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shelbybooked's reviews
153 reviews
Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows
4.5
This was SO CUTE. We love STEM and space and butterflies!!
I'm not sure how I missed that this was single guardian story but oh the scream I scrumpt!!! And he has glasses! And a BEARD. With cheesy space ties and punny space shirts. He was made for me, frankly!!
Millie girl! So supportive and kind. Willing to fight tooth and nail for what she wants. Unknowingly brave.
I loved this story of grief and healing. Of humor and seeing your person for who they are and celebrating that. They were so supportive of each other in every way and I just loved the way they kept showing up for the other.
And those two little girls! I love them so much. I hope to see more of them in what I am hoping is Fables story next đź‘€
Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Unromance by Erin Connor
5.0
LISTEN!!!!!! I love tropes!!!!! I love romance!!!! I absolutely love a man hopeless romantic man who isn't afraid to fall in love okay!!!! He WANTS the butterflies! He craves the signals from the universe!! Every touch Means Something and he isn't afraid to feel it!!!!! Mason is a blueprint, I'm afraid.
I love a bisexual cynic who isn't really a cynic but just deeply hurt and abandoned!! Sawyer is funny and she's kind and she's MESSY and that's OKAY!!!!
Watching these two try to ruin each other on their illusions of love was so much fun. He's an actor that can't seem to keep a relationship, even though he's fully committed to settling down and SOON PLS. She's a romance author who is so jaded by her last relationship that she hasn't been able to write her next book, a romcom naturally.
They meet in an elevator(meet cute!!!), have a one night stand, and run into each other at a Christmas village a few weeks after Sawyer bolts the morning after (tropes tropes cliches and more tropes!!!) Their pact is this: he needs to have romance ruined for him so he can stay out of a relationship and out of the tabloids. She needs to finish her book and what better way to get inspiration than to go on cliche dates with a hot actor.
I just had a good freaking time reading this one, yall. There was humor, there was genuine conversation, there was seggggggs( yall we will never look at stockings the same again and I for one am so damn thankful!!!!), and there was romance in the big ways and in the smaller lovely ways, and those are what made this book special.
Thank you to Erin Connor for my galley copy, Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
even IF this wasn't a good book, i'd rate it five stars just for the fact that his dedication was to trans people and his acknowledgements started out by saying he's the anti j.k rowling.
lucky for us all, it WAS a fantastic book that had me laughing, crying, and raging throughout. how he wove the terror and rage of governments attacks on marginalized people with his humor and heartfelt love was magic.
i missed this family and i'm so happy we got them back. what a stunning sequel.
lucky for us all, it WAS a fantastic book that had me laughing, crying, and raging throughout. how he wove the terror and rage of governments attacks on marginalized people with his humor and heartfelt love was magic.
i missed this family and i'm so happy we got them back. what a stunning sequel.
Can't Help Falling in Love by Sophie Sullivan
3.75
This was a sweet and quick read!
Will is an absolute dreamboat, who won't let Lexi utter a single negative thing about herself. The man asked her if she has allergies before feeding her candy okay!!!! Lexi is a little lost and a lot sad and I related to her a lot. It's a lot to have to look at ourselves and be okay with who we've become and who we still are changing into as we get older. Sophie Sullivan delivered a gut punch with that, let me tell you.
Overall I just had a good time reading it and that's what I'm here for you, you know?
Thank you, SMG and NeyGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Will is an absolute dreamboat, who won't let Lexi utter a single negative thing about herself. The man asked her if she has allergies before feeding her candy okay!!!! Lexi is a little lost and a lot sad and I related to her a lot. It's a lot to have to look at ourselves and be okay with who we've become and who we still are changing into as we get older. Sophie Sullivan delivered a gut punch with that, let me tell you.
Overall I just had a good time reading it and that's what I'm here for you, you know?
Thank you, SMG and NeyGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Only in Your Dreams by Madison Wright
4.75
I absolutely loved Madison Wright’s “Off the Beaten Path” and I was so excited to see she followed it up with Finley’s story!
I love a childhood friends to lovers story. Especially when he falls first 15 years ago and never got back up. No spoilers here but he has a secret and when I tell you I YELLED.
Grey is a lonely and a little bit broken but he’s kind and he’s warm to the people he loves. Finley is sunshine but also her deepest fears are holding her back. What they do for each other in this story is lovely and heartwarming. They have a history so they already know each other but maybe not fully and maybe not their true selves. Watching them unlock these new parts for the other was a treat in itself. It all unfolded organically and I believed every moment of them together. His confessions and her simple reassurances were beautiful. I really loved this book.
The dedication and the way Madison Wright brought life to Poppy in the story had in me in tears. This cover is an absolute dream.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
I love a childhood friends to lovers story. Especially when he falls first 15 years ago and never got back up. No spoilers here but he has a secret and when I tell you I YELLED.
Grey is a lonely and a little bit broken but he’s kind and he’s warm to the people he loves. Finley is sunshine but also her deepest fears are holding her back. What they do for each other in this story is lovely and heartwarming. They have a history so they already know each other but maybe not fully and maybe not their true selves. Watching them unlock these new parts for the other was a treat in itself. It all unfolded organically and I believed every moment of them together. His confessions and her simple reassurances were beautiful. I really loved this book.
The dedication and the way Madison Wright brought life to Poppy in the story had in me in tears. This cover is an absolute dream.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston
4.0
This was cozy and full of Ashley's prose and humor and that's all I ever want from her stories tbh. I loved it. I loved Elsy and I loved Anders and idk it felt like home!!!
We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin
4.5
This was my first Emily Austin book and I will definitely be going back and reading her backlog.
This had me enthralled from the first page. Sisters mean a lot to me and I love reading different relationships and how they shape us.
I loved everything about this. Might be my favorite use of an unreliable narrator yet. That switch late in the book was so good.
What wonderful use of Austin's platform to showcase mental illness, queer living in a small town, toxic households and a ton more we should always be talking about.
I'll be thinking about this one for a while!
Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This had me enthralled from the first page. Sisters mean a lot to me and I love reading different relationships and how they shape us.
I loved everything about this. Might be my favorite use of an unreliable narrator yet. That switch late in the book was so good.
What wonderful use of Austin's platform to showcase mental illness, queer living in a small town, toxic households and a ton more we should always be talking about.
I'll be thinking about this one for a while!
Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley
3.0
I love a man who knows the value of women!!!
This was an easy, low stakes, joyful read. Not much more to say other than it made me smile with his sweet it was.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was an easy, low stakes, joyful read. Not much more to say other than it made me smile with his sweet it was.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Given Our History by Kristyn J. Miller
4.0
This was a cute and quick read second chance romance based in academia!!!
I absolutely loved the way these two met at camp for homeschooled kids. Teddy, shy and reserved, who thinks he's bad at people. Clara, history nerd at 14, and just wanting to make friends. Both end up majoring and teaching college history. Find themselves again after 10 years.
Like most second chance romances, this one was dual timeline. I enjoyed seeing their history(ha) and I loved seeing how they never lost their deep connection. More than that, I didn't think their original breakup was contrite and actually made sense for their journeys, which I really appreciated!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved the way these two met at camp for homeschooled kids. Teddy, shy and reserved, who thinks he's bad at people. Clara, history nerd at 14, and just wanting to make friends. Both end up majoring and teaching college history. Find themselves again after 10 years.
Like most second chance romances, this one was dual timeline. I enjoyed seeing their history(ha) and I loved seeing how they never lost their deep connection. More than that, I didn't think their original breakup was contrite and actually made sense for their journeys, which I really appreciated!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.