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alilbitofmonica's reviews
361 reviews
Snowed Under by Juliana Smith
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
I have gone back and forth on how to rate this book because I went back and forth on how I felt about this book while reading it. This is book 2, and I did not read book 1. Although this fact did not affect my ability to enjoy the book at all.
Cooper is a children’s ski instructor who relentlessly chases after his students guardian in an attempt at getting her to agree to fake date him for a publicity interview for the ski lodge. Now I love fake dating, but Cooper was giving me the ick when he refused to back down and let Madeline say no to his offer/question.
Madeline is a single aunt in guardianship of her niece and nephew. She is doing her best when the world is throwing every difficult thing at her. And I loved her for it. I thought Madeline was a very strong female lead and I loved her little family dynamic.
The kids, Charlie and Piper, were adorable and added a levity to the book that kept me interested. The interactions with the kids were my favorite honestly.
The last portion of the book was slowing down a lot for me until the final big event in the last 10% of the book. And then it ended really strong. But the pacing made it hard to stay consistently in the story.
Overall, it had some really cute moments, an interesting plot with complicated family relationships to explore.
The format of some of the writing was frustrating at times, the non-usage of quotation marks or other punctuation to denote popular sayings or other phrases was irritating and had me slowing down to reread and comprehend certain lines. As this was an eARC copy, I’m not sure if this gets fixed in final edits or not.
Thank you to the author for this ARC copy. This review is completely voluntary, completely my own; and always completely honest.
Cooper is a children’s ski instructor who relentlessly chases after his students guardian in an attempt at getting her to agree to fake date him for a publicity interview for the ski lodge. Now I love fake dating, but Cooper was giving me the ick when he refused to back down and let Madeline say no to his offer/question.
Madeline is a single aunt in guardianship of her niece and nephew. She is doing her best when the world is throwing every difficult thing at her. And I loved her for it. I thought Madeline was a very strong female lead and I loved her little family dynamic.
The kids, Charlie and Piper, were adorable and added a levity to the book that kept me interested. The interactions with the kids were my favorite honestly.
The last portion of the book was slowing down a lot for me until the final big event in the last 10% of the book. And then it ended really strong. But the pacing made it hard to stay consistently in the story.
Overall, it had some really cute moments, an interesting plot with complicated family relationships to explore.
The format of some of the writing was frustrating at times, the non-usage of quotation marks or other punctuation to denote popular sayings or other phrases was irritating and had me slowing down to reread and comprehend certain lines. As this was an eARC copy, I’m not sure if this gets fixed in final edits or not.
Thank you to the author for this ARC copy. This review is completely voluntary, completely my own; and always completely honest.
The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord
2.0
I didn’t expect to be so bored but here we are.
I didn’t care about either character, there was no chemistry, and honestly there didn’t seem to be a lot of background on them either, other than the shared of experience of losing a sister/friend.
There was no urgency to the story, nothing that had me feeling like I couldn’t wait to keep going. In fact, the second half had me counting down to when it was over.
The third act conflict was dumb, I hate all the miscommunication, and it all started because I apparently also hate fake dating where the goal is to make someone jealous enough to take them back.
I didn’t care about either character, there was no chemistry, and honestly there didn’t seem to be a lot of background on them either, other than the shared of experience of losing a sister/friend.
There was no urgency to the story, nothing that had me feeling like I couldn’t wait to keep going. In fact, the second half had me counting down to when it was over.
The third act conflict was dumb, I hate all the miscommunication, and it all started because I apparently also hate fake dating where the goal is to make someone jealous enough to take them back.
Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez
5.0
I don’t know how to process anything because my heart is recovering from the rollercoaster that was this book. I laughed, I cried (real tears!) and I fell in love with this story and these characters.
The dementia plotline hit home for me, so this felt real and painful at times. But utterly beautiful. I am in awe of how Abby Jimenez can draw upon grief and true emotional depth and build it into a stunning work of art using imperfect people to create a perfect love story.
Xavier and Samantha are some of my favorite romantic leads. The love they have for each other was SO strong and so touching. Add in the way they each supported each other in their own spheres. I want to cry thinking about it again.
AND HANK??? Imma need a minute to recover from loving Hank so much in this story.
