authorpixieperkins's reviews
137 reviews

On Schedule by Summer Dowell

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funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

My full review can be found here: bit.ly/3IXmSJZ

His hands reach out, grabbing the edge of the small table as if he hopes it'll steady him somehow. "Avery, I'm not the best guy when it comes to feelings and emotions. I'd much rather gloss over things than talk them through. But if there's one thing I trust, it's my camera. It's the pictures I take. Photos don't lie."

First off, I should've had this review done AGES ago. But life happened lol. Anywayyyy...

The whole series was so much fun!! It made me really realize how much I love wedding-themed romances. Tyler and Avery were perfect together! I loved how their relationship had a little bit of everything. And even though they didnโ€™t like each other at first, they matched up so well! Even with their careers! Also, Elvis deserves a shoutout because heโ€™s the force that really brought them closer...plus he was freaking adorable. ๐Ÿ˜

Oh yeah, and I approve of the Hallmark aspects that Hope and Haley tried to implement because I would totally do the same thing being a Hallmark lover myself. ๐Ÿ˜‚

โ€‹As far as content goes: There was no language that I can remember. Some light innuendo. A few jokes about drugs. Avery struggled with being perfect and trying to always take care of everything. Her and Tyler both had some workaholic tendencies. None of this was triggering for me, but could possibly be for other readers. I don't think there was anything else. I would describe the book as a mild "PG-13 romance movie."

And now, I'm going to let my list of IMPORTANT points do most of talking...


1: Ahhhh hallmark movies...

2: They havenโ€™t met, but I already know Iโ€™m going to love their dynamics

2.5: Yep, I was rightttttt

3: Iโ€™ve been so distracted with reading that I forgot about my list lolll

4: Tyler is the best kind of pest

5: Iโ€™m not usually good with surprises either tbh

6: How are they so freaking cute together?!

7: The โ€œpointless conversationโ€

8: Hayley is trying so hard and itโ€™s so bad that I love it so much

9: Photography jokes

10: Her almost-fall

11: She does NOTTTT want healthy snacks

12: THE PUPPY!

13: Iโ€™m here for the baby (puppy)-talk

14: I need to know about this Olivia person...

15: Oh my gosh, ANOTHER blind date for the books lol

16: I know we just saw Tyler in the last chapter but I already missed him

17: Their text conversations are adorable

18: The cake-testing

19: Tylerโ€™s convo with Elvis lol

20: Doggie sweaters

21: I love it when he takes pictures of her

22: NOW I KNOW WHY EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE DARK ROOM IN THEIR REVIEWS

23: I love dual meaning convos lol

24: Averyโ€™s attachment to Elvis is precious...ahhhh and she talks with him toooooo

25: YOU TELL HER, TYLER

26: Awwww I was hoping that Elvis wouldnโ€™t be stuck in the kennel

27: CHAPTER 22!!!

28: Stoppppp! Do NOT ruin this for me!!

29: I love and hate that time has passed

30: YES, YOU OVERREACTED

31: CHAPTER. 27.

32: I am living for this adorable confession

33: The epilogue is pure GOLD



The book was funny, swoony, happy, and all kinds of sweet...something thatโ€™s always guaranteed with Summer. I also have a new appreciation for flannel and Iโ€™m even more convinced that blind dating wouldnโ€™t be for me lol. Each book of this series can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading them in order! If you're a fan of wedding-themed romances, all three books need to be on your TBR!! ๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ“
โ€‹


~I received an e-copy of this story from the author, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.~


XOXO, Violet by Ginger Li

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted

5.0

My full review can be read here: bit.ly/3LtsfTz

โ€œ๐‡๐ž๐ฒ, ๐–๐ž๐ฌ?โ€

๐ˆ ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ž๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ ๐š๐ณ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐œ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ก๐จ๐ง๐ž.

๐•๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐ž๐ญ ๐ ๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฆ๐ž ๐š ๐ฌ๐จ๐Ÿ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ž. โ€œ๐“๐ก๐š๐ง๐ค๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ.โ€

๐ˆ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐›๐ž๐š๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐œ๐ซ๐ž๐ž๐ง, ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฌ๐ก๐ž ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐š๐ฌ ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ. โ€œ๐ˆ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ, ๐•๐ข,โ€ ๐ˆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž๐.

