Jessica
Overall Thoughts:
As a military wife who has gone through my very fair share of deployments and separation, I knew what I was going into when I picked up this book. Maybe that's one of the reasons I connected to these characters so much. Maybe it's because Harper is equal parts reckless and amazingly strong, or that Luke is equal parts idiotic and incredibly sexy. Idk. All I know is that these two characters (and really the entire town of Benevolence, MD) are permanently branded into my brain. I love them so much.
Even though this book involved some of my least favorite tropes (insta-lust/love, unrequited love) I still thoroughly enjoyed it. There was even a bonus small plot twist and a few chapters that felt very thriller-esque.
About 25% through this one I thought I was going to loathe it. I didn't feel connected to the characters and I really don't jive well with insta-lust and it was allll over this one. By the end of the book? Torn apart in two pieces, ruined, put back together again, ruined again, and now I'm a puddle on the floor trying to recover from these emotions.
More Detail, But Beware of Spoilers:
Luke is a piece of work. He strings Harper along the entire book knowing that he is still healing from the loss of his wife. He tells her and himself that he will never love her, but their physical attraction to one another keeps them coming back for more. Which brings me to Harper. She's either as much of a massive idiot as Luke or the saint I wish I could be one day. She's patient with him. She doesn't react in anger to all the punches thrown her way. I don't know if it's from her past trauma or what, but I'm glad she toughed it out and Luke is a damn fool for not seeing how incredible she is and not toughing it out for her, too. As I'm writing this, I'm realizing what a selfish idiot he is, and how selfless Harper is the entire book.
So tell me why I still love Luke with all my heart?! I'm honestly confused and tormented by these feelings.
Bonus Thoughts:
A soldier with the last name Garrison? Possibly a bit too on the nose for me.
Was there anything other than physical chemistry between Luke and Harper? No, not really. Did that matter to me? No, not one bit.
Every time Luke used the pet name “baby” I about gagged. Didn't work for me here. It rarely does, though.
Tropes:
Grumpy Sunshine
One Bed
Fake Dating
Insta-Lust
Unrequited Love
Military
Small Town
Found Family
As you can see, this one comes with a LOT of tropes! And honestly, I'm here for every single one of them.
Spice:
I knew going into this one that it was meant to just be a bridge leading to A Court of Silver Flames. It was a fast read that I actually really enjoyed, in its own way. There was no plot, just a lot of character development, including multiple POVs—some that we haven't had before. I enjoyed getting to experience this world through those characters' eyes, and I'm really intrigued about what happens next with some of their stories.
3.25 stars, rounded down
I wanted to like this one so badly. The writing pulled me in immediately with its beautifully immersive descriptions of setting and entertainingly relatable dialogue. Within the first 30 pages or so I was certain I was on my way to a 5-star read. But that 5-star train derailed so quickly and I'm honestly not over it yet.
The main character, Valeria, is supposed to be this badass princess with immense power. She knows that she will one day take over her father's throne once she finally returns back to her realm after being exiled by her father as a child. She was raised with all of this in mind and has become a young woman eager to return and rule the way she believes her realm should be ruled. Unfortunately, things aren't the way she imagined it when she returns home. Poor people are running out of food and starving, and Valeria is heartbroken about what she's seeing. She confronts her father and his council about the issue, and there's so much lead-up to this, presumably, big moment when she finally gets a chance to prove herself as the realm's future ruler, and do you know what she says?? “We can harness magic and ensure that our food supply doesn't run out, like ever, so that no one starves again.”
Did you catch it? Like. Ever. When I tell you that all hope for this book went out the window at those two words... It threw me out of my immersion immediately. It didn't fit with the tone of the rest of the book. Well, except for the author's peculiar use of the term “guys” all. the. time. “Suddenly, a guy leapt out”... “The guy wasted no time”... “Both of the guys flanked my sides”... It was so grating. The rest of the writing was actually quite good and I think it was ruined for me by these random immature terms that I didn't see any reason to include.
