Tag Archives: St. Martin's Press

ARC — Artifacts of an Ex — Jennifer Chen

Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Mentions dementia. Contains some romantic content, but no explicit sexual content.

“Artifacts of an Ex” follows Chloe Chang, a budding art curator, as she channels the pain of a breakup into “Heartifacts,” an art exhibit showcasing mementos of past relationships (both hers and others). And in comes Damoel Kwak, to shake things up. He crushed on Chloe and Chloe claims to be over her ex, but he’s sure she’s not—and he’s not willing to become just another rebound, not when it comes to her. With a clever mix of humor, emotional depth, and cultural nuances, the book explores themes of love, loss, and self-discovery.

So, I’m not the only one with an “Ex Box” apparently. “Artifacts of an Ex” strikes the perfect balance between comedy and deeply emotional times, making it a memorable read. Fans of Jenny Han and Emily Henry will appreciate the mix of romance and personal evolution—I know I did.

With its themes of artistic expression and rediscovering love, “Artifacts of an Ex” is an ode to the transformative power of creativity. It’s a perfect read for anyone who’s ever held on to a keepsake from the past, wondering what it still means.

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

Publication Date: November 14, 2023

ARC — Friends Don’t Fall in Love — Erin Hahn

“I write words for a living. Words that people all over the world use to access their feelings. But right now, with her, I’m speechless.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Mentions gun violence and shootings. Contains explicit sexual content.

It seems like I’m in my music industry book era, and I’ll stand by it. “Friends Don’t Fall in Love” follows Lorelai Jones, a singer-songwriter that was ousted of Nashville and the whole Country scene after performing a protest song against gun violence, and Craig Boseman, her ex-fiancé’s ex-band member and now indie music producer. They’ve been friends on and off for a very long time, always evading the what-ifs of what their relationship might become if they let it.

Bringing us back and forth through different timelines, and giving us two different points of view, Erin Hahn definitely knows how to keep us on our toes. One thing to note, tho, is that this book has a lot for internal monologue, so if that isn’t your vibe maybe you won’t love it as much as I did. Funny, because I’m not overly enthusiastic about long internal monologues, yet I was fascinated by Lorelai’s and Craig’s minds and inner turmoil. I mean, they’re songwriters, for God’s sake, of course their minds were fascinating.

I would highly recommend this book for those good, ol’ Country music lovers. Also, if you’re looking for a friends-to-lovers slow burn that eventually turns spicy-packed, then “Friends Don’t Fall in Love” is for you.

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

Publication Date: October 17, 2023

ARC — Maybe Once, Maybe Twice — Alison Rose Greenberg

“Maggie, you have to at least look like you care. It’s your thirty-fifth birthday, not your funeral.”

“Feels a little like my funeral.”

Genre: Women’s Fiction
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Touches on heavy subjects like sexual assault, death, infertility, and suicide. Contains some sexual content.

What are the chances that you’d be promised true love not once, but twice? “Maybe Once, Maybe Twice” follows Maggie Vine, an aspiring singer, as she reconnects with two very important men in her life—men that, at different points of her story, she promised to marry if she turned 35 and they were both still unwed.

Told through shifting timelines, we get to see life through Maggie’s eyes at different stages of her adulthood—and even childhood. Alison Rose Greenberg’s writing is engaging and entertaining while not getting the timelines so tangled up you get confused; the back and forth just feeds your curiosity to see how it will all turn out in the end.

I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it so much, actually, that I read it in less than 24 hours, I just couldn’t put it down wondering who Maggie would end up with. I would highly recommend this book if you’re a reader that enjoys your romantic fiction with heavy subjects, lots of flashbacks, and alternating timelines.

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

Publication Date: October 3, 2023

“I was thirty-five, and the road less traveled was officially a dead end.”

ARC — Cleat Cute — Meryl Wilsner

“Oh yeah, you were absolutely one of those formative celebrities, you know? Like, I didn’t know if I wanted to kiss you or be you. (…) Both, it turned out.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Touches on toxic relationships and friendships. Discusses injuries and bullying. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Cleat Cute” follows Phoebe Matthews, a rookie soccer player who’s just been called in to potentially be part of the national team, and who serendipitously (and flirtatiously) becomes friends with benefits with her biggest rival, but also her biggest role model growing up, her team captain, Grace Henderson. But here’s the thing, Grace wants nothing to do with relationships, and least of all with a team member.

