Andrea Valcarcel

ARC — Love, Lilly — Belinda Mary

“So when did you know you were in love with me?”
(…) “You want all the details, hey?”
“Every one of them!” (…)
“I seem to recall it was an ordinary afternoon, when you had been dumped by that jerk Zack Petty. And I just looked at you and I knew. And I haven’t been able to shake the feeling ever since.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji

“Love, Lilly” follows Lilly and Oliver, two childhood friends that have been secretly pining for each other for years now. But Oliver is Lilly’s best friend’s brother so nothing can happen between them, Lilly would just never see him that way… right? Until they kinda fall into a fake dating arrangement for a weekend. Fake dating kisses are fake kisses, right? Then why do they feel so real?

This book really did play all it’s card right. Best friend’s older brother? Check. Fake dating? Check. Double pining? Check. Childhood friends to lovers? Check. Dual POV? Check. It was the perfect combination for a cute, lighthearted read—my favorite kind of read lately. The one downfall this debut novel had was that it was the slowest of slow burns, so if you’re a fan of those (which I’m not too much of), then you’ll love this read.

I would recommend “Love, Lilly” to romance readers that aren’t looking for too much spice and like some of the tropes involved—best friend’s brother, fake dating, childhood friends to lovers.

ARC provided by Book Sirens and Belinda Mary in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 21, 2023

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Mixed Signals — B.K. Borison — Lovelight #3

“I know I can be too much, but I think I’m just enough for you.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 5 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Describes beings uncomfortable with one’s sexual experiences. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Mixed Signals” follows Layla Dupree, owner of one of the most prominent town bakeries and one of the co-owners of Lovelight Farms, as she fake dates one of her frequent customers, Caleb Alvarez. Layla is lowkey giving up on love but Caleb talks her into a low-risk arrangement: no strings attached dating for a month so 1) he can convince her that not all men suck and 2) so she can help him polish his dating skills, as women tend to not want more than one or two dates with him. What could go wrong, right? Not much. Unless one or both of them end up inadvertent falling for the other, that is.

No two characters had ever given off such strong chemistry ever. I was completely won over by their banter and how they slowly became more comfortable around each other—oh, and Caleb’s delicate way to address and comfort Layla’s insecurities. They took their sweeeeet time.

I was honestly impressed with the way Layla’s and Caleb’s sexual intimacy was addressed. It was such a unique take on a reality that isn’t frequently displayed: sexual dysfunctions and insecurities—oh, and a string of ex partners that were selfish to a T, but that’s another topic all together.

If I could only recommend one of the books in this series, “Mixed Signals” would be it. It’s sweet and lighthearted and the characters were as lovable as they get. Layla and Caleb will win your heart, I am sure of it.

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In The Weeds — B.K. Borison — Lovelight #2

“I know you came back here because you were looking for your happy. But Evie, you gave me mine while you were looking for yours and I think it’s only fair if I try to return the favor.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses burnout, panic attacks, and racism. Contains explicit sexual content.

We’re back at Inglewild, but this time looking at another duo—“In The Weeds” follows Evelyn St. James, a super famous travel influencer, as she visits Inglewild again, now in looks for a break and her happy, because this was the last place she felt at peace and happy at. But there is one downfall to this idyllic small town—and that’s Beckett Porter, her ex-one-weekend-stand and the now co-owner of Lovelight Farms. The tension between them is tangible, but they’re powering through it because their worlds couldn’t be further apart. Unless, perhaps, their home was meant to be each other all along.

I liked this book a lot more than I thought it would—and I know that sounds horrible, but hear me out. I came looking for a fluff romance and I left with a highly introspective, kinda depressing at times, very deep (and yes, romantic) read. I mean, “In The Weeds” literally had me crying at the gym. I would give my life for Evie and Beckett.

I would highly highly highly recommend this series, but specially I would recommend this book. “In The Wild” brings us that second-chance, small-town romance perfectly, and although it’s part of a series, it could easily be a standalone read. You are rooting for the characters all along, you hurt with them and fall for them. I wish I could move to Inglewood, to be honest.