I think this could have been an amazing book if some of the plot and characters were fleshed out a bit more. The pacing felt random, some of the plot concepts felt weak, unexplained, or unnecessary, and there was a bit too much convenience for my liking (things happening at just the right moment, etc.)
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 stars
Honestly, it's hard to truly explain how I felt about this one. It toed the line between something lighthearted/cozy and something dark/sensual to the point where I felt like I had whiplash trying to figure out where this book was going and what it was trying to be.
I really enjoyed the female main character and her 3 sisters. I want more of their interactions with each other, enough to have the rest of this series on my radar in the future. The humor and witty banter between them, as well as between the fmc and mmc, was satisfying and made me laugh out loud quite a few times—something that doesn't happen that often while I'm reading. As for the rest of the characters? There was so much potential that just fell flat. I can tell that as the series goes on the characters may become more fleshed out and deep, but it didn't happen in this first book and I really wish it did.
Speaking of wasted potential. The setting. It takes place in New Orleans and mentions that it does multiple times... But where was it? They were inside a shop, restaurant, or café in the French Quarter a few times but otherwise there was no mention of New Orleans as far as an actual setting or even atmosphere. There were some (slightly cringeworthy) Cajun accents and jazz music thrown in to occasionally remind you of where the characters were, but I really felt like the setting was wasted.
Throw in a few confusing situations that pulled me out of my immersion (his hands were tied behind his back yet he was able to easily touch his neck with his hands?), spice that just felt like it was there because it had to be, the fact that there was only mention of a mating bond between the main characters but no one else, and a major revelation at the end that could have changed the entire course of the book if he had just... realized it earlier, and honestly I'm just sad that a book that had such potential fell so flat for me. I didn't hate it, I just know it could have been something so much better.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
I finished the first 3 books of the ACOTAR series (the original trilogy, apparently) during a very busy phase of my life. The fact that I finished over 1,700 pages in just about a month while insanely busy is testament to how good this series is. But you don't need me to tell you that. I'm late to the ACOTAR party and honestly... How dare I?
ACOWAR wasn't my favorite as of yet (ACOMAF has my heart) but I still really enjoyed it. There were definitely parts that dragged on, but for the most part I felt invested and gripped by the story. The ending wrapped up enough open ends that I feel like it could have been a very good ending point for the series, but selfishly, I'm really happy there are more books to come because I can't get enough of these characters.
Feyre is coming into her own skin as High Lady and honestly, it's a joy to witness. Rhysand remains absolute perfection. I'm really looking forward to how certain pairings play out, like Cassian & Nesta, Lucien & Elain, Mor &... ?, Amren & Varian, etc.
I'm taking a quick break to read some arcs that need my attention, and this is as good of a breaking point as any, but I know I will be desperate to return to this world soon.
Lydia Barnes has escaped to a quaint little mountain town in North Georgia after her life in Atlanta has been upended. Her love of sewing brings her to Peridot, Georgia in the Blue Ridge Mountains where there is a local sew shop owned by Fran, a woman she quickly grows fond of. Fran hires her to work at the shop, and even lets her and her beloved dog Charlie move in to the apartment above. Life is going surprisingly well for Lydia and she settles in to a routine quickly. But all that changes when she discovers Brandon, a man she has just gone on a lackluster first date with, stabbed in the neck with a pair of dress shears that came from none other than the sewing shop she works at and lives above. When the police inform her that she's their prime suspect, she sets off on a mission to discover more of this quaint little mountain town's secrets before it's too late... And before anyone else ends up dead.
This cozy little mystery was exactly what I was in the mood for. It only helps that I have spent plenty of time in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia myself, and I found myself lost in the little world that Maggie Bailey created. There were so many unique characters to meet along the way. Even Peridot, Georgia felt like its own unique character that was a joy to get to know. Lydia was a likeable main character and it was easy to relate to her and her emotional reactions to the situations she found herself in. I will say that there are a LOT of references to sewing and if you're anything like me you may end up skimming through a lot of it that you don't understand. However, if you have knowledge of sewing (techniques, patterns, etc.) that may end up being a part of the story that you enjoy the most.
