mar_reads7's reviews
81 reviews

Sister of the Bride by Lauren Morrill
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.

this is astoundingly poorly written, I tried forcing myself to keep reading it but I just couldn't.
thanks to netgalley for the arc though.

Unravel Me by Becka Mack

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I have complicated feelings about certain aspects of this book. But out of all the couples in the Playing For Keeps series so far Adam and Rosie were my absolute favourites. That is why even though there things I didn't love about the book I am happy to give this 4 stars. Because I love the journeys they went on individually and the one they went on together. I loved reading about their relationship growing. I loved that even though there was a very obvious connection from the first time they met Becka Mack still took the time to let us see every step of the falling in love process. There's a real foundation of love with these two, which is what I had been wanting to see for Adam since Consider Me, and what I couldn't help but want for Rosie too since she was introduced here. And in the end this book gets 4 stars because it was impossible not to constantly have a grin on my face while reading it. This was a very happy reading experience for me overall, and I definitely think as far as this series goes Adam and Rosie have the most beautiful story. 
That being said, if I put aside my love for the characters and my love for their love there were a few things plot wise which I didn't like too much. 
I have a minor grievance with

how long it took Adam to tell Rosie the truth about his job. When she opens up to him about her parents she tells him this thing that has brought her insurmountable pain. Something that defined her life and that she keeps close to her heart. In that moment it would have been very easy for him to be honest too. It was endlessly easier for him to tell her "hey, you know how I said my job is hockey player adjacent? well it's actually just hockey player. I've been in a long term relationship and a lot of bad dates where my money and job were the only thing people wanted from me so I didn't tell you because you didn't know and it felt refreshing to just be me and know you liked me for me. but I'm sorry I lied" or something of the sort than it was for her to open up about her parents. If not in that moment then the next morning. I was really annoyed by how long it took for him to explain himself because up until that point he was really great at communicating with Rosie. It was frustrating that that was the one thing he couldn't say. I call this one a minor grievance because I did love the part of the book where his family and friends help him realise he is worthy of being loved. There was a lot emotional catharsis to it, which I wouldn't have had without the too long wait for Rosie to find out.

And my major grievances

I don't think Brandon and Courtney were handled as well they could have been. 
Brandon was actively a neglectful parent and I don't think Adam punching him was the way to handle the situation. Rosie deserved to be the one to have the final word with Brandon and I don't like that Adam got to have it. It was out of a want to protect her and Connor, I understand that, but she held her tongue so much around him that I think she deserved to let it all out without restraint. Adam got to say his piece to Courtney but Rosie didn't get that with Brandon and I don't like that.

As for Courtney, it felt rushed. The conflict shows up 88% of the way through the book. And it's not that I wanted it to linger, it's just that there was never a real importang conversation between Adam and Rosie about what would happen if she was telling the truth. I feel like that should have happened, not just because that's what real people would do, but also because it was a good moment to really drive home that no one can get between Rosie and Adam. Aside from that we also never really get to know anything about Courtney other than she is hated by everyone. Which it's fine that she is because she was an awful person, but I thought we might get some more insight into who she was when Adam first fell in love with her. I thought we'd get more insight into how things got worse and worse with them that wasn't just information we already had from previous books. And maybe no one wanted that but me, but I genuinely think it would have made the moment Adam gets to tell her to go fuck herself much more cathartic for the reader.

tldr: great characters, great chemistry, incredibly sweet love story, definitely my favourite Playing For Keeps couple and MCs, definitely my favourite love story out of the 3 so far; plot wise Play With Me is still the better book in the series imo

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren

challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Will They or Won't They by Ava Wilder

medium-paced

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

2.5

the book was fine but the ending was absolutely horrendous

there was no reason to make me think they broke up on chapter 29 of 30, start chapter 30 with a press release saying they are in fact broken up and the spend half of the last chapter pretending they're broken up when they're not? like I get lying to the fans why they need to lie to everyone they know? why did the author need to lie to me??

ruined the whole book for me, I'm mad about it.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

I'm completely and absolutely stunned by the way Elsie and Jack's relationship rests on nothing but clear communication, even the 3rd act conflict happens because of communication

(yes, Jack hadn't opened up to her about the full context of the article, but the conflict literally happens because she asked and he answered truthfully and without any waffling??)

