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emilyreadwhat's reviews
61 reviews
Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score
3.75
3.75⭐️/1.5🌶️
I really enjoyed the MMC, Nick, and all of his ragey bad boy vibes, and Riley was entertaining and interesting to read about as all of her power was exposed throughout the book. It was entertaining and a fun read, but I wasn’t gripped by the plot and the spice was pretty mild. Lucy Score is an immediate-buy for me and her spice is basically unmatched, but this one was not as strong as some of her newer works. I wish I would have read this one before some of her newer books so I could appreciate it more, but I’m 50/50 on reading the sequel.
I really enjoyed the MMC, Nick, and all of his ragey bad boy vibes, and Riley was entertaining and interesting to read about as all of her power was exposed throughout the book. It was entertaining and a fun read, but I wasn’t gripped by the plot and the spice was pretty mild. Lucy Score is an immediate-buy for me and her spice is basically unmatched, but this one was not as strong as some of her newer works. I wish I would have read this one before some of her newer books so I could appreciate it more, but I’m 50/50 on reading the sequel.
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
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? Yes
5.0
5⭐️/4🌶️
Ali Hazelwood’s spiciest book yet, including Bride, and I. Am. Here. For. It. 🥵 Equally as enjoyable as her other reads, the writing is 10/10 every single time, but this one had way more spice than her typical books and I am not mad about it AT ALL. Rue and Eli were angsty and delicious and I love them.
Ali Hazelwood’s spiciest book yet, including Bride, and I. Am. Here. For. It. 🥵 Equally as enjoyable as her other reads, the writing is 10/10 every single time, but this one had way more spice than her typical books and I am not mad about it AT ALL. Rue and Eli were angsty and delicious and I love them.
Gothikana by RuNyx
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 2%.
It just felt too dark for me. I love fantasy and romantasy and a good forbidden-love, but it felt too dark and seedy from the jump for me so I decided to put it down.
Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey
medium-paced
4.5
4.5⭐️/4🌶️
I’ve never cared about golf until this book. 🤩 The spice is spicing, the banter is bantering, it’s Tessa Bailey on top of her game. 👌 Who doesn’t love a pro athlete romance, especially when he has a touch of an anger problem 🥵 I didn’t think golf could have a “bad boy” and I stand gladly corrected. Loved it. I only docked 1/2 a star because there was a piece about 65% of the way through that felt slow to me and I put it down for awhile before picking it back up again. I loved the ending though, and am ecstatic for the Au Pair Affair! 😍
I’ve never cared about golf until this book. 🤩 The spice is spicing, the banter is bantering, it’s Tessa Bailey on top of her game. 👌 Who doesn’t love a pro athlete romance, especially when he has a touch of an anger problem 🥵 I didn’t think golf could have a “bad boy” and I stand gladly corrected. Loved it. I only docked 1/2 a star because there was a piece about 65% of the way through that felt slow to me and I put it down for awhile before picking it back up again. I loved the ending though, and am ecstatic for the Au Pair Affair! 😍
The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score
4.0
4⭐️/2.5🌶️
Lucy Score writes the best banter, hands down. This was my first Christmas-themed romance read, and while the Christmas deadline feels a little cliche for me, everything else is perfection as with all Lucy Score writes. The banter, the tension, the spice, *chefs kiss* 😚
Loved hot nerdy Noah and Cat, and the recurrence of Gannon and Paige who maintained their character throughout (where some books let the original characters get boring or out of touch, this one did not!)
Lucy Score writes the best banter, hands down. This was my first Christmas-themed romance read, and while the Christmas deadline feels a little cliche for me, everything else is perfection as with all Lucy Score writes. The banter, the tension, the spice, *chefs kiss* 😚
Loved hot nerdy Noah and Cat, and the recurrence of Gannon and Paige who maintained their character throughout (where some books let the original characters get boring or out of touch, this one did not!)
The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde
medium-paced
4.0
4⭐️/3🌶️
The concept of the monsters in NY and the events leading to a “monster treaty” was so creative and interesting to me. I loved the world building and the way New York is described and the factions within New York that are developed because of the monsters and eventual monster treaty. It was an extremely interesting concept and I loved how she worked that through the book. I also liked the Celtic themes and the mythology woven throughout and found that interesting, and I’m intrigued by the ending and what will happen with Lorcan. The ending left me with a bit of a cliffhanger that I’m interested in finding more about out in a second book.
With all that said, my complaints about the book are more in relation to the banter and the slow burn with Graves and Kierse. I felt like they could have had more slow burn building throughout the book, and when things were revealed it felt like they would word vomit a couple of sentences and then make out, but with none of the steam happening between. It felt like spurts of vulnerability rather than curiosity and mystery building up to angst and then eventual vulnerable conversations. Some of the confessions of love or of their history felt like they were just spit out randomly and then moved on and I wish there would have been more angst and build up. I’m also still a little bit confused on the relationship between them and how she impacts him and vice versa in terms of their powers… but maybe that will be better explained in the next book?
