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stephsnextread's Reviews (390)
The Fiancé Dilemma is in the same universe as The Long Game (she is the town’s mayor/coffee shop owner, he is Adalyn’s best friend), but can be read as a standalone.
This book was missing some things for me, but it was still worth the read. I enjoyed all of the characters and the friend relationships the story portrays. I wanted some back story about Josie and her previous relationships because it was hard to feel sympathetic for her 4 failed engagements. She was described as an independent woman, but let herself be easily manipulated by her father and the PR scandal.
Josie and Matthew were adorable together, but it was a little instant-love for my taste. Some of their history was touched on, but not fully explored to understand how their connection built so fast. I appreciated Matthew’s patience with Josie’s hesitation about a relationship, and I thought they were really sweet to each other. I just fully didn’t buy in to the fast timeline. Overall, it was a cute story and a fun read, just not one that will stick out in my memory.
Thank you to Atria, Elena Armas, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book was missing some things for me, but it was still worth the read. I enjoyed all of the characters and the friend relationships the story portrays. I wanted some back story about Josie and her previous relationships because it was hard to feel sympathetic for her 4 failed engagements. She was described as an independent woman, but let herself be easily manipulated by her father and the PR scandal.
Josie and Matthew were adorable together, but it was a little instant-love for my taste. Some of their history was touched on, but not fully explored to understand how their connection built so fast. I appreciated Matthew’s patience with Josie’s hesitation about a relationship, and I thought they were really sweet to each other. I just fully didn’t buy in to the fast timeline. Overall, it was a cute story and a fun read, just not one that will stick out in my memory.
Thank you to Atria, Elena Armas, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
What a heartbreakingly beautiful tribute to Little Women. This book follows the stories of 4 adult sisters and explores love, loss, grief, family, secrets, hurt, and mental health. It is a character-driven story, and the character development is complex and thorough as the story follows the characters over a time span of about 30 years. It was an emotional and heavy read that I will think about for a long time to come. I highly recommend it, but make sure you have tissues ❤️
This is such an amazing summer romance novel (hence the title). Ali is a professional organizer who is divorced and a single mom. She can organize everyone’s life but her own…as seen by the piles of stuff all around her house. She is so awkward and relatable and had me laughing out loud many times.
She meets Ethan in a hilarious meet-cute at the dog park. Their relationship starts off easy and fun and had me smiling the whole time. The story is not just a fluffy romance though, which adds to the depth of the characters. Ali is dealing with grief from losing her mother. The death is off-page, but her grief and learning how to live her life without her mother is a big part of the story.
I enjoyed every minute of this book and highly recommend it!
She meets Ethan in a hilarious meet-cute at the dog park. Their relationship starts off easy and fun and had me smiling the whole time. The story is not just a fluffy romance though, which adds to the depth of the characters. Ali is dealing with grief from losing her mother. The death is off-page, but her grief and learning how to live her life without her mother is a big part of the story.
I enjoyed every minute of this book and highly recommend it!
Tia Williams has explained that her idea for this book came from Romeo and Juliet…but what if they hadn’t died at the end? What if they went their separate ways and reconnected as adults?
This is a beautiful second-chance romance that broke my heart and put it back together again. Eva and Shane reconnect at a State of the Black Author event and are forced to remember the week they spent together in high school that broke both of their hearts. These characters in the current time are raw and real and shaped by the traumas of their past. Their love story was deep, and the two were connected as true soulmates. I also adored Eva’s daughter, Audre, who is so insightful and wise. This book will be on my mind for a long time to come!
Seven Days in June covers a wide range of difficult topics, including addiction, self harm, chronic illness, childhood trauma, racial bias, and grief. Please check content warnings and take care of yourself.
This is a beautiful second-chance romance that broke my heart and put it back together again. Eva and Shane reconnect at a State of the Black Author event and are forced to remember the week they spent together in high school that broke both of their hearts. These characters in the current time are raw and real and shaped by the traumas of their past. Their love story was deep, and the two were connected as true soulmates. I also adored Eva’s daughter, Audre, who is so insightful and wise. This book will be on my mind for a long time to come!
