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hereiskyra's reviews
313 reviews
Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The freaking banter is off the charts from the first damn conversation. These two stole every bit of my heart! They are both adorable and witty. From dates to forehead kisses to sitting in beanbags chairs at the mall to taking care of each other when they were sick, there wasn’t a single thing I didn’t love about their love story.
Little things that I absolutely loved:
Justin on the pool floaty 🦄 🍩
Any mention of the docking station 😭
Surveys and questionnaires 📋
I went into this not even knowing it would be connected to my favorite Abby Jimenez book, Part of Your World. I love that! This is quite possibly my new favorite, or at least tied for favorite. It’s so damn good. Ahhhhhhh!
Emma is the girl who deserves the world and gets nothing but scraps her whole life and takes them with a smile. She is the embodiment of childhood trauma and going along with her journey of finding her way out of it was magical (and super depressing 🙂). I loved that this was so much deeper than a “curse” and a love story. It had all the depth in the world and included so many important and different subjects.
Listening to Justin struggle to come to terms with his own mothers betrayal and how it affected his life but home too. I never understand people who are able to forgive those that don’t even understand they need to apologize.
Emma’s mom always just chose wrong and yet she continued to forgive her and give her another shot, even though she put her in danger more than once and abandoned her both physically and emotionally. I don’t think I’ll ever look at carrots the same way.
She just wanted that love and acceptance from her mom. I get it.
“Always choose empathy”
“I wish I could do that, I wish I could go on with my life and not hold a grudge against mom”
Me too, Justin. Me too.
I think I identify with this story the most and it’s not because I experienced it but in a way, I do relate to her relationship with her mother.
Some of that really hit home. Being left by your mother at a young age is awful and I didnt starve and I wasn’t scared because I had my grandparents… which broke a little bit of my heart because Emma could’ve had hers and so much more family and support and love but didn’t because her mother was so selfish.
I’m glad she finally had enough. Good riddance!
And honestly… Fuck you, Amber.
“She wasn’t my burden anymore. And I hadn’t even realized how heavy she’d been for me to carry because I’d done it for so long. I’d finally set her down and that started with me forgiving her.”
On a (semi) happier note… This is the one and only time I fully support and think that a third act breakup makes sense. Emma desperately needed some time with her family and on her own to find her way through the grief she was experiencing. And she knew it wasn’t fair to put Justin or his family through the trauma of going through that grief.
She thought she was like Amber because she ran but her walking away was the most unselfish thing she could have done for everyone she cared about.
I love the relationship she had with his siblings and I thought her picking his sister up at the school when she got her period was just about the most perfect way the story could have come back together.
I love imagining a world in which all my favorite characters are thriving and living their best lives. These two deserved everything and I couldn’t love the ending they got more.
“Not just for the summer?”
“No, forever this time.”
Tropes:
Sunshine/Sunshine
Fake Dating
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Little things that I absolutely loved:
Justin on the pool floaty 🦄 🍩
Any mention of the docking station 😭
Surveys and questionnaires 📋
I went into this not even knowing it would be connected to my favorite Abby Jimenez book, Part of Your World. I love that! This is quite possibly my new favorite, or at least tied for favorite. It’s so damn good. Ahhhhhhh!
Emma is the girl who deserves the world and gets nothing but scraps her whole life and takes them with a smile. She is the embodiment of childhood trauma and going along with her journey of finding her way out of it was magical (and super depressing 🙂). I loved that this was so much deeper than a “curse” and a love story. It had all the depth in the world and included so many important and different subjects.
Listening to Justin struggle to come to terms with his own mothers betrayal and how it affected his life but home too. I never understand people who are able to forgive those that don’t even understand they need to apologize.
Emma’s mom always just chose wrong and yet she continued to forgive her and give her another shot, even though she put her in danger more than once and abandoned her both physically and emotionally. I don’t think I’ll ever look at carrots the same way.
She just wanted that love and acceptance from her mom. I get it.
“Always choose empathy”
“I wish I could do that, I wish I could go on with my life and not hold a grudge against mom”
Me too, Justin. Me too.
