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thanmayi's reviews
114 reviews
A Little Moore Action by Sara L. Hudson
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
I’d like to thank the publishers for sending me an Arc through NetGalley!
From the very first line of this book you know exactly what you’re getting into, this book is unapologetically funny and sexy and overall a fun read. I had an absolute blast reading this but maybe reading this on my daily commute was a bad idea.
CHARACTERS
Bell
Bell is one of the better characters I’ve read in a while, she’s got a strong voice throughout the book with her love for Elvis, sassy attitude, and a past without it being an overbearing part of her personality.
Chase
While Chase was more two-dimensional than Bell for most of the book, he does get a little better towards the end. This is one of the books where I was crushing on the female MC more than the male in a straight romance and it was an absolute blast.
ROMANCE
I liked the romance, it was sexy and cute, and while it is more insta love than I like it was really well done. There was actual chemistry between the characters and it was fun to read.
PLOT
While the falling for you boss/ client trope isn’t new and is in fact a very popular trope, this book made it enjoyable without making it cringy or weird. The ending was fun and I liked the pussy (the hairless cat named Mike Hunt)
CONCLUSION
If you’re looking for feel-good fun romance novels with funny characters, impressionable side characters to finish in one sitting pick this up!
From the very first line of this book you know exactly what you’re getting into, this book is unapologetically funny and sexy and overall a fun read. I had an absolute blast reading this but maybe reading this on my daily commute was a bad idea.
CHARACTERS
Bell
Bell is one of the better characters I’ve read in a while, she’s got a strong voice throughout the book with her love for Elvis, sassy attitude, and a past without it being an overbearing part of her personality.
Chase
While Chase was more two-dimensional than Bell for most of the book, he does get a little better towards the end. This is one of the books where I was crushing on the female MC more than the male in a straight romance and it was an absolute blast.
ROMANCE
I liked the romance, it was sexy and cute, and while it is more insta love than I like it was really well done. There was actual chemistry between the characters and it was fun to read.
PLOT
While the falling for you boss/ client trope isn’t new and is in fact a very popular trope, this book made it enjoyable without making it cringy or weird. The ending was fun and I liked the pussy (the hairless cat named Mike Hunt)
CONCLUSION
If you’re looking for feel-good fun romance novels with funny characters, impressionable side characters to finish in one sitting pick this up!
A Hades/Hades Reunion Arc by Katee Robert
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
I absolutely loved this!
Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending me a review copy of this book through NetGalley.
I'd like to preface this by saying that this book wasn't absolutely terrible...it wasn't very readable but it wasn't a dumpster fire. It's pretty rare for me to get disappointed by a book I already have low expectations for but Josh And Gemma Make A Baby has somehow managed to do just that. I'm just going to get into the breakdown to make this more sense.
CHARACTERS
Josh
Josh was a character with so much unexplored potential and basically could've been a much much better character if the author actually spent time doing that. He comes off a little bit of a creep in certain parts of the book but he did have his redeeming qualities by being absolutely smitten with Gemma.
Gemma
Gemma is a seemingly strong character who doesn't have her life together and wants to have a kid...Gemma as a character was driven only by her past trauma and barely had any real personality. I disliked most of her aspects as a character and while I felt bad for her, I didn't care about her as a character.
Ian
If I had a dollar for every time I've wanted to slap this man or internally thrown up a bit every time he spoke...I'd have enough money to buy myself brunch at an expensive restaurant on a weekend. WHO KEEPS QUOTING EVERY TIME THEY HAVE A CONVERSATION. And these are the toxic positive bullshit quotes that I genuinely hate. I 10/10 hate this man.
Other Side Characters
I liked everyone from the support group and hated Gemma's family.
PLOT
I think that overall the author has done justice in showing the highs and lows of someone going through the IVF journey and I appreciate that there was an MC who wanted to be a single mother and didn't care about the societal rules about a family. I did not like the rest of the aspects of the book. The romance angle was subpar at best and the characters were dull and forgettable.
CONCLUSION
With everything being said, I do think that to some extent this book would be enjoyed by a certain demographic of women who are struggling with fertility issues, and the somewhat found family trope might be comforting, I personally did not enjoy this book at the very least because I don't exactly fall into the target demographic of the book. I don't think that there was a proper flow to the book and at certain points, it feels like the author was forcing themself to funny.
