skthereader's reviews
148 reviews

Kill Game by Cordelia Kingsbridge

medium-paced

The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian
Did not finish book.

While I found this easy to read, something about the pacing and hmm the words unsaid didn't click with me. I only got a little ways in but call it a gut intuition? Or maybe I'm just not good at picking up what the author was trying to convey because I felt like some things were much more told to me than shown. The prose is pretty easy to get into so I think if you enjoy the first few chapters, you'll probably enjoy the rest. 

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

challenging reflective

*Highly Recommended

Stand Alone. Latine Main Characters. M/F. YA Contemporary. 

What is it? Xiomara is a girl from Harlem with so much to say and it is all poured into poems in her notebook. She wants to talk about how she doesn’t want to get confirmed, how she is uncomfortable with her body, how she wants to date but knows her mother would punish her with the thought. But Xiomara is a fighter and the words demand to be let out. 

Recommended for: those who like poems/spoken word, those that grew up feeling a bit caged in with religion, Latinx and Asian families (I cannot speak for all Asians but I feel like the family aspect will resonate with a lot of Asians, especially young girls or those assigned female at birth) 

Not recommended for: those who are not into poems/books written in verse, those who feel uncomfortable with a character very not into their religion 

General thoughts: I don’t really read written poetry. Somehow though, I love spoken word. I feel like the words transform when I hear someone speak them and with that I must absolutely recommend the audiobook that is narrated by the author herself. This book resonated a lot with my Catholic upbringing. It’s not the exact experience but I understood where X was coming from and it pained me so much with all she was going through. At times, I just wanted to fight for her and I just wanted things to look up. Overall, a beautifully-told coming-of-age story that I’m sure a lot can relate with.

Full Spoilery review: https://skthereader.wordpress.com/2021/02/04/the-poet-x-by-elizabeth-acevedo/

Insatiable by Melanie Harlow

emotional lighthearted

*Highly Recommended
 

3rd book. M/F. Contempoary Romance. Small Town Romance. 

What is it? The third installment in the Cloverleigh Farms series following relationships of 5 sisters. Meg and Noah have been friends for over half their lives and have never crossed the line. When Meg comes back for her sister’s wedding, their always-been-there chemistry starts to sizzle but what will happen to them if Meg is leaving again in just a few days? 

Recommended to: friends to lovers fans (as a big one PLEASE READ THIS), people who like really sweet guys that are family men (but have tempers that are called out on), people who like things that have been a long time coming 

Not recommended for: those that don’t like tropes stated above, those that get frustrated easily when the charas just don’t want to get together lol 

General thoughts: I loved this. I loved their chemistry and how their whole relationship was built up to show us just how much they meant to one another and how their feelings were coming into realization. I loved that Noah was a genuinely nice guy but was still really flawed and I could definitely relate to his temper. I loved that Meg knew what she wanted and tried her best to get them even though she was so, so afraid. I can’t speak on the representation of cerebral palsy but I did really love the character here with it (Asher). I will say that Noah has a bit of a traditional mind for some things that reach into the toxic masculinity mindset that of men should not express their feelings. It is challenged but not enough, imo, so keep that in mind. While sort of frustrating at times, I ultimately really enjoyed it and I’m happy this was my first book I finished in 2020.

Full spoilery review: https://skthereader.wordpress.com/2021/02/03/insatiable-cloverleigh-farms-3-by-melanie-harlow/

Ground Zero by Aimee Nicole Walker

mysterious

*Recommended

1st book. M/M. Romantic Suspense. 

What is it? The first book in the Zero Hour series that follows a recently formed partnership at the Savannah Police Department in Georgia. We have openly gay and newly transferred widower for two years Sawyer Key and grumpy and damaged, dealing with his former police partner and best friend’s suicide Royce Locke. The succeeding books should not be read without this one. 

Recommended for: those who like witty banter, those who want a lot of sexual tension, those like very character-focused books, series that follow the same people in multiple books. 

Not recommended for: those who don’t enjoy insta-love or instant hard-heavy hitting attraction, those who don’t enjoy detective novels, those looking for convoluted mysteries, those who don’t like asshole characters, those who aren’t comfortable with romances where one used to be married to someone else and that person died. 

General thoughts: I didn’t see this book coming. I went in completely blind and was just hit with such fleshed out characters that I immediately gravitated to. I’d die for Sawyer Key, metaphorically I mean. The interactions and introspection are so, so good and the tension in the air can be cut with a knife. 

I do think that there is an overuse of the word “quipped” to the point that I sort of cringe whenever I see it even outside of the novel. Aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed this. 

Full spoilery review:  https://skthereader.wordpress.com/2021/02/02/ground-zero-zero-hour-1-by-aimee-nicole-walker/

The Secret to Dating Your Best Friend's Sister by Meghan Quinn

lighthearted

*It's Okay
 

1st book. M/F. Adult Contemporary Romance. 

