mistysbookspace's reviews
945 reviews

Lights Out by Navessa Allen

5.0

 This was another buddy read I did with Destiny and I freaking loved this book. It's been on my radar for a while, and I've had several people tell me I should read it, but I kept putting it off which I wish I wouldn't have done because it was so good. This book isn't going to be for everyone and there are a lot of trigger warnings so be aware of that going in. This is a masked man/stalker romance which problematic I know but I ate it up. Plus, the MMC is always concerned about making sure the FMC felt safe, and he always gave her outs that she never took. I loved the dynamic between the two main characters, and this is one book where I freaking loved getting the inner monologue of the characters because it gave us a bit of humor. I just loved everything about this book, and I can't wait to read the 2nd book coming out later this year. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

4.0

 This was a reread for me and I also buddy read it with Erin, Destiny and Regina. It has been a long time since I first read this, and I never wrote a review for it, but I did apparently give it 5 stars on Goodreads. Upon reread I lowered the rating a little, but I did still really enjoy it. Reading it as an adult it read young to me which makes since sense it's geared toward the YA audience. It just felt too easy. I don't really know how else to describe it. I'm not saying that what the characters go through is easy by any means it just read low stakes to me even though it's not low stakes for the characters at all. I don't know I guess do with that as you will. 

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

5.0

 

Before I get into my thoughts on this book, I have a bit of a rant that has absolutely nothing to do with the book, but I feel like I need to say this. I know that this book hasn't worked for everyone, and I get it. I see where most of y'all are coming from. We are all entitled to our opinions. What works for me might not work for you and that's ok. What isn't ok is the fact that some people are saying people who are giving this book a 5-star review are liars. To be fair I've only come across one review like this, but I've been told by others that they have come across the same thing. If you hated this book, then that's great your feelings are valid, but so are mine and everyone else who gave this book a 5-star rating. Just because our opinions are different it doesn't change the fact that both are valid and the fact that someone in the book community would insinuate otherwise is not ok. Bottom line the fact that someone called everyone who gave this book 5-star rating liars is not ok, and I really hope we can do better in the future. 

Now as for my thoughts on the actual book. As you can tell from my rating I loved it. I pretty much stayed away from spoilers of this book surprisingly, but I did read some non spoilery things before picking this book up and they had me very nervous which it turns out I was right to be nervous. I buddy read this book with Destiny and I'm so glad I had her to talk to. I've seen people say this had the middle book syndrome which I do somewhat agree with but despite that I was still hooked. The characters are what make this series for me. Yes, I love the plot as well, but the characters are what have a hold of me. There are a lot of them and it's hard to keep up with everyone at times, but the main ones are embedded in me. 

This book picks up right where Iron Flame left off. I can't get into a lot of details because I don't want to spoil anyone, but I will say I was totally expecting this to go one way, but it ended up going in a completely different direction that I loved. I was invested in the story and the characters from page one and this book had me on the edge of my seat just like the others. Also, by the end I had so many emotions roaring through me I couldn't decide if I wanted to throw my book or cry. Crying won out by the way. My biggest complaint in Iron Flame was the relationship dynamic between Xaden and Violet but in this book, they have both grown so much and I absolutely loved their progression. 

This is the 3rd book in the series so at this point I should be used to her cliffhanger endings. I knew it was coming but it still got me. I love that Rebecca is setting boundaries, but I really hope we don't have to wait 2 years to get book 4. 

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

4.0

 This book is on my 5 in 2025 list and I also buddy read it with my friend Dianna. I had fun reading and discussing this one with her. We were reading 5 chapters a day, but I got a little behind and ended up reading the last 14 chapters in one day mostly because I couldn't stop reading it. Anyways let's back up a little. The book had a slow start, and it pretty much carried on that slow pace until the last 14ish chapters. The slow pace was made even slower by the author including so many descriptions of things that weren't necessary. I prefer faster paced books but despite this one being slower paced I was still drawn into the story and wanted/had to keep reading. I knew early on where the book was going. Like after the first 10 chapters I had this theory and it proved to be correct. Even though I guessed it, it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story overall. I wasn't the biggest fan of Florence for the majority of this book. She came off as a very whiny woe is me type of character and was really annoying. Also, I wasn't sold on the romance for a good chunk of the book because they didn't actually spend a whole lot of time together for a good chunk of the book but luckily both of these started to grow on me by the end. I loved seeing Florence grow although it took too long in my opinion. There was one twist in the end that I totally didn't see coming. There was something else that happened in the end that I didn't know I needed but I'm so glad it happened. As I said in the beginning the last 14 chapters had me in chokehold. While this book had its issues, I still really enjoyed reading it and I would for sure read more by this author. 

A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert

4.0

 I've read several books by this author at this point, and I've enjoyed all of them to different extents. Talia Hibbert always has different representations in her books. This one has a black, autistic plus sized character and it's an own voices book. This one also deals with past abuse, and I think everything was handled with care although I can really only speak on the plus sized rep. I don't have any personal experience with the rest. I think my biggest hang up with this book was Ruth. It took a while for her to grow on me. Other than that, I loved the romance and how they mostly were good at communicating. It did take Ruth a while to get on board with communicating what she wanted but when she did it was perfect. I loved seeing the growth mostly in Ruth. Overall, this is another Talia Hibbert book that I really enjoyed, and I can't wait to read more by this author. 

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

4.0

 This was so adorable. It took me a little bit to fully be sucked in but once I did, I was having such a great time reading it. I loved the banter between the characters, and I loved seeing the growth from enemies to friends to lovers. It does deal with some heavier topics like the loss of a parent and the grief that comes with that so make sure you're in the right headspace for that. Overall, this was a great read, and I can't wait to read the next one in the series. 

Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez

4.0

 I went from reading nothing by this author to reading 2 of her books in one month both of which were short reads. I enjoyed this one, but this is the type of story where I feel like I needed more to fully be immersed in the story. With the topic of this book, I expected to have like an emotional gut punch but that didn't happen because I didn't have enough time to connect with the characters but reading these short novellas by her makes me think I am going to really love her full-length novels. 

Mute by M.L. Nystrom, Claire Smith

4.0

 I think this is one of the most fleshed out novellas I've ever read. It literally felt like I got a full-length story even though it was less than 200 pages. I loved the romance. It was a bit predictable but still a really good time. 

Lone Star Ex-Con by Kat Baxter

4.0

 The fact that I enjoyed this one as much as I did was a bit of a surprise for me. I don't read a lot of cowboy romances, but I liked the sound of this one, so I gave it a go and I'm glad I did. I loved this opposites attract romance. It did feel rushed, and I would have liked more time, but an enjoyable read and I look forward to continuing on in the series. 

Same Time Next Year by Tessa Bailey

4.0

 I've read several books by this author at this point, and I think this is one of my favorites for sure. This is a short quick read that felt very fleshed out for such a short book. Britta has a lot of character growth throughout, and I loved the romance. I just wish we would have gotten more.