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jsreadingjournal's Reviews (237)
This is the third book in the Maple Hill series. I read the first two books a few months back and loved it – I really like sports romances, not for the romance bit (well, yes for the romance) but mostly for the tightknit family vibes between the teammates. I loved Henry’s character from book one, and I expected him to be the MMC in the second book, but we got there eventually with book three. So needless to say, I have been waiting to get my hands on this for a VERY long time.
This book follows Henry and Halle, who couldn’t be any different if they tried, but the dynamic between the two is what pulled me in and made this book so hard to put down. Henry is neurodivergent-coded so it was very interesting to see how his brain works and the way he expresses himself in an unleashed manner. He always speaks his mind around everyone, including Halle, and that combats her introverted side, so it felt like a good balance between the two. Henry’s character definitely lived up to my expectations. He was so kind, sweet, and thoughtful. I also adored Halle’s character. She was so selfless and always thought about others (sometimes, more than she should have). I loved seeing her character grow and how she started standing up and doing more for herself. It was also nice seeing her gain such an amazing group of friends. I also loved how she was always there for Henry and how she gave him his time and space without making him feel guilty for being different. Neither of them were judgmental of the other and how they were so understanding. Also, the communication between the two was phenomenal – we love a man who knows how to properly communicate.
Spoiler Alert – Heartwarming Moments:
- He bought her daises because she wore a pink dress with daisies on them
-He wins her a ton of stuffed animals at the carnival because she’s never won any before
-He calls her his muse and his perfect canvas
-How fast Henry’s teammates come to Halle’s defense during the whole Will debacle AND how Henry was willing to risk his hockey captaincy for her by protecting her dignity
-How supportive Henry’s teammates are when he tells them he’s unhappy being captain
-Him gifting her a personalized version of her own book with his artwork integrated into her writing – so thoughtful!
My rating: 4.5/5
This book follows Henry and Halle, who couldn’t be any different if they tried, but the dynamic between the two is what pulled me in and made this book so hard to put down. Henry is neurodivergent-coded so it was very interesting to see how his brain works and the way he expresses himself in an unleashed manner. He always speaks his mind around everyone, including Halle, and that combats her introverted side, so it felt like a good balance between the two. Henry’s character definitely lived up to my expectations. He was so kind, sweet, and thoughtful. I also adored Halle’s character. She was so selfless and always thought about others (sometimes, more than she should have). I loved seeing her character grow and how she started standing up and doing more for herself. It was also nice seeing her gain such an amazing group of friends. I also loved how she was always there for Henry and how she gave him his time and space without making him feel guilty for being different. Neither of them were judgmental of the other and how they were so understanding. Also, the communication between the two was phenomenal – we love a man who knows how to properly communicate.
Spoiler Alert – Heartwarming Moments:
- He bought her daises because she wore a pink dress with daisies on them
-He wins her a ton of stuffed animals at the carnival because she’s never won any before
-He calls her his muse and his perfect canvas
-How fast Henry’s teammates come to Halle’s defense during the whole Will debacle AND how Henry was willing to risk his hockey captaincy for her by protecting her dignity
-How supportive Henry’s teammates are when he tells them he’s unhappy being captain
-Him gifting her a personalized version of her own book with his artwork integrated into her writing – so thoughtful!
My rating: 4.5/5
I'm not sure how I feel about the book. I didn't really like the FMC – I feel like Brooke wasn't very bright and blindly ignored all the warnings everyone gave her. There were a lot of plot twists with some of them being incredibly predictable. The ending of the book wasn't it for me – I expected so much more. I feel like the story itself was captivating and I stayed up way too late to finish it because I was so drawn into the story, and because of that and the suspense (?) created throughout the book, I expected a much more impactful ending. That being said, the one paged epilogue is what had my jaw dropped in utter shock and is more of the ending I'd hoped for instead of the nonsense that happens in the last chapter.
Random thoughts throughout the book (contains spoilers):
- “I lope you” was so cringe – I get they were high school students but still
- How is it okay for Tim (assistant principal) to be dating Brooke (student's parent) – seems a bit unethical but okay
- Tim gives Joe Goldberg vibes
- Why does Brooke keep changing the narrative of what happened 11 years ago, as if it doesn’t affect people’s livelihood?
- Why tf did Tim get back together with Brooke so easily after what she did???
