kateslovedreads's reviews
483 reviews

Playing Flirty by Shameez Patel

funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

She said she felt lonely and he DID everything in his power to make sure she was never lonely again. Literally used his profession and everything to make it happen. Ugh, I really do love William!!! When I first started Playing Flirty, I admit, it was slow to me and I was finding it hard to stick with the story. However, once I got into the character development and the two of them playing “their game” (trying not to spoil anything) I enjoyed it a lot more. The main thing I applaud this book for is the relationship building!! It felt like a nice tug of war between not only the characters but the reader and author, where it was like ‘give you a little more, but not too much’. It just made the ‘I Love You’ so much more climactic!! I really appreciated how the relationship and intimate moments were executed, it wasn’t overbearing, however just enough in my opinion. That being said, I stick beside my rating of 4 🌟’s just because I didn’t feel attached to the world or the characters to the degree of other 5 🌟 ratings.

Slight Spoilers/While Reading Commentary 

(Don’t Read if you don’t want spoilers)

• Love a good character development conclusion!!
• I don’t care for the it’s a bad idea comments from Neema,mostly because had it not been for the FMC she wouldn’t have met her partner, it’s a little selfish. Even if she doesn’t stick to that mindset the comments were off putting to me

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

adventurous emotional funny informative tense medium-paced

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

4.0

First off love the concept of a rescue swimmer. I thought that was very unique and not something you read about all the time. Katie was fake it til you make it all the way and I loved her character for it. Overall this was a nice, quick read. I really enjoyed Rue and the girls of Key West. Then of course, the star, George Bailey who this story would’ve have been the same with him.  My only drawback, that was made this 4 stars, was the whole “lie with me” scenario. I understand why, I just wasn’t a fan of how that stopped Katie and Hutch’s romantic interest for a couple of chapters

Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.0

—Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the eARC copy of this title—
The Skyland Series has been such a special series to read since book 1, and book 3 was no different. Maverick and Hendrix gave me all the love, healing, and comfort in this book. Kennedy’s writing makes every story feel personal and like your listening to a friend’s story. There were so many times while reading, where I wasn’t going through grief or loss but I felt the emotions as if I were. I believe that’s a truly a testament to her pen, and why she remains a must buy author for me. I liked Maverick and his rich self, but the real star was Hendrix for me. She was such an awaited story and I loved seeing her get to have it all and more!! I do wish we got to see a bit more of her in love without questioning it or so career focused but I can’t get enough of the Skyland girlies and hope to see them in future releases.

What If It's You? by Jilly Gagnon

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

3.75

Rating: 3.75 (rounded to a 4 bc I did enjoy this book in the end)

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC, my opinions below are my own*

This being my second book by Jilly Gagnon, I really do enjoy her writing. Some things may cause me to turn back and reference what’s going on,but overall what good book doesn’t make you stop and think a little more. 

To avoid spoilers, I’m not going to recap the storyline. I think the plot was different and exciting, which made me request this book but also want to keep reading. It was very much one of those reads you feel the need to know how it all ends so you can’t stop turning the page. That all being said, my rating is a bit low due to the FMC. Ms. Laurel had me annotating each chapter, and not in a good way. I didn’t enjoy Laurel’s indecision and self-centeredness initially. Then, by the time she got to her self reflection, I couldn’t find it in me to have a change of heart. With all of this book being her POV, we got a lot of her thoughts towards her partner/crushes, her reaction to things, and why she acts like she does. Character aside, I also think the amount of time it went on was the biggest factor. The timing of this story felt like it was Laurel’s loop of indecision and thinking of how she wants more from life and her relationship, but not actually doing anything about it. So much of this story could’ve been resolved with communication or maybe even her physically trying more. Instead it was 3/4 of the book about her “lives” and what was wrong in each one. One annotation I made which sums it all up is, “ it’s like a ping pong, she gets this revelation of what choice she wants to make then gets back into thinking the worst about whatever life she’s in”. Minus Laurel, I really did enjoy the story, the other characters, and even the epilogue. It’s nice to think of forever applied to any space and time.

