Emira
I love this book.
Other than it being so flippin' cute, I just really saw myself in Hazel. Tbh, I was gonna bump it down to 4.5 stars because of the surprise pregnancy trope but I loved Josh & Hazel too much to do that.
Anyway, love love love!!! Probably my fav read of 2021 so far!
Edit: bought a physical copy because i NEED to see it on my shelf.
“She could feel his heart pounding, or maybe it was hers, or maybe they shared hearts now.”
Take A Hint, Dani Brown was wonderful. Dani; a strong, and intellectual Black bisexual witch was exactly how I expected her to be. I loved seeing her grow and learn about her self-worth. Her fear and apprehension towards relationships were completely justified but she was brave. So, she overcame that— she learned to love and be loved in return.
Zaf; a beautiful and kind Muslim man who loves reading romance (aka my ideal man). He was always so patient with Dani and loved her so much. But he also had goals for himself and wanted so badly to move on with his life after the tragic passing of his dad and brother. I loved seeing the representation of mental illness and how he used his experience with it to help others.
Dani & Zaf were amazing together. Their chemistry and banter would either make me sigh in delight or laugh out loud at their absurdity. They were both quick-witted with their quips so their back and forths were usually very funny. I just loved how much they loved each other. In the end, they just wanted to make the other smile.
“For trans and nonbinary youth. You're beautiful. You're important. You're valid. You're perfect.” I knew I was going to love Felix Ever After by the dedication alone.
I don't read a lot of character-driven narratives but this was a good one. Felix questioning his identity really struck a cord with me– his internal dilemmas and anxieties on how he should feel, his pain and who he is felt real.
I was so happy that he was able to embrace love and himself in the end.
It was sad. It was funny. It was hopeful.
Will Mariana Zapata ever stop making me feel things? I doubt it.
For once, I liked the heroine more than the hero. Might've been because I could relate to Diana or maybe who I'd want to be. She was so kind– sometimes a little too kind– but she always stood up for the people she loved. I also liked that she cried a lot. I do that too!
Dallas was just a soft boy who just wanted to be loved and love in return. I think he chose the best person to do that with.
My only gripe, although it's a small one, is that I didn't feel the connection between Diana and Dallas the way I did with Aiden & Val (Wall of Winnipeg and Me) or Rey & Sal (Kulti). Don't get me wrong, they were really cute together but there was just something there that lacked a little.
Anyway, Louie and Josh were adorable and I absolutely loved them. Louie, especially, had me laughing out loud throughout the entire book. I think they were the highlight of the book for me. I also really liked seeing how Diana raised and interacted with them.
Every scene that cameoed our favourites from Kulti and The Wall of Winnipeg and Me made me so happy. I just read both books but I'm already thinking about when I'm going to revisit them.
There were a few moments that made me cry a lot. But there was also a good amount of humour to compensate afterwards.
cw: lost of a loved one, suicide, abuse
“You suck.”
“You suck even more.”
I loved From Lukov with Love so much. Their gradual hate-to-love relationship was realistic and didn't feel forced. It definitely felt like Ivan loved Jasmine from the very start though. Every time one of them called the other their best friend I wanted to scream because it was so cute.
I liked that they were so similar but they also evened each other out. Jasmine was, putting it mildly, stubborn and hot-headed. Ivan was calm and cool– unless he was with Jasmine then he was Satan. I enjoyed seeing how competitive ice skating was and how much work it took to be great at it (it's also one of my favourite Olympic sports). Their banter was so funny and I loved how honest they were with each other.
Their families! Aaaah they were so kind and supportive. I love big families. But there was also a bit of drama there. I really felt for Jasmine's anger towards her dad.
Ivan was an adorable sweetheart with a cold exterior. Now that I think about it... so was Jasmine.
From Lukov with Love? More like From Enemies-to-Best Friends-to-Love
4.5 Meatballs
I loved it. I don't think there's anything I could say that hasn't already been said. It's 5:30am and I couldn't put this book down till I finished it. I just really loved it (and obviously, I cried)
Note: I actually DNFed this book my first try reading it. But I'm so glad I decided to pick it up again.
Sigh. I knew what was going to happen at the End but I didn't want to believe it.
I'm still a little sad. But it was a really wonderful read.
It was really nice reading about the interconnectedness of the people in this universe– the parallels in their stories.
I loved their Solar Systems and the way they loved Mateo and Rufus while they grieved the boys.
Mateo and Rufus; they were so different in the beginning. But the way the bonded and became friends felt so easy. The way they spoke honestly about anything and everything. The way they came into their own, even on their Last Day. So much happened in (less than) 24 hours, but they loved and lived.
First book for pride month!
I also think this is my first sapphic romance? CRAZY. It was so cute, i loved it.
It's enemies-to-lovers + fake dating + 1 bed trope... what more could I ask for, really? Irene and Scottie were adorable. Their banter was great (sometimes a bit too mean but I'm a bit soft). I love Irene SO MUCH.
I loved the side characters so much. HoneyBelle and Gunther were favs
I love Bree and Archer so much. Their chemistry was so well done! They literally spoke their own language.
Archer. Sweet, silent Archer. He deserved so much in his life. I'm happy he got there in the end. Not just as he found his place in the world, but how he found himself. He started off as a grumpy hero (we all know I love that trope) But as I learned more about his past, I realised that he wasn't grumpy, he was wounded. But he overcame that, and like Bree, I loved him for it.
Bree. She was kind to everyone and held her tongue when she couldn't be. She was strong and resilient. She knew what she wanted and didn't waiver. There was something in the way she loved Archer so fiercely that made me want to cry. I knew Archer loved her too, of course. But, ah, the way she loved him. It broke my heart.
The character development was really well done. I loved the side characters. Although they didn't add to the plot, they added to the story, if that makes sense.
Lastly and most obviously, I have to acknowledge the last few chapters because Mia Sheridan did me so dirty with that one. Not gonna go into too much detail but my emotions were all over the place.
Verdict: Archer's Voice made me want to move to a small town and fall in love.
TW: abuse, alcoholism, attempted rape, shooting
I love this book so much, I could cry... scratch that— I actually did cry at some point (surprise, surprise!)
Enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, what more could I ask for? And in true Mariana Zapata fashion, this was a slow, slooooow burn. But it was so worth the wait.
Kulti and Sal's relationship was formed from equal admiration for one another. They relied on each other, they pushed each other and at the end of the day, they were a team, as Kulti so aptly pointed out.
Sal is stubborn and kind. She makes a genuine effort to not be an asshole to anybody but she also doesn't let anyone push her around. I like that she was honest (not counting omitting the truth on certain occasions). She loved her family and I loved her for it.
Kulti is the swooniest hero. Under all the grump, he was just a giant softie. The words he said to Sal when declaring his love? I screamed. He's the hate-everyone-but-you sort of hero; the I'll-give-you-the-world-or-watch-it-burn-trying sort of hero. To add icing on the German chocolate cake, he was HER hero.
Never meet your heroes, friends... unless they're a Kulti then you're probably the luckiest person on earth.
I give this one a 5 out of 5 tacos.
