The Heart Principle - Helen Hoange

Title: The Heart Principle 
Author: Helen Hoang 
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4.5 Stars 

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A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this new New York Times bestselling romance by Helen Hoang.

When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too. Translation: She’s going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.

That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex—he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she herself has just started to understand. However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.

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I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK.  I am so glad I finally took the time to read this (and the other two books by Helen Hoang.)

I found the characters in this books to be fantastic and relatable. After all, how many of us have ever felt like Anna does - just done, finished, burnt out.  I can't relate to the fact that Anna is autistic, but the burn out - even neurotypical people can experience that in their own way.  There are certainly ways that burnout can impact neurodivergent people, and how they approach the world just because of the way that autism, or ADHD, etc, impact the way they see and view everything around them. I think mostly I just related to the fact that feeling a sense of burnout is a very human thing depending on your circumstances.  

(Well, okay, perhaps a little tangent is necessary - for me anyway.  So, here in the US, where I live, it seems that this sense of burnout amongst ALL people seems to be more prevalent and impacts our live in such a huge way.  It is, sadly, something that we "normalize." We keep telling people to just keep going.  We encourage people to keep working even if they are feeling overwhelmed or frustrated.  We brush off people's concerns about how they feel and how they're really doing.  We push people to be hyper independent and to push off any offers for help.  It's really frustrating and said, and says a lot about what our society views as the most important things in life.)

I loved the way each character was written and developed, and that they were all connected to each other and also unique to themselves.  The author did a good job of making sure each character had their own traits and personalities and also showed great growth from Anna. Anna really struggled with a lot of things in the book, but she grew a lot and learned a lot about herself and how to handle things that came her way. 

As far as the steamy scenes, Helen Hoang nails it.  I felt like each sex scene was well written, AND that the characters had good chemistry with each other outside the bedroom.  They were very good together and had things in common, and really enjoyed each others company.  Their whole relationship worked. 

Quan was very patient with Anna, and I think it helped that he was familiar with autism and how each autistic person is just their own person just like everyone else.  Quan had a lot of people who judged him as well because of all his tattoo's and people thinking that made him a "bad boy."  Personally, I think Quan is more of a softy than people realized.  He's just sweet and kind, and I loved him!  

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED watching Anna grow and change throughout this book, and FINALLY find a voice.  I don't want to spoil anything, so I will just say that she was very, very passive, and didn't really stand up to people or say no to people, and watching her learn how to do that was amazing. 

Overall, this book is totally worth the time!  Read it now, friends! 

If you already have read it let me know what you think in the comments. 

The Bride Test - Helen Hoang

 

Title: The Bride Test
Author: Helen Hoang 
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4 Stars 

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Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny, but not big, important emotions—like grief. And love. He thinks he's defective. His family knows better—that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. When he steadfastly avoids relationships, his mother takes matters into her own hands and returns to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride.

As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America and meet a potential husband, she can't turn it down, thinking this could be the break her family needs. Seducing Khai, however, doesn't go as planned. Esme's lessons in love seem to be working...but only on herself. She's hopelessly smitten with a man who's convinced he can never return her affection.

With Esme's time in the United States dwindling, Khai is forced to understand he's been wrong all along. And there's more than one way to love.

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This is the first book I've read by Helen Hoang, and I loved it.  It was such a great, cute romance that hit me right in the feels. 

I LOVED:

- The two main characters.  They were amazing, I think.  It must have been really hard for Esme to come to a new country, and to meet Khai, and go through trying to get him to fall in love with her - even if it was a ploy in the beginning.  Khai was written so well, as was Esme.  Watching the way Khai was developed as an autistic person and what he could handle, and how he approached having Esme touch him was great.  I am not autistic, so I won't even pretend to know how it feels.  I will say that I think the author wrote Khai very well, and with so much depth - it's great to know that the author understands that autistic people are not just one dimensional, and that they are people like the rest of us.  Esme was written very well also, and was such a great character.  I think both characters really learned a lot about each other and themselves throughout the course of this book and that was great.

- The settings and the build up of the story were fantastic.  The author really developed everything well, and showed a lot of great development in what was happening around Khai and Esme as their relationship developed.  For example, showing how Khai managed things at big events like weddings was great because it gave us even more insight into his character and who he was as a person.  Being in large social settings like that was difficult for him, and you could tell he was growing and making an effort when he went from bringing a book to these events to not bringing one at all. Those little things really added to the story and helped bring me into what was happening. 

- Khai's family was awesome.  I really liked his mom and brother.  They were as well developed as the two main characters, and seeing how they reacted to Khai, to Esme, and to each other and their friends and family was great.  As secondary characters they really felt real and well written to me. Khai's family was also I think mostly understanding of why he lived the way he did, but they also weren't afraid to tell Khai what was what. His brother was honest with him to the point that Khai really did learn things about himself and what he needed in his life and I loved that. 

