Surprise! My book reviews are going to look a little different starting today. I love sharing my thoughts on books but I'll be honest, between work and life I just don't always have the time or energy to post 5+ full reviews every month. Instead I'm going to do a monthly round-up and challenge myself to keep it concise (like 5-6 sentences per book). I'm hoping this new format will work for me, and hopefully for you too! Besides, I think we're all in the headspace of wanting things short and sweet ☺ So, here we go!
pub 7/19/22 by Forever • Contemporary Romance • Received from pub for review⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars | Colby, a popular food blogger, and type-A accountant Rip have never seen eye-to-eye but when they lose their best friends in a tragic accident, they become co-guardians to their two children. It surprised me that even though the story is rooted in tragedy and processing grief is a huge element, overall the book still managed to come across light and heartwarming as they were all figuring out this new chapter in their lives. What didn't work for me though was Rip. I love a good hate-to-love relationship but it took too long for Rip to evolve from being antagonistic and his behavior was downright hurtful and disrespectful. So when he finally switched to the "love" stage I had a hard time buying it and ultimately it was difficult for me to root for this couple that's supposed to be the center of this book.
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pub 8/2/22 by Sourcefire Books • YA Paranormal • Received from pub for review⭐⭐ 2 stars | I unexpectedly fell in love with The Nature of Witches so I had high hopes for this companion novel and as you can see, it fell short. From the start, I felt disconnected from Iris, a witch who's been hiding her abilities after her and her mom have started over in a new town, away from their magical community. She "accidentally" curses a boy her age named Pike, a co-worker who seems to hate witches, and the whole plot is about how she gets him to help her track a bird to reverse the curse (while lying to him about why, naturally). Predictably it was just a series of things blowing up in her face (starting with the accidental cursing) but I just wasn't thrilled with the direction of the story or the ending and I honestly felt kind of bored with it all.
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pub 8/2/22 by Berkley • Contemporary Romance • Received from pub for review⭐⭐⭐💫 3.5 stars | High school sweethearts, Sandy and Hank, thought they'd be together forever. Instead, he went on to become a famous musician while Sandy stayed in their hometown, running a successful greenhouse plus bed and breakfast with her parents. Fifteen years later, Hank comes back and sparks fly between the two, while the whole town seems to conspire to get them back together (cute, meddlesome small town communities are another trope I love!). The whole story and their relationship was just so wholesome and sweet but with depth. I was fully invested in watching them reconnect, talk about their past, and really find their way back to each other in this genuine (not to mention super cute!) way.
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pub 8/23/22 by Berkley • Contemporary Romance • Received from pub for review⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 stars | I’m one of the few people who didn’t fall head over heels in love with The Love Hypothesis but Love on the Brain was totally my jam. I’ll admit I glossed over a lot of the super science-y talk but I 100% appreciated Ali Hazelwood’s witty commentary on women in STEM (especially as a computer science major myself). The heart of the story though belonged to Bee and Levi, who have a very awkward history from their years in grad school (read: major misunderstanding) and now are forced to co-lead a high profile NASA project together. Their characters and relationship were just so well-developed, quirky and funny without falling into the manic pixie girl trope, earnest, and sexy (I don’t remember her first book being this steamy and I was here for it!). Love on the Brain has won me over to this author and I’m looking forward to reading more from her.
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What were some of your favorite read this month?
I've been hearing a lot of middling feedback for Wild is the Witch which makes me sad as I really wanted it to be MORE than her debut. Not the other way around.
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