Overall, I didn't like the writing, the character, or the plot of the book and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
I'd like to preface this by saying that this book wasn't absolutely terrible...it wasn't very readable but it wasn't a dumpster fire. It's pretty rare for me to get disappointed by a book I already have low expectations for but Josh And Gemma Make A Baby has somehow managed to do just that. I'm just going to get into the breakdown to make this more sense.
CHARACTERS
Josh
Josh was a character with so much unexplored potential and basically could've been a much much better character if the author actually spent time doing that. He comes off a little bit of a creep in certain parts of the book but he did have his redeeming qualities by being absolutely smitten with Gemma.
Gemma
Gemma is a seemingly strong character who doesn't have her life together and wants to have a kid...Gemma as a character was driven only by her past trauma and barely had any real personality. I disliked most of her aspects as a character and while I felt bad for her, I didn't care about her as a character.
Ian
If I had a dollar for every time I've wanted to slap this man or internally thrown up a bit every time he spoke...I'd have enough money to buy myself brunch at an expensive restaurant on a weekend. WHO KEEPS QUOTING EVERY TIME THEY HAVE A CONVERSATION. And these are the toxic positive bullshit quotes that I genuinely hate. I 10/10 hate this man.
Other Side Characters
I liked everyone from the support group and hated Gemma's family.
PLOT
I think that overall the author has done justice in showing the highs and lows of someone going through the IVF journey and I appreciate that there was an MC who wanted to be a single mother and didn't care about the societal rules about a family. I did not like the rest of the aspects of the book. The romance angle was subpar at best and the characters were dull and forgettable.
CONCLUSION
With everything being said, I do think that to some extent this book would be enjoyed by a certain demographic of women who are struggling with fertility issues, and the somewhat found family trope might be comforting, I personally did not enjoy this book at the very least because I don't exactly fall into the target demographic of the book. I don't think that there was a proper flow to the book and at certain points, it feels like the author was forcing themself to funny.
Overall, I didn't like the writing, the character, or the plot of the book and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Reminders of him follows Kenna, a 26 year fresh out of prison mom who wants to meet her daughter again but her dead boyfriend's parents have custody and are willing to go to any lengths to stop her from doing that.
This felt like the straightest book I've ever read and let me give you an example as to why.
"He's got eyes that have seen a thing or two, and hands that have probably hit a man or two." I- there's so much more like this in the first few chapters of this book.
THE CHARACTERS
Kenna
I didn't necessarily like Kenna but I empathized with her. She's strong and is willing to do anything to meet her daughter in any way possible. Her resilience through her grief was admirable and I felt bad for the way her childhood played out but her character feels like a shell of a person. She's got 3 personality traits throughout this book and that's 1) crying about Scotty 2) crying about Diem 3) Kissing/ sleeping with Ledger.
Ledger
Listen I listened to the audio and I do not know why for the life of me I cannot remove the picture of Luke from Gilmore Girls as Ledger (Even though Ledger is clearly younger and is filled with tats) but we're still going to roll with that anyways. He as a character had a much stronger personality than Kenna and I liked the man throughout the book. He's in this undoubtedly difficult position and the dual POV gave great insight into the way things worked in his head.
My only issue with him was how quickly he forgives Kenna, sure she didn't have malicious intent and accidentally killed his best friend, but somehow when she reads out the letter where she says SHE KNEW that she was in no position to drive before she gets into the driver seat and still drives...THAT JUST MAKES HIM 100% SYMPATHIZE WITH HER!? I'm not saying that he should have hated her but dear god it would make a lot more sense than him falling in love with her.
Scotty
I don't really have much to say about Scotty, he comes off as a good son and boyfriend and overall a perfect person and it was cool seeing him through the eyes of the many people who loved him.
Diem
Listen throughout the audiobook...I thought Diem was spelled "DM" and thought it was a short form for something...unfortunate name aside, she's a little ball of sunshine and was adorable.
Roman
As much as I love Ledger and Scotty, I totally fell for Roman. He's this slightly grumpy, totally adorable ex-football player who is Roman's best friend. I really wish we could see more of him in this book but I really liked his character.
The Landers
I feel bad for everyone in this book, but especially the Landers, they lose their only son due to a bad decision made by his girlfriend which ended up killing their son. If I had to pick a side I'd pick theirs a hundred times over.