๐•๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐ž๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐š๐ฌ ๐ข๐Ÿ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ž ๐ฆ๐ž๐š๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐š๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ , ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ง๐จ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐œ๐š๐ฆ๐ž ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ.

Oh mannnnn. This was too freaking sweet! The book was filled with lots of happiness, sunshine, and some deeper themes that really added to the overall experience. I loved it so much. ๐Ÿ’—๐Ÿ˜

Some points that NEED to be shared...

1: The bromance is BACK, baby!

2: Violet and Wes are adorableeeee

3: โ€œHow long have you liked him?โ€ convo

4: Wes quoting Shakespeare

5: A fellow Kdrama lover!!

6: โ€œDo I make you swoon?โ€ (Iโ€™M SWOONING)

7: The high-five

8: I have thoughts about this Jay guy...

9: Sheโ€™s awkward but HE gets awkward because of HERRRRRRR

10: Weโ€™re here for the caring brotherssss!

11: Wes and his notebook? I just canโ€™t even

12: โ€œCome help me with my hot glue gunโ€

13: When I tell you that I love Wes...

14: THEY ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER

15: Chase needs to vanish lol

16: Chapter 12. I highlighted PARAGRAPHS

17: โ€œYeah. I do.โ€

18: THE โ€œNOT DATEโ€ DATE

19: Danggggg it, Wes. Now Iโ€™m mad at you

20: Okay, his concern for her is too precious. I canโ€™t stay mad now

21: Noooooo, everything is wrongggg

22: SHUT UP. GO FOR IT, WES

23: (I got distracted with reading, so I neglected my notes list. Sorry not sorry)

24: โ€œChase doesnโ€™t know you at all.โ€

25: Oh my goshhh, I knew this was going to happen and itโ€™s still killing me!

26: Now Iโ€™m saddddd

27: Ugh, this is the WORST

28: I love the girlsโ€™ friendship

29: Little boxes...

30: Ohhh HE DID NOT. Wes is the best


As far as content goes: Any language or suggestive content was very mild. Side character had cancer. Divorced/absent parents. Bullying (aftermath of past experiences), anxiety, fear, and stress were some elements that were present in the book. None of this was triggering for me, but could be for other readers.
โ€‹
The tutor deal was perfect. The mixed messages drove me crazy in the best way. Wes and Violet were beyond perfect for each other. I loved how the story was about taking changes and overcoming the past. They both had their struggles and I really enjoyed seeing their growth. ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ˜Š

I can't wait for Olivia and Micah's story! It's a fake relationship romance, so I'm sure that I'll love it!!! ๐Ÿ’•


The Christmas Crush by Emily Lowry

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3.0

My full review can be read here: bit.ly/3fSPCaI

โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€œIโ€™m so happy youโ€™re home,โ€ I said.

Ryan didnโ€™t answer. He simply wrapped his arms around me. And together, we swayed to the music, letting the melody fall over us. I buried my face in his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of clean laundry and pine.

โ€œMe too,โ€ he murmured into my hair.


Fun fact: I didn't finish any Christmas books in December. I had quite a few on my TBR, but the month was so busy that I wasn't able to read as much as I wanted to. However, I did start this Christmas novella last month and I was determined to have it read and review by January 25th! (Since I love Christmas so much, I think I'd love to review a Christmas book every other month on the 25th throughout the year.)

Anywayyyyyy, Ryan and Marley were adorable together! I really enjoyed seeing the friends-to-more trope mixed with the second chance trope, and the book delivered some definite cozy holiday feels. ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿ’–

As far as content goes: Any suggestive material/innuendos were pretty minor, so no worries there. Oh! Marley struggled with feeling like she's not good enough compared to her sisters (this wasn't triggering for me, but could be for other readers). I truly can't think of anything that would really need to be listed as a warning. ๐Ÿค”


Time for my list of thoughts!

1: I forgot to start my list of notes lol...OOPS!

2: Itโ€™s totally cliche but I honestly LOVE when people are mistaken for a couple in books

3: How unromantically romantic of him lol (roses, IYKYK)

4: Are they confessing feelings?!

5: OH MY GOSH, GO AWAY! THEY NEED TO TALK

6: Sheโ€™s right! What happens after Christmas???

7: The dramaaaaa

8: Theyโ€™re so sweet together

9: Interrupted AGAIN?? Whyyyyy?

10: Oh my gosh, how did I not realize the ending was happening already?


