This book...*sighs* This book is just everything that is right with New Adult. It's funny, emotional and even a [image]
4.5 “New Adult Greatness” Stars
This book...*sighs* This book is just everything that is right with New Adult. It's funny, emotional and even a little heavy at the same time. The characters are extremely likable, well-rounded and pretty much some of my 2020 favorite book people. The hero is book boyfriend material and the heroine someone I'd like to be friends with. The writing is solid, heavy with emotion and shows the writer knows what she's talking about, especially when it comes to sports (yay for girls playing soccer!!!) The romance is sexy, adorable and freaking slow burn. The banter is fantastic. And I feel like, by reading this book, I found a little bit of light in this dark time....more
That feeling when you come back to a favorite author and remember why you fell in love with her writing in the first place. [image]
4 “The angst” Stars
That feeling when you come back to a favorite author and remember why you fell in love with her writing in the first place. This was SO good (maybe even better than the first? can't decide). The angst in part 3 really grabbed me. I need more books with this level of angst. Recommendations, please? ...more
The writing was as addictive as the last book I read from this author, and that quality is what makes me rate th[image]
4 “Addictive fake dating” Stars
The writing was as addictive as the last book I read from this author, and that quality is what makes me rate this high, even though there are some problematic aspects to the story (especially some of Nic's behavior). Having said that, I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters and the slow burn quality to their romance. I also loved the relationship between Demi and her girlfriends. They were ALWAYS there for each other and there was no drama between them, which was great to see for a change....more
This was a fun and hyper sexy read. There were plenty of hot scenes (a[image]
3.5 "I don't want your money" stars
Hey, look at this! I liked a book! :-)
This was a fun and hyper sexy read. There were plenty of hot scenes (a little too much for me) and dirty talking , a heroine that wasn't a saint and didn't want to be, a hero that was attractive but wasn't the hottest guy EVER and had other things going for him. The drama with both their families was interesting and handled well enough. The chemistry was there from the first to the last scene. It wasn't slow burn, but it still managed to keep me intrigued, so I'd recommend it. One thing for sure, it was the best book I've read so far in 2020....more
The beginning was a little slow and I almost stopped reading. That would've been a huge mistake. This book turned out to[image]
4 “The right guy” Stars
The beginning was a little slow and I almost stopped reading. That would've been a huge mistake. This book turned out to be super adorable, funny and hot. The characters developed a beautiful friendship first and slowly (YEEESSSSS) fell in love. The chemistry was there. The sexual tension was soooo THERE. There were plenty of funny scenes (the whole sequence when they got high made me laugh so hard).
Can we talk about how irresistable Theo was? I love a good alpha hero, but Theo was the perfect gentleman. He was considerate, respectful, nice, kind, funny and hot... And he had little alpha moments here and there that only made him even better. I don't know how anyone could choose another guy over Theo, and I kept telling him that when he let his doubts get in the way of their relationship. Anyway...we got our happy ending, so that's perfect.
Honorable mentions: Laney's relationship with her BFF and her mother. Theo's sisters and their loving and hilarious dynamic. Troy's story and how that taught Theo a lesson about judging people without knowing what was really happening. The entire mystery surrounding their other roomate (tell me we'll get to read about him soon!).
This turned out to be just what I needed on my long bus journey....more
Adorable. Funny. Sexy. Diverse AF. Cute. Political. A little too long, which is the only semi negative thing I can [image]
This book in one gif:
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Adorable. Funny. Sexy. Diverse AF. Cute. Political. A little too long, which is the only semi negative thing I can say about it. Wish I had more time to write a long review, but I loved pretty much all the characters and especially all the powerful girls/women....more
I thought I had added this review here back when I posted it on my blog, but apparently not. Life [image]
4 “Water polo is my new favorite Sport” Stars
I thought I had added this review here back when I posted it on my blog, but apparently not. Life was insane that week. Anyway... here it is.
I first heard of P. Dangelico when Wrecking Ball came out a couple of years ago, and I was instantly hooked and ready for more of her slow-burn romances. Five books later, I can say I’ll probably read anything she writes and love it.
As a reader who misses New Adult romances, Dangelico’s new Malibu University Series is the perfect fit for me. The first book, Nothing But Trouble, had everything I look for in a good NA romance: likable characters, amazing chemistry, drama, friendship, and slow burn romance.
Alice was a captivating heroine—no surprise there—and I immediately felt a connection to her. And like Alice said, Reagan was a hero with a heart of gold (even though he misbehaved and deserved a good shaking toward the end of the story). Their relationship had a shaky start, but the friendship that soon followed was pretty amazing. I love her Dangelico takes her characters from strangers to frenemies to friends to lovers. This is combination is one of all times favorite tropes, and it worked so well in this story. The slow burn, the longing, the will-they-won’t-they does it for me every single time.
Other positives were the friendship between Alice and her roommates (#girlpower), the little hints of drama in the lives of Reagan’s teammates (can’t wait to read their stories), the unexplored sport portrayed in this story (don’t regret the time spent Googling water sport players) and the heart-breaking relationship between Reagan and his brother.
As you can see, there was a lot to love about this book.
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I will say, though, that I wished the ending had been a little different. I wasn’t a fan of how Reagan reacted and what he did, though I can see why he thought he was doing the right thing at the time, but I still wish Alice had made him grovel. Girl, you need to let him feel shitty a little, then you can take him back.
