stephanieronco's reviews
51 reviews

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

5.0

[b:Just for the Summer|195820807|Just for the Summer (Part of Your World, #3)|Abby Jimenez|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1692118145l/195820807._SY75_.jpg|197775193] by [a:Abby Jimenez|18446724|Abby Jimenez|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1651706989p2/18446724.jpg] features layered and complicated characters who live interesting lives, just like in so many of Jimenez’s other books. I adore her prose, and all the boating details in this one were a special bonus.

How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang

5.0

[b:How to End a Love Story|63247365|How to End a Love Story|Yulin Kuang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1696260259l/63247365._SY75_.jpg|97486630] by [a:Yulin Kuang|22640786|Yulin Kuang|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1699242223p2/22640786.jpg] has the most off-the-wall “reason they can’t be together” with a solution that actually makes sense and stays true to the characters. It also offers fascinating insight into the world of adaptations and writer’s rooms. I adored it.

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

5.0

[b:Fangirl Down|150343880|Fangirl Down (Big Shots, #1)|Tessa Bailey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689982215l/150343880._SY75_.jpg|165248338] by [a:Tessa Bailey|6953499|Tessa Bailey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1634304355p2/6953499.jpg] was fun from start to finish, and Tessa Bailey definitely maintains her title as “the Michaelangelo of dirty talk.”

Say You'll Be Mine by Naina Kumar

5.0

My inner theater kid got such a kick out of [b:Say You'll Be Mine|134117190|Say You'll Be Mine|Naina Kumar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1691745417l/134117190._SY75_.jpg|151625471] by [a:Naina Kumar|32390087|Naina Kumar|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1687417519p2/32390087.jpg]. I mean, fake dating for *spite* reasons? Here for it!

The Getaway List by Emma Lord

5.0

Followed Piranesi with an absolute banger by [a:Emma Lord|18673646|Emma Lord|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1683047733p2/18673646.jpg]. [b:The Getaway List|126919196|The Getaway List|Emma Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682194701l/126919196._SY75_.jpg|148189385] is a heartfelt love letter to New York, loaded with Lord’s trademark whimsy and enthusiasm. I got a total kick out of references to both #hotduck AND #pizzarat. With fascinating relationships complicated in interesting ways, this was a real YA treat, and I can’t wait to read her adult debut, [b:The Break-Up Pact|195790535|The Break-Up Pact|Emma Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1693581310l/195790535._SY75_.jpg|197724391], the second it comes out!

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

5.0

[b:Piranesi|50202953|Piranesi|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953._SY75_.jpg|73586702] by [a:Susanna Clarke|8842|Susanna Clarke|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1453496946p2/8842.jpg] was one of the most staggeringly creative books I’ve read in a long time. Beautiful and magical and strange, I can’t wait to revisit it again and again.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

5.0

I saved [b:Funny Story|194802722|Funny Story|Emily Henry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1691777485l/194802722._SY75_.jpg|196167481] by [a:Emily Henry|13905555|Emily Henry|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1573928938p2/13905555.jpg] for weeks until I had the chance to give it the attention it deserved, and boy was it worth the wait! Fake dating for spite is now my favorite subgenre of the fake dating trope and I don’t think I ever stopped kicking my feet in delight.

Death in the Spires by KJ Charles

5.0

I have been a fan of [a:K.J. Charles|7123498|K.J. Charles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418032373p2/7123498.jpg] for years, and her first foray into historical murder mystery was a triumph! My husband put up with my constant declamations of snappy bits of dialogue and a steady stream of “I love this book so much and I’m only on page 20,” “I love this book so much and I’m only on page 25,” (which continued through the rest of the story).

And then, when I finished, I immediately started reading it all over again, something I only do with my very favorites. [b:Death in the Spires|209563735|Death in the Spires|K.J. Charles|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1709747722l/209563735._SY75_.jpg|215764805] is fantastic from beginning to end.

For Real by Alexis Hall

5.0

[b:For Real|197036064|For Real (Spires, #3)|Alexis Hall|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1702411811l/197036064._SY75_.jpg|45123759]: The spiciest book in my library has somehow turned into a mandatory comfort reread.

[a:Alexis Hall|7032108|Alexis Hall|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1684697572p2/7032108.jpg] crafts his characters with depth and precision, and I maintain that he’s one of the best in the business when it comes to interiority and voice.

I couldn’t resist the new edition. This is the very first time that I actually own three different versions of the same book (kindle, paperback, annotated re-release), and I have to say I love all of them.

An Unnatural Vice by KJ Charles

5.0

I read a couple of definitely-not-for-me books this week (mostly my own preorders, so that’ll show me). Eventually I fled back to [a:K.J. Charles|7123498|K.J. Charles|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1418032373p2/7123498.jpg] for a reread of her Sins of the Cities stories. [b:An Unnatural Vice|32161804|An Unnatural Vice (Sins of the Cities, #2)|K.J. Charles|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480582018l/32161804._SY75_.jpg|52798546] is my favorite. I loved learning about cold reading and the intricate tricks employed by spiritualists, and the book’s account of the London Fog of December 1873 was fascinating. Plus, the whole thing was loaded with tormented characters and a layered mystery that kept me guessing throughout.