This book isn’t out yet, but I want to buy every copy ever because of how perfect it is. Read it. Love it. Remember it.
The dementia plotline hit home for me, so this felt real and painful at times. But utterly beautiful. I am in awe of how Abby Jimenez can draw upon grief and true emotional depth and build it into a stunning work of art using imperfect people to create a perfect love story.
Xavier and Samantha are some of my favorite romantic leads. The love they have for each other was SO strong and so touching. Add in the way they each supported each other in their own spheres. I want to cry thinking about it again.
AND HANK??? Imma need a minute to recover from loving Hank so much in this story.
This book isn’t out yet, but I want to buy every copy ever because of how perfect it is. Read it. Love it. Remember it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Grief
Funny Story by Emily Henry
5.0
I devoured this book like it was life saving medicine. And maybe it was, because I feel healed after reading this.
Daphne and Miles are wonderful leads. I love Miles's ability to attract everyone and love hard and loudly, while Daphne is more standoffish at first and loves hard but silently. Each of their family dynamics influenced who they became as adults, and navigating that in the midst of the breakups was difficult, but their slow but steady friendship turned more was beautiful to watch.
The third act conflict almost had me breaking a window, but I held myself back and I'm pleased with how things worked out. I love romance books where ridiculous circumstances bring completely normal people together, and this book really highlights how absolutely realistic they both were in their outlandish situations.
This was my second Emily Henry book, and I didn't love People We Meet on Vacation (it was the timeline jumping) so I was very relieved to love love love this one.
Audiobook notes: I think the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing Daphne's perspective to life. Everything felt well paced and this would be easy to follow with audio alone.
Daphne and Miles are wonderful leads. I love Miles's ability to attract everyone and love hard and loudly, while Daphne is more standoffish at first and loves hard but silently. Each of their family dynamics influenced who they became as adults, and navigating that in the midst of the breakups was difficult, but their slow but steady friendship turned more was beautiful to watch.
The third act conflict almost had me breaking a window, but I held myself back and I'm pleased with how things worked out. I love romance books where ridiculous circumstances bring completely normal people together, and this book really highlights how absolutely realistic they both were in their outlandish situations.
This was my second Emily Henry book, and I didn't love People We Meet on Vacation (it was the timeline jumping) so I was very relieved to love love love this one.
Audiobook notes: I think the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing Daphne's perspective to life. Everything felt well paced and this would be easy to follow with audio alone.
Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood
4.75
It took me a minute to get into it but BOY OH BOY WAS I INTO IT 😍🥰
The forced proximity, the mutual pining, the drunken confession, the immediate connection once they admitted their feelings. Obsessed. I love this. It just kept getting better.
The forced proximity, the mutual pining, the drunken confession, the immediate connection once they admitted their feelings. Obsessed. I love this. It just kept getting better.
Hopeless by Elsie Silver
4.5
Idk what was infused in this book to make me sit down and read the last 300 pages without getting up, but here I am.
Fake dating almost never fails and truly, this was a masterpiece. I loved the depth of Beau’s emotions, be it rage or passion or fear and worry. I loved Bailey’s ability to stare her undeserved reputation in the eyes and still know her worth. I admired her refusal to let anything but herself define herself.
Their conflict resolution is something to be studied by scientists because I LOVE the way each of them knows what they need, learn to ask for what they need, and respect those needs of each other. Even when one oversteps, it is with grace and apology. Gosh I love them.
Once again, the Eaton family is wonderful and they prove to be the most supportive and understanding family ever.
Fake dating almost never fails and truly, this was a masterpiece. I loved the depth of Beau’s emotions, be it rage or passion or fear and worry. I loved Bailey’s ability to stare her undeserved reputation in the eyes and still know her worth. I admired her refusal to let anything but herself define herself.
Their conflict resolution is something to be studied by scientists because I LOVE the way each of them knows what they need, learn to ask for what they need, and respect those needs of each other. Even when one oversteps, it is with grace and apology. Gosh I love them.
Once again, the Eaton family is wonderful and they prove to be the most supportive and understanding family ever.
Bloodguard by Cecy Robson
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
At 30% in, I did not care at all about where the story was going.
The characters and setting and plot all felt very surface level. The family tree was complicated and keeping all of the political dynamics straight was a headache.