Random thoughts throughout the book (contains spoilers):
- “I lope you” was so cringe – I get they were high school students but still
- How is it okay for Tim (assistant principal) to be dating Brooke (student's parent) – seems a bit unethical but okay
- Tim gives Joe Goldberg vibes
- Why does Brooke keep changing the narrative of what happened 11 years ago, as if it doesn’t affect people’s livelihood?
- Why tf did Tim get back together with Brooke so easily after what she did???
This book is about Tessa, a 28-year-old woman from LA, getting banished to Westport, Washington, where she meets Brendan who she ends up falling for despite trying her hardest not to. Throughout the story, we see Tessa become more independent and go from city girl, to finding Westport, which is a much smaller town, become home for her. I loved the setting - Westport was so cozy and the people there were so friendly and welcoming to Tessa and her sister, Hannah. I'm not sure how much I liked this book honestly - it was just alright. I loved Brendan's character, however I wasn't too big on Tessa. I couldn't look past how immature she was for her age. I get the whole spoiled, privileged, rich girl vibes, but by the ripe age of 28 I feel like she should have been much more mature and in touch with reality. There were a few things that had me questioning things, like why Piper was so heartbroken over her "bad breakup" that had lasted three weeks, how she kept referring to hugs as "recharging stations" (which I gotta admit, was cute at first, but then just got weird), and how Piper instantly noticed Brendan following her on insta when she had millions of followers (wouldn't that notification get drowned out in all her other notifications??). That being said, this was still an easy, cozy read and watching Westport become a part of Piper's life was incredibly heartwarming. It was nice seeing her find a new purpose and new friends/family that actually loved her for who she was.
First off, I’d like to thank the author for sending me an arc of this book. It’s my first book by her so I was very excited. This story revolves around Aurora and Wyatt. Aurora had abruptly moved to NYC years ago and started a new life without really giving anyone a warning – she then returns to Smoky Heights when she learns of her mother’s cancer diagnosis in the hopes of making amends. Throughout the book we see Rory try to rebuild her relationship with her mom, her older sister, Lexi, and Wyatt.
Now onto my thoughts: I thought this book had a lot of potential – the storyline was great in theory; I just don’t think it was executed all that well. I found Aurora incredibly insufferable, and I felt like she acted significantly younger than her age. Her lack of accountability for the majority of the book and the idea of “burying the past” pissed me off, especially because she kept finding ways to make everything about her, without even considering anyone else’s feelings.
I really wish we’d gotten to see more of Aurora and her mom spending time together – I think there were only like two chapters where we saw them properly reconnect, and considering that was the reason Aurora moved back, it would’ve been nice to see more bonding time between them.
Another thing that bothered me while reading this was some of the grammar and sentence structures were off – not sure if this was just because I was sent an arc which did have a disclaimer that said it wasn’t the final edit. But I noticed a lot of pronouns missing while I was reading and it was kind of hard to look past – rather than starting sentences with “I”, “I am”, etc. the author just dove right into the sentence (ex. Instead of “I pulled up the driveway” it would say “Pulled up the driveway”).
Other random thoughts I had while reading the book:
-Take a shot every time Aurora mentions how she needs to get her lip fillers retouched
-Chapter 29 was so cute and wholesome
-He built their dream house <3
-Confused about the whole letter miscommunication at the end of the book and how this adds anything to the plot??
-Why is her mom’s death barely talked about and why is Rory not really affected by this for more than like one paragraph??
Overall rating: 2.5/5
Now onto my thoughts: I thought this book had a lot of potential – the storyline was great in theory; I just don’t think it was executed all that well. I found Aurora incredibly insufferable, and I felt like she acted significantly younger than her age. Her lack of accountability for the majority of the book and the idea of “burying the past” pissed me off, especially because she kept finding ways to make everything about her, without even considering anyone else’s feelings.
I really wish we’d gotten to see more of Aurora and her mom spending time together – I think there were only like two chapters where we saw them properly reconnect, and considering that was the reason Aurora moved back, it would’ve been nice to see more bonding time between them.
Another thing that bothered me while reading this was some of the grammar and sentence structures were off – not sure if this was just because I was sent an arc which did have a disclaimer that said it wasn’t the final edit. But I noticed a lot of pronouns missing while I was reading and it was kind of hard to look past – rather than starting sentences with “I”, “I am”, etc. the author just dove right into the sentence (ex. Instead of “I pulled up the driveway” it would say “Pulled up the driveway”).
