Tag Archives: 1 fire emoji

ARC — Double-Decker Dreams — Lindsay Macmillan

“Back up and start at the beginning.”
“The beginning. (…) It goes like this: I fell in love this morning.”

Genre: General Fiction, Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses sexual harassment and uncomfortable working conditions.

I didn’t love how accents were written on the page (“Just go talk to ‘im, what d’ye have to lose?”? Yeah, that’s a no for me), but I was able to ultimately look past that and enjoy this sweet sweet love-at-first-sight romance.

This book is sold as only that—a romance, and a general women’s fiction read—but in my opinion it should be labeled under comedy as well, this was a big rom com for sure. The way Kat had these idealized conversations in her head were just hilarious and although yeah, it touched up on some inner, bigger problems, in true Lindsay Macmillan fashion apparently, I still think it was a bit more lighthearted than her debut romance novel, “The Heart of the Deal”.

I would recommend this read if you struggle with idealizing your partners or crushes and are looking to see that reflected in a main character—Kat was far from perfect (aren’t we all?), but it was so fun to follow her through her adventures in crowded London in search for her bus prince Alexander—spoiler alert, his name wasn’t Alexander and he wasn’t even from London either. Overall, this was a very entertaining read, it didn’t disappoint.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

ARC — All the Right Notes — Dominic Lim

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Displays homophobia, transphobia, outing, and sexual assault. Describes cheating and death of a parent.

“All the Right Notes” follows Quito Cruz, a piano player and composer, as he follows his father’s wish to put on a magical performance for a charity event in his small hometown. In doing so Quito gets back in touch with his past—a past that goes by the name of Emmet Aoki, a past that really hurt Quito and might’ve even stole his inspiration. But the thing is that only with Emmet, a now famous star, will Quito be able to put on the performance this event deserves, and so he must overlook said past and present chemistry to work this through. Here’s hopin’ Quito will come out of this unscathed.

So, I ended up hearing about this book thanks to “Behind the Scenes” author Karelia Stetz-Waters and God was it a worthy recommendation. Told through two different timelines, the then and the now, Dominic Lim has brought to life a heartwarming queer story for all Broadway and musical lovers. How is this even a debut novel? This is insane.

I want to make clear that even if you don’t know much about music and choir and Broadway, you can still most definitely enjoy this book—but obviously if you’re a musical fan, don’t hesitate at grabbing this book. Additionally, I would highly recommend this read if you’re a fan of that double timeline writing and of some nostalgic, second-chance romance.

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ARC provided by Forever in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 6, 2023

ARC — Girls Like Girls — Hayley Kiyoko

“And one day you learn: it’s not that you’re not like other girls.
It’s just that you’ve never met a girl like you.
And then, you do. You meet her.
And suddenly the songs make sense.”

Genre: Young Adult
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses parental death, suicide, and hate crimes. Describes homophobia, and emotional and physical abuse.

Girls like girls like boys do, nothing new, right? Well, this was something new for some. “Girls Like Girls” follows Coley after she is forced to move to rural Oregon after her mother’s death. Things are as bad as they can get when she meets Sonya and everything immediately clicks into place. But being together wouldn’t be wise, so repressing it will be the way to go… Until it isn’t.

In all honesty, this YA novel would’ve been exactly what I needed in high school, and I think that’s what hurt the most. This story was healing in a way that only people who somewhat struggled with their sexuality will probably get, but I am so so thankful this story is being told.

This book, based on the viral song by this very own debut author, was both heartwarming and heartwreching. Hayley Kiyoko’s writing voice is wise but at the same time childish; exactly what you’re looking for in novels with teen-aged main characters.

I would definitely recommend this read. If you’re looking for a short, coming-of-age queer book, then look no more—“Girls Like Girls” is exactly what you’re searching for.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: May 30, 2023

ARC — Someone Else’s Bucket List — Amy T. Matthews

“She assumed it was what all old women did. Had sisters who plonked themselves at your kitchen table and annoyed you, from the cradle to the grave. It had never occurred to her that cancer might get in the way.”

Genre: General Fiction
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses grief, cancer, and death at a young age to a very impactful detail.

