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chloe_liese's reviews
232 reviews
If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
5.0
“...keep a close eye on the worst things that happened to you, they could turn out to be a doorway, a route to someplace else entirely, a map you couldn’t yet read.”
This book spoke to a part of me that’s still raw and searching for a sense of “now what?” But what I loved about this story was that it managed to be a romantic story that affirms love and romance as a worthy reward for having survived betrayal and heartache without portraying romantic bliss as the *only* worthwhile conclusion to pain.
Laurie and Jamie don’t collapse into each other—they make each other stronger. And though they get their love story and their happy ending, their greater capacity to know and love themselves, the love they find themselves surrounded by in true friends and loyal family, is the real love story told.
This book was brilliantly witty, funny, and dear. Every character was well developed, the writing leapt off the page, and the story never once flagged in pace for me. A truly perfect smart, non-steam, romantic love story.
This book spoke to a part of me that’s still raw and searching for a sense of “now what?” But what I loved about this story was that it managed to be a romantic story that affirms love and romance as a worthy reward for having survived betrayal and heartache without portraying romantic bliss as the *only* worthwhile conclusion to pain.
Laurie and Jamie don’t collapse into each other—they make each other stronger. And though they get their love story and their happy ending, their greater capacity to know and love themselves, the love they find themselves surrounded by in true friends and loyal family, is the real love story told.
This book was brilliantly witty, funny, and dear. Every character was well developed, the writing leapt off the page, and the story never once flagged in pace for me. A truly perfect smart, non-steam, romantic love story.
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
5.0
“It felt safe to let my guard down with you because I could tell myself it wasn’t real. But now it is and… Well… I’m coming to the conclusion I might be unbelievably terrified.”
“Me too, “I said. “But let’s be terrified together.”
This may well be my new favorite fake-dating romance. As this quote captures, BOYFRIEND MATERIAL dug deep into love’s vulnerability and explored brilliantly via the fake-dating trope that pretending something doesn’t mean much to us is sometimes the only way we can allow ourselves to take initial risks when it comes to love.
This book was delightfully British, dripping with dry, self-deprecating humor and snarky wit that I absolutely adore. Luc’s mother and Judy, not to mention his friend group, were top-notch zany characters whose banter was almost dizzying, sometimes near-ridiculous, but again very in keeping with that British RomCom style that you just roll with and enjoy for being slightly over-the-top and delightfully entertaining.
I will admit that I was initially peeved and a bit blindsided by Oliver’s crisis of confidence in their relationship at the end—he’s built up so much through the book as being emotionally solid and sure—but as I read on through the last few chapters, I really got why his family visit triggered that response, and I came around to empathize with and find his behavior believable. It also gave Luc a wonderful opportunity to enrich his character arc, stepping into the role of the patient, gracious, forgiving partner, providing a delightful coming-full-circle turn in the narrative that humanized Oliver and deepened Luc’s growth.
I really can’t praise this romance enough. It was nuanced, smart, swoony, and raw. It didn’t shy away from the realities of homophobia, microaggressions, familial toxicity, and the gritty truth that all of us have to work through past pain and questions of self-worth to be able to truly receive love.
Also? This book’s last sentence—which I will absolutely not spoil—is now tied with The Hating Game for best-concluding line.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the early copy. All opinions are my own.
“Me too, “I said. “But let’s be terrified together.”
This may well be my new favorite fake-dating romance. As this quote captures, BOYFRIEND MATERIAL dug deep into love’s vulnerability and explored brilliantly via the fake-dating trope that pretending something doesn’t mean much to us is sometimes the only way we can allow ourselves to take initial risks when it comes to love.
This book was delightfully British, dripping with dry, self-deprecating humor and snarky wit that I absolutely adore. Luc’s mother and Judy, not to mention his friend group, were top-notch zany characters whose banter was almost dizzying, sometimes near-ridiculous, but again very in keeping with that British RomCom style that you just roll with and enjoy for being slightly over-the-top and delightfully entertaining.