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In the end, I was still extremely happy that I had the chance to read this book before most people, and I can barely wait for what one of my favorite authors will write next....more
I know I’m rating this 4 stars, but ignore how high that is because I can’t properly rate this book since it’s [image]
4 “Disturbingly Addictive” Stars
I know I’m rating this 4 stars, but ignore how high that is because I can’t properly rate this book since it’s problematic AF, but OMG it’s so damn addictive.
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Was The Paper Princess this problematic, too? Probably. But those are the kind of guilty pleasures I allow myself to read and enjoy every once in a while, even though there’s so much wrong with them.
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The main reason this book was so addictive was because of RaeRae (Raven or Rae for those who don’t consider her their new best friend, which isn’t my case). RaeRae is Ella Harper on steroids and one of the most complicated, screwed up and entertaining characters I’ve read. She’s also my new favorite main character and I clearly don’t care if you hate her.
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I love RaeRae and how she makes stupid decisions all the damn time just because she doesn’t give a damn, so I’m rating this book 4 stars for her, even though people should NOT follow RaeRae’s footsteps or be deceived by the fact that the relationships in this book are problematic AF.
I’m horrible, I know, but let me be horrible this time. I promise to do better next time....more
Right about when this book came out, I tried reading it, but it might’ve been the wrong time because I didn’t co[image]
3.5 “New Adult Slow Burn” Stars
Right about when this book came out, I tried reading it, but it might’ve been the wrong time because I didn’t connect with the writing and decided to save it for later. Now, after seeing tons of readers recommending The Hardest Fall for slow burn fans, I gave it another choice and I really enjoyed it.
It’s been a while since the last time I read a romance about college students, and this book had so much of the things I love in NA. The writing wasn’t exactly my favorite, but I loved Dylan and Zoe’s relationship—especially because it was easy to see Dylan’s feelings, and I always LOVE when the hero is the one waiting for the heroine to catch up and admit her feelings for him.
Dylan was an amazing hero. He was alpha, but not an asshole; he was sexy AF and he never made fun of all of Zoe’s quirks or disrespected her in any way. Despite being a football player, he wasn’t portrayed as a man-whore. In fact, he made it clear from the start that he was a one-woman kind of guy and he showed that repeatedly. He adored Zoe and he wasn’t shy about showing anyone he felt that way, which only made him more appealing. I absolutely loved Dylan.
Zoe was also a great character. She was a little much at times, but she had some great moments and her reaction when one of her friends was attacked won me over, because she pushed fear away and was brave enough to protect the person she loved.
Overall, this was a sexy read with a slow burn romance and a book-boyfriend material hero, so I’m happy I didn’t give up on this story....more
I'm always excited to see New Adult Fantasy books with lots of romance, so th[image]
3 “Earthsong” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you, St. Martin's Press
I'm always excited to see New Adult Fantasy books with lots of romance, so this seemed right up my alley. And while it didn't make me fall as madly in love with it as I had hoped, it was still a entertaining read.
Song of Blood & Stone creates an interesting and unique world with magic, guns instead of swords, and a World War feel to it (hard to explain how I got that reference, though. LOL). In this world, we have Jasmine and Jack; the two main characters who meet in a difficult situation and fall in love while trying to save their kingdom.
Both Jasmine and Jack are Elsira, but Jasmine doesn't look like the rest of her people. The daughter of a Lagamiri man, she has his darker skin and his ability to use magic. It also doesn't help her situation that the Elsira and the Lagamiri have been at war for years, with the Lagamiri tyrant looking for the perfect opportunity to cross the border and take over. Due to all of that, Jasmine has to deal with racism from her people while trying to find a way to protect them.
Racism, oppresion, the struggles of birracial kids and refugees are just some of the important themes in this story, and I thought they were mostly handled well. In a lighter tone, the romance was one of the main attractions of this book. The relationship between Jasmine and Jack was both sweet and sexy. As I said before, this falls in the new adult category, so expect explicit steamy scenes.
On top of liking them together, I liked Jack and Jasmine as individuals. Jasmine was a strong heroine who had to overcome a lot of guilt and prejudice to help the people who looked down on her; and Jack was one of those kind kind and respectful guys I wish I saw more in books and real life.
With likable characters and good romance, this turned out to be an enjoyable read. Besides, this cover is pretty stunning!...more
I can't remember this person's name, but one reviewer said it perfectly: reading A Court of Frost and Starlight was lik[image]
4.5 "I missed you" Stars
I can't remember this person's name, but one reviewer said it perfectly: reading A Court of Frost and Starlight was like being reunited with friends and family. As strange as it may sound considering we're talking about faeries, these people are my own. Reading this series feels like being home.
A Court of Frost and Starlight was a prologue I didn't know I needed. There are no battles or complicated plot choices, despite giving hints of what will come next in the series. Instead, there are many scenes with my favorite characters and tons of FEELS.
It shows Freyre and Rhys' much-deserved happy life, and there are no words to explain how happy that makes me.
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I'm glad to announce I'm still very much in love with my OTP, and very much in love with Rhysand. I don't care that he's freaking perfect. It doesn't bother me. It doesn't make me roll my eyes. It brings nothing but pure joy.
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So this book gave me exactly what I needed when it came to Rhys and Freyre. It was swoon-worthy and sexy and perfect and food for my shipping soul. That is all.