This was an easy, fast moving story that checked all the boxes for a cozy mystery. While I wish the editing was a bit more polished (there were some typos that were overlooked) I found the writing style to be easy to digest and an enjoyable read. I'll be keeping Maggie Bailey on my radar!
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 rounded up.
This series has been such a joy and source of comfort for me over the years. But there was something about this third and final installment that really left me feeling like something was off. Maybe it was the lull about 2/3 of the way through where it felt like no progress was being made on the storyline. Maybe it was the conclusion to a few storylines throughout the series that I felt could have been handled better. One in particular has been building the whole series and it fell really flat for me. Maybe it was the abrupt ending that leaves So. Many. lose ends that it honestly just feels frustrating and unsatisfying. I don't know.
I'm rounding up to 4 stars because the climax of the book was so intense and exciting that it sort of makes up for a lot of shortcomings the rest of the book had. Plus the fact that these characters feel like my own personal friends by this point. I'm really going to miss them, and I'm sad there won't be any more books in the series to look forward to.
A Midwinter Match by Jane Lovering is a quaint, Christmastime romance about Ruby, an employment counsellor for those who are out of work, her struggle with mental illness, and her forced rivalry with her coworker, Zac, as they compete with one another for their job. Their journey together as they try to navigate this awkward situation ends up bringing them closer together than their employers bargained for.
I'm on the fence about this one. The plot is unique and entertaining, but I felt like the writing style was a bit lacking for my taste.
The author's descriptions of scenery and Ruby's internal thoughts were wonderfully written, but the dialog was hard to get through at times. A lot of the characters' conversations seemed to not only drag on much longer than they needed to, but they also seemed unrealistic and flat. Ruby's inner thoughts give her such a robust character that I grew to become attached to, but when she spoke it seemed like all her personality was gone right out the window. There's pages worth of straight dialog, with no depiction of their tone, facial expressions, or really anything else to give an idea of any sort of personality. Occasionally the author will include these descriptions, but with how much dialog there is in this book, I felt I needed more. All this plus a handful of mild typos throughout made it hard for me to really get into this one.
That being said, I really enjoyed the fact that this book, even though it is a romance, didn't have the main character swooning over her main love interest right out the gate. The relationship built up naturally and realistically. I enjoyed how independent she was, even though she was under tough financial stress. I also really appreciated the detailed look into mental health that, as I can personally vouch for, was quite realistic. Ruby's struggle with anxiety is a main theme and I thought it was handled well.
I did enjoy this, and I think this author has huge potential with some work on dialog. It's a good, casual read for those times when you don't want anything too heavy, unless detailed descriptions about panic attacks would upset you. In that case, steer clear of this one. Otherwise I give this one a solid 3 stars.
I WAS PROVIDED A COPY OF THIS BOOK VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
The pacing was a bit too slow for my liking. That being said, the character development being what it is... It makes sense for it to be more slow-moving with a steady pace as opposed to something fast that doesn't allow for as much depth of character. I just found that many parts of the book, especially the beginning, dragged on quite a bit for me. I struggled to connect with the characters at first (and there's quite a few to get to know) and didn't feel like I was really engrossed in the story until about 1/3 of the way through.
Once I got to that point, though, wow! The depth to these characters and their stories is quite impressive. With the amount of things going on it wouldn't be surprising to me if I ended up confused and wondering... Who's this again? Or... Wait, what happened before? But Celeste Ng does an incredible job at keeping things coherent and organized. Plus... HER WRITING Y'ALL. I have so many highlights of just purely beautiful writing all throughout this book. It was so enjoyable to read such beautiful, expertly crafted words describing even the most mundane of tasks. She doesn't take it over the top; it's a perfect balance that works really well for this genre.