I will admit that I was initially peeved and a bit blindsided by Oliver’s crisis of confidence in their relationship at the end—he’s built up so much through the book as being emotionally solid and sure—but as I read on through the last few chapters, I really got why his family visit triggered that response, and I came around to empathize with and find his behavior believable. It also gave Luc a wonderful opportunity to enrich his character arc, stepping into the role of the patient, gracious, forgiving partner, providing a delightful coming-full-circle turn in the narrative that humanized Oliver and deepened Luc’s growth.
I really can’t praise this romance enough. It was nuanced, smart, swoony, and raw. It didn’t shy away from the realities of homophobia, microaggressions, familial toxicity, and the gritty truth that all of us have to work through past pain and questions of self-worth to be able to truly receive love.
Also? This book’s last sentence—which I will absolutely not spoil—is now tied with The Hating Game for best-concluding line.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the early copy. All opinions are my own.
For Real by Alexis Hall
5.0
Oh my heart!! Toby and Laurie were three dimensional and richly layered characters, real and lovely, each hurting and healing in their own way while loving each other as their emotional growth unfolded.
The BDSM element, particularly its emotional nuance in a romantic relationship, was brilliantly done.
The BDSM element, particularly its emotional nuance in a romantic relationship, was brilliantly done.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
5.0
“She’d been right about her plan, about her list: the process of completing each task involved in multiple adjustments in attitude and countless bite-sized moments of bravery, and those would all add up. By the time she finished, she’d have more than checkmarks and a few stories to tell.
She’d have a life.”
Chloe sets off to improve her quality of life thinking it requires external circumstances to do so—drunken debauchery, empty sex, “reckless” activities like camping in the wild and riding a motorbike—but what she learns is that her capacity for higher quality of life always lay within her heart, not her frustrating body.
Chloe learns that truth by being loved well, by being desired and accepted and enjoyed for who she is. Get a Life Chloe Brown is much more than a romance—though it very much is that, and a hot one, to boot—it’s a story of healing from trauma, finding optimism amidst the natural inclination for despair amidst chronic illness and pain, of opening yourself to the risk and reward of living life from a place of gratitude, not fear.
Both Chloe and Red have to face past pain and fear within themselves, in order to try for a relationship. They have to take that leap into love, knowing that loving someone means they can hurt you, but the person you give yourself to is the one person you trust to do their best not to cause you pain, the person you’re safe with and loved and known for who you are. This is a beautifully inclusive romance that represents chronic illness, a man as a victim of emotional abuse (so rare), and a beautiful Black woman who has curves and snark and a fantastic witty mind. If you read one contemporary romantic comedy this year, please make this it.
“She was the woman who’d come here to ask about love.
She was the woman who’d decided to change her entire life with nothing but a list.
She was the woman who survived, every single day.
She was Chloe fucking Brown, and she was starting to wonder if she’d been brave from the beginning. If she’d just needed to love herself enough to realize it.
She supposed, as the knowledge dawned in her like a sunrise, that she must love herself right now. And it felt good.”
She’d have a life.”
Chloe sets off to improve her quality of life thinking it requires external circumstances to do so—drunken debauchery, empty sex, “reckless” activities like camping in the wild and riding a motorbike—but what she learns is that her capacity for higher quality of life always lay within her heart, not her frustrating body.
Chloe learns that truth by being loved well, by being desired and accepted and enjoyed for who she is. Get a Life Chloe Brown is much more than a romance—though it very much is that, and a hot one, to boot—it’s a story of healing from trauma, finding optimism amidst the natural inclination for despair amidst chronic illness and pain, of opening yourself to the risk and reward of living life from a place of gratitude, not fear.
Both Chloe and Red have to face past pain and fear within themselves, in order to try for a relationship. They have to take that leap into love, knowing that loving someone means they can hurt you, but the person you give yourself to is the one person you trust to do their best not to cause you pain, the person you’re safe with and loved and known for who you are. This is a beautifully inclusive romance that represents chronic illness, a man as a victim of emotional abuse (so rare), and a beautiful Black woman who has curves and snark and a fantastic witty mind. If you read one contemporary romantic comedy this year, please make this it.
“She was the woman who’d come here to ask about love.
She was the woman who’d decided to change her entire life with nothing but a list.
She was the woman who survived, every single day.
She was Chloe fucking Brown, and she was starting to wonder if she’d been brave from the beginning. If she’d just needed to love herself enough to realize it.