And when the inner circle got together to drink, exchange gifts, tease each other, I just LIVED. It was everything. EVERYTHING.
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A Court of Frost and Starlight also made me feel things other than happy.
It made me frustrated and angry, but passionate about Cassian and Nesta (as if I wasn't passionate about those two enough)
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It left me sad and heartbroken for both Lucien and Az (when it comes to Mor)! Damn, that hurt.
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And super confused (and hopeful) when it came to Az and Elain!!
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And then, OMG, Tamlin. This should hurt less. Knowing what he did, this should have hurt a lot less, but it didn't. I know, I know. There's no excuse for what he did to Freyre and Rhysand's family. There simply isn't. I wish that could make me feel the way Freyre does, but I hurt for him. The things he had and lost (his own fault, I know) have broken him, and that's tough to watch.
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Well, whatever. All I'm saying is, Sarah J. Maas can make me feel more with a novella in this series than many stories can accomplish after three hundred pages. That is all.
Side note: Why are all the covers in this series so perfect?
Side note 2: The last book I gave full five stars was A Court of Wings and Ruin. I'm shocked.
Side note 3: How am I supposed to wait for the next book now? *cries*...more
I can see Begin Again being big during the NA golden years a while back. It had the [image]
2 “Listen to your friend” Stars
ARC via NetGalley.
Thank you!
I can see Begin Again being big during the NA golden years a while back. It had the key elements: young people going to college and making dubious choices, lots of drama, bad boy hero and a nice girl heroine. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for me now.
I’m not saying I’m over New Adult. I’m not. I read two NA books this week alone that I absolutely loved, but they didn’t feel as stilted as Begin Again.
I understand this book was initially written in German, so I’m blaming the stilted and sometimes uncomfortable dialogue on translation problems, but I don’t think I can blame translation for the rest of the issues I had with this book.
First, I didn’t dislike Ally, but I didn’t like her, either. She lacked the backbone needed to make me connect with her. Spineless main characters are one of my biggest pet peeves, and the way Ally let her family and Kaden walk all over her didn’t work for me.
Kaden…Well, Kaden, I’m all in for alpha males, but you took things a little too far, huh, buddy? Kaden is a jerk. There’s no nice way to say it. To his credit, he admits to being one. To my credit, his reason to being a jerk didn’t convince me.
Kaden’s trauma wasn’t big enough to justify his actions, especially one toward the ending—the break up scene. What he did was cruel, unnecessary and I was Scott (Ally’s friend and the most sensible person in this story) the entire time after Ally confessed what Kaden did to her.
Scott is the best part of this story. His constant “Sorry, people, but that doesn’t work for me” comments about Kaden’s behaviors gave me life.
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I felt represented by Scott throughout this story, because he wouldn’t go all “aww, cute” whenever Kaden showed up after screwing up. He’d try to make Ally see some sense, though that seemed to be a lost battle.
I did enjoy some of the moments between Kaden and Ally mid-book, because I thought he was progressing toward opening up to her and being less rude for no apparent reason. But then he’d do something stupid and I’d take that step back.
Maybe if Ally had been more sure of herself and stood up for what she wanted, I could’ve enjoyed this book. But with Kaden being a jerk and Ally lacking a backbone, plus the problems with the dialogue, this book was a lost battle for me. ...more
Oh, yes, this is Ryan's story. And, oh, yes, I'm still so very muc[image]
4 “More Ryan, thank you & please” Stars
ARC via NetGalley.
Thank you, Swerve!!!
Oh, yes, this is Ryan's story. And, oh, yes, I'm still so very much in love with this guy. And, oh, yes, he's fictional, but who cares?
I met Ryan McCallister last year when I read Victoria de La O's amazing debut, Tell Me How This Ends, and dude made me feel. If you haven't read that book yet, then I must warn you: this review might spoiler the ending of book 1, so go read that lesson on how to write love triangles and then come back to this review.
Warning: SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1!!!!!
Back to Ryan now. In Book #1, I rooted for him (and for his brother, but let's pretend that didn't happen, so we don't hurt his feelings), and I felt so bad for him in the end that I wanted to hug him and bring him home with me. But I couldn't because Ryan moved to the other side of the world.
That little problem is solved in Tell me That You're Mine (and the significance of the title for Ryan and everything that has happened to him since the first book just hit me right now, and my heart is breaking again *snifs*). Ryan is back, and he's even more adorable than I remembered him to be.
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A little nerdy, a lot sexy and equal parts sweet and angst, Ryan won me over with each new page. The more I read about him, the more I remembered why I'd been torn between Ryan and his brother (Jude is normally more my book-boyfriend type, with all the brooding he does). Ryan got to me so many times in this book. Whenever he interacted with Jude, or helped Diego, or thought about his father. Thing is, NOT falling in love with Ryan is almost impossible.
So it wasn't much of a surprise that Eva couldn't resist him.
I have to say that my love for Eva came slowly. It took me more than I'm used to with Victoria de La O's characters to fully connect with her, which also suprised me because she's Latina, and I'm always happy to see Latinx representation in books.
I can't exactly point out why I didn't fall as madly in love with Eva as I did with Lizzie or Sam, from the previous books. Maybe the romance moved a little too fast. Maybe she was a little too closed off at first. But once I got to know Eva better, I could see why Ryan had fallen for her.
Eva was a strong woman in many senses. There was such a mature vibe to her that I sometimes forgot she wasn't even in her thirties. It had less to do with the fact that she had a six-year-old son, and more with the way she faced her problems.
