thebookstagrambabe's reviews
890 reviews

Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams

hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I am wondering if this series just isn't for me. It's almost too wholesome. I Found Annie Walker to be a walking cliche of a romance heroine. Even the narrator spoke in a Disney princess-esque accent. I mean she couldn't even say Hell but said H-E-Double Hockey Sticks. I just felt like she was lacking substance. And sadly I think I could have related to a character like Annie. When it comes to experience in dating/romance I am a bit behind for my age and can be a little prudish, but even I found Annie's lack of ability to speak up for herself and be the main character in her own story a little off-putting. Besides that most of this book was forgettable. I mean I listened to this a week ago, and already have a hard time picking something else to talk about. 

Read if you like an opposites attract, fake dating/ practice dating, small-town romances. 

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

I was so hyped for this book after seeing both their cameos in book 2. A little forbidden romance with Tessa Bailey's steam is just a perfect match. I loved Sig as a main hero. He was so swoony. He will do whatever it takes to help Chloe blossom on her own two feet. And it's not just Chloe, but any of his friends and family. Chloe was also a likable heroine who had a ton of growth. She was like Rachel Greene from Friends. She's never had to think about life and then decides to leave the nest and has to come to terms with reality and watching her grow and seeing how Sig shows up for her through it all was so nice. She never lacks confidence or doubt, she just knows she can do it and I loved that about her. 

By Tessa Bailey's standards, the romance is a slow burn. We have a ton of back and forth between can we do this? We have to do this. We can't do this because of appearances, and vice versa. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of the Insta-love trope, I just find it a little too unbelievable. I mean they meet for 20 minutes at a country club and they without a doubt know the relationship is end game? It seems unrealistic. It's lust and all about appearances. So because of that, this wasn't my favorite of the series. However, I am excited to see what happens with Book 4. Is one of the two orgasm donors gonna be tamed?! 😂

Read if you enjoy a forbidden sports romance with dual POV. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 2/4!

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors

emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

2.5

I don't understand the hype around this one. Maybe it is because I don't have sisters. It focuses on 4 sisters who are all struggling and continuously showing up for each other while also sometimes stepping on each other's toes along the way. I had high hopes for this one, but I just couldn't keep myself interested in the story. It felt extensively negative and I needed something along the way to keep me interested. The last 25% is where real moves started happening, but by then I was kind of checked out. 

Read if you like messy family dramas. 

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh boy! This book was so addictive. Ali Hazelwood has this way of leaving every chapter with a cliffhanger so you have to keep flipping the page! I wish this would have come out during the Olympics because I am a sucker for the summer Olympics and all the swimming and diving. It would have been perfect! This book has a little bit of everything for everyone. female friendships, nerdy science majors, steamy romances, and killer competitions. I have a big book hangover after this one. 

Read if you like a college sports romance with a ton of spice. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 2/4

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was not on my radar but I am so happy I picked it up! I wish this would have come out around the time of the Olympics because this made me want to get into the Olympic spirit all over again! I listened to this one and the audiobook is so premium. It's a full cast audio which is just a whole new level of listening experience. Having Jonny Wier voicing one of the characters also felt like a nice nod to ice skaters. 

This story packs a punch! It has romance, competition, determination, and a whole lot of drama! It will keep you guessing the whole way through. At one point everyone in the story is the hero and the villain. You feel their wins and losses, their frustrations and exhilarations. My one criticism is that it felt like everything and anything that could go wrong did go wrong to Katarina and Heath. Almost a little over the top. I think one or two fewer incidents would have had more of an impact. 

Read if you enjoy a friends-to-lovers, sports romance with a love triangle that is packed with drama and high stakes at every corner. Thanks to PRH Audio for the ALC in return for an honest review. 

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.5

I loved the premise of this book! A couple who have divorced is forced to come back together when a family member's health is on the line. The dual perspectives and narratives play such a great and impactful role in this book. It helps unveil the story so well! The chapters were almost addictive because you wanted to see where the next puzzle piece landed. The story unraveled so nicely and all the characters were likable even when they were doing unlikeable things. I don't normally cry in books but I cried at least twice! 

Read if you like a second-chance romance with dual timelines and small-town vibes. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 1/14. 

How to Hide in Plain Sight by Emma Noyes

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This feels like such an important read, especially for people with neurodivergencies. While I don't have OCD, I do have anxiety and depression and I know what it feels like to have those invasive thoughts that won't go away or haunt you in the darkest moments of life. I have often hidden it in plain sight. Trying everything to appear normal on the outside while those intrusive thoughts convincing you otherwise. This book does a beautiful job of showing a main character who is extremely flawed and how she comes to terms with her family's lack of taking charge of their mental health.

Manuel was a stunning main character. Throughout their friendship, he is consistently Elliot's person—the one person she can say anything to. Even when she ghosts him for two years, he is there, showing up for her. Elliot is a complicated character for which we cannot help but root. I loved that the story has dual timelines. I think it helped keep some mystery to the story

Read if you like a messy family drama with intense dynamic neurodivergent characters.

Wisteria by Adalyn Grace

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I'm so happy this series is back! I'm not gonna lie it took me a minute to get back into the swing of the story. Because some time had passed I had to go into the archives of my mind to be like what are we doing here? I found it a little hard to transition to Blythe being the narrator since we follow Signa in the first two books but I liked the story overall with her at the helm. Overall I loved the enemies-to-lovers plot between Blythe and Fate. Their journey was really fun. There were still a lot of fun fantasy elements here which really kept the story moving. I loved that there was some mystery throughout the novel as well.

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I heard such great things about this book and I was so excited to finally get my library hold for this story. Let me preface this by saying I know I am not the target demographic here so maybe my thoughts are a little off. I loved Lynn Painters' adult romances, but I thought this book was corny. Maybe it's because I listened to the audiobook and the narrator had this overly cheesy Disney princess voice, or I am just so far removed from my YA days that everything seemed pretty trivial and stereotypical. 

The thing we need to know about the main character Liz is that her mom died and she's obsessed with rom-coms and the perfect movie life they portray. How many people wear perfect outfits and bright red lipstick to homeroom on the reg? Maybe I just went to a more relaxed high school? She also mentions tons of times how not having a date for prom is like the end of the world and god forbid she go with friends. She changes everything about herself for a boy who calls her little Lizzie and doesn't see her as more than a childhood friend. And she convinces herself she's not changing herself but changing your clothes, the friends you hang out with and your hair is changing yourself babe! She is also a terrible friend! Maybe if you communicated to your friends why going dress shopping was hard for you she would stop bugging you about it! Instead, she just kept lying to her supposed best friend. Overall Liz is just so unlikeable. She's a Pick Me Girl in the worst way. Wes was a fun hero. It's obvious he's picking on her cause he likes her (ugh I hate that this is still a thing) and because he likes her he friendzones himself to help her with a different guy. What a sacrifice! He's a little less stereotypical than Liz is but just slightly. I mean he's smoking cigars in his backyard, ew. But I guess she finds that hot. But overall I find him a bit redeemable because he's a good guy who helps her when these shitty things happen to her at school. 

Read if you like a YA enemies-to-lovers romance with a love triangle sub plot and lots of movie references. 

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A group of unorthodox friends at a local community center come together to save their beloved building unveiling their wild backstories and becoming lifelong friends. This gave me "Man on the Inside" vibes. I loved that show and I loved this book. The characters were quirky and cute. I never expected these old people to have such entertaining backstories! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this one.