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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I’m a sucker for books with magical realism and/or time travel. Fated has both. I really enjoyed the story and whilst I knew there’d be a HEA I just didn’t know how we’d get there, and that’s the fun of Fated. It takes you on a journey and you’re just along for the ride.
Even though I know I needed to suspend belief I had trouble understanding how the people on the island were able to buy anything - let alone book airplane tickets or plan for hundreds of miles of open water swimming without phones or internet and seemingly without paying jobs. Other than that I enjoyed Fated.
If you’re looking for a summer getaway to an island or to Geneva, Ready gives you that via her descriptive prose. She transports you to the sweltering humidity of the Caribbean where you feel the sand of the beach sticking to you and to the crisp chill in the air and fragrant aromas of cinnamon and fir trees in Switzerland at Christmastime.
Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the digital ARC of Fated.
Publication Date: 16 July 2024
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I got this book as an ALC and I was soo amazed by it!
I wasn’t expecting to like it this much, honestly. At first I was like: I’m not into fantasy. But this is not really a fantasy book. This is a romance book. And when romance is involved, everything is possible.
Fiona needs to start dreaming again and a simple watch helps her do it. The rest I’ll let you find out, but let me tell you this: the end? I wasn’t expecting it!! I wanted that ending for her, obviously, but I wasn’t expecting it that way. ❤️
I wasn’t expecting to like it this much, honestly. At first I was like: I’m not into fantasy. But this is not really a fantasy book. This is a romance book. And when romance is involved, everything is possible.
Fiona needs to start dreaming again and a simple watch helps her do it. The rest I’ll let you find out, but let me tell you this: the end? I wasn’t expecting it!! I wanted that ending for her, obviously, but I wasn’t expecting it that way. ❤️
Omg.. there were tears, real tears as I was reading their story. I got so caught up in it that it was as if I was living their story in their place!
I could feel their angst, their enourmous love and the impossibility of being together. That despair and at the same time acceptance to love and let go!
Fiona is a successfull woman, CEO of her and her brother's company, and a workaholic. She is emotionally closed since a bad previous relationship. After living a near death experience, she is handed a watch that can make her live her dreams. And that's how she meets Aaron. She lives in Geneva, but in her dreams she is another woman, and she meets him in a tropical and remote island! Fiona starts to enjoy her dreams, and begins being eager to sleep and return to that little paradise and to Aaron. She falls for him and learns to love once again.
The only problem? He lives in her dreams. At first she tries to separate the two worlds and even tries to give Max a chace, but her heart isn't there.
" 'If you ever need me, if you ever find yourself awake at night wanting me, I'll be here. I'll be here loving you.'
'You said you'd let me go'
'I lied. I'll be here, my hand held out to you. All you have to do is take it.' "
So when she realises she can make that life, her dream, into a reallity she runs and hold and fights with all she has. After all, if she doesn't she loses a bit of herself also (her heart).
There's a passage in the book, where she realises she took her 'Dream life' for granted, and realises that she should have valued it then, when she could. Well, even by an impossible circunstance this book gives us that lesson. Don't take what's good for granted. Value it, cherish it and above all fight like hell to keep it!
"For years I believed I didn't want my dreams to come true. But that was before I had dreams that were worth fighting for."
The side characters were really likable too. Daniel is the perfect brother! So supportive! Ohhh, and Max.. my heart broke for him. He loved so much, but not the right time/place/person. I want to see him have a HEA like he deserves too!
I would give this book a thousand stars if I could. It was an emotional roller coster ride, and I would do it all over again!!
I can't wait for 'Wished' to come out!
I could feel their angst, their enourmous love and the impossibility of being together. That despair and at the same time acceptance to love and let go!
Fiona is a successfull woman, CEO of her and her brother's company, and a workaholic. She is emotionally closed since a bad previous relationship. After living a near death experience, she is handed a watch that can make her live her dreams. And that's how she meets Aaron. She lives in Geneva, but in her dreams she is another woman, and she meets him in a tropical and remote island! Fiona starts to enjoy her dreams, and begins being eager to sleep and return to that little paradise and to Aaron. She falls for him and learns to love once again.
The only problem? He lives in her dreams. At first she tries to separate the two worlds and even tries to give Max a chace, but her heart isn't there.
" 'If you ever need me, if you ever find yourself awake at night wanting me, I'll be here. I'll be here loving you.'
