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theromantasynerd's Reviews (82)


The Getaway List is a coming-of-age story of a summer of friendship and love. Riley graduates high school with no offers for secondary education and decides to take a trip to New York to reunite with her childhood best friend, Tom. Together they embark on their โ€œGetaway Listโ€ to try to make up for lost time together. Riley meets a few friends along the way while also facing a number of relationship issues.

This was an incredibly fast-paced and fun high-school read. I feel not many novels focus on students taking a gap year or not attending college after high school. I loved how the book explored the theme of navigating your way after high school and managing parental expectations. It was the perfect mix of cute and real. The story overall was really wholesome. I really liked both the characters and enjoyed the ending as well.

I think if youโ€™re looking for a quick summer read to immerse yourself in vacation mode, this book would be a great pick!

โ€œ๐˜๐˜ต ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ข ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฌ, ๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ต ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฌ. ๐˜๐˜ต ๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ด, ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฑ ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ.โ€

I canโ€™t express in words how utterly beautiful this duology is. I wonโ€™t go into too much detail about the plot so as not to spoil anything for anyone who hasnโ€™t yet read Divine Rivals.

I will, however, say that I absolutely love Rebecca Rossโ€™s writing! It somehow manages to be heartachingly beautiful but also straightforward and easy to understand at the same time. I found myself rereading some lines over and over again because they were so whimsically beautiful.

We got a better understanding of the magic system in Ruthless Vows and I loved the wholesome and enchanting side of magic in this world. 

I love Iris and Romanโ€™s story with all my heart and Iโ€™m so sad that itโ€™s over and we wonโ€™t get more of them and their precious love. These characters are so strong and it was so beautiful to see how they never gave up and found ways to keep fighting for each other and the future they wished for. I donโ€™t know how to explain it but this book is imbued in hope and love and you canโ€™t help it but feel it in your soul.

Julian and Dahlia have known each other since they were kids because their mothers are best friends. The two have never gotten along, and their rivalry lives on to this day. When Dahlia moves back to Lake Wisteria after a breakup, the two are forced to work together to remodel a house. They discover how incredibly thin the line is between love and hate as long-buried emotions come to the surface again.

There are no words to express how much I adore this book! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it โ€“ it was flawless. I was engrossed in it from the first page to the very end. This is definitely my new favorite Lauren Asher book.

I can't get enough of Julian and Dahlia โ€“ they challenge, complement, and fulfill each other in the most beautiful way. I adored them both individually and as a couple. Their character development was excellent, and reading about each of their journeys and their growth during the course of the book was quite heart-warming.
Also, their banter was *chefโ€™s kiss*! I'm eager to see where the rest of the series leads.

read if you like:
๐Ÿ’œ rivals/hate to love
๐Ÿ’œ childhood friends/frenemies
๐Ÿ’œ second chance
๐Ÿ’œ small town
๐Ÿ’œ forced proximity
๐Ÿ’œ billionaire mmc (also very successful fmc)
๐Ÿ’œ one bed
๐Ÿ’œ she gets hurt, he takes care of her
๐Ÿ’œ banter

I highly, highly recommend this book if you havenโ€™t read it yet.

He falls in love with his sonโ€™s nanny who doesnโ€™t stay in one place for longโ€ฆ so when sheโ€™s leaving, he says, โ€œIf you ever decide to stop running and make a homeโ€ฆ make it with me.โ€

I kid you not when I tell you this book made me BAWL my eyes out. I was ENAMORED with Miller and Kai! Miller is a successful pastry chef who is taking a break from the hustle of the world to find inspiration again. Kai is a famous MLB pitcher who is trying to strike a balance between his work life and his role as a single dad. His coach (and Miller's dad) basically forces him to hire Miller as the nanny for the summer. 

The chemistry, tension, and flirting was spot on. I mean - 
She stares right at me, not backing down. โ€œKai, I am not your problem.โ€ 
My attention dips to her lips. โ€œBe my problem.โ€

AAGHHIIJHSSK I loved these two so much. I also appreciate how different each couple in the Windy City series is from the other. 

I liked seeing Millerโ€™s struggle for wanting to discover what truly mattered in her life and her true passion. For me, Max and Monty really were the showstoppers in this book. Liz Tomforde does a fantastic job of crafting side characters that we care for and fall in love with right away. I can't wait to read Isaiahโ€™s book!
adventurous medium-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: No

About: The Crimson Fortress is the sequel to The Ivory Key and the conclusion to this amazing YA fantasy duology. It follows royal siblings Vira, Ronak, Kaleb, and Riya as they search for the Ivory Key to restore magic and stability in Ashoka. However, uncovering its cipher becomes more complicated and dangerous. Their missions force them to disperse across Ashoka and beyond, with Vira losing her power, Kaleb uncovering Lyria's emperor's motives, Ronak escaping his arranged marriage, and Riya's newfound power. Their quest culminates in a deadly labyrinth, requiring their unity.

My thoughts: I'm amazed by the author's ability to manage so many character arcs and storylines and have them all perfectly timed to converge, diverge, and then converge again throughout this book.

The characters were largely in a mess and experiencing emotional turmoil at the end of the first book. The Crimson Fortress takes up where that left off, with each narrative and character arc reaching a satisfying conclusion. The political issues that have been the focus of this duology are satisfactorily resolved, and we also get adorable personal and/or interpersonal goals for each of the four siblingsโ€”it was really wholesome.