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“I’m starting to think I made a mistake. When I taugh you how to love.
If you think love means having to sacrifice bits of yourself to make someone else happy. If you are afraid to ask after what you want. Maybe I did something wrong.”

Lovelight Farms — B.K. Borison — Lovelight #1

“Weird that it wasn’t weird.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses parental death, grief, cancer, and cheating. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Lovelight Farms” is the first book in the Lovelight series and it follows Stella Bloom, the owner of Lovelight Farms, a Christmas tree farm in the idyllic small town of Inglewild, as she fake dates her best friend after being caught in a lie. Lovelight Farms isn’t doing as good as Stella originally planned, so when travel influencer Evelyn St. James launches a contest with a $100,000 cash prize, Stella constructs an idea of a happily-ever-after couple building up a small Christmas tree farm and she sends in her application. What she did not expect was to be chosen as one of the finalists and having to conjure that significant other out of thin air. That’s where Luka Peters comes in. They’ve been best friends forever so they can just as easily act as lovers, right? Especially if they’ve been mutually pining for each other for years…

I loved everything about this book. Starting with the town and all its unique residents, then with Stella’s and Luka’s sweet sweet romance, and then ending with the fact that things don’t simply fall into perfect place by the end of this book, but the characters have to work for it and come up with real solutions. It was the perfect refresher after one-too-many nonsensical but perfect happily ever afters. We see the characters grown together and take responsibility for their actions and feelings, it was truly a magical story, can’t wait to see what more B.K. Borison has in store for this small town.

I would highly recommend this book if you’ve enjoyes small town romances like “Beach Read” by Emily Henry or “It Happened One Summer” by Tessa Bailey, or if you like that good old friends to lovers tope. “Lovelight Farms” is a heartwarming story of love and growth and I would give everything to read it for the first time all over again.

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ARC — Pineapple Street — Jenny Jackson

“Oh, no! I left my Cartier bracelet in Lena’s BMW and she’s leaving soon for her grandmother’s house in Southampton!”

Genre: General Fiction
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: N/A
Content Warnings: Discusses grief and death, mental illness and panic attacks.

That one quote, right at the start of this novel, in the Prelude, tells you all you need to know about this almost-satirical story. “Pineapple Street” follows the old-money (rich rich rich) Stockton family, as the members in said family, particularly the ladies, slowly diverge from what’s perhaps expected from them. Live (or read) the lives of the one-percenters in this funny, New York City family novel.

The main reason this book didn’t have as high of rating was because I am not the biggest fan of character-driven stories, particularly when I don’t even like the characters so much. I found Sasha to be the most relatable character at times, but even then, the way these people thought and lived just didn’t sit well with me.

Have you seen or read “Crazy Rich Asians” and loved it, tho? Then “Pineapple Street” is the book for you. If you enjoy stories told through different points of view, filthy rich characters, and character-driven novels, then don’t hesitate and grab this general fiction read.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

Blog Tour ARC — A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon — Sarah Hawley

“Why do you have horns?” (…)
“Why do you have so many questions?”

Genre: Romance, Fiction
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 4 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Mentions animal death and a fire injury. Contains sexual content.

“A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon” is a pretty self-explanatory title, but this book follows Mariel Spark, a witch that was prophesied to be the most powerful witch seen in centuries. Mariel comes from a prestigious magical family, award-winning even, but her magic isn’t as show-y as her parents, specially her mother, had hoped. She’s great with nature and botany, but other incantations? Not so much. That’s why, by mistake, she ends up summoning a demon—yes, an actual demon that’s now set to have a soul bargain with her. Ozroth the Ruthless can’t leave Mariel’s side until he’s completed the soul bargain. So the only explanation Mariel can give her mother when she meets Ozroth is that he’s…her boyfriend? Fake boyfriend that is, but no one can know that—no one can know Mariel’s messed up this bad—at least until she’s found a solution for this whole soul thing.