Seven Days in June covers a wide range of difficult topics, including addiction, self harm, chronic illness, childhood trauma, racial bias, and grief. Please check content warnings and take care of yourself.
June and Levi were best friends in high school but haven’t spoken in 10 years. Now they have both been through very public breakups and agree to fake date in order to help June’s struggling tea shop and make Levi’s ex choose him again.
There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed: Sana (June’s best friend), Tea Tide and the scone descriptions, and the beach town setting. The audiobook is narrated by Natalie Naudus, and I thought she was great. I liked her pacing and voices for various characters.
Unfortunately, I had a hard time with the romance. There was so much indecision and misunderstanding. I felt like I was missing why June and Levi were right for each other in high school, and why they work now. I think either dual POV or dual timeline could really have added to the story. It also read to me like a closed door romance, but then there was one spicy scene that felt out of place. I know that Emma Lord writes amazing YA books, and I’d love to read those because this one felt a little YA and I think I would’ve liked it better if it had been. Overall, this was a quick and easy summery listen but it just didn’t click for me.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Emma Lord, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this ALC in exchange for my honest review.
Four people meet their freshman year of college and become fast friends. After a tragedy during their senior year, they make a pact to always be there for each other. Ten years later, they have each experienced difficult events in adulthood and come together for a big adventure to hopefully provide clarity and a new beginning for each of them.
I had a hard time rating this one. I was invested in the story and read it quickly. I loved the strength of the relationships between the friends, even after so many years. I also enjoyed the multiple POVs and reading about the destinations of their adventures. However, there were some things about this book that weren’t great for me. It’s categorized as a romance, but the romance doesn’t actually come into play until very late in the book and even then, it doesn’t feel like it naturally fits into the story. I found two of the main characters unlikeable, which made it hard to sympathize with them, and I was left wanting more at the end. I enjoyed the concept of this book, but it just didn’t land for me. I do think readers would enjoy this book if they are looking for a story about strong adult friendships, grief, heartbreak, and love.
Note: There are a few trigger warnings for this book, so check them before reading if that is something you like to do.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Emily Giffin, and NetGalley for the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had a hard time rating this one. I was invested in the story and read it quickly. I loved the strength of the relationships between the friends, even after so many years. I also enjoyed the multiple POVs and reading about the destinations of their adventures. However, there were some things about this book that weren’t great for me. It’s categorized as a romance, but the romance doesn’t actually come into play until very late in the book and even then, it doesn’t feel like it naturally fits into the story. I found two of the main characters unlikeable, which made it hard to sympathize with them, and I was left wanting more at the end. I enjoyed the concept of this book, but it just didn’t land for me. I do think readers would enjoy this book if they are looking for a story about strong adult friendships, grief, heartbreak, and love.
Note: There are a few trigger warnings for this book, so check them before reading if that is something you like to do.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Emily Giffin, and NetGalley for the chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Their past was friends-to-lovers, but it all went wrong after Prom and they haven’t seen each other since. Now, Marley is a personal stylist and Nikhil is a movie star. Just Marley’s luck, she is hired to style Nikhil for a celebrity event. Marley doesn’t need this added stress because she is also dealing with the knowledge of her BRCA1 mutation and her double mastectomy that is only two weeks away. Nikhil offers to temporarily move in to help her in recovery, and she is not in a position to say no.
I loved this story! Marley’s health is a main plot point, as are Nikhil’s struggles with being a South Asian celebrity in the spotlight. Marley and Nikhil are so easy and natural together. He is so kind and thoughtful, which pulls Marley out of her tendency to shut people out. Their love developed beautifully, and the conflict felt very realistic. I enjoyed every minute of this book and I highly recommend!
As a bonus, the book is filled with descriptions of delicious Indian food, and there are recipes in the back of the book!
Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Farah Heron, and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a sunshiny, feel-good, closed-door romance. Evie works for an agency that matches service dogs with people who need them. She knows first hand the independence and security a service dog can provide, because her golden retriever, Charlie, is a service dog trained to assist with her epilepsy. Evie meets Jake when his 10-year-old daughter (who also has epilepsy) sets up a meeting with Evie to talk about getting a service dog of her own.
