novelgossip's reviews
1240 reviews

In Good Company by Kat Singleton

4.0

I was super excited when I saw the author was releasing a new series but when I saw it was a summer romance in the Hamptons?! Yes pls! It’s also billionaire, age gap, ex boyfriend’s brother and boss/employee and those tropes together made for a super hot combination. Cal is down bad for Lucy, almost from the start and there’s nothing I love more than seeing a billionaire weak for a woman. Lucy was adorable and I loved that she made Cal work for it, she didn’t ever give into him too easily and I always applaud that. Such a good first book to start the series, I can’t wait to see who the next book is about!

Any Trope But You by Victoria Lavine

5.0

This was soooo cute and I was floored when I saw it was a debut! Obviously you know by the title that this will play with different romance tropes and there’s basically every single one you can think of here but it was done in such a fun and cheeky manner! It took a pretty cliched series of tropes and put an original and funny spin on things that I just adored. If a romance has witty banter I’m pretty much sold and there was plenty of that goodness here. Besides the amazing romance between Margot and Forrest the relationships with the secondary characters were just as charming too. Margot’s bond with her sister was so special and Forrest’s relationship with his dad made me teary at times. Since she is a romance author this was one big love letter to romancelandia and I thought that was such a cute addition. Loved this one clearly and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next! 

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith

4.0

This was a really solid family drama with lots of lovable and endearing characters and plenty of relatable moments. Each sibling was well developed and had a distinct and strong voice and their personalities were all authentic feeling. Parts were funny, parts were heartbreaking but overall a really good family story. Plus the narration was SO good 

Audition by Katie Kitamura

3.0

This is one of those books that made me feel a bit dumb when I finished because I just didn’t get it. I still don’t totally understand but I read some others reviews and that helped. I’ll give it credit, it’s smart and well written but not really my thing. There are parts that are thought provoking but instead of exploring answers to the questions the novel raises it left me with no answers in the end. Much of this is ambiguous and there’s a narrative shift at one point that still has me wondering what was actually real? Idk guys, I’ll stop rambling but if you like high concept, well written and vague books maybe this will work for you? 

The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

4.0

I love the author and I always look forward to her books, she seems to explore womanhood in a way that really speaks to me and I was interested to see how she would examine this through the lens of the early aughts. As with all of her work, this is very character driven as it focuses on sisters Zoe and Cassie and Zoe’s daughter, Cherry. It’s a family drama told in the present day and in the past and it also alternates between all of their perspectives. I didn’t connect with Zoe at all, I thought she was awful actually, but I adored Cassie. She deserved so much more than what she got, but the author did a great job exploring her loneliness and melancholy, my heart ached for her. It wasn’t all sad and dramatic, the nostalgic aspect was so fun but also eye opening looking back at that time period as an adult instead of a child. Overall this was great, I loved the messy family drama and the 2000s throwback and if you enjoy books that focus heavily on music try it! 

Swept Away by Beth O'Leary

4.0

This had a unique if far fetched premise and it did take a little while for me to settle in to it but I did get there in the end. Everything about this one felt pretty dramatic, you have the whole lost at sea aspect of course but there is additional drama in the last quarter as well that came as a surprise for me, but it wasn’t unwelcome, I like drama. The dual narration was great and both narrators were new to me and gave wonderful and emotional performances.

Passion Project by London Sperry

5.0

This was such an impressive debut, the plot was fantastic, the romance was adorable and the writing was super strong. It was kind of a mix between PS I Hate You and Summer in the City and Promise Me Sunshine, which are all recent faves of mine! If you like a romance with depth and heart try this and the audio version was perfect.

Insignificant Others by Sarah Jio

4.5

I absolutely love a time slip novel that plays with the what if? idea or the butterfly effect etc and this one did that in such a fun and interesting way. I was so sucked into Lena’s story, every morning she wakes up in a new life with an ex and I could not wait to see what happens next. This had lots of humor and heart but there were also emotional parts as well, some of the alternate worlds Lena spent a day in were rough and others were so sweet and delightful. If you like magical realism and books that make you contemplate life, try this I found it to be so charming!

Nowhere by Allison Gunn

3.0

I don’t usually mind dark books, in fact I seek them out but this one was a lot. It was bleak and depressing and parts took it too far for me. I def liked the first half better than the last and can see what the author was trying to do with the creepy folklore vibes but ultimately this didn’t land for me. The narrator was new to me and she was good though! 

Lucky Night by Eliza Kennedy

3.0

This had a unique premise and an interesting writing style and it def kept me engaged for the most part. The two main characters were pretty awful people though and they annoyed me quite a bit, just very selfish and self absorbed. Some of their conversations were fascinating though and the narration was great, but I hated the ending so pretty middle of the road for me in the end.