The book started on a bad note (for me), with excessive info dumping on numerology and some "facts" which I honestly could not careless for. DNF @44%
The book started on a bad note (for me), with excessive info dumping on numerology and some "facts" which I honestly could not careless for. This was done even before the prologue. The prologue was decent but when the tarot card stuff came in- it became a huge turn off for me.
Another point that made me dnf it was the slow pace. I can handle slow pace paired with time travel (I thought it was going to be similar to Outlander- boy was I wrong) but the pacing and narrative was so boring and dull I could feel it sucking the life out of me. I could not keep forcing myself to read it any further.
It's also YA- which I have no problem with; but this one seemed like Wattpad writing; heavily focused on the kind of clothes, hairstyle, etc etc which again annoyed me. I also didn't like any of the characters- they have no personality and are bland to the core!
eARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Am sorry y'all, I tried. It's simply not for me. The book starts off well. The first 12% had me curious. But then it just dragged on and on aDnf @45%
Am sorry y'all, I tried. It's simply not for me. The book starts off well. The first 12% had me curious. But then it just dragged on and on about the same issues. The book is slow paced. At first I thought it was possibly because the author is setting up the stage, but it kept getting slower.
The dystopian world building is mediocre. I think it had a lot of potential, but the author could not execute it well enough. I am still confused about the maristags, there's very little clarity. It gets way too descriptive at times, and the inner monologues never seem to end.
The FMC seems cold and shallow- there's no emotion to her. The author tries to present situations where the FMC is supposedly highly sensitive about, but it comes off as bland. Her persona is dull and lazy.
Cause the publishers and authors are presenting it in similar limelight to the Hunger Games, it's only fair for me to point out Katniss Everdeen was anything but bland. Katniss was actually full of energy and motivation, she was focused and despite the conditions she knew how to hold herself up. The FMC (I can't even remember her name) in this book is simply a sob story, and there's a point when it becomes frustrating for the reader. The world building in the Hunger Games is presented brilliantly and clearly. This one is all over the place.
I'm not sure if I want to read any other books by this author in this future but for now, there's a long way for her to go and I wish her the best.
eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review....more
"I feel as though I started loving you the moment I took my first breath, and I'll love you more each night until I take my last. You are forever my k"I feel as though I started loving you the moment I took my first breath, and I'll love you more each night until I take my last. You are forever my king, in this life and the next."❤️...more
I simply did not care for the characters, the plot is just written in a bland manner, the characters are flat. Story within a story? KMN. Y'aDnf @35%
I simply did not care for the characters, the plot is just written in a bland manner, the characters are flat. Story within a story? KMN. Y'all made it seem like such an interesting read, but am sorry it just did not work for me. I found myself skimming through it and I just had to stop.
Also, the author being an aboriginal person, you would think she would pay attention to stereotypes but no that wasn't the case. It was disgusting to read and had no place in the book. I take it as a reflection of her own thoughts and her or anyone making excuses for the "characters' personality" is not a good enough excuse❌ Honestly, it does make me question how y'all chose to ignore that. I will not be reading any books by this author in the future.
eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review....more
"I kissed him like nothing mattered. No, I kissed him like he mattered. Like we mattered."
✅Fake dating ✅Reality TV ✅Sports romance
It's such a fun and"I kissed him like nothing mattered. No, I kissed him like he mattered. Like we mattered."
✅Fake dating ✅Reality TV ✅Sports romance
It's such a fun and cute read. I was hooked from the beginning. The plot is super fun and so interesting, I enjoyed it so much. It's swoon worthy. The drama in it is chef's kiss ...more
So.. mixed feelings about this one which is why I rate it 3 stars. Good plot, weak execution with lot of potential.
Plot- 3.5/5 Spice- 1/5
Tropes- SeconSo.. mixed feelings about this one which is why I rate it 3 stars. Good plot, weak execution with lot of potential.
Plot- 3.5/5 Spice- 1/5
Tropes- Second chance, small town romance, love triangle.
The plot revolves around Sawyer, who's runaway from his ex girlfriend's wedding (hence the title- Runaway Groomsman), after causing a scene which is caught on camera he decides to settle in temporarily in a small town where he meets Fallon, with whom he had a bad dating experience.