'You said you'd let me go'
'I lied. I'll be here, my hand held out to you. All you have to do is take it.' "
So when she realises she can make that life, her dream, into a reallity she runs and hold and fights with all she has. After all, if she doesn't she loses a bit of herself also (her heart).
There's a passage in the book, where she realises she took her 'Dream life' for granted, and realises that she should have valued it then, when she could. Well, even by an impossible circunstance this book gives us that lesson. Don't take what's good for granted. Value it, cherish it and above all fight like hell to keep it!
"For years I believed I didn't want my dreams to come true. But that was before I had dreams that were worth fighting for."
The side characters were really likable too. Daniel is the perfect brother! So supportive! Ohhh, and Max.. my heart broke for him. He loved so much, but not the right time/place/person. I want to see him have a HEA like he deserves too!
I would give this book a thousand stars if I could. It was an emotional roller coster ride, and I would do it all over again!!
I can't wait for 'Wished' to come out!
Just finished "Fated" by Sarah Ready and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I went in expecting it to be similar to her first two books, but I really struggled to get into it. The narrator did a great job, but it didn’t add anything different compared to reading a physical copy. I found it hard to connect with Fiona and the dream world premise, and though I kept listening to see how it would all wrap up, I was never truly hooked until chapter 46. There were also a few plot holes regarding the dream life versus real life for the characters.Overall it was ok, but I enjoyed the first two books in the series more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for providing me with a copy of this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
This book is the third in the Ghosted series by Sarah Ready and follows heir to a Swiss watch company and single mom Fiona Abry.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Steam: 🌶️
⌚ Dual timeline
🌴 Paranormal/magic vibes
⌚ Opposites Attract
🌴“I'm falling for you."
⌚ Healing from trauma
🌴 Kisses in the rain
⌚ Mid-thirties FMC
🌴 Happily ever after
Our heroine bears the emotional scars from the trauma and abandonment she's felt in her life, all while juggling running her company and raising a precocious, adorable daughter. Beyond that, love is a risk and something she avoided. That is until a life-altering incident after which Fiona is gifted a mysterious family heirloom that supposedly allows the owner to dream their heart's desire.
I absolutely adored Fated. While it took a few chapters to truly grip me, once it did, I absolutely devoured this book. This truly unique story is full of compelling characters, mystifying twists, and so much heart and humor. With its dual plotlines, the storyline is like a two-for-one special, keeping readers captivated from beginning to end. It wasn't just a romance story about love, but also about allowing oneself to explore and mend using the relative safety of dreams. Confronting and conquering fears and fully facing the subconscious. Learning to live fully without regrets.
That idea and slightly supernatural plot are compelling in themselves, but then our dear author tied in an epic, gut-punching love story with turns that had my heart racing, my eyes watering, and, at one pivotal point, had me gasping out loud in shock and nearly cursing the author. It was a journey not only for our heroine but for the reader. Fated>/i> is enthralling and brims with hope and healing—and I savored every moment of it. I highly recommend this one.
I'm also totally invested in reading the other stories in the Ghosted series and continuing on with the next book Wished. Our next MMC absolutely deserves his happiness and his chance to find love.
Favorite Quote:
"You can love someone wholly, completely, and it doesn’t mean that they’re the one for you. You can love someone and they can still be the wrong someone."
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Steam: 🌶️
⌚ Dual timeline
🌴 Paranormal/magic vibes
⌚ Opposites Attract
🌴“I'm falling for you."
⌚ Healing from trauma
🌴 Kisses in the rain
⌚ Mid-thirties FMC
🌴 Happily ever after
Our heroine bears the emotional scars from the trauma and abandonment she's felt in her life, all while juggling running her company and raising a precocious, adorable daughter. Beyond that, love is a risk and something she avoided. That is until a life-altering incident after which Fiona is gifted a mysterious family heirloom that supposedly allows the owner to dream their heart's desire.
I absolutely adored Fated. While it took a few chapters to truly grip me, once it did, I absolutely devoured this book. This truly unique story is full of compelling characters, mystifying twists, and so much heart and humor. With its dual plotlines, the storyline is like a two-for-one special, keeping readers captivated from beginning to end. It wasn't just a romance story about love, but also about allowing oneself to explore and mend using the relative safety of dreams. Confronting and conquering fears and fully facing the subconscious. Learning to live fully without regrets.