This book was both comical and captivating, and I simply can’t believe it’s a debut. I literally laughed while reading. Since this novel is written in third person, we get both points of view—Mariel’s and Oz’s—which I loved. I cannot wait to see where this series goes. With complex characters and diverse dynamics between these characters, I could’ve read this book in one sitting. Oh, and Ozroth being so sweet definitely helped.

If you’ve enjoyed series like The Witches of Thistle Grove by Lana Harper and The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, then you’ll most definitely love Sarah Hawley’s “A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon”. With its witchy-fantasy vibes and it’s unique (and funny) close-proximity love story, you’ll be rooting for Mariel all the way.

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Review posted as part of a blog tour.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

ARC — Not That Kind of Ever After — Luci Adams

“It’s our own classy ending to our own classic story, and I now know with absolute certainty that it’s better than any fairytale out there.”

Author: Luci Adams
Narrator: Josie Charles

Genre: Romance, Fiction
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses cheating and contains some self deprecation and slightly unhealthy relationships. Contains sexual content, but isn’t too explicit.

“Not That Kind of Ever After” follows Bella Marble, an aspiring author and current receptionist at a publishing house, as she struggles through her changing life and, after a fit of writer’s block, decides to start writing autobiographical-ish fairytale one-night stands. Little did she expect that she’d go absolutely viral as @B.Enchanted, now she must look for more fairytales (and one-night stands) to rewrite. But this isn’t like her. And most people around her can see it, Bella just isn’t willing to hear it.

This audiobook caught me off guard to begin with. I was not expecting Josie Charles’ British accent but I must say I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Josie’s accent was soft and whimsical and I could surprisingly listen to it at 2.5x speed and still understand what she was saying perfectly (I usually can’t do more than 1.5x speed with a British accent, my ears just aren’t trained for it, I’m sorryyyyy).

This is the weirdest 5-star read. I found Bella annoying but at the same time I loved it? I was down for watching her fail and then redeem herself (multiple times), but I always knew she’d have her Happily Ever After.

This isn’t a closed door romance per se, we know Bella gets down to business a few times but we don’t see much of the details on it, if you know what I mean. It was still a super cute story and I totally see why it’s classified both under romance and under general fiction—it’s a little bit of both.

I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun read about dating in this day and age—with a cute lil’ trope at the end, but not giving that one spoiler away. All you need to know if Bella gets her Ever After with quite a guy.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: March 14, 2023

ARC — Nobody Puts Romcoms In The Corner — Kathryn Freeman

“I get the feeling you’re not a fan of romcoms.”
“Not my thing, no.”
(…) “Love isn’t your thing?”
(…) “Funny thing, love. It’s like the pot of gold at the end of that whimsical rainbow. People want to believe it exists, but evidence shows it’s just a myth.”
(…) “Tens of millions, no wait, hundreds of millions of people would disagree with you.”
“Today, maybe. But tomorrow? I bet a good number of them would find themselves agreeing with me. And the next day, a good number more.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses death of parent, abandonment, emotional abuse, toxic relationships and cheating, and severe gaslight. Contains sexual content.

“Nobody Puts Romcoms in the Corner” follows Sally Thornton and Harry Wilson as they embark on the weirdest of love quests—recreating iconic romcom scenes on social media. Sally is Harry’s landlord of sorts, and after they recreate the Dirty Dancing lift and go absolutely viral, they have no other option but to keep it going. What they did not account for was their in-real-life chemistry. But Harry doesn’t do love. He’s seen enough to know it doesn’t exist… or does it?

This is the romcom book to take on all other romcom books. This romance was all I wanted it to be. With funny and heartwarming romcom references and oh-so sweet scene reenactments, I absolutely fell in love with this book and it’s cluster of characters—I mean, the main characters are named Harry and Sally, need we say more?