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In a sense, I feel like I was Jude in regards to Evan and Ryan's relationship.
I didn't initially think Eva was good enough for my precious Ryan, but once I saw who she was and how she treated the people around her, then I was all in.
I think Eva's situation with her ex-husband was what did it for me. It was portrayed in a heartbreaking way because of how respectful the author was to these character and their history. It would've been so easy to turn her ex into a villain, but Victoria de La O once again showed me she was better than that. She made me feel for Eva, who was torn between helping the man she once loved and finding a place for her new love in a her messy life. She even made me feel for the ex.
And as a I started falling for Eva, her relationship with Ryan started making more sense to me. I started smiling when they acted cute together, and anticipating their love scenes. It was a different experience from what I had with the first two books, but it was worth it. So, in the end, I was Jude again and gave Eva and Ryan my blessing.
Speaking of ending, fans of this series will love that special extra chapter that takes place in the future. No spoilers here, because you'll want to experience it the way I did, but I have to say that that extra chapter touched me deeply. For me, the Tell Me series ended with the thing that made it so special to start with: beautifully written characters showing the kind of emotion that left the pages of the book and tugged at my heart, giving me all the feels. I'm going to miss them, but I'm ready for whatever Victoria de La O comes up with next....more
4.5 “Troubled Hero, Good Representation and Hot Romance” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you!!!
Damn. This book was way better than I thought it'd [image]
4.5 “Troubled Hero, Good Representation and Hot Romance” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you!!!
Damn. This book was way better than I thought it'd be.
This is my first Kylie Scott book, but if this is how she writes her stories, then it won't be my last.
Trust had everything I love in a YA Contemporary Romance, and then a little more--by a little more I mean HEAT! So, although this was set in high school, part of my brain wants to call in New Adult, because things got a little too heated for YA. For me, Trust falls into the same category of Paper Princess by Erin Watt; it's supposed to be about teenagers, but things go that extra mile when it comes to sex, something you might not be comfortable with when it comes to YA. So consider yourself warned.
Now, as to the story and the characters, I only have the best things to say.
The book started out with a bang (almost literally), and I simply couldn't stop reading. Told from the POV of Edie, a seventeen-year-old girl who goes into a store in her pajamas to get goodies for her movie-night with her BFF and finds herself hostage of a robbery gone wrong, Trust mixes suspense with friendship, love and growth in a way that simply grabs the reader from page one.
My heart was pounding the entire time Edie was being held at gunpoint. Even though I had just met her, I felt for her and I wanted her out of that horrible situation immediately. Being inside her head was just as messy and scary as it should've been to make that scene work. She was scared, and that terrified me. My feelings also mirrored hers when John came into scene, making me equaly suspiscious and mesmerized of the boy who pretended to connect with the junkie holding a gun in order to calm him down and get all of them out alive. I wanted to know more about him right from the beginning, and the more I learned, the more I liked John.
After John and Edie make it out of the store alive, Edie thinks she'll never see the boy who saved her life again, but after a turn of events, they end up going to the same school, and that's when things get even better.
First of all, I admired and applauded Edie's character development. I felt like every decision she made after the robbery turned into her a more mature young woman. She didn't try to hide from life, even though it would've been easy to do that after such a traumatic experience. Instead, she chose to look at life through a different filter: little things that would've mattered in the past, simply didn't seem that serious anymore. She became a stronger person. One who was capable of standing up to bullies and making important decision because she believe those were the best things for her life. She didn't make those decisions because of anyone else, she didn't do it to impress anyone, she did it for herself.
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I couldn't have been more proud.
The second thing that impressed me was the fact that Edie didn't take shit from no one. She didn't take shit from her horrible, horrible ex-BFF, from the nasty high school girls bullying her, or even from John. She was fabulous. You know what else I loved? The fact that she was an overweight girl and that was it. There was no subplot where she desperately tried to lose weight to impress someone, or where she needed a romance or a guy to like her so she could like herself. There was no bullshit and I loved it.
Now, let's get into the romance. Or better yet, the friendship followed by the romance.
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First, I was obsessed with how Edie kept calling John "the boy". I don't know why. I can't explain it. I simply loved it. It felt so genuine and so Edie, and so perfect. You know what else was perfect? The way those two characters fell in love.
John, with all his flaws (dude was a drug dealer, damn it!), was simply perfect for Edie. Perfect for who Edie was becoming. They needed each other, and they found in each other the kind of connection people search for their entire lives. Sure that connection started out as a product of the traumatizing situation they found themselves into, but it developed into something much more powerful and beautiful. I can't even put into words how amazing John and Edie's friendship was. And how perfect the romance that came after that was.
Everything between them progressed as it should. There was no rush. They took the steps they needed, and they learned how to get past the obstacles together. It was simply beautiful. And it was so much more than just chemistry, which they had plenty of, or sexy scenes, which were extremely sexy. Their relationship was built on something stronger, and the message the book ended up delivering was touching, raw and real.
I have no doubt Trust, its story and its characters will stay with me for a long time....more
I almost feel guilty for liking this book this much. Don’t get me wrong. This is my third J[image]
4 “Guilty Pleasure” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you!
I almost feel guilty for liking this book this much. Don’t get me wrong. This is my third Julianna Keyes’ book, so I should’ve expected it, but I still feel guilty that Aidan hooked me the way he did.