Other random thoughts I had while reading the book:
-Take a shot every time Aurora mentions how she needs to get her lip fillers retouched
-Chapter 29 was so cute and wholesome
-He built their dream house <3
-Confused about the whole letter miscommunication at the end of the book and how this adds anything to the plot??
-Why is her mom’s death barely talked about and why is Rory not really affected by this for more than like one paragraph??
Overall rating: 2.5/5
This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I’m so thankful for her sending me an ARC.
This is a quick, easy, and cozy read about Sophie, a single mom of three, who ends up reconnecting with her ex-husband’s friend, Will. We see the challenges faced by single mothers, especially as they try to navigate running their own business, while balancing the needs of their children. Throughout the book, we see Sophie lean on Will for support as she learns to balance her own wants and needs, with those of her family.
I loved this book so much – the way Will cares for Sophie’s children right away and how he dropped everything to come take care of them, no questions asked, was so heartwarming and truly showed what his character is like. It was so nice seeing the kids warm up to Will right away, and how he fit in so well with them. In a way, I found Will to be a much better father-figure than Matt (Sophie’s ex-husband) was to the kids. Speaking of Matt, I know he was a side character, but I do wish we got to see a bit more of him aside from the initial meeting. Considering that he had partial custody of the kids, you’d expect to see him more.
The big conflict at the end kind of had me confused (I’m still unsure of how I feel about it) – Will’s response to loving Sophie and the kids is kind of what Sophie implied she wanted to hear – yet she took it in the wrong way?? I feel like it was a lose-lose situation for Will and that no matter what he said, she wouldn’t have been happy. BUT at the same time, I do understand why she felt what she did.
Overall rating: 4/5
This is a quick, easy, and cozy read about Sophie, a single mom of three, who ends up reconnecting with her ex-husband’s friend, Will. We see the challenges faced by single mothers, especially as they try to navigate running their own business, while balancing the needs of their children. Throughout the book, we see Sophie lean on Will for support as she learns to balance her own wants and needs, with those of her family.
I loved this book so much – the way Will cares for Sophie’s children right away and how he dropped everything to come take care of them, no questions asked, was so heartwarming and truly showed what his character is like. It was so nice seeing the kids warm up to Will right away, and how he fit in so well with them. In a way, I found Will to be a much better father-figure than Matt (Sophie’s ex-husband) was to the kids. Speaking of Matt, I know he was a side character, but I do wish we got to see a bit more of him aside from the initial meeting. Considering that he had partial custody of the kids, you’d expect to see him more.
The big conflict at the end kind of had me confused (I’m still unsure of how I feel about it) – Will’s response to loving Sophie and the kids is kind of what Sophie implied she wanted to hear – yet she took it in the wrong way?? I feel like it was a lose-lose situation for Will and that no matter what he said, she wouldn’t have been happy. BUT at the same time, I do understand why she felt what she did.
Overall rating: 4/5
Thoughts: I normally love Ana Huang books (the Twisted Series and Kings of Sins series have my heart) so I was very excited for this read, but it pains me to say that I was highly disappointed. This book follows Asher Donovan, a major league football (soccer) player, and Scarlett DuBois, former prima ballerina who is now Asher’s off-season trainer. Scarlett is Asher’s biggest rival’s sister, so throughout the story we see the rivalry between Asher and Vincent thaw, and we see the relationship between Scarlett and Asher bloom as they face different challenges. The first two thirds of the book were honestly quite dull, and nothing really seemed to happen – the last third of the book was easily 5 stars and what I expected the whole book to be. I just expected more substance in the book as a whole. I loved Asher’s character – he was so considerate of her and showed her support and understanding throughout the book. The way he prioritized her and showed it through his actions was incredibly – I mean the man missed one of his biggest games for her, built her their own private studio to keep her safe from the paps, and traded his luxurious car collection for one for one of the safest cars in the world. Not only that, but he didn’t even sell them, he just gave them away to his team members?! It was also exciting seeing so many characters making appearances throughout the book – most of Ana Huang readers have noticed that she always brings back cameos into her new books, and this one was full of them.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
Overall rating: 3.5/5
This is a mystery thriller that follows the story of Alicia Berenson, who suddenly goes mute after shooting her husband, Gabriel, several times, murdering him. The book is narrated by Theo Faber, who is the psychotherapist that is trying to treat Alicia. Throughout the story, we discover new findings about Alicia, Gabriel, and the truth behind their relationship.
