stephsnextread's reviews
390 reviews


β€œπ˜žπ˜¦ 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢π˜ͺ𝘭𝘡 𝘰𝘯 𝘡𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘡𝘰 𝘢𝘴 𝘒𝘯π˜₯ 𝘡𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘒𝘯𝘨 𝘡𝘰 𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴. π˜›π˜©π˜¦ 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘭π˜ͺ𝘴𝘡𝘦𝘯𝘦π˜₯ 𝘡𝘰 𝘸π˜ͺ𝘡𝘩 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘒𝘳𝘡𝘴 𝘒𝘯π˜₯ 𝘡𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦 π˜₯𝘒𝘯𝘀𝘦π˜₯ 𝘡𝘰 𝘒𝘡 𝘸𝘦π˜₯π˜₯π˜ͺ𝘯𝘨𝘴.”

This was such a sweet story of music and love! The musician MMC and songwriter FMC can hear each other’s thoughts over long distances. At first, they don’t know who the other is and start to develop a very sweet friendship through their heads. I love magical realism and thought this was such a fun way to connect these two, but when they could hear each other and when they couldn’t was sometimes a little unpredictable and confusing to me. However, this didn’t detract from the story and I loved their connection! Their ability to hear thoughts forced them to be completely honest with each other. I felt such a strong friendship, but I wanted a little more spark from the romance. Love happened really quickly, but I still enjoyed it!

The audiobook is narrated by Patti Murin, and her voice was perfect for this book. She even sings a bit, which is so fun in an audiobook.

A couple bonuses: there are cameos from
Iwan and Clementine πŸ‹ I also loved the author’s note at the end and it had me in tears, so don’t skip it! I recommend this book if you enjoy magical realism and books about music.

Read if you like:
πŸ’• Magical realism
πŸ’• Celebrity romance
πŸ’• Singer MMC x songwriter FMC
πŸ’• Music of all kinds

This was exactly the fun, light, spicy romance that I needed right now! I loved that it had the feel of a sports romance, but the characters were a little older (Zac is a college football coach). It started out with a wild comedy of errors that held my attention right from the beginning. It was childhood friends to lovers with β€œit’s always been you” vibes, and Melody and Zac had great banter and chemistry. She was the grump and he was the sunshine, and it fit the story perfectly. Zac is Melody’s brother’s best friend, and she has always been off-limits, so it was entertaining to watch them try to hide their developing relationship from their friends. I loved their friend group and I’m so excited that Only Between Us just released (featuring Brooks’ love story). I recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun sports romance!

Thank you to Ellie K. Wilde, Atria, and NetGalley for this e-ARC; all opinions are my own.

Read if you like:
πŸ’• Childhood friends to lovers
πŸ’• Brother’s best friend
πŸ’• Second chance romance
πŸ’• β€œIt’s always been you”
πŸ’• Dual POV

This was such a cute book! It is connected to Pardon My Frenchie (which I also loved) but can be read as a standalone.

Evie Williams and Bryson Mitchell are both veterinarians who had a romantic connection in college when they volunteered together at an animal rescue. Now it’s been years since they’ve seen each other, and they are brought back together to save the very same struggling animal rescue where they first connected.

Evie and Bryson were both such great characters! They had obvious chemistry, but had to rekindle and repair their friendship first. Bryson was down bad for Evie from the beginning, but he was so patient waiting for her to be ready for a relationship. I also enjoyed their storylines with their difficult parents and seeing their growth, especially Evie’s confidence in choosing what she wants rather than what her parents expect. As in Pardon My Frenchie, Evie’s friend group is so supportive and amazing. I loved seeing those characters again! I recommend this book for fans of second chance romance and dog-lovers!

Thank you to Farrah Rochon, Forever, and NetGalley for this gifted e-ARC; all opinions are my own. 

Read if you like:
πŸ’• Second chance romance
πŸ’• Veterinarian MCs
πŸ’• Lovable dog characters
πŸ’• New Orleans setting

I loved this book so so much! Former teen actress, Millie, is on her way to Key West to reunite the ashes of her elderly best friend, Mrs. Nash, with her long-lost lover. When planes are grounded, she ends up carpooling with Hollis, a writer who went to school with Millie’s horrible ex (and hates him too).

I just adored these characters with my whole heart. Hollis is so grumpy but still thoughtful and kind. Millie has absolutely no filter, and the way her brain works is hilarious. They were each the perfect match for the other. I loved the exploration of grief as Millie is forced to face the loss of Mrs. Nash. There’s even a love story within the love story, and I could not get enough of Rose and Elsie’s story. I’m expecting this to be in my favorite books of the year, and I highly recommend it!

Read if you like:
πŸ’• Grumpy x sunshine
πŸ’• Road trip romance
πŸ’• Opposites attract
πŸ’• Beautiful stories of grief

This is a fun second chance celebrity romance! It is connected to Under Your Spell (Cynthie is Theo’s best friend) but can be read as a standalone. Thirteen years after actors Cynthie Taylor and Jack Turner-Jones fake dated for publicity (which ended in a falling out), the two are signed on to make a sequel to their first film together and have to rekindle their fake relationship.

