Anne

I liked it in theory, but it just didn't grip me. I love a good friends-to-lovers story, but I didn't feel the romantic tension between these two, the flashbacks also often took me out of the story and didn't add enough to be interesting.

Fun romcom, likable main and side characters, nice pacing of the romance, with some background "drama" that added nicely to the story.

Was worried about the sisters happiness for a while, I do prefer romcoms that are just happy overall but luckily it all worked out :)

For me this was less of a romcom and too much angst. I don't mind a nice slow-burn romance, but I was way too stressed throughout the book for the main character and her love interest to talk and make up, because to me as the reader the problem was really obvious (and fixable) and I just wanted them to have an actual conversation. While I definitely get why they didn't at first, they both seemed to realise at some point that they clearly had different views on their breakup, but still ignored it for no reason or because they were more interested in using their brief alone time having sex.

There were too much (realistic) problems and stressors in the book for this to be the relaxing read for me, but if you don't mind that, I'd still definitely recommend it.

This book seemed really cute and fun, but is not for me sadly. I really like the concept, but the writing made it hard for me to enjoy, I'd love to read this book after an editor has gone to town on it. The writing style feels quite juvenile to me for an adult book, everything is spelled out to the extreme. The lack of subtlety by both the writing and the characters themselves is why I stopped reading at this point (22%).

Good balance between the plot and the relationship. I liked the characters and enjoyed seeing them and their relationship develop and the tournament was an interesting backdrop. I also really liked Mische, she's so sweet and fun. I thought the relationship between Oraya and her father was also very interesting, with their conflicting sides/feelings.

I've been hearing about his book for a while and I was a bit disappointed to be honest. I was missing some depth in the book, while the worldbuilding was very interesting, the characters fell flat to me. The concept of Antari was interesting, but the actual magic was not that exciting. I was excited about Kell at first, but then it turned out he's quite the dumbass and not actually as powerful as I expected. I did not particularly care for Lila or their relationship, orphan thief who wants power/to be free is one I've seen often and she did not have a lot of other interesting traits. The relationship that seemed to be blossoming between Kell and Lila felt a bit forced. I did like Rhy, I liked his connection to Kell and struggle with being the crown prince.

Not sure yet if I'll continue with book 2, I've heard it gets better and I'm still somewhat curious, but his book did not draw me in as much as I'd hoped.

Loved it, very cozy, but also an interesting plot. Emily is great, her social awkwardness is very relatable (Is she autistic-coded? Doesn't get people/social cues, obsessed with one topic/special interest, very logical. Saying that as an autistic person myself, I got those vibes) and I like that she is very capable in her field. Also loved Wendell, he's just very charming and funny and their banter together is great. Not to mention all the villagers and Poe of course! Just really enjoyed this book, perfect if you want to read something fun and lighthearted, but still exciting.

Also I love Shadow, big dogs that are sweet and loyal but protective are the best.

Just as cozy and adventurous as the first one! Was hoping for a bit more Wendell, but there were still a lot of cute and funny moments between him and Emily. I love how spoiled he is and insists on making himself as comfortable as possible, while Emily tries so hard to resist and tease him until she begrudgingly admits his cleaning and decorating is actually making their accommodation much more cozy. I thought Ariadne was a fun side character, I did not particularly care for Rose, but he served his purpose well.

Happy to see Poe again, being all helpful and cute He gave her his key!. I thought the foxlike(?) faerie was also kinda cute (when not being a vicious, human-eating being), being so excited to be on a quest. The ending did feel a bit quick, I would have liked a bit more aftermath I think, but it's not a huge problem, I mostly just can't get enough of these vibes and characters!

Looking forward to the next book! Very excited about seeing Wendell in his homeland and more of Orga the "cat"

Loved it, very cozy, but also an interesting plot. Emily is great, her social awkwardness is very relatable (Is she autistic-coded? Doesn't get people/social cues, obsessed with one topic/special interest, very logical. Saying that as an autistic person myself, I got those vibes) and I like that she is very capable in her field. Also loved Wendell, he's just very charming and funny and their banter together is great. Not to mention all the villagers and Poe of course! Just really enjoyed this book, perfect if you want to read something fun and lighthearted, but still exciting.