ROMANCE
This sorta has the insta love trope but it's more well done so I appreciate it, but apart from that, I can almost bet on the fact that Kenna and Ledger's relationship falls apart sometime after the end of the book. Throughout this book, it's very clear that Kenna only falls for this man because he's the only one who doesn't hate her. She's attracted to him, yeah, but they fall for each other because of how they were both connected to Scotty and Diem and it barely has anything to do with each other.
CONCLUSION
Listen it's hard to sympathize with Kenna for the most part because SHE KNEW that she wasn't sober enough to drive but she did anyway, CoHo tries to make us sympathize with her by trying to show us the entire letter about the accident but really that was the point where I really started to dislike Kenna. Does this mean I want her to stay away from her daughter? No, but I also think that she shouldn't have tried to re-enter her life and expect that the victim's family welcome her with open arms and give her a role in her daughter's life.
It kind of pissed me off how fast Grace and Patrick forgive her a few hours after reading the letter after hating her for YEARS. This just oversimplified their grief and the whole thing just felt unbelievable.
I love HEA but I would've much preferred if the book ended with Kenna moving away and a time jump to a much older Diem deciding she wanted to have a relationship with her mother and Ledger and Kenna reconnecting then. I didn't like the fact that Grace and Patrick or even Kenna felt entitled to their biological connection to Diem, I mean COME ONE imagine a random woman coming up to you after not being in your whole life for 5 years and saying that she's your mother. THAT SH*TS TRAUMATIZING and yet they act like it's nothing.
I hated how diversity was used as something to give someone character points, the fact that Ledger hired POC made him look "good". I'm sick of seeing cis, white men get appreciated for doing THE BARE MINIMUM in books.
I've read through a bunch of the reviews both 1 star and 5 stars and I think I fall right in the middle for this one.
This felt like the straightest book I've ever read and let me give you an example as to why.
"He's got eyes that have seen a thing or two, and hands that have probably hit a man or two." I- there's so much more like this in the first few chapters of this book.
THE CHARACTERS
Kenna
I didn't necessarily like Kenna but I empathized with her. She's strong and is willing to do anything to meet her daughter in any way possible. Her resilience through her grief was admirable and I felt bad for the way her childhood played out but her character feels like a shell of a person. She's got 3 personality traits throughout this book and that's 1) crying about Scotty 2) crying about Diem 3) Kissing/ sleeping with Ledger.
Ledger
Listen I listened to the audio and I do not know why for the life of me I cannot remove the picture of Luke from Gilmore Girls as Ledger (Even though Ledger is clearly younger and is filled with tats) but we're still going to roll with that anyways. He as a character had a much stronger personality than Kenna and I liked the man throughout the book. He's in this undoubtedly difficult position and the dual POV gave great insight into the way things worked in his head.
My only issue with him was how quickly he forgives Kenna, sure she didn't have malicious intent and accidentally killed his best friend, but somehow when she reads out the letter where she says SHE KNEW that she was in no position to drive before she gets into the driver seat and still drives...THAT JUST MAKES HIM 100% SYMPATHIZE WITH HER!? I'm not saying that he should have hated her but dear god it would make a lot more sense than him falling in love with her.
Scotty
I don't really have much to say about Scotty, he comes off as a good son and boyfriend and overall a perfect person and it was cool seeing him through the eyes of the many people who loved him.
Diem
Listen throughout the audiobook...I thought Diem was spelled "DM" and thought it was a short form for something...unfortunate name aside, she's a little ball of sunshine and was adorable.
Roman
As much as I love Ledger and Scotty, I totally fell for Roman. He's this slightly grumpy, totally adorable ex-football player who is Roman's best friend. I really wish we could see more of him in this book but I really liked his character.
The Landers
I feel bad for everyone in this book, but especially the Landers, they lose their only son due to a bad decision made by his girlfriend which ended up killing their son. If I had to pick a side I'd pick theirs a hundred times over.
ROMANCE
This sorta has the insta love trope but it's more well done so I appreciate it, but apart from that, I can almost bet on the fact that Kenna and Ledger's relationship falls apart sometime after the end of the book. Throughout this book, it's very clear that Kenna only falls for this man because he's the only one who doesn't hate her. She's attracted to him, yeah, but they fall for each other because of how they were both connected to Scotty and Diem and it barely has anything to do with each other.