As usual, it's easier for me to spoil things when I'm reviewing a novella; so, I'll just finish my recap by saying this was a cute, breezy Christmas romance! I think Hallmark movie-lovers will especially enjoy it!!๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿ“–
Carpool Crush by Rachel John

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

My full review can be read here: bit.ly/3qPiu92

I was his unfinished business. That's what his eyes were saying. But I wasn't buying that. I took my hand back. He didn't have the right to hold my hand whenever he wanted to, even as a gesture of friendship.โ€‹

I hate that it took me so long to post this review...BUT IT'S FINALLY HERE. Andddd I loved the book, lol. It was such a great mix of friends-to-more, hate-to-love, AND second chance! Both Jenny and Noah had a lot to work through, separately and with each other, but the end result was totally worth the challenges and slowwwww-burn chemistry. I really enjoyed watching them mend their friendship/relationship, even when Jenny tried to keep Noah at a distance.

As far as content goes: No language. Suggestive material/innuendos. Noah had a secret that he wasn't supposed to share with anyone, especially Jenny. Past sexual harassment was mentioned in Jenny's workplace. A "cooking meth" comment was made. Noah assumed that Jenny is sleeping with someone. I honestly can't think of anything else. I would describe the book as a mild "PG-13 romance movie."
โ€‹

Time to share some IMPORTANT points!


1: I already love them so much!

2: Ooooh, Denver is backkkkkk

3: Well, I like the dynamic between her and Denver

4: And I actually like it when guys call girls โ€œhonโ€ lol

5: Clark is another side character I approveeee of!

6: So many great side characters lol. I love Dan and Sadie tooooo

7: The cafรฉ

8: I like Denver way too much...

9: โ€œYou couldโ€™ve called meโ€/โ€œI didnโ€™t want toโ€

10: Noah messed up buttttt heโ€™s pretty freaking sweet

11: Sadie and Denver can get married now, thank youuuuuu

12: โ€œWe...love youโ€

13: Noah frantically looking for the packing tape lollll

14: Awwww Sadie brought tacossss

15: I love Noahโ€™s brothers

16: That LOOK

17: (I got distracted with reading and forgot my notes list)

18: This Justin guy needs to backkkkk off lol

19: (Got distracted again smh ๐Ÿ˜‚)

20: Oh, Denver...

โ€‹
All in all, the book was super cute! It had lots of great banter, really good side characters, a different twist on things, and some amazingggg kisses lol.

OH! And that certain near-death experience was just AHHHHHHH!! ๐Ÿ˜ฑ
โ€‹
I am BEYOND excited for Sadie and Denver's book!!!! Like, I can't even expressed how freaking excited I am. ๐Ÿ™Œ


~I received an e-copy of this story from the author, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.~
The Elle Project by Summer Dowell

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funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

My full review can be read here: bit.ly/322JtVN

โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹For not the first time in my life, I think that I want a relationship like my parentsโ€™ one day. A relationship filled with love and respect and an equal concern for the other person.

I love Christmas. I love Summer Dowell's books. SO, I'M OBVIOUSLY BEYOND HAPPY THAT I GOT TO READ THIS FUN AND FESTIVE HOLIDAY ROMANCE! Gahhhhh. It was honestly just really cute. And there were soooooo many great lines!!! I highlighted like crazy lol (which is always a good sign). ๐Ÿ’š๐Ÿ’–

As far as content goes: Any suggestive material/innuendos were pretty minor, so no worries there. I truly can't think of anything that would really need to be listed as a warning. ๐Ÿค”


Time to share some IMPORTANT points!

1: I havenโ€™t even seen them interact with each other yet, and I already ship it so hard!!

2: Packing for any kind of trip is always a struggle lolllll

3: THANK YOU, BUZZ FOR CREATING AN AWKWARD/ADORABLE RE-MEETCUTE

4: Their mothers...are too much lol

5: Okay, Iโ€™m loving the friendship between Oliver and her brothers.