Aidan is a bad boy—and it has little to do with the fact that he used to steal cars, and a lot to do with the fact the he does horrible things in order to steal his roommate’s girlfriend. Worse yet, Jerry, the roommate, is such a nice guy that you can’t help but feel sorry for him. Sure he cheated and that’s unforgivable, drunk or not, but Jerry was so heartbroken by his own stupidity that he told the Aster, the girlfriend about it right away. You can imagine how well that went.
Well, the thing is Aidan is partly responsible for Jerry’s cheating. He paid a prostitute to hit on a drunk and pretty clueless Jerry. All so Aster would find out and break up with his roommate, leaving the path open for Aidan to make the move.
Dude, that’s just horrible. It’s… horrible. And still, I liked Aidan.
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See. I have a reason to feel guilty.
I shouldn’t like a guy like him, but he kind of grew on me with time. Besides, I blame Julianna Keyes’ ability to write a convincing male POV. All your fault, author!
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Now that I’ve transferred a little bit of my guilt, let me tell you what else I liked about this book: the complex characters.
As you can see, Aidan makes it hard for readers to like him by being a jerk. But he also makes it easy to like him because he’s trying to change, even if his initial actions don’t show that. But as we spend time inside his head, we get to see how he’s truly holding on to his scholarship – a special scholarship given to people who were once in trouble with the law as a way to rehabilitate them (I absolutely LOVE that, BTW). Aidan is starting to see a future that doesn’t involve crimes and prison, and I couldn’t help but root for him.
Aster, on the other hand, makes it easy for you to like her until BAM! A Gone-Girl like twist hits you in the face. I LOVED the way that twist was introduced and when it happened in terms of pacing. It shook things up and added a new layer to the story and the characters. It took Aster from the role of good girl and gave her the opportunity to be a stronger female character. She had a troubled past, but she wasn’t willing to let it interfere in her present and keep her from having a better future. It complemented Aidan’s arc and gave her one, too. I thought it was a really smart choice.
The romance had a little less heat than I expected, but maybe that’s because it focused on developing the characters as individuals. I still rooted for them to get together, especially once the truth about Aster came to light.
I also loved Jerry and Missy. I thought they were fun and added something different to the story.
This was another great New Adult book by Julianna Keyes. She’d already been a one-click author for me, and after enjoying my third book by her, I don’t see it changing....more
Yeah, from that title up there I guess you already know I love Ju[image]
4.5 “Juliet, let me be your stalker” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you, Swerve.
Yeah, from that title up there I guess you already know I love Juliet, right? The deal is, I don’t just love her. I love LOVE her. Like Ella Harper from Paper Princess level of love.
Unlike Ella, who conquered my heart last year with her sass and take-no-bullshit attitude, Juliet made my favorite female characters ever list by being super sweet, completely relatable and pretty much perfect. I know some will say “but perfect isn’t realistic and blablabla”. Here’s my answer:
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She’s just the best.
Before I get into how and why Juliet is book-girlfriend material, let me just thank (and congratulate) Jamie Howard for writing, yet again, a character I fall madly in love with. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, read my review of Until It’s Right. This author is responsible for creating one of my most precious book boyfriends, Mr. Kyle I-still-love-you Lawson, and now she’s giving me a book girlfriend, too. Well, Jamie, if you haven’t noticed this from the fact that I’ve read all your books, then know you have a fan in me.
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The Feeling of Forever is the second book in a series that focuses on the love lives of the guys in a famous band, and even though Felix, the drummer, was also an amazing character, his love interest and the female leading lady was the one who stole the show for me.
Juliet St. Clair is one of Hollywood’s favorite actresses and the Sexiest Woman of the year. She’s also nothing you’d expect from a rich superstar. Instead of demanding, Juliet gives. Instead of looking down, she sees the best in people. Instead of acting like she owns the world, she seeks peace and privacy. Juliet is good, and she’s just what we need in such a bad world.
Plus, Juliet has impeccable taste, as you can see from this:
“But hey, there was no such thing as having too much Joshua Jackson in your life.”
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Juliet establishes herself as a force to be reckoned with early on in the story. Her attitude when she meets Felix is as perfect as it’s honest. Her confidence is reassuring, because she doesn’t have to be loud, bossy or sassy (there’s nothing wrong with those things, mind you) to show everyone around her that she knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to put herself out there. I love my sassy characters, but it’s not often that we see Juliet’s kind of confidence. A quieter but still powerful confidence. I was so, so pleased to see it.
I absolutely loved all the ways Juliet showed Felix that she was into him. How she helped him, in a not obvious way (another great thing), to move past his own fears and insecurities. How she handled herself with grace in every situation, no matter how hard life was kicking her. How she never complained or stop believing things would get better. How she fought for what she wanted/deserved.
“You deserve better and you know it.”
She shot to her feet. “I deserve whatever the hell I want. You don’t get to decide that. (…)”
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With all of that and much more that you’ll get to see if you read this book, Juliet won my heart.
But, okay, enough of Juliet (for now). Felix will also make you feel and win your heart!
To contrast Juliet’s brighter personality, Felix has a darker side to him. I’m not sure if he’s always been like that or if it’s a result of the accident that left him paralyzed… maybe both. But even though he isn’t exactly an optimist, Felix is dealing with his paralysis much better than some other characters out there. And Jamie Howard is portraying disability with the respect it deserves.
