Let me tell you about my favourite NA fantasy book of 2019. _______"It doesn’t end in death. It ends in hope."
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Let me tell you about my favourite NA fantasy book of 2019. _______________
A Story About A Witch Getting Hitched But Much More. Serpent and Dove stole my heart in so many ways and all I want to do is go back and read it all over again. This lush tale full of magic and intrigue is wildly imaginative but soft at the same time and if you're a fan of romance + fantasy, I highly recommend trying this!
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The sales pitch; - enemies to lovers - kickass heroines - lovable side characters (ansel is the floofliest cinnamon roll) - THE ONE BED TROPE� - witches and witchhunters - one badass song about a lady named Big Titty Liddy.
“I know if you aren’t swearing or singing about well-endowed barmaids, something is wrong.�
I honestly inhaled this and if it weren't for actually having to adult, I would have finished it in one sitting. Before I get into the crooks of my review, let's meet our two main characters;
Lou: [image]
Reid: [image]
If there's one thing about this book that completely sold me was the fact that I loved so many characters. Especially these two! The characters in this book had me crying, laughing and turning every page like an addict. Lou stayed true to herself throughout the entire book and was never sorry for being a badass female! I enjoyed her company right from the beginning and it was such a journey to watch her story unfold. Enter Reid... Reid was the horniest mess all encapsulated within the perfect gentleman. He was everything, to be honest. For all those people that mentioned their dynamic is so similar to Nina and Matthias from Six of Crows... you're absolutely right.
“You really think I could knock two fully grown men unconscious?� My husband’s reply came instantaneously. “Yes.�
Their banter was off the charts, and their chemistry practically flew off the page. Because this book was told in dual POV's, I thought it was going to be a problem to distinguish two separate voices, but that was not the case. Both these characters had such a wonderful character development throughout the story and even better, was seeing them grow together. I do have to say that this is completely a New Adult book, and not a YA. Reid and Lou definielty get hot and heavy ;)
“When you weren’t in bed, I thought maybe—maybe you’d—� “Left?� I said shrewdly. “It’s still on the agenda.�
For those who know my reviews, you know that I often fall into the overhype trap. I get very excited about books that have very high ratings and come in highly recommended, but then end up disappointed. I think I've finally found the winner, folks. The world-building (a lavish french renaissance-esque setting with a hub full of of illegal magic, a pleasure house with a mysterious lady, and the men of the church) was fantastic, and embedded within the story rather than separated by info-dumps. There were so many plot twists and character arcs that I was invested in more than just the romance between Reid and Lou, the story itself was fan-fucking-tastic. Truly such a magnificent debut! It was so easy to love this book.
“Can you put something on?� He waved a hand in my direction, the other firmly pressed against his eyes. “I can’t talk to you when you’re sitting there—sitting there—� “N?� His teeth clamped together with an audible snap. “Yes.�
I didn't want this story to end to put it plainly. I loved it so much that I'm just going to ignore the randomness of the last couple of chapters (hehe). One shoutout that I would also like to mention is the fact that this book had LGBT characters but didn't make it a big deal or put any spotlight on them. It was briefly mentioned as a passing comment that Coco had female lovers and then when the fucking Prince of the kingdom all but asked if Reid and Lou wanted to join Coco and him on a sexcapade??! Hell yes to queer characters that don't have "being queer" as their major character trait.
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This is going on my all time favourites shelf and I need the second book yesterday....more
“It’s funny to think,� Maria chipped in, “but if this was an actual rom‑com, you’d end up with the arrogant writer who, it would turn out, was only“It’s funny to think,� Maria chipped in, “but if this was an actual rom‑com, you’d end up with the arrogant writer who, it would turn out, was only using his massive ego to hide an endearing lack of confidence.� There was a moment of stunned silence in which we both stared at her. “I’m kidding! You’d never fall for that cockhat.�
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This was such an amazing book to curl up with. A feel-good, laugh-out-loud, insane romcom with a whole bunch of meet cutes that'll have you constantly turning the page! [image] _______________
Made for Netflix Before I start on my actual review of this book, I just want to say that this has all the ingredients for a perfectly unrealistic Netflix romcom that would be a complete hit! All the while I was reading this, I could just imagine it going from page to screen...
So, this was actually really enjoyable! I thought it was cute and inherently light enough to make me fly through it in more or less a couple days! I think it's perfect that this book is set to release in the month of December because it would be such a fluffy Christmas-time, Holiday-esque read... (even though it has nothing to do with either. There is a passing christmas scene, and that's pretty much it.) But, it's the atmosphere that had me reading this and gobbling it up like chocolate! It truly felt like a silly, insanely dramatized romantic comedy that you would see on the big screen. It was comical and didn't take itself too seriously, so I will definitely be reading this author again!