- Esme finally being open with Khai about her daughter was so wholesome to me.  He met her daughter and was like cool, cool, here's my family.  It was just a great moment of acceptance to me showing that Khai had really grown when he realized that he loved Esme and was going to accept her wholly no matter what. 

Overall this book was wonderful and I am so glad I finally had a chance to read it.  (I am now onto The Heart Paradox, and I'll review that soon - but so far I'm loving it!)

If you've read The Bride Test, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!  

How to Keep A Husband for 10 Days

Title: How to Keep a Husband for 10 Days 
Author: Jessica Hatch
Format: E-Book 
Rating: 3 Stars 

Publication Date: February 8, 2023

Publisher: Bookouture

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Pretending to be married to the man you were married to… How hard can it be?!

When Lina’s oldest friends unexpectedly announce they’re coming to stay, she has to think fast. No one knows she and her husband Brown are breaking up, and so she persuades him to act as if they aren’t… After all, how hard can it be to pretend to be married for ten days?

Turns out, a lot harder than she thought. On day one, she strikes so many couple poses that she throws her back out. On day two, she gets muscle spasms from smiling too hard at her husband’s jokes. On day three, she almost has a heart attack when she puts her hand far too high up his thigh at the dinner table. And on day four, when she accidentally grazes Brown’s lips when aiming for his cheek, she almost passes out in the middle of the restaurant.

By day five, Lina is starting to realise there’s a thin line between love and hate. And while she can try to fool her friends, she can’t fool her heart. Was she too hasty calling time on her marriage? Is this more than make believe? And does she even have enough time to find out if Brown feels the same?

This absolutely hilarious and totally addictive romcom is perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis, Christina Lauren’s The Unhoneymooners, and Emily Henry.

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How to Keep a Husband For 10 Days is a forthcoming book by author Jessica Hatch.  This book has an interesting premise for a rom-com because the couple is already married.  The book goes back and forth between their time when they were first married and living in this little apartment in a small building, and the time in the present when they are going through a divorce.

Here's a little background: Lina and Brown are getting divorced.  Their friend Freddy still owns the building they all met in and held progressive dinner parties in for years. Freddy's building is about to be sold to someone trying to "snazz up" the neighborhood - read: Gentrification.  Freddy is trying to do everything they can to keep the property as is because they really want to be able to provide affordable housing in a city that doesn't have a lot of those options. 

There really wasn't a ton of "Comedy" in this self proclaimed rom-com.  It did have a few WTF moments, but nothing that I'd say really put it solidly in that rom-com category.  Also, the fact that the couple was already married made for an interesting premise because we already know they were in love once, and probably still are (it is labeled as a romance, after all.) The way they come to different realizations throughout the book is the way you'd expect any married couple to.  They have a lot of fun at the beginning, but things get hard once they're on their own away from their friends.  Then they realize that marriage is not always easy - that sort of stuff happens with married couples.  They both realized this, but what they never did realize was that they don't really have that much in common with each other - which leads me to wonder why they got married in the first place. 

Lina did learn a few things throughout the book about what she would need to do in order to be a good wife and about how to admit things about herself that she needed to work on.  And I wish Brown had done the same, but he seemed to stay pretty stagnant throughout the book.  There was little surprise that their friend Sarah became even more self centered in the "current" part of the book than in the "past."  Freddy and Mia, to me, seemed to be the most balanced, open, and developed characters in the book. They could have made a whole book just about those two and the passion they had and the way they cared so much for people besides themselves. 

Overall, I didn't hate this book, but I definitely could have done with some more actual rom-com and better developed characters. 

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as an ARC from the publisher through Netgalley.  This has not influenced my review in any way.

What Makes a Worthy Book

I cross posted this on Medium.  I think this debate is important. 

 There is always this debate that crops up in the book world. What makes a book worthy and valuable.

There is the classic lit vs modern lit, romance vs all books, YA books vs adult books, and so on, and so on.

It seems that the two areas that crapped on the most are YA and romance. People don’t view them as worthy or valuable and don’t think that people should even be reading them. Let me tell you, as someone who reads both YA and adult romance, and YA fantasy, both YA and romance are worth being read by anyone who likes those types of books.

Something I want to remind you of here is this:

• YA books are NOT a genre in and of themselves. They are books that describe the general age range they were written for. YA books can be romance, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, and any other genre that exists.

Now, let’s move forward. When people decide to wholly state that they don’t think romance is worthy, or that YA books aren’t worthy, or that any other type of books are not worthy, most of the time they haven’t actually read books in any genre or age range that they are venting about. Yet these people feel qualified to say that X book is not worth reading.