Sure in the beginning Felix thinks himself unworthy of the best things in life, because he thinks he’s a burden—to his roommate and best friend, to the amazing, beautiful, smart and sexy girl who’s invinting him to movie nights on her couch (where things much, much hotter happen), but I kind of expected this behavior from him. Some more evolved people out there might deal with changes in their lives in a more balanced way, but most people, me and Felix included, aren’t like that. And this has nothing to do with a disability, but everything to do with change.
Change is hard, and it takes time to adapt your mentality to it. Felix is in that phase, but he isn’t alone. He has a great support system. His friends are the best (I loved the Xmas scenes at Ian’s house with all of them sleeping in the living room). His girlfriend never, I mean never, makes a big deal of the fact that he can’t walk. She never even thinks it’s an inconvenience, and that certainly helps him understand how to move forward. All of that, combined with how layered his arc is and how respectful the author's approach is, makes watching Felix embrace the big chance in his life even more pleasing.
Felix is a good guy and Jamie Howard knows how to write good guys well.
Aside from Juliet's awesomeness, Felix's arc and the incredible chemistry between them, this story stands out because of the suspense aspect. As the blurb explains, Juliet has been suffering with a stalker for years and he's back to haunt her and try to take the joy out of her life. The whole mystery wasn't as hard to figure out as some might like (I had a pretty good idea of what was happening, who was responsible and what the motive was pretty early on), but it brought something new to the story, so I appreciate it.
Truth is, with or without the stalker element, this book would've still been great. Juliet St. Clair would've made sure of that.
Now, I NEED Rachel and Ben's story, which I'm guessing Jamie Howard will be saving for last, because we already got a sneak peek of Gavin and the red-haired woman who broke his heart and I'm betting that's what we're going to see next. No complaints here because I want to know what happened, but can we pretty please get Rachel and Ben soon?
Okay, it’s official: Victoria de La O makes me feel so much with her words!
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4.5 “Please, don’t go” Stars
ARC via NetGalley.
Thank you, Swerve!!!
Okay, it’s official: Victoria de La O makes me feel so much with her words!
Lesson nº. 2? I need to stop being surprised by how good her books are. It happened with Tell Me How this Ends, and now with Tell Me Not To Go. And since the first book was so, so, so good, I kind of came into this one thinking "okay, I'll like this just as much". Well, I was sort of wrong because.... guess what?
I loved TMNTG even more.
Maybe that’s a result of how much I connected with Jeff’s storyline involving his family, or with Sam’s take-no-shit attitude, or just because the chemistry between them was so amazing….Probably all of that and a little more. All I know is that this book spoke to me in ways TMHWE didn’t--and that’s saying a lot considering how well-written that first book was.
Tell Me Not To Go is the story of Lizzie’s BFF and brother, Sam and Jeff. If you don’t know who Lizzie is, please do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Tell Me How this Ends. You can thank me later.
Sam and Jeff met in the last book and their chemistry was off the charts from moment one. Now, Jeff is coming to live closer to his little sister, which means he’s going to be spending a lot of time around Sam. She isn’t all that happy, because she realizes how dangerous Jeff can be to her heart. As a woman on a mission—she’s leaving soon to go to med school—Sam doesn’t want anything or anyone holding her back.
That’s all rational, mature and smart of her. Except her body doesn’t want any of that. It wants Jeff. All of him. And how could she not want him? Jeff, ladies and gentleman, is a beta/alpha male hybrid at its best. Dude is nice, understanding, listens to what his woman has to say, but still knows what he wants, where and when. Plus, he's a 8 out of 10 in bed. It's safe to say, with all of that, even I want him, too.
Jeff wants Sam. As simple as that. Everything about her appeals to him. She's so different from the other women he dated in his past. Women he couldn't see in his future no matter how hard he tried, because, no matter how nice they were, he still wouldn't fall in love with them. Well, if you ask me, he should’ve known being with Sam would be a completely different experience. She spoke her mind, she had fire and she was incredibly smart. Jeff stood no chance, and he probably knew it.
After trying and failing to ignore their chemistry, Sam and Jeff come to an agreement. 90 days of incredible sex until she has to leave. But there’s a big rule there: they can’t fall in love.
That was when I laughed out loud and said “okay, kids, let’s get this party started, because we all know how it’s going to end.”
No worries, though. Knowing they’d fall madly in love didn't take away from the experience. Victoria de La O made sure I felt everything there was to feel with every step.
I fell hard for Sam and Jeff. I breathed their chemistry. I experienced their angst when their feelings started to get too real. I panicked when they did. I was jealous of everyone who got near them. I laughed when they did, and teared up when they cried. I cheered when Sam gave not-capitalist-but-not-communist speeches. I rooted for Jeff when he confronted his parents and tried to live a life that would make him happy, regardless of his family's expectations. I swooned hard. I took a shower when they had hot, sexy scenes. I cursed Victoria de La O for making me feel so much.
I also praised her for writing Jeff’s relationship with Lizzie the way she did. Or for how she gave us scenes between Lizzie and Jude that reminded me of why I loved the first book that much. Or how Sam’s friendship with Lizzie made me want to meet them in real life, and Sam’s relationship with her eccentric family made her even more unique. And, of course, for how she gave me Sam and Jeff, and the perfection that was the two of them together.
