romancingthereader's Reviews (1.65k)

adventurous funny reflective 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: Complicated

I have a hard time reviewing and rating Katherine Center books. Let's talk about why.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Love Haters by Katherine Center

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. Courtesy of NetGalley.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Romantic comedy

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Military man (Coast Guard), grumpy/sunshine, meet cute.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Katie is about to get laid off, but that decisions relies on whether or not she goes a great job on her latest assignment - creating a promotional video for rescue divers in the Coast Guard. She's paired up with Hutch, a seasoned hero who doesn't have time for a documentary crew to follow him around. 

 ๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: So let's step back here. Objectively, if I wasn't who I am, I would say this was an excellent book. It was well written. It was funny - I laughed actually out loud more than once. And the concept was fresh enough that it definitely didn't feel repetitive.

Katherine Center is a great writer. And this book had such a strange POV - it was in first person, but was written like Katie the FMC was just telling the reader a story. It was confusing at first, then endearing. 

But being who I am, I definitely wanted more. I wanted just the littlest bit of spice - three steamy kisses were the end of the line here. And I wanted the volume pumped up on the romance as well - even the epilogue didn't play into the HEA as much as I wished it would. I would kill for the slightest bit of a Hutch POV.

I feel like if I handed this to a friend, it would feel like the most solid recommendation. They'd love it. But if you are a seasoned romance reader, you might find it a bit light in the romance department.

 ๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 0/5 

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜. 
dark emotional mysterious fast-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: Complicated

Clio Evans took the magic of her super spicy monster romances, and put it into a contemporary. And I absolutely loved it.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Mine by Clio Evans

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. ๐Ÿ†“๏ธ on KU

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Rockstar romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Reverse age gap, BDSM vibes, divorced FMC, forbidden romance.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Pepper is reviewing potential new acts when she comes across Salt - a masked singer who is all the rage on social media. She's focused on getting him signed to her label, without the distraction of a forbidden attraction. She's obsessed with his music - and he's obsessed with her. 

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: Whew! This one was HOT.

Clio Evans' cowboy romances were definitely not lacking spice, but Mine really ratcheted the levels up on her contemporary offerings. Salt and Pepper were deeply into BDSM, power dynamics, clubs, etc. and I was hanging on every word. And as Clio Evans tends to do, she melded the incredibly high spice with characters you can't help but root for, incredible character development, and a pace that set the pages on fire.

This entire book felt like a whirlwind. It had definite Baby Girl vibes - so if you liked the movie, definitely pick this up. If you didn't see it yet, but were interested, this book was better anyway, and had an excellent happily ever after.

 ๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4.5/5 โญโญโญโญ

 ๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 4.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜. 
funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I think I found my new favorite monster novellas.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: My Minotaur Husband
By Lyonne Riley

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Stories from New Eden character series. Book 1.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: Paperback

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Monster romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Instalove, will it fit

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Celeste finally reviews applications for her hand in marriage and discovers Theo, a shy Minotaur who works in construction.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: I always need books like these - novellas, short and spicy, that are well-written enough that I feel connected even after a short time.

This one was so cute. I especially loved Theo, who was shy (ermergherd) and so sweet. I put it down and basically gave a round of applause on my way to pick up my ARC of the next one.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
emotional 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: No

The Skyland series has been such a fun ride - emotional, full of real life and strong women - itโ€™s bittersweet to see it end.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Canโ€™t Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Skyland character series. Book 3.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. Courtesy of NetGalley. 

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Billionaire, other woman drama, MCs over 40, found family.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Hendrix has spent her life hustling for her way up the ladder. When things are hitting their high, she meets Maverick - a billionaire poised to chase her until she finally gives in.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: This character series is being turned into a TV show, and let me tell you - itโ€™s going to translate beautifully.

The Skyland series is high drama, for sure. But itโ€™s also fun, and features incredibly strong black women at its center. I loved the books, but especially loved that trad publishing didnโ€™t make Kennedy Ryan dull down the black culture at the center of it.

The final book was a great ending. Hendrix was the life of the party through three books, and in walks Mav and heโ€™s ALL the swoon. I mentioned itโ€™s full of drama. Itโ€™s well done, but there definitely were some cringy dialogue moments. It didnโ€™t take away from the vibe overall, so I just powered through.

My favorite billionaire books feature billionaires actually spending that cash and being extravagant, and man does Hendrix benefit from that. It was full of tension and a slow burn, but the happily-ever-after and series ending epilogue made me feel great.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4.5/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜.   
adventurous 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

If you ever wanted to experience what living on my hometown feels like - what that perfect New Jersey summer can do for your sense of self - pick this book up.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Tourist Trap by Morgan Elizabeth

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. ๐Ÿ†“ on KU.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Frenemies-to-lovers, age gap, just for the summer, forced proximity, bucket list. 

