megreads613's reviews
377 reviews

The Safe Place by Anna Downes

dark mysterious tense 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

3.0

This book at least kept me reading, but I found the whole thing to be surface level. So many unresolved plot points, unlikable characters, etc. I’d probably read another book by this author but I’m not rushing out to do so. 

The Fastest Way To Fall by Denise Williams

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

I really loved this book. Like a lot. It was well-written, well-paced, and I loved the characters. A few things kept it away from a 5-star, which is Wes’ family drama that I felt wasn’t full necessary or resolved. Also….

the ethics of it all. Both of these characters are intelligent! They didn’t think about this backlash?! And Wes not piecing together Britta as the writer…idk; that all felt a bit unbelievable to me.

 

The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.25

If you liked The Cheat Sheet……well, you basically got it again. As someone who rated CS 5 stars, I couldn’t get over how similar this book is. It really took me out of it.

I found Nora to be really unpolished. I loved the idea of a character who is “too much” but I really couldn’t stand her. She’s flustered but she’s organized. She’s strong but she’s timid. She’s smart but she can’t understand why Derek is helping her. 

Most of this book was inner monologue, and far too much telling instead of showing. By 100 pages in, both characters are in love again. By 150, they’ve dropped the enemy facade. So then….why did we need another 200 pages? 

This book was trying to do too many things at once, and the result was that none of it was executed particularly spectacularly. 

My take is that Sarah Adams has dropped off since becoming a mainstream author. Either the magic is gone, or she only has one spell and I’m tired of seeing it. 

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

emotional slow-paced

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

3.25

I couldn’t do it. This is the first Abby book I couldn’t finish. It started off so strong, but it was drama after drama. Too many things were happening, I didn’t like Emma, and I didn’t believe the romance. 

EDIT: I finished it. It was a good ending but still not my favourite Abby book. 

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

Some parts felt rushed but overall i really enjoyed this book. I do

wish we’d got to see more of the aftermath with Rose. And ending on a cliffhanger is certainly unsettling.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

The Catch by Amy Lea

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.0

I’ve loved all the books in this series. I think Mel is the character I struggled to connect with the most, but I still loved her. Just for some reason I couldn’t click.

This one moved a biiiiiiit fast for me, and instalove isn’t something I typically enjoy, but I loved Evan and Mel’s relationship. I wanted MORE though. More faking it! Yearning, hating each other, I wanted more. 

I understood the need for Evan to have a big family to move the plot along, but it felt a bit like an afterthought at times. Lots of telling us what happened rather than showing, etc. 

Overall I adored this book. I’m sad to see this series end but Amy Lea is an insta-buy author for me. 

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

emotional funny medium-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? Yes

3.75

I think this is my least favourite book from Abby—but it was still good. I’m not sure if it was my mood or the content, but the magic just wasn’t there for me. 

I liked how Briana knew who she was and what she stood for, but I DIDNT like that she went back on not

wanting to be married again because she met Jacob. Sure; it happens. But I was excited to see a book where the HEA isn’t stereotypical.

There were some things we didn’t get closure with.

How did Jacob’s mom know they weren’t real, besides her being a therapist? Also on that note, I didn’t like that her advice to him was to push Briana to seek therapy. That’s a personal decision and personally I don’t think a partner telling me to go to therapy would be received well.

As a personal gripe, the Nadia Cakes mentions are too much for me. I know it’s her bakery and obviously she’s got every right…but maybe we can cut five of the mentions out. 

OVERALL the book was cute. I loved the premise, I love letter writing (but I wanted more!), I loved the representation of social anxiety. It was all wonderful. But a miscommunication trope,

surprise pregnancy,

and overall stubbornness from the main characters took it down a notch for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage

Canadian Boyfriend by Jenny Holiday
Did not finish book. Stopped at 85%.

I’ve never DNF’d a book this far into it. I just….nothing happened. We were made to believe these letters and this fake boyfriend from her past would be a bigger deal, but I didn’t see it at all. 

The main characters have no chemistry, I don’t see the romance whatsoever. They’re both boring. 

Mike Martin (ugh), in their first convo, tells her he doesn’t like liars………then lies about the job, the car, the insurance. Sure, bud. 

The main girl…I don’t even remember her name. But she has a lot of trauma left to deal with.

This book was a disappointment, and I didn’t even want to read more to find out what happens. 

Mother Faker by Brittanée Nicole

emotional lighthearted 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

3.25

I really enjoyed the idea of this book, I just think the execution fell a bit flat for me. There were FAR too many characters to keep track of, and while I understand it’s the first book the series, Beckett didn’t meet that many siblings or friends. 

What I loved is that Liv was plus-size, not curvy. I think there’s underrepresentation for those of us who are more than just “curvy.” I also loved how Beckett loved her as she was, never asking her to change or expecting her to bend to him. 

The smut felt a bit forced in this one. I ended up skimming it. 

This book also did something I hate, which is a fake dating/marriage of convenience where the characters aren’t in a situation where they need to sell it. In fact, they tried NOT to sell it. And that took away some of my enjoyment. 

Overall I enjoyed the premise and some of the characters, and I’ll probably read the next in the series. But overall this fell flat for me and I found it to drag towards the end.