Although it went with a slower start, I absolutely loved this read once the pace picked up. Both Grace and Phoebe were such complex characters, packed with raw emotion and that drive that only competitive sport players have—it was truly inspiring (and oh-so spicy).

I would highly highly recommend this read if you’re looking for a sapphic sports romance with some very well-executed enemies with benefits. 10/10, would not change a single thing about this novel.

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

Publication Date: September 19, 2023

ARC — Thank You for Sharing — Rachel Runya Katz

“House Rules:

1. Meet: Friday nights (…) at Prohibition

2. Anything said here stays here

3. No toxic masculinity

(…) And thus, the Speakeasy Survival Club is born.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Mentions death of a parent, cancer, and discusses sexual assault. Contains sexual content.

“Thank You for Sharing” is comically full of mishaps and screw ups, and I was there for it. Told in the third person, we get to see various points of view, making this novel even more engaging. “Thank You for Sharing” follows Liyah Cohen-Jackson and Daniel Rosenberg, two childhood frenemies that run into each other in their late twenties and are forced to collaborate in a project that is very important for both of them, for different reasons.

Liyah’s and Daniel’s text flirting was the absolute sweetest—I just loved how Liyah teases him, their chemistry was so palpable throughout the whole novel. The different ways they live and celebrate their religious believes, the way they found their chosen family through their friend; I simply wouldn’t change a thing about this novel.

I would highly recommend this novel if you’re looking for a sweet childhood friends to strangers to enemies to lovers romance read.

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

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

Publication Date: September 12, 2023

ARC — Tilly in Technicolor — Mazey Eddings

“I just want to write something that makes people feel seen.”

Genre: Romance, Young Adult
Actual Rating: 5+ stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Displays gaslighting, miscommunications, and explosive fights.

“Tilly in Technicolor” follows Tilly Twomley and Oliver Clark, two neurodivergent teens that are summer interns at Ruhe, a new eco-friendly nail polish company. They are off to the summer of their lifetimes, traveling through Europe and learning more about themselves—and each other.

I think I had never liked a clean, YA novel as much as I loved this one. Both Tilly and Ollie and every single side character won my heart over. Tilly’s coming of age is moving and the way she stands up for her dreams despite her fears and her parent’s disapproval really moved me.

I cannot recommend this read enough. Grab “Tilly in Technicolor” if you’re looking for a sweet, clean romance with neurodivergent characters. Also, anyone up for a trip around Europe? Because that’s what this book is serving, it is most literally the perfect summer read.

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 and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: August 15, 2023

ARC — The Summer Girl — Elle Kennedy — Avalon Bay #3

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses cheating and an almost forced abortion. Deals with a narcissistic parent. Contains explicit sexual content.

“The Summer Girl” follows Cassie Soul, an almost senior university student living it up in her last summer before college is over. She hasn’t been to Avalon Bay in ages but is back for one last summer with her grandmother, who is selling the hotel that has been in the family for decades. All Cassie is looking for is a summer fling, she just wants some fun and a great summer. And so in comes Tate Bartlett, a sailing instructor and perfect fling material—except he feels the chemistry he has with Cassie is too precious and so pushes for it to stay platonic… but with feelings this strong, will they be able to not cave into the attraction? And beyond that, if they do, will it even stay as a summer fling?

It is not secret I’m a huge fan of the Avalon Bay series, and Cassie’s story definitely didn’t disappoint. Elle Kennedy comes back to this coastal town as spicy as ever and I was there for it—the only caveat was Cassie’s mother, whose narcissistic tendencies really seemed outlandish and straight-on annoying. I was mad half the time but I was also giddy and giggling half the time, so take that as it is.

I honestly cannot recommend the Avalon Bay series enough. “Good Girl Complex”, “Bad Girl Reputation”, and “The Summer Girl” bring in the perfect summer-y series. With mostly likable characters and worthy heroes and heroines, this romance trilogy with captivate your heart, no questions asked.

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

Publication Date: July 18, 2023

ARC — Play to Win — Jodie Slaughter

“ “Six.”
The age she was when she met Leo Vaughn.
“Thirty-one.”
Like the day in July she’d kissed him for the first time.
“Fourteen.”
The number of wildflowers he always brought her, two more than a dozen to make up for the fact that he couldn’t get her store-bought ones.
“Twenty-one.”
The most times he’s told her he loved her in one day.
“Fifty-eight.”
The number of days it had taken her to leave the house again after he’d left.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Revolves around abandonment. Touches on infidelity and death of parent. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Play to Win” follows Miriam Butler as she reunites with her estranged husband, Leo Vaughn, in hopes of getting a fast divorce after winning more than 200 million dollars in the lottery.