“Someone Else’s Bucket List” follows Bree and Jodie Boyd, two sisters who may have been complete opposites but who ultimately loved each other for who they were. Bree was a travel influencer, who was completing a bucket list before she was diagnosed with cancer and sadly succumbed to it. Now, with 1 million followers waiting on Bree and surmounting unpayable medical debt, Jodie receives the task to finish of Bree’s bucket list and if she does, said medical debt will be payed off. It’s a no-brainer, right? Bree has to finish this bucket list, if only to feel closer to her sister—even if one of the remaining items is falling in love, and how the hell is she supposed to do that?

I felt so much while reading this book—I cried, I laughed, I was lowkey very anxious as I identified deeply with Jodie. Overall, this book was a rollercoaster and I enjoyed almost every part of it. I’ve been mostly reading romance this year, so it was honestly impressive how this book caught my attention even without the upfront romance factor. The characters were lovable and the read truly entertaining, it read like it would be a really awesome movie.

Are you looking for a women’s fiction read focused on sisterly love, life after loss, and jumping out of your comfort zone? Then “Someone Else’s Bucket List” is perfect for you.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: May 23, 2023

Chef’s Kiss — TJ Alexander — Chef’s Kiss #1

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Displays homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and deadnaming. Describes medical care after gender-affirming surgery. Contains some sexual content and references.

“Chef’s Kiss” follows Simone Larkspur, a pastry chef working on a culinary magazine, her literal dream job, when said magazine sets to branch out to video and other platforms. Really? After years building up recipes for this magazine, Simone is forced to step into the limelight with a new coworker, Ray Lyton. As they go viral and work closer together, so does their relationship change—but Simone can’t share her feelings with Ray. They’re coworkers, after all.

This is the first TJ Alexander book I’ve read, although they’ve been highly recommended to me by both friends and the endless stream of Instagram posts praising their writing—well, in my opinion this hype is totally justified. TJ Alexander has built an amazing world, full of diversity and speaking from a place too close to reality—where cooking and recipe platforms have displayed so much discrimination and, honestly, simple gaslighting. It was truly refreshing to read this new voice and I can’t wait to see where this series is going.

Are you looking for a book centered around cooking videos and shows, in the style of Tasty’s Make It Fancy or Epicurious’s 4 Levels series, and that has a beautifully queer love story? Then “Chef’s Kiss” is for you.

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Re-Read — Catching Fire — Suzanne Collins

“You know, you could live a thousand lifetimes and not deserve him.”

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Too many content warnings to name, this book is about children being forced to kill each other, most literally against their will. Contains some romantic content, but nothing sexual.

“Catching Fire” follows Katniss Everdeen once again, a year after she’s been crowned victor along with her “star-crossed lover” Peeta Mellark, after the last Hunger Games took an unprecedented turn—a turn that seems to have ignited the start of a revolution.

Oh my God, now I remember why this book was always my favorite of the trilogy. “Catching Fire” is extremely suspenseful, ending with the twistiest of plot twists. We get to meet a ton of new characters that win your heart almost immediately, we get some more Katniss and Peeta frenemies ensamble, and of course, we get the action-packed show that this series by Suzanne Collins always guarantees. Good thing we now have both all the books and all the movies to resort to after finishing this “Catching Fire” re-read—I still remember how anxious I was waiting for the third book, “Mockingjay” to be published, back in 2010.

I would once again recommend either reading this or re-reading this book ASAP, it is the superior one out of this trilogy and the movie, in this case, truly can’t compare.

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Re-read — The Hunger Games — Suzanne Collins

“Here’s some advice. Stay alive.”

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Too many content warnings to name, this book is literally about children being forced to kill each other, most literally against their will. Contains some romantic content, but nothing sexual.

“The Hunger Games” follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old who volunteers to participate in a yearly, deadly, pointless, televised competition that pins down 24 teenagers against each other until only one victor remains. Why does she volunteer, you ask? Well, because her little sister, who’s only 12-years-old, had been randomly chosen as that Games tribute and she couldn’t simply let her die. As simple as that.

I rated this book at 5 stars back in 2010, and now, almost 13 years later, I will do it again this was an absolute amazing 5-star read. If I could’ve read it in a single sitting, I would’ve—all the characters are either extremely lovable or extremely easy to hate, so emotions are high and the adventurous, wildly dystopian world that is described does not disappoint. I am rereading this series to get ready to 1) read the prequel and then 2) watch the movie of said prequel, and I just must say that I am so happy I re-grabbed these books.

I would recommend either reading this or re-reading this book ASAP, the movies are pretty similar to the books but it’s a complete different experience—in the movies we see the world as a whole, while in the book we see the world through Katniss’s eyes (which is so so much better, in my opinion).