Think about what this says about books and reading and all that entails. When you say X,Y,or Z book is not worthy, and doesn’t fit the standard, you’re are saying that readers of those books are not real readers. They aren’t living up to some arbitrary standard set by snobs, so they must not be real readers.

But when someone picks up The Fault in Our Stars, or The Ex Hex, or Act your Age, Eve Brown, they are picking up a book where they may learn about what cancer does to your body, or what it’s like to help people learn to love who you are as much as you do, or what can happen when one little spell goes awry. That last one is just for fun — but hopefully you’re getting the idea. Books can be for learning things, for growing, or, frankly, just for fun.

We don’t always need to read highbrow lit that’s going to teach us tons of things just to be taken seriously as a reader. We read because we love books, and some books are going to resonate with certain readers more than they do with others. And that’s okay. I love romance books. I love them! I also love fantasy books. And occasionally, if I’m in the right mood, I love a good cozy mystery. (This seems like the perfect time to plug Mia P. Manansala’s books! They’re fantastic.)

If you love classic lit, that’s great. If you absolutely love romance, that’s amazing. If you only read mystery’s, perhaps you can help me solve the mystery of how to fit more books on my shelves. Because at the end of the day, we are all readers, and all books are worthy. Don’t look down on a certain of book just because you wouldn’t read it.

September Wrap Up

Hey reader friends!  Welcome to OCTOBER.  I feel like, once again, this year has flown by.  Anyway, I am here to share how September went for me.

I read a lot, and most of the books I read last month I really enjoyed.  Let's see if I can remember everything I read:

1. Vespertine - 5 stars, totally FANTASTIC.  This was one of the last books I read in September, and it was a great ending to the month.  (I'll have a review up soon.)

2. A Dark and Starless Night - 5 Stars again!  I LOVED this book.  You can find my review here. 

3. Hopepunk - 3 Stars - a good book that will both break your heart and make you deliriously happy. 

4. Back in the Burbs - Avery Flynn - 3 Stars.  Totally cute and sweet romance.  

5. The Comeback - Lily Chu - 3 Stars.  This was a great romance, and the characters were delightful.

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Were there any fantastic books you read in September that you want to share?  Let me know in the comments!  And if you've read any of the books I did, let me know what you thought!

The Feeling of Falling in Love - Mason Deaver

 

Title: The Feeling of Falling in Love 
Author: Mason Deaver 
Format: Hardcover 
Rating: 4.5 Stars 

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From the bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best, comes a new kind of love story, about the bad decisions we sometimes make... and the people who help get us back on the right path.

Perfect for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and What If It's Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli.

Just days before spring break, Neil Kearney is set to fly across the country with his childhood friend (and current friend-with-benefits) Josh, to attend his brother's wedding—until Josh tells Neil that he's in love with him and Neil doesn't return the sentiment.

With Josh still attending the wedding, Neil needs to find a new date to bring along. And, almost against his will, roommate Wyatt is drafted.

At first, Wyatt (correctly) thinks Neil is acting like a jerk. But when they get to LA, Wyatt sees a little more of where it's coming from. Slowly, Neil and Wyatt begin to understand one another… and maybe, just maybe, fall in love for the first time…

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This was an absolutely adorable and yet sometimes heartbreaking novel.  I loved everything about it. 

The characters in this book were so so well written, even including Neil's transphobic and homophobic grandparents.  Like, I couldn't stand his grandparents, but yes, they were well written and I believed their characters and wanted to swear at them a lot and kick them in the kneecaps.Wyatt, Neil, Josh, Michael, Neil's mom - they were all very well written, and very believable.  It was great to see that.  

I loved that Neil went through some really great changes throughout this book, as did Wyatt and Josh.  Neil is a trans boy who has had, um, some sort of issues with the way he treats people.  He's not really kind when we first meet him.  When was at home with his mother he snuck out of the house so many times, and would take the car and get into 18+ clubs where he would just sit and hang out.  His mother got tired of this and sent him to a boarding school in N. Carolina.  Anyway, no more spoilers (I hope) but this is where he met Wyatt and also became, ahem, more than friends with Josh.

It was truly heartwarming to watch Wyatt learn about themselves as well.  Wyatt learns that it's okay to be who you are and they start dipping into learning more about themselves and their gender identity.  The author explores this learning with great care. 

Josh even learns and grows and realizes that yes, he was in love with Neil, but Neil wasn't really the person he was supposed to be with. He learns to look into himself and find out what he really wants in a boyfriend/partner.  

This whole book was also filled with humor and heart.  There were so many funny moments, and tropes that will make your little queer (or straight ally) heart very happy. Mason Deaver weaved in so much fun in this book, which is fair because you need fun on a cross country week long trip, amiright?! 

I personally feel like the book can be described fairly well with the following two pics: 

If you have read this book, let me know what you thought of it, and if you haven't GO DO IT NOW!

