Tag Archives: St. Martin's Press

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

The Co-op — Tarah Dewitt

“When you have a bad day ma fille, think about it from beginning to end. Walk your way through it. Was it really a bad day, or was it a few bad moments? What part of your day would you like to hold onto before you close your eyes? Find that good bit, and let it be the thing you go to sleep to.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses unsupportive parents, death of family members, cheating, and abandonment. Contains explicit sexual content.

“The Co-op” follows LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds, two ex-summer lovers as they reunite years later when they’re left with their grandmothers’ inheritance: a broken-down Santa Cruz building, which they now co-own, that once held a ton of love—including their short-lived fling. But they don’t have the money to renovate and sell said building… Well, they kind of do, but LaRynn doesn’t have access to her trust funds until she’s married, and that she is not. Until she is? LaRynn agrees to marry Deacon for the sole convenience that they’ll be able to remodel the place and sell it for a profit, and then definitely part ways. Sounds simple enough, right?

This was such a cute read. I didn’t resonate as much with the characters as I did with “Funny Feelings” but that didn’t keep me from sniffling at some parts and giggling at others. Home renovation books aren’t my favorite, but these two made it bearable—you could clearly see LaRynn’s and Deacon’s chemistry from a mile away.

I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy that good, ol’ marriage of convenience trope and who are looking for a fast read that’ll end in a truly spectacle happily ever after.

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Funny Feelings — Tarah Dewitt

“I don’t know what I believe in as far as a higher power, Fee, but I know that I now believe that rainstorms always precede something amazing because you came into our lives on the tail end of one.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 3 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Discusses parental death, dysfunctional and unsupportive parents, bullying, and ableism. Describes a panic attack. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Funny Feelings” follows Farley (Fee) Jones, a standup comedian, and her manager, Meyer Harrigan, a retired comedian who had absolutely stepped out of the spotlight due to personal reasons—but that was until he met Fee. Seeing her talent, but most of all, looking at her compassion, Meyer takes her on and is set to having her succeed… even if that may mean fake dating her for a while, just to create some buzz around a tour Fee might potentially be an opener for.

Fake dating, double pining, and found family all wrapped up in a stand up comedy setting? Sign me up. I can’t believe I didn’t read this book sooner, as this niche read was specifically catered for me.

Objectively speaking there isn’t a third act break up in “Funny Feelings”, yet I was most literally sobbing with this read. With just one book, Tarah Dewitt has pretty much become an instant-buy author for me. With humor and grace and a little slow burn, Dewitt has built a world where you can feel nothing but sympathy for her characters. I cannot wait to keep going down her backlog books.

If you like stand up comedy and that good, ol’ fake dating trope, grab “Funny Feelings” immediately, it is exactly what you’re looking for.

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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 — The Plus One — Mazey Eddings — A Brush With Love #3

“I’ve known Jude my entire life. He lived on the same block as us growing up, and he and Collin were best friends from the jump. But he and I have always been, like, these fundamental opposites. Even as a kid he was serious; had a certain sharpness about him. And I was nothing but soft spots. (…) And he and I fought all the time. And it was always about the silliest stuff. A snarky comment, a mean look, breathing too loud . . . I could always get under his skin, and I kind of loved it. It meant he saw me.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 5 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Describes and discusses panic attacks, medical trauma, and war and PTSD. Contains explicit sexual content.

“The Plus One” follows Indira Papadakis and Jude Bailey, two childhood frenemies that are forced to walk down the aisle—not of their own wedding, but of Collin Papadakis’s, Indira’s brother and Jude’s best friend. Not only that, but they’re actually all living together for the few weeks before the wedding, for various reasons. Will they be able to coexist around each other? Or will their bickering ruin the party, perhaps even before it starts?

Jude was so haunted by his experiences as an emergency doctor that it killed me, Indira was so set on dealing with her emotional baggage that it inspired me. When I thought Mazey Eddings couldn’t make me fall in love any harder for a set of characters, she gave me “The Plus One.”

These novels all technically work as standalone romances, yet they’re part of a series because they take place in the same world, revolving around a mismatched group of (rather lovable) friends. Indira was never a friend of the group that stood out to me—Lizzie was my fave from book one. But gosh, Indira had my heart on her sleeve about 20 pages in.

Enemies to lovers isn’t my favorite trope, but this was carried out so perfectly I am reconsidering my biases. This was a 5-star read all-around. No beating around the bush with that.

