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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
"It's always been you" will warm my cold heart a million times over always. Teenage love with second chance 10 years later is right up my alley. This is told as a dual timeline, dual POV - I did have an issue with the dialogue from when they were teenagers because there's no way in hell I'd believe teens were THAT deep and eloquent. Darby and Leo were so sweet in their younger years and you could just feel how much they were meant for each other.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Darby has been sent to her gma one summer while her older troublesome sister is housebound, so her parents want her to get away from her influence and spend time with her gma in pacific shores. Darby is extremely sheltered and controlled by her father, and her first day meets a boy that is all trouble. Their meet cute was very cute, and you know, it is going to shake up her world. The chapters go from past to present and present is her marrying a man, not Leo. I like every chapter that was past and present it helped the journey ey she took you on. The way Leo and her immediately connected was very intense for 2 17 year old but they seemed older due to their life. Leo might be perfect, maybe too perfect. This is the first time I read a story of 2 17 year old not making mistakes, and the loyalty was a little too storybook. Darby seemed more her age and pulled in so many directions due to her family. I think the book could have been shorter, especially since you see her secret didn't really matter. I will say I was hooked on the frien story lines Elena. I hope her and the sister will get a book. Elena and August story will be tragically beautiful. All in all, I loved her writing it just got a little too declaration of love every 5 seconds, but Leo, man, what a guy at 17 and at 27. It was so perfect it got boring, but I was surprised he was dirty, and so was she. Great start to a series.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
๐ Heathen and Honeysuckle
๐ Book 1 of the Pacific Shores series (interconnected standalones)
โ๐ป Sarah A. Bailey
โ๏ธ Contemporary Romance
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโจ | 3.25
๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ
โ๐โ๐ก๐ก ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐จ๐๐๐. ๐โ๐ก๐ก ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช. ๐โ๐ก๐ก ๐๐ก๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช, ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ก๐.โ
I had really high hopes for this one, but unfortunately it didnโt like land for me.
Overview:
โขAngsty Romance
โขSecond Chance
โขDual Timeline + Dual POV
โขRunaway Bride
โขGood Girl x Bad Boy
๐ง๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฟ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ.
Outlier Island here. This book had so much potential, but I ended the story feeling more frustrated than anything else.
However - If the tropes listed above intrigue you, please still check out this book because clearly many people absolutely love this one.
๐ค What I Enjoyed:
I loved the premise and set-up of this story! We are immediately submerged into two timelines - the past where Darby and Leo meet in a small coastal California town and the present where Darby is prepping for her wedding to someone else.
Also, hearing from both POVs was a wonderful experience. They are quite clearly obsessed with one another.
โ๐๐ค๐ช ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐โ๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฎ?โ
โ๐๐ฃ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ก๐, ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ฎ.โ
โ๐ฟ๐ค ๐ฎ๐ค๐ชโฆ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฎ๐จ?โ
โ๐๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฅ.โ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ช๐๐, ๐จ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐ข. โ๐๐ค๐ชโ๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ชโ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐จ๐ค๐ช๐ก.โ
We also got a scene where Leo completely told off her toxic family, and I live for those moments in books!! So satisfying.
๐
What I Didnโt Enjoy:
The characters felt inconsistent and surface level. Each had well-rounded back stories, so it was frustrating when their words and actions contradicted one another. Plus I felt like their individual traumas couldโve produced more depth and stronger arcs.
For example:
โโ> Grandmaโs inconsistencies: โ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ. ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ชโ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ข๐๐ง๐ฉ, ๐ฎ๐ค๐ชโ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐๐๐ข.โ But later: โ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ข๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ.โ
And then her whole end arc? I have a hard time believing she wouldnโt fight harder to help her granddaughters?
โโ> Leo inconsistencies: โ๐๐ก๐ช๐จ, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ง๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ค ๐จ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ข๐ฎ๐จ๐๐ก๐, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ง๐ช๐ก๐ ๐โ๐ข ๐จ๐ช๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ก๐ก๐ค๐ฌ, ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ: ๐ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ช๐ก๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ช๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ.โ But he does SO many things (illegal and/or risky) with Darby that could potentially harm her.
