aurslde's reviews
48 reviews

Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.5

for me, this was an improvement from older. i was initially skeptical during the first half; however, guys, the second half of this book is where jennifer hartmann really shines through. so angsty and emotional, what this author truly does best !!

This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
Did not finish book. Stopped at 9%.

fuck this… CATCH THE SUN WOOOOOOO 🎉

The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy

funny lighthearted 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

3.75

i'm gonna be honest y'all... i don't really remember this book TOO well to give it a fully fleshed out review. but i'll try my best. it was a fun read; however, i do remember feeling like the mmc wasn't fully fleshed out enough for me. i liked his interactions with the fmc but as a character he just fell short. plus

the marriage plot point was so rushed??? literally why was it written this way, it felt too important to just glaze over like that. it made me feel like i missed something.

The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy

emotional 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? Yes

5.0

wow !! the dixon rule truly blew me away. it was one of those reads where i was going through it so fast and i just didn't want it to end. i feel like elle kennedy did a great job balancing a really good plot and the romance without one feeling neglected. i typically don't reach for fake dating; however, it felt pretty organic. the main characters had really good chemistry/banter and were fully fleshed out. the plots were also so good??? anything that happened in the previous book was completely topped just with the fmc's plot with the ex alone. 

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted 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

funny story has quickly become my favorite book by emily henry !! every book of hers has gotten better the more she progresses; however, this is emily henry at her peak. this is seriously so good. it even utilizes a trope that i don't like really well, fake dating. i just can never find a book where it doesn't feel ridiculous and this felt so organic and natural. daphne and miles have such good chemistry and i loved the side characters in this book (except for you peter and petra, you can choke). i'm so happy i read this !!

Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison

3.0

this is just so bland. like putting cake ingredients together but not bothering to put the cake in the oven type of book right here. i’m not even gonna touch on the smaller stuff (like the  nickname for the fmc being “la la”???? like that just feels too easy to make fun of), so i’ll just get into it !! 

it’s like the author picked out tropes and then just… did absolutely nothing with them. i’m not a BIG friends to lovers person but i hate when authors use the trope and then use their already established friendship to give you a romance? like that is so lazy to me. the fact that it took me more than 2 days to read something so short also personally says a lot to me. since i wasn’t really vibing with the romance, the plot and side characters did nothing for me either. they all are pretty one dimensional and are there to serve the plot/mc’s when it’s important for the progression. 

i’ll still give the next book in the series a chance. my friend told me that this is the book most people have complaints about but i didn’t wanna just skip it so *shrug*.

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

i recently read seven year slip from this author and loved it, so i've been really curious about any book she puts out. a novel love story is pretty good. not as perfect to me but still worth the read. something about it was just off, not nearly as polished. a good example of this being the "third act conflict". that really felt forced and rushed to me. maybe if it was more built up to earlier i could see it working? but all it did was just annoy me at the moment.

Home Is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
Did not finish book. Stopped at 20%.

these characters are bland af. also i haven't touched this book in about a week and that felt like a sign in itself.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

just for the summer was such a pleasant surprise !! after finishing book lovers, i wasn't sure if anything would live up to that; however, this book lived up to that !! i would say this is the perfect book to follow up a emily henry novel. it's just as emotional and balanced with other plots that isn't solely romance focused. it had moments that made me laugh, swoon, annoyed, and emotional for each of the characters. i hate forced in third act conflicts, but this book made it sensical and earned. there are moments where it can get cheesy and insta-lovey but those are completely drowned out by everything good in this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abandonment

Moderate: Child abuse and Panic attacks/disorders

Lore Olympus: Volume Six by Rachel Smythe

*puts on clown outfit* well i guess i'm continuing this series after all.