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jenreaderwriter's Reviews (665)
💫 Themes: enemies to lovers, friends of friends, wedding planning, funny, Desi rep
📖 Started reading: 11/01/25
📕Finished reading: 20/01/25
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
💬 "She could hear the steady beat of his heart…it was so soothing and felt so right.”
💭 SYNOPSIS: With aspirations of taking over her family’s event planning business, Bobbi knows that one misstep in managing the Kareena Mann and Prem Verma (#Vermann) party, along with the other weddings on her plate, will only give her uncle another reason not to promote her. That means Kareena’s big day and Bobbi's future career are on the line.
Bunty will do anything for his best friend, even though he has his hands full in finding a new location for his next restaurant while also playing mediator between his brother and father, the celebrated Naan King. When Prem asks Bunty to help with the wedding menu, he agrees, especially since it puts him in close proximity to the delicious Bobbi Kaur. When a mystery shaadi saboteur starts leaving threatening notes, and cancelling cake orders, Bunty and Bobbi have no choice but to call a truce and face the volatile attraction they have for each other.
💕 MY THOUGHTS: I am continuing to try and read more diversely and the 1st book by this author was enjoyable, light and easy to read. The next book does what it says on the tin but I think the writing was a great improvement from the previous book which was a pleasant surprise. The characters were funny, energetic and full of life although some of the subplots were a little unnecessary and tried (and failed) to create jeopardy. I think this book, overall, deserves more attention than it has and it’s better written than a lot of the mass-market romance books yet just as fun, easy and accessible to read as those white writers. The cover and the title are a potential hindrance: it deserves so much better! I will absolutely be reading the 3rd one when I get a chance: especially if I need a light and fun read.
💫 Themes: wlw, robin hood retelling, historic, found family, funny with heart
📖 Started reading: 14/01/25
📕Finished reading: 19/01/25
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨
💬 "That's all we can do. Fuck the fascists, and introspect.”
💭 SYNOPSIS: Mariel, a newly blooded and perpetually grumpy captain of the Merry Men, is desperate to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, the legendary Robin Hood. Clem, a too-perky backwoods healer known for her new-fangled cures, just wants to help people.
When Mariel's ramshackle band of bandits kidnap Clem as retribution for her guardian helping the Sheriff of Nottingham, all seems to be going (sort of) to plan … until Jack Hartley, Mariel’s father and Commander of the Merry Men, is captured in a deadly ambush. Determined to prove herself, Mariel sets out to get him back – with her annoyingly cheerful kidnappee in tow.
💕 MY THOUGHTS: My previous read was super heavy so I needed something light and fun and totally different and this YA is exactly what I needed. It was really easy to read with a lovable band of misfit characters with wholesome themes of found family and love and identity. The romance was really sweet but not actually the main plot point: there was plenty going on which actually made the romance all the more sweeter in between the action and adventure. I did find some of the writing very modern in that it was a little immersion-breaking for me (think Fourth Wing style) but overall, it was really fun. I think this is my kind of cosy fantasy/historical fiction: where stuff does actually happen. One of the better YA books I've read recently!
💫 Themes: historical, race, society, discrimination, women, hope
📖 Started reading: 09/01/25
📕Finished reading: 13/01/25
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
💬 "Time moves slowly but passes quickly.”
💭 SYNOPSIS: Sisters Celie and Nettie share the pain and struggle of growing up as African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Forced into an abusive marriage, at least Celie can offer Nettie refuge from their violent father in her new home – until Nettie catches the attention of Celie’s husband and is forced to leave and forge her own journey.
💕 MY THOUGHTS: What can I say about this book that hasn’t been said already? It’s another classic that has slipped me by until now. Part of me can’t believe that it's taken me so long to get around to it. But the other half of me is pleased: as a 30 year old woman who is also a parent and wary and conscious of the world, I think I understand and appreciate it more now as opposed to if I had been told to read it in school. The chapters are mostly short which I always like as it makes it easier to read and I could easily have read this in one sitting. However, the subject matter is incredibly heavy and several times I had to step away and put the book down to digest and reflect. The characters go on such emotional journeys I just didn't know where it would go next. But at the heart of it, this is a story of hope. Yes, there is loss and love and pain and suffering but despite it all there is hope and that’s beautiful and inspiring. I'm so pleased I've read it and it's one I may revisit when I’m even older. Timeless.
