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shelbybooked's reviews
153 reviews
A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson
5.0
Is Isaac the new standard??? My goodness.
What a perfectly soft lovely story about two childhood best friends ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ I have no notes. I have nothing to add. This was the sun the moon the stars and the whole damn sky!!!!!
What a perfectly soft lovely story about two childhood best friends ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ I have no notes. I have nothing to add. This was the sun the moon the stars and the whole damn sky!!!!!
Wish You Weren't Here by Christy Schillig
4.0
This took me a bit to get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down! I love the vivid pictures Christy was able to paint for us through emotion and beautiful descriptions of the Italian countryside.
I love James.
I love James.
Goodbye Again by Caitlin Moss
3.5
This was... fine?
I actually felt myself getting more and more frustrated as the years kept passing, especially the last one.
JP and Jules were fine as characters. I was excited about the plot and this just fell flat for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I actually felt myself getting more and more frustrated as the years kept passing, especially the last one.
JP and Jules were fine as characters. I was excited about the plot and this just fell flat for me.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
3.75
I’m learning that I don’t love the way Abby writes women but her men are elite. This is quite heartbreaking for me BUT having read her newest releases, she HAS gotten better at her portrayal of women so here’s to her continuing that trend.
Left of Forever by Tarah DeWitt
5.0
SHE’S STILL A BYRD.
You want a perfectly heartbreaking and heart healing second chance romance? This is the fucking one, y’all.
Ellis is a WIFE MAN who loves his ex so much he stopped eating her baked goods when they divorced. Wren is everything I wish to be in a human being - kind hearted, funny, sexy as all hell.
I will come back to give this a proper review when the ARCs officially go out and I didn’t win the lottery by being an early reader for Tarah. Just know you guys won’t be fucking disappointed, okay!!!!!!!!!!!
You want a perfectly heartbreaking and heart healing second chance romance? This is the fucking one, y’all.
Ellis is a WIFE MAN who loves his ex so much he stopped eating her baked goods when they divorced. Wren is everything I wish to be in a human being - kind hearted, funny, sexy as all hell.
I will come back to give this a proper review when the ARCs officially go out and I didn’t win the lottery by being an early reader for Tarah. Just know you guys won’t be fucking disappointed, okay!!!!!!!!!!!
Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb
4.5
Oh what an absolute fucking JOY this was to read!!
I love reading about women over 30 learning to love themselves and finding the right kind of love, again.
Celeste and John were so perfectly matched and so wonderful to read.
Gosh, talk about a feel good fucking story!! Gonna be thinking about this one for a while!!!
I love reading about women over 30 learning to love themselves and finding the right kind of love, again.
Celeste and John were so perfectly matched and so wonderful to read.
Gosh, talk about a feel good fucking story!! Gonna be thinking about this one for a while!!!
The Group Trip by Audrey Ingram
4.0
Okay, so. Friend groups/found family is my weakness. I love a messy group of people who love each other. I think there's something really special
about knowing these people are Your People
and doing anything and everything to keep them.
Chloe is the kind of character we have seen a few times in this genre of book. Did that hinder my opinion of her? Nope. I love that she loves her friends and I loved the journey she went through to find her happiness.
I love this friend group. I love what they each brought to each other's lives. You can see how they work but you can also see why they started to fracture a little bit. But I loved the resolution. I love that, in the end, the separate and joint happily ever afters came together. Were some (Luke) forgiven to easily and should've groveled for ten more years? Yes. But I guess we love our people and that's them, loving him.
I enjoyed this one! Easy read, good humor, and a swoony man named Wyatt.
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
about knowing these people are Your People
and doing anything and everything to keep them.
Chloe is the kind of character we have seen a few times in this genre of book. Did that hinder my opinion of her? Nope. I love that she loves her friends and I loved the journey she went through to find her happiness.
I love this friend group. I love what they each brought to each other's lives. You can see how they work but you can also see why they started to fracture a little bit. But I loved the resolution. I love that, in the end, the separate and joint happily ever afters came together. Were some (Luke) forgiven to easily and should've groveled for ten more years? Yes. But I guess we love our people and that's them, loving him.
I enjoyed this one! Easy read, good humor, and a swoony man named Wyatt.
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt
5.0
june 2024 review of the renovated the co-op:
the co-op was my favorite tarah dewitt book. the co-op (renovated) is my new favorite tarah dewitt book.
i didn't realize i was missing the flashbacks until i had them right in front of me. which, i think, is a testament to the original story - that you felt their love and pain even without first seeing how they got to where they are in the present. but my god did those flashbacks pack a damn punch.
from the small things, to their first meeting of literally running into each other, to deacon's unfortunate timing with a volleyball (and the poor consequences HE suffered for it ðŸ¤), to that final heartbreaking moment on his birthday. the way we see how they each viewed their summer together and how it shaped and hurt them individually. how it took a full house reno and some real talking to understand just how impacted the other was. how they were able to build their relationship back up, piece by piece, with humor and hard work.
deacon and larynn are an dream couple. they're dream characters. everything about this book is exactly what i look for in rom-coms: humor, meaningful spice, hurt, and healing.
i cannot wait for fans of the original to read this. i cannot wait for anyone new to this book/tarah's work to read it. it cannot be overstated how lucky we are as romance fans that we get to read tarah's stories.
thank you, tarah, for sending me the ARC. this has been the dreamiest.
_________________________________________
june 2024: starting the ARC for the renovated version and i'm ready to have my life changed AGAIN by tarah and these angels!!!!
2023 version: this is my favorite Tarah book and can i just say!!!!!!! i love it so freaking MUCH!!!!! listen the scene where she turns the washer on when he's showering and the SCREECH he lets out?? angel babies.
i can't wait to come back here and edit this review once i read renovated version!! i'm going to read the 2023 version followed immediately by the renovated and TAKE NOTES i am READY
the co-op was my favorite tarah dewitt book. the co-op (renovated) is my new favorite tarah dewitt book.
i didn't realize i was missing the flashbacks until i had them right in front of me. which, i think, is a testament to the original story - that you felt their love and pain even without first seeing how they got to where they are in the present. but my god did those flashbacks pack a damn punch.
from the small things, to their first meeting of literally running into each other, to deacon's unfortunate timing with a volleyball (and the poor consequences HE suffered for it ðŸ¤), to that final heartbreaking moment on his birthday. the way we see how they each viewed their summer together and how it shaped and hurt them individually. how it took a full house reno and some real talking to understand just how impacted the other was. how they were able to build their relationship back up, piece by piece, with humor and hard work.
deacon and larynn are an dream couple. they're dream characters. everything about this book is exactly what i look for in rom-coms: humor, meaningful spice, hurt, and healing.
i cannot wait for fans of the original to read this. i cannot wait for anyone new to this book/tarah's work to read it. it cannot be overstated how lucky we are as romance fans that we get to read tarah's stories.
thank you, tarah, for sending me the ARC. this has been the dreamiest.
_________________________________________
june 2024: starting the ARC for the renovated version and i'm ready to have my life changed AGAIN by tarah and these angels!!!!
2023 version: this is my favorite Tarah book and can i just say!!!!!!! i love it so freaking MUCH!!!!! listen the scene where she turns the washer on when he's showering and the SCREECH he lets out?? angel babies.
i can't wait to come back here and edit this review once i read renovated version!! i'm going to read the 2023 version followed immediately by the renovated and TAKE NOTES i am READY
We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
5.0
Not much I can say about this book other than just fucking read it. It's important. It's heartbreaking. It's wonderful queer rep. Read it.