Forbidden romance is that one trope that does it for me every single time. I have so many favorites from this genre and this book is yet another addition to that list.

I fell in love with Archer's Voice so I had to try more books from the author and I'm so glad I picked this one. 

This was a beautiful, touching and utterly devastating book. It starts sweetly, a love growing between two people not meant to be together but fighting their presumed destiny anyway. 

It was beautiful to see the love blossom between Calder and Eden which propelled quickly leaving me gasping and shocked by the end. I cried and fought having to endure what Eden and Calder went through.

This is the first book in the Acadia duology and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Read if you like:
- forbidden romance
- stolen kisses
- he falls first
- dystopian romance
- mia sheridan (duh!)
dark funny inspiring 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: Complicated

I got introduced to this series when Netflix released the trailer of the series adaptation and I was hooked! I had seen this series a couple of times on people's shelves, but all that ever crossed my mind was that it's name, 'Heartstopper', was quite intriguing. 

After watching the trailer, I immediately fetched all the 4 volumes released back then, and read them in one night!! So you can fairly well imagine my obsession ๐Ÿ™ˆ.

I recently read the newly released 5th volume and it didn't disappoint one bit. Every volume in this series deals with a new coming-of-age topic, and here we see Nick and Charlie's journey as they move further in their relationship while dealing with Nick moving to university. 

The characters Alice Oseman has developed are incredible. I adore Nick and Charlie's relationship, which is far beyond any physicality โ€” it's pure and sweet. Watching Nick struggle with his confusion about his feelings, coming out to his friends and family, and Charlie being the most supportive while they were both a bit confused about what their relationship was โ€” it was all so innocent and fun to read. I have seen these characters grow through the succession of graphic novels and they have such a special place in my heart. They are my favorite boys forever โค๏ธโ™พ๏ธ.

I also love the other characters and their dynamics in this story, the way they're so diverse and relatable. I love Alice Oseman's illustrations and writing ๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿผ.

The only qualm I have is that this series is coming to an end and the 6th volume will be the last one ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ. I just hope that by some unworldly miracle, Alice decides to continue further with this series because I want to read so much more of Nick and Charlie ๐Ÿค๐Ÿค! 
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

 โ€“ rating: 4.75 โ˜…

tbh, the right move would be to add this book to your TBR immediately if you haven't read it already. thank me later ๐Ÿ˜‡.

TRM is the second book in the Windy City series and it follows Stevie's brother, Ryan, who is a very famous basketball player. He agrees to let Stevie's best friend Indy stay in his apartment and soon the roommate arrangement turns into a fake-dating one. 

I found the development of their relationship really cute. Indy is such a fun sunshine character, super emotional and expressive, while Ryan is extremely serious all the time. This book shows you how love doesn't always need to be be loud and vocal which I think was the absolute opposite of the first book, Mile High. 

If the love language in MH was words of affirmation, the love language in TRM was acts of service. Ryan was so attentive of Indy's feelings. He paid attention to the most minuscule of details about her to the point that he couldn't get any more book-boyfriend-worthy. The way he showed her his "quiet love" through his actions and remembered these little things about her, the things he would do for her was just *chef's kiss*. 

I found it totally worth the hype. It was kind of like one of Ali Hazelwood's books where the mmc is a little too good to be true but at the same time makes the book so so good.

tropes:
โ€ข sports romance
โ€ข forced proximity/roommates
โ€ข fake-dating
โ€ข best friend's brother 
โ€ข acts of service
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

โ€“ rating: 4.25 โ˜…

I only have great things to say about this book and this series in general, so you better add it to your TBR already!

When I say Windy City men are built different, I mean... what in the fictional men universe did Liz Tomforde put in these men?! They're absolutely top tier book-boyfriends that can do no wrong ๐Ÿ™Œ. 

Zanders' love language is words of affirmation and he is VERY vocal about it. I absolutely adore that about him. I loved the representation in this book. I loved Stevie's character and how she's the only person that can see through the facade Zanders has had to create for the world because of his PR team. It was great to see their banter and also how they bring out the best in each other. Zanders makes Stevie feel more confident in herself and Stevie makes him feel more confident the way he is.  

It was just a very wholesome romance between two very amazing characters. 

I would've given 4.5 stars but I ended up liking The Right Move even more ๐Ÿคญ. 

tropes:
โ€ข sports romance 
โ€ข he falls first
โ€ข forbidden romance
โ€ข opposites attract
โ€ข close proximity
โ€ข obsessed mmc
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

KOG was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and I enjoyed it a lot. I found the progress of the story to be quite refreshing for an Ana Huang book. The marriage-in-crisis made it different from a typical billionaire romance and I loved that. 

I liked seeing little snippets from their past from the days when Dom and รle fell in love and for a change, it was just a normal college-going couple falling in love. Their Brazil getaway was my favorite part of the book! And I want to encourage Ana to write more books that experiment with new patterns of plot development.

Some of the scenes in this book were so impactful that they had me reaching for a box of tissues every few pages. I wanted to be angry at Dominic but seeing his POV only made me feel sorry for him. It just hits different when you know both sides of the story and your heart breaks for each of their reasons.

Young Dom is such a sweetheart. He learns Portuguese to impress her family?? Makes paper flowers for her because he can't afford real ones?? ๐Ÿฅน Way to set high standards!

Also, Taylor Swift's Exile is so Dom-and-รle-coded ๐Ÿ™Œ.