6: โ€œNot that Iโ€™ve been keeping tabs on herโ€

7: Iโ€™m loving all these LOL thoughts

8: Sophie is great

9: The phone convo with her โ€œboyfriendโ€

10: OH NO HEโ€™S GOOD WITH KIDSSSS

11: That blurted confession in his car lollll

12: My heartttttt. Their internal descriptions of each other are adorableeee

13: SUCH A SOLID ALMOST KISSSSS

14: Everything about the โ€œpromise ringโ€

15: I want to thank burnt caramel sauce for helping these two PUSH BOUNDARIES and I want to throw her phone into the closest ocean

16: JUST LET HER TALK, OLIVER

17: I love her friendship with Sophie

18: Okay, her dad is super wholesome

19: โ€œSince itโ€™s been almost ten yearsโ€

20: Oh my gosh, her mom never stops lollll

21: YEAHHHHH, OLIVER

22: Her family is crazy for sure, but I honestly love them lol

23: That ending was adorably perfect

25: {SPOILER, MAYBE?} AND RHETT BETTER GET THEIR OWN BOOK, I HOPE THATโ€™S WHAT WAS IMPLIED


I try not to say toooooo much in my reviews of novellas (because I'm always worried about spoiling the books since they're shorter) but I could RAVE on this one for sureeeeeee. Elle had such a great sense of humor...and Oliver was goldddd, y'all!! The best combo of sweet and a little sassy. ๐Ÿ˜

Ugh, it was just super cute. Lots of great side-characters. All the holiday vibes. I was greedy and wanted more lol (we did get an epilogue!), but it honestly had the right amount of everything for a novella. So, if you love Christmas and cheerful/wacky books...I think you'll really enjoy this one! ๐ŸŽ„๐Ÿ“–


~I received an e-copy of this story from the author, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.~
I Hated You First by Rachel John

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

My full review can be read here: bit.ly/3wlHveg

โ€œWell, yeah. But where do you see the two of us in a year?โ€ I inched closer to Clay, which added to his nervousness about where I was going with this.

โ€œThe two of us?โ€ Clayโ€™s voice cracked a little, making me want to dig harder.

โ€œYeah, the two of us.โ€

โ€œI see us happy. Donโ€™t you?โ€

I smiled. โ€œI do.โ€


This review was supposed to be done foreverrrrrr ago, but...LIFE. Sighs. Anyway, I really enjoyed the book!! (My 100+ highlights are proof of that lollll)

โ€‹It was cute, funny, and I loveddddd all the tropes! ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜

As far as content goes: No language. Suggestive material/innuendos. Clay and Lauren's secret relationship is obviously part of the plot. Lauren's dad and brother were...a lot at times lol, but they meant well for the most part. Clay was raised by his grandparents because his mother died from leukemia when he was a baby, and he never knew who his father was. I honestly can't think of anything else. I would describe the book as a mild "PG-13 romance movie."

*A quick note for my fellow epilogue-lovers: the book has one, but it was partially to set up for Jenny's book.*
โ€‹

Time to share some IMPORTANT points!

1: Dudeeeeee, their flirting is so cute!!

2: Okay, but Denver is actually a decent guy

3: Special spot

4: The cookiesssss

5: I want to slap Parker

6: โ€œCrying and crampsโ€

7: Her comforter

8: โ€œAre we friends?โ€

9: THAT FIRST KISS

10: I liked how casual but sweet it was when he watching her get ready for the day

11: BOYFRIEND MATERIAL

12: Alllllll the kisses

13: The Scrabble game!

14: โ€œNow go to bed, sweetheartโ€

15: I canโ€™t with this Noble guy lollll

16: I want Parker to have his own book SO bad

17: YOU TELL THEM, LAUREN

18: โ€œYou donโ€™t hate me?โ€

19: Gahhhh, theyโ€™re adorable.

20: And the last lunch date? Sooooo cute


Y'all, Clay was charming beyond words (definitely boyfriend material). Lauren was perfectly sassy, and I related to her overthinking sooooo much. Iโ€™m glad they tried to eventually have open communication between them...even when it was hard. And I liked how the family business added another layer of conflict for their relationship.