Part of Your World - Abby Jimenez

Title: Part of Your World
Author: Abby Jimenez
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4 Stars 

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After a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come—the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable.

While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.

Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

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This book was the cute romcom i needed.  I absolutely loved every moment of this book. 

The characters were so fun (Except Jessica and Gabby - you'll see what I mean if you read it.)  I LOVED Alexis and Daniel.  They were both fantastic characters and they were so well developed and well written. Alexis started out not really being very self aware, but she grew so much throughout the book. It was great to see everything she learned about herself, her family, her ex, Daniel, and what she really wanted from life. It was wonderful to see her realize her family and her ex sucked and that some of the people she spent time with were not good people.  She realized a lot about herself that helped her change and grow into someone who actually wanted to help people and do good things. Daniel was able to look at who he was as well and learn that he was worth more than what he believed. He learned to be confident in his abilities and learn that he had value. 

I feel like the whole story was very well written and well developed. And in true Abby Jimenez fashion this book was absolutely hilarious. There were obviously some down moments (life isn't always funny, after all) but there were so many moments were I literally laughed my ass off.  Not only was the story well written but the characters were as well.  Also, there was clearly some GREAT chemistry between Alexis and Daniel - more than she ever had with Neil. 

The plot, like all romances, had the usual meet cute, romantic buildup, and the big event that made them wonder if they should really be together - and all those things worked so well together.  It was wonderful to watch these characters fall in love, and realize that they actually were in love, and fight for that love through some pretty shitty obstacles. Abby Jimenez did a really great job of writing characters that were well developed and who grew and learned about themselves throughout the course of the book.  They learned what they were willing to do, and Alexis learned that it was okay for her to stand up for herself and what she wanted instead of being bullied around by her dad.  

I will give a warning - this book covers the topics of both emotional and physical abuse.  If you feel like you can't read a book that has those topics in it, I would suggest skipping this book.  I appreciate that the author weaved those topics in with such sensitivity.  Getting out of an abusive situation can be hard, and it was great to see that both the characters who were abused were able to get the help they needed and to get away from their abusers.  If you are in that type of situation, please don't be afraid to get help.  It's not always easy but there are people out there who want to and will help in any way they can. 

This is definitely a book I'd recommend to all people who love rom-coms.  It's adorable and sweet.  If you've already read the book, drop me a comment and let me know what you thought of it! 

Romance Review Roundup

 

Hi reader friends!  Welcome to a mini romance book review.  I have three reviews for you for some very fun rom-com's you've got to read!  

Title: Sweet Talk
Author: Cara Bastone 
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3 Stars 

Sweet Talk was a sweet cute book similar to Call me Maybe in the sense that the two main characters don't know who the other is in real life until the end of the book.  I should rephrase that - She knows who he is.  He has no idea who she is until the end of the book. And that's part of the fun!  

Both Eliot and the lady (whose name I forgot because it's not revealed until the end of the book) are both insomniacs. One night she accidentally drunk texts Eliot, which leads to the two of them getting to know each other via text message.  Their messages and conversations are filled with humor and candidness that makes it obvious they are interested in each other and have a good romantic connection. 

I loved the phone only contact they had that gave them a chance to develop a connection and get to know each other in a different way that worked for them.  I liked that she saw him dancing before they actually met face to face, and had the chance to see him and how he interacted with other people in a public setting.  I loved really the entire cute aspect of the book, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet cute rom-com to read.

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Title: The Break Up Artist
Author: Erin Clark and Laura Lovely
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3 Stars 

Zelda had a little wine drinking adventure with her best friend one night, and they ended up hanging up posters all over town advertising an anonymous break up service ran by Zelda.  She made up an email address and people who wanted an impersonal letter written to the person they wanted to dump would email her - and she'd send said letter to the dumpee.  Great idea, right?  I don't think so, but it did lead to Zelda meeting a man. I had mixed feelings about this book. I loved that Zelda had a sweet romance, but I hated that she built her little outside of work hobby on breaking couples up. There's some stuff we find out part way through the book that makes you see why her little side hobby is devastating for people.  

Anyway, I loved that this book featured a disabled MC, and that it showed that disabled people are just like everyone else.  Things you can learn from this book:

* Wheelchair users are not different from the rest of us.  They can do a lot for themselves, and if they need help, they will let you know.

* Wheelchairs are an extension of a wheelchair users body - don't touch them unless you have permission!

Overall, this was a fun one time read. 

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Title: Call Me Maybe 
Author: Cara Bastone
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4 Stars

This was THE CUTEST book!  I loved it so much   It definitely is my favorite out of the three in this post.  

Vera, frazzled and upset because her website keeps crashing, calls customer service and meets Kal, customer service rep extraordinaire!  They spend the next several days talking on the phone A LOT regarding her website.  During their chats, they order each other food, laugh about silly things that happened to them throughout their days, and generally flirt with each other in a very adorable way.  

