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ratetheromance's Reviews (659)
Here's the plan: I'm gunna be nice-ish. Then kind of a dick. Then nice again. Let's begin.
NICE-ISH // The Hating Game is one of the best Contemporary Romances of the last few decades. I freaking love it. Then, Sally Thorne came out with 99% Mine and I pretty much hated it. I think I gave it 2-stars. So I thought maybe the magic was gone forever. But SECOND FIRST IMPRESSIONS restored my faith in humanity (okay...maybe not "humanity", but I really liked it).
DICK // This cover angers me. A lot. Listen, if you are a publisher who has made gazillions (that's a super technical finance term) off of Sally Thorne so far one would hope you would be willing to spring for a cover that even remotely matches the physical description of the main characters. Alas, no such effort was made. How? Why? Who made this decision? A huge, and I mean HUGE, part of the story is the male lead's very long hair and the fact that he is covered in tattoos. COVERED. As in, full sleeves, full torso, and on his fingers & knuckles. So...what the eff with this cover? Did we learn nothing from the BEACH READ cover debacle?
NICE // Highly annoying cover art aside, this book has everything that we love about Sally Thorne. Quirky, but highly lovable characters. Plenty of laughs. Oddly sweet obsessive love. Great back stories. A wonderfully satisfying ending. It's all there. And it's GREAT.
I begrudgingly took off a star (or maybe a half star) because the first half of this book can be very slow in places. The story feels like it's in idle until about half way through and THEN it really delivers.
This is a really great book that will totally remind you why you fell in love with Sally Thorne in the first place.
RATING:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
STEAM LEVEL: Rated PG-13
TRIGGERS: Strained parent relationships, affair/secret family, panic attacks, religious slut shaming
FEELS-O-METER: 2-3/5 *some drama, but still a fairly light read.
BUY IT HERE: https://amzn.to/2SljOmq (aff.)
NICE-ISH // The Hating Game is one of the best Contemporary Romances of the last few decades. I freaking love it. Then, Sally Thorne came out with 99% Mine and I pretty much hated it. I think I gave it 2-stars. So I thought maybe the magic was gone forever. But SECOND FIRST IMPRESSIONS restored my faith in humanity (okay...maybe not "humanity", but I really liked it).
DICK // This cover angers me. A lot. Listen, if you are a publisher who has made gazillions (that's a super technical finance term) off of Sally Thorne so far one would hope you would be willing to spring for a cover that even remotely matches the physical description of the main characters. Alas, no such effort was made. How? Why? Who made this decision? A huge, and I mean HUGE, part of the story is the male lead's very long hair and the fact that he is covered in tattoos. COVERED. As in, full sleeves, full torso, and on his fingers & knuckles. So...what the eff with this cover? Did we learn nothing from the BEACH READ cover debacle?
NICE // Highly annoying cover art aside, this book has everything that we love about Sally Thorne. Quirky, but highly lovable characters. Plenty of laughs. Oddly sweet obsessive love. Great back stories. A wonderfully satisfying ending. It's all there. And it's GREAT.
I begrudgingly took off a star (or maybe a half star) because the first half of this book can be very slow in places. The story feels like it's in idle until about half way through and THEN it really delivers.
This is a really great book that will totally remind you why you fell in love with Sally Thorne in the first place.
RATING:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
STEAM LEVEL: Rated PG-13
TRIGGERS: Strained parent relationships, affair/secret family, panic attacks, religious slut shaming
FEELS-O-METER: 2-3/5 *some drama, but still a fairly light read.
BUY IT HERE: https://amzn.to/2SljOmq (aff.)
I love Max Monroe, but this was my least favorite book of theirs.
OOPS I'VE FALLEN has a good premise, seriously laugh-out-loud moments, and some good hate banter, but these two main characters hardly get to know each other at all. Not only is the romance set over a 2-3 week time period, but the only thing these characters talk about is how embarrassing their over-sexed parents are. Then these two have sex. Then they have A LOT of sex, non stop, for the rest of the book. Then, suddenly, they are in love.
I just didn't see the foundation of a relationship aside from sexual chemistry.
If you're looking for a light and funny read, with nothing too serious, and some epically hot sex scenes then you might LOVE this book! It would be a great read for a lot of readers out there, it just didn't end up working for me.
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
TRIGGERS: previous death of parent, illegal recreational marijuana use, injury to aged parent
I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
OOPS I'VE FALLEN has a good premise, seriously laugh-out-loud moments, and some good hate banter, but these two main characters hardly get to know each other at all. Not only is the romance set over a 2-3 week time period, but the only thing these characters talk about is how embarrassing their over-sexed parents are. Then these two have sex. Then they have A LOT of sex, non stop, for the rest of the book. Then, suddenly, they are in love.
I just didn't see the foundation of a relationship aside from sexual chemistry.
If you're looking for a light and funny read, with nothing too serious, and some epically hot sex scenes then you might LOVE this book! It would be a great read for a lot of readers out there, it just didn't end up working for me.
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
TRIGGERS: previous death of parent, illegal recreational marijuana use, injury to aged parent
I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
This book was painfully boring for me to wade through. There was just so much unnecessary side story that contributed nothing to the plot.
The relationship between the male and female lead was very odd to me. They shared a few conversations about nothing important and then suddenly they kiss on the beach. There was no chemistry. No friendship. No nothing before that beach kiss.
This book just wasn't for me.