There was ZERO chemistry between Leith and Maeve. Like none. No tension, no flirting, no... anything.
The audiobook was atrocious. I listen at 3x speed. The male narrator sounded like he was talking with his mouth on the microphone. I couldn't understand a word he said unless I slowed the audio down significantly. The female narrator was much better, but still felt dispassionate and unfortunately did not make up for the bad male narration.
The characters and setting and plot all felt very surface level. The family tree was complicated and keeping all of the political dynamics straight was a headache.
There was ZERO chemistry between Leith and Maeve. Like none. No tension, no flirting, no... anything.
The audiobook was atrocious. I listen at 3x speed. The male narrator sounded like he was talking with his mouth on the microphone. I couldn't understand a word he said unless I slowed the audio down significantly. The female narrator was much better, but still felt dispassionate and unfortunately did not make up for the bad male narration.
Reckless by Elsie Silver
5.0
Yee, and I cannot stress this enough, Haw.
I'm unwell at how much I loved this book. I devoured this like it was the only thing fueling my survival. This book consumed me. And I let it, freely and wholeheartedly.
Theo and Winter are perfect and wonderful and experiencing their journey filled me with such joy. Once again, the whole Eaton gang and everyone associated is just such a peaceful, heartwarming atmosphere and I am thriving in it. (Especially when they turn fiery and put rotten people in their places.)
Do I have a thing for accidental pregnancy and parenting?? Because Heartless and Reckless have done things to me I could never have expected. Daddy Cade and now Daddy Theo?? Give. Me. More.
I'm unwell at how much I loved this book. I devoured this like it was the only thing fueling my survival. This book consumed me. And I let it, freely and wholeheartedly.
Theo and Winter are perfect and wonderful and experiencing their journey filled me with such joy. Once again, the whole Eaton gang and everyone associated is just such a peaceful, heartwarming atmosphere and I am thriving in it. (Especially when they turn fiery and put rotten people in their places.)
Do I have a thing for accidental pregnancy and parenting?? Because Heartless and Reckless have done things to me I could never have expected. Daddy Cade and now Daddy Theo?? Give. Me. More.
It by Stephen King
3.5
This is overall an enjoyable book. It’s SO long, it took me WEEKS to get through. The story itself moves along quite well, as each chapter is broken down into sections, and each section contains really interesting plot development - whether this is instances of IT’s violence, or character development, atmosphere building, or something else.
My greatest compliment: depth. Everything has multiple meanings and significance. Every detail feels important.
I just wish that the book wasn’t so long and drawn out, because by the end I was just trying to get it done and over with (despite generally having a good time with the horror elements and plot).
But I can’t do a review without saying one thing: King deserves jail time for that ONE SCENE in the sewers. I will not speak of it because my brain refuses to revisit it. But honestly? Jail time.
My greatest compliment: depth. Everything has multiple meanings and significance. Every detail feels important.
I just wish that the book wasn’t so long and drawn out, because by the end I was just trying to get it done and over with (despite generally having a good time with the horror elements and plot).
But I can’t do a review without saying one thing: King deserves jail time for that ONE SCENE in the sewers. I will not speak of it because my brain refuses to revisit it. But honestly? Jail time.
Powerless by Elsie Silver
4.5
So much pining. So much tension. So much spice (this particular brand was not my cup of tea, but I was still feeling the HEAT)
Jasper Gervais, the man that you are. Sloane Winthrop, the woman that you finally let yourself be.
I love a good road trip (forced proximity 😏) and this friends to lovers worked so well - ya know, minus the “cousin” lovin 😂
There were a few scenes that really felt so deep and heartfelt that really elevated this from a 4 to a 5 star read
And the audio was wonderful, the extra effect from Teddy Hamilton with the flashbacks made it even more unique.
Jasper Gervais, the man that you are. Sloane Winthrop, the woman that you finally let yourself be.
I love a good road trip (forced proximity 😏) and this friends to lovers worked so well - ya know, minus the “cousin” lovin 😂
There were a few scenes that really felt so deep and heartfelt that really elevated this from a 4 to a 5 star read
And the audio was wonderful, the extra effect from Teddy Hamilton with the flashbacks made it even more unique.