What is it? Bram has been crushing on his best friend’s sister for the past 10 years. He thinks now is finally the time to seduce her by using her dating service to get close to her. What he doesn’t expect is, things don’t always go the way you plan it to. 

Recommended for: best friend’s sibling romance lovers, a sorta alpha hero who is also pretty sweet, low-angst romance lovers 

Not recommended for: those who don’t like sort of possessive and calculating male heroes (he doesn’t exactly try to trick her, he just has uhh plans), 

General thoughts: This was a pretty interesting plotline. Bram pretty much plans out a reason to be able to date Julia for years. It’s not a typical serious person/flirt sort of romance either. Julia is really the curious type and while she is very firm in her beliefs, you don’t feel that she is overly serious. Bram’s personality is…not exactly inconsistent but I’m not sure what we’re supposed to think of him? He has his very alpha possessive moments and he has some really sweet sides to him to. He’s like a character you’re kinda charmed by but also puzzled by entirely. I also felt like Julia sort of gave in to Bram a lot quicker than I wanted her to. Like we see her thought processes so it didn’t really buy me in on when she did ‘reciprocate’ his feelings. That said, it is a good and fun read overall.

Full spoilery review: https://skthereader.wordpress.com/2021/02/01/the-secret-to-dating-your-best-friends-sister-by-meghan-quinn/

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Did not finish book.

 Stand Alone. Mystery/Thriller. 

What is it? Dr. Theo Faber is obsessed with the idea of “fixing” the infamous Alicia Berenson , known for brutally killing her husband 6 years ago. The greatest mystery about Alicia is since the murder, she hasn’t spoken at all… 

May be better for: Those that find the writing style more engaging than I did

More thoughts on the DNF: https://skthereader.wordpress.com/2021/01/29/dnf-wrap-up-1/

Hot Cop by Sierra Simone, Laurelin Paige
Did not finish book.

Stand Alone. M/F. Adult Contemporary Romance. 

What is it? The new librarian, Livia, is turning 30 soon and she sees it as a death sentence. She wants to have a baby but she also wants to swear off on relationships and men. Upon meeting the hottest guy she’s ever seen, a cop named Chase, she decides that she wants him to become her baby daddy. Chase, a known playboy, agrees to proposition and to give up his parental rights to the child but what happens when they both want to have more than just sex? 

May be better for: those who like a lot of smut (I mean I do but I don’t like it when the sex scenes just end up adding anything to the story unless it’s a novella where I expect the whole focus to be smut), those interested in the summary, alpha male enthusiasts

Full reason: https://skthereader.wordpress.com/2021/01/29/dnf-wrap-up-1/

Football Sundae by Daryl Banner

lighthearted

*It's Okay

1st book. M/M. New Adult Small Town Romance. 

What is it? The first book in an M/M romance series surrounding couples in a small town in Texas. We follow Billy Tucker, a chef in his dad’s diner, hoping to study the culinary arts and open his own dessert store and his high school crush he hasn’t seen in 3 years, Tanner Strong, the beloved football hero of the town. 

Recommended for: people who want a low-angst fluffy read, people who wanna see a non-queerphobic small town (while there are microaggressions, these are later on addressed) 

Not recommended for: people not into relationships that kinda spring out of nowhere, keeping the relationship a secret 

General thoughts: This was a cute read. It had some funny moments, especially with Tanner using words like “bro” and “dude” after sex and I really liked how the author purposely showed us a small town without a lot of prejudice against queer people. The thing is though, I feel like we never get the depth of why Tanner was interested in Billy in the first place? Like it’s sorta glossed over that he saw that Billy was hot after he returned and knowing Billy was gay, wanted to pursue it? Billy on the other hand has been lusting over Tanner for years which was much more emphasized. I wish there was a bit more development in their relationship but I still think that it’s a good time. 

Full spoilery review:

Final Play by Eden Finley

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

*Recommended

6th book. Novella epilogues. M/M. Sports Romance. 

What is it? A bunch of short epilogue-novellas for the couples of the 5 books. Basically deals with what happens before/during/and after their trip to Fiji in the 5th book, Hat Trick. All perspectives of all 10 protagonists are seen. 

Recommended for: fans of the Fake Boyfriend series who want to see additions to each couple’s HEA. 

Not recommended for: those who haven’t read the Fake Boyfriend books, those who don’t wanna see extra fluff content. 

General thoughts: I love the boys, and these made me happy. I’m happy they’re happy and I found each ending fitting for them. It was nice to see how they have all developed (character-wise and relationship-wise) from their HEAs of their own books and it makes me really excited for Eden Finley’s next series.

Full spoilery review: https://skthereader.wordpress.com/2021/01/27/final-play-fake-boyfriend-6-by-eden-finley/