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kfalsreads's reviews
289 reviews
You and I, Rewritten by Chip Pons
5.0
You & I, Rewritten has the depth that I long for in romances, and it gave me ALL THE FEELS! It’s best friend energy, big love, familial relationships, found family, and personal, professional, and emotional growth. It’s a feel-good story but also a heart-wrenching one that covers heavy topics and highlights the invisible wounds we carry with us. It’s an incredibly important story.
Will and Graham easily became one of my top couples. Each had their own personal struggles, were honest and vulnerable, and stepped up to support the other without hesitation or judgment.
I don’t think I’ve ever come across the caliber of emotionally intelligent characters that I did in this book. It was such a breath of fresh air to have characters that were so self-aware, vocalized their feelings so freely, and said and did exactly the right things to support each other. I could tell it was important to Chip to bring characters like this to the page and it’s a testament to who he is that he did it so well.
On top of creating beautiful, rich characters, Chip’s writing is top tier. His pacing, character and story development, sense of humor, and research into the book publishing industry just blew me away for a debut novel. There is even a twist that had my jaw on the floor and opened up the story into something I did not expect at all!
My one wish
Will and Graham easily became one of my top couples. Each had their own personal struggles, were honest and vulnerable, and stepped up to support the other without hesitation or judgment.
I don’t think I’ve ever come across the caliber of emotionally intelligent characters that I did in this book. It was such a breath of fresh air to have characters that were so self-aware, vocalized their feelings so freely, and said and did exactly the right things to support each other. I could tell it was important to Chip to bring characters like this to the page and it’s a testament to who he is that he did it so well.
On top of creating beautiful, rich characters, Chip’s writing is top tier. His pacing, character and story development, sense of humor, and research into the book publishing industry just blew me away for a debut novel. There is even a twist that had my jaw on the floor and opened up the story into something I did not expect at all!
My one wish
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
4.0
This is a perfect, read-in-one-sitting, summer romance, and I fully enjoyed it! It gave me The Simple Wild vibes but a bit lighter and A LOT steamier!
At first, I wasn’t sure about Piper because she definitely wasn’t a character I could relate to
At first, I wasn’t sure about Piper because she definitely wasn’t a character I could relate to
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
5.0
This book hit on so many levels, and I LOVED it!! It was the best second chance romance I’ve read yet. Mainly, because the reason for the breakup was really good and didn’t rely on the typical tropes you often see.
Eva and Shane were magnetic, and their connection was raw and chemistry palpable from the very beginning. Their past was heart wrenching, and their brief time together was powerful. Their obstacles were realistic, and their communication and honesty with each other was beautiful.
The story was rich with representation and grounded in reality celebrating Black joy, culture, and art; highlighting the stark contrasts in our education system; and depicting what it’s like living with a chronic, invisible illness, and the emotional journey of sobriety. I loved the dual timelines, each taking place over seven days, and the way Tia wove them together was perfect.
All of the supporting characters—especially Eva’s daughter, Audre, and her best friend and editor, Cece—were colorful and a great comic relief for the heavier themes. Not to mention, they were integral to Eva and Shane’s story. I LOVED Audre so much, and I am making my plea right now for Tia to write her future story!!
This book was ALL THE FEELS! It was intense, heart wrenching, heartwarming, funny, romantic, sexy, and covered important themes. I didn’t want it to end! I HIGHLY recommend it, and I can’t wait to read more from Tia Williams!
Eva and Shane were magnetic, and their connection was raw and chemistry palpable from the very beginning. Their past was heart wrenching, and their brief time together was powerful. Their obstacles were realistic, and their communication and honesty with each other was beautiful.
The story was rich with representation and grounded in reality celebrating Black joy, culture, and art; highlighting the stark contrasts in our education system; and depicting what it’s like living with a chronic, invisible illness, and the emotional journey of sobriety. I loved the dual timelines, each taking place over seven days, and the way Tia wove them together was perfect.
All of the supporting characters—especially Eva’s daughter, Audre, and her best friend and editor, Cece—were colorful and a great comic relief for the heavier themes. Not to mention, they were integral to Eva and Shane’s story. I LOVED Audre so much, and I am making my plea right now for Tia to write her future story!!
This book was ALL THE FEELS! It was intense, heart wrenching, heartwarming, funny, romantic, sexy, and covered important themes. I didn’t want it to end! I HIGHLY recommend it, and I can’t wait to read more from Tia Williams!
Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
5.0
This book was so freaking fun!! I loved every minute of this jaw-dropping, hand-to-mouth, hand-to-heart adventure romance.
I thought CLo did a really great job of balancing the action/adventure and romantic elements of the story and weaving together Leo and Lily’s past with the present. My favorite thing about their present relationship was the communication between them was A++. They were open, honest, and considerate of each other’s feelings as they navigated what happened in their past and how they would fit into each other’s future. The sexual tension and steam were also
I thought CLo did a really great job of balancing the action/adventure and romantic elements of the story and weaving together Leo and Lily’s past with the present. My favorite thing about their present relationship was the communication between them was A++. They were open, honest, and considerate of each other’s feelings as they navigated what happened in their past and how they would fit into each other’s future. The sexual tension and steam were also
The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
5.0
This book is my surprise hit of the year so far! I had been waiting for this one from the library since it came out—and went in with low expectations after reading The Road Trip (my first O’Leary) which I was not a fan of—but let me tell you this book HITS! I mean, WOW, I am shook!!!
When I started it, I was worried I would hate Joseph while I watched him juggle the three relationships. But O’Leary did a masterful job of threading the needle regarding his character and his relationships with the three women.