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ARC — Queried Sick — Dallas Smith

“But I can’t keep running from things. I can’t run from you. I don’t want to. I want to be with you. I want to be a person who deserves you.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Low-key centered around the pandemic and quarantine. Discusses unhealthy family dynamics, biphobia, and parental death. Chronic illness and anxiety representation. Contains some sexual content.

“Queried Sick” follows Oliver Wheeler and Ezra Beaumont as they meet virtually, during quarantine, and kind of trauma bond over it. Ezra is a traveller now stuck in the city he hated the most due to the pandemic, and Oliver is the guy who’s tasked to train Ezra at his new job at a publishing company—a job he has no experience doing. Slowly, a friendship forms… a friendship that has all the possibility to turn into something more.

Oh God, can Ezra and Oliver and their bad literary quotes be any cuter? I don’t think so. This book brought me back to the days of Covid, which wasn’t something I loved, but it was definitely something I needed. It also brought me back to my days of being in a long distance relationship, which weren’t my fave but they got me to where I am today and I owe it that.

Are you looking for a queer, workplace and kind of enemies-to-lovers romance that’s hella adorable while still touching on tough topics? Then “Queried Sick” is exactly for you.

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ARC provided by Book Sirens and Dallas Smith and Wordsmith Literary LLC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

ARC — The Last Word — Katy Birchall

“This job is not your be all and end all. It’s a job. It’s not who you are.”
“That just goes to show you don’t know me at all.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Deals with gaslighting, cheating, and horrible working conditions.

“The Last Word” follows Harper Jenkins, a celebrity journalist, as she tries to coexist with a new editor, Ryan Jansson, who was hired for at magazine she works at… just that Ryan isn’t too new to her—they were both interns at the same paper a decade prior, and following a whirlwind romance, have barely talked since. Will they collaborate, ignore each other, or perhaps fall into old habits? That’s for you to find out and for Katy Birchall to tell.

“The Last Word” will be amongst one of my favorite reads this year, I can feel it. It reminded me so much of one of my favorite books (“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Read), although it was following a vastly distinct story.

The use of alternating timelines kept you on your toes, and the characters, both main and secondary, were all so unique, relatable, and intriguing. Set in London’s journalism scene, I genuinely wanted to know where this story was going at all times.

With it’s second-chance, enemies-to-lovers romance, “The Last Word” will capture your heart in a beat. Also, if you enjoy workplace romances, like “The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne, I would absolutely and highly recommend this read. It’s a bit of a slow and dry burn, but the conclusion is oh-so sweet, it’s worth it.

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

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

ARC — French Holiday — Sarah Ready

Author: Sarah Ready
Narrator: Kelsey Navarro

Genre: Romance, Fiction
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Mentions parental death and disappearance. Discusses sexual assault, terminal illnesses, and abandonment. Contains some sexual content.

“French Holiday” follows Merry DeLuca, as she moves to France in an attempt to escape the fact that Merry’s little sister just married Merry’s best friend and unrequited love for years. Little did she know that her stay at her aunt’s old castle came in a package deal—Merry was being forced to coexist with Noah Wright, the best man at her sister’s and best friend’s wedding, and her lowkey archnemesis. Well, an archnemesis she thinks she hooked up with during said wedding? But oh well, that’s a story for another time. Together Merry and Noah will not only make the castle livable again, but they will try to uncover the truth about the castle’s history and its previous owners.

Let’s touch on the narration first—at first I thought I had never heard a book narrated by Kelsey Navarro, and oh have I been missing out, but it turns out I was wrong. Kelsey Navarro has actually narrated some of my favorite books, like All The Feels by Olivia Dade, it was just her voice variations are so spot-on that I didn’t even recognize her. Without her voice and inflections, I don’t think this book would’ve been half as fun as it was.

Now moving on to the actual story. If you’ve been following my reviews, it is no secret Sarah Ready is one of my new favorite authors. Her Josh and Gemma series have most definitely defined my year. So perhaps take my opinion on “French Holiday” with a grain of salt.

That being said, I absolutely loved this story and audiobook. Is it objectively unrealistic? Um, yes? But isn’t that what we’re looking for in fiction sometimes? “French Holiday” was a lovely enemies to lovers romance that carried along a fun mystery on the side. Set in Franch (duh), this is the perfect summer read if you’re looking to escape reality for a bit. I would highly recommend this audiobook.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: April 26, 2023