I did, however, find that I didn't like the pure convenience of some of these plot lines. No spoilers here... But let's just say there are way too many instances throughout the story that made me stop and say... Hmm. How convenient. Normally I'd let 1 or 2 things slide but there's a lot more than that and it just got irritating after a while.
I'll tell you what, though... After reading this I'm a little more grateful for the life I lead.
I have a very special place in my heart for Italy, so I was really excited to read this. I've taken a little break in reading recently and wanted to start back up with something light and fun that wouldn't be too heavy or too much of a commitment. This was the perfect choice!
The scenery: The magic of Italy was captured perfectly. Before I began reading I had my fingers crossed that the story would do Italy justice and take me back to the summers I used to spend there. It 100% did that. Lina visiting Italy for the first time helped with this a lot, and there weren't many things left out... The beautiful scenery, the eccentric driving, the plentiful curious tourists in the cities but the privacy of the local communities on the outskirts, the fashion, and most importantly... THE FOOD! Pizza, gelato, pasta... It was all there! The magic of this beautiful country was definitely done justice.
The characters: I found that I adored (almost) every character in this book. Even some minor characters that only show up once or twice were surprisingly well-developed. I especially appreciated that at the beginning of the book we are given a look into Hadley's (Lina's mother) character, so while Lina is grieving her we have an idea of the person behind the grief. And I can't talk about the characters without talking about Howard. Trust me. He's the best.
The plot: The idea behind the story is interesting, and it's done well. However, I found that the main twist in the plot was entirely predictable and obvious, and the minor twists throughout were also easily figured out. I'm not saying that every book should have a surprise plot twist, but it's clear this was meant to be a real humdinger of a plot twist, but there's some clues in the first 25% of the book that basically give the whole thing away. There's also a small love triangle situation happening throughout the story with Lina, and without spoiling anything, one of the sides of that triangle felt very flat for me. It seemed as if it was thrown in for the sake of interest, but it didn't really add any interest at all.
The summary: This was the exact book I needed for the stage of life I was in. Even with the negatives, I still found myself sneaking a couple pages at a time. I think that mostly had to do with the setting... How I long to visit Italy again one day! But I found that I wanted to spend time with the characters, too. So while the book didn't blow me away, it left me with a feeling of peace and contentment that was perfect for the season of life that I'm in.
A fun read! The beginning was terribly slow and difficult to trudge through, but it picked up about a third of the way through. There were a bit too many things that would be infeasible in realty, which was incredibly distracting to me. I also didn't find the protagonist to be very well-developed or likable, which is something I feel is quite important for books such as these. But the plot was interesting and grabbed my attention once it really got going, and I sped through from the middle on.
Incredibly well-written and researched. I ate it up in just a couple of days. Books such as these give a much needed dose of perspective of our lives and how wonderful they really are in comparison to the horrors many have faced. The various situations in this book are incredibly heartbreaking, depressing, and eye-opening, but allow the reader to become invested in the characters and their stories. I have a feeling this one will stay with me for a very long time.
A very fun, thrilling read! On one hand, the book sucked me in incredibly fast. From the first page, I was hooked, wanting to know what happened as soon as possible. The mystery was intriguing, but not hard to guess after the first major twist/breakthrough. There were a few twists, however, that surprised me and had me second-guessing my theories.
Being a mother of a 1 year-old definitely affected my view on the book. I believe it helped me connect with the characters, as I can't imagine the horror of coming home to my daughter missing from her crib. That fear and empathy carried me through the book with amazing urgency.
The writing leaves a lot to be desired. Many times, the dialogue felt flat and forced, and the POVs were all over the place, which had the tendency to be confusing. Also, I felt that many of the events that happened were a little too difficult to believe (I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that).
The ending was horrific and very unsatisfying. Added to that, it was incredibly unbelievable. Not only the final event, but everything leading up to it. Maybe the family is made up of a bunch of crazies, but I just don't think people act or think the way they did in the last chapter.
