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ariannaisbooked's reviews
416 reviews
This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Another ∞ ⭐️ from Kennedy Ryan & another favorite of the year already!
It’s been such a long time since I’ve read a book that’s been so *complete* in the sense that it made me laugh out loud at times, cry at other times, and still manage to make me sweat from how hot the spice is (and tension obvi). I really went through the full range of emotions while reading this book. It has the ultimate girl power vibes, especially in the idea of Sol dating herself. It’s a mindset that I really vibe with because I’ve been unknowingly doing it for the last few years. And the way that Judah was low-key stalker-ish but in a good way - he stalked her socials endlessly to truly find her likes, dislikes, and so much more when their situation was keeping them apart. Seeing the growth in all the kids throughout the book was incredible, especially Inez.
It’s so hard to wrap my head around the fact that I have to wait more than a year now to read Hendrix’s book 😭 Her character has been so fun in this series so far and I just know her book is going to be so dang good!
Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing, Kennedy Ryan, and NetGalley for sending me an early copy!
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
∞ stars / 5⭐️
This book is every bit as incredible as people said it was! Yasmen and Josiah’s love story is so gritty, raw, and real. From a discussion on loss & grief to rekindling a broken & divorced marriage, it shows the realities of what it means to live & love.
The depression representation was so raw and realistic. Even the discussions around therapy and overall mental health were incredible! There’s such a stigma around men’s mental health specifically & I feel like this book did a great job opening up that conversation as well.
It’s been such a long time since I’ve read such an impactful book like this & I can’t wait to dive into Soledad’s story in the next book!
This book is every bit as incredible as people said it was! Yasmen and Josiah’s love story is so gritty, raw, and real. From a discussion on loss & grief to rekindling a broken & divorced marriage, it shows the realities of what it means to live & love.
The depression representation was so raw and realistic. Even the discussions around therapy and overall mental health were incredible! There’s such a stigma around men’s mental health specifically & I feel like this book did a great job opening up that conversation as well.
It’s been such a long time since I’ve read such an impactful book like this & I can’t wait to dive into Soledad’s story in the next book!
Midnight Drop by Lee Jacquot
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
My first ∞ ⭐️ rating of 2024 & easily my favorite Holinights novella! I am so obsessed with the tension, banter, and dirty talking between Bailey and Arian! Literally top tier everything. If you haven't read this one, I don't know what you're waiting for because it's absolute perfection!
Home for the Holidays by Lee Jacquot
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
4.0
I don't usually enjoy step sibling romances & had totally forgotten that it's the main trope of this book. But I liked the way Lee Jacquot wrote their story & didn't make the step sibling part cringey like a lot of other similar novellas / books. It's the way I'm such a sucker for a guy who builds a house on a secluded property & constructs the house to be everything *she'd* like in the hopes that one day they'll be together.
Malum: Part 1 by Amo Jones
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book has a distinctly different vibe from the first 3 in the Elite King’s Club series & I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as the others. I expected a lot of ups and downs with this book but I just didn’t like Tillie & Nate’s story thus far as much as I liked the first part of the series.
I read the trigger warning in the beginning of the book & was very confused what it was actually about. It said there would be warnings leading up to the scene it was referencing. But there definitely were *not*. I don’t care that actually naming the situation in the trigger warning is somewhat of a spoiler, I would have rather seen it spelled out instead of being surprised with a scene with SIDS & then an immediate suicide attempt.
I read the trigger warning in the beginning of the book & was very confused what it was actually about. It said there would be warnings leading up to the scene it was referencing. But there definitely were *not*. I don’t care that actually naming the situation in the trigger warning is somewhat of a spoiler, I would have rather seen it spelled out instead of being surprised with a scene with SIDS & then an immediate suicide attempt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Suicide attempt
One Night by Lena Hendrix
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Lena Hendrix is one of my favorite small town romance authors & I think this one might be my favorite book of hers! The mutual pining between Sylvie and Duke was incredible! It created the perfect amount of tension, especially when they'd see each other in town and have to act like they weren't secretly friends. I went into this blind and honestly had no idea that it had the surprise pregnancy trope. I was shocked in the best way possible when I got to that part & ate up every second of the tension it created with all the side characters.
This book is perfect if you love:
- small town romance
- rivals to lovers
- from feuding families
- mutual pining
- surprise pregnancy
Thank you to Lena Hendrix for sending me an early copy!
This book is perfect if you love:
- small town romance
- rivals to lovers
- from feuding families
- mutual pining
- surprise pregnancy
Thank you to Lena Hendrix for sending me an early copy!
An Icy Infatuation by Emily Silver
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book is basically a love letter to the penguins of Antarctica and I loved every second of it! Reid & Bea's story is so beautiful in how natural it was for them to get together. I've previously read book 2 in this series so it was fun getting to see the gang's origin story!
Callum by Suzanna Manship
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Disclosure: I edited this book. The following review is a summary of my first reader thoughts as I read through her manuscript before turning on the editing side of my brain:
This is perhaps my favorite book of Suzanna's! It was so interesting to see Suzanna's TikToks as she was writing then finally reading the book to see how all those moments manifested in the book. Especially since she was concerned about it not being dark enough to be classified as a dark romance. But I can assure you, it's a dark romance. But a little more on the same vibe level as Butcher & Blackbird because it's dark but there are so many funny moments throughout the book. And there are even traditional Suzanna moments - like I literally cried so many tears at the
Callum's inner monologues >>>>>
Rosalind's sassiness & stabby-ness >>>>>
Features:
- first love, second chance
- romance between rival mafia members
- hate banging
- possessive MMC
- when he *makes* her wear his clothes microtrope
- when he wipes the tears from her face microtrope
This is perhaps my favorite book of Suzanna's! It was so interesting to see Suzanna's TikToks as she was writing then finally reading the book to see how all those moments manifested in the book. Especially since she was concerned about it not being dark enough to be classified as a dark romance. But I can assure you, it's a dark romance. But a little more on the same vibe level as Butcher & Blackbird because it's dark but there are so many funny moments throughout the book. And there are even traditional Suzanna moments - like I literally cried so many tears at the
Callum's inner monologues >>>>>
Rosalind's sassiness & stabby-ness >>>>>
Features:
- first love, second chance
- romance between rival mafia members
- hate banging
- possessive MMC
- when he *makes* her wear his clothes microtrope
- when he wipes the tears from her face microtrope
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Minor: Sexual assault and Trafficking
Sexual assault and trafficking take place prior to the events of the book and are mentioned but not explicitly described. Please see the author's website or note in the front of the book prior to reading if these are triggers for you.
No Trick Plays by Suzanna Manship
funny
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
I finished my beta read of No Trick Plays & I absolutely love this group of characters! It was so fun to see more of Ellie & King from Hey Batter Batter but it was also fun to see the teasers for the next book in the series 👀
It starts off as a bit of a slow burn but the spice is hotttt with Miller’s dirty talk! The dugout scene?! It’s going to live rent free in my brain now.
It starts off as a bit of a slow burn but the spice is hotttt with Miller’s dirty talk! The dugout scene?! It’s going to live rent free in my brain now.