I was lucky enough to get ARCs for both the book and the audiobook, and I absolutely loved it. Lacy Laurel was the perfect voice for Miriam and for this novel, I can’t believe I hadn’t heard her narrate any other books before.

Jodie Slaughter’s “Bet on It” was amongst one of my favorite books last year. It was charming and spicy and so well-written. “Play to Win” brings exactly that to the table. I just couldn’t give it a 5-star rating because of the nature of this second chance romance—I’ll blame it on my abandonment issues, but leaving your spouse for 8 years just isn’t right under any circumstance and with no explanation, there is no redemption after that. And getting reunited after she won the lottery? I don’t know… was he aiming for her or the money? If I were Miriam, I wouldn’t know—and that’s all I could think about throughout.

Don’t hesitate to grab “Play to Win” if you’re looking for a fast-paced, spicy romance novel. The characters are likable and almost relatable if you can imagine yourself winning literally hundreds of millions of dollars in the lottery.

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

Publication Date: July 11, 2023

ARC — Hello Stranger — Katherine Center

“My experience of all this so far was the opposite of the woman who felt like face blindness let her live in a world that had no strangers. For me, right now, everyone felt like a stranger. Even me.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Discusses parental death and congenital disease. Revolves around face blindness caused by an open brain surgery. Touches on bullying, gaslighting, and suicide attempts. Contains sexual content.

“Hello Stranger” follows Sadie Montgomery, an almost-up-and-coming portrait artist (or so she hopes), as she faces the world with acquired prosopagnosia—aka face blindness. Yes, you heard that right: a portrait artist that can’t see faces after undergoing a sort of elective brain surgery 6 weeks before the most important portrait competition she could’ve ever dreamed of being a part of.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors but oh, did I not see this one coming. Katherine has once again brought us a whole new world with such an outlandish (but also possible?) situation. Like, this book was literally Murphy’s Law brought to life (anything that can go wrong will go wrong), and I was there for it.

With quirky and lovable characters, “Hello Stranger” was a very interesting take on how to take one day at a time, even when life feels like it’s falling apart. It’s a true ode to the harsh truth: we’re more than our looks and our mistakes. Also—this book is only set down as a Romance novel, but I swear it is more of a Rom Com if I’ve ever read one, Sadie and the situations she got herself in made me literally laugh out loud. I also kind of saw where the plot twist was coming, but that didn’t make me enjoy it any less.

I would highly recommended “Hello Stranger”, especially if you’re looking for an engaging, unique read, with a super relatable main character and packed with a well carried out (low-key funny) love triangle.

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

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

Publication Date: July 11, 2023

“I’d painted many models over the years, and it was never nerve-racking like this. But this was different. Usually the models were across the room, not right up next to me. (…) And they were not people I had kissed. Or yelled at. (…) Or cried in front of.
They were always strangers.
That’s when I realized that (he) wasn’t a stranger.
I didn’t know exactly what he was to me, but he wasn’t a stranger.”

ARC — Going Bicoastal — Dahlia Adler

Genre: YA, Romance
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Touches on subjects like scars and self-harm. Describes the aftermath of the divorce of parents.

“Going Bicoastal” is pretty much about what its title implies—a bisexual teenager having to choose between spending the summer on the East or the West Coast of the United States, both options bringing on their own adventures and challenges. Yes, you’ve heard that right. Natalya Fox is a 17-year-old that could either stay home in NYC for the summer with her dad and pursue the girl she’s been crushing on or spend the summer with her estranged mother in LA. Finding it hard to decide, both summers play out in alternating timelines, with LA bringing an unexpected boy into the picture.

I am absolutely on my knees for this book. It is not often I find books that portray bisexuality the way I’ve felt it and lived it and I was so happy to find Dahlia Adler’s portrayal of bisexuality through Natalya really spoke to me. told through alternating timelines, this book is perfect to read in one sitting (trust me, you’ll want to). I mean, you’re getting two romance stories for the price of one, literally nothing could go wrong.

I would highly recommend “Going Bicoastal”, especially if you’re not afraid of reading about young women who aren’t scared or ashamed of their sexuality and religious beliefs. These were some beautiful coming-of-age stories, and how I would love to read it all again for the first time.

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ARC provided by NetGalley and Wednesday Books/St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: June 13, 2023