Take a photo of a barcode or cover
amandas_reading_nook's Reviews (372)
Second-chance is normally my favorite romance trope, but I just couldn’t root for this couple to get back together after the MMC revealed his reason for ending the relationship. I thought it was kind of ironic how while the MC’s were writing their book, they talked about how the hero needed a good reason for ending the relationship, but it couldn’t be something that was unforgivable because they needed the audience to want them to get back together, and then the author gave her hero and unforgivable reason for ending the relationship- at least in my eyes.
I did enjoy the author’s writing and I would try another book by her, which is why I’m giving this 3.5 stars and not 2.
I did enjoy the author’s writing and I would try another book by her, which is why I’m giving this 3.5 stars and not 2.
I really enjoyed this addition to the Inheritance Games universe! I especially enjoyed how these stories explored different kinds of love- romantic, platonic, familial, etc. I loved Hannah and Toby’s story, and I honestly could have read an entire book about just them. I was very excited to finally figure out what happened ‘that night in Prague’ and now I’m just as excited for Glorious Rivals to come out later this year!
funny
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
Emma Lord is the undeniable queen of sweet romcoms and coming-of-age stories.
Sadie and Seb have known each other their entire lives, the by product of being born to parents who are best friends and growing up next door to each other. The last decade has been a series of never ending one-upping each other, but Sadie has finally rid herself of her longtime rival by being accepted into her dream college. That is, until she gets there only to realize Seb has made it off the waitlist and isn't only also on campus, but he will be competing against her for the open writing spot for the school's magazine. Launched into another one of their ruthless competitions, their precarious balance of mortal enemies and polite adversaries just might reach its breaking point.
I don't know how Emma Lord consistently, perfectly captures the feelings that come along with being on the edge of adulthood, but she does. This just might be my favorite book by her yet!
The banter between Sadie and Seb was top tier, I was literally laughing out loud at all of their quips and one-liners. I was also smiling and, metaphorically, giggling, kicking my feet at all of the adorable, sweet, first love feelings flying around. A lot of the time when an author writes two characters that have known each other their whole lives, I feel a little cheated in not being able to see what their dynamic was like before the beginning of the book. However, I thought Lord did an excellent job of giving us well-developed characters, with enough backstory and anecdotes that I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. My favorite part of Lord's books is always the personal growth that her characters go through, and oh did she deliver in this one. Even though I don't come from a loud, chaotic family, nor am I the overlooked middle child, the eldest daughter in me could really relate to Sadie's feelings of having to be the peace-keeper and fixer of the family. I also related to her and Seb's feelings of not wanting to disappoint their parents by being something different than their parents' idea of them, as I am sure a lot of us can.
Clearly, I cannot say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend you give it a read, and maybe do so with a stack of pancakes covered in sprinkles.
The audiobook was well produced and the narrator did a fantastic job. Her voice acting made me feel like I was actually inside Sadie's head and added another layer of depth to the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.
Sadie and Seb have known each other their entire lives, the by product of being born to parents who are best friends and growing up next door to each other. The last decade has been a series of never ending one-upping each other, but Sadie has finally rid herself of her longtime rival by being accepted into her dream college. That is, until she gets there only to realize Seb has made it off the waitlist and isn't only also on campus, but he will be competing against her for the open writing spot for the school's magazine. Launched into another one of their ruthless competitions, their precarious balance of mortal enemies and polite adversaries just might reach its breaking point.
I don't know how Emma Lord consistently, perfectly captures the feelings that come along with being on the edge of adulthood, but she does. This just might be my favorite book by her yet!
The banter between Sadie and Seb was top tier, I was literally laughing out loud at all of their quips and one-liners. I was also smiling and, metaphorically, giggling, kicking my feet at all of the adorable, sweet, first love feelings flying around. A lot of the time when an author writes two characters that have known each other their whole lives, I feel a little cheated in not being able to see what their dynamic was like before the beginning of the book. However, I thought Lord did an excellent job of giving us well-developed characters, with enough backstory and anecdotes that I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything. My favorite part of Lord's books is always the personal growth that her characters go through, and oh did she deliver in this one. Even though I don't come from a loud, chaotic family, nor am I the overlooked middle child, the eldest daughter in me could really relate to Sadie's feelings of having to be the peace-keeper and fixer of the family. I also related to her and Seb's feelings of not wanting to disappoint their parents by being something different than their parents' idea of them, as I am sure a lot of us can.
