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moodyromancereader's Reviews (135)
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Etaf Rum’s writing is brilliant - as always. In this novella, Etad Rum dives into the relationship between a mother and a daughter while also exploring relationships with the other women in her life and how these relationships affect each generation. The story was emotional and powerful.
lighthearted
slow-paced
I had such a fun time listening to the audiobook! This book was funny and clever. Samira is a twenty-seven-year-old Palestinian-Australian Muslim woman navigating traditional courtship practices but is not rushing to get married. She feels like her life is fulfilled as it is - with her friends and her job as an editor for a bridal magazine. And then, she meets someone who captures her attention, and she begins to think about marriage. But as she has her heart set on this person, someone comes forward and shares their feelings for her.
I really enjoyed Samira as a character. I enjoyed seeing her interactions with her family and co-workers. I enjoyed learning more about Muslim culture and religion. I felt that Samira was relatable, and we see her trying to find her footing in the world.
I don’t typically enjoy love triangles, but I went into this book not knowing there would be one. So once I began to pick up that there would be, I was intrigued and wanted to see how it played out. I feel like the love triangle helped Samira dig deeper into what it was that she wanted.
For those who love rom-coms, Jane Austen, the Princess Bride and Bridget Jones's Diary, you will enjoy this book.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I want to pick up more fantasy books this year, and I’m so happy this was my first fantasy book of the year. This book had everything I was hoping for. I enjoyed the world-building, magic system, matriarchal society, and Southeast Asian mythology. This is a true enemies to lovers, with the perfect slow burn and lots of banter between Talasyn and Aleric. Talasyn and Aleric are truly each other’s opposites in their demeanor and power, making them perfect for each other. But part of the journey is waiting for them to realize that.
The beginning was a bit challenging for me to understand. I did see many people mention this before I began reading, so I kept this in mind and took my time to understand what was going on. But once I had my footing, I could not put this book down.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
This book follows a queer Palestinian-Woman who was raised in New York. Throughout the book, we witness the character making bad decisions and hurting the people she loves. We see how the main character wants to be loved so desperately that it leads her to be interested in emotionally unavailable or unattainable people. But her desire to be loved so desperately stems from her childhood and her relationship with her mother, which led her to believe she isn’t worthy of love. We watch the reader make questionable decisions and witness her trying to break this cycle of self-sabotage. We also learn about her Palestinian heritage, and there are moments in the book where she visits the West Bank and discusses the hurdles she has to go through to visit her family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
lighthearted
medium-paced
Ama is a wedding planner who lands a celebrity wedding that can kick off her small business. The couple is set on hiring Ama, but they are also set on hiring Elliot as their florist, who is also her ex.
Overall, this was a cute read. Some aspects of the book made it difficult for me to love it completely. Once we learn about the breakup between Ama and Elliot, it falls flat. Like that was it? We learn that AMA’s mother has been married sixteen times, and we don’t see much growth from her mother’s character. I also didn’t enjoy the reality TV component, but I did giggle at the end when we learned about an infamous meme roaming the internet.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I did like the angst and tension between Ama and Elliot. I also liked the romance between a wedding planner and a florist. I also liked the dual POV and timelines.
lighthearted
medium-paced
This was such a cute read! I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrators. This book is for the book lovers! The book reeled me in quickly. My favorite parts were the email exchanges between Nick and Lily. I enjoyed seeing Lily grow the courage to follow her heart and stop being loyal to a work environment that didn’t serve her. Overall, a delightful read!
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
This book was such a fun read! We have Kamilah, a Puerto Rican Chef, and Liam, an Irish Whiskey Distiller, who both want to save their family businesses. They both have ideas and visions for their family businesses, but nothing can be so simple you have two meddling abuelos trying to get their grandkids together. Kamilah and Liam genuinely see each other for who they are, and there is a lot of support between them.
I was not a fan of the second-act breakup. I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope, and I did feel the reason for the breakup was very immature. But aside from that, I enjoyed this book and recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent
This is an emotional and powerful collection of poetry. I will be thinking and revisiting the poems. The poems and topics are still very relevant, even though this poetry collection was written in 2017. I highly recommend everyone to read this.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
This book is a fun twist and retelling of Romeo and Juliet between two rival families and Mariachi groups, The Capuletas and Monteros. This story is rich in Mexican culture, mariachi music, and San Antonio representation.
This book dragged on a bit for me. Some parts were repetitive, and I had trouble connecting to the romance. I found the characters did not have much depth to them. Overall, I liked the book and appreciated this retelling since it is rich in culture and heritage.