I enjoyed the dual timeline so that the reader learns the past story while the current story is developing. I was fully invested in both stories and really felt the enemies-to-lovers tension between Cynthie and Jack! I enjoyed the character development and maturity that developed for both characters between the past and present. This book also has a great cast of side characters, along with heart and humor. I recommend this book for a fantastic celebrity romance!

Thank you to Laura Wood, Atria, and NetGalley for this gifted e-ARC; all opinions are my own.

Read if you like:
πŸ’• Celebrity romance
πŸ’• Fake dating
πŸ’• Second chance romance
πŸ’• Dual timelines
πŸ’• Mental health rep

I loved a lot about this book, but had a few issues with it. Most of my problems actually stem from the synopsis giving away so much that I thought things would happen earlier in the book than they did.

Luke Wolf is coerced into faking interest in Abigail Hunt by his soccer team’s management, and in return, they will give him what he is asking for. The synopsis says
that Abigail finds out and decides to get even. And this is true…very far into the book, when both characters have developed real feelings and this news is heartbreaking. At this point, the revenge felt kind of immature (while it would’ve been funny if it happened in the beginning of their relationship).


I had a really hard time with that part of the storyline because I LOVED Abigail and Luke together. She was hilariously unfiltered and had me cracking up constantly. He was the grumpiest grump with major Roy Kent vibes. They balanced each other so perfectly and developed such a fun connection. They even adopted a cat together, which was adorable. I wanted them to work so badly, but I hated the lies hanging over them. I do think other readers will enjoy this book, as long as lying isn’t triggering. I really did adore the romance between the characters.

Read if you like:
πŸ’• Grumpy x sunshine
πŸ’• Sports romance
πŸ’• Soccer player MMC x actress FMC
πŸ’• Adorable cat characters

Chloe’s birth mother has unexpectedly had another baby, and Chloe immediately signs up to be a next-of-kin guardian, but she doesn’t pass CPS’s financial evaluation. To help guardians like Chloe, CPS has created a new initiative where two potential guardians join households to qualify. Chloe reluctantly agrees to try this, and she is paired up with grumpy Warren, who is trying to get custody of his deaf teenage brother.

This book was the sweetest! I was hooked immediately by Chloe’s situation and her drive to give her surprise baby sister the best life possible. Chloe was able to break through Warren’s very stony exterior and help him show his kindness and patience. I absolutely loved the dynamic in their household with their slowly developing relationship, the confused teenager trying to fit in at school, and the infant they’re all teaming together to raise. I loved watching Chloe and Warren grow individually and together. I adored this book and highly recommend it!

Read if you like:
πŸ’• Enemies to lovers
πŸ’• Forced proximity
πŸ’• Found family
πŸ’• Deaf rep (supporting characters)
πŸ’• Adoption rep

This was an adorable book! Holly is an intern at a non-profit (but she’s in her 30s because she’s switching careers). She is competing against the other interns for a job in the Scotland office. Unfortunately, the only person left to help her in the competition is grumpy photographer Jonathan Summers.

Holly and Jonathan had great chemistry and easy banter right from the beginning. I loved watching their relationship progress. I also appreciated that both main characters had thorough backstories and great character development. The competition aspect made the story exciting and fast-paced, and the romance was so sweet.

The audiobook is narrated by Lauren Ezzo. I loved her voice for Holly. I thought the male characters’ voices were hard to tell apart, but it didn’t distract from the story. The narration was easy to listen to and engaging.

Thank you to Anna E. Collins, Forever, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for this e-ARC and ALC; opinions are my own. I read this with a combination of e-book and audiobook, and I recommend both options for this sweet and summery story!

Read if you like:
πŸ’• Grumpy x sunshine
πŸ’• Workplace romance
πŸ’• Adorable puppies
πŸ’• Photography

This is book 2 in Farrah Rochon’s The Boyfriend Project series of interconnected standalones. You could read this one first, but I recommend reading book 1 to best understand the friend group (and the hilariously awkward situation that brought them together).

Another note: This book has some toxic diet culture stuff in it, so proceed with caution if that is a trigger for you.

I love this group of friends so much! Samiah, Taylor, and London are so supportive and honest with each other. I love seeing them all included in each of the books. This book features Taylor, a personal trainer who is struggling financially. Jamar Dixon, former NFL player, finds her videos and wants to train with her. I definitely had to suspend disbelief about an NFL player trusting a random trainer on the internet, but it wasn’t hard for me to skip over this and enjoy the rest of the story.

I loved Taylor and Jamar together! They had perfect chemistry, even when just friends. They were both so likable and had compelling stories outside of the romance too. Farrah Rochon’s writing style was so easy and fun to read, even with the real-life topics covered (including learning difficulties, family relationships, guilt, and grief). I am so excited to read London’s story, but I will be sad to leave this friend group after the last book. I definitely recommend this book (and the series).

Read if you like:
πŸ’• Forbidden romance
πŸ’• Fake dating
πŸ’• Forced proximity
πŸ’• Learning disability rep