natalie_cooper's reviews
538 reviews

Slap Shot by Chelsea Curto

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-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

5.0

I’ve never given 3 books in 1 series 5 stars but this series simply deserves nothing less. I absolutely loved every second of this book. From the gentle moments to the all consuming love to the mutual respect and care these characters had for each other. I absolutely loved getting to see Hudson’s story after waiting for it for 2 books. His patience and gentlessness when it came to Madelyn and Lucy was perfect and I loved the way his mom and grief were handled. Madelyn’s individual story was so beautiful to read and I loved getting to see her grow and fall in love with her life. Lucy was such a cute kid who made the story feel complete and I loved her relationship with Hudson. Of course the found family in this book was incredible and every time I get to see Emmy and Maverick and Piper and Liam I just feel so giddy and happy. The story was exceptional the characters were exceptional the entire thing was just perfection and I cannot wait for the series to continue. 

Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver

dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I had a good time with this. I think it was a solid end to a great series and overall this couple and their story lived up to the hype. I loved how their relationship started and getting to see the beginning of their story after seeing bits and pieces of it in the other two books. I thought their dynamic was great and I loved Rose as a character. I loved the witty funny lines that this story and all of the books in this series have and really makes the perfect balance of dark and rom com. I enjoyed being back in this world and seeing the other couples as well. I will say I think the romance moved a bit too slowly for me especially at the beginning. I had the same issue with this book that I had with the first one which is there were time jumps but I felt like I needed to be there for the in between time periods for the relationship to make sense. I also think towards the end the story got a little dragged out and I just got a little bored. But overall a funny dark way to wrap up a great series. 

The Right Move by Liz Tomforde

emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-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

5.0

I will always love this book and listening to the audiobook made me fall in love with it even more. 

Till Cupid Do Us Part by Hannah Cowan

lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

This was fun. I honestly don’t think this couple really needed a second book even if it was a novella but it was a fun spicy time so I can’t really complain. 

The Forever Experiment: A Valentine's Day Novella by Sarah A. Bailey

lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.5

This did exactly what it needed to do. It was cute and fun and fast paced. I love any man who’s down bad and Easton was exactly that. I also love the pet name baby and feel like it’s so underrated and this book reminded me of that. I loved the lawyer element as well as the role Valentine’s Day had in the story and overall it was just a super cute fun time. 

Make Me by Summer O'Toole
Did not finish book. Stopped at 29%.

The premise of this was interesting enough for me to pick up the book but by the time the story got going the guy came on way too hard and it felt like things were progressing without the fmcs consent and that’s just really not a story I want to spend my time reading. 

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

4.75

This really surprised me. I went into this excited but not expecting much and with every new thing that happened I just fell more and more in love with the story. I always love when both characters are athletes and I thought that was executed really well here. The college setting and little bit of college drama made the book a little more fun and exciting. I loved the team dynamic and the different friendships that were showcased as well as the emphasis on relationships beyond romantic one. Mental blocks and therapy were both huge points in this book and I really appreciated how they were handled. I also loved Lukas as a character and as a boyfriend. He was basically perfect. The spice in this book took me by surprised but I thought the balance of spice and plot was done extremely well. There were some technical issues in terms of the swimming terminology but luckily the book didn’t really focus on that for too long so I was able to look past it. Overall I absolutely loved this story and I couldn’t put it down. 

Spiral by Bal Khabra

emotional lighthearted medium-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

4.25

This was so cute. The premise got me excited and I think overall it was executed pretty well. I loved Elias as a character and especially as a boyfriend. He was so patient and knew exactly what to do at all times. I liked Sage but I think her storyline needed to have a little more growth towards the end. The ballet element was cute but it didn’t feel like the most realistic thing after what had happened throughout the story. There were also a lot of things technically wrong with how hockey was described in this book and that took me out of the story. So ultimately I didn’t love the side elements to this story but I loved the romance. 

Bourbon & Secrets by Victoria Wilder

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I was really excited going into this and ultimately it just fell a little flat. I loved being back in Fiasco and just being back with the Foxx boys. I thought Lincoln was great and exactly how I imagined him and I did really enjoy Faye as a main character. I thought the kids were cute and the overall romance was well executed. However my main issue came with the suspense/mystery element. I thought Maggie played way too big of a role and I just simply didn’t like her and that stayed the same throughout the entire book. I also didn’t love how the investigator plot line tied into the overall story. I thought the mystery was dragged out and by the end of the book I had lost interest. I think that if this book was just a romance in the small town I would’ve enjoyed it more but nonetheless it was still a good time. 

Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young

emotional funny reflective 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

4.75

Hannah Bonam Young can simply not write a bad book. This was incredible from start to end and I loved every bit. For starters I loved the premise of the story and thought it was executed perfectly. The past chapters intertwined perfectly with the day to day life of the characters. I loved getting to be back in this world with not just Sarah and Caleb but Bo and Win as well. Sarah’s head was one of my favorites I’ve ever been in. Everything she thought said and went through felt so raw and realistic which made me fall in love with her and relate to her immediately. I loved how the conflict and issue was resolved and thought it fit perfectly for the characters. I loved the side characters as well as the setting and basically just everything about this book. Ultimately I didn’t get the five star feeling but none the less this book is incredible.