That idea and slightly supernatural plot are compelling in themselves, but then our dear author tied in an epic, gut-punching love story with turns that had my heart racing, my eyes watering, and, at one pivotal point, had me gasping out loud in shock and nearly cursing the author. It was a journey not only for our heroine but for the reader. Fated>/i> is enthralling and brims with hope and healing—and I savored every moment of it. I highly recommend this one.
I'm also totally invested in reading the other stories in the Ghosted series and continuing on with the next book Wished. Our next MMC absolutely deserves his happiness and his chance to find love.
Favorite Quote:
"You can love someone wholly, completely, and it doesn’t mean that they’re the one for you. You can love someone and they can still be the wrong someone."
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this ARC.
emotional
medium-paced
I listened to the audiobook of this title that I received as an ARC from NetGalley. I have read some of the other titles by this author so I was excited to get the chance to listen to this one.
The narrator did a good job of changing up voice tone and accents enough to keep my attention and the story flowed easily. I was super annoyed with how Becca acted while Fiona was back in her world. (No spoilers but omg I wanted to kick her butt).
I do feel that’s the sign of a well written story when I am so drawn in by the story and a character (or 2 as was the case in this book) who make me hate them. I was blindsided by the ending but in a good way.
A solid magical realism book. I hope to read more by this author in the future.
All opinions are my own.
The narrator did a good job of changing up voice tone and accents enough to keep my attention and the story flowed easily. I was super annoyed with how Becca acted while Fiona was back in her world. (No spoilers but omg I wanted to kick her butt).
I do feel that’s the sign of a well written story when I am so drawn in by the story and a character (or 2 as was the case in this book) who make me hate them. I was blindsided by the ending but in a good way.
A solid magical realism book. I hope to read more by this author in the future.
All opinions are my own.
Such an absolutely amazing book! The twists and turns of this love are gripping. Grab your tissues and hold onto your heart! I love this whole series but this one is my favorite! I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes their heart ripped out and put back together.
When i saw the next book in Sarah Ready’s “Ghosted” series on netgalley available to read i instantly downloading it & listened to it. I then spent the whole day at work as well staying up until 12am just to finish it because i needed to know how it ended before going to sleep.
Firstly i love how easy Sarah Ready’s writing is! Her book are the perfect books to get you out of a slump. I was feeling a little bit of a slump coming when i decided to start this book & it pulled me right back from it. I’ve found i don’t love magic realism in my books but if Sarah Ready’s writes it i know it’s gonna be a good time for me!
One thing you can always trust in this series is a HEA but Sarah is going to take you down some dark times to get there. I love trying to figure out how Sarah is going to get her characters out of the circumstances they are in. I absolutely loved the romance in this book as well as all of the characters! I don’t know if there are anymore in this series but hopefully there is because i’m not ready for it to be over.
I did find the pacing to be a bit slow toward the middle of the book, i feel the book could have been shorter & it would have been perfect.
Thank You Sarah Ready & Netgalley for an ALC of this book!
Firstly i love how easy Sarah Ready’s writing is! Her book are the perfect books to get you out of a slump. I was feeling a little bit of a slump coming when i decided to start this book & it pulled me right back from it. I’ve found i don’t love magic realism in my books but if Sarah Ready’s writes it i know it’s gonna be a good time for me!
One thing you can always trust in this series is a HEA but Sarah is going to take you down some dark times to get there. I love trying to figure out how Sarah is going to get her characters out of the circumstances they are in. I absolutely loved the romance in this book as well as all of the characters! I don’t know if there are anymore in this series but hopefully there is because i’m not ready for it to be over.
I did find the pacing to be a bit slow toward the middle of the book, i feel the book could have been shorter & it would have been perfect.
Thank You Sarah Ready & Netgalley for an ALC of this book!
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
I love the idea of a family watch that shows you your hearts desire. I loved Fiona's story and how she comes to find love. I also love that Sarah Ready does a great job of explaining Fiona's reluctance to open her heart up to love again.
Shakira Shute did a great job narrating this novel. Shakira had an even tone and narrated the book so clearly and concisely that I was able to listen at 3.0x speed. I look forward to listening to more of Shakira's work in the future.
Shakira Shute did a great job narrating this novel. Shakira had an even tone and narrated the book so clearly and concisely that I was able to listen at 3.0x speed. I look forward to listening to more of Shakira's work in the future.