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exteenawreads's reviews
347 reviews

emotional funny 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? No

4.5

Thank you for the ARC Morgan Elizabeth and her team 🙏
This is an excellent little romcom that feels inspired by Miss Congeniality - but follows a non-traditional pageant queen on her victory tour across the country after winning Miss Americana, despite the organization and runner-ups hating her and hoping she fails in some way that gets her crown revoked. To keep an eye on her, they hire a bodyguard to stay by her side. He is a grumpy, strict, serious, non-smiling tough guy who isn't stoked at first to be stuck babysitting some stuck-up brat - though he quickly realizes she isn't what his initial judgements had assumed her to be.

Highlights:
✨ Grumpy bodyguard x sunshine beauty queen
✨ Possessive, obsessed man (in a more cute way that creepy)
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Dual POV
✨ Flirty, fun, impulsive, feminist FMC
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5, several spicy scenes in the second half or so, some graphic language

I absolutely loved the chemistry between these two! Ava kind of tows the line of the "not like other girls!", but overall I loved her spunky attitude and how her main motivations were to help her friends, and be a positive role model for women. Jaime has that Alpha dude possessive-ness that usually gives me the ick - but it actually works here, especially because it's literally his job to protect her, and he is also incredibly sweet and thoughtful (setting up the passenger seat all cozy for her with her favorite snacks and a book and a blanket, SWOON!). I enjoyed seeing their walls come down as they travel the US, and the unfolding of the light (semi predictable) mystery of who the threat of danger was. The ending was a *tad* silly, with a cartoon villain-esque monologue, but I was glad that Ava always saved herself and doesn't *need* Jaime to protect her, she wants him to.

The Art of Breathing by Cali Melle

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emotional lighthearted sad fast-paced

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

3.5

3.5⭐ *ARC review* - Thank you Valentine PR and Cali Melle for the advanced copy!

A YA romance about two lifelong best friends, letting themselves finally fall in love one summer despite the FMC's rare, genetic disorder that has given her life an expiration date. - don't worry, no TW for death.

✨Friends/Neighbors to lovers
✨MC with an illness/disability
✨Childhood best friends
✨Golden retriever boy
🌶️: basically none, one minor sexual moment but it fades to black
❤️Would recommend for readers who like YA (emphisis on the Y), low tension, low spice, happy ending romance

This falls a bit in the vibe of The Fault in Our Stars and A Walk to Remember - though it feels a lot more YA/middle grade in the writing. My biggest qualm is I wish there was more development in the personalities of our two MCs. There was a lot of telling-not-showing (constantly telling us how strong, tenacious, kind, interesting , talented, etc they are but we don't see any actual examples of this), which was a bummer because I wanted some more context to the characters. Luna's entire personality came off as her illness, which I could tell wasn't the intention. Oliver is constantly gushing about all of these amazing qualities she has, but the reader doesn't see any of that unfortunately. It also felt like there was a lot of repetition, hearing the same thoughts from Luna about her feelings multiple times throughout.

Overall it was a quick, cute read that was pretty low stakes and low intensity except for a short chapter that is quickly resolved.

Content Warnings