Evie is such a strong character, who fully lives her life despite a difficult family and the added challenges of having a disability. She is such a positive person, and I loved her relationship with her boss, Joanna. Evie and Jake have instant chemistry but their relationship building is a slow burn, and their story is captivating from the start. Jake’s daughter, Sam, added so much to the plot and I adored seeing Jake and Sam’s sweet relationship.
🎧The audiobook is dual narration by Rusty Mewha and Leanne Woodward. I loved their portrayal of Jake and Evie, as well as their added southern accents for other characters. It really brought in the southern charm of Charleston.
I loved this book and cannot wait for the re-release of the 2nd book in the It Happened in Charleston series, The Enemy (8/6/24). Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Sarah Adams, and NetGalley for the chance to listen to this ALC in exchange for my honest review.
Evie is such a strong character, who fully lives her life despite a difficult family and the added challenges of having a disability. She is such a positive person, and I loved her relationship with her boss, Joanna. Evie and Jake have instant chemistry but their relationship building is a slow burn, and their story is captivating from the start. Jake’s daughter, Sam, added so much to the plot and I adored seeing Jake and Sam’s sweet relationship.
🎧The audiobook is dual narration by Rusty Mewha and Leanne Woodward. I loved their portrayal of Jake and Evie, as well as their added southern accents for other characters. It really brought in the southern charm of Charleston.
I loved this book and cannot wait for the re-release of the 2nd book in the It Happened in Charleston series, The Enemy (8/6/24). Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Sarah Adams, and NetGalley for the chance to listen to this ALC in exchange for my honest review.
This is a thoroughly captivating historical fiction/mystery read. Martha Ballard is a midwife and healer in the 1780s. Her profession allows her access to the town’s deepest kept secrets. The book starts with the delivery of a baby and the examination of a dead body to determine cause of death. She states that the cause of death was murder, but a new physician in town disagrees. It is even more complicated because the deceased has been accused of rape (which is described graphically on-page). The town and the justice system seem to be of little help, so Martha is left to investigate on her own.
Martha is such a strong character and essential to her community. She is a devoted wife, mother, and healer. Through her story, it was fascinating to learn about the healthcare, justice system, and general life of the time. Martha Ballard was a real person, as are the other people in the story. All of the story is based on real events, and much of the story is true. Ariel Lawhon’s author note at the end explains which aspects of the story deviated from the truth, and it was mostly related to timeline (but don’t read the author’s note before reading the book…it will spoil many parts!).
I loved this book and I think it will be on my mind for a long time. As I was reading, I kept thinking that it would make an amazing movie!
Martha is such a strong character and essential to her community. She is a devoted wife, mother, and healer. Through her story, it was fascinating to learn about the healthcare, justice system, and general life of the time. Martha Ballard was a real person, as are the other people in the story. All of the story is based on real events, and much of the story is true. Ariel Lawhon’s author note at the end explains which aspects of the story deviated from the truth, and it was mostly related to timeline (but don’t read the author’s note before reading the book…it will spoil many parts!).
I loved this book and I think it will be on my mind for a long time. As I was reading, I kept thinking that it would make an amazing movie!
I loved this book! I prefer my romance books to have a solid plot in addition to the romance, and this one DELIVERED! In fact, I would say this book is both romance and women’s fiction. Sewanee is an audiobook narrator who used to narrate romance books but sticks to other genres now. The book features her strong and sweet relationships with her best friend (an actress) and her grandmother (who lives in an assisted living facility). I loved the depth of these relationships and how they added to the story.
Sewanee is asked to narrate a romance novel written by the late queen of romance authors, but this one will be co-narrated with none other than the king of romance narration, Brock McNight. Sewanee agrees, and a romance slowly develops between the two narrators. The book felt like a love letter to the romance genre and romance readers.
Sewanee is asked to narrate a romance novel written by the late queen of romance authors, but this one will be co-narrated with none other than the king of romance narration, Brock McNight. Sewanee agrees, and a romance slowly develops between the two narrators. The book felt like a love letter to the romance genre and romance readers.