“The Plus One” will be one of my most recommended romance read of 2023, so grab it. No need to hesitate. You’ll love this one, even if you haven’t read the other books in this series. Even if, like me, enemies to lovers isn’t your favorite set up.

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

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake — Mazey Eddings — A Brush With Love #2

“You don’t understand what a privilege it is to know you. (…) You don’t understand how it changes a person to hear you laugh.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 4 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Revolves around an unplanned pregnancy. Describes and discusses panic attacks, living with ADHD, and very emotionally abusive and gaslighting parents. Contains explicit sexual content.

“Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake” follows, well, Lizzie Blake, a baker with ADHD, after a one-night stand ends with her being pregnant. But one-night stands are her thing and they definitely used a condom… an expired condom, that is—hence the baby that’s now growing inside of her. And so in comes Rake, the one-night-stand-turned-baby-daddy, who is an Australian businessman that is offered the opportunity to move to the States. Rake decides to move across the globe and is eager to take on the responsibility of being the father—but Lizzie doesn’t do relationships, and least of all under these conditions. So they’ll be friends and coparents and ignore the definite spark that keeps growing between them.

This book broke me. It absolutely shattered me. Seeing how people treated Lizzie because of her ADHD and life decisions tore me apart. Rake was literally the perfect bundle of Australian sunshine that Lizzie needed to bring structure and, most of all, understanding to her life. I am not the biggest fan of unplanned pregnancies in books but holy did I love this read. This trope was carried perfectly, I don’t see how Mazey Eddings could’ve made this book any better.

I would highly highly highly recommend this series in general, but if you were to read only one book by Mazey Eddings, then definitely let that be “Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake.”

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A Brush With Love — Mazey Eddings — A Brush With Love #1

“No one doubts you constantly do your best. We all admire you so much for how hard you work. But some days, your best can be a B, and some days your best can even be a C, or some days, it could mean doing nothing at all but just breathing.”

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emoji
Content Warnings: Describes and discusses panic attacks, mental illness, and death of parents. Contains explicit sexual content.

“A Brush With Love” follows Harper and Dan, two dental students, as they literally crash into each other’s lives. Harper is in her last year of school, while Dan is just a first-year student—but they’re roughly around the same age… that’s because Dan didn’t even want to be a dentist to begin with, but that’s a longer story. This pair immediately clicks but Harper is set on not being distracted for her last semester, she must end this perfect run with a perfect GPA, no matter what that might mean for her mental health.

I loved that this book was more than just a romance—it tackled topics from mental health to emotional abuse and gaslight by figures of authority, such as parents—but that’s also what made it a bit iffy for me at times. I couldn’t see Harper’s behaviors as things actual people would do in real life, but I guess that’s what fiction’s for, right?

I would recommend this book to readers looking for a sweet romance and who aren’t to off-put by the topic of dentistry. I can openly admit that I wasn’t that interested on the dentist school portion of this novel—but I was also willing to withstand some anatomy lessons in order to see Harper and Dan’s happily ever after.

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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 — 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.

ARC — The Second You Are Single — Cara Tanamachi

Genre: Romance
Actual Rating: 4 stars
Spicy Meter: 2 fire emojis
Content Warnings: Mentions miscarriages in the second trimester, childhood cancer, and cheating. Discusses fat shaming and abandonment issues after divorce and other negative romantic experiences.

“The Second You Are Single” follows Sora Reid, a freelance writer who pitches the concept of ‘Solo February’ after a series of negative dating experiences. Little did she know that it would go viral and that, in the middle of all of it, she’d run into her childhood best friend, Jack Mann. Jack, who is now a pastry chef, had the hugest crush on Sora growing up, and can’t wait to reconnect. But Sora can’t. Solo February, and all… They’ll have to wait ‘till March. Sure, that’s plausible. Unless they don’t.

Well, having been in a stable relationship for the last 7 years, I thought I wouldn’t relate that much to the Solo February challenge, but I was a tiny bit wrong there. This was still a very fun and empowering read, having Solo February branch into self cafe rather than just having it be a men-ban.

I loved all the representation in this book—from different cultures and ethnicities, to different bodies. I did feel like they went a little overboard with Sora’s love for bacon, it seemed satirical at best, but if I kind of block that out this book was near perfect. We got to see how Sora and Jack reconnect and get to know each other as adults, we see the tension and chemistry build, this wasn’t exactly some unrealistic insta-love story.

I would highly recommend this book. It feels like the perfect Valentine’s or Galentine’s Day gift, so definitely add it to your wishlists and TBRs!!

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

Publication Date: January 31, 2023