I haven’t picked up a thriller in a good minute, but I remember how viral this book went a while back that I thought I should give it a read this spooky season. This was one of the better thriller’s I’ve read – it had me making new predictions every few chapters. There were so many ways I could have seen this book ending, but the plot twist at the end left me sitting straight up with my jaw dropped. The ending was something I hadn’t even considered, I was shook – so good, so unexpected. I can’t believe I waited so long to read it!
I haven’t picked up a thriller in a good minute, but I remember how viral this book went a while back that I thought I should give it a read this spooky season. This was one of the better thriller’s I’ve read – it had me making new predictions every few chapters. There were so many ways I could have seen this book ending, but the plot twist at the end left me sitting straight up with my jaw dropped. The ending was something I hadn’t even considered, I was shook – so good, so unexpected. I can’t believe I waited so long to read it!
* Thank you to @swipethebook.pr and @nmpatelauthor for sending me this ARC. *
This is a story that follows Kriti Pandya and Aakar Mishra through the pressures of finding love by a certain age. I’ve never read a book about arranged marriage so this was a first to me, and I was shocked to see how much I loved it. It showed the realities of being pressured to find a partner in desi families and the realities of the adjustment period needed after marriage, especially for Kriti as she had to move into a house with Aakar’s extended family. I absolutely loved seeing the communication between both protagonists, and how both of them didn’t reduce their expectations of what they wanted in a marriage. This book had everything from instant connection, to slow burn, to groveling, to drama.
I instantly adored Kriti’s character – seeing her advocate for her female students was so incredibly powerful, and seeing her stand up for herself and refusing to settle was refreshing. Aakar’s character also won me over quickly. I mean, the man remembered her love for beaches and took her there for their first date – how could a girl not love a man that remembers brief remarks. On top of that, he actually listens to his wife’s problems and puts in the effort to make changes to make her life easier…yes please!
Along with that, Aakar’s family was such a godsend – they’re like the ideal in-laws any girl can hope for. Seeing Abhi and Kriti’s relationship was so heartwarming. The way they look out for one another, support each other, and the way they have the other’s back made my heart very happy. And the way, the whole family was on her side when Aakar fucked up had me screaming – I loved seeing that!! Now, I won’t lie, I’m not sure how I felt about the big conflict revolving around Abhi and Aakar – I found his reaction so out-of-character and it took a while for me to come around and see things through Aakar’s POV, but I’m really hoping he’ll make up for this in a future book.
Random other thoughts I had:
- I like how the author gave brief explanations of Gujarati terms she used. I found that incredibly considerate for non-ethnic readers who will no longer have to pull up Google Translate every so often. I also liked how she described the different wedding ceremonies – their purpose and importance.
-As a recent education grad, I also really appreciated how the realities of being a teacher were shown. How it can be difficult to get students engaged in lessons and make them want to actually learn. And I loved seeing that Kriti had such an amazing support system to help her out.
This is a story that follows Kriti Pandya and Aakar Mishra through the pressures of finding love by a certain age. I’ve never read a book about arranged marriage so this was a first to me, and I was shocked to see how much I loved it. It showed the realities of being pressured to find a partner in desi families and the realities of the adjustment period needed after marriage, especially for Kriti as she had to move into a house with Aakar’s extended family. I absolutely loved seeing the communication between both protagonists, and how both of them didn’t reduce their expectations of what they wanted in a marriage. This book had everything from instant connection, to slow burn, to groveling, to drama.
I instantly adored Kriti’s character – seeing her advocate for her female students was so incredibly powerful, and seeing her stand up for herself and refusing to settle was refreshing. Aakar’s character also won me over quickly. I mean, the man remembered her love for beaches and took her there for their first date – how could a girl not love a man that remembers brief remarks. On top of that, he actually listens to his wife’s problems and puts in the effort to make changes to make her life easier…yes please!
Along with that, Aakar’s family was such a godsend – they’re like the ideal in-laws any girl can hope for. Seeing Abhi and Kriti’s relationship was so heartwarming. The way they look out for one another, support each other, and the way they have the other’s back made my heart very happy. And the way, the whole family was on her side when Aakar fucked up had me screaming – I loved seeing that!! Now, I won’t lie, I’m not sure how I felt about the big conflict revolving around Abhi and Aakar – I found his reaction so out-of-character and it took a while for me to come around and see things through Aakar’s POV, but I’m really hoping he’ll make up for this in a future book.