—Warming: we are moving into spoiler territory, some of the sentences are repeated bc I wanted the non spoilers above to have the reasoning for my rating——

…

In chapter 3, I annotated “Laurel is a bad partner” and I felt like that theme stayed true for like 3/4 of the book. All her actions and thoughts were ruining her life over the “what ifs” of any situation. I understanding overthinking things but the purposeful sabotage, playing with your job by sneaking in, and constantly throwing out romantic gestures and thoughts to someone not your partner did not help my first introduction to this character. Laurel was overall just a constant contradicting character, and it drove me nuts. She’d say she feels guilty and then get comfortable with Drew, she’d say she wants to be with Ollie and knows she and Drew aren’t right then still go and find something wrong with Ollie. Character behavior aside, I think the amount of time it went on, was the biggest factor. Which brings me to my next reason for my rating, the flow and timing of this story felt like it was going on forever. I remember I wrote multiple times from ch.08- ch.14 that “ it’s like a ping pong, she gets this revelation of what choice she wants to make then gets back into thinking the worst about whatever life she’s in”. I under overthinking bc I do it myself, but I felt like there comes a time when the overthinking isn’t helping and Laurel spent so much more time overthinking than actually trying to get out of alternate life. There were definitely some moments I would’ve preferred to move on, than consider the same situation over and over again.

Markless by C.G. Malburi

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Rating 3.75🌟 (rounded up to a 4)
*All opinions are my own, thank you to Levine Querido for the chance to read an ARC*

The story follows Ruti and her identity as being Markless. The entire society is run off of what mark you bear on your palm. For those without a mark, they are pushed to the outskirts and forced to survive the best they know how. I really loved the plot of this book. The magic, or lack there of in others, that we see in the slums was very interesting. The more we saw of Ruti’s gift the more I wished we had a little deeper insight of who these “gods” were. I think my only complaint is that I wanted more detail and descriptions to help me really envision what was going on. Specifically, in scenes like the forest, I couldn’t connect with what was singing vs what everyone was doing. Besides that I still think this is a nice fantasy read for anyone wanting a easy to read story.

Bright Lights & Summer Nights by Kat Singleton

4.0

Liars and Liaisons by Sav R. Miller

3.0

Pardon My Frenchie by Farrah Rochon

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Pardon My Frenchie is about to become my entire personality. In my head I have a best friend named Ashanti whose dog boarding business is skyrocketing and on the other hand I know this actually sweet curmudgeon named Thad who is trying to find his place after serving. This book is my new all time favorite. I could be biased because I love my city but seeing references to home and being able to picture it exactly was a big plus for me. It was funny, real, and has the most delicious slow burn ever (in my opinion). I’m not one to usually rave on a slow burn but this one was so good it had me savoring every interaction. I also would go to war for Pudding and Duchess. These dogs are the ultimate matchmakers because they worked from page 1 to page 384. Farrah’s books just do it for me and Pardon My Frenchie was no different.

Pretty Rings and Broken Things by Kat Singleton

hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

*ARC Review*
Arranged Marriage, Family Rivalry, a blooming love story of trust and respect. 
Archer and Winnie have been told since birth to never trust each other because of their last names. Pretty Rings and Broken Things is your classic marriage of convenience turned into more. Winnie is known as the darling daughter of Bishop Hotels. She’s been pleasing to her family thus far but has bigger goals than just being the front of her families company. Archer, similar to Winnie, has grown up aiming to please his father no matter what. However, he’s also very assertive and doesn’t take disrespect lightly.

I loved the instant connection between these two. It mixed forced proximity with them actually wanting to spend time with each other nicely. The chemistry between them was undeniable from the beginning and quickly kept me interested in their story. Archer’s observance of Winnie and how he just knows exactly what to say, made me fall for him. Winnie’s character took me a little longer to get into, but her development towards the end really made me like her. Overall, this was such a sweet and spicy romance expansion of Black Ties White Lies series. I cant wait for the rest of the friend groups story

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.5

The Next Best Fling is exactly what the title says. It’s also about faith and releasing the concept control any and every little thing in our lives. In this story that translate to Marcela’s fear of being left and how that impacts her relationships. The development of her character alone made give this 4+ stars. A lot of the time you read books and the main character has learned nothing but both MCs grew from their past. So much so, that they were able to take a chance on someone new (okay I promise I’ll stop before I spoil something). The other .5 of my rating comes from the romance (because of course). Theo’s planning and thought behind everything made it more than just any other romance book. Basically I just loved the thought and development behind every scene of this book and can’t wait for any future expansions if there are any in the works :)