ashmagoffin's reviews
689 reviews

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

3.25

 In reflection reading this book I have been suffering from romance fatigue which ultimately effected my rating. While this book is compulsively readable, I didn't have any desire to pick it up when I wasn't reading it. This book had a fair few content warnings but I found it pretty accessible going in with an open mind. Overall, a good time. 

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

3.0

 A cute little romances and a heartwarming book. The grief exploration sort of threw me unexpected for a loop. This book feels like the coffee with my younger self trend, I feel like it has elements that fans of One Last Stop will enjoy. Time travel isn't really for me, I did not feel like it was utilized well throughout the book either. It was still cute but nothing to write home about. 

That Island Feeling by Karina May

3.75

This book is a fantastic palette cleanser. A feel-good rom com which was a perfect escape on a summer afternoon. I loved the banter and the atmosphere, this book is a great summer read - it hit the spot. I turned my brain off for this one and just went along for the ride.

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

1.75

This book was way too long for the events that occurred. There are moments of explosive action with no build up and there is often no pay off, this lead to a complete lack of tension. Yarros cannot cope with the amount of characters she had in this book, they are poorly utilised and only show up to serve clunky plot points and not their own motivations. Something would happen and then it would seem like Yarros has completely forgotten about it in the next chapter which stopped potentially interesting character development. I have a feeling this is a five book series which would have been a good trilogy, I'm just confused why this series seemly lacks editing.

All Fours by Miranda July

Uhhhhh what just happened?

This is the kind of unhinged which unsettles me, in the same category as Cleopatra and Frankenstein and The Pisces. Desire explored, monogamy is dead ect. This book had a lot to say but it went over my head. Pop off sis I guess.

The Wrong Woman by J.P. Pomare

1.25

A huge let down for me, I found the writing clear but unremarkable which stopped me connecting or caring about the mystery. I found the character motivations inconsistent and I did not like how we were spoon fed copious amounts of information with the lack of payoff with a twist. This felt generic but not in an accessible way. Overall I found this book bizarre and clunky and I did not like it.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

3.5

This book had a unique vibe, a gothic romantasy with ambience. I found it quite difficult to grasp the world initially, a lot of characters were introduced and we were bombarded with a lot of lore early. Once I was in the swing of things I flew through this. I'm keen to see where the series goes next.

3.5

Clue: On Stage by Sandy Rustin, Jonathan Lynn, Hunter Foster, Eric Price

3.25

This would definitely be a better experience performed, a lot of fun stage directions, ending is a bit lacklustre.

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

3.75

The Water Cure is about three sisters who live on an isolated island with their parents who keep them innocent (or ignorant) from a world which is designed to harm them. This book is tricky to review, we have not been given all the puzzle pieces, the sisters are kept in the dark and so are we. Even though it was confusing to read but it is also compelling and haunting which makes it easy to fly through the pages. Towards the middle the format changes, told from individual perspectives of Sky, Lia and Grace, sometimes morphing into one, dwelling in Lia's perspective for the majority. The solidarity of a sisterhood, splintering identity, loss of innocence and shifting through waves of grief, this tiny book was pondering a lot and leaves plenty food for thought. What exactly? Please don't ask me.

Spiral by Bal Khabra

emotional 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? Yes

4.0

Just after I swear off sports romance, I pick up this delightful little read! I present to you a fake-dating sports romance - a ploy to get the media off ice-hockey player Eli's back and to build a social media following for aspiring ballerina, Sage. Eli and Sage have had their struggles and the way this was explored brought depth to both. I adored these characters, Eli with his sweet and quiet nature and Sage who is blunt, feisty and forward - this is a pairing with chemistry. This book is a slow-burn but the tension made this book utterly compelling, there is true YEARNING within these pages. There is a bit of miscommunication but the writing made it seem plausible I was able to suspend my disbelief.  There was a super odd eleventh hour conflict and a mini villain which I thought was unnecessary to the plot and we could have probably gone without it. 

 I was pleasantly surprised by this cutesy book, it was a joy to read! Spiral has restored my faith in sport romances. 

TLDR: fake-dating --> room mates ---> only one bed

Thank you to Bloomsbury for my gifted copy! Spiral is out in Australia 28/01/25.