“No, she is not okay. For sodding’s sake, Janet, pass me a moist towelette.�
Rachel Winters delivers a really fun, hilarious and event-packed book that had me loving Evie Summers by the minute. Evie has to recreate a bunch of famous meet-cutes in order to keep her job. So begins a classic tale of awkward moments, adorable side-characters, class A dialogue and "love interests" that had going from cringes to smiles. The humor in this was very tongue-in-cheek and so many bizzare things ended up happening. Evie stayed true to herself from start to finish, and I loved seeing a female lead that didn't have that "damsel in distress" characteristic that most romcoms lean towards.
While I found it really addictive, there were some elements that I struggled with. Notably, there were A LOT of cliches in this book. From the gay best friend to the group of girls as support and even the single hot dad (which isn't to say that I didn't love Annette... she had my heart and soul). The ending was unique and although I didn't see it coming, some scenes lacked the bravado that I enjoyed during the first half of the book. The magic slowly simmered down towards the end, and everything felt fragmented and rushed. Yet, this is not to say that I didn't really like the "lesson" this book teaches, I did! I found the message behind this book deeper than it let on and I wasn't expecting that at all.
(view spoiler)[The main thing that ended up making this 3 stars was the fact that I found both the main love interests to be manipulative and unkind at times. While I loved Evie, I hated Ezra and began to be irritated with Ben towards the end. (hide spoiler)]...more
“Can you please stop being so beautiful and real and alive all over my house like you own it or something?�
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I finished this in a d“Can you please stop being so beautiful and real and alive all over my house like you own it or something?�
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I finished this in a day and now the bags under my eyes are Gucci.
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A Note From Alex (after reading all the notes in this book, especially the chocolate one).
Whenever I finish a book, ŷ (my number one cheerleader) always sends me an email telling me that I have actually finished the book (as if I didn't know it myself, you'd think). But this time when GR sent me this;
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I felt like ŷ just knew (call it kismet) that this book and I are undergoing some challenges. Initially, I gave this four stars but upon looking back, I'm sticking with my 3 star rating. This is honestly the hardest rating I have ever had to debate. Because, if I'm being honest with myself... I probably enjoyed this a lot but I know that I shouldn't have.
Here's the thing. This book was fucking addicting. I burned lasagna while reading this book... I didn't hear the oven ding and then my lasagna burnt. So in order to truly know this book's rating for me; I'm asking myself now: "What it worth burning the lasagna, Alex? Was it worth having to scrape all that cheesy goodness into the bin and feel immense guilt whilst doing so?"
Here's the dilemma. During the time, yes. It was very worth it. Now? Not so much.
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In The Unlikely Event is something so different to what Shen normally puts out that I couldn't help but pick it up. It's not really a "christmas" romance, but it's a winter one. We follow Mal and Rory's story of love, loss and heartbreak. It was comical and didn't take itself seriously at all, and I loved it even more because of that. It was hot, captivating and so nail-bitingly, page turningly addictive that I really didn't get much sleep.
I loved the different narratives and I found myself laughing out loud during some moments. That is also to say though, that this book is not all comedy. It deals with really sensitive issues and in true LJ fashion, the angst is so unbearably thick, it's better than any soap opera or reality TV show I've ever watched. It's also safe to say, that I unfortunately can no longer look at chocolate the same way. This is not a bad or a good thing. Just different.
The banter between Rory and Mal was probably my favourite aspect of this book. Also, if there is any one romance writer that can take the same trope (enemies to lovers) in all her books but still manage to keep me captivated... it's this one. I rooted for so many different people in this book and although it drained me when I came to the end chapter, I felt like I went on a really long holiday.
"Want to know if you love someone? Watch them suffer and see how much it tears you apart."
But then why do I also feel like I wasted such a great (it was mediocre, I fuck up cereal on my best days), awesomely-dished lasagna? For one thing, it's always heartbreaking when you have to compost carbs. But, for reasons more suited to this review; this book frustrated the fucking lights out of me.
Yes, we already know that Shen writes up the most problematic, toxic and dysfunctional relationships but still manages to make you hooked over wanting to know what happens. I knew this going in, I came prepped for the assholes and the triggers. Just to let you know, the hero in this book is manipulative, conniving and so rude for a good part of the book. The heroine is also frustratingly juvenile and oblivious to so much. Half the time, I wished Rory would have just demanded to understand what was going on. Regardless, Rory and Mal end up being sickly cute and this book definitely amped up the steam.