I loved the way that Kal and Vera talked to each other.  They had this instant chemistry, even through just conversations. They both just had this vibe that fit with the other person.  

There was a lot of comedy throughout this book - tons of cute one liners, and the two MC's jabbing at each other a bit.  I felt like that added to the overall fun vibe this book had. It just fit with this book and really added a lot to what was going on. 

Watching the characters develop feelings for each other and then finally meeting in real life was so fun! I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves rom-coms.

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If you've read any of these books let me know what you thought of them in the comments! 

Chef's Kiss - TJ Alexander

 

Title: Chef's Kiss 
Author: TJ Alexander 
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 Stars 

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A high-strung pastry chef’s professional goals are interrupted by an unexpected career transition and the introduction of her wildly attractive nonbinary kitchen manager in this deliciously fresh and witty queer rom-com.

Simone Larkspur is a perfectionist pastry expert with a dream job at The Discerning Chef, a venerable cookbook publisher in New York City. All she wants to do is create the perfect loaf of sourdough and develop recipes, but when The Discerning Chef decides to bring their brand into the 21st century by pivoting to video, Simone is thrust into the spotlight and finds herself failing at something for the first time in her life.

To make matters worse, Simone has to deal with Ray Lyton, the new test kitchen manager, whose obnoxious cheer and outgoing personality are like oil to Simone’s water. When Ray accidentally becomes a viral YouTube sensation with a series of homebrewing videos, their eccentric editor in chief forces Simone to work alongside the chipper upstart or else risk her beloved job. But the more they work together, the more Simone realizes her heart may be softening like butter for Ray.

Things get even more complicated when Ray comes out at work as nonbinary to mixed reactions—and Simone must choose between the career she fought so hard for and the person who just might take the cake (and her heart).

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I absolutely adored this book.  The author did a great job of melding together two of my favorite things: Food and Romance. 

Simone and Ray were wonderfully written characters and I fell in love with both of them.  They were both well written and well developed.  It was fantastic to watch them both go through the changes they did and the self discovery they both experienced throughout the novel.  Simone really opened up and learned that it was okay to be more open not only with other people, but also with herself.  Ray had a lot to do with that because they were so open and so honest with Simone about who they were and what they wanted, and I think that showed Simone that she could be herself, even in the face of complete jackasses like Chase.

Speaking of Chase, he was one character in this book that I absolutely LOATHED.  He was a toady, ignorant jerk.  Ray came out to Simone as non-binary.  They then made the decision to come out to the rest of the employees of The Discerning Chef.  Most of the people who worked there were like "Okay, cool.  You are who you are." But Chase and some of the TDC execs were so awful to Ray.  These people would intentionally misgender Ray, using feminine pronouns for them, instead of they/them pronouns.  Chase would also repeatedly use Ray's dead name even after Ray told him they are called Ray.  It was absolutely infuriating.  Simone and several other employees really had Ray's back, and really worked hard to make sure they were all open to and accepting of Ray. 

I feel like this story was really well developed, and it drew me in from the beginning.  It also made me wish that Ray and Simone were real people doing real videos about beer and food because the videos they made together in the book sounded epic!  The author did a great job of developing the romance and chemistry between Simone and Ray, and also did a wonderful job of showing how hard it was for Ray to come out and be vulnerable in a place where a lot of people didn't accept them for who they are. 

Watching the characters get to know each other and develop these awesome bonds of friendship throughout the book was great.  (And, of course, the more between Ray and Simone.) It was great the way this helped them really stand together when Ray was being discriminated against because of who they were.  

I loved the slow burn aspect of the book as well.  You could tell that Ray and Simone were attracted to each other, but it was great that this book really took the time to develop that relationship and have those characters really get to know each other.  I'm not a big fan of insta-love, so having this slow development of the relationship was amazing.

Overall, this was a great read that I'd recommend to anyone who loves romance.  

If you've already read this book let me know what you thought of it in the comments! 

Heartstopper - the series

 

I just finished watching Heartstopper on Netflix, and it was just as sweet and adorable as the graphic novels.  If you're a teen who loves romance and all sorts of sweet cute stuff, or if you're an adult who loves rooting for kids being kids and being themselves, this is the series for you.  It is fluffy and awesome and I loved it! 

The series does a lot of things well, including the casting.  I absolutely loved each person cast in the series and I thought they fit into the characters they were playing so well.  I especially loved that they cast a trans actress to play Elle.  Hollywood has this bad bad habit of casting cis people to play trans roles, and that's just not cool - so it was really refreshing to see that they had cast Yasmin Finney in that role. 

