Tag Archives: 4.5 stars

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 — 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.

Behind the Scenes — Karelia Stetz-Waters

“Yes, I’m passionate about you.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses parental death, a car accident, scars, toxic relationships, panic disorders, and mental illness. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Behind the Scenes” follows Rose Josten, a business consultant, and Ash Stewart, a movie director, as they try to pitch a movie and not act on their instant attraction for each other. But the more time they spend together, the more said attraction becomes less of a concept and more of a reality. With a bunch of whimsical characters, this novel will capture your heart before the director can say “Cut!”

This was a wild read, to say the least. It describes ASMR videos to a point that made me uncomfortable and Ash and her aversion to human touch was a bit off-putting to me, but in the end I learned to love every single character and pup in this novel. Rose’s sisters were one of the absolute highlights of this story. I loved how every character was complex yet flawed, making it as realistic as this could get.

I would highly recommend this read if you like sapphic romances. This could actually be a really good introductory romance for new sapphic romance readers. This book left you with so much lessons beyond just who you love and get intimate with. It was a fun and unique read with a ton of character growth and I can’t wait to read more from Karelia Stetz-Waters.

I read this book for the Chick Lit Is The Shit (CLITS) Book Club (@clitsbookclub on instagram) February Buddy Read event!

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ARC — Make A Wish — Helena Hunting — Spark House #3

“Have faith in the power of true love, my dear, it conquers all.”

Author: Helena Hunting
Narrators: Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Narration: 5 mikes
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses age gap relationships, parental death, death during childbirth, dysfunctional relationships, and gaslighting. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Make a Wish” is the third and final installment in the Spark House series, and it follows the youngest Spark sister: Harley. She used to be a live-in nanny for a toddler named Peyton, but that was until she tried to kiss the girl’s widowed father, Gavin, and they upped and left to the other side of the State. Harley never saw them again, she moved on to work with her sisters in their boutique hotel, and that was that. Until Gavin and the now 9-year-old Peyton move back and they naturally reconnect. Will Harley get over what happened years ago and be able to move on to what the future could hold? Or will her embarrassment win this time around?

Hear me out: this book is part of a series, yes, but it works so so well as a standalone novel. And you can trust me with this one, because I have not read any of the other Spark House books and I was not only able to understand what was going on, but I was able to love the novel and all the characters as a whole.

And then when it came to the narration of this ARC audiobook—it was simply perfect. Stella Bloom’s voice was soft and really expressed Harley’s quirkiness, and Jason Clarke… Oh, Jason Clarke. His voice was so so deep. It was absolutely immaculate. I recently found out all the other audiobooks for this series are narrated by this pair and I can’t wait to get my hands on those.

The age difference and change in power dynamics was a bit weird, I’m not going to lie. I sometimes doubted Gavin’s intentions and really thought all he wanted was another live-in nanny. Also, that 9-year-old acted more like a 5- or 6-year-old, it got to be a bit annoying, yet I still honestly enjoyed this book—hence the aaaalmost perfect star rating.

I can’t speak for the rest of the series, but I would highly recommend “Make a Wish” if you’re looking for a romance that leans more towards the complex. Touching topics like childbirth death and losing both parents at a young age, this is a bit of a heavy read—but it still finds ways to be heartwarming.

If you enjoy age difference and second chances at love, then “Make a Wish” is most definitely for you.

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

Publication Date: January 24, 2023

Something Wilder — Christina Lauren

“I had to let you go once, (…) you think I’m letting that happen again?”

Author: Christina Lauren
Narrated by: Christina Lauren, Patti Murin, and Jon Root

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Narration: 4 mikes
Content Warnings: Discusses parent death, murder, and kidnapping. Describes hiking and violent injuries. Has explicit sexual content.

“Something Wilder” follows Lily Wilder, daughter of a notorious treasure hunter, and Leo Grady, her first (and, really, only) love, as they are reunited by chance in the middle of the wilderness they adored. A series of events sends them through the treasure-hunting trip of a lifetime. This is definitely an adventure you don’t want to miss.

Have you ever wanted to tackle a lovers-to-estranged-enemies-to-lovers trope book? Well, here’s your chance. “Something Wilder” will take you on horse rides and hikes that only few get a chance to see, all while reuniting two soulmates that only drifted apart due to distance and miscommunication.

