readsbyti's reviews
133 reviews

All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata

emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Ahh this book was amazing! Rhodes is so great and seeing him care for not only Aurora but for Amo’s too had me smiling so much, a great ol’ grumpy man who loves his angel and kid. Mariana Zapata writes so beautifully and in a way that keeps you wanting more and, despite the length, you never get bored.

My most favourite thing was Aurora and Amo’s relationship, I’m so used to the single parent trope with the kid being like under 10 so the are automatically adorable so for Amos to be a teenager and have this adorable and funny relationship/moments with Aurora was so heartwarming to see especially as Aurora genuinely cared for Amo’s before realising her feelings for Rhodes.

Snow King Catches His Snowflake: A Three Kings Novel by A.E. Valdez

funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

[RTC]

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

well, enjoying an alien romance was not on my bingo card for 2024 but here we are and i very much enjoyed it. don’t come for me for it, i am exploring my tastes and will delve deeper into unknown territories. Vektal in my eyes is just a big ol’ cinnamon roll & head-over-heels for Georgie and is that not want we all want in our romances (blue skin and weird armor aside)

the best thing about this book is that georgie and vektal were basically in love from day one and them calling each other my alien or my resonance had me giggling like a fool. it was cute, hilarious and quick, the head empty no thoughts kind of read I needed. will definitely be back for more in this series as i know the pairings of the humans and sakh will be comedy gold but the sweetest too.

side note georgie getting that khui = quesy 🤢

please please please if you read this check the tw/cw, they are at the start of the book and whilst i knew they were there i couldn’t be bothered to go back and check, one part in the first 10 pages did make me pause but i skipped it as soon as i got the gist and thankfully it didn’t last longer than 1 page.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Rape, Trafficking, and Sexual assault

Minor: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail

You've Reached Sam by Dustin Thao

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I had hope for this one; but was left disappointed by the end. i liked the concept of getting to say goodbye one last time and was fine with the book until 50% in. it felt like it should’ve have a more urgency throughout. instead of letting Julie get comfortable with the fact she can speak with her boyfriend, it needed to be more she NEEDS to make the steps to moving on before they lose their connection. i get grief is different for everyone but the way she acted dare i say she didn’t deserve to be able to speak to him especially when she didn’t attend his funeral, didn’t attend is vigil’s, threw away his belongings and deleted basically her life (another point unti itself) AFTER A WEEK…

I found it hard at times to be on Julie’s side when multiple people say she is “took” Sam from them from Oliver feeling abandoned by his own bsf to Mika not having solo pictures with his own cousin and James in the flash back saying she was taking Sam from away from him, it doesn’t sit right with me and her own memories concur with it, it felt very Sam + Julie… and the others, I guess as they are teenagers its that teenage love where no one else matters but idk. additionally her refusal to interact with people outside of calls with Sam pissed me off, she didn’t even speak to Sam’s family following his death and only reached out after his little brother went missing which i think was like a month and a bit after his death.. girl? she acts as if other people didn’t also lose their son, cousin or friend girl bye. 

overall an insufferable person, the way she treated tristan was utter shite, she promised long before Sam’s death to go to the festival with tristan as a supportive FRIEND but suddenly she’s being an utter bitch disappointing someone AGAIN thinking “boohooo Sam will be hurt by this?” babe Sam is dead… another point against her is instead of plugging her very alive friend whose film was played at the festivals she plugs her dead boyfriends cd to a bands manager and then doesn’t even give said cd to him... so insufferable. would’ve preferred a story about Mika or Oliver and Jay.

One-Timer by Teagan Hunter

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I went straight from blind pass to this and glad to say I really enjoyed this too, a cute (yet spicy) read following Hollis (Harper’s sister) & Lowell (CC Captain) as they navigate their unexpected gift due in a matter of months. As always I loved the dynamic between the two and their banter, and seeing the other carolina comets characters too, Miller is always a joy and i cannot wait to read his book.

I was ready to hate Lowell when we first see him in this book (surprising as i was indifferent to his presence in the last one) but he quickly grew on me because of his attentiveness over Hollis

and their baby

, his reaction to the initial news is slightly forgiven owing to his past but still shitty, he was in it from the start bar that blip.