True to the graphic novels, Ben and several of Nick's friends were real jerks.  Ben especially was just horrible!  He was so nasty to Charlie and it was absolutely fantastic when Charlie was finally able to build up the confidence to really tell Ben to basically fuck off and leave him alone.  Go Charlie!  

I loved that the art teacher was so cool and understanding with Charlie.  He'd been there when Charlie was bullied, when Charlie went through it with Ben, and just created this safe space within his classroom that made Charlie feel good.  It's great when the important adults in a young persons life show those kids that they are safe with that adult and that they can be whoever they are without question. 

The books and the Netflix series both show that acceptance is a good thing, It is amazing to see a series that wholeheartedly embraces all the characters and shows them living unapologetically.  I know someone is going to get their panties in a twist and get mad at seeing a show and a graphic novel series that shows queer love and joy, but my suggestion for them is: get over it.  Everyone deserves to be happy, to feel joy, to experience all the good things in life, and that includes LGBT people.  Alice Oseman did such a wonderful job creating this whole world and showing the love these people felt for their friends, and the joy and happiness they want with the people they liked. 

It was fantastic to see Charlie grow and to see Nick grow - to watch them both learn so much about themselves and who they are.  They were both just phenomenal and wonderful, and the actors cast to play them in the Netflix series were so so good.  

The whole season is beautiful and wonderful, and if you haven't watched it, you need to now.  Also, if you haven't read the books yet - DO IT NOW! 

The Friend Zone - Abby Jimenez

Title: The Friend Zone 
Author: Abby Jimenez 
Format: E-book
Rating: 2 stars 

Reader friends, I wanted to like this book. I really did. I wanted to fawn over it as much as I fawned over Life's too Short (yes, I read her third book first).  This book, however, fell short in so many ways.  

Kristen, the lady MC, is great at some things, but so, so stubborn at other things, and most of the things where she dug her heels in made me so frustrated.  She was told over and over and over by Josh that he loved her no matter what and it wasn't until something VERY BAD happened that she believed it. Josh, to be fair, spent a lot of time talking about how he ONLY wanted children that he helped create, and did not want to adopt.  I could understand some of where Kristen was coming from in this regard.  However, after Josh realized this was what was so upsetting to her, he changed a lot having time to think about it, and he came to the conclusion he'd have kids or not have kids or adopt or whatever if it meant he could be with Kristen.

When the novel started with Kristen slamming those breaks on and causing Josh to bump the back of her truck, I thought their interaction was going to pave the way for a book that was truly a rom-com filled with humor and wit with the romance.  Most of the book ended up being fairly devastating. I certainly think that romance books can have sad and tragic events in them, but when the book is mostly described as a romantic comedy type book, it should veer more towards that than full on car wreck.

I DID love that the MC Kristen made and sold her own dog stairs, clothes, and toys - showing how much she loved that added a depth to her character that would have been lacking otherwise.  It also gave opportunity for Josh and Kristen to develop a relationship and get to know each other since he was helping her build the stairs that she sold. 

The friendships in the book were technically great - that was one plus for this book.  The characters all had great relationships with their friends and these relationships were well built and developed.  If every part of the story had been that well developed and well written this would have been much more of a bang up book in my opinion. 

The back and forth between the two main characters was frustrating to me - each of them was like "I love you," and then just didn't communicate about any of the details that they needed each other to know.  This led to a lot of confusion and drama that was very unnecessary to the story as a whole.  A lot of the issues could have been solved a lot earlier if they'd just talked to each other about what was really going on! 

Overall, this book was a bit of a dud for me.  If you've read this book, what did you think?  Let me know in the comments - I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought!

 

March Wrap-Up

Hey reader friends!  March was a decent reading month for me. I read some great books - and here they are.

 I really can't say which book during the month of March was my favorite, but I recommend them all.  Let me know in the comments if you've read any of these books and what you thought! Mac

Life's Too Short - Abby Jimenez

 

Title: Life's Too Short 
Author: Abby Jimenez 
Format: E-Book 
Rating: 4 Stars 

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A brilliant and touching romantic comedy about two polar opposites, one adorable dog, and living every day to its fullest. When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn't expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn't just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn't want to take anything for granted. But after her half sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby daughter, life goes from "daily adventure" to "next-level bad" (now with bonus baby vomit in hair). The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she'd be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua. Now she's feeling things she's vowed not to feel. Because the only thing worse than falling for Adrian is finding a little hope for a future she may never see. 

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Romantic comedy is a great way to describe this book.  I laughed more at this book so much I'm surprised I didn't disturb my neighbors.