Random other thoughts I had:
- I like how the author gave brief explanations of Gujarati terms she used. I found that incredibly considerate for non-ethnic readers who will no longer have to pull up Google Translate every so often. I also liked how she described the different wedding ceremonies – their purpose and importance.
-As a recent education grad, I also really appreciated how the realities of being a teacher were shown. How it can be difficult to get students engaged in lessons and make them want to actually learn. And I loved seeing that Kriti had such an amazing support system to help her out.
Thoughts: This was an interestingly written murder mystery because as a reader you don’t actually know who was murdered, let alone who the murderer is, until the last few chapters of the book. I’ve never read a book that did this before but I actually kind of liked it despite how slow it was. I feel like the uncertainty of everything had me constantly making new predictions, especially as everyone’s secrets were slowly revealed. The book is set on a remote island in Ireland for the wedding of Julia Keegan and Will Slater, and during the week of the wedding, things don’t exactly go as planned. The book is written from multiple perspectives – the bride, the groom, the best man, the plus one, and the wedding planner. The timeline also jumps around a bit which can take a while to get used to – it jumps around from before the wedding, during the wedding, and after the wedding. I really enjoyed the read, I think it was a good one for this time of year.
This is an Indian contemporary romance that revolves around Abhimaan Singh Rathore and Meera Shekhawat. The story is set in Suryagarh, where Meera is held hostage for the murder of an innocent girl that Meera’s village folks committed. As the story progresses, readers see how Abhimaan’s and Meera’s clashing personalities create a new dynamic they’d never expect. Tropes included are: slow burn, enemies to lovers, forbidden love, he falls first, touch her and die.
I absolutely loved Abhimaan’s character – while he may have appeared as cold and untouchable, the way he respected women was so incredibly respectable. While reading the book I kept thinking of how safe the women in his village must have felt by having him as their leader. On top of that, the way he demanded respect for Meera despite her being from enemy territory was amazing. I also loved seeing Meera’s character change, and see her being one of the only ones to challenge Abhimaan. It was refreshing seeing his soft side appear as her tougher side starts making an appearance.
I think the only feedback I’d have for the author is to include translations/explanations for some of the terms, just to make the book more inclusive to others. I wish this book had been a tad bit longer and more things were covered – like why didn’t Meera confront Abhimaan about her father’s death right after she found out the truth, why didn’t anyone else from Meera’s family try to reach out to her, etc. I also wish we’d gotten a wedding scene – he just jumped to calling Meera his wife after proposing, but that could’ve been a nice little epilogue.
Overall, I loved this book. The detail in the writing was incredible and I was immediately captivated by the storyline. This was the author’s debut book and I think she did an amazing job – reading the book you can tell a lot of time, love, effort, and emotions were put into it. I appreciate the author reaching out to me and asking me to review it – I’d definitely recommend it if you enjoy low-spice contemporary romances.
My rating: 4/5 --> could have been a 5 star read but there was a chunk near the middle where things started getting a bit redundant and there were a few inconsistencies (not enough to make the read less enjoyable though)
I absolutely loved Abhimaan’s character – while he may have appeared as cold and untouchable, the way he respected women was so incredibly respectable. While reading the book I kept thinking of how safe the women in his village must have felt by having him as their leader. On top of that, the way he demanded respect for Meera despite her being from enemy territory was amazing. I also loved seeing Meera’s character change, and see her being one of the only ones to challenge Abhimaan. It was refreshing seeing his soft side appear as her tougher side starts making an appearance.
I think the only feedback I’d have for the author is to include translations/explanations for some of the terms, just to make the book more inclusive to others. I wish this book had been a tad bit longer and more things were covered – like why didn’t Meera confront Abhimaan about her father’s death right after she found out the truth, why didn’t anyone else from Meera’s family try to reach out to her, etc. I also wish we’d gotten a wedding scene – he just jumped to calling Meera his wife after proposing, but that could’ve been a nice little epilogue.
Overall, I loved this book. The detail in the writing was incredible and I was immediately captivated by the storyline. This was the author’s debut book and I think she did an amazing job – reading the book you can tell a lot of time, love, effort, and emotions were put into it. I appreciate the author reaching out to me and asking me to review it – I’d definitely recommend it if you enjoy low-spice contemporary romances.
My rating: 4/5 --> could have been a 5 star read but there was a chunk near the middle where things started getting a bit redundant and there were a few inconsistencies (not enough to make the read less enjoyable though)