I also predicted one of the main twists pretty early on, and I was extremely disappointed to have it confirmed near the end, as it made me very frustrated with the FMC.
The FMC was a constant damsel in distress, and it drove me bananas. I just wanted to yell: โstand up for yourself!!โ Even by the end of the book, Leo was making moves for her.
And the spiceโฆ Oof. I have issues with how many of their encounters were portrayed. Iโm ALL for sex scenes when there is proper tension and build up, but the present day scenes felt too sudden and unrealistic.
The writing itself had many lovely moments, especially in their metaphor of ghosts and wolves. However, the dialogue felt frequently too flowery and repetitive.
I rarely write reviews like this where they feel more like a rant than anything. But it was so frustrating to read a book that had so much potential and have it fall so flat.
If you want a weirdly lighthearted book with plenty of spice, you could still read and enjoy this book. Clearly there are plenty of people who love this one, and Iโm genuinely happy for them!
โจ Read via Kindle Unlimited โจ
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage, Car accident
Mention of death by drowning
Rating: 4/5 stars
Steam level: Multiple scenes with open-door content
Thoughts:
This was a sweet second chance romance novel. The story was compelling, and the flashbacks embodied the innocent feeling of young love, making this a charming and tender read.
This book had a lot of tropes that commonly come with the second chance theme, but the flashbacks and road trip setting made it feel unique. As teenagers, both main characters had significant trauma that impacted their ability to form a healthy and communicative relationship with each other, despite how much they loved each other. As adults, their candid conversations and honesty was very refreshing, especially because the male lead initiated a lot of their interactions.
Despite the very real struggles that each main character faced individually, this book requires a bit of suspension of belief to understand their decade-long separation and the circumstances in which they reunited. However, given the types of long-term trauma they both experienced, their separation made sense. Overall, the feel of this book was very sweet, poignant, and had the feel of a new adult novel.
Additional notes:
- There were a lot of sweet flashbacks. Iโm a huge fan of flashbacks in second chance books because I enjoy watching the couple fall in love and what causes their relationship to change. However, the consistent switching of the โpastโ and โnowโ moments after each chapter felt a bit distracting as the story progressed past the 50% mark.
- Darby and Leoโs friendships with the side characters were also very endearing. The way the book ended left me excited to find out what happens to each character.
Trigger warnings (contains spoilers): Abusive and highly restrictive upbringing; slut shaming; accidental pregnancy; miscarriage; death of loved ones (off-page); SA of female lead (in the past, by third party, off-page)
I received a free advanced readerโs copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
Steam level: Multiple scenes with open-door content
Thoughts:
This was a sweet second chance romance novel. The story was compelling, and the flashbacks embodied the innocent feeling of young love, making this a charming and tender read.
This book had a lot of tropes that commonly come with the second chance theme, but the flashbacks and road trip setting made it feel unique. As teenagers, both main characters had significant trauma that impacted their ability to form a healthy and communicative relationship with each other, despite how much they loved each other. As adults, their candid conversations and honesty was very refreshing, especially because the male lead initiated a lot of their interactions.
Despite the very real struggles that each main character faced individually, this book requires a bit of suspension of belief to understand their decade-long separation and the circumstances in which they reunited. However, given the types of long-term trauma they both experienced, their separation made sense. Overall, the feel of this book was very sweet, poignant, and had the feel of a new adult novel.
Additional notes:
- There were a lot of sweet flashbacks. Iโm a huge fan of flashbacks in second chance books because I enjoy watching the couple fall in love and what causes their relationship to change. However, the consistent switching of the โpastโ and โnowโ moments after each chapter felt a bit distracting as the story progressed past the 50% mark.
- Darby and Leoโs friendships with the side characters were also very endearing. The way the book ended left me excited to find out what happens to each character.
