sarahscupofcoffee's reviews
317 reviews

The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith

4.0

I had the absolute best time reading this and I need the sequel right now. I'm obsessed with this story, the world, and all of the characters in it. 

If you're looking for a fantasy with a romantic plot and regency era spring vibes... this is for you. I feel like spring is the season of the fae and Sasha Peyton Smith filled her world with flowers and bargains for us.

This is technically YA, but I have some gripes with it. Yes, it's bloody, violent, and can be very dark at some points (we're dealing with fae here)... but those aren't the parts I had issues with. I am a firm believer that YA should not have explicit sex scenes. I'm not a prude and do enjoy a well written sex scene (which I think were well done here), but I love YA fantasy romance books because they tend to lean into the tension rather than the physical release of it. I live for the anticipation and the yearning, not so much the touching.

Don't get me wrong, I loved this book for what it was, but if I were still a school librarian, I would not have this book in my collection for students to read, which is a problem if it's considered young adult.

However, this is not the reason I deducted a star. I absolutely loved this book and was tearing through it at a rapid pace. I was fully prepared to give this a five star rating until the last thirty pages of the book. I thought that the twists were well plotted, but poorly executed. It was a lot like the villain at the end of the movie explaining how and why they did everything.

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison

3.75

When I heard that the author of Lovelight Farms wrote a story inspired by Sleepless in Seattle, I was hooked. I loved most things about this book and it was a blast to read. I especially enjoyed the audio. 

My main issue was the romance, which is the heart of the book. I loved their chemistry and them as a couple, but I don’t like the explaining away of their feelings. This happens a lot in romance books and I hate it every time. The “it’s just a crush” and then making excuses for feeling the way they do. The “let’s be casual and have fun,” when it’s clearly more than that. I guess I don’t like the underestimating of relationships and emotions that lead up to them.

I did love pretty much everything else. I loved that she’s a mechanic. I love that he’s the grumpy radio host about love. I love watching them both do their jobs and meet somewhere in the middle of their respective lives. I love the bits between chapters when we get to see glimpses of show transcripts. And the ending. I really loved the ending. 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

5.0

My first five star rating of 2025 goes to the first book to rip my heart out. Read with a box of tissues, although I was fine (and I was not anticipating that I would be) until the very end. I saw this movie YEARS ago and I forgot everything except that I liked it. It made me feel something, so when I saw this book at Goodwill... I picked it up without knowing what I was getting myself into.

I was in a reading slump, having just DNFed two books and rated a book 2 stars, and was wondering if I even liked reading anymore. I remembered that I hauled this one and that I liked the movie, so surely I would love the book.

Oh. My. Dear. God.

This was slow, but in the best way. Louisa is a quirky, funny, and all around adorable human being that stumbled into a job after being forced out of a cafe she loved and was comfortable in. Out of options, she accepted a role helping a grumpy, sarcastic quadriplegic that taught her about life as she softened his edges.

This book teaches us that comfort zones can be harmful and that you can find love in the most unexpected places.

Highly recommend. 

Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

2.0

Look at this cover. Doesn’t it scream  Valentine’s Day?? Do yourself a favor and pick up another one though. There are plenty of books with hearts on the cover.

The only reason I didn’t give this one star is because I didn’t regret finishing it. One stars are for books I wish I DNFed, but this one was just very frustrating.

At first, I was eating the cringe up. I was listening to the audiobook, so maybe that’s why I didn’t mind it as much. However, the cringe never went away or got easier to listen to. The main character was constantly saying “my dude” and using other slang that made me crinkle my nose. Aside from that, she was also really annoying. 

I love a hyper fixation, don’t get me wrong. I also love true crime and think the point of her dissertation was amazing. She’s a PHD student and working on her presentation throughout the whole novel. There were only two parts I loved about this book and that was one of them. I liked hearing about the true crime elements and her takes on them. In the same breath, she was annoying as hell when she would bring them up at uninvited times. It wasn’t cute.

She also used her childhood trauma (valid) and her obsession with true crime (not so valid) to refute love. She never thought that love was for her, so obviously she had to be a horrible human when she was actually starting to catch feelings. She treated Sam like garbage and I hated it because, even though Sam was a tad underdeveloped in my opinion, he was a great person that she was shitting all over.