, I have no words, I read this permanently stuck on a 😯 expression because I didn't know what to do with all the communication, I'm still stunned about it now and it's been hours since I finished it.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Babymoon or Bust by Ava Hunter

emotional medium-paced

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

2.5

Fine but underwhelming. They have a great connection that lays a solid foundation but it felt rushed. I know there was a strict timeline and thing had to be rushed but I don't think a lot of development happened where I could see it. There's the babymoon, which is described extensively. The babymoon lays the foundation. Everything that happens after is told in time jumps. We don't actually get to read the development of the relationship and all the reasons why they actually are good for each other. All of it happens off page. I don't like it when books do that. 
I also didn't like the way they were pretty much being haunted by Solomon's wife.

He keeps hearing her voice throughout the book, and when Tessie's bleeding after giving birth when shr wakes up she makes a comment about hearing someone telling her not to die. Presumably that was Serena. It was weird to me.

I know it was meant to come off as her giving them her blessing but it wasn't needed.
Sadly it was a bit of a disappointing reading experience.

Mile High by Liz Tomforde

medium-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

3.5

I'd've given it a 4 if it was shorter, I know it was self published but it was in painful need of some editing, but overall it was good

Powerless by Elsie Silver

medium-paced

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

2.0

I need people to stop writing childhood friends to lovers with age gaps larger than 2 or 3 years, ideally it should be the same age, but this book had a 6 year age gap, 6!!!! and yes the book keeps saying that she was love with him the whole time but he only saw her as a friend until something changed when she was 18 but even then, how are you as a 24 year old man in love with an 18 year old? I don't believe that, it's weird, also yes I'm hypocrite because the age gap in book 2 was 25 and 38 and I loved that books, but those people were both adults, also they had loads of chemistry, whcih I never felt reading this book. At some point Jasper explaines to Sloane that he pulled away from her because her dad made a bunch of threats pertaining to his career, Sloane's father motivation in keeping them apart is solely based in classism and has nothing to do with them having met when she was 9 and he was 15, and from that point onwards he kept saying being told he couldn't have her was the catalyst for his feelings developing, and I kept wondering if he actually liked her or if he wanted her because he was told he couldn't have her. Because those things aren't the same, and it definitely felt like the second option. Not to mention there was a lot of pent up sexual energy there but I felt almost no romantic chemistry, I skipped most of the sex scenes because I don't want to read sex without romance, and the connection was missing because it's hard to focus on the romance when Jasper kept saying Sloane had been his person all along and he was literally talking about her while she was 9 and he was 15. It felt gross. Reading this felt gross. 
I do have minor complains about the marketing of this books trying to sell it as a hockey romance when there was barely any hockey in this at all. I know a lot of people prefer their sports romances without much sport, that used to be my preference too, but I'm changed my mind and I really didn't like how little hockey was in this. I also don't think the fact that Jasper was all but adopted into the Eaton family makes him and Sloane cousins, because she's extended family and he was 15 and the relationship he would develop with the Eaton's extended family would probably be more one where they're acquaintances at best. That being said the fact that everyone kept making cousins made me uncomfortable.
I really resent every single person who spoke of this book as if it was the epitome of childhood best friends to lovers because I love friends to lovers in all it's forms, but this was genuinely uncomfortable to read.
Personally I can't imagine I'll be reading the next book in this series because the 1st was boring and this one was awful, and yes I loved Heartless, but I'm not willing to take the gamble when the odds aren't in her favour.

Heartless by Elsie Silver

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.25

originally gave this 4 stars but I came back to raise it .25 because book 3 was awful and it made me feel bad about only give this one 4 stars