Trigger warnings (contains spoilers): Abusive and highly restrictive upbringing; slut shaming; accidental pregnancy; miscarriage; death of loved ones (off-page); SA of female lead (in the past, by third party, off-page)
I received a free advanced readerโs copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ.25 stars
If you enjoyed the Notebook but wished it wouldโve ended with just a HEAโฆthis is for you! Darby comes from a religious and well off family with a horrid dad that controls literally everything and gets sent away to spend a summer with grandma. Leo is a free living, blue eyed, surfing phenom with his own struggles from his past who falls for Darby hard and fast.
I love a then and now timeline and Sarah did it beautifully. Despite the 10 years between timelines, they melded together seamlessly. We spend the โthenโ timeline watching the most innocent, sweet, heart clenching love story, and in the โnowโ we are navigating the aftermath of running out on her wedding, why she left all those years ago, and the once in a lifetime love that never went away.
Looks like Dahlia and Everett are up next but is anyone else jonesing for Elenaโs or Augustโs story? Iโm a glutton for punishment
If you enjoyed the Notebook but wished it wouldโve ended with just a HEAโฆthis is for you! Darby comes from a religious and well off family with a horrid dad that controls literally everything and gets sent away to spend a summer with grandma. Leo is a free living, blue eyed, surfing phenom with his own struggles from his past who falls for Darby hard and fast.
I love a then and now timeline and Sarah did it beautifully. Despite the 10 years between timelines, they melded together seamlessly. We spend the โthenโ timeline watching the most innocent, sweet, heart clenching love story, and in the โnowโ we are navigating the aftermath of running out on her wedding, why she left all those years ago, and the once in a lifetime love that never went away.
Looks like Dahlia and Everett are up next but is anyone else jonesing for Elenaโs or Augustโs story? Iโm a glutton for punishment
"Her lips taste like finding faith, like realizing you believe in God for the very first time."
rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
tropes:
โจ second chance romance
โจ dual timeline
โจ runaway bride
โจ good girl x bad boy
โจ road trip
โจ pro surfer
this was my first sarah a. bailey book and i became immediately obsessed.
i started this book late one night and was only able to get a handful of pages in before passing out. but the following day, ALL i could think about was what possibly happened between these two characters?? seriously, it was on my mine nonstop that day.
normally, i'm not a fan of books that have dual timelines but the way sarah a. bailey executed it worked so well and i actually really enjoyed it.
i adored how much these two characters loved each other during that summer and silently over the years, just yearning to see one another again. the two brought the best out in each other and leo's efforts in helping darby live her own life.... i'm so emo for them.
thank you so much for the arc <3
rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
tropes:
โจ second chance romance
โจ dual timeline
โจ runaway bride
โจ good girl x bad boy
โจ road trip
โจ pro surfer
this was my first sarah a. bailey book and i became immediately obsessed.
i started this book late one night and was only able to get a handful of pages in before passing out. but the following day, ALL i could think about was what possibly happened between these two characters?? seriously, it was on my mine nonstop that day.
normally, i'm not a fan of books that have dual timelines but the way sarah a. bailey executed it worked so well and i actually really enjoyed it.
i adored how much these two characters loved each other during that summer and silently over the years, just yearning to see one another again. the two brought the best out in each other and leo's efforts in helping darby live her own life.... i'm so emo for them.
thank you so much for the arc <3
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
holy. lick. this. book. ๐
I am truly obsessed.
Darby was shipped off to her grandmotherโs home in Pacific Shores for the summer when she was 17.
Leo is the local surfer boy who throws rocks at her window to tell her how much her music sucks.
With the dual timelines we get to experience their story when they were teens in love as well as when life brings them back together almost a decade later.
This story is full of love and heartbreak. It rips your heart out but puts it back together in the most beautiful way๐ซ
I am truly obsessed.
Darby was shipped off to her grandmotherโs home in Pacific Shores for the summer when she was 17.
Leo is the local surfer boy who throws rocks at her window to tell her how much her music sucks.
With the dual timelines we get to experience their story when they were teens in love as well as when life brings them back together almost a decade later.
This story is full of love and heartbreak. It rips your heart out but puts it back together in the most beautiful way๐ซ
slow-paced