Scan barcode
livelovelibrary's reviews
138 reviews
If This Gets Out by Cale Dietrich, Sophie Gonzales
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I can confidently say this book is the quintessential queer YA romance that leaves you feeling loved and crying tears of pure joy by the end of it.
Just wow. This book exceeded my expectations and more!! I was laughing and crying along with the characters and it was absolutely impossible to put this book down. I have never read anything by Sophie Gonzales or Cale Dietrich, but I want to read all of it after reading this! This book is written in dual POVs of Ruben and Zach, two members of the four-person boyband, Saturday. I absolutely loved dual POVs so I was already hooked in by the second chapter! I really loved how this book was co-written because I could see each of the author's writing styles shine through for their respective characters. I was never into boy bands, but reading this book made me care a whole lot more about them than I previously had.
Ruben and Zach begin to recognize their feelings for each other, but dealing with their management team proves to be a major challenge. One of the many things that makes this book so good is that it is scarily accurate to the struggles of music artists who are stuck dealing with the corruption of their labels and management. The other two band members, Angel and Jon, are not without their own struggles and insecurities pressed into them by the management team as well. I loved how every character in this book was able to feel like a real, solid person because of how much detail and care was placed into them. Also, I just really appreciated that Gonzales and Dietrich made the intimate scenes with Ruben and Zach fade-to-black obviously because of the YA genre, but mostly so I have the perfect queer book to recommend to younger readers.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for providing honest feedback!
Just wow. This book exceeded my expectations and more!! I was laughing and crying along with the characters and it was absolutely impossible to put this book down. I have never read anything by Sophie Gonzales or Cale Dietrich, but I want to read all of it after reading this! This book is written in dual POVs of Ruben and Zach, two members of the four-person boyband, Saturday. I absolutely loved dual POVs so I was already hooked in by the second chapter! I really loved how this book was co-written because I could see each of the author's writing styles shine through for their respective characters. I was never into boy bands, but reading this book made me care a whole lot more about them than I previously had.
Ruben and Zach begin to recognize their feelings for each other, but dealing with their management team proves to be a major challenge. One of the many things that makes this book so good is that it is scarily accurate to the struggles of music artists who are stuck dealing with the corruption of their labels and management. The other two band members, Angel and Jon, are not without their own struggles and insecurities pressed into them by the management team as well. I loved how every character in this book was able to feel like a real, solid person because of how much detail and care was placed into them. Also, I just really appreciated that Gonzales and Dietrich made the intimate scenes with Ruben and Zach fade-to-black obviously because of the YA genre, but mostly so I have the perfect queer book to recommend to younger readers.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for providing honest feedback!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Car accident
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
I really enjoyed the style of narration where we have the unrealiable narrator Olive who is unapologetically set in her opinions. There were a lot of moments where I genuinely laughed out loud at parts and that is really hard for a book to get me to do. I was excited to read a straight enemies-to-lovers book where they were not enemies just because the guy was misogynistic and evil. I loved all of the side characters and the family dynamics and I think they were a perfect addition to the plot. This book was definitely pretty good book and the writing style is so easy to read and follow.
Cowboy's Unexpected Family (Thorne Ranch Brothers Book 1) by Leslie North
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I may be a lesbian but romance novels like these always have the most creative plotlines I have ever read so I am not going to lie this book was good ✋
(okay here is the actual review)
A big thank you to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for the ARC. This is the first book in a series and the first of Leslie North's writing I have read. The book was so enthralling and as soon as I started it, I could not stop reading until I was finished.
A Cowboy's Unexpected Family is a story following rodeo star Cal and a widow named Amy whose deceased husband looked nearly identical to Cal. This book explores difficult topics such as adoption, abuse, and family secrets and ties it up into a beautiful western romance. I loved the writing style of Leslie North as it kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time while I was reading it!
(okay here is the actual review)
A big thank you to NetGalley and Relay Publishing for the ARC. This is the first book in a series and the first of Leslie North's writing I have read. The book was so enthralling and as soon as I started it, I could not stop reading until I was finished.
A Cowboy's Unexpected Family is a story following rodeo star Cal and a widow named Amy whose deceased husband looked nearly identical to Cal. This book explores difficult topics such as adoption, abuse, and family secrets and ties it up into a beautiful western romance. I loved the writing style of Leslie North as it kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time while I was reading it!
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
This book is C.S Lewis’ journal following the death of his wife from cancer. This is the first book that I have read about grief and mourning that I actually believed. Many of other books surrounding death/grief are so laced with happiness and pressure to believe one way or another that often times I’ll be like “that is a nice sentiment but it’s not how I feel”.
“A Grief Observed” is filled with angst and confusion about what Lewis wants to believe, especially pertaining to his christian beliefs. Reading through this journal was almost like reading through my own and it was liberating to hear my thoughts and fears shared with someone else.
“A Grief Observed” is filled with angst and confusion about what Lewis wants to believe, especially pertaining to his christian beliefs. Reading through this journal was almost like reading through my own and it was liberating to hear my thoughts and fears shared with someone else.
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i loved it! i liked reading a book where healthy relationships and communication are encouraged so I’m not internally screaming the entire time <3 best romcom ever 10/10 recommend!
Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0