hollielovesromance's reviews
598 reviews

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
Did not finish book. Stopped at 18%.

Soft DNF-ing the audiobook. I will probably pick up my physical copy at some point but the audiobook was a bit overwhelming for me

Agnarr's Teacher by Jenifer Wood

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

When Piper wakes up in an unfamiliar bed she starts to wonder if what she thought was a dream last night was actually real. She quickly realizes she’s no longer on Earth but in an Orkin village on another planet. When she encounters Agnarr, a guard from the village, she finds herself curious about him. Agnarr knows in his heart that Piper is his mate and will do anything to keep her safe including preventing her from traveling to another Orkin village for a tea to treat Piper’s anxiety. Piper refuses to sit back and wait for things to happen so she takes off on her own. When she finds herself in danger, she’s surprised and relieved that Agnarr has followed her into the woods and saves her. Will something more brew as they’re on the road?
I really loved the anxiety rep in this book. I recognized a lot of my experience with anxiety in how Piper reacted and responded to things. I appreciated that Agnarr was focused on how to help and not how to fix in regards to her anxiety. The road trip of it all was so fun and I enjoyed seeing the two of them navigate their new relationship. The steam was steaming in this book yall. It was a delight. 

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

fast-paced

3.0

A re-read for me. I remember liking this more when I was younger but I guess age and wisdom can illuminate things in a story for us. Still interesting

Casket Case by Lauren Evans

medium-paced

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

3.0

I really wanted to like this book. It had a cool premise but ultimately a 3 star rating is me being generous. The main characters had no chemistry. Our FMC is a year out from the deaths of her parents and she came home to run the family casket shop. One day the MMC pops into the area because he’s working for death and needs directions. Next thing you know these two humans are going on dates and are basically inseparable immediately. He’s very vague and avoidant talking about his job. She pushes 100000000 times before he finally tells her because he thinks they’re going to break up. They do break up and I was relieved. But then somehow I’m supposed to believe she magically is okay with his job enough to get with him. Don’t even get me started about the grandpa twist. The writing itself felt disjointed. I believe the author thought shifting through time and revealing more to scenes at later parts in the novel would make it feel richer or more well thought out but it didn’t. I almost DNF’ed this book at 45% and wish I would have instead of pushing through. 

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb

emotional funny hopeful fast-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? Yes

4.0

After a few set backs over the last few years all Brynn wants after a bad night out is to watch her favorite comfort show and relax. When a stranger knocks on her door with a birthday cake that she makes a wish on, Brynn and her roommate Josh find themselves in the world of her favorite TV show with the mission to give it a proper ending. It soon becomes soon that maybe this perfect happily ever after isn’t everything it cracked up to be. 

Oh my goodness. I loved Brynn and Josh. I liked that both of them had their own issues that they needed to work through while in Carson’s Cove. Josh was the right amount of broody but also an ultimate gentleman. It would have been easy to write this with Brynn loving every moment of her time in the town of her favorite TV show but it was refreshing to see her fighting against it and coming into her own truth. I enjoyed alll the 90s/early 2000s teen TV show Easter eggs and vibes. This was a fun read and I’m excited to see what Kate does next!

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

My brain is still trying to process fully what I read but all I know is NK Jemisin is such a skillful writer that I had to put this book down multiple times because she absolutely broke my heart sometimes with only a sentence. I appreciated the way she played with form and wasn’t afraid to trust the reader to be able to get to where we needed to go without overly holding our hands. I look forward to seeing what this series holds. 

Sinful Mate by Trish Heinrich

adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense 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

If you’re looking for an alien romance with massive Star Trek vibes this one is for you! Friends, Chloe and Kier’ahn, find themselves becoming something more after Kier’ahn enters into a mating rut. There’s mystery and intrigue. Lots of big emotions and small ones. Learning how to communicate. Oh and trying to save an alien race from a virus threatening to destroy them all. I really enjoyed this book and could see myself reading the rest of the series because who doesn’t want Star Trek with some spice?

Diavola by Jennifer Marie Thorne

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

The Pace family is the absolute fucking worst. I spent most of the book hoping that diavola would take them out. Glad our girl Anna could get away. 

Choosing Theo by Victoria Aveline

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

Oh my god. Beam me up!! After being abducted by aliens, Jade managed to escape on a planet that they’ve sent her to in a pod. Through rules established to protect vulnerable planets in the galaxy, she is unable to return to eat and must remain on Clecania for one year. The ruling council decides to allow her to participate in the marriage tradition of the planet that involves the ever dwindling female population to be courted for 3 months in a marriage by males in hopes of children being born. Jade isn’t thrilled with the idea but decides her best bet of escaping to do what she wants is to go along with it. When she selects Theo, a male who has never married, everything goes up in smoke. Will Jade want to leave after a year on the planet?

Oh my god. Obsessed. Theo is such a grumpy doubter who is really sweet and thoughtful deep down. Jade is patient and kind. I love these two. The steam was impeccable!!

Snapdragon by Sofia Rose

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

A PR fake dating relationship between a human and dragon shifter on the same record label? Count me in. This was a fun quick read and I enjoyed both of the MCs. Looking forward to more books in this world.