clrwht's reviews
459 reviews

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

This woman never misses. I reckon this is probably my favourite Emily Henry book, which is fun given I’ve now read all of them!

I could not get enough of this story. It has all of the best things you want from a romance; characters you fall in love with from the first page, humour that makes you genuinely cackle, those moments that tug on your heart so much you physically feel it, relationships that genuinely feel realistic and a few declarations that (heavily) engage your tear ducts.

I’m half tempted to start this from the beginning again straight away. The audiobook was also a gorgeous listen… Julia Whelan is a marvel and brought so much life to these characters! I loved everything about this.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

Despite finding it really hard to separate the book from the TV show when reading (I adored the series and it was both fun and a little infuriating that I watched it before reading the book), I seriously enjoyed this. 

It’s YA, so it was incredibly easy to read, but was also super engaging. I knew most of the big reveals because of the show - it stuck surprisingly close the book in terms of plot which was a nice surprise - but it never felt like a chore getting to them. 

It’s hard to judge the show and the book separately because they were so very similar, so I’m struggling to review just the book on its own. I will say I enjoyed the book just as much as I did the show and I’m looking forward to what’s next!

Like a Hurricane by Ria Wilde

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Very much a ‘Stockholm syndrome’ romance, with a relationship that goes from 0-100 in about 0.6 seconds. There were a couple of fun twists I didn’t see coming, but there was also a LOT of weather references that had me cringing often. Didn’t enjoy this as much as the first book in the series, and I probably won’t bother with the last book or the spin off.

These Rough Waters by Ria Wilde

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A very easy read, fired through it in a few hours. Nothing special to say about this one, just your typical small town dark romance with two people who have equally traumatic pasts that fall for each other. 
The plot was pretty predictable but enjoyable regardless, it wasn’t as dark as I expected it to be, but there was a fair bit of spice and their relationship was believable if a little bit surface level. I’ll for sure read the next book as Everett seems pretty intriguing as a character.

A Rivalry of Hearts by Tessonja Odette

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

This was SUCH an enjoyable read, I couldn’t put it down and fired through almost 70% in a single sitting. With charming characters, witty banter, a period setting and a touch of scandalous spice, A Rivalry of Hearts was the perfect cozy fae romance. 
It has a ton of the tropes we love - rivals to lovers, forced proximity, he falls first and a modern take on period romance… but make it fae! 
The dual POV was a delightful surprise. I loved hearing from both Edwina and William, with their conflicting opinions of each other that constantly yoyo’d back and forth. The bet added a fun element to their rivals story and I just LOVED the humour in this book. I chuckled my way through this read and have immediately sought out Odette’s other books! 

For Blood and Flame by Jinapher J. Hoffman
Did not finish book. Stopped at 16%.

I loved the first book in the series and couldn’t wait to start this one. After getting an eARC, I got a few chapters in but just wasn’t vibing with the writing or story at all - everything is more complex than I remember and I’m not sure I fully understand what’s going on. Not in the right mindset to read this now, maybe I’ll come back to it.

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

Devoured this in a day - very pleasantly surprised! A super easy read with loveable characters, sweet banter and a few moments that had my heart swooning like a teenager. I adored both Annie and Will, could not have shipped them any harder throughout this book. Their witty back and forth teasing was so well done, with a bunch of moments that had me laughing out loud or tugging on my heartstrings.
My one tiny gripe is how quickly everything came together in the end, it felt a little rushed. All in all though, a super enjoyable read.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

emotional funny hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

Wholesome, charming, heart wrenchingly beautiful. I laughed and cried my way through this and never wanted it to end.

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

adventurous dark emotional funny tense 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

4.5

Heavily entertaining as both a story and audiobook - I laughed out loud a ton and the narrators were so chaotic with the dialogue I couldn’t help but have a great time.

Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-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

3.5

I ate this book UP! I’ve been an F1 fan for years, but I’ve only recently branched out to the world of formula 1 romance books. 

This was such a sweet read, with two loveable but equally frustrating characters that both love to hate and hate to love each other. With very different backgrounds, our boys are thrown together as teammates during a critical career season for them both, and it gets even more complicated as things heat up between the two. I was hooked right from the beginning and devoured this book within just a few sittings. I do have a couple things that ended up being a disappointment for me, but nothing major (and I won’t say too much because spoilers). All in all, a short and sweet sports romance!