Clearly, I cannot say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend you give it a read, and maybe do so with a stack of pancakes covered in sprinkles.
The audiobook was well produced and the narrator did a fantastic job. Her voice acting made me feel like I was actually inside Sadie's head and added another layer of depth to the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was all over my fyp a few months ago so, despite knowing nothing about it, I obviously had to pick it up- and I get the hype! I had a lot of fun reading this, even though there were typos in it (odd) and the whole vampire/thrall/feeder situation got a little confusing to me. I’m glad I didn’t know there were vampires in this beforehand, because I might not have read it if I did 😅 I ended up rating this 4 stars, because I found my overall enjoyment of this book outweighed my issues with the writing. I‘ll definitely be continuing the series!
I picked up The Christmas Cafe by Eliza Evans after reading The Christmas Cookie Wars by her, and while I liked The Christmas Cookie Wars just a smiiiidge more, this was still very cute! I really enjoy the author’s writing style and how lighthearted the story was. I just wish we had seen more of the main couple’s past on the page, instead of just being told that it existed. I had a bit of a hard time feeling the connection between them. But otherwise I really liked this book and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any other holiday books that the author releases!
Turns out a quirky romcom about people who are very serious about pickleball is not my cup of tea 😬 Honestly, I thought the plot line was fine, but I did not jive with the authors writing style. I thought she used a lot of strange metaphors and adjectives that resulted in an overall cringey book. It was so distracting I almost DNF-ed the book at multiple points, despite genuinely wanting to know how it ended. Overall, just not my favorite 🫶🏼
I’ll admit I was a little nervous to read The Games Gods Play, because I’ve never really been a fan of Greek mythology mixed with modern day. I fully bought it for the pretty sprayed edges 😅. Thankfully, I did like it though! It was very fast paced, and I thought the competition aspect of it was well done- the labors all felt unique. There were some parts that I felt could have been written better, and by the end I did feel like we were left with some plot holes, but I always try to give grace to the first book in a series as they could be solved in a later book. All in all, I thought this was a solid start and I’m excited for the second book to come out later this year!
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't normally think of St. Patrick's Day as a sexy holiday, but Serena Pier made it work!
This is the 3rd installment of the High Five novella series, and having read the first two, I am consistently pleasantly surprised by how much backstory and personality the author is able to give these characters in such a short story. I wouldn't expect a spicy novella to have much plot, but I enjoy how these are centered around finding a connection with someone while in your thirties.
I thought the instant connection between Rachel and Patrick was well done and all of their banter was top notch. I really liked how they spent the whole day together, because even though we got only one day with them, it felt like there was so much more on page time of them together compared to the other novellas in the series that happen over the course of a few days/weeks.
I would highly recommend giving this series a try if you are looking for something light and quick to read!
Thank you to Grey's Promotion and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is the 3rd installment of the High Five novella series, and having read the first two, I am consistently pleasantly surprised by how much backstory and personality the author is able to give these characters in such a short story. I wouldn't expect a spicy novella to have much plot, but I enjoy how these are centered around finding a connection with someone while in your thirties.
I thought the instant connection between Rachel and Patrick was well done and all of their banter was top notch. I really liked how they spent the whole day together, because even though we got only one day with them, it felt like there was so much more on page time of them together compared to the other novellas in the series that happen over the course of a few days/weeks.
I would highly recommend giving this series a try if you are looking for something light and quick to read!
Thank you to Grey's Promotion and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I picked this one up because I read Melodie Edwards’ other novel, Once Persuaded, Twice Shy, last year and really enjoyed it, and I liked this one just as much! I thought the author did a great job of keeping the spirit of the original characters while throwing them into a modern day world. I will admit that I was worried I would be put off by the work/boss relationship and age gap, but I thought the author actually did a really good job of making the relationship compelling, and something I could root for. I would recommend it even if you're unfamiliar with the original story!
I really loved this holiday romance! I was in the mood for something fun and lighthearted, and this definitely delivered! I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the relationship between Melody and Johnathan progress, and as someone who does a large amount of holiday baking, it was fun to read about someone else making a mess in the kitchen, haha. I thought the author did a really good job of creating that Hallmark movie feel, without making it too cheesy or shallow.