This is the perfect romcom book for romcom movie lovers. If you’re looking for an emotional but hopeful romance and are a fan of that sweet close-proximity trope, then “Nobody Puts Romcoms in the Corner” is right for you.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: February 27, 2023

“You once talked to me about bells. Do you think it’s possible you could hear those bells with someone like me?”
(…) “Harry Wilson, what are you trying to say?”
“I don’t know. (…) I just know I care for you more than I’ve cared for anyone.”

ARC — Invisible Strings — Meg Jones

“He knew what he’d done, and judging from that look, he knew I knew, and he was finding some sort of sick pleasure in the fact.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 4 fire emoji
Content Warnings: As given by the author—Explicit content throughout, open doors scenes, recent loss of parent, medication use, brief scene of illness, a panic attack, a grief and depression arc, and brief mentions of unintentional weight loss and inconsistent eating due to grief.

“Invisible String” follows Olive Davis, a high school art teacher, as she tries to work with her teacher archnemesis, Ben Bennett, to save both of their after school programs—the art club and the Mathletes. They have never been friendly but the tension is evident between them so, after a social night at a bar, the obvious solution was a one night stand.. little did they know that they could work so well together. Will they look past their differences (and the fact that they’re both running for the same promotion) and finally work towards a same goal without too much fighting? Or will they let their clubs be cut from the after school program?

Ben and Olive’s banter was so fun and refreshing. It had been a while since I’d enjoyed bickering so much. I also absolutely loved that this was not a super slow burn—we were not left high and dry until 75% into the book, no—Meg Jones promised and, oh, did she deliver (pretty early on with that one night stand, thank God).

This debut novel truly hits it out of the park, with its enemies to lovers dynamics and it’s interesting personal growth story lines, this book will have you wanting to finish it in one sitting. “Invisible String” was personally tailored for those who love music as well, with the chapter titles being songs and the book itself having a playlist of said songs—if you like mellow and angsty music by artists like Taylor Swift, Lizzy McAlpine, Maisie Peters, girl in red, and Phoebe Bridgers, then definitely grab this read.

Ultimately, if you’ve enjoyed books where main characters are fighting for the same promotion and like that enemies to lovers trope, think “The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne or “The Make-Up Test” by Jenny L. Howe, then you’ll absolutely adore “Invisible String”.

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ARC provided by the author, Meg Jones, in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: February 28, 2023

“Only to see if you work that mouth as well as you do when we argue.” (…)

“Seems I have some expectations to live up to.”

ARC — Too Wrong to Be Right — Melonie Johnson

“Do you think he loves her because of, or in spite of, how awful she is?”

“Both. (…) I think when you love someone, you love them inspite of their flaws, but at the same time, it’s their flaws that make you love them even more. It makes them real. Makes them yours.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Revolves around a funeral home. Discusses death, loss, trauma from past relationships, and neglectful parents.

“Too Wrong to Be Right” follows Kat Kowalski, a florist with the dream of opening up her own and unique flower shop, and Mick O’Sullivan, one of the owners of a local funeral home. After a tumultuous run-in during a funeral service, the pair become friends—friends who feel oddly attracted to each other. But Kat has sworn off these kinds of connections. Her hunches always lead to Mr. Wrongs and now she’s set on finding Mr. Right. But what if Mr. Right on paper isn’t right for her, while Mr. Wrong in theory is?

This was one of the funnest reads I’ve had in a while. This lighthearted, strangers-to-friends-to-lovers romance was something else. Through this book you’re introduced to various groups of friend and two wonderfully quirky families—oh, and two unique pets—and I was there for it. I actually wish I had had more time with them. *cough cough* Please make this a series Melonie, I am begging you.

If you’re looking for a friends to lovers romance, think “Beach Read” by Emily Henry vibes, then “Too Wrong to Be Right” is exactly right for you.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: February 28, 2023

P.S. CCC Nights are a mood and right up my alley, lowkey wanting to implement this with my gym rat friends.