The writing is pretty good, but could be better. It's written in dual POV- Sawyer and Fallon's. Some of the parts had just too many dialogues between Jaz and Fallon and it got kind of boring.
Sawyer single handedly carried this book for me. Reading his POV and reading about him from Fallon's POV just made me admire him so much. He's such a likable character. From the moment I read the prologue till the epilogue Sawyer stayed charming. Honestly, Fallon came off as bland to me compared to him. The supporting characters - Peter and Sully are full of personality and equally likable. Jaz is a complex character, there are parts where I liked her and there are parts where she was simply annoying and needed to be smacked in the head (sorry not sorry).
What did not work for me? The plot was clearly set for a slow burn, especially cause we see Sawyer putting in so much effort to get to know Fallon and yearn for her so much. Whereas Fallon did not put any effort to get to know him and she immediately switched to "I love you." All the chemistry and tension was carried out by Sawyer and Fallon was just there. She did not pine for him. She did not yearn for him. She didn't match his chemistry and when she said "I love you" it genuinely came out of nowhere and from slow burn it became insta love.
Another thing that put me off was the constant swearing. I can handle ample amount of cussing in books but once you start to take God's name in vain it is a massive turn off for me. I hope Meghan Quinn (if she ever reads this review) realises that she is a talented writer and using 'Jesus', 'Christ', 'Goddamn' repeatedly (annoyingly) doesn't make you hip, it's seriously not required.
Lastly, the drama that happened with Annalise towards the last 20% of the book. Was it required? Absolutely not. The last 60% of the book was written in a very rushed manner which didn't sit well with me.
If this is something that interests you I would say go for it, you might end up enjoying it more than me. I would say it's worth giving it a shot only because of Sawyer. I really did admire him. I'll look forward to reading more of the author's works.
eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review....more
I don't know what I read. But as the Germans say- Das war ein griff ins klo (That was a grab into the toilet) which is exactly what this book Dnf 31%
I don't know what I read. But as the Germans say- Das war ein griff ins klo (That was a grab into the toilet) which is exactly what this book was...more
Dnf @12% ⚠️ I don't think I've ever DNF a book this fast. Reasons- 1. It's just poorly written. 2. The author writes female characters in a demeaning wDnf @12% ⚠️ I don't think I've ever DNF a book this fast. Reasons- 1. It's just poorly written. 2. The author writes female characters in a demeaning way. It's just so uncomfortable to read. 3. A personal advice to the author- You don't need to or have to bring down an entire religion or its followers or be blasphemous to make your book popular.
eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review. I'll never pick up a book from this author again and will not recommend it to anyone....more
If you want to read a historical romance with A LOT of spice and forced marriage, then don't hesitate. There seems to be an age Plot- 3/5 Spice - 4/5
If you want to read a historical romance with A LOT of spice and forced marriage, then don't hesitate. There seems to be an age gap as well but their ages aren't mentioned. The plot although intriguing, isn't unique. It's a fast paced read which you can finish in one sitting. I basically devoured it. And the spice is so good y'all. It's so well written.
Raff is a duke who is possessive and obsessed with making Evangeline his. He's basically a sort of character who gets what he wants. He's portrayed as a bad guy but is a marshmallow at heart. He's totally smitten with Evangeline at first sight.
Evangeline is a basic shy girl, who hates Raff's guts. She's in love with another man. And that's her WHOLE personality. I didn't like her as much, I would've liked to see more character growth.
The chemistry between the two is good enough.
I would've liked that the author had built more on Malcom's and Benedict's story even though it's clear we're going to get their stories next in the series.
Overall, an pretty good read. I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up to four.
eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review....more
A decent read. Expected it to be much better but was bit of a let down.
We have vampires, found family, slow burn romance (poorly done), fake dating aA decent read. Expected it to be much better but was bit of a let down.
We have vampires, found family, slow burn romance (poorly done), fake dating and one bed trope. We also have the "Who did this to you" storyline (nicely done)...more
It's got romance, spice, drama, an actually engaging plot that keeps the reader hooked and wanSO MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT I EXPECTED!!
Plot- 5/5 Spice- 3/5
It's got romance, spice, drama, an actually engaging plot that keeps the reader hooked and wanting for more. I honestly did not want this to be over.