But I'm going to lay some other things out. Spoilers Ahead
❄︎ The relationship in this book is based on insta-love. This usually never works for me but I looked past it in this book. ❄︎ The amount of miscommunication in this book could give an airline company's customer service rep a run for their fucking money. ❄︎ If LJ Shen ever writes a book with 100% women supporting women, I might actually slip into a coma. There is so much animosity between female relationships in this book that just hurt my heart immensely. ❄︎ Something that would have been so mindblowingly unique is if the topic of "loving someone whilst being in a relationship" was tackled with no cheating involved. It was so obvious that I actually thought that no one would cheat in this book. I was so wrong. ❄︎ Another thing I really wished for was for Callum (Rory's boyfriend) not to be villainized in order to cop out of the relationship. I cant stress this enough but breaking up with someone because you don't have feelings for them anymore is a very valid reason. I wish authors didn't villainize the significant other in order to "make up" for the fact that they are being broken up with because suddenly if they're not the best person, then it's okay for the MC to move on and be with someone else. ❄︎ This last one is probably the most important one. There is a rape scene in this book, and I won't put this section under a "hide spoiler" thing because this is an important trigger warning to anyone that is going to read this book. I wish it was given as a caveat in the book itself but *sigh.* The rape scene in this book needed to be dealt with so much more care and importance, rather than just being an event that occurs in the storyline.
Through all those problems... I still soldiered on. LJ Shen is really truly my biggest guilty pleasure. I know that all of the tropes and aspects of her books are so fucking problematic and controversial, but I still read this like a fanatic. This book is far from perfect but I swallowed it entirely....more
If books were dresses, Colleen Hoover comes out with the ones WITH pockets!!! ___“I’ve only ever wanted to be with you.�
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If books were dresses, Colleen Hoover comes out with the ones WITH pockets!!! _______________
A Story You Won't Regret Every single time I pick up a CoHo book, I get pulled into such a distinct feeling. It's a nostalgic, hopeful, smiling-through-the-tears feeling that I can never find elsewhere. Regretting You exceeded my expectations and completely annihilated me. There is so much to be said of how well-crafted and beautiful this book was and I don't even know where to begin...
"Sometimes when we’re alone, he looks at me in a way that makes me feel empty when he looks away."
Let me start by suggesting that you should read this book with no prior knowledge of what the story entails. This is why this review is going to be spoiler-free, because that is honestly the only way you get to experience all the shocking and heartfelt moments for what they truly are.
Morgan and Clara's story are both so different but the way they weave together is flawless. Colleen Hoover always writes more than just a simple boy meets girl romance book. The main aspect of this book that I loved was the way Morgan and Clara loved and struggled with each other. This book could be read by a father, a mother and a daughter - it has a different tale to tell for each I think. Her writing is exceptional in this especially because she dealt with two completely different characters undergoing two completely different story arcs and developments. I could clearly distinguish between the voices and the separate accounts of grief.
“Dinner is ready. Go tell them before he gets her pregnant.�
You always get a mixture of humor, love and loss with CoHo books and this did not fail to go above and beyond that. Also, I do think this can be placed on the boundary of YA and NA. (I'd personally agree with the YA Contemporary rating).At first, I worried that I wouldnt be able to appreciate the romance stories within this book because I was too invested in the actual plot of the family, but I could not have been more wrong. The romance in this made my heart pitter-patter just like a CoHo book always does. I swear, Colleen outdoes herself every year.
It's weird writing this review because I usually have to go through pages and pages of highlights and notes that I made so that I can end up with a clear and succinct review to express my thoughts but I had close to no notes/highlights for Regretting You. That's how unputdownable this was. I was a 4 am in the morning type of crazy when I realized I had finished 80% of the book in less than a day. That's the worst kind of obsession with CoHo books, you end up reeling because you just swallowed the entire story up and now you're left having to wait for the next time she decides to grace us with a novel.
“I didn’t think our first kiss would be like that,� he says quietly. “Like what?� ٷɱ.� “How did you think it would be?� His eyes wander to the few remaining customers still lingering. “I can’t show you in here.�
I absolutely loved this and my adoration of how this woman can take a story and make a masterpiece never fails to leave me stunned. ...more
“No offense, sir, but one of your daughters is entirely too young for me, and the other is entirely too Daria for me.�
[image] [image] [image] [ima“No offense, sir, but one of your daughters is entirely too young for me, and the other is entirely too Daria for me.�
[image] [image] [image] [image] Is this happening? Can it be? Did Alex just rate an L.J Shen book more than 3 stars? Did Alex just actually enjoy the everloving shit out of this problematic as fuck book? *Owen Wilson voice* WooOOWwW _______________
Explain yourself, Alex
So in the past, Ms. Shen and I have not gelled well together. I find her books very heavily controversial and are often filled with many tropes and triggers that I just can't get past. Her male heroes are often assholes known for how awful they can treat their girls, but somehow it works for people. It never really did for me, until this pretty little storm made its way into my hands.