She supposed, as the knowledge dawned in her like a sunrise, that she must love herself right now. And it felt good.”
How to Come Alive Again: A guide to killing your monsters by Beth McColl
5.0
“If you’re hurt, you’re deserving of healing. If you’re having a hard time, you deserve that time to end. Your pain requires confronting and unpacking and banishing through determination, empathy and positive support.”
How to Come Alive Again helped me tackle the lie of internalized ableism, that not until I’m at my breaking point do I deserve rest, that not until I’m sobbing do I deserve joy. Anyone with invisible illness, with maskable disabilities will resonate with this feeling, this lie of our culture that says we have to hide our struggle, that we don’t get to pace ourselves or stop producing or sleep or nourish ourselves or need cuddles and hot baths, that we can’t have slow, low days.
But that’s BS and this book helped me recalibrate not to anyone else’s styles or standards, but to my own, to the truth that I’m the way I’m supposed to be, and I deserve love and patience as I live and operate how I’m made to. Absolutely recommend for people working through anxiety and depression, who need practical life hacks and mantras for honoring our needs in our mental health journeys.
How to Come Alive Again helped me tackle the lie of internalized ableism, that not until I’m at my breaking point do I deserve rest, that not until I’m sobbing do I deserve joy. Anyone with invisible illness, with maskable disabilities will resonate with this feeling, this lie of our culture that says we have to hide our struggle, that we don’t get to pace ourselves or stop producing or sleep or nourish ourselves or need cuddles and hot baths, that we can’t have slow, low days.
But that’s BS and this book helped me recalibrate not to anyone else’s styles or standards, but to my own, to the truth that I’m the way I’m supposed to be, and I deserve love and patience as I live and operate how I’m made to. Absolutely recommend for people working through anxiety and depression, who need practical life hacks and mantras for honoring our needs in our mental health journeys.
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
5.0
This was zany and smart and sexy and so delightfully different. I laughed *a lot* and loved getting to tag along for the wild ride of Nicholas and Naomi’s journey back to each other, back to the reason they’ve been right for each other all along.
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
5.0
In this marriage in crisis that's more like a marriage that began in the fast lane, I found myself resonating lots with the challenges couples face as kids enter the picture and the honeymoon phase wears off. Throw in a group of romance reading guys who want to learn to be better partners, and I'm done. Hook, line, and sinker.
This was a fresh premise with a clear voice and characters that I truly felt for. Gavin pushed through his pride and fought for his marriage, and Thea had some real work to do in learning to unpack the pain of her childhood so she could be a more honest and vulnerable partner. This felt realistic while also delightfully escapist. It packed just the right amount of humor, playfulness, heart, and steam.
This was a fresh premise with a clear voice and characters that I truly felt for. Gavin pushed through his pride and fought for his marriage, and Thea had some real work to do in learning to unpack the pain of her childhood so she could be a more honest and vulnerable partner. This felt realistic while also delightfully escapist. It packed just the right amount of humor, playfulness, heart, and steam.
Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas
5.0
“What do people do when they finally reach their happy-ever-after?”
“They make it a long one.”
The pining. The angst. The passion. Whew. Win’s and Kev’s struggles felt like impossible barriers to them coming together and their journey to intimacy and happiness was hard won. But perhaps my favorite part of this story was how richly family and deepening ties were woven through the narrative and dialogue. The Hathaways are a delightful unit, imperfect and unpredictable and entertaining, and I so enjoyed seeing their quirks and idiosyncrasies enrich the heart of this romance.
A few frustrating communication choices that felt out of character and protracted makes this more of a 4.5 stars, but the ending was perfection and I finished feeling all the 5 star feels.
“They make it a long one.”
The pining. The angst. The passion. Whew. Win’s and Kev’s struggles felt like impossible barriers to them coming together and their journey to intimacy and happiness was hard won. But perhaps my favorite part of this story was how richly family and deepening ties were woven through the narrative and dialogue. The Hathaways are a delightful unit, imperfect and unpredictable and entertaining, and I so enjoyed seeing their quirks and idiosyncrasies enrich the heart of this romance.
A few frustrating communication choices that felt out of character and protracted makes this more of a 4.5 stars, but the ending was perfection and I finished feeling all the 5 star feels.