The plot is pretty simple but the way it's written makes it so special. The pace is fast moving and very smooth, so you'll never get bored of it. The characters are full of personality, especially Adelaide- who's battle with her morals and struggles with money, sibling relationships are shown so well. Jack is HOT, the liking to his character totally depends on the reader. Declan is a typical douche who's battling mental health issues (but what he did to Adelaide is still inexcusable). All the three main characters have battles of their own and depth to themselves.
Adelaide and Jack's relationship is so full of chemistry. I found myself rooting for them almost immediately. If you are into age gap romance and fake dating with a bit of spice, this is the one for you. Don't hesitate to pick this one up. This does have a slight vibe similar to the Fifty Shades of Grey but it's not that extensive (there's a contract but no BDSM). You'll find yourself rooting for the couple pretty soon.
The author has written this remarkably well and I'll be looking forward to read more of her works in the future.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and would recommend!
TW- Blackmail, suicide, sexual themes, age gap romance, mental illness, loss.
eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review....more
Let me start with the fact that someone had to die in this to make it interesting. The story was messy, as the book proceeds the story loses focus froLet me start with the fact that someone had to die in this to make it interesting. The story was messy, as the book proceeds the story loses focus from the core plot. It gets mixed up with other storylines and tropes.
Ruby is self conceited character, which I could not relate to. Plus her gang constantly tries to scam people. Red flag!! Could not sympathize. I did not warm up to her throughout the book. Nic is a and good hearted fellow. His character had so much potential. I would have liked to see momentary flaws but he's too perfect. Plus that whole horny at first sight, didn't resonate with me. Although, the connection between the two is alright, but it comes off as superficial. The dialogue exchanges between them is gag-worthy; it's fake and completely unrealistic. I could not help but cringe.. Ever thought of eating a whole jar of honey in one bite? Yeah, it's like that.
The author tries to make the story emotional towards the second half of the book, which was a decent read compared to the first half. But I could not invest myself into it by then. The ending was alright but predictable. The writing holds a lot of potential, if the dialogues get better. There is some good humor in this at times, I won't deny that which does nothing for the book as a whole (for me). There are some genuine cute moments as well, when the characters actually talk realistically, which was very rare to see in this book.
Overall, it was a let down, and I did try hard to like this but it is what it is. If you want an overly sweet story with no thinking involved, this is for you.
eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review....more
Intriguing plot, but lacks depth and originality. It is very clear that the inspiration behind this book was 'The Silent Patient', which in turn made Intriguing plot, but lacks depth and originality. It is very clear that the inspiration behind this book was 'The Silent Patient', which in turn made this book seem like a fanfic in my opinion. While it's not completely similar to the Silent Patient, there are HEAVY similarities between the two. I could not help but compare the two the whole time I read this.
The pace of the book is not too slow which I liked. The characters lack depth to themselves, especially Jess. I understand the author wanted Jess to be mysterious, but she just came off as uninteresting. Her back story is written in a very dull manner. Oscar was okay, I think in a different setting or storyline he has potential to grow. The 'plot twist' at the end did nothing for me. I was not shocked and I did not care. Why? 'Cause the WHOLE book keeps going back and forth between TWO questions solely- 'Where's Mia?' and 'Why won't Jess talk?'. It becomes HEAVILY repetitive, to the point you actually stop caring about both. Another thing that becomes tiring for the reader is going back and forth between 'Then' and 'Now' timelines. That was a bit too much.
The author's writing isn't too bad, I see a lot of potential for the future, which is why I give the book three stars, instead of two. There is a lot of room for improvement in the book. If anyone wants to read this, you can give it a try but I would recommend you read Silent Patient instead. But despite that, I would definitely keep an eye on the second book in the series and see what the author has in store.
eARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review....more
The book started off well but soon went downhill (like within 10 chapters). The author's execution of the storyline was simply not up to the mark. TheThe book started off well but soon went downhill (like within 10 chapters). The author's execution of the storyline was simply not up to the mark. The characters are bland, their is no personality, no chemistry between them. The plot is boring and you'll eventually get tired and annoyed reading about the chicken who FYI is named 'Chick Chick'. Trixie is very unlikable and unrelatable. She's not like any other girls, she's quirky...more