"He gave me the rarest thing in the world, and I gave him heartache."
Don't be mistaken, Pretty Reckless still has asshole leads, both of them (Daria and Penn) treat each other like shit for the most part of the book and the writing, although enjoyable still has plenty of triggers. Somehow, someway, I still really enjoyed this! I loved the banter between the group of friends and I flew through this very fast. I was so scared to pick it up but once I did, I was completely captivated. I love enemies-to-lovers but bully romances can be very hit or miss depending how the subject is treated, and in all honesty - I felt like Daria held up her own in this very well! Granted, it was because she too, was a bully but semantics, amiright??
“Mess with me, Followhill, and I will ruin you.� “Not if I ruin you first.�
This was angsty and gritty all through and every chapter had me at the edge. The plot-twists weren't shockers but I really didn't mind because I fell in love with each broken character. The character development was so subtly and beautifully done, I didn't even know I was falling for them until I finished and realized that I had. L.J Shen took my breath away with this one, simply for the fact that she can write up the tragic tales of highschool seniors that hits all the feels. It was so very addicting... I haven't read the Sinners of Saint series so I don't know the backstory of the parents in the All Saints series, but this book really made me want to pick it up.
"You are the fucking equation, I want to yell in her face. The riddle and the answer and the numbers within it. You’re math. You make sense. “Don’t go,� I croak. "
This book reminded me of the show, Euphoria. So if you're into that and want something in between waiting for Season Two, here's your little golden nugget! Another thing that I really want to draw attention to is the fact that this book is advertised as YA (Young Adult), when it is seriously not! It is definitely NA (New Adult) with all the steamy and graphic scenes you could expect in one. Which brings me to the fact that this is an absolute panty-dropper, folks. If it's not entertaining you, making your heart ache or asking you to pull your hair out - it's being the book equivalent of a sauna. If you haven't already read this (which is highly unlikely, I just live under my safe rock) and you're a fan of "hate to love you, love to hate you scenes," then you're going to devour this book. I know I certainly did.
"Because I want to kill Daria. Daria made everything fade into the background the first time I saw her, and while I was busy admiring, everything around us burned."
“It sounds dangerous.� This makes him laugh. “Dangerous, like we’d end up either naked or dead?�
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[image] This was such a cute rom-com fille“It sounds dangerous.� This makes him laugh. “Dangerous, like we’d end up either naked or dead?�
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[image] This was such a cute rom-com filled with glorious belly-aching laugh out loud moments. I finished it in one sitting, and the pages just flew by! It really does play out like a movie, and you can practically see it on the widescreen while you are reading. Completely a feel good book with all the fluffy romance and sexy tidbits you'd want in one.
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The Story
The Unhoneymooners follows Olive Torres during a honeymoon that she goes on falsely identifying as her twin sister Ami, who just got married. After a bad case of food poisoning at Ami's wedding, the only two unaffected people are Olive and Ami's husbands brother, Ethan. Ethan and Olive have supposedly hated each other from the moment they met each other, so they both agree to disagree and go on the honeymoon together. What starts as a fake marriage and an excuse for a free holiday soon turns into many misadventures, misencounters and misunderstandings. Soon, Olive and Ethan start to realize that they have immense chemistry between them and maybe they were wrong from the start...
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Firstly, I want to call it and say that the enemies to lovers trope is going to swoop 2019 away from me like a storm. There is honestly very little that can go wrong with the trope and this book was evidently showed how electric it can be. It truly was such an easy and fast-paced read that had little bouts of sexual tension that made it unputdownable.
This was really hard to rate for me. Without giving too much away, the first 65% of the book felt like a 4 -5 star read, full with funny and lovable characters that all had their own charm. However, after that mark something felt so unbalanced and I disliked the way some issues were dealt with alongside some dynamics. Yes, it was unrealistic and the story arcs that were created have been done before, but that still did not take away from how effortless it felt to sink into Olive and Ethan's story. I'm glad the story had no obvious insta-love aspects but during the last quarter there were some cringey lines that felt uncomfortably close. [image]
The Romance
All this book really left me with was a strong desire to go pick up more Christina Lauren books. Not very many romance contemporaries can do that for me, so that was really refreshing. The romance between Olive and Ethan was electric, it sparked and flew off the page. I could feel their hate but I could also feel how slowly they dissolved into each others company. I really enjoyed that Olive is a strong woman that learns her self-worth and sticks up for her curves throughout the story. So all in all the romance was charming.