And in case you're wondering if Jeff and Sam find a solution to their problem, rest assured this story ends on a high note. The ending is great and right and brings you all sorts of feelings. Good feelings.
Bottom line, judging from how many variations of "My heart can't take this" I left on my Kindle notes, this book hurt and felt so good at the same time. It was just about everything I wanted and a little more. So, whether you liked this author's first book or not, I'd still advise you to read this one. Tell Me Not To Go will stay with me for a long time.
P.S.: Victoria, I read that excerpt for the next book and I see you're a woman after my heart. I suspect Ryan's book is going to break me, but MY BODY IS READY!...more
4.0 “That’s how you write a freaking love triangle” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you, Swerve!
You guys, I did not expect to love this book this [image]
4.0 “That’s how you write a freaking love triangle” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you, Swerve!
You guys, I did not expect to love this book this much. To be completely honest, I was kind of asking myself why I had requested a book with a “The Vampire Diaries” (minus the vampires) love triangle, since I had such a traumatizing experience with the whole Stefan-Elena-Damon dynamic. #TeamStelena in case you don’t already know.
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Anyway… I feared this would be messy and the author would ruin the main character by making her force brother against brother while turning the MC into someone so selfish I couldn’t stand her (yeah, CW-Elena, I’m talking about you!). But, guys, I was wrong. So wrong.
Warning: Sorry, but hard to keep some spoilers out. They aren't huge spoilers, but still...
(view spoiler)[ This is the story of brothers Jude and Ryan and the girl they both love, Lizzie.
Lizzie meets shy, nerdy, super cute, Shakespeare-loving Ryan first. She’s attracted to him and asks him to tutor her—yeah, that kind of tutoring sessions, but Ryan doesn’t realize it at first. Cute.
But Lizzie also meets sexy, dark, mysterious, one-night-stand-kind-of-guy Jude. The attraction between them melts your Kindle, but Lizzie has had her fair share of guys with an attitude and Jude makes it clear he won’t be good for her. I mean, he’ll be good for her body (so damn good), but not to her heart. So they say their good-byes.
Lizzie is now free to see how it goes with Ryan, the boy who’s the opposite of the ex-boyfriend who made her feel like crap and even jeopardized her relationship with her father. Dude, Ryan is adorable. The perfect boyfriend. I’d date him. I’d let my daughter (even though I don’t have one) date him. He makes Lizzie happy.
There’s just this small problem. Ryan’s brother? Yeah… He’s the guy Lizzie can’t stop thinking about, and when he sees him again, she realizes he can’t stop thinking about her, either.
This is where I first steeled myself and waited for the author to make all the wrong calls. This is also where I learned Victoria De La O wouldn’t be making one.
Lizzie’s reaction when she realizes Ryan and Jude are related isn’t perfect, but it’s perfect for the situation. She doesn’t pretend nothing is happening. She doesn’t lie to Ryan. She tells him the truth: Dude, I kissed your bro and I liked it. *hugs Lizzie* *hugs the author* *hugs Ryan* I love how she just deals with it and is as honest as the situation calls. This was probably the moment I started believing this story would actually give me what I needed-a great love triangle that doesn’t make the characters look like a bunch of morons.
Ryan, being a little selfish, which is also great because it makes him human since he’d been so perfect up to then, asks Jude if he can deal with Lizzie being his little bro’s girlfriend. Jude, being selfless and showing how much he just wants his brother to be happy, says: go ahead, little bro, and date the only girl I think I could ever really fall for.
I adore how complex the relationship between Ryan and Jude is. How there’s not a good brother vs bad brother as one would initially think. Ryan can be selfish and dependable. He’s so used to having Jude’s support that he can take it for granted, but he’s such a pure soul that you can also see he doesn’t do it on purpose. And Jude, poor Jude, is so involved in his sense of duty and responsibility, so afraid of putting himself out there, that all you want to do is hug him and tell him that he isn’t the bad guy he wants other people to think. He deserves to be happy, too.
The thing is, it doesn’t seem possible for Jude and Ryan to find that happiness when it comes to their love lives together, because they’re desperately in love with the same girl. You know what else is the problem? You want them both to be happy and you can’t figure out how to fix that mess. At least I couldn’t. I just sat and felt and waited and felt some more.
This book made me feel so much. Gah! It was so good! So sexy. So intense. The angst? *sighs* Everything I needed.
Enough with the spoilers now because you should experience every step of this book without knowing what comes next.
Let me just say that the ending was everything I didn’t even know I needed. The way the three of them reacted to the reveal? The way Lizzie handled herself and refused to go the easy way? That letter? Perfection. That freaking letter made me tear up. Seriously. It just about killed me.
Look, I know a lot of people have problems with love triangles, but I can’t fault this one. I really can’t. Lizzie acted human (she made mistakes), but she was a good human (she tried really hard not to get between the brothers or cause permanent damage, and I think she succeeded). Ryan and Jude didn’t let a girl destroy the bond they had. The author didn’t turn them into idiots. In the contrary, she made me care for all three of them. She made me suffer and laugh and flirt with them. I couldn’t ask for anything else. (hide spoiler)]
There were a few things here and there that I wished had been different, but they’re so small compared to the beauty of the relationships and the complexity of these characters and the situation they were involved…
Go read this books, guys. Even if you’re not a big fan of love triangles, go read it....more
Look, I know a lot of people are done with dystopia, but I’m certainly not one of them. I can’t[image]
3 “Women x Men” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you!