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Claire has always lived her life one chapter at a time - and this chapter is bringing her to the Jersey Shore. Unfortunately, it also features her renting a room for the summer from her exโ€™s brother, Miles.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: This book is a love letter to the Jersey Shore, and I adored it.

Itโ€™s all of your toes in the sand, the sound of the waves, the camaraderie of a small town, that first ice cream of the summer, the ambiance of a crowded beach. I could literally picture people reading on the shore as I turned the pages. 

I donโ€™t want to scare any non-Jersey residents away, because even if I didnโ€™t have these connections, the story still slapped. Morgan Elizabeth has a way of writing characters that resist temptation, but ultimately know theyโ€™re going to fall in love. She also writes incredible friend groups - usually I am not that into side characters, but she makes them feel like family. 

The chemistry and banter between Miles and Claire was perfect. I love a sunshine, chaotic girl, and the grumpy man she brings to life. Thereโ€™s no third act breakup, just a solid story and heart-happy romance.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4.5/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜.   
challenging funny reflective tense 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: Complicated

A solid first foray into contemporary romance for Nisha Tuli!

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Not Safe for Work by Nisha Tuli

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. Courtesy of NetGalley.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Rivals-to-enemies-to-lovers, women in STEM, getaway vibes, Hawaii, forced proximity, only one bed.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Engineer Trishara is aimless at her job, having been the victim of workplace politics and sexism one too many times. When sheโ€™s finally selected to attend a leadership program, she decides to give her company one last chance - until she finds up sheโ€™s paired up with her work nemesis, Rafe.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: Most authors these days seem to be transitioning from contemporary romance to romantasy. Nisha Tuli is going the other way. And her debut contemporary romance was a good read.

If weโ€™re going by the cover, Iโ€™d be handing out a 5. It is probably what made me apply for the ARC in the first place. And if you want vibes, that cover is exactly what Nisha Tuli delivers in her writing. 

For me, I waffled on a rating. Iโ€™ll be honest. Iโ€™ve read this book before. Workplace rivals to lovers who really seem to hate each other but realize theyโ€™ve gotten it all wrong? And on a beach somewhere? Itโ€™s not unique.

But I landed on a four because Tuli wrote it really well, and she also encapsulated a lot of the struggle for women in STEM so well, I felt seen. This isnโ€™t fluffy, itโ€™s real life, and I respect that.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜.  
funny reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Let me tell you about this book. Fallon English has been promoting this book for AWHILE and she delayed it to perfect itโ€ฆ and did a great job.
So good, in fact, I can barely believe itโ€™s her first book.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: The Princess and the Pack by Fallon English

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Rebellious Royals Omegaverse. Book 1.

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle. ๐Ÿ†“ on KU.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Historical omegaverse

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: MMFM, fairytale vibes, why choose, fated mates.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Ivy has always known she would marry Prince Cillian, but she has no idea he has a pack already - something unheard of for royalty. Now sheโ€™s in a strange kingdom, getting to know men who are already obsessed with her.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: If you visit Fallon Englishโ€™s socials, I guarantee youโ€™ll have a hard time resisting this book. The art, the aesthetic, the quotesโ€ฆ she hyped it HARD and Iโ€™m so glad it lived up to it.

Iโ€™ve never read a historical omegaverse. I didnโ€™t even know this existed. And man, I loved it.

Historical romances have a way of making love feel bigger, and couple that with the fated concept of a pack? Iโ€™m so down. Then English wrote the pack so well - featuring three very distinct, very fun MMCs.

You got the dutiful Prince, the brooding broken one, and the strong, sturdy commoner. It was perfection, and I canโ€™t wait for more.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4.5/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜.   
emotional funny mysterious 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: Complicated

I like Emily Henry. Two of her novels are happily sitting on my shelf and get re-read on the regular. I was a little down hearing mixed reviews on this one, but Iโ€™m happy to say it didnโ€™t disappoint.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book on Kindle

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Rivals-to-lovers, getaway vibes, slow burn.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Alice gets the chance of a lifetime to meet notorious recluse and former socialite Margaret Ives. In her attempt to convince Peggy to let her write her biography, she learns sheโ€™s up against solid competition - Pulitzer Prize winning biographer Hayden.

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: Iโ€™ll be honest, as always. I was looking at a four star rating on this one, until the last 15 percent shook me up like ice in a martini shaker. Then I was sobbing and emotionally spent. You know how it goes.

This book felt different than Henryโ€™s other work. It was essentially two love stories - Margaretโ€™s told through flashbacks and excerpts of the biography theyโ€™re developing. I loved both. Emily Henry is an excellent writer, and Iโ€™m always smiling at the way she describes things or the insights she gives.

Iโ€™d say the half-star off here is because I needed a bit more character development on Hayden. The way the end panned out, I wish I had more of him to go on. Sometimes having a singular POV and a quiet-ish MMC works out this way - itโ€™s one of the main reasons I didnโ€™t love Ali Hazelwoodโ€™s early work - but I still really enjoyed the book overall. 

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4.5/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 2.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