I liked the narration of this audiobook, but it took me a few chapter to get used to Leo’s voice—it just wasn’t my cup if tea, but then I learned to love it. If you’re going to grab this book, definitely consider listening to it as an audiobook, it helped the visualization aspect for me, which in this adventure book was a plus.

This wasn’t my favorite Christina Lauren book, both plot- and spicy-wise, but I still enjoyed it truly. I found it weird that the villains could rationalize truly insane behaviors, it almost had a cowboy-soap-opera feel to it. The bad guys were just ridiculous.

But either way, if you’re looking for an outdoorsy romance that has its fair bit of adventure, treasure hunting, and code breaking, then “Something Wilder” is for you.

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A Lot Like Adiós — Alexis Daria — Primas of Power #2

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses serious family fights and abandonment. Has very explicit sexual content.

“A Lot Like Adiós” follows Michelle Amato and Gabriel Aguilar, two childhood best friends who had an almost hookup and then never spoke again. Gabe moved across the country, Mich went for a career in their home city. But then in an unexpected turn of events, 13 years after their fallout, they end up working on together on a project—and obviously, the sparks still fly.

Anyone remember how my first review on this blog was about Alexis Daria’s “You Had Me at Hola”? Well, I’m back with the sequel-ish’s review. And what I mean by sequel-ish is that this book really wasn’t about Jasmine and Ashton, which was a real disappointment. I bought “A Lot Like Adiós” swearing I’d get more of than Jashton goodness, but that wasn’t the case. So, no, this isn’t a sequel, it’s just an adjacent, standalone novel that takes places in the same “universe”, if you will.

It’s good, tho. It’s fun and quirky and you get these flashback of sorts, it’s lovely. It was very spicy, but the spice wasn’t as great as between Jasmine and Ashton if you ask me, hence the 3 fire emoji rating.

Mich and Gabe were cute, don’t get me wrong. They just weren’t what I was looking for. I’ve legit spent a year trying to get into this book and I was just never in the mood. I don’t regret grabbing it, but I just wouldn’t recommend it as highly as I did the first book in this series.

I would recommend this read if you’re a sucker for second-chance romance and those childhood best friend rekindled loves. But if you’re just looking for a romance, grab “You Had Me at Hola” instead.

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ARC — Never Ever Getting Back Together — Sophie Gonzales

“I love you, too, by the way.”
“I thought you didn’t do love.”
“There’s a lot of things I thought I didn’t do.”

Genre: Young Adult, LGBTQIA+
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Gaslighting, toxic relationships, and cheating are a big thing here. Also, definitely some biphobia and all-round douchebag-ery.

“Never Ever Getting Back Together” follows Maya and Skye as they participate in a new reality TV show called Second Chance Romance, where they’re both competing for their ex-boyfriend’s, Jordy’s, heart. But here’s the thing, back in the day, Jordy cheated on Maya with Skye—and then spread fake rumors about Maya, and how he had actually broken up with her but she turned into a low-key stalker. That’s why Maya’s on the TV show, not for Jordy’s heart, but for revenge, while Skye does seem to have some noble intentions… Until sparks start flying between two characters, and none of those is the dumbass Jordy.

First off, if you’ve been here for a while, you know I’m a big Taylor Swift fan (aka a swiftie)—so it should be no surprise if I tell you that the main reason I was called to click on this book was because of its title, and its title alone. Now, on to the actual review.

This is the first book by Sophia Gonzalez that I have ever read but she has been a long-standing member of my TBR list—and I’ll definitely be grabbing those other books real soon.

I don’t even know how to begin to explain “Never Ever Getting Back Together”. I really like books that are set in a reality TV setting, even though I’m not a big reality TV watcher myself, and this story was honestly all I’ve been wishing to read in one of those for a long time. But if there is one thing I would’ve changed about this book was making it more PG18, rather than PG13. Just for the sake of the plot, which has the characters being in their late teens and early twenties, it just felt weird that this was a YA book.