Look, I know a lot of people are done with dystopia, but I’m certainly not one of them. I can’t call myself this genre biggest fan, but I’ve read my fair share of dystopian books and really enjoyed most of them.
The Genre Game is an interesting NA (though I see people calling it YA) dystopia with an intriguing concept. It didn’t deliver what I expected, but it wasn’t an unpleasant read.
Violet, the MC, is a likable enough character with a good backstory and high stakes, although she doesn’t seem to think of them as often as I’d expect her to. Why? Because when you’re life is on the line, as well as the chance to see your brother again after many years, I’d think you’d be a little more worried about the outcome of the mission that will guarantee or take those two things away. That wasn’t the impression I got from Violet.
The mission I mentioned above is simple: she needs to infiltrate the enemy’s territory (a nation called Patrus, ruled by men and where women are treated like possession) and steal back a mysterious device they took from her nation, Matrus (yep, a place where women rule and men can’t show any sign of dominance or they’re sent far, far away).
To get the mission to work, Violet has to pretend to be married to a Matrus spy living in Patrus, since that's the only way she'll be able to infiltrate the other nation without raising suspicion. I was more than ready for the “fake relationship” romance trope, but nope, that’s not what’s happening. There’s a hint of romance between Violet and her fake husband, but it’s so small it doesn’t matter to the plot at all.
The romance aspect comes into play when Violet meets Viggo, a Patrus-born man with a dark past and history of attraction to Matrus women. Since Violet and her fake husband will need someone to blame once they steal back the device for Matrus, and they can’t have the nations going into war, they plan to put the blame on Viggo. Of course once Violet starts spending more time with Viggo, she develops feelings for him and has to make a choice: continue with the plan and blame Viggo, which will save her life and allow her to reunite with her brother, or put a stop to it and save the man she’s falling for.
In order to make this choices work, I needed two things: for Violet to take more seriously the threat on her life and for the romance to be more intense. Unfortunately, like I mentioned before, I didn’t feel like Violet thought enough of the consequences of not going with the plan. She almost seemed detached from the whole thing, which made it hard for me as a reader to connect with her struggle. And while I liked the romance, I wanted it to be more intense, hotter, sexier and have a little more angst.
Something else I thought confusing was the villain's motive. I can't get too deep into it because of spoilers, but I'm not sure I understood what the villain wanted to achieve. Since this is clearly the first book in the series, maybe we'll get more of that in the next book. I also didn't understand why Violet was chosen to be part of the mission. She didn't really come across as someone who had all the skills necessary to be a spy.
Overall, this was a quick read with an interesting concept and a likable enough character, but the stakes could've been higher if the execution had been a little more solid. ...more
This book gave me one of those “it’s me, not you” moments, and that’s why I’m not rating3 “French & Scars” Stars
ARC via NetGalley
Thank you, Entangled.
This book gave me one of those “it’s me, not you” moments, and that’s why I’m not rating it higher.
There’s nothing particularly wrong with it. Nothing I can point out as the reason why I didn’t fall madly in love with it. The writing is solid. The characters have good backstories. The sexy scenes are hot. The drama is there.
Still, I just couldn’t… connect, I guess, which makes this review much harder to write.
So, let’s start with the basics.
The story starts with Shelby, the MC, moving to her new apartment. She’s presented like this hard-working girl who lost her mother, has a scar that is the result of something mysterious and painful to relive, and has two best friends. Shelby’s new building is a place for the sons and daughters of the richest people around, but she managed to save enough money to pay for a tiny apartment there.
In my opinion, she has all traits I’d expect from a good heroine in NA contemporary romance – she’s down to earth, values work and money, has friends and has a past full of pain and drama.
So I did like Shelby. I didn’t connect with her enough to make me fall in love with her, but I didn’t dislike her either.
Then comes Tate, the rich bad-boy who lives on the top floor and throws loud, alcohol-sponsored parties. But there’s more to Tate than meets the eye. He’s the son of a governor, but he isn’t a total jerk living off his trust fund. He has a soft side, and that side comes to play as he gets closer to Shelby.
At first, Shelby tries to stay away from Tate and what he represents, but little by little he wins her over by showing her that he’s the kind of guy she can count on. And that’s exactly what Shelby needs at the moment.
As you can see, you have a little bit of the “hate to love” trope here. It isn’t as strong as I’ve seen in books like Elle Kennedy’s The Deal, but it was enough to make the story interesting in the beginning.
This story also focuses on Shelby dealing with the loss of her mother and with the consequences of a past trauma that prevents her from enjoying sexual activities the way other people her age do. I like how Tate plays into that and helps her get over that. He behaves in a way that shows me her truly cares for the girl. So, yeah, another plus for the story.
Tate also shows his good side when he tutors Shelby in French, a class she’s isn’t doing that great at. This allows them to spend more time together and have some very sexy conversation in French.
Like I said before, the sex scenes were hot, and there was enough chemistry between those two to make this a good NA story. As you can see from this little review, Blind Spot has all the right elements for a new adult contemporary, so I was a little surprised that I didn’t like it as much as I expected to. And since I can’t really pinpoint what made me feel that way (or not feel the way I wanted), I’m putting this in the “reader’s problem” category.
If you’re into this type of books, I’d advise you to check it and see for yourself if your feelings will mirror mine or if you’ll love Tate and Shelby as much as they love each other....more
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