stephanieam's reviews
97 reviews

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Could not put this book down! The author did a good job of setting Hattie up as this silly, naive, simple sort of character but whose growth was amazing. I appreciated the parallel to Beauty and the Beast, and the relationship development between Hattie and Lucian was well done. They both had positive influences on each other. My only issue came toward the end. Not sure how I felt about the way a large issue was wrapped up. The book is somewhat shorter than the previous two, so I would have liked to see more of what happened leading up to the happy ending rather than just be given a time jump date and have characters mention things to fill in the gaps. There was room to really flesh out some things, and I think it would have made the resolution of the biggest issues between Hattie and Lucian have more of an impact. It felt rushed and kind of was a let down. I had a hard time putting my finger on why I felt a little unsatisfied when finishing the story, and I really think that was it. There was so much build up and hard work to get the two of them together. I think a little more of that was needed given how Hattie wanted to proceed.

A Little Wilder by Serena Bell

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was not really looking forward to reading this installment just because Kane seemed kind of boring. He was always in the background, which I know now was definitely intentional and really well done. In this book, Kane quickly became my favorite Wilder. I loved learning more about him and why he was the way he was. The story started off so good, and the second chance slow burn between Kane and Marigold was perfect. Then, I do not know what happened, it just kind of got… Underwhelming I guess? The experiences serving to deepen the relationship between Kane and Marigold were nice. The ending was a happy one. Not sure if it was the pacing and just too much going on with the one night stand, accidental pregnancy, Marigold’s mom issues, and Kane discovering himself. The spice between Kane and Marigold was a total letdown. I expected more with such a strong build up given their one night stand, and Kane being a deeper character beyond just the “boy next door.” It unfortunately just fell flat and was kind of basic and lost in the shuffle of all the other issues. Overall, worth the read, but I am sad because it had such potential. It could have been way better.

The Art of Awkward Affection by Alina Jacobs

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dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced