charleys_bookshelf's Reviews (252)

A Simple Twist of Fate

April Asher

4.0

emotional funny hopeful 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

Wreck My Plans

Jillian Meadows

5.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

Not Another Love Song

Julie Soto

4.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Love on the Brain

Ali Hazelwood

4.0

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

No Ordinary Love

Myah Ariel

4.0

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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

Kiss Me, Maybe

Gabriella Gamez

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez is the second book in the Librarians in Love series! I love the premise of this book in general; going viral on social media and then using that to leverage your life and experiences is so fun and unserious. Angela is a “late-bloomer” in both “experience” and still figuring out her sexuality. Kiss Me Maybe has representation of sexuality of both FMC’s an ACE lesbian, and bisexual: I love that that sexuality and identity is fluid throughout the whole book and the care and the conversations surrounding feeling misunderstood and confused felt so real.

If you read Gamez's first book and loved the messiness, you will not be disappointed with the level of mess in Kiss Me, Maybe. This Sapphic novel

Kiss Me, Maybe was narrated by Ruby Corazon, who did a fantastic job capturing Angela's moods and feelings. You can tell that the narrator immersed themselves in the book and fit Angela's vibes perfectly. I’m an audiobook lover and had a great time with this one!

This book is messy and fun. I loved Angela using social media to “date the city,” and this scavenger hunt sounds like so much fun! And it’s set in San Antonio, TX, so I'm obsessed! Overall, the book was 10/10. Gabriella Gamez quickly became an auto-buy author, knocking her second novel out of the park!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Audio, and Gabriella Gamez for the ACL copy to review!

All Fired Up

M.K. England

4.0

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

All Fried Up by M.K. England

This was a riot to read; it was silly and full of fun and friends. The characters were messy and a little silly. Kira and Nicole, both Skyler's best friends, declare shenanigans to get Skyler to rethink her decision to relocate to Costa Rica. But during this process, they find that they may be more into each other than their attempts to get Skyler to stay!

I love that this book has anxiety representation and friends who support and push them to go to therapy to work through everything! Also, what fun jobs, one of them being a female firefighter and the other MC being a scientist that sets fires for a living! This book was fun and a little silly, and I felt like a friend, a group I wanted to be a part of!

This book was Narrated by Angel Pean & Kristen DiMercurio! I loved the dual POV of this book and how it also was carried through the narration. These narrators rocked this book and fit the characterization perfectly. This audio was fast-paced, easy to listen to, and overall very fun to read!

PS: That dressing room scene...

Thank you to MK England, Harlequin Audio, and Netgalley for the ALC copy for review.