I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
The relationship between the male and female lead was very odd to me. They shared a few conversations about nothing important and then suddenly they kiss on the beach. There was no chemistry. No friendship. No nothing before that beach kiss.
This book just wasn't for me.
I received a gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Oh, this book. Abby Jimenez ALWAYS takes the Romance Genre and blows it wide open, adding real life complications, emotions, and heartaches right next to laugh-out-loud moments and deeply emotional romance.
In this book the heroine battles debilitating medical struggles that take a tole both physically and emotionally. This topic is so seldom addressed within Romance, but the author tackles it with honesty, complexity, and a raw beauty. This pain and heartache is seamlessly blended with the wit, humor, and swoony moments that are a hallmark of Jimenez's writing.
Add one seriously hot leading man, a girl friendship that is amazing, and a small dog that you will adore and this book becomes the best read you will have all year.
In this book the heroine battles debilitating medical struggles that take a tole both physically and emotionally. This topic is so seldom addressed within Romance, but the author tackles it with honesty, complexity, and a raw beauty. This pain and heartache is seamlessly blended with the wit, humor, and swoony moments that are a hallmark of Jimenez's writing.
Add one seriously hot leading man, a girl friendship that is amazing, and a small dog that you will adore and this book becomes the best read you will have all year.
IN REAL LIFE: getting stuck in an elevator is my worst nightmare no matter who is trapped inside with me.
IN ROMANCE NOVELS: Hooollllleeeee crap. Getting trapped in an elevator with a sexy man is so hot I think my panties just lit on fire and burned to ash.
LOVE BUG starts with a bang (literally
IN ROMANCE NOVELS: Hooollllleeeee crap. Getting trapped in an elevator with a sexy man is so hot I think my panties just lit on fire and burned to ash.
LOVE BUG starts with a bang (literally
CRAZY FOR YOU is a steamy and sweet Single Parent romance. Who doesn't love a good construction worker with muscles, calloused hands, and that sawdust smell? Bang me like a hammer, baby!
This is a wildly popular book (it has more than 25k ratings on Goodreads), but it didn't quite do it for me.
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I love flawed characters, but I struggled to like Annie and Ronan. Ronan especially. Yes his ex cheated, but it's hard for me to get behind a male lead who beat the man his fiancé cheated with to the point that he was hospitalized. That feels like a major red flag/deal breaker.
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I love flawed characters, but I struggled to like Annie and Ronan. Ronan especially. Yes his ex cheated, but it's hard for me to get behind a male lead who beat the man his fiancé cheated with to the point that he was hospitalized. That feels like a major red flag/deal breaker.
I haven't connected with Mhairi McFarlane's previous two books so I wasn't sure if I should give this one a try. I am SO GLAD I DID!
JUST LAST NIGHT is a heartbreakingly beautiful look at grief and friendship. Love and loss. Family secrets and making peace with your past.
Every relationship in this story (whether familial, friendly, or romantic) is written with perfect complexity and truth. Even as these relationships change over the course of the book, they always seem real and honest. Not everything is easily tied up with a bow and it is beautiful to read.
This book will make you feel ALL THE FEELS. It's an emotional read that will make you cry, think about your own life, and which also includes many, MANY, laugh-out-loud moments. These characters are so flawed and yet so freaking lovable. This book felt like complicated, messy, real life on the page that includes an HEA that will leave you grinning.
JUST LAST NIGHT is paced in line with my experiences with Brit Lit. Meaning, it may read slow to American readers. But I find that these slower paced stories have the opportunity, when written well, to give characters depth and make the book that much more meaningful. JUST LAST NIGHT definitely delivers on that meaningful writing that will make this book stay with you long after you finish it.
Although it is a bit light on romance and leans more towards Women's Fiction, you should absolutely read this book.
RATING:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STEAM LEVEL: Rated PG
TRIGGERS:fatal car accident, cheating ex, childhood physical abuse, parental abandonment, cancer, dementia
FEELS-O-METER: 5/5: This book will break your heart and then put it back together again.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
BUY IT HERE: https://amzn.to/3nxzgYd (aff.)
JUST LAST NIGHT is a heartbreakingly beautiful look at grief and friendship. Love and loss. Family secrets and making peace with your past.
Every relationship in this story (whether familial, friendly, or romantic) is written with perfect complexity and truth. Even as these relationships change over the course of the book, they always seem real and honest. Not everything is easily tied up with a bow and it is beautiful to read.
This book will make you feel ALL THE FEELS. It's an emotional read that will make you cry, think about your own life, and which also includes many, MANY, laugh-out-loud moments. These characters are so flawed and yet so freaking lovable. This book felt like complicated, messy, real life on the page that includes an HEA that will leave you grinning.
JUST LAST NIGHT is paced in line with my experiences with Brit Lit. Meaning, it may read slow to American readers. But I find that these slower paced stories have the opportunity, when written well, to give characters depth and make the book that much more meaningful. JUST LAST NIGHT definitely delivers on that meaningful writing that will make this book stay with you long after you finish it.
Although it is a bit light on romance and leans more towards Women's Fiction, you should absolutely read this book.
RATING:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
STEAM LEVEL: Rated PG
TRIGGERS:fatal car accident, cheating ex, childhood physical abuse, parental abandonment, cancer, dementia
FEELS-O-METER: 5/5: This book will break your heart and then put it back together again.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
BUY IT HERE: https://amzn.to/3nxzgYd (aff.)