutely adored Pat along with his and Lindy’s relationship. St. Clair did a great job of fleshing out his character, incorporating aspects of ADHD that felt so real. His relationship with Jo was so sweet, and I loved seeing their little family come together.

The themes of family were those that came through strongest in this book. Every moment Lindy had with her mom or Pat had with his siblings brought up a lot of emotion. I loved the relationship Pat had with his siblings, especially James and Harper. St. Clair also brings great autistic representation with Harper, showing the widely varied spectrum autistic people can be on!

I still wish this book was only in Lindy’s perspective. I think a lot of what we see from Pat’s side could have come through with just Lindy’s POV, and I think this would have fixed a pacing issue I noticed within the story. The main interactions between the two love interests don’t happen until about halfway through the book. Cutting Pat’s perspective out and focusing on Lindy’s might have helped these interactions occur quicker.

Despite this small qualm, St. Clair’s writing really put us in the story and I loved all the side characters. This romance has a very homey feel to it which is hard for an author to bring out. I was left with just a warm feeling after finishing, and I would definitely recommend to all avid romance readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★1/2

[REVIEW] Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready

[REVIEW] Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready

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“I know it’s not a modern sentiment, that I should be happy with my career, my single life, my autonomy, but darn it, can’t I be a successful, modern woman and still want someone to love? A family to love?”

This quote sums up what I thought this romance would be about: the balance between being a modern woman and being someone who wants love. What I got turned out to be so much more.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a tender and funny romance that takes on infertility, modern feminism, and toxic positivity. Of all of these, I was most pleasantly surprised with how Ready handled toxic positivity.

Gemma reminded me of a childhood friend I had, one who always tried to look on the bright side of things. This in itself was refreshing–I’ve never read a heroine exactly like this. But then as the story goes on, Gemma realizes the over-generalized optimism of her disgusting boss’s ignores what it’s actually like to be human sometimes. I just loved the use of quotes and their breakdown by the end.

Josh was a sweetheart. I haven’t read many “brother’s best friend” tropes, but this one did not disappoint. His care-free attitude with the occasional sincere breakthrough contrasted the toxic positivity of Ian so nicely. The only thing I wish for this book is a few more sweet moments with him and Gemma and maybe one more of the two with his dad to really solidify our attachment to the characters.

That being said, I adored the discussion of IVF and infertility along with the friends Gemma makes at her support group. I don’t hear many discussions of how hard infertility is for those with uteruses, so it was very refreshing to have this representation here.

At times, the writing felt cheesy, but I think it worked for this book. This romance falls into many tropes that romance readers are familiar with and by all means is not trying to do anything new with the genre, but something new is not what I need from a romance. This novel is a solid romance. It is definitely better than a lot of the more popular romances from the past year.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★ 

Buy this book from a local bookseller at IndieBound