💫 Themes: lighthearted, humorous, cosy, magic, found family
📖 Started reading: 14/12/24
📕Finished reading: 10/01/25
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨
💬 "We're all monsters in the end. At least mine lives in the light”.
💭 SYNOPSIS: With an ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn's most infamous Villain results in a job offer-naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don't find evil so attractive, Evie.
💕 MY THOUGHTS: This was such a light and fun romantasy and I think this is the perfect ‘cosy fantasy’ for me. It had slightly higher stakes than others in that subgenre, which is probably why I enjoyed it more than others. The male lead was really interesting and I really looked forward to his chapters: we love a misunderstood villain! I imagined him to be something like Loki. My main grievance with cosy fantasies is the lack of worldbuilding and this was no different. I needed a little more to understand the world and whilst we did get some, it was nearly enough. As such the setting did feel very small and flat which was a shame. The female lead had her moments that really made me laugh. Actually, the book made me laugh more than I thought: I think the author is great at situational humour and dialogue! I found some of the slower chapters where they talk about the running of the villain’s ‘ business’ as such a little too close to an office job to which I did start to switch off and skim those sections. It was far too like my real job: and I want escapism!
I am annoyed that it finished on a cliffhanger: it wasn't needed and I would’ve happily given it a higher rating if it was all wrapped up!
💫 Themes: meet cute, slow burn, friends to lovers, neurodivergent rep, friendship
📖 Started reading: 04/01/25
📕Finished reading: 09/01/25
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐✨
💬 "This might be my favorite romance book, but we’re my favorite love story.”
💭 SYNOPSIS: As a chronic procrastinator, Henry Turner always knew his junior year in college wasn’t going to be easy. That was before he made ice hockey captain as well as landing himself in a difficult class with his least favourite professor. Thankfully, it’s then that Henry meets Halle, a fellow junior who he immediately befriends. Academic pressure has never been a struggle for Halle, but as an introverted people pleaser with a tendency to overcommit herself, she can’t help but offer to help Henry pass his class. In turn he offers to help make college life a little more inspiring – just the thing she needs as an aspiring novelist…
💕 MY THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed the third book by this author although I do want to caveat that by saying that this book already assumes you’ve read both ‘Icebreaker’ and ‘Wildfire’: there are so many characters who are imperative to the story that aren’t introduced and if you haven’t read the others then you will get lost with who these people are, as there is no description of them or their relationships to one another!
Henry, the MC is a really likeable male lead, however he does seem too good to be true: he’s a real feminist and at times it felt a little insincere and immersion breaking. The female lead was a refreshing young woman and I could absolutely see myself in her at times, particularly with the not-great ex-boyfriend you have from school. It was quite sobering in places which made it feel more authentic than the previous books. In fact I would say that this one felt the most grounded. I think Henry was such a strong character …but the others suffered because of it. Having a neurodivergent male romance lead was super refreshing and I really hope there are more. I understood some of the things he did and said and at other times I think it bordered on cliches and assumptions. I recommend this book if you’ve read Icebreaker and Wildfire but do not recommend it as a standalone which is a pity. I would like to see this author do something else now and kind of leave these characters be.
💫 Themes: life, loss, purpose, emotional, reflective, inspiring, slice of life
📖 Started reading: 01/01/25
📕Finished reading: 03/01/25
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
💬 "Readers make their own personal connections to words, irrespective of the writer's intentions, and each reader gains something unique.”
💭 SYNOPSIS: Sayuri Komachi is no ordinary librarian. Sensing exactly what someone is searching for in life, she provides just the book recommendation to help them find it. In this uplifting book, we meet five of Sayuri's customers, each at a different crossroads
💕 MY THOUGHTS: This book was a Christmas present from my good friend Anne (thank you!) It has just 5 chapters which are more like 5 short stories and are a slice of life into 5 very different people who are all seeking something subconsciously: which is where our librarian comes in. She is our main connection between the chapters and characters although I did delight in some little cameos later on. The pace was steady and light and even though I could've easily finished this within a day, I wanted to take my time and savour every little detail and ensure each character’s story was properly absorbed before moving on to the next. I found the last story perhaps the weakest but honestly, they were all good for different reasons. I just wanted to know more about the librarian but I suppose that's part of the mystery. What a lovely little book: gently written and quietly pleasant reading experience.