I Absolutely Loved:

* The two main characters.  Adrian and Vanessa are both awesome, well written characters with a truly fantastic relationship.  They start out with him not even knowing who she is (even though HE OWNS THE BUILDING THEY LIVE IN.) And they have this instant friendship that starts because he offers to help her with her niece.  The way their relationship/friendship develops from there is awesome to watch.  
* It was great to see both the MC's grow.  At the beginning of the book Adrian is so dead set against flying anywhere.  He's got bad anxiety, and he hates his dad (not going to say why - go read the book.) But almost losing Vanessa was his wake up call and he did what he needed to do to, at the very least, reconcile past relationships that were important.
* Vanessa making a life for herself traveling and donating money to find a cure for ALS.  She knew how ALS impacted people and was so, so dedicated to doing whatever she could to donate money to potentially find a cure. It showed how much she cared about other people, and about people who are affected by a really hard disease. 
* The humor throughout this book is awesome - if you have ever seen any video or post Abby Jimenez has done on TikTok or Facebook, you know this is not surprising.  She is such a comedic personality on her sites, and that translates into her book so much.
* Even though there is so much humor in this book, there is also so much heart and caring and compassion.  Even in the moments when things may seem like they'll take a comedic turn (the baby having explosive poop), there is this wonderful caring and heart aspect to this whole book.  It's very well rounded and well written.  
* The way the growth of each character led them to redevelop relationships they thought were no longer important to them.

There wasn't anything I can think of that I didn't love about this book.  It was humorous, well written, and had great, well developed characters.  I also loved that it took place in Minnesota.  As a Minnesota lady, I know there aren't tons of books set here, so when we have one, we're very excited.  

If you haven't read this book yet, I highly recommend it.  If you have read it, let me know what you thought in the comments!

The Sizzle Paradox - Lily Menon

 

Title: The Sizzle Paradox
Author: Lily Menon 
Format: E-book
Rating: 3.5 stars 

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The Kiss Quotient meets Love Potion No. 9 in the next sparkling romantic comedy by Lily Menon, The Sizzle Paradox.

Lyric Bishop feels like a fraud – she’s studying sexual chemistry in romantic partners and what makes for a successful long-term relationship, only she can’t seem to figure it out in her own dating life. The science is sound, but how can she give her expert opinion with no real-world experience? In order to complete her doctoral thesis, she must crack the Sizzle Paradox – it seems the more sexually attractive she finds a guy, the less likely it is to come with an emotional connection; but why? – and to do that she must get the help she desperately needs.

Kian Montgomery, her best friend, roommate, and fellow grad student, has no trouble bringing both romance and sizzle to his own relationships. When he offers to tutor Lyric on dating tactics to find a good match, she’s certain it will solve her problems, and in exchange she agrees to set long-term-commitment-averse Kian up with someone different to give his romantic life a much-needed shakeup.

But once the two progress with their "tutoring sessions," they start to feel less like the academic exercise they were supposed to be as real feelings develop. Which is a problem, because Lyric and Kian are best friends and absolutely, irrefutably nothing else... Right?

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If you're in the mood for a truly funny romantic comedy book look no further - The Sizzle Paradox has all sorts of funny and romance throughout the entire book. 

I liked all the characters in the book - and I loved the relationship that Lyric had with Kian.  They were great friends, and once they actually opened up about how they felt about each other they made a cute couple. 

Lyric and Kian did take A VERY LONG TIME to communicate with each other about how they really felt.  Like, it was literally THE END of the book before they told each other they were in love with each other. They kept saying it to themselves and everyone around them, but when push came to shove they both kept their lips sealed with each other, and were then both absolutely convinced the other didn't love them.  It led to a lot of hurt feelings and a lot of potential life changing decisions.  That was the only thing that really bothered me about this book was that neither one just opened their mouth and said "Hey, I'm in love with you." Other than that I really enjoyed this book. 

I loved the whole idea of Lyric needing a "tutor" because she felt so love inept.  Her best friend, apparently more capable at love and all than her, offers to be her tutor and it works - they have this trust in each other that makes it just good enough to work.  Lyric is able to trust that Kian will be honest with her about why she may be failing in relationships and love.  And Kian is gentle and kind enough with Lyric to help her move through her awkwardness at dating. 

The book was well written enough and kept me hooked with the story that I wanted to keep reading.  Each part of the story worked well together and moved well within the book.  I enjoyed watching each event and the entire story play out until it reached the end game. 

Even with the amount of humor in the book it also had the right amount of heart and seriousness that comes along with adult life.  The author did a great job striking that balance throughout this entire book.  

The dynamic between each character was well developed and they all played off each other well.  Even the weird moments that Lyric couldn't pick out because she wasn't love savvy fit into the story and made everything work. 

The growth that Lyric did in terms of what she wanted from her education was good to see as well. She knew she had spent a lot of time investing in her education (and money, let's be real) and she took time to examine it due to her exploration and experiment with Kian.  I think that time she took really helped develop her character and made her seem more like a real person.