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
5.0
This is the best kind of historical romance to read—a witty, hot, love story that delightfully captures the life, language, habits, and attitudes of times but which also wrenches free human realities that transcend historical period. While there was plenty about the time period—peerage and society and gender roles and class—the lesson that Dare drilled into you was the timeless truth that relationships make us vulnerable, healing is hard, and both companionship and love can find us unexpectedly.
Yes, there’s an element of wistfulness, to make these women confined to such a sexist time, as empowered and feisty as they are (while I know they existed, those women had very very hard times in society), but it’s a powerful reclaiming of western civilization’s sordid reliance on patriarchy. As a feminist, a modern woman, a lover of literature, it’s delightful to travel back in time and read fictional women living and thinking and talking as women back then *should* have been empowered to. This was—I cringe to admit it—my first Tessa Dare, but I know it won’t be my last. Also: the audio is gold! She brings out the humor, comedic timing, and sparkling wit even more. I went back and forth between mass market paperback and audio, and it was an absolute delight.
“Most times, a girl needed to rescue her self.
Tonight, Emma would be her own fairy godmother, her own dashing prince. Even her own knight in shining armor – or rather, her own lady and a sparkling gown.
She could do this.”
“He made a silent vow to her – and to himself – that he would never hide the scars again. The entirety of his wretched past had led to this moment, and to deny them would be to deny her. Others might view the scars as his ruin. Ash knew the truth. They were his making. And Emma was his salvation.”
Yes, there’s an element of wistfulness, to make these women confined to such a sexist time, as empowered and feisty as they are (while I know they existed, those women had very very hard times in society), but it’s a powerful reclaiming of western civilization’s sordid reliance on patriarchy. As a feminist, a modern woman, a lover of literature, it’s delightful to travel back in time and read fictional women living and thinking and talking as women back then *should* have been empowered to. This was—I cringe to admit it—my first Tessa Dare, but I know it won’t be my last. Also: the audio is gold! She brings out the humor, comedic timing, and sparkling wit even more. I went back and forth between mass market paperback and audio, and it was an absolute delight.
“Most times, a girl needed to rescue her self.
Tonight, Emma would be her own fairy godmother, her own dashing prince. Even her own knight in shining armor – or rather, her own lady and a sparkling gown.
She could do this.”
“He made a silent vow to her – and to himself – that he would never hide the scars again. The entirety of his wretched past had led to this moment, and to deny them would be to deny her. Others might view the scars as his ruin. Ash knew the truth. They were his making. And Emma was his salvation.”
How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne
5.0
Well that ripped my heart to shreds, then put it back together. Oof.
MAJOR TW for rape portrayal/rape survival. This trauma and its aftereffects are the driving force behind the plot’s major conflict.
These two, Piers and Alexandra, are some of the most endearing, scarred and resilient characters that I’ve read in a while. I’ve read my share of wounded heroes in lighter historical romcoms (thank you to the queen, Tessa Dare!) but this book really swept me away with its emotional weight, its capacity to portray horrific pain and betrayal and suffering but also the work and power of slowly reclaiming one’s life and growing into new identity, health, and happiness, both for Piers and Alexandra, albeit for very different reasons that prove both the obstacle and the catalyst for their eventual intimacy.
This is not a light read but it still sparkles with wit, likable side characters, and an engaging plot that while suspenseful was also sensual, emotionally deep, and psychologically real. I will definitely be reading more Kerrigan Byrne!
MAJOR TW for rape portrayal/rape survival. This trauma and its aftereffects are the driving force behind the plot’s major conflict.
These two, Piers and Alexandra, are some of the most endearing, scarred and resilient characters that I’ve read in a while. I’ve read my share of wounded heroes in lighter historical romcoms (thank you to the queen, Tessa Dare!) but this book really swept me away with its emotional weight, its capacity to portray horrific pain and betrayal and suffering but also the work and power of slowly reclaiming one’s life and growing into new identity, health, and happiness, both for Piers and Alexandra, albeit for very different reasons that prove both the obstacle and the catalyst for their eventual intimacy.
This is not a light read but it still sparkles with wit, likable side characters, and an engaging plot that while suspenseful was also sensual, emotionally deep, and psychologically real. I will definitely be reading more Kerrigan Byrne!