Also, I canโ€™t wait to read Jennyโ€™s book (Carpool Crush)! And the novella featuring Melissa and Chaseโ€™s story (Worst Neighbor Ever)! And again, I reallyyyy hope Parker gets his own book as well...because SWOON.
โ€‹
If you love romcoms with great flirty banter and crazy family antics, definitely add this one to your TBR!! ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘
Royally Rearranged by Emma St. Clair

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

My full review can be read here: bit.ly/3BW7Npy

โ€œHow I feel doesnโ€™t matter. I have a duty to do.โ€

โ€‹Rafeโ€™s fingers curl around my hand and squeeze. โ€œIt matters how you feel.โ€


I loveeeee the royalty trope!! I haven't read a lot of contemporary romances that feature it, but I've seen quite a few romance movies that do. I know other readers got The Princess Diaries 2/The Prince & Me vibes from this book, and I definitely agree with them! Y'all, I can't even begin to describe how much GOODNESS Serafina and Rafe's story had. Insane chemistry? Check. Hate-to-love/fake relationship/unrequited love tropes? Check. Emma St Clair's usual wonderfulllll humor/banter? Check. SWOONY AND HOTTTTTT KISSES THAT DIDN'T LEAVE ME FEELING ICKY/UNCOMFORTABLE? CHECK. CHECK. CHECKKKKK. Seriously, I can't tell you how many passages I highlighted. I highlighted SO much. Like, I'm pretty sure my total was almost 300 HIGHLIGHTS.

I honestly think that fact alone could speak for itself.

As far as content goes: Suggestive material/innuendos. Drinking/being drunk occurred. Literally one curse word? There was a scene where Serafina's dress ends up ripping, so she was left wearing the one-piece shapewear she had on underneath. Oh! A "bare bum" moment happens in the epilogue. There was no on-page sex, but it was talked about/implied between different characters. Rafe lost his parents as a teenager and dealt with abuse from his uncle, which resulted in him having mental health issues while he was serving in the royal guard. He ended up getting the help he needed, even though he still had struggles with his uncle. Both Rafe and Serafina dealt with different insecurities. I don't think there was anything else? None of this was triggering for me...however, others might feel differently. Rafe's uncle was a horrible person, seriously, he made me so freaking angry. I would describe the book as a "PG-13 romance movie."

Time to share some IMPORTANT points!

1: Gahhhh, poor Serafina!!

2: Brit is sooooo annoying lol and I feel bad for Callum but like, DUDE

3: WHEN RAFE GOES THROUGH HER WARDROBE

4: If the girl you like is hungry, YOU FEED HER

5: The garden talk and flashback are making me saddddd

6: Claudius and Kat??? (I SHIP THEM SOOOOO MUCH!)

7: Tiramisu.

8: Callum and Rafe BOTH getting jealous...

9: Her dance with Callum

10: Her dance with RAFE. (I highlighted almost all of the scene lollll)

10.5: The whole situation after their dance

11: โ€œJust go along with itโ€

12: That convo between Rafe and Callum

13: Glasses and picnic

14: Whyyyy are โ€œback zipperโ€ moments always so satisfying?!

15: I hate his uncle.

16: Holding handsssss

17: That announcement at dinner though

18: CALL HER โ€œDARLINGโ€ AGAIN!

19: โ€œI wonโ€™t tolerate this disrespect againโ€ (Rafe is too sexy for his own good)

20: Everythinggggg about their talk before the ball.

21: That second danceeeee

22: โ€œI have a question for the princessโ€ (SWOON. SWOON. SWOON.)

23: OH MY GOSH, HE CALLED HER โ€œDARLINGโ€ AGAIN! (This made me so freaking happy lol)

The book was so, so very sweet and charmingggg! I loved the fairytale story vibes at the beginning and end...it was totally precious. Also, I would LOVE to see some of the side characters get their own books. I know Emma hinted at the possibility, so I'll be hoping/waiting impatiently. ๐Ÿ‘€๐Ÿ’—

All this to say, I am VERY glad I went royal with Emma. โ˜บ๐Ÿ‘‘


XOXO, Piper by Ginger Li

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted

4.0

My full review can be read here: bit.ly/3ms1y6m

"Before you came into my life, I was frozen by my past. You were like the sun, you freed me with your smiles and chocolate donuts."

I've had my eye on this book for a few months now, because its cute cover (and blurb) TOTALLY caught my attention. Donuts and hate-to-love vibes? AND they have to work together? YESSSSSS!

Some points that NEED to be shared...

1: I already love the bromance

2: Dudeeee I want some donuts

3: Piper holds her own and I approve

4: Ughhhh, Taylor whyyyy??

5: Olivia is so sweet

6: The main office with Asher

7: Iโ€™m loving Wesโ€™ personality

8: Chocolate donuts

9: The texts

10: Jealous Asher...