The other shining light of this book were Conner and Shani. I really loved them and their dynamic. I wish it was their story that I was reading. I also liked the library involvement. Why were the side characters more developed than the main characters?? Ugh.

The tone of this book was also very silly and quirky, which is why I liked it at first. But when things started to get spicy (if we can even call it that), it seems way off base. The language didn’t match the tone at all and it felt very disjointed. 

One of my biggest  😑 moments is a spoiler and happens at the very end.

That big dissertation that she worked her ass on the entire book? The one where she finally drums up the courage and asks people to support her for? We didn’t even get to see her presentation. We know she graduated because of a one liner from the epilogue, but that’s it. And also, we don’t know where she’s going to end up living or where she’s going to get a job. We’re left in this gray area with so many untied strings. Biggest pet peeve in books.

Overall, I hated this book. I’m so happy for you if you were able to find some fun in it though!

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Did not finish book. Stopped at 37%.

Ugh! I’ve been DNFing so much this year and at this point I don’t know if it’s me or the books I’m choosing to pick up. This one may just be an audience thing because our MC is annoying as fuck and it reads severely YA. All the focus on kissing is grossing me out too. I’d rather have spice than awkward kisses with strangers 🤷‍♀️

The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir

3.5

The Night Guest was such a beautifully written story and a great work of Icelandic translation. I loved so many elements of this short horror book, but I didn’t love the ambiguous ending. If you’re a fan of psychological horror, open endings, and in need of a quick read… this may be for you!

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

2.0

This kills me because I really loved the first half of this book. It felt like Daisy Jones and Carrie Soto. The audiobook was great and the narration was full cast. It was set up to the a highlight of the year. 

And then I started hating their relationship. I didn’t care about the skating shit as much as I would’ve liked. I didn’t know a damn thing about tennis, but TJR made me eager to watch a match. If anything, Fargo made me want to stay away from watching ice dance.

The petty drama wasn’t entertaining. The rifts in Kat’s and Heath’s relationship were frustrating (and not in a good way). The side characters made me cringe. The plot points toward the last fourth of book had me wanting to DNF (and I truly should’ve). This was not what I wanted and I’m so sad.

Misery by Stephen King

3.75

This is a very difficult book for me to review because I didn't love it... but I respect it? If this story was told by someone else, I may have enjoyed it more. I don't vibe with King's writing style, but I love his ideas, plots, and (in most cases) his well-developed characters. 

Misery in particular was interesting to read because it's an allegory. Being a writer in the world of publishing is intense; you're hobbled, trapped in what makes you popular, and overall unable to write what you want. I know I'm probably missing other symbolic scenes (it's been a while since I studied literature), but I appreciated when I did pick up on.

I listened to the audiobook and I had to speed through some scenes that were just too much for me. I do not like body horror and there are a few things in here that made me squeamish and in need of a break. The psychological horror was interesting to follow and I do love how twisted King's mind is.

Speaking of the audiobook... okay, the narrator was great, but the format wasn't? I borrowed it through Libby, so I don't know if it was just the copy I was able to listen to, but it was just one really long file (no chapter breaks) and there were weird dinging sounds throughout. There were also really long pauses that made me think my app was glitching. I may be showing my age since I don't know when this audiobook was recorded, but they really took me out of the story.

It's also important to note that the ending was absolutely solid. I struggle with thriller/horror endings most of the time,  but I really enjoyed the way King wrapped Misery up.

Annie's death was brutal and kind of sick... but I was into it? She was such a crazy character, that it worked for her. And when they didn't find her body at the end. It had me gaping. Especially when Paul had the PTSD episode with her showing up in his apartment and dismembering him. I was gagged, but then we realize he just has huge PTSD symptoms and that she was found in the shed next to the chainsaw.

I have not watched this movie because I wanted to read the book first, so my sister and husband are going to join me in a movie night this weekend. <3

The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon

4.0

The absolute perfect winter horror or thriller to pick up when you’re in the mood for a snowy scare. I really loved the mystery aspect, the supernatural flare, and overall atmosphere. I loved the storytelling style with the different perspectives through two timelines. The audiobook was also incredible. I would recommend this book for a winterween read, if you participate in the readathon hosted by gabbyreads. I was hooked by this book and read through it in days, which is saying something since I was in a reading slump!

