courtneyreads_x's reviews
775 reviews

Merit by Devney Perry

emotional 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

4.5

Formula Chance by Sawyer Bennett

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

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

3.75

3.75✨ ALC review

I have never read anything by Sawyer Bennett before, so this was a good start. I love the sound of glass ceilings being broken in the F1 world, even if it is fictional!
I adored Nash and Bexley. Both are good people who are fighting their own uphill battles in more ways than one, especially when they collide after a pretty intense break up. I think what would have made more of an impact is if they reunited after a much longer time apart.... to me 3 years isn't enough. But I am a second chance girlie, hence why I was quick to jump on this :D

Bennett does a phenomenal job of weaving together the emotions of rekindled romance and past heartbreak.

💕second chance
💕STEM FMC - she's a chief race strategy engineer
💕workplace

I think Bex was very quick to give up, and I understand her reasonings - I think this let it down.

I do think some of the dialogue was a but cheesy, but it could have been the narrator performance.

The narration itself was good, but I prefer my audiobooks when dual POV to be in duet, as I had male narrators voicing FMC lines and vice versa.

Thank you Author Agency for sending me an ALC in exchange for an honest review :) Safe to say I WILL be reading book 3 as I am intrigued!

Drive Me Home by Carly Robyn

funny inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Liars and Liaisons by Sav R. Miller

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

audiobook reread March 2025
3.5⭐️ my thoughts on this one actually goes down for this one.

It's actually rather toxic in some ways. Pretending they slept with each other and making her feel like she lost something to Grayson when she wanted to give it someone else. And there's the whole thing with Nate....

..............
AUDIO BOOK REVIEW

This actually got dark the further you get into this!

🎵Pan x Echo retelling
🎵age gap
🎵forced proximity 
🎵brothers ex-girlfriend 
🎵virgin FMC
🎵grumpy x Sunshine 
🎵boy obsessed with his girl
🎵he falls first
🎵music professor, mmc
🎵secluded mansion 

I think this was the darkest out of the series! It was morbid and full of gore by the end.

Cal x Elena 💕🔥🥹 loved seeing them as always !

Desperate Measures by Katee Robert

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

a quick read! and I don't think I'll be looking at Disney's Aladdin the same 🫢

💛age gap
💛forced proximity 
💛mafia romance
💛enemies to lovers

I loved the crossovers with other characters.

Stolen Vows by Sav R. Miller

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Riding the High by Paisley Hope

hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

4.75⭐️ Thank you Netgalley and Hope for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Each book in the Silver Pines Ranch book keeps getting better and better!

I had been waiting what seems an age for Cole x Ginger's story. I ate it up and I was constantly holding in my giddiness throughout the story!
Their dynamic is so good, two people who will poke fun at each other 24/7, but when needed are always there for one another. I loved getting to see these two explore the tension & chemistry that has been building between them for YEARS. There is so much passion, desire, love, and trust in their relationship, its so so good. The smut in this is so well-done too and matches these characters so well!!
I love Cole Ashby but the main star of this book is Ginger. She is so fiery and has the best personality. 

Loved the B99 references! Now I need to rewatch the show😉

💜single dad
💜Sheriff x Teacher (aka temporary nanny)
💜small town
💜“My wife”
💜accidental wedding in vegas
💜close proximity

Paisley’s writing style makes it easy to get in to her work, and this one was no exception. I felt like I was right there in Kentucky enjoying the warm summer sunshine, despite living in the miserable and grey UK.

I have no clue who to expect next!

Rally by Devney Perry

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted fast-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

AUDIOBOOK REREAD FEB 2025

I still love this ! It so heartfelt and emotional raw !

re read for Maverick's story !bring on Merit!


 ............
Thank you, Devney and Valentine PR, for the Arc in exchange for an honest review... and this is a very easy 5 ⭐️ as I BINGED IT IN A DAY !!!

I loved the pace of this, how it overlaps with the previous two books, seeing a different perspective to some scenes that we read in Coach. There are time jumps, but to me, it makes sense. 

The spicey scene don't take over the whole book. The chemistry between Rush x Faye has a sweet build up to it, and how they met was so romantic.

T R O P E S
🏈NA College Romance
🏈Accidental pregnancy 
🏈softie mmc
🏈NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP 
🏈forced proximity 
🏈small town
🏈little bit of a slow burn

I would say there was also found family as I adored Dusty and Faye's friendship, almost pseudo mother/daughter.

Seeing other characters from Coach and Blitz made me all giddy. and bring on Book 4 with Enemies to Lovers !!

when the title makes sense 🥹💕😭

⚠️TW - Parental neglect ⚠️

Story Of My Life by Lucy Score

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

4.25

4.25 ⭐️ Thank you Hambright PR for the ALC of this book, I thoroughly enjoyed it !

I have loved Lucy Score's work since the Knockemount series, and I have been eager for Story of my Life since it was annouced! The description of Gilmore Girls/Schitts Creek vibes is accurate.

I won't lie, I have struggled recently with reading books about authors, or wannabe authors, and book girlies. But the fact that this was an author who was struggling to write romance when her love life crumble around her was an interesting twist.

This definitely felt like a love letter to those who are still making life work when life isn't working for them. For those who struggle with love after being burnt too many times.

Hazel is a sad sunshine character, and she is someone in their 30s which is rather refreshing from some books I have been reading. How she approached Cam with the fake dating to help her write was both awkward and adorable. I need more FMCs like Hazel.

I thoroughly enjoyed Campbell and his grumpy demeanor. The banter he had with his siblings was utterly perfect! 

💙small town
💙fake dating
💙grumpy x sunshine
💙contractor with benefits 🥰
💙 he falls first!

I hope we see more of Zoe and her fiery personality! Maybe getting together with a brother 👀

I weren't a fan of the 3rd act break up, I personally didn't think it was necessary. But how Cam groveling back was *chef's kiss*.

Narration by Lila Winters and Sebastian York was so good! 👏🏼 (just wish it was a duet)

The Charlie Method by Elle Kennedy

emotional funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

3.5⭐️ I really really tried my best to psych myself up for this despite it being a MFM romance.. I thought Elle Kennedy would change my mind but alas, it did not.

Take out the romance I would have loved this.

💕𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙💕
- I loved Charlie's adoption story. I love books with this. AND SHE'S A STEM GIRLIE! I need more STEM girlies.  I felt so bad for her bio brother. And feeling a sense that she had to constantly achieve something to make her feel worth it when they adopted her 

- Gigi just absolutely loving and supporting her hubby Ryder 🥰

- I need Blake Logan and Isaac Grant ! I need more of their story, I need to know what happened after that party ! He was so smitten 🤭 and the fact t that their story would be based around football and not hockey would be so interesting!

- Beckett's backstory is so sad, it gives him a lot of substance.

- Will's dirty talk 🥵


❌️ 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙❌️
- the romance...what people do in their time is their business, but in books it's messy and always complicated

- the spicy scenes 👀 as sexy as they were, it was too much movement  going on 😅

- I feel like there was a lot of back and fourth in what they all really wanted. 


Thank you to Netgalley, Little Brown Books and Kennedy for this arc in exchange for an honest review.