11: โ€œYouโ€™re not getting itโ€ ๐Ÿ˜ญ

12: The talk (during Wesโ€™ Halloween party)

13: Micahhhhh

14: Grams is so sweet.

15: I love donut puns lolllll

16: The โ€œbecause Iโ€™m all inโ€ speech.

As far as content goes: No language that I can remember. And any suggestive content was veryyy mild. Asher's biological dad left him and his mom, and he was an alcoholic (in the past). Side-characters dealt with cancer. Grief, anger, fear, and stress were some elements that were present in the book. Piper struggled with the aftermath of an accident. Her dad was absent/controlling/unsupportive. None of this was triggering for me, but could be for other readers.
โ€‹
This was a really sweet YA romance that touched on some deeper themes, which definitely pulled on the heartstrings. Piper and Asher had their struggles (individually and with each other) but they really did belong together. And I loved how they helped each other become the best versions of themselves. Oh, and that epilogue was the cutesttttt!! GAH. So good!

Also, all the donut talk makes me want donuts now lol. (When do I not want donuts though??)

Go get yourself a donut, and go read this book! ๐Ÿฉ๐Ÿ’—
Maid of Dishonor by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

5.0

My full review can be read here: bit.ly/3EI7Ln0

โ€œNo, look, Sam. Look.โ€ He closes the distance between us in one large step, grabbing both of my hands and cradling them in his own. He sounds nothing short of desperate as he goes on,โ€œI thinkโ€”I think thereโ€™s a place inside my soul where youโ€™re supposed to live, Sam, and when youโ€™re not there, Iโ€™m justโ€”Iโ€™m just broken. Iโ€™m empty without you."

My heart was exploding when that part happened. ๐Ÿ˜ฑ๐Ÿฅบ

Before the book was even over, I was more than ready to give it five stars...and once I finished the book I had NO disappointments. I absolutely ADORE Gracie's books! Her leading guys are always swoony as heck and the leading ladies are always incredibly relatable. I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but Gracie is definitely one of my all-time favorite authors. Y'all, she is a ROMANCE QUEEN. ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜

I have a LOT of points to share, so here we go...

1: The rubber band.

2: Coach. Ellis.

3: Dudeeeee I hateeeee Chet so much.

4: Gahhhh Iโ€™m so mad at Carter for not wanting to fall in love lol (I honestly understand but, BUDDY, youโ€™re already in love).

5: The whole convo about Sam thinking she wonโ€™t get married.

6: Ugh, the sea monster.

6.5: BUT THE TALK AFTER THE SEA MONSTER.

7: โ€œIs it worth it?โ€

8: Peachhhh shampoo.

9: All these almosts are killing me.

10: Pool partyyyy.

10.5: I suddenly hate cannonballs.

11: Okay, the dress freak out and peanut butter cake.

12: The telenovela scene.

13: When they have the talk.

14: His weird dream lollll.

15: Sunflowers and a goldfish.

16: โ€œMy eyesโ€ swooooon.

17: Castlewood.

18: I loved how they talked about everything.

19: (view spoiler)

โ€‹As far as content goes: No language! Mild suggestive material/innuendos. There was no on-page sex, but it was talked about/implied between different characters. Carter had some commitment struggles as a result of fear and grief (which was understandable). Sam struggled with the aftermath of a car accident she was in. Sam had an unwanted advance happen early on in the book, but it was addressed and dealt with. Mayaโ€™s fiancรฉ sucked lol, thereโ€™s no nice way to say it. I wasnโ€™t triggered by all of his horrible bad habits, but some readers could be. I don't remember anything else?? I would describe the book as a mild "PG-13 romance movie."

Ya know, one of my favorite things about friends-to-more romances, is just getting to see how well they know each other. I love learning about their little habits and routines from the other personโ€™s POV. The friendship (and eventual romantic relationship) between Sam and Carter was so wholesome. Absolutely freaking adorable.

This was such a sunshine, feel-good story; and if you couldn't tell already, I LOVED IT!! There were some sadder/more serious parts, BUT you canโ€™t have rainbows without rain...and the romance wasn't overshadowed at all.

The book was great and lots of fun, so you should definitely add it to your TBR!!!! Andddd Iโ€™m beyondddddd excited for the next one! (Then again, Iโ€™m always excited when Gracie announces a new book. ๐Ÿ˜)



~I received an e-copy of this story from the author, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.~