I think I identify with this story the most and it’s not because I experienced it but in a way, I do relate to her relationship with her mother.
Some of that really hit home. Being left by your mother at a young age is awful and I didnt starve and I wasn’t scared because I had my grandparents… which broke a little bit of my heart because Emma could’ve had hers and so much more family and support and love but didn’t because her mother was so selfish.
I’m glad she finally had enough. Good riddance!
And honestly… Fuck you, Amber.
“She wasn’t my burden anymore. And I hadn’t even realized how heavy she’d been for me to carry because I’d done it for so long. I’d finally set her down and that started with me forgiving her.”
On a (semi) happier note… This is the one and only time I fully support and think that a third act breakup makes sense. Emma desperately needed some time with her family and on her own to find her way through the grief she was experiencing. And she knew it wasn’t fair to put Justin or his family through the trauma of going through that grief.
She thought she was like Amber because she ran but her walking away was the most unselfish thing she could have done for everyone she cared about.
I love the relationship she had with his siblings and I thought her picking his sister up at the school when she got her period was just about the most perfect way the story could have come back together.
I love imagining a world in which all my favorite characters are thriving and living their best lives. These two deserved everything and I couldn’t love the ending they got more.
“Not just for the summer?”
“No, forever this time.”
Tropes:
Sunshine/Sunshine
Fake Dating
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Vomit, Excrement, Mental illness, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
Stealing Home by Grace Reilly
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I think this is my new favorite of the series. I’d take way more more pining men like Seb over his brothers who were a little crass (even though yes, eventually I fell for them too).
Pretty sure we’ve all loved Sebastian since the first book and wanted his happy ending (😏). Mia has commitment issues but that doesn’t stop our boy from putting up a fight and trying to win her over.
These two were so fun while they were falling for one another and I loved almost every second.
Her family bothered me to no end and I don’t even think they deserved Sebastian trying as hard as he did to make sure they all stayed on good terms but man was it endearing. He’s such a good one.
I love that this series has female characters that can think for themselves and don’t give up their lives to follow a boy around. Can’t wait for the last installment!
Tropes:
Reverse Grumpy x Sunshine
Friends with Benefits
Spice: 2.5 🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Ugh! These two were adorable and knew exactly how to pull at my heart strings.
I’m a sucker for history between MC’s and these two seemed to have a lot of it as well as chemistry. I always say I’m not the biggest fan of fake-dating but if it’s done right, I absolutely love it.
The pining is always what gets me the most. That inner monologue is VITAL! I need it like the air I breathe.
Caleb might be one of the sweetest book boyfriends there ever was and these two are perfect. Him ordering cakes just to see her? 🥺
Ohhh and the praise? This boy knows what’s up.
Imagining Caleb in his little Hawaiian shirt sitting at the bakery now.
Even the small third act breakup didn’t ruin it for me! He was just patiently waiting like the perfect golden retriever he is. 🥰
Tropes:
Fake-Dating
Friends to Lovers
Sunshine x Sunshine
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
I FREAKING KNEW IT!
F U Sal!
Also F U, 24 year old mistress who sucks as a person and did not deserve what she ended up with.
This one was good, though. Jennifer Hillier has not disappointed me yet! Even though I knew what was coming to an extent, there was a TON I didn’t have a clue about. And this was just a good one.
The cheating part is the only bit that gets on my nerves, but I also recognize that there wouldn’t really have been a story without it.
Definitely close to a 5 star read for me. It was super enjoyable and I needed to know what was going to happen.
F U Sal!
Also F U, 24 year old mistress who sucks as a person and did not deserve what she ended up with.
This one was good, though. Jennifer Hillier has not disappointed me yet! Even though I knew what was coming to an extent, there was a TON I didn’t have a clue about. And this was just a good one.
The cheating part is the only bit that gets on my nerves, but I also recognize that there wouldn’t really have been a story without it.
Definitely close to a 5 star read for me. It was super enjoyable and I needed to know what was going to happen.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Death
There Is No Devil by Sophie Lark
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
The first 25-50% of this book was not my cup of tea but it really picked up in the last half and I enjoyed the more thriller elements and less of the weird back and forth psycho romance nonsense (sorry, their relationship is a little odd).