Dogs and Punching Bags by Kaori Ozaki

4.25

The first week of the new year hasn't been great reading-wise. I've picked up and put down five books, probably reading around 1,000 pages this week but not finishing a single book (I did manage a short story in there). When I saw this manga on NetGalley as a read now option, I decided to give it a shot because I needed a break from prose.

So, thank you NetGalley, Kaori Ozaki, and Kodansha Comics for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

We're following the stories of two people as they battle their pasts and find where they belong. I almost believe you should go into this as blindly as you can because you'll be just as shocked as I was throughout. There's a lot of childhood trauma, death, and talk of dying (so tread lightly).

I'm also glad that the dog aspect was light. I was nervous about just how spiritual we were going to get, but I'm glad that it was alluded.

In general, I though the characters were well fleshed-out and their backstories were captivating. The entire town was well set and the side characters were well-explored. I really enjoyed this manga and I think that it would make a terrific anime.

I truly had the best time while reading this and I kept a "journal" throughout with spoiler thoughts, which I'll copy and paste below if you're interested in following along as you read. 

READ WITH ME

30% 

This is such a weird manga, but I can't stop reading it. Basically, we're following a woman who moved back to this very small island to "watch her dad die" since he was awful to her and pushed her entire family way (not just from himself, but from each other--she hasn't seen her mom or brother since they left). She's tending to the garden at the house she grew up in, finding that she's lonely and missing her childhood dog she grew up with.

That part actually made me teary-eyed. She had to leave her drunk and abusive father, which also meant leaving her childhood dog behind with him. She realizes that he probably waited for her and died alone and neglected. Like. Fuck.

In addition to her story, we're also following a twenty year old who is infatuated with her. He works at the only convenience store on this island and we see that he's very caring. He's a nurturing human, giving bits and pieces of himself to anyone who needs it, even a dying mouse (he tries to ferry it to the mainland). We also meet his overprotective mother and his little sister, as well as a coworker that is crazy-jealous of the main character because it's obvious these two are falling for each other.

The punching bag comes into play because she's angry and has a lot pent up bullshit to deal with. Punching it out seems a lot easier than going to therapy, I suppose.

The weird part about this manga is that the MMC is often compared to her childhood dog. If it turns out that he is her childhood dog reincarnated... I don't know, that's weird. There's quite a large age difference between these two: she's almost 35 and he's in his early twenties. It's possible that's where this is going.

There was a full on comparison between herself, himself, and her childhood dog (which I actually kind of liked). Like her pet, they both don't understand the world around them fully and how it operates. They feel like outsiders.

42%

That was heartbreaking. He was a kid when that happened. He obviously thought his brother could fly (from a previous scene), so he pushed his little brother off a cliff and into the sea. His brother didn't make it, so now he's "making it up to God," by being the best possible person he can be for other people. The FMC found out and she sent him home to walk in the rain. Like... T.T

OMG AND THEN we find out what actually happened. His mom decided to read them all The Little Matchgirl (depressing as fuck) and described heaven as this wonderful place you go when you die. You'll sprout wings and fly up there. When you die. The boys were playing and his younger brother asked him to give him a push to "take a trip to heaven." The knots that formed in my stomach.

48%

The scene where his little (TWIN) brother is gripping the back of his shirt and telling him to live. Like. FUCK! T.T

66%

So much happened. FMC apparently had a full ass relationship with a married man and got played hard. He told her that he couldn't take a trip with him and she decided to take one of her own. She crossed paths with him at the airport and saw his whole family with him. She kept the ring he proposed with her with (alongside a promise to leave his wife) as a reminder of the anger she harbored for him. She cut her hair and moved back home to deal with her father when she met MMC.

She realizes that she overreacted and should've heard MMC out, but still ended up leaving. The married man texted her saying that he'd like to see her on her birthday, that he left his wife. She goes to Tokyo to meet him, calling him a liar--that she knew that he never left his wife. And he sneers at her and says something like: and you still came; you get me better than they do. Blah blah.

In walks MMC and they get into an altercation (very entertaining). FMC takes him by the hand and they leave together. Super cute.

67%

OMG. He saved her pickle bed. T.T (she broke it out of anger, even though it was the last thing she had of her mom's)

100%

How fucking cute. I actually really love that the cheating bastard gets a small redemption arc and learns something from this experience. I did find their sex scene to be a little weird, but I think it worked for them. And the last shot where she has a baby bump??? Like. How adorable.