Ya'll can never convince me that a man without emotions or the cold, grumpy dude is the ideal type of man. Give me all the emotions and vulnerabilitieYa'll can never convince me that a man without emotions or the cold, grumpy dude is the ideal type of man. Give me all the emotions and vulnerabilities and jealousy and protectiveness.
Fun fact: this book was on my TBR shelf in 2023 and 2024. Last year, I thought "eh, we can pass this book" but I have the 2nd and 3rd book of this series in my TBR now. So I was like "yknow what, let's just read it" and I'm glad I read this cute and feel good romance!
Amelia Rose aka Rae is trying to escape the pressures of fame when her car decides to give up and die right in front of Noah's house in Rome, Kentucky. Noah's a grumpy guy who runs his grandma's pie shop and he's not exactly thrilled to have a pop star suddenly appear on his property. Since there's no cell service or internet at Noah's place, Amelia is basically off the grid which is exactly what she needed. She ends up staying with Noah while her car gets fixed and even though they're total opposites, they start to get to know each other or fall on top one another for that matter.
Yknow what I love the most in romance books? The pining and that exact moment where the FMC or the MMC realise they have feelings for each other. In this book, those moments were so cute I wanted to gobble it up. I will say these a thousand times if I have to but a man in love is such a beautiful man. And that too a country, built to carry trucks and trees man in his feelings and he isn't ashamed to admit or express them. Of course, the MO of men is to deflect and ignore but when they acknowledge and let it hit them in their gut, that's the most attractive thing they could do. I loved seeing those moments of Noah when he slowly grew into someone that was ready.
And Amelia? She and I can't cook for nuts and we both really have accomplished burnt pancakes and pans and set the kitchen stove on fire trying but she gave Noah a tough time when she herself had things on her mind, when she was battling herself and her own emotions. It's not easy to admit things to yourself because it starts from you and seeing her mature and become a woman who didn't hold back from putting people in their place reminded me of a small flower blooming in the sun. Beneath the pop star persona, she was quite lonely. She craved genuine connections and longed for a life outside of the constant spotlight. And she found that in Rome, Kentucky.
Overall an easy and enjoyable read. I'm glad I repicked this.
Maybe I should try to do pancakes for the fam this Sunday?...more
Okay I get the idea of this but the way that it was executed was just... smoke. At least in my head.
This guy who's totally given up on life, who thinkOkay I get the idea of this but the way that it was executed was just... smoke. At least in my head.
This guy who's totally given up on life, who thinks everything is pointless and decides to kill himself, meets a little girl who's in trouble and he's thrown off. That same night, he has this crazy dream. He shoots himself but instead of dying he ends up on this other Earth, a place away from him. Everyone there is happy, loving and completely innocent. He's blown away by it at first.
But then, things start to go wrong. Because of him, this perfect world gets messed up. He introduces them to all the bad stuff from his own world: lying, jealousy, violence, all of it. They go from being these pure, joyful people to being just humans on Earth with all their problems. When he wakes up, he's completely different. Even though he's the one who ruined that perfect world in his dream, he suddenly feels like life actually does have meaning. He decides he needs to tell everyone about love and compassion, the things he saw before he messed everything up in his dream. He's still seen as "ridiculous" by everyone else, but he doesn't care.
The message being find your redemption, even when things seem hopeless there's still a chance for good and we all have a part to play in making things better. I honestly think it's me who has not yet gotten used to the language of his despite reading three short stories of Dostoevsky. But, the message is nevertheless a strong one.
I wonder how the end might have been if he had a different dream. In an alternate world where a dream of nothingness could further emphasise the void he felt in his waking life, solidifying his belief in the absurdity of existence. How could he have opened up himself?...more
First literary fiction of the year and I'm so happy I trusted lit-tok (I'm taking more literary fiction recs, please)
It's the way I felt like I was waFirst literary fiction of the year and I'm so happy I trusted lit-tok (I'm taking more literary fiction recs, please)
It's the way I felt like I was watching some vintage movie with the lives of these three sisters on display. I could imagine everything, Coco Mellors really has a way of being descriptive.
Avery, Bonnie and Lucky are dealing with the death of their sister, Nicky. It's been a year, and they're all stuck on it in their own ways. They have to go back to their childhood apartment in New York because their parents are selling it which makes everything even harder. Avery, the oldest is a lawyer in London and used to have a drug problem, she was barely holding on. Bonnie was a boxer but something bad happened in a fight right after Nicky died and she moved to LA. Lucky, the youngest is a model in Paris, she coped by partying way too much and using drugs.
Being back in their old home forces them to face not just their grief for Nicky but also their own personal problems and how they relate to each other as sisters. It's about how much they love each other, how much they resent each other sometimes and all the shared history they have.
The growth of the sisters was the best aspect. Sure, it got ugly between at times but I think it was needed for them to let it all out and know that it is a start for them to become better. Once you're down, the only way is up. I liked the ugliness of it actually. And the second takeaway was that sometimes you bleed onto people without/with knowing and once you realise the consequences, you'd stop that and take ownership and accountability for yourself. The sisters did that often and then learnt that they have to look inward. Looking inward is not always simple, the ego stops you from doing it. But, it's something we all have to do.
I personally don't have an extremely close relationship with my sister but I still can't imagine her gone. Even if she is annoying and always disturbing my space, I'd rather have that than not have that. In some ways, it was making me reflect as I see aspects of myself in Avery and Bonnie. The eldest daughter syndrome really took away most of my life and I learnt that I don't have to show everyone that I am perfect and have it altogether though it may take more time to practice that. Go lightly, as one of the quotes in the book said, go at the pace that feels right to your heart and without any heaviness on your shoulders.
I'd say pick up this book and read. You may not relate to it but I think it is worth the time (and give your sibling a hug at the end of it, whether you're on good terms or not)...more
now these classics are what I'm talking about, not the newer Riverdale ripoffsnow these classics are what I'm talking about, not the newer Riverdale ripoffs...more
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