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btwnprintedpgs's reviews
1302 reviews

hopeful lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

I adored this book - I appreciated the dual POV of Ama in the present and Elliot in the past (for much of the book) as we see how their relationship started and how it unravelled before present day. There was a great mix of wedding planning, design, personal life, and steamy scenes that really brought the characters and their relationship to life.

I actually loved the depth it went into with the MCs feelings, as well as their work, because they were both so important to them for different reasons. The development of relationships and the secondary characters also made the book so much more fun and colourful.

I will definitely be keeping an eye out for new books by Julie Soto going forward - her writing is addictive. All in all, this is a new favourite for me!

TW: sexual content, workplace emotional abuse, injury detail; mentions cancer, death of a parent, sexual harassment

Content Warnings

The (Fake) Dating Game by Timothy Janovsky

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adventurous emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

2.0

This book was a miss for me. The pacing, especially, was chaotic and this was one of those books where you're expecting one thing, and it's totally different in not-the-best way.

The whole hook of this story is this game show, and yet it doesn't actually start until around 60% in and only takes up maybe 10% of this book. Instead, the book is more of a self-discovery/grief journey for Holden. Not the worst thing - I actually really liked his character arc and how he actually worked on himself - but, since I was sold something totally different, my reading experience was definitely affected, especially since there was so much build up and emotions around this game show. It was such a small sliver of the book, it was almost insignificant.

Leo was fun and relaxed and I appreciated his and Holden's connection. I think there could've been a bit more relationship development, and, again, the pacing of their relationship was very rough (and very much a cold bucket of water multiple times), and it felt choppy. It was like the book was edging us, but the climax was their relationship, you know? Maybe? I don't know. It just wasn't for me.

I think this book could be something solid, but in its current form there's just something missing. Additionally, the game show was such a big selling point for me that the small part of the story it took up just wasn't satisfying. Point for great character development, especially at the end, but not enough for me to say this was an entirely enjoyable read.

TW: grief, sexual content; mentions death of parent, infidelity, cancer, homophobia

Plot: 2.5/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 1/5
Writing: 3/5
Pacing: 1/5
Overall: 2/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Afterglow Books by Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

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Knives, Seasoning, & a Dash of Love by Katrina Kwan

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informative lighthearted reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

I love a book about food and this one served!

Alexander is the grumpy head chef and CDC of La Rogue - a Michelin starred restaurant. Eden is a culinary school drop out who needs money. When the two come together, pasts and present collide and we get a sexy and sweet romance!

The relationship building was cute and the food sounded sublime. I wish there was some better descriptions for the meals - I really wanted to drool over the food - and I feel like this book fell short slightly in that area at the start. That ramped up as the book went on and I found it to be a cool reflection of these two characters coming back to their true passion.

The pacing of their relationship was pretty fast, but I enjoyed their general banter as they got to know each other and the secrets they were keeping. I loved seeing them support each other through their trials, though it did feel at times they were moving a bit fast. It felt like a pacing issue mixed with their insecurities, but at the end of the day, I loved them and was fully invested so it didn't matter too much.

I also loved the other chefs - the development of the friend group was so sweet and seeing them all get along and bond over trivia nights was a lot of fun. I appreciated the levity they brought to the story and enjoyed their smaller arcs as well.

All in all, I enjoyed this one and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for Katrina Kwan's future books!

TW: racism, abandonment, grief, micro-agressions, cursing, sexual content; mentions car accident

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via Lake Country Press and Colored Pages Book Tour in exchange for an honest review.

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Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

After the super heavy last couple installments, this one felt like a breath of fresh air. The case was super interesting and the story arc was fantastic. I really felt the growth and love and support that lives between Roarke and Dallas and I loved to see it.

Also, I liked that this had more interpersonal interactions and moments than some previous installments and I feel like we got a lot of Eve's heart in this one.

Content Warnings

Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was intense, to put it simply. Though I went in thinking it'd be a light romance, I ended up staring mental health and self-reflection in the face. As someone who's walked away from emotional abuse, body image issues, and grief from a loss of someone close, this whole book was a lot.

Let's start with the strongest part of the story - the positive therapy rep. Holy heck, the therapy rep was perfect. I loved that both MCs were so open about their therapy journeys, and that they told each other stuff they've learned in order to help one another grow. While some books feel preachy, the conversations about therapy and sharing therapy-isms was organic and both characters were receptive to changing and growing. As Mike kept saying, they were both coachable and I loved both his and Rory's growth through the story.

The romance was also organic and cute. I appreciated that the story takes place basically over two years (three, if you count the kind of epilogue), so you really saw them growing and falling in love over time. Yes, there was an instant zing, but beyond that this story was definitely a friends-to-lovers.

I also liked how we got some insight into Rory when she was younger through her letters to her Canadian Boyfriend. I also liked how those letters came into play through the book and within her real relationship to Mike. While I wish there hadn't been a third-act breakup, I think they both needed it for different reasons, and I loved that those reasons are clearly drawn out for us. It wasn't a miscommunication, it was growth, and it was a breath of fresh air.

There were a couple things that did bother me a bit - I wish that they had more time with their friends doing their individual growth. I wanted to see them have fuller lives (though that was also part of the whole healing process for them). That being said, hopefully we'll see more of them in Gretchen's book living their best lives. I also found some of the vocabulary jarring. This is my first book by Holiday so I don't know what her vocab quirks are, but this is the first time I've seen a number of words used in such quantity. It might be the uniqueness of the terms (logjam, woo-woo, schmaltzy), but their repetition stood out and gave the story character but was also mildly distracting. Weird thing to be hung up on, I know, but it's still there.

All in all, this book is definitely a new favourite of mine. Canadian Boyfriend was soft, sentimental, and full of healing. I learned a lot from this book, and while it was heavier than I expected, I ended up adoring every part of it.

TW: grief, emotional abuse, eating disorder, body shaming, panic attack/anxiety (not full blown, not fully on page), death, death of a parent, sexual content (not super descriptive), cursing, alcohol; mentions car accident, pregnancy, injury detail

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Forever in exchange for an honest review.

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