[REVIEW] Ramón and Julieta by Alana Albertson

March 9, 2022 by louisereads ♥ 1 Comment

I was excited for this book when I first heard about it. I looove food-centric stories. I was even excited still when I read the not-so-great reviews for it. Sometimes I enjoy romances that no one else seems to like.

I was so incredibly disappointed by this one. I DNF’d at 63%, something I try to never do. I mean, I got more than halfway through, you’d think I could just suck it up and finish at that point, right?

I could read a story with the worst descriptive writing in the world, and as long as the dialogue was good and realistic, I could still enjoy it. I’m pretty sure every book I have ever DNF’d has had the worst dialogue in it.

Ramón and Julieta talked to each other like they were reading from a script written by middle schoolers. I was really enjoying the description of the setting and the story otherwise, but I just could not get past how the characters talked. Not even just how they talked, but I couldn’t believe Julieta would be so ready to work with, let alone start dating, Ramón right way. I was so confused by her actions. She didn’t even seem that conflicted about working with the man who owns a chain that stole your family recipe.

Also, I know it was the point of the story, but I will just never, ever find businessmen hot. Ramón had the charisma of a Baked Lays chip.

I’m giving it two stars, though, because I actually did enjoy the beginning enough to keep reading.

Rating: ★★

[REVIEW] Dream On by Angie Hockman

March 3, 2022March 2, 2022 by louisereads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Release date: July 5, 2022

After surviving a car accident, Cass wakes up from a coma remembering a boyfriend who doesn’t exist. After a year, she meets the man of her dreams and it SEEMS like fate.

The concept for this had me sooo hopeful. It reminded me of fanfics I’ve read in the past and loved, so I was so excited to be approved for an eARC of this one.

I really enjoyed that this book did not play into fate, and maybe the man of Cass’s dreams really isn’t all that. It was very different from what I was expecting. I loved Cass and Brie, especially their friendship.

Unfortunately, I felt this book was just missing something. I wanted more interaction between Cass and the love interest to make their falling in love more believable. It just felt like there wasn’t much substance to them. I know I’m always saying this, but there NEEDS to be more tension for me to be super into two main love interests. There just wasn’t too much to get excited about with this one.

It was a cute story about Cass’s development and fate, though, and I’d recommend it to someone who doesn’t like much spice in their romance reads.

Rating: ★★★

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WWW Wednesday [3-2-22]

March 2, 2022 by louisereads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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: Doing my reread of From Blood and Ash before the release of The War of Two Queens in two weeks!! It’s been a bit slow going so far because of work. I’m about 100 pages in and I love it just as much as I did the first time I read it. Hope to really get into it and finish it this week so I can move onto the second and third books.

Recently finished: Dream On is an eARC I got from NetGalley that I decided to read a bit early. It took me a while to finish; I just was not that into it. It was a cute romance, but I’m glad to be moving on from it.

Reading next: Aside from the FBAA series, Ramón and Julieta came in from the library this week, so I’ll be picking it up to read on my Kindle. It doesn’t have the best reviews, but I’m hoping the spice will make up for it!

Have you read any of these? What are you currently reading?

[REVIEW] Don’t Overthink This by Kelly Piazza

February 22, 2022February 22, 2022 by louisereads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Release date: April 19, 2022

CW: addiction, suicide

Matty, almost overcome by his oxycodone addiction, has lost everyone in his life–family, friends, and his girlfriend of ten years, Keelie. We see him struggle to survive and take his life back from pills and the ways in which his actions have affected other people.

This book was heartbreaking, beautiful, and so, so hopeful all at once. I am so glad for this book. I was a bit wary, I’ll admit, going into this one. It can be tough to handle addiction well, with grace and honesty. Piazza handles it with so much more. Within the first few pages of this book, I was on the brink of tears. Addiction is tough–for the person it afflicts and those around them. We really see Matty hit rock bottom, and he really earns his redemption.

The struggle was so well written I did not want to put this book down.

I do wish we had seen more of a struggle after he gets sober and reconnects with Keelie. I felt that the second half of the book went by a little too quickly and came with an easy resolution. This story would’ve felt that much sweeter with a little more tension before Matty was fully redeemed.

Aside from this one tiny qualm, I am so happy this book exists and that I was able to read it.

Rating: ★★★★.25/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Foxglove Publishing for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[REVIEW] You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

February 18, 2022 by louisereads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I loooooved this book! What a cute romance about two telenovela stars! Jasmine and Ashton are thrown together on the set of a new series and obviously can’t help falling for each other.

What I liked:

I really enjoyed both Ashton and Jasmine as characters and seeing their arcs as they deal with past trauma. I really felt their growth as they came together and learned from one another.
The representation!! So much Latinx rep which I don’t see very often in romance novels. It was really cool to see more Puerto Rican culture with these characters as they navigate being celebrities of color.
Telenovelas!!! Need I say more??

What I didn’t like as much:

Dual POVs. I really never like dual POVs in a romance. I think it really takes away any tension you could have had when you know every thought and feeling from both sides.
I also wish there was just ONE more good scene between Jasmine and Ashton before they really fell for each other. I kinda felt like we skipped from being strangers to falling in love, and just one extra scene could’ve helped their relationship to flow more for the readers.

Overall, I think Daria is a great write and this was cute! I’ll definitely be picking up her next book following Jasmine’s cousin.

Rating: ★★★1/2

Find this book at a local bookseller here.

WWW Wednesday | 2-9-22

February 9, 2022February 9, 2022 by louisereads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

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

February 3, 2022February 3, 2022 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: ★★

A Librarian’s Week in Review 1/29/22: Questions for the Curious

January 29, 2022 by louisereads ♥ 2 Comments

This week, I had a patron come to the desk looking for help with the printers. She started off by declaring her question as stupid and continued to apologize multiple times as I was helping her. I felt guilty. Was I not being welcoming enough? Did I look unapproachable at the desk? I don’t think this was it. She began our interaction apologetically.

How many times in the past have I been too afraid to ask question or apologized in advanced for sounding dumb? Most of my reference questions this week were directional–where is this building or how do I get to that classroom? I can’t say how happy I am when I receive a question, even one like these. I love that my patrons feel comfortable enough to walk up to a stranger and ask any question, big or small.

For me, and for many, it takes courage to ask for help. Saying out loud that you need help tells others you are vulnerable, that you are not fully self-reliant. There is a certain shame in doing this in our individualistic society which is why I love when people admit that they do need help, that they can’t meet all of their needs and need others in a community to aide them.

So, a question for the curious: how do you find the courage to ask for help? What can others do to make asking for help or asking questions seem less daunting? Librarians, what do you do to make your patrons more comfortable in seeking your services?

Books Read This Week

[REVIEW] Rules of Arrangement by Maren Mackenzie

January 24, 2022 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] Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready

January 22, 2022January 22, 2022 by louisereads ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

“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: ★★★★

Louise Reads

26 year old academic reference librarian – occasional book reviewer

Tag: romance