Scan barcode
A review by laurenbrennan
Not in the Cards by Maggie C. Gates
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
We love a ✨dessert book✨
The fact that I thought I ‘wasn’t really a “cozy vibes” type of person’ before I read these is laughable at this point. Obsessed with Mel and Jason, WAY more than I thought I would be!
While I’d say that usually the author has a pretty predictable style and plot pattern in terms of progression, the ending on a cliffhanger in such a tense situation was a super pleasant surprise for me! I also like that she has pretty different storylines in terms of how the characters meet, and how their relationships grow (at least for the first 90% of the book.) I think she did the “known each other since childhood” thing REMARKABLY well considering the fact that we hadn’t seen Jason before this book, and Mel wasn’t as prominently featured as she could’ve been.
Something I also love about the author is that she’s able to create pretty unique and well-developed characters, especially the females! While you could probably argue that it’s a general trope of “powerful and interesting, life-of-the-party” female + beefcake himbo male (i.e. lumbersnack), you can always count on me to eat it up every. 👏 single. 👏 time.
I guess the reason I have to deduct a star is for the predictability of the progression (3rd quarter fight, make up, HEA…with the EXCEPTION of this time with the cliffhanger; 10/10 you go girl) and the fact that I know I’ll get more of their story in the next book leading to less re-readability. But pretty sure that’s EXACTLY what the ✨cozy✨ people want, so as far as that goes, she served!
The fact that I thought I ‘wasn’t really a “cozy vibes” type of person’ before I read these is laughable at this point. Obsessed with Mel and Jason, WAY more than I thought I would be!
While I’d say that usually the author has a pretty predictable style and plot pattern in terms of progression, the ending on a cliffhanger in such a tense situation was a super pleasant surprise for me! I also like that she has pretty different storylines in terms of how the characters meet, and how their relationships grow (at least for the first 90% of the book.) I think she did the “known each other since childhood” thing REMARKABLY well considering the fact that we hadn’t seen Jason before this book, and Mel wasn’t as prominently featured as she could’ve been.
Something I also love about the author is that she’s able to create pretty unique and well-developed characters, especially the females! While you could probably argue that it’s a general trope of “powerful and interesting, life-of-the-party” female + beefcake himbo male (i.e. lumbersnack), you can always count on me to eat it up every. 👏 single. 👏 time.
I guess the reason I have to deduct a star is for the predictability of the progression (3rd quarter fight, make up, HEA…with the EXCEPTION of this time with the cliffhanger; 10/10 you go girl) and the fact that I know I’ll get more of their story in the next book leading to less re-readability. But pretty sure that’s EXACTLY what the ✨cozy✨ people want, so as far as that goes, she served!