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fairys_bookshelf's reviews
47 reviews
The Villain Edit by Sarah Brenton
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Book Stats:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(3.7/5)
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️(4/5)
Tropes: Opposites attract
Publisher: Victory Editing/Independently Published
Full Review:
*Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-op for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for a honest review*
So what happens when Hollywood's least favorite villain has to Hollywood's favorite golden boy? well, let's just say, a whole lotta chaos. While trying to seduce her cousin's brand new husband, Ashley Foyer creates a bigger mess than she realized, when her assistant accidently sends Hollywood's golden boy to her room instead of Nic(her cousin's brand new husband who she has been in love with since childhood) and now due to some badly placed cameras, she now has to get cozy with Hollywood's favorite golden boy-Gabriel Sinclair.
It has been a very long minute since a romance book has surprised me, and this was a very good one. It honestly kept me guessing till the very end. (Like, I was up to 95% of the book and still was guessing "Will they, Won't they")
So let's start with the positives shall we? I liked the characters and their growth throughout the book. I think it was very realistic and it was nice to see a romance book where the main characters go thru DURING the romance and are afraid to take that last step. As i said before, this romance surprised me. Typically, they do the growth out side of the book and then are afraid to I think the conflict was very realistic too.
I also LOVED the feminist take on Hollywood in this book. It something that I don't think is talked about enough.
Now the negatives: My only tiny thing is that the pacing felt REALLY REALLY FAST. Like faster than Lighting McQueen. When the main climax of the book happened, I was struggling to keep track of all the of the characters that were mentioned for two seconds at the beginning.
I think you will enjoy this book if you like lots of banter, villains getting what they want, and third act break-up's.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(3.7/5)
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️(4/5)
Tropes: Opposites attract
Publisher: Victory Editing/Independently Published
Full Review:
*Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing Co-op for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for a honest review*
So what happens when Hollywood's least favorite villain has to Hollywood's favorite golden boy? well, let's just say, a whole lotta chaos. While trying to seduce her cousin's brand new husband, Ashley Foyer creates a bigger mess than she realized, when her assistant accidently sends Hollywood's golden boy to her room instead of Nic(her cousin's brand new husband who she has been in love with since childhood) and now due to some badly placed cameras, she now has to get cozy with Hollywood's favorite golden boy-Gabriel Sinclair.
It has been a very long minute since a romance book has surprised me, and this was a very good one. It honestly kept me guessing till the very end. (Like, I was up to 95% of the book and still was guessing "Will they, Won't they")
So let's start with the positives shall we? I liked the characters and their growth throughout the book. I think it was very realistic and it was nice to see a romance book where the main characters go thru DURING the romance and are afraid to take that last step. As i said before, this romance surprised me. Typically, they do the growth out side of the book and then are afraid to I think the conflict was very realistic too.
I also LOVED the feminist take on Hollywood in this book. It something that I don't think is talked about enough.
Now the negatives: My only tiny thing is that the pacing felt REALLY REALLY FAST. Like faster than Lighting McQueen. When the main climax of the book happened, I was struggling to keep track of all the of the characters that were mentioned for two seconds at the beginning.
I think you will enjoy this book if you like lots of banter, villains getting what they want, and third act break-up's.
Charm Me Not by Danielle Keil
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Charm Me Not by Danielle Keil
Book Stats:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐(3/5)
Spice Rating: ❤️YA❤️
Tropes: He Falls First, Grumpy-Sunshine, HAE
Publisher: Indie
Review:
Uma is the leader of the Teller kids. Her Job? Making deals. Anything from love to grades to dealing with bullies. When she screws up a deal between her step sister and her best friends due to her not believing in love, her business starts to suffer. In comes the captain of her dad's soccer team, Charlie; who is determined to make her believe in love again.
Uma is the leader of the Teller kids. Her Job? Making deals. Anything from love to grades to dealing with bullies. When she screws up a deal between her step sister and her best friends due to her not believing in love, her business starts to suffer. In comes the captain of her dad's soccer team, Charlie; who is determined to make her believe in love again.
Adding on to that, I feel as though Uma's story was trying to be a retelling of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella. Personally though, I feel like there wasn't a lot of world building and or plot to push that narrative.
My only other major thing, is the idea of love is very very heavy for a book set in highschool. As someone who is in highschool I can say, real love is the last thing on my mind!
There are also exact Disney references in the book, which I honestly didn't hate.
This book is also very very fast paced which could be good if your trying to get out of a reading slump.
I feel like this book is better for the middle grade readers. That pre-teen age I feel would be perfect for this.
Book Stats:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐(3/5)
Spice Rating: ❤️YA❤️
Tropes: He Falls First, Grumpy-Sunshine, HAE
Publisher: Indie
Review:
Uma is the leader of the Teller kids. Her Job? Making deals. Anything from love to grades to dealing with bullies. When she screws up a deal between her step sister and her best friends due to her not believing in love, her business starts to suffer. In comes the captain of her dad's soccer team, Charlie; who is determined to make her believe in love again.
Uma is the leader of the Teller kids. Her Job? Making deals. Anything from love to grades to dealing with bullies. When she screws up a deal between her step sister and her best friends due to her not believing in love, her business starts to suffer. In comes the captain of her dad's soccer team, Charlie; who is determined to make her believe in love again.
Adding on to that, I feel as though Uma's story was trying to be a retelling of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella. Personally though, I feel like there wasn't a lot of world building and or plot to push that narrative.
My only other major thing, is the idea of love is very very heavy for a book set in highschool. As someone who is in highschool I can say, real love is the last thing on my mind!
There are also exact Disney references in the book, which I honestly didn't hate.
This book is also very very fast paced which could be good if your trying to get out of a reading slump.
I feel like this book is better for the middle grade readers. That pre-teen age I feel would be perfect for this.
Save Me by M.C. Frank
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
The Herbwitch's Apprentice by Ireen Chau
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
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
3.75
Book Stats:
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)
Spice rating: YA ❤️
Tropes: Fairytale Retelling
Publisher: Independently Published/Mung Bean Press
Review:
I have been seeing the gorgeous art for this book series all over the place so I knew I had to pick it up. I absolutory loved the modern take on the classic Cinderella story with a side of mystery. The twists were surprising, the Heroine does a wonderful job with saving herself- with a little bit of help from her friends. The love interest actually has some amazing depth to him that feel is majorly lacking in this genre. He actually felt like a real human, instead of some man just there to swoop away the MC.
My only minor thing is there is a couple of plot holes around, and I think that because of the mystery element that was added. There was not enough though to disinterest/confuse the plot. Also the pacing is perfect, not to slow not to fast.
If you like a classic mystery with a sprinkle of magic wrapped up into a fairytale retelling, I think you would enjoy this book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)
Spice rating: YA ❤️
Tropes: Fairytale Retelling
Publisher: Independently Published/Mung Bean Press
Review:
I have been seeing the gorgeous art for this book series all over the place so I knew I had to pick it up. I absolutory loved the modern take on the classic Cinderella story with a side of mystery. The twists were surprising, the Heroine does a wonderful job with saving herself- with a little bit of help from her friends. The love interest actually has some amazing depth to him that feel is majorly lacking in this genre. He actually felt like a real human, instead of some man just there to swoop away the MC.
My only minor thing is there is a couple of plot holes around, and I think that because of the mystery element that was added. There was not enough though to disinterest/confuse the plot. Also the pacing is perfect, not to slow not to fast.
If you like a classic mystery with a sprinkle of magic wrapped up into a fairytale retelling, I think you would enjoy this book.
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