Told in multiple POVs, the story begins with character and relationship building and then really picks up in the second half as I became fully invested in the lives of the women who were all so different. And the last third of the book was just perfection.
This is such a hard one to review because the less you know the better. I will say the entire journey to get to the last bit of the book is so worth it. I have never read anything like this. The story was intricate, nuanced, and emotional.
My one critique is the marketing surrounding this one and was something I also had a big issue with her last book as well. This is NOT a rom-com, not even close in my opinion, and I’m not sure why it’s being marketed as such.
There is some heavy content and themes, so I want to give you all a heads up to check trigger warnings if that is something you like to do ahead of time.
With that being said, I HIGHLY recommend this book if you are looking for a different kind of romance. This isn’t steamy and doesn’t rely on the tropes that you typically see in romances. It is entirely unique and that’s what I LOVED about it. I’m seriously in awe of the execution of this story, and I hope you all give it a go!!
When I started it, I was worried I would hate Joseph while I watched him juggle the three relationships. But O’Leary did a masterful job of threading the needle regarding his character and his relationships with the three women.
Told in multiple POVs, the story begins with character and relationship building and then really picks up in the second half as I became fully invested in the lives of the women who were all so different. And the last third of the book was just perfection.
This is such a hard one to review because the less you know the better. I will say the entire journey to get to the last bit of the book is so worth it. I have never read anything like this. The story was intricate, nuanced, and emotional.
My one critique is the marketing surrounding this one and was something I also had a big issue with her last book as well. This is NOT a rom-com, not even close in my opinion, and I’m not sure why it’s being marketed as such.
There is some heavy content and themes, so I want to give you all a heads up to check trigger warnings if that is something you like to do ahead of time.
With that being said, I HIGHLY recommend this book if you are looking for a different kind of romance. This isn’t steamy and doesn’t rely on the tropes that you typically see in romances. It is entirely unique and that’s what I LOVED about it. I’m seriously in awe of the execution of this story, and I hope you all give it a go!!
Mad About You by Mhairi McFarlane
4.0
WOW! This book was much more than I expected!
It started off a bit awkward for me as I got used to McFarlane’s writing style and vocabulary. I literally had to look up a word like every other page, which ruined the pacing a bit.
It started off a bit awkward for me as I got used to McFarlane’s writing style and vocabulary. I literally had to look up a word like every other page, which ruined the pacing a bit.
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
2.0
Ohhhhh, this book! It took me DAYS to get past it, and as my review will show, I still get pretty upset thinking about it.
In the beginning, this book had a lot of things going for it: dual POV, past and present timelines, a secretive romance, lots of steam, characters I was rooting for…until about halfway through, and then it became a struggle for me just to finish it with regard to the present day storyline.
Here’s why (with some spoilers):
Let’s begin with Miles—the most toxic MMC I’ve encountered yet in a romance. Miles treated Tate like absolute trash, and I hope everyone who has read this book will reevaluate the pedestal he’s been put on. It doesn’t matter how traumatic his past was or the “rules” he laid out with Tate ahead of time, in no way did that give him the right to treat Tate—HIS BEST FRIEND’S SISTER—the way that he did. AND he never apologized for his actions! Instead, he justified it and THANKED Tate at the end for putting up with it.
As for Tate, I felt protective of her in the beginning, and then I felt bad for her, and then I just became irritated with her. She was one-dimensional, she had no friends (save for an old elevator man), no glimpse into her life outside of this toxic “relationship”, and she had inexplicably no self-worth at all—and she never got any. I really struggled the whole time to understand what she even saw in Miles.
The present-day side characters brought nothing to the story—for at least 95% of it.
Their “relationship” had no depth and was nothing but sexual encounters that became so cringe I struggled to get through them.
Their “love story” went from 0-100 in the last quarter of the book. At first, I swooned over the ending, and then I realized, NO, this is way too much, way too fast. They literally didn’t know ANYTHING about each other, and they got THAT ending. I get how it wrapped up Miles’s story nicely, but he didn’t deserve her, and I don’t think they should have ended up together. Yep, I said what I said.
In the beginning, this book had a lot of things going for it: dual POV, past and present timelines, a secretive romance, lots of steam, characters I was rooting for…until about halfway through, and then it became a struggle for me just to finish it with regard to the present day storyline.
Here’s why (with some spoilers):
Let’s begin with Miles—the most toxic MMC I’ve encountered yet in a romance. Miles treated Tate like absolute trash, and I hope everyone who has read this book will reevaluate the pedestal he’s been put on. It doesn’t matter how traumatic his past was or the “rules” he laid out with Tate ahead of time, in no way did that give him the right to treat Tate—HIS BEST FRIEND’S SISTER—the way that he did. AND he never apologized for his actions! Instead, he justified it and THANKED Tate at the end for putting up with it.
As for Tate, I felt protective of her in the beginning, and then I felt bad for her, and then I just became irritated with her. She was one-dimensional, she had no friends (save for an old elevator man), no glimpse into her life outside of this toxic “relationship”, and she had inexplicably no self-worth at all—and she never got any. I really struggled the whole time to understand what she even saw in Miles.
The present-day side characters brought nothing to the story—for at least 95% of it.
Their “relationship” had no depth and was nothing but sexual encounters that became so cringe I struggled to get through them.
Their “love story” went from 0-100 in the last quarter of the book. At first, I swooned over the ending, and then I realized, NO, this is way too much, way too fast. They literally didn’t know ANYTHING about each other, and they got THAT ending. I get how it wrapped up Miles’s story nicely, but he didn’t deserve her, and I don’t think they should have ended up together. Yep, I said what I said.