It did annoy me a little that he just shut himself away from loving & receiving love, I get people heal differently but Hollis proved (not that she needed to) from the start that she wasn’t like his ex,

exhibit a? you literally see the baby growing,

so when the third act break up came i was pisssedd, he definitely needed to grovel more because he essentially didn’t.

overall had fun reading about their journey and seeing the characters again.

Blind Pass by Teagan Hunter

inspiring fast-paced

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

4.0

This was shorter than I expected but a joy to read. I really enjoyed reading Ryan and Rhodes' banter together because if there is one thing i love in my fictional relationships its the mc's being able to banter together. It also featured one of my favourite tropes: grumpy sunshine and dare i say marriage of convenience is slowly rising up the ranks. Rhodes is a man I want irl, the touch of vulnerability he shows when Ryan tells him that he is beautiful because of his scar not despite it and proves it with her photography? beautiful.

Terms Of Inheritance by Adorabol Huckleby-Ordaz

emotional inspiring slow-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

4.0

I enjoyed this a lot, despite a few things that felt unfinished and a rushed ending but i enjoy it enough. (I realise this sounds like a did not like it but only after writing this review did i realise these things)

I love me a grumpy man but specifically one who is a grumpy softy to his close ones and thats Ox to a T. Such a cute build up to their romance as well and Clem’s little jealous moments were truly hilarious because girl that man loved you before he knew it.

✅ loved

• Ox’s character as a whole, a patient, sweet grumpy man
• Clem’s growth as an individual
• Ox and Clem’s little things like their Tea Box orange thing and their beach walks and their late night chats
• Ceci, girl is a riot, i did cuss her out at the start but she grew on me

❌ didn’t like

• It felt a little repetitive a times
• Could’ve been shorter especially seeing as there wasn’t really much at the end to warrant the length
• Clems family, i’m sorry but she forgave them waaaayyy too easily/quickly for people who sold her/watched her get sold to a dusty crusty old man and their apologies were essentially none existent. It’s a no from me.

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

That was so fun to read! I loved Lina & Max and their flirty banter. I particularly loved that it was never a younger reckless brother ruining his brothers wedding by his wild ways and that Max seemed genuinely sorry about Andrew leaving Lina at the alter

(through no fault of his own and I had a feeling it had nothing to do with him, Andrew is just a coward)

Max did his best to earn Lina’s forgiveness and also getting her that job and that showed he wasn’t this aloof guy his family clearly painted him as.

I love when there is a huge family presence in stories, it just gives it that warmer touch and Lina’s family is big and wonderful in the best way, she has a great family and I’m glad she realised to not be so hard on herself when she takes one step backwards after taking 80 steps forward, way too much pressure on herself and pleased it was addressed (a little late in the book but addresses nonetheless).

overall great and funny read❤️

Seeking Stars by Leonor Soliz

inspiring lighthearted relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

An ok read. I won’t lie this book took me a while to get through simply because the beginning wasn’t clicking for some reason (might be external factors) but once I got into it I enjoyed it.

I loved the development of Ana and Liam as friends and then as partners. The themes surrounding Ana’s experience as a plus size WOC director could’ve been touches on a bit more but the level we had was good regardless. Also liked the fact she wanted to at least try to learn to deal with her sudden spotlight on her own instead of instantly relying on Liam’s experience because whatever advice he’d have given may not have been helpful due to their differences.

Ely is such an amazing friend and I think there is a sequel so cannot wait to read that.

Diane and Mr Coulton can do one, absolutely no reason for Diane to be so involved in Ana’s personal life!

Crimson River by Devney Perry

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0

I really enjoyed that. The suspense really had me at the edge of my seat throwing around all sorts of accusations, I thought it would be a

gone girl situation where Cormacs wife (Norah) framed him for the murder of her and her children with the help of their eldest

but nope completely different and an interesting “ending” to that situation maybe it will be explored & explained more in Sable Peak?

Loved Eloise and Vance together, usually not a love at first sight girly but this just had me all giggling and kicking my feet, especially reading from Vance’s POV and how he spoke about her and their instant connect.

Also of course the addition of the other Eden family members and them instantly accepting Vance

and Vera at the end

as part of the family, I just love it. Devney Perry has made me love found family & interconnected Sibling stories