CONCLUSION
Listen it's hard to sympathize with Kenna for the most part because SHE KNEW that she wasn't sober enough to drive but she did anyway, CoHo tries to make us sympathize with her by trying to show us the entire letter about the accident but really that was the point where I really started to dislike Kenna. Does this mean I want her to stay away from her daughter? No, but I also think that she shouldn't have tried to re-enter her life and expect that the victim's family welcome her with open arms and give her a role in her daughter's life.
It kind of pissed me off how fast Grace and Patrick forgive her a few hours after reading the letter after hating her for YEARS. This just oversimplified their grief and the whole thing just felt unbelievable.
I love HEA but I would've much preferred if the book ended with Kenna moving away and a time jump to a much older Diem deciding she wanted to have a relationship with her mother and Ledger and Kenna reconnecting then. I didn't like the fact that Grace and Patrick or even Kenna felt entitled to their biological connection to Diem, I mean COME ONE imagine a random woman coming up to you after not being in your whole life for 5 years and saying that she's your mother. THAT SH*TS TRAUMATIZING and yet they act like it's nothing.
I hated how diversity was used as something to give someone character points, the fact that Ledger hired POC made him look "good". I'm sick of seeing cis, white men get appreciated for doing THE BARE MINIMUM in books.
I've read through a bunch of the reviews both 1 star and 5 stars and I think I fall right in the middle for this one.
Wooed by the Wallflower by Jillian Eaton
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I’d like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of the book through NetGalley!
DISCLAIMER: I haven’t read the books before in this series.
Wooed by the wallflower is a cute and extremely charming historical romance that follows Rosemary and Sterling. (To be fair I’m not partial to either of the names)
Something refreshing about this novel was the unique plot at least when it came to the characters. Rosemary is shown as rather smart and self-sufficient and Sterling has good character development (I’ll get to that part later) the squirrel was a sweet addition to the book.
The best part was (this is totally a personal preference) it doesn’t end with pregnancy and we see them enjoying time together as a couple which is pretty rare in historic romance novels.
Right now to the parts of the book that I didn’t like.
The way grief and alcoholism are dealt with, After dealing with both for the better part of a decade Sterling seems to almost suddenly get over with apparently for the women he loves. While I get what the author was trying to do I don't think these much darker topics were dealt with the respect they deserve.
A lot of telling not showing, we are told time and time again that they loved each other but not why they love each other. The angst of realizing you’re in love wasn’t there and it just felt unrealistic?
Overall I enjoyed reading it and will probably check out more work by the author!
DISCLAIMER: I haven’t read the books before in this series.
Wooed by the wallflower is a cute and extremely charming historical romance that follows Rosemary and Sterling. (To be fair I’m not partial to either of the names)
Something refreshing about this novel was the unique plot at least when it came to the characters. Rosemary is shown as rather smart and self-sufficient and Sterling has good character development (I’ll get to that part later) the squirrel was a sweet addition to the book.
The best part was (this is totally a personal preference) it doesn’t end with pregnancy and we see them enjoying time together as a couple which is pretty rare in historic romance novels.
Right now to the parts of the book that I didn’t like.
The way grief and alcoholism are dealt with, After dealing with both for the better part of a decade Sterling seems to almost suddenly get over with apparently for the women he loves. While I get what the author was trying to do I don't think these much darker topics were dealt with the respect they deserve.
A lot of telling not showing, we are told time and time again that they loved each other but not why they love each other. The angst of realizing you’re in love wasn’t there and it just felt unrealistic?
Overall I enjoyed reading it and will probably check out more work by the author!
Riley Reynolds Crushes Costume Day by Jay Albee
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I’d like to thank the publishers for sending me an Arc of the book through NetGalley!
I absolutely loved this book, I finished reading Melissa’s story a few weeks back and the references to the book made this book much more special to me. Gender and sexuality can be confusing for children at a young age and this book does an excellent job at breaking things down and making it understandable.
I appreciated the fact that Riley’s gender identity wasn’t the main focus of the book, we continue throughout the book which gives a sense of normality to a queer kid reading it without making it a huge deal.
The chapters are short and the illustrations are beautiful which makes this perfect for younger readers who have just gotten into reading.
I absolutely loved this book, I finished reading Melissa’s story a few weeks back and the references to the book made this book much more special to me. Gender and sexuality can be confusing for children at a young age and this book does an excellent job at breaking things down and making it understandable.
I appreciated the fact that Riley’s gender identity wasn’t the main focus of the book, we continue throughout the book which gives a sense of normality to a queer kid reading it without making it a huge deal.
