natalie_cooper's reviews
538 reviews

Funny Story by Emily Henry

emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-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

4.75

I wanted this to be a 5 star so bad and while it wasn’t it was still a joy of a book to read. I have a complicated relationship with Emily Henry books but I do think as I get older and my taste changes the more appealing her books are. This is definitely my favorite one of hers so far. I loved the romance and how romance focused this book was as a whole. I loved how realistic the love story felt after the characters got together. I loved the side characters and I also loved getting to see Daphne’s relationships with the different side characters and watching her navigate friendships, romantic relationships, and family relationships. The small town setting in Michigan was adorable and I was able to see everything play out like a movie which I loved. My only complaint is that I didn’t love the way it wrapped up. It felt a little short and a little rushed and after falling in love with these characters I wanted a little bit stronger of a finish. But nonetheless this was still a beautiful story and I loved reading it. 

Stealing Sunshine by Hannah Cowan

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? Yes

4.5

This was such a good book. Every book in this series gets better and better and I was happily surprised by this one. This was my first sapphic romance and I definitely enjoyed myself. The contrast of their two personalities and how they balanced each other out was perfect. I loved being back in Cherry peak and the found family this series has. I loved the roommates element and the forced proximity as well as the little love languages that were sprinkled throughout the story. The balance between spice and romance was exactly what I wanted and I wasn’t ever taken out of the story. I do think that the fake dating element wasn’t completely necessary and it didn’t make a ton of sense but it did push the story along so I can’t really fault it for that. Overall this was a great time and I’m excited for the fifth and final book.  

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

This was my very first thriller and it was a great place to start. I wasn’t and am still not sure of what to expect when it comes to books in this genre but I really enjoyed what I read. I love how this book made me think and how engaged I was with the story. I will say it took me a solid 50% to get into the story and become fully invested which is the main reason it’s not rated higher. I really enjoyed the setting and could see the entire story playing out so vividly which made for both a great and slightly terrifying reading experience. I don’t know how this ranks on the amount of thrillingness or scare factor but I was definitely spooked by this. Like I said I did really enjoy it and I was hooked after the halfway point and couldn’t put it down but I think cozy mystery might be a better genre to try after the fear that this book had me feeling. 

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto

challenging emotional inspiring reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I could not have picked a better book to start off 2025. This was elegant, gripping, polished but imperfect, and a timeless love story. The role that music played in this story and how it came off the page and was used as a third main character was one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. Getting to see two people who were geniuses and stars in their own right discover how to make each other shine and support each other was everything I want from a romance book. This book pulled visceral reactions from me multiple times throughout the story which is a testament to how I connected with the characters and their journey. I loved the setting as well of the cast of characters. There was a perfect balance between learning about Gwen and Alex’s story and getting to meet characters that were integral to their stories. The relationship and romance was paced perfectly and the balance between spice and plot was exactly how I wanted it. This entire story played out like a movie in my head and I could picture everything so vividly and that made me fall in love with it even more. Again, this could not have been a better start to the year and I am so happy that I picked up this book. 

Chasing Home by Hannah Cowan

emotional funny lighthearted 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

3.75

Every book with this series keeps getting better. I will always love a grumpy closed off girl meets the sunshine extroverted guy story and this one was no exception. I related a lot to aurora and I loved how much depth she had and how her character was portrayed and explained. Johnny complimented her perfectly and I loved how obsessed with her he was. The side plot of auroras past wasn’t one that I loved. It was interesting at first but by the halfway point I felt like it was at times overshadowing the romance and the way it impacted the third act conflict was not something I loved. I did love the slow burn though and the build up this couple had and it also helped me stay invested in the story. So some strengths and some weaknesses but overall a good time. This is gonna be my final read of 2024 and while it wasn’t perfect I would say the overall year of reading was pretty darn close and I’m so grateful for that. 

Catching Sparks by Hannah Cowan

emotional lighthearted medium-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

3.5

This had all of the small town vibes I was looking for. I love any story where one character is from a big city while the other is beloved in the small town and that’s exactly what this book was. I thought poppy and garrisons dynamic was cute and I enjoyed it more and more as the story went on. I loved getting to see the girl group again and also getting to see the guy group form. I also really enjoyed the role that family both blood and found played in the book as a whole. I will say I wish garrison had a bit more of a development arc because I felt like he didn’t really grow enough from start to end relative to what was expected of him in their relationship. I also would’ve loved a little more plot and a little less spice because it started really early and by the 60% mark it was just taking me out of the story. Nonetheless I loved how the story wrapped up and the closure both the characters and I as a reader was given and I’m going to go read the next one now. 

The One by Marni Mann

emotional 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

2.0

There’s a late contender for my least favorite book of the year and this is it. Oh my god I don’t think I’ve ever felt rage and frustration towards a book like I did with this one. First of all, there’s no trigger warnings listed at any point but this book contains drug and alcohol consumption, grief, blood, trauma, death, and suggestions of abuse. I didn’t know any of that was going to be a part of this story and as I was reading it I thought all of those topics were handled incredibly poorly. It felt like they were thrown into the story to make an interesting plot but they weren’t fleshed out nor were they executed in a careful way. The story focused so much on that plot that I would barely consider this a romance and instead call it some odd train wreck of a mystery. I spent the first half of the book simply trying to figure out what was going on and once I did I hated it. The fact that both of them had so much they needed to work through individually and with each other and that kept them apart for years but then after one conversation they were back in love made no sense. They both needed therapy and I would’ve loved to have seen them both work on themselves and their trauma instead of just suppressing it even more and giving into their feelings. Again this is possibly the worst book I’ve read this year and I couldn’t find a single redeeming quality in it so I would not recommend. 

Wyatt by Jessica Peterson

emotional funny lighthearted 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

There’s something in this series that makes these books so easy to read and I absolutely love it. I read this in just over 24 hours and from the get go I was in love with the characters and their friendship. The building blocks to their relationship were established well and made their transition from friendship to something more even more meaningful. I love this small town and getting to see more of the family and all of the siblings. I loved the cameos of mollie and cash as well as getting to see Sally’s relationship with her parents. I do think that the ending was slightly rushed especially on the storyline with her dad. It just felt incomplete and out of character. I also didn’t love how at the start of the book a deadline had already been set for their relationship and they didn’t really talk about it until the last few chapters. Regardless I had a great time reading this and I cannot wait to see how the next one plays out.  

Strung Along by Hannah Cowan

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

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

3.0

I think I went into this book with slightly too high expectations and that left me being a little disappointed. I thought the small town setting and the girl group were great and that has me really excited to continue the series since I know that both of those things will be featured throughout the next books. For this book specifically I felt like the romance took a bit too long to get going and that made it feel like the characters didn’t have a ton of chemistry. I liked the story once they got together but again it just took forever for them to get together that point. I didn’t care for the secret identity element and while I did enjoy the country star storyline I wish it was fleshed out a bit better when it came to the end of the book. So overall not my favorite but a solid start to the series and I’m looking forward to continuing it. 

Cash by Jessica Peterson

emotional lighthearted 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

This was everything I wanted it to be. I read it in just about 24 hours and I could not put it down which I feel like says everything about it that you need to know. While I wouldn’t say this is enemies to lovers there was a great tension buildup that I enjoyed and once it snapped it was so good. The length of this book was perfect and the pacing of it was done well. The country vibes were immaculate, probably the best out of any small town romance I’ve read. I loved both characters and they could not have been more perfect for each other. My only complaint is that I wish I saw more of the brothers and that found family element especially as mollie got more comfortable with them. But either way this was still a great read and I can’t wait for the next one to come out.