chai_and_books's reviews
84 reviews

Echoes of You by Catherine Cowles

emotional funny sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book was giving Indigo Ridge and People We Meet On Vacation all the way. It committed to the childhood best friends to strangers to lovers along with the wholesome small town, found family tropes. The story handled abuse pretty well and it was great to see Maddie's character development through out the story. Nash had some golden retriever sunshine energy, it was cute to see him and his family fuss over Maddie and make her feel welcomed. I especially enjoyed Nash's dynamic with his family and how he realized his worth. The mystery aspect was a bit predictable but it did give the story momentum. Were some parts cheesy? Absolutely. But at the heart of it, this was a cute story about two best friends that handled dark subject matters with care and attention. 

Per My Last Email by Juliana Smith

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

3.0

 So initially, the dynamic between Luke and Layla was serving Jim and Pam from The Office. Luke is stuck in the friendzone for three years while harboring a major crush on Layla, who was dating some gym bro at the start of the story. Their boss was giving Michael Scott if Michael Scott was turned to a 100 and was bad at his job. Luke's best friend and his and Layla's desk mate Nathan was Dwight if Dwight was a normal person. There were pranks, Nash had bigger dreams and there was Chile's scene recreation as well. But Luke and Layla themselves are not synonymous with the personalities of Jim and Pam. That caught me off guard because I was expecting them to be similar. If you don't go in with that expectation I think it is an enjoyable friends to lovers, work place romance. The office map at the start of the book was a cute addition! 

Grumpy Romance by Nia Arthurs

funny lighthearted fast-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

3.0

I loved Kenya. She was head string, feisty and a hard worker. Scenes where she got to prove her worth as a marketing head and showcased her capabilities were so fun to read. Kenya and Holland had an interesting dynamic, to say the least, but I liked how it was developed over time. Belle was absolutely adorable and loved her interactions with Kenya. My favorite characters, however, were definitely Ezekiel and Bernard; props to them for keeping up with Holland- they were so sweet. The third act break up could have been avoided- had they followed HR protocol- but I can see it's need for Holland's character growth. One thing hated was Kenya's family, especially the sister, they can go jump off a microwave. If you're a fan of the Favor by Suzanne Wright and Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher, I think you would enjoy this book. 

Behind the Net by Stephanie Archer

3.5

Contractually Yours by Nadia Lee

3.0

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was typical MZ with it's small town, forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, slow burn vibes. I found Aurora endearing enough to finish the book, but she could get cringy and annoying at times. Some of her actions just did not scream mature 30 year old, but that was that. Rhodes was very similar to Aiden and Dallas with his whole 'don't talk to me' persona before meeting Aurora and 'no one talk to me but her' persona after he met Aurora but that was about it. Their relationship was developed as they overcame misunderstandings and started spending more time together but it fell flat for me. I don't know, I just didn't feel it. But him setting her up a tent because she couldn't go camping was very cute. I liked Aurora's relationship with Amos (Rhodes' son) best because it felt organic as they connected over their joint love for music. 

Wait for It by Mariana Zapata

emotional funny lighthearted slow-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

3.75

I always thought From Luckov With Love would be my favourite MZ book but this might have dethroned it. I have recently started getting into single-parent romances and this did not disappoint. It served with the tropes (forced proximity, neighbors, grumpy x sunshine) but I love that story wasn't built around the tropes themselves. They were just seamlessly integrated into the story. I loved Diana as a character. She was caring but fierce and ready to do anything for her kids. I also loved how MZ wrote about Diana's approach to parenting, how she struggled with it sometimes, trying not to make the same mistakes as her parents but also trying to make her brother proud. It felt very real to me. Along with her parenting, I just loved Diana as a character. She was witty, selfless and level-headed (for the most part). I also really enjoyed how the talked about Diana's personality traits by either showing them in different scenes or talking about them and backing them up with an incident. Dallas was a grumpy cinnamon role hero, emanating Knox Eden vibes all the way. His interactions with Diana's kids made me melt. The kids were adorable and made the story so much more charming.  However, I feel like Diana's issues with her mother were valid, but, the strain in their relationship felt forced and an unnecessary dramatic addition. Other than that, the story served with the slow burn. I was swooning, crying, kicking my feet in the air throughout it. And the MZ easter eggs please >>>

Sin-Bin by Anastasija White

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

they kept chortling- i couldn't deal with it
this book also has very icebreaker vibes to it

The Favor by Suzanne Wright

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I just couldn't get over the mmc calling the fmc baby girl unironically. I also imagined it the way the main character from 365 days said it so I kept cracking up. I liked the fmc though, she was a well written character (for the most part)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

funny lighthearted fast-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

4.0