The chapters are short and the illustrations are beautiful which makes this perfect for younger readers who have just gotten into reading.
Home. Girl. Hood. by Ebony Stewart
3.0
I'd like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of the book through Netgalley!
CAN WE HAVE SOME CHAOS FOR THAT STUNNING COVER!? LIKE OMG IT IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.
This entire collection is strong and powerful, filled with emotions to the brim. I enjoyed most of the poems in this collection and have flagged a few to get back to eventually. That being said, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style as much in a few chapters and that caused a serious disconnect from the chapters for me.
Overall this is a great collection and a stunning read.
CAN WE HAVE SOME CHAOS FOR THAT STUNNING COVER!? LIKE OMG IT IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.
This entire collection is strong and powerful, filled with emotions to the brim. I enjoyed most of the poems in this collection and have flagged a few to get back to eventually. That being said, I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style as much in a few chapters and that caused a serious disconnect from the chapters for me.
Overall this is a great collection and a stunning read.
The 7 Rules Of Moving On by Jess K. Hardy
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I'd like to thank the publisher for sending me an arc through NetGalley!
The 7 Rules of moving on is a cute, small-town romance between Kissie and Trig.
When I tell you this is one of the cutest things I've read I'm not lying. I loved the whole small-town charm and the side characters were fun to read about. I'd want to go and live in Mystic for sure.
Kissie
I liked Kissie overall, she has this typical big sister and gifted kid with big dreams going on that I truly appreciate, she's dedicated to her friends and for the most part, she was a solid character.
Trig
This man is perfect in almost all ways that count. He's charming, respectful, utterly smitten with Kissie, and listens to Taylor Swift. I mean come on I don't think it gets better than that! (He has her jingle set as his ringtone)
Side Characters
I enjoyed the side characters of this book and I want to see if anything really happens between Dawn and Ryan in the future.
Plot
I really liked the plot of this book, I'm not a fan of the insta love trope but Hardy has done a fantastic job at it and I really enjoyed reading the book.
Conclusion
This is one of the most wholesome and cutest novellas out there and you need to read this RIGHT NOW!
The 7 Rules of moving on is a cute, small-town romance between Kissie and Trig.
When I tell you this is one of the cutest things I've read I'm not lying. I loved the whole small-town charm and the side characters were fun to read about. I'd want to go and live in Mystic for sure.
Kissie
I liked Kissie overall, she has this typical big sister and gifted kid with big dreams going on that I truly appreciate, she's dedicated to her friends and for the most part, she was a solid character.
Trig
This man is perfect in almost all ways that count. He's charming, respectful, utterly smitten with Kissie, and listens to Taylor Swift. I mean come on I don't think it gets better than that! (He has her jingle set as his ringtone)
Side Characters
I enjoyed the side characters of this book and I want to see if anything really happens between Dawn and Ryan in the future.
Plot
I really liked the plot of this book, I'm not a fan of the insta love trope but Hardy has done a fantastic job at it and I really enjoyed reading the book.
Conclusion
This is one of the most wholesome and cutest novellas out there and you need to read this RIGHT NOW!
Stone Heart by Katee Robert
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
I’ve got a very love-hate relationship with this series, this novella falls in the exact middle of that, I loved the main characters but hated the insta love plotline only because it didn’t believable enough for me to actually root for the couple.
Just like in neon gods the stakes didn’t feel high enough in this book and it is hard to believe that Athena would be okay losing Medusa after having her under her fingers for 12 years.
Overall I didn’t care for the story but it did give me a better insight into the world of Neon gods.
Just like in neon gods the stakes didn’t feel high enough in this book and it is hard to believe that Athena would be okay losing Medusa after having her under her fingers for 12 years.
Overall I didn’t care for the story but it did give me a better insight into the world of Neon gods.
Electric Idol by Katee Robert
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
I absolutely devoured this book up in one sitting and I don't regret a single second of it.
This book follows Psyche and Eros who end up in a marriage of convenience in order to protect Psyche from Aphrodite.
The thing about this book is that it did wonderfully in all the parts that neon gods lacked but fell short on everything that I enjoyed more of in Neon gods. In order to make this easier, I'm going to break this down a bit.
Characters.
Psyche
I absolutely loved the portrayal of a fat protagonist who is confident in her skin while not being oblivious to the social norms and how she copes in general. I definitely had a better grasp on her character than I did on Persephone's and found her more relatable in general. There was a very subtle "She's not like other girls' thing going on but it was subtle enough for me to just move past it without gagging.