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Once the book neared the second half, I could feel my rating drop slightly. I was initially going to give this 4 stars but knew that wouldnt be true to what I thought of the story as a whole. During the end, I started being very cautious about the way that Olive and Ethan solved their problems. With no spoilers, they didn't really solve their problems. Then when a couple chapters passed, there was a massive reveal that I felt needed a bigger reaction from Ethan.
With that being said, I loved the family dynamic and the friendship involved with Olive and her relatives. It didn't feel like it was a filler, it felt like it belonged and made the story all the more delightful. But still, I need more girls to stand up for girls this 2019. I really enjoyed this story and definitely will read more of the authors' works....more
“Can I?� he asks. Can you what, Simon? Kiss me? Kill me? Break my heart?�
[image] So I'm not entirely sure why I am disappointed, but I am... I'm “Can I?� he asks. Can you what, Simon? Kiss me? Kill me? Break my heart?�
[image] So I'm not entirely sure why I am disappointed, but I am... I'm also not necessarily upset with how this book played out...
But all regards aside, if Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch does not write his boyfriend a list of reasons why he both loves and hates him for their wedding day, I'm going to safely assume we all died in 2012 and this is a simulation. _______________
Idiots to Still Idiots to Lovers
I'm almost certain I actually kinda "enjoyed" this. I did. This is very different to Carry On. Which I would like to primarily say isn't the main reason I'm giving it 3 stars because I think the book deserved to have a new and slightly dire atmosphere. Rainbow was giving us "the story after the story," and that usually isn't light.
Wayward Son hurt me, it physically ached my heart to turn the pages. I felt like I was chasing something during the entire book but as soon as I finished, I didn't reach what I was chasing for. I wasn't left with the hope that I felt when I reached the last page of Carry On. All my gay heart really wanted was a little biscuit of LGBT+ boldness and courage but it fell flat.
That being said, Rainbow Rowell knows how to write, boys and girls. I don't think I have ever felt the crushing feeling of mundanity written so perfectly. That's what hurts the most about this book, the entire thing focuses on what it's like to be human. It was tragic to say the least.
“I’d give him all that I am. I’d give him all that I was. I’d open up a vein.�
Baz and Simon hold such a unique place in my heart and seeing them understand what it means to love in this book was almost too precious. It felt intimate and it stung like a mf at the best of times. Yet, everything felt too rushed. I wanted so much more from their personal monologues and character development. The personalities of each character in this book was something entirely too different from Carry On. There was no transition or movement into the people we meet in Wayward Son and often, many plot arcs hit like whiplash. I struggled trying to understand Baz through this entire book because I felt like we were handed a completley different version of him.
My main theory on why I'm so disappointed with Wayward Son was because this has been one of my biggest anticipated reads of the year. For those who know how long I've been waiting for a Simon and Baz sequel, I can honestly say... too fucking long. I expected the biggest bang, but this hit too close to "second-book syndrome" and the plot felt like it was filling in for something rather than being a story in itself. It almost felt rushed but slow at the same time. Some events seemed to have no significance but were drawn out and the important scenes that I would have loved to keep reading about lasted a couple of pages. There were so many scenes that were glossed over and I didn't know if it was intentional or somehow, we were supposed to just forget those scenes happened?!
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I love road-trip plots, so when I found out that Wayward Son was going to be the gang's trip to America, I probably got way too excited. So I guess, the moral of all this is; don't let Alex get too excited about a book.
“I’d tie our hearts together, chamber by chamber.�
Another thing I realized was I was very dissatisfied with the ending. It felt like no knots were untied and the book ended very abruptedly. There was little to no resolution, no communication and no overpowering feeling that made me want to turn back to page 1 and experience the story all over again. It almost felt like a novella that an author would gift their readers for signing up to their monthly newsletter. That being said, am I going to read the third book? HELL YES.
Wayward Son wasn't a win for me, but it wasn't a loss either. I have so much hope for my two soft bois that I would read 10 books on them if Rainbow so blessed us. Even though there were a lot of conflicts I had with this, there were moments that redeemed the story for me. Quite unsurprisingly, those moments occurred when I felt like learning more about our characters rather than drifting away from them. I'm not giving up yet, nor do I plan to anytime soon.
Alex � Comets and Comments �
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