I think the longer we get to see Mara and Cole grow as characters, I liked them both less. I’m not sure why but Mara’s personality gets on my nerves.
But, like I said, the last half of the book was great so it really brought it all together well and made up for a little bit of the weird vibes.
Tropes/themes:
Stalker/Obsessive MMC
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
I think the longer we get to see Mara and Cole grow as characters, I liked them both less. I’m not sure why but Mara’s personality gets on my nerves.
But, like I said, the last half of the book was great so it really brought it all together well and made up for a little bit of the weird vibes.
Tropes/themes:
Stalker/Obsessive MMC
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Murder
There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
This was… different, to say the least. I’m finished and still not sold on Cole, though. Honestly, all of these characters range from a little bit fucked in the head to a lot fucked in the head and I don’t know who I even like. But I know I love effed up books and this one is no different.
Mara went through some serious trauma before Cole got ahold of her (because of Cole, but that isn’t really the point here). Then, like any gentleman would, he inflicts more trauma on her because after all he is a psychopath and he doesn’t really need to worry about the lines he is crossing to get what he wants.
I like the thriller/serial killer aspects of this book the most, definitely more than the overall romance between the two MC’s. Excited to see where we go from here.
Tropes/themes:
Stalker/Obsessive MMC
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Mara went through some serious trauma before Cole got ahold of her (because of Cole, but that isn’t really the point here). Then, like any gentleman would, he inflicts more trauma on her because after all he is a psychopath and he doesn’t really need to worry about the lines he is crossing to get what he wants.
I like the thriller/serial killer aspects of this book the most, definitely more than the overall romance between the two MC’s. Excited to see where we go from here.
Tropes/themes:
Stalker/Obsessive MMC
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
In The Weeds by B.K. Borison
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Bearded, tattooed farmer meets internet travel icon… sounds weird but somehow it worked.
I was excited to get to Beckett’s story after getting an introduction to him in the first book of the series. He did not disappoint. Not only is a sweetheart but he is so damn funny.
*cue ducks and kittens*
His relationship with Evie started off a little rocky but it was so enjoyable waiting for them to get it right. It’s been a few weeks and I still think about the scene where she tried to explain leaving a note after he thought she had left him.
In the end, they needed each other and that balance and grounding that came with a stable relationship.
Overall, these two may not end up being my favorite couple of the series but I really do love their story.
Tropes:
Grumpy x Sunshine
One Night Stand
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
I was excited to get to Beckett’s story after getting an introduction to him in the first book of the series. He did not disappoint. Not only is a sweetheart but he is so damn funny.
*cue ducks and kittens*
His relationship with Evie started off a little rocky but it was so enjoyable waiting for them to get it right. It’s been a few weeks and I still think about the scene where she tried to explain leaving a note after he thought she had left him.
In the end, they needed each other and that balance and grounding that came with a stable relationship.
Overall, these two may not end up being my favorite couple of the series but I really do love their story.
Tropes:
Grumpy x Sunshine
One Night Stand
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Hunting the Gunslinger by Cecily Quinn
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Hunting the Gunslinger
By Cecily Quinn
*I received an ARC of this book from the author*
I’m not usually one for historical romance but something about these characters and this particular plot had me hooked. I love a secret identity!
Think “She’s the Man” but with guns and horses.
I liked the characters, both of which have a rich backstory, and enjoyed slowly getting to know them as they were getting to know one another.
Jessie is a strong FMC who, yes, becomes a damsel more than once but she’s still a girl who can think for herself and we love that. She’s a little accident prone (I feel that) and kind of a hindrance to their entire objective but hey, the poor girl is trying her best. I’ll admit, I laughed at her expense a time or two.
Gray is rugged and grumpy and exactly what we all love to swoon over. You’ll love him in the end, I promise. 🥰
I wouldn’t consider this a true enemies-to-lovers but those vibes were definitely there, especially in the beginning. These two were pitted against one another and decided to trust each other despite all the cards stacked against them. Deals were made and adventures were had.
This book has secrets, action, family trauma and ALL of the slow-burn.
