Tag Archives: Humor

ARC — One Tough Cookie — Delise Torres

Author: Delise Torres
Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Narration: 5 mikes
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses abortion and cheating. Touches on abandonment and childhood trauma. Contains explicit sexual content.

“One Tough Cookie” follows Karina Cortés, an employee at a cookie company who is set on being single forever and not needed no man ever, as she meets and falls for—reluctantly—for Ian Feliciano, one of the new mechanics at said cookie company.

First off let’s start with the narration of this audiobook: it was absolutely immaculate. I had high expectations because Stacy Gonzalez narrated one of my favorite audiobooks in 2021 and oh did she not disappoint. However, some actual subject matters throughout the book weren’t it for me, hence the star rating.

Expect spoilers in this review. I’m going to be a tough cookie about this but gosh was the main character, Karina, annoying and unreasonable. She was the definition of what not going to therapy and a ton of abandonment issues will do to you, multiplied by 100. Packed with a surprise pregnancy which I hate, and then followed by an abortion which I don’t love reading about—this was a hard one.

Letting that shitshow slide, I actually really liked the writing style and the spicy scenes. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what Delise Torres publishes next, it was just “One Tough Cookie” wasn’t entirely my vibe. It left me more mad than it left me happy, if that makes sense.

Grab this book if you’re looking for a steamy work place romance packed with a female main character that is afraid of commitment and treats a perfectly decent man like he is worth nothing.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

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

Publication Date: July 18, 2023

ARC — Open Up — Alex Woodard

“These are tears of unexpected anger.
Anger at what’s happening to her. Anger at the heaviness that buries me in the past, because that’s the only place I can still find her. Anger at my inability to build a bridge between the chasm separating me and these Polaroid versions of me. Anger at my anger, when I have so much to be grateful for.”

Genre: Memoir, Humor, Nonfiction
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Content Warnings: Mentions death, dementia

“Open Up” follows the author, Alex Woodard, and how he grows (as a child actor/line-memorizer, as a singer-songwriter) and fucks up and gets better and deals with his family and relationships and heartbreak and lowkey childhood trauma.

This memoir was wonderfully written, it was almost poetic. I really enjoyed the pictures at the end of some chapters (especially the Skippy one, I’m sorry).

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes funny memoirs or slice-of-life literature, especially if they have an interest in dementia and how it affects family members even in the most subtle of ways. No, dementia isn’t really the main topic here, but it’s like it’s been interwoven into the essential fabric of this memoir. Either way, it’s a really good book.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can pre-order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

p.s. the chapters “Emily” and “The Sender” absolutely destroyed me. What a beautiful letter, what a beautiful song.

Publication Date: November 20, 2020