-The Hollow Places- T. Kingfisher; 3/5
-True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee- Abraham Riesman; 3/5
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Pub Date: 4-13-21 YA - Thriller |
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Pub Date: 4-6-21 YA - Historical Mystery |
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Pub Date: 4-6-21 Adult - Historical Romance |
Hello, all!
Big thanks to Graydon House for having me as part of the blog tour for Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley!
Pub Date: 5-25-21 Adult - Contemporary |
Kara Sullivan is a whiz when it comes to relationships, just not her own. As a bestselling romance author, Kara can churn out swoon-worthy moments at the drop of a hat, but not so much when it comes to real life. With the stress of her best friend's upcoming wedding and the deadline for her latest novel looming (the one where she has yet to write anything), the last thing Kara needed was to be blindsided by the fact her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Thompson, also happens to be in the wedding party. The unexpected arrival of her first love, and first heartbreak, throws Kara for a loop but it also sparks a fire in her and she's finally able to write for the first time in weeks.
As much as Kara doesn't want to admit it, Ryan has become her muse and if she wants to finish her newest historical romance before the deadline, she needs him around. After a mishap gets Ryan and his dog kicked out of a fancy hotel, Kara offers up her apartment as a way to keep her creative juices flowing. Ryan reluctantly agrees and soon the pair are sharing the same space after ten years apart and it seems like the feelings they shared never truly went away for either of them. Sure, Kara's writing has never been better, but when all the heartache and pain she's kept bottled up comes bubbling to the surface, is it worth it?
This had all the key phrases that catch my attention. Bookish main character? Check. Second chance romance with a sprinkling of enemies-to-lovers? Check. The main guy has a dog? Sign me up. But, unfortunately, this missed the mark on every level. Aside from a few funny banter bits, the writing felt stiff and some of the character interactions almost felt unnatural. Kara and Ryan never popped as main characters, and if I'm being completely honest, half the time I was trying to remember their names because they made that little of an impact on me. I do know that Ryan owned an overweight Celine Dion obsessed bulldog, though, because that was my favorite part of the whole thing. The pair just lacked any sort of chemistry or sexual tension. My tea kettle gives off more steam than their relationship. Even the dramatic bits felt flat and bland. The one thing I did enjoy was reading the parts of the novel that Kara was writing. I would've much preferred to read that story than this one. I really wanted to love this, but sadly, it was just full of lackluster characters and a forgettable plot.
Rating: 2/5
Hello, all!
Whenever I see a new Christina Lauren book on Netgalley, I can't hit the request button fast enough. Big thanks to them for the copy of The Soulmate Equation!
Pub Date: 5-18-21 Adult - Contemporary |
Jess Davis is a single mother who would rather spend her free time crunching numbers than going on dates. Numbers and data are dependable, unlike most people in Jess's life. When she was younger, her hard-partying mother was never in the picture, so Jess was raised by her grandparents-- who now help Jess raise her seven-year-old daughter, Juno. Jess knows what it feels like to be left behind, and she refuses to let anyone disrupt the careful balance she's created. But as happy and content as she is, she still gets lonely.
When Jess learns about a new matchmaking company called GeneticAlly which can determine your soulmate based on your DNA, she's hesitant, to say the least. After some prodding from her best friend, Jess sends in her sample not expecting to be matched with the founder of the company, Dr. River Pena at an unheard of 98%. Jess can't wrap her head around the situation, especially since River is the same broody quiet man who frequents the same coffee shop as her every morning. To prove the data GeneticAlly proposes an experiment: they'll pay Jess to spend time getting to know River. Despite her skepticism, Jess is in no position to turn down their offer, and as the pair grow closer, neither can deny that science might be on to something.Hello, all!
One of my favorite contemporaries is The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, so whenever I see she's coming out with a new book, it automatically goes on my TBR. I've been looking forward to her newest release, Second First Impressions, since last year and I'm so happy to say it was definitely worth the wait.
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Pub Date: 4-13-21 Adult - Contemporary |
Ruthie Midona is twenty-five years old going on a hundred. She's always felt more comfortable surrounded by the elderly, which is perfect since she works at a retirement villa, and caring for the endangered tortoises that roam the property. Ruthie has never felt confident in herself and when she runs into a handsome tattooed guy at the gas station who mistakes her for an old woman, she's mortified and her embarrassment only increases when she finds out he's the son of the new property developer and her new neighbor.
Hello, all!
I fell in love with Emily Henry's writing last year after reading Beach Read (review here), so it was a no brainer that I'd pick up her latest release, People We Meet on Vacation. Not only did I love it, but it also completely solidified her as a new auto-buy author for me.
Pub Date: 5-11-21 Adult - Contemporary |
Ever since meeting their freshman year of college, it’s always been Poppy and Alex. The pair could not be more different: Poppy is loud and a little obnoxious, Alex likes to read books at bars and owns multiple pairs of khakis. But since sharing a car ride home for summer break, they’ve been inseparable. Now, as adults they spend most of their time living far apart—Poppy in New York City where she writes for a travel magazine, and Alex in their small Ohio hometown teaching high school English—usually only getting together every summer for one adventure-filled week of vacation. That is, until two years ago when they ruined everything.
Poppy has everything she could ever want, and yet, she’s stuck in a rut. When asked when the last time she was truly happy, Poppy knows immediately that it was when she was with Alex. Sucking up her pride, she reaches out to her ex-best friend hoping she can convince him into taking one last trip with her. To her shock, Alex agrees. With so much riding on this vacation, and things going wrong left and right, Poppy only has one week to lay all her cards on the table and hopefully win Alex back. Can the pair ignore the elephant in the room and go back to how they used to be? Or is it possible they were always meant to be more?Pub Date: 5-4-21 Adult - Fantasy |