Disregarding that, I really enjoyed the story and, above all, Sophie Gonzales’s writing. Her writing style is descriptive without being overwhelming, and it has a lot of organic, long conversations. I love when I can really see when the characters fell in love, not just some insta-love trope. (Also, it helped that I absolutely loved Maya).

Maybe its because I’m impartial to the enemies-to-lovers trope, but I just a really enjoyed this read. I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for some sapphic, reality-TV-inspired novel.

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

Publication Date: November 29, 2022

“Me and Maya, we’re a good example of how first impressions don’t always set the tone for the rest of it.”

Any Way the Wind Blows — Rainbow Rowell — Simon Snow #3

“This thing between us didn’t start with us dating. It didn’t even start when you kissed me. You’re in me so deep, I wouldn’t know how to dig you out. I may get fed up with you… But, Simon, I’ll never get tired of you.”

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBTQIA+
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Magical violence, death of parent, animal death, murder and murder attempts. Discusses mental illness. Also, has more sexual content than the other books, 10/10.

“Any Way the Wind Blows” follows our already loved wizards (and not)—Simon, Baz, Penelope, Shep, Agatha, Niamh—as they fall apart and then come to terms with their changing realities, as they visit Watford again. It’s a sweet ending to an action-packed series.

Originally I did not start reading Rainbow Rowell in search of fantasy and magical stories, I started reading her YA romance novels and that’s when I ran into “Fangirl” and fell in love with Cath and her world, yes, but I also fell for Simon Snow and the other characters Cath wrote about. So, when I heard Rainbow had published Simon’s book it was insane. Then make that a trilogy. It’s been precious.

Simon is such a teenager, I love it. This has truly been a coming-of-age triology. The second book, “Wayward Son”, was not my favorite, but the series redeemed itself with its third installment. There are a few things that were left up in the air and that kills me, given it’s the last book, but I still appreciated this closure.

If you’re a Harry Potter fan but don’t want to give J.K. Rowling royalties anymore, definitely grab the Simon Snow trilogy. It’ll have all the magical goodness you crave (with a lot more spice and queerness).

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ARC — Built To Last — Erin Hahn

“On Sunday, I cut off all my hair.
Lyle said trim, so I get a bob. Not just because of Lyle. I wanted a definitive way to show the world I wasn’t that girl anymore. I don’t cry on cue, I don’t take shots of tequila in club bathrooms, I don’t flash my underwear on the red carpet, and I no longer let men make my decisions for me.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Deals with alcoholism, insecurities, cheating, parental neglect, and Hollywood trauma.

“Built To Last” follows Shelby Springfield and Cameron Riggs, two childhood costars and lovers, after they’re reunited years later to take part on a home renovation show that’ll change their lives. Since their childhood show (and their breakup), Shelby hit rock bottom and moved back to Michigan to help in her father’s home reno business, while Cam got his college degree and joined Nat Geo, traveling around the world all alone. When their other former costar, Lyle Jessup, calls in to pitch them HomeMade, a new home renovation show, they don’t say no to that pilot, but aren’t too sure about everything else. Working closing with your ex you still love? Kind of a slippery slope to travel—but they’re set on tackling it.

This second-chance romance is the sweet break you’ve been waiting for. With some close proximity and mutual pining, Shelby’s and Cam’s love story is a somewhat slow-paced one, but one that’s worth the wait.

This is the first time I’ve read the “one room/one bed” trope where, in fact, they don’t end up sleeping in the same bed, and nothing actually happens throughout it. It was weird, and perhaps refreshing, being so sure something would happen, and then it didn’t.

The one thing I didn’t like about this book was it’s spicy content. The intimate scenes were weird and climax kept being described as a feeling of bonelessness, and that just really threw me off. Not that Shelby and Cam don’t have chemistry, because they do, it’s just those moments felt weirdly described to me.

All in all, I really enjoyed this read. I would recommend it specifically if you’ve enjoyed other reality tv show-ish books, like “For Butter or Worse” by Erin La Rosa, or if you just like those kinds of show in real life. But even if you’re not the biggest fans of these kinds of shows, like me, “Built To Last” is a cute, relatively short, lighthearted, second-chance romance with a HAE that’s definitely worth grabbing for this fall season.

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

Publication Date: October 18, 2022