Eros
As much as I liked Eros in the romantic hero capacity, it felt like his only character point was being a 'monster' and hating himself? I do get where he was coming from but it did feel a little bit excessive.
The side characters
I loved the side characters, Hermes is definitely on the top of my list and I would do anything that woman asked of me. I enjoyed meeting Helen in this book and I'm excited to read more about her. I also really really want to read more of Eris (who is now aphrodite and I know for a fact that KR has a book coming out for her too)
The plot
I think that this is KR's more plot-driven books and I enjoyed this a lot because this meant that the book had better world-building comparatively. I liked the take on the marriage of convenience trope and the stakes were more believable than NG. Overall it had a pretty solid plot until the ending...the last 30 pages (not including the epilogue) did not make sense to me at all and felt underdeveloped.
The Romance
This is totally a personal preference thing but I'm not a fan of the insta love trope and how fast all of this played out, they were practically in love with each other within a week and somehow that did not sit right with me.
But putting that aside I did enjoy how cute both were and the idea of a conventionally attractive man being totally smitten by someone who isn't.
The smut, as usual, was really well written but I think that what gave Neon Gods the extra oomph was missing here. I think that this has more to do with the fact that this book didn't have kink involved like the rest of the books I've read by the author.
I will say though that certain parts of this book reminded me of Hook and Tink from the Wicked Villians series by KR while still being unique in its own way.
Conclusion
This was a really good read and makes me want to continue the series for sure and I like most of the book. I do have a teeny tiny issue with the queer representation in this book. Both the main characters are said to be queer in the book (as are Persephone and Hades in NG) but somehow doesn't impact them whatsoever? I'm not asking for ppl of the community to be miserable but there are certain nuances that come with being Queer especially when you're a part of such a high society filled with very judgemental people. I think that this somehow downplays the importance of them being queer especially as they end up in an m/f pairing.
This book follows Psyche and Eros who end up in a marriage of convenience in order to protect Psyche from Aphrodite.
The thing about this book is that it did wonderfully in all the parts that neon gods lacked but fell short on everything that I enjoyed more of in Neon gods. In order to make this easier, I'm going to break this down a bit.
Characters.
Psyche
I absolutely loved the portrayal of a fat protagonist who is confident in her skin while not being oblivious to the social norms and how she copes in general. I definitely had a better grasp on her character than I did on Persephone's and found her more relatable in general. There was a very subtle "She's not like other girls' thing going on but it was subtle enough for me to just move past it without gagging.
Eros
As much as I liked Eros in the romantic hero capacity, it felt like his only character point was being a 'monster' and hating himself? I do get where he was coming from but it did feel a little bit excessive.
The side characters
I loved the side characters, Hermes is definitely on the top of my list and I would do anything that woman asked of me. I enjoyed meeting Helen in this book and I'm excited to read more about her. I also really really want to read more of Eris (who is now aphrodite and I know for a fact that KR has a book coming out for her too)
The plot
I think that this is KR's more plot-driven books and I enjoyed this a lot because this meant that the book had better world-building comparatively. I liked the take on the marriage of convenience trope and the stakes were more believable than NG. Overall it had a pretty solid plot until the ending...the last 30 pages (not including the epilogue) did not make sense to me at all and felt underdeveloped.
The Romance
This is totally a personal preference thing but I'm not a fan of the insta love trope and how fast all of this played out, they were practically in love with each other within a week and somehow that did not sit right with me.
But putting that aside I did enjoy how cute both were and the idea of a conventionally attractive man being totally smitten by someone who isn't.
The smut, as usual, was really well written but I think that what gave Neon Gods the extra oomph was missing here. I think that this has more to do with the fact that this book didn't have kink involved like the rest of the books I've read by the author.
I will say though that certain parts of this book reminded me of Hook and Tink from the Wicked Villians series by KR while still being unique in its own way.
Conclusion
This was a really good read and makes me want to continue the series for sure and I like most of the book. I do have a teeny tiny issue with the queer representation in this book. Both the main characters are said to be queer in the book (as are Persephone and Hades in NG) but somehow doesn't impact them whatsoever? I'm not asking for ppl of the community to be miserable but there are certain nuances that come with being Queer especially when you're a part of such a high society filled with very judgemental people. I think that this somehow downplays the importance of them being queer especially as they end up in an m/f pairing.