Overall, this was definitely another hot from Lily Menon that I recommend to any adult who loves romance books!

The release date for this fun book is June 14, 2022.

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DISCLAIMER: I received and ARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.  All thoughts and opinions about this book are my own.

February Book Haul

 

Hey Reader Friends!  It's hard to believe February is basically over.  Here are the books I've picked up this month.

Bought Books: 

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Library Haul:

                                                    

Are there any books you've purchased or picked up at the library that you're excited about?  Let me know in the comments below!

Take a Hint, Dani Brown - Talia Hibbert

 

Title: Take a Hint, Dani Brown
Author: Talia Hibbert 
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 Stars 

As you have probably heard, Talia Hibbert's been taking the romance world by storm!  And that storm is well deserved - Hibbert's Brown sister trilogy is so cute and so funny.  Every book in the series is a must read for anyone who likes cute romances filled with lots of chemistry and tons of great Oops moments that are bound to make you laugh.

This is another book where I can't think of anything I didn't like.  The characters, the romance, the relationship between Dani and her sisters - all amazing. 

The characters were all really well written and well developed.  I like that we got to learn about Dani's and Zaf's past and why that made them who they were.  That was really important because their pasts paved the way for them to learn, grow, develop, and really truly be happy with each other.  I know it's probably a bit cliche to say that the MC is your favorite character, but Dani really was my favorite character.  I loved her and her go get it attitude. I loved that she learned a lot about herself and what she really wanted while she was faking it with Zaf.  She really did a lot of seeking and self growth throughout the course of the book.  

I also loved that Zaf was aware of the impact his past had on him and was willing to put in more work to change his mindset and his life.  He knew he had so many issues with anxiety because of his past, and he had let that rule him for a while, but then he grew, and he learned, and he changed and made more efforts to further himself.  

This book was, in addition to being chock full of great characters, so so funny.  There were some serious things in the book, of course, but overall, Rom-Com is the best way to describe this book because it is romantic and hilarious.  (Dani+Elevator!  Come ON!) Talia Hibbert definitely has a way of creating smart, well written books that will make readers laugh out loud.

I loved that the book flowed so well. The book was so well written and the events that happened throughout the book helped me get a better insight into the characters and really helped the story feel fleshed out and well developed. 

Overall, this is a cute smooshy romance everyone should read.  I'll be waiting here for your comments when you finish it!

If you've already read Take a Hint, Dani Brown, tell me what you think below! 

Love at First Fight - Sandhya Menon

 

Title: Love at First Fight 
Author: Sandhya Menon
Format: Ebook
Rating: 3.5 Stars

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Ashish Patel has never considered himself a hopeless romantic. But now that he’s found his other half, Sweetie Nair, there’s nothing he wants more than to celebrate love in all its forms. So when Valentine’s Day rolls around and he hears about a romance-themed escape room, he knows it’s the perfect opportunity to bring together Sweetie along with his newly engaged brother and sister-in-law-to-be, Rishi Patel and Dimple Shah.

On their way to the escape room, the group runs into Pinky Kumar and Samir Jha—both friends to Ashish but nemeses to each other. Despite Pinky’s kneejerk reaction to the cheesy theme (which gets her a high-five from Dimple), the two of them agree to join the group.

The escape room is as insufferably saccharine as Pinky feared, but even she is surprised when she and Samir actually…work well together. Samir embodies everything Pinky despises—following rules, having no fun, consuming single-use plastics. Getting along with someone like him—a shiny Volvo when she’s so used to junkers—sends Pinky into a tailspin.

Sparks are definitely flying, but it’s unclear if that’s a good thing. Could this be love at first fight?

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Love At First Fight is a smooshy novella by the author of When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon.  Her cute romantic comedy books have easily become some of my favorite YA romance books. 

This book was definitely a cute, smooshy read just like the other books in the Dimpleverse.  It was a very quick read (it took me a bout an hour to get through) and was honestly the perfect thing to read on a lazy afternoon.

This book takes place in an escape room that two couples and their friends go to as a date night.  Samir and Pinky object to it being called a date, of course, because in this book they are still not dating EVEN THOUGH THEY SHOULD BE!  

Love At First Fight is full of Menon's trademark witty humor and sweet moments. The characters play off each other well, and the story flows nicely from beginning to end.  

Because this was a book that took place over the span of like two hours, there really wasn't the chance for character development or inflection.  However, you could tell that the two established couples, Dimple and Rishi and Ashish and Sweetie, really played well off each other.  Reading the book was a reminder of what great couples they both are and how good they are for each other. We also got a chance to see that Pinky and Samir are definitely attracted to each other, and watching them try to hide it is just hilarious.

If you want a lighthearted, quick, funny read, you need to get your hands on this delightful ebook. 

If you've already read this book, drop a comment below and let me know what you thought of it!