adogmomsbookishlife's reviews
449 reviews

Technically Yours by Denise Williams

funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

emotional funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced copy.

This is my second novel by Serle, and I loved it! She is a very gifted author! I did end up listening to the audio while following along with my digital copy because … Julia Whelan!! **sigh** If you listen to audio books, you understand. #iykyk 👑 

It’s hard to give a lot of details without spoiling anything, but there are a few things I can say. 

What I Did Like:
- This is a love triangle that is written VERY well! I love how it is written, in general. I love that Daphne is keeping a secret and her entire story is told bouncing back-and-forth between present day and her past. I love how her secret unfolds as the story weaves in and out of her relationships and the letters she received about them.  
- Did I mention that Julia Whelan narrates the audiobook? 😍

What I Didn’t Like:
- I didn’t agree with Daphne’s decision at the end of the novel. 
- I didn’t like how one of the main male characters started behaving towards the end, but I won’t say who or why I didn’t like it. #nospoilers

???
Something I’m unsure of … I can’t decide if I liked this, or didn’t like this, or if I’m indifferent about it …. but there is a magical realism element that never gets explained. You just have to accept it for what it is.

The Magic All Around by Jennifer Moorman

mysterious medium-paced

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for this advanced copy.

Things I loved:
- Set in Georgia with flashbacks of Florida; that was exactly me in college!
- The “old timey” names: Lilith, Penelope 😍
- Amazing food descriptions!! 🤤 I stayed hungry!!

Read this if you love:
- A cozy mystery with family elements
- Magical realism 
- Southern charm and meddling family members, including the house itself 

I’ve also read The Baker’s Man by Moorman, and I salivated throughout that one too!

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for this advanced copy.

This was my first Omegaverse AND Ali Hazelwood novel. And, oh boy, was it an adventure! 😂 

First of all, it is immediately clear what a talented writer Hazelwood is. I was hooked within the first couple of minutes! For the majority of the novel, the story was not much different from other vampire/werewolf books I’ve read. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I just did not yet understand how the omegaverse was different from other fantasy type novels ….

I patiently awaited THE scene everyyyyyyone was talking about. 🪢 The Joyful Chaos Book Club group chat previously went OFFFFFF with all the joyfully chaotic comments about this scene. When I got to what I assumed was the scene, I thought, “OH! THAT’s how it’s different! 😮 Okay, no biggie.” I mean it was certainly not green pepper spice, but it was nowhere near ghost pepper content like I had heard others refer to it as. I would say it was more jalapeño spicy …

Then, I got to the end of the book. And that’s where I uncovered the omegaverse  territory I had been seeking. Y’all … I’m not gonna lie … And I might break a few JCBC hearts in the process (sorry!!) … but … I laughed … audibly. And I’m not sure what that says about me. 😆 

Please know, this is not a bad review AT ALL!! I LOVED this book! It was completely hooked all the way through. I’m just not sure the genre is my cup of tea. If you’re at all intrigued, definitely give this one a try! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, and Sexual content

The Fun Widow's Book Tour: A Novel by Zoe Fishman

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I find this book very hard to review after learning the author experienced the same kind of grief.  I can’t begin to fathom the grief from losing a partner and having to raise young children alone.  Mia (MFC) and Zoe are both phoenix’s rising from the ashes.  As far as the story goes, there were things about the characters that I didn’t like. There were situations I wish had been handled differently.  Each of the character’s had a lot of internal work that needed to be done, and the ending felt a bit rushed.  But overall, this story is a beautiful and tragic one!   Grab your tissues; you’re gonna need them! 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Crazy like a Fox by Melinda Metz

emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for this advanced copy. 

 

Crazy Like a Fox is book number 2 in the “Fox Crossing, Maine” series.  I didn’t realize this when I first requested the novel, but I quickly learned that not having read the first book didn’t interfere with my understanding of the storyline.  However, I suppose I don’t know what connections I did miss by not having read the first one.  Either way, I enjoyed this cozy, magical realism, romance.  I especially loved the scenes that were told from the foxes point of view, and I adored the Appalachian Trail and hiking backdrop!  My only disappointment was that it felt kinda YA-ish, which isn’t always my cup of tea. All of these characters had A LOT of growing up to do.  

 

That said, I do plan to read the rest of the series, and I look forward to learning more about Fox Creek, Maine and the quirky characters of the town. 

Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I can’t quite place my finger on why this was my least favorite of the series, but it was still an enjoyable read. The setting descriptions made me want to visit Rome, Italy so badly!! I was quite annoyed with the MMC at one point but he redeemed himself in the end. 

With Any Luck by Ashley Poston

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

• This is definitely one of my favorites of the series! I loved the enemies-to-lovers and the celebrity/normal tropes. There are two love stories at play here, and I absolutely need the full version of each! This novella flowed perfectly as it stands, but a full length novel (or two) would be everything my heart desires from these sweet couples! This is another spicy one and it’s so well done! 

Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory

emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was the spiciest of the series by far! I loved the enemies-to-lovers and grumpy/sunshine tropes! This is another one that I wish was longer. It felt like the spice came up a little too abruptly but with a more of a buildup utilizing my two favorite tropes, this would have been a knock out! Don’t get me wrong, I still liked it a lot. I just wanted more!