All that being said, it was an enjoyable book that pulled me in quickly, regardless of the flaws. And it definitely made me stop, go to my daughter, and hug her tightly quite a few times.
Harlan Coben has long been a favorite author of mine. He writes subtle wittiness that comes off very naturally, and he has a knack for creating characters that are believable and stick with you well after finishing a book. Six Years was no different. I love a good thriller/mystery that is unique. This one was certainly that; no cookie-cutter formula here. I was left stumped throughout most of the book, and most of the time I felt as if I couldn't read the book fast enough. I was constantly wanting to figure out why all these strange things were happening to the main character.
I did feel as if the conclusion was a little short. I would have liked the story to be a bit more developed, but I did feel as if most of the plots loose ends were tied at the end. Very good book!
I'm normally hesitant to pick up anything YA, since the genre and I don't always get along. However, seeing that the movie depiction is set to be released soon, I felt I had to read the book before seeing the movie. The plot looked interesting and the ratings were good, so I grabbed it. I'm glad I did! Tris was a very interesting character, and getting inside her head was a pleasure. It's refreshing to have such a strong-willed female character in a YA book, and Tris was definitely that! The romance didn't feel rushed, either, and that was also very refreshing.
I really enjoyed the plot. I felt that the concept of the different factions was clever and well-delivered. It's also something that could very well happen to the world, as we do this–separate ourselves into different categories and compare ourselves to each other–even now.
The protagonists were likable, and the antagonists were anything but. More importantly, they were believable, and easy to become attached to. I'm very much looking forward to continuing this series.
A very unique plot that kept my interest throughout the entire book, from the first chapter to the last. The characters were well-developed and the plot went into controversial territory, which I felt Brown handled very well. Kendall, the main character, was likeable and strong and I grew very attached to her. I was a little disappointed about the ending. There was a certain side plot that was obviously going to be explained towards the end of the book, and I felt that explanation fell flat and was thrown in at the last possible second. I enjoyed every other aspect of the book.
I thought this was one of the best plots in the series as of yet. The ending (epilogue) was very abrupt, and was only about a page long, if that. I feel that things needed more explaining, and that Grafton could have put much more effort into it. It was an entertaining read, however, and served its purpose of being light and silly, yet suspenseful.
Looking forward to reading the remaining books in this series! The author writes beautifully, and this is one of the most creative, unique plots I've experienced in a very long time. Verdon succeeded in transporting me to the Gurneys' country home, the conference room, and anywhere else the story took place. His setting descriptions were beautiful, but not bogged down with superfluous adjectives. His characters were very believable. Not one was perfect and put together. They had their flaws, and that's what makes a great character, in my eyes. I'm highly impressed!
Having read [b:Honeymoon 13147 Honeymoon (Honeymoon, #1) James Patterson http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344264180s/13147.jpg 2172512] quite a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Patterson had released a sequel. I highly enjoyed the first book, and Nora Sinclair is one of few characters that have stuck with me after so many years. The plot was very engaging and clever, and the characters were well-developed.I won't say that I was disappointed by Second Honeymoon. I enjoyed the plot, and I appreciated the connection with the first book. However, I will say that I enjoyed Honeymoon more than its sequel. It may simply be the fact that I have “outgrown” Patterson's writing style and have moved on to bigger and better things, but Second Honeymoon definitely left something to be desired for me.
From the first page of this book, I could not put it down. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the plot was impressive. The reason I couldn't put it down was because I was 100% confused, and was determined to figure out the key to all of the craziness coming together to make sense. So if you're looking for a book that will take you on a roller coaster of a plot, this one will fit that category. But a realistic, satisfying plot, you might want to look elsewhere.
This was a typical Nora Roberts book. The plot was very predictable, and I expect the sequels to be as well. Still, it was a charming book. The characters are very complex, and I grew attached to them quickly. Stella and her two boys are a joy, and the friendships she gains are wonderful. It's also a very interesting read for those into gardening. I actually learned a thing or two from reading this book!