The concept of the monsters in NY and the events leading to a “monster treaty” was so creative and interesting to me. I loved the world building and the way New York is described and the factions within New York that are developed because of the monsters and eventual monster treaty. It was an extremely interesting concept and I loved how she worked that through the book. I also liked the Celtic themes and the mythology woven throughout and found that interesting, and I’m intrigued by the ending and what will happen with Lorcan. The ending left me with a bit of a cliffhanger that I’m interested in finding more about out in a second book.
With all that said, my complaints about the book are more in relation to the banter and the slow burn with Graves and Kierse. I felt like they could have had more slow burn building throughout the book, and when things were revealed it felt like they would word vomit a couple of sentences and then make out, but with none of the steam happening between. It felt like spurts of vulnerability rather than curiosity and mystery building up to angst and then eventual vulnerable conversations. Some of the confessions of love or of their history felt like they were just spit out randomly and then moved on and I wish there would have been more angst and build up. I’m also still a little bit confused on the relationship between them and how she impacts him and vice versa in terms of their powers… but maybe that will be better explained in the next book?
Next Of Kin by Hannah Bonam-Young
emotional
medium-paced
5.0
5⭐️/2🌶️
A little spice, a lotta heart, another 5 ⭐️ read from Hannah Bonam Young. I loved the dedication of the book - Warren and Chloe were definitely giving Jess and Rory vibes, so I was thoroughly obsessed. Emotional and sweet, lots of slow burn angst, a fast read with a happy ending, highly recommend! I started Next to You a few months ago but was somewhat confused with the beginning and gave it up, and now having read Next of Kin I understand why I was confused 😅 highly recommend reading these in order because now I can’t wait to read about Lane & Matt after hearing snippets about them from Next of Kin.
A little spice, a lotta heart, another 5 ⭐️ read from Hannah Bonam Young. I loved the dedication of the book - Warren and Chloe were definitely giving Jess and Rory vibes, so I was thoroughly obsessed. Emotional and sweet, lots of slow burn angst, a fast read with a happy ending, highly recommend! I started Next to You a few months ago but was somewhat confused with the beginning and gave it up, and now having read Next of Kin I understand why I was confused 😅 highly recommend reading these in order because now I can’t wait to read about Lane & Matt after hearing snippets about them from Next of Kin.
A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
5⭐️/3🌶️
My first book by this author, and it was amazing! Freya was witty and strong and an amazing FMC and her banter with Bjorn was 10/10 😮💨 and Bjorn…. 🥵🥵🥵 I’m a Cassian gal and Bjorn is a beautiful Norse Cassian, need I say more?
My first book by this author, and it was amazing! Freya was witty and strong and an amazing FMC and her banter with Bjorn was 10/10 😮💨 and Bjorn…. 🥵🥵🥵 I’m a Cassian gal and Bjorn is a beautiful Norse Cassian, need I say more?
Funny Story by Emily Henry
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
5⭐️/1.5🌶️
Another absolute banger from Emily Henry 🥹 Miles was perfection, and reading Daphne’s self-reflection felt so familiar and like an excerpt from my own diary. The banter was great, the side characters were written as strong as the main characters, and I was sad it ever came to an end. I couldve read about Miles and Daphne forever. 🥰
Another absolute banger from Emily Henry 🥹 Miles was perfection, and reading Daphne’s self-reflection felt so familiar and like an excerpt from my own diary. The banter was great, the side characters were written as strong as the main characters, and I was sad it ever came to an end. I couldve read about Miles and Daphne forever. 🥰
Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
3.75⭐️/2🌶️
Wes was a dream! Loved his character development in this book and just how caring and thoughtful he was and the way the author handled his struggle with depression. My only complaints that caused me to dock 1.25 stars is that I didn’t find the FMC very relatable to me personally, I kept stopping and had to convince myself to get back into the book to finish it, and the spice was lesser than the first book in my opinion. The FMC may very well be someone else’s cup of tea, and the ending was super sweet (LOVE the ending), but the slowness through the middle and 75% point was personally the biggest issue for me. Definitely looking forward to the next book though and overall recommend the series so far!
Wes was a dream! Loved his character development in this book and just how caring and thoughtful he was and the way the author handled his struggle with depression. My only complaints that caused me to dock 1.25 stars is that I didn’t find the FMC very relatable to me personally, I kept stopping and had to convince myself to get back into the book to finish it, and the spice was lesser than the first book in my opinion. The FMC may very well be someone else’s cup of tea, and the ending was super sweet (LOVE the ending), but the slowness through the middle and 75% point was personally the biggest issue for me. Definitely looking forward to the next book though and overall recommend the series so far!