I had a great time and I’m already excited to continue with Luke’s story when it comes out.
Tropes:
Secret Identity
Enemies/Rivals to Lovers
Inexperienced FMC
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Death of parent, Sexual content, Death, Confinement, Murder, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death
Betting On You by Lynn Painter
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
A meet-cute setup I actually liked and a story that didn’t feel full of insta-love vibes. It was rocky for a bit but I never stopped rooting for them to get together… even when I was side-eyeing Charlie HARD.
I was pretty disappointed finding out about the secondary bet happening in this book… but, boys are idiots, even in fiction. He said some DUMB things during the first few times they had a moment but he definitely redeemed himself.
Bailey was a sweetheart and I did feel for her and her dad, which is something I relate to with a parent for sure.
“How hard was it to send a random text to your child every once in a while to let them know you were thinking about them? And that was the rub, honestly. He obviously just wasn’t” 😭
That one hit DEEP. And I’m glad she came around to Scott because he sounded amazing. 🥺
But, we’re here for love and not to heal from parental trauma, right? Which we got! A cute love story with some depth. It’s a nice palate cleanser.
Tropes:
Meet Cute
Fake-Dating
Friends to Lovers
Spice: .5 🌶️
I was pretty disappointed finding out about the secondary bet happening in this book… but, boys are idiots, even in fiction. He said some DUMB things during the first few times they had a moment but he definitely redeemed himself.
Bailey was a sweetheart and I did feel for her and her dad, which is something I relate to with a parent for sure.
“How hard was it to send a random text to your child every once in a while to let them know you were thinking about them? And that was the rub, honestly. He obviously just wasn’t” 😭
That one hit DEEP. And I’m glad she came around to Scott because he sounded amazing. 🥺
But, we’re here for love and not to heal from parental trauma, right? Which we got! A cute love story with some depth. It’s a nice palate cleanser.
Tropes:
Meet Cute
Fake-Dating
Friends to Lovers
Spice: .5 🌶️
That Sik Luv by Jescie Hall
Favorite quotes:
“Right and wrong dance together to the music of my own pitiful and weakened excuses, as I find myself locked in a slow dance with the devil himself.”
Tropes:
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
SPOILERS AHEAD…
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I had ALL of the mixed feelings reading this book. Pretty sure I gained some new forehead wrinkles from raising my eyebrows so much.
I’m not crazy about the religious aspects but after figuring out what part it played, I didn’t find it so taxing. This writing and content was so unexpected after reading Hawke & KID. This book belongs in an entirely different realm. So, it took a while to get into but once I did, I was on the edge of my seat.
That confessional scene will live rent free in my head, probably forever. Maybe the club scene, too. Dayummmmm.
Please tell me why I was genuinely feeling gaslit allllllll the way up til the end with Saint?!
I thought for sure he was going to turn out innocent in all of this… boy, did that all take a turn. Just like everyone and everything in this book, I should’ve given up trying to figure things out because I got NONE of it right.
It took a LONG time to warm towards Aero. It wasn’t until Briony started to crack that tough shell created by his trauma that I started to understand and appreciate him a little bit. Don’t get me wrong, he’s really not even morally gray… he’s just morally black. BUT he cares deeply for his girl and I still dug it.
Briony thankfully had some good character development towards the end because for the longest time I was annoyed with her. Yes, she fought and she was strong… but by the end she was a straight up badass and I loved every second of it!
At the end of the day, these two were flawed and that’s okay. They broke each other and then built each other back up in only ways that they could… understanding that trauma and circumstances don’t have to be forever.
Seriously, though… They’re both completely f*cked in the head. But… in the best way.
And that epilogue was… HOLY HELL 🥵
Favorite quotes:
“Right and wrong dance together to the music of my own pitiful and weakened excuses, as I find myself locked in a slow dance with the devil himself.”
“We’re toxic. My blood, infected with the same sick love he owns for me. We crave this illness.”
“Love is beneath us.”
Tropes:
Forbidden
Age-Gap
Stalker
Enemies to Lovers
Touch Her and Die
Religious FMC/Morally Black MMC
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Violence, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Self harm, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual content, Stalking, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping