“Hear me out,” Marin said. “It’s smart to want to be safe. It’s a natural instinct. If we protect ourselves—our bodies, our minds, our hearts—we can avoid all these messy things. Being embarrassed. Making mistakes. Looking dumb. Getting our hearts broken…”
― Roni Loren, Off the Clock
Five Stars!
- The inciting incident. I adored the way the two main characters met. I thought it was fresh, original, and sexy.
- This author doesn’t shy away from the real stuff. The obstacles between the two of them are dark and sad, but that doesn’t stop them for looking for true love where they can find it. Their unique profession also allows them to talk shop and get the rest of us amped up, which was a smart play on the part of this author.
- The spice level was everything I wanted and needed from this book. I’ll never look at a wine bottle the same way again, and that scene with hide and seek? Oh, Lord. I’m fanning myself right now!
- The brother was hilarious. He’s a cute side character that needed to happen in order to set off the rest of the novel, in my opinion. It’s a small thing, but really well-done.
- The consent was perfect throughout the entire novel. Sometimes books that venture into the BDSM realm (which this barely did) go too far the other way, but there was a ton of deliberation here to keep this classy and consensual.
Five stars? Heck yeah!
“I’m not ready to be with anyone else yet.”
“Sure you are. Seriously, just find yourself a rebound.” Dean whips up his arm. “I volunteer as tribute.”
― Elle Kennedy, The Score
Five stars!
(I bet you thought that if I was going to review THE DEAL because it’s the first in the series, but you’d be wrong. Each of these are stand-alones if you want them to be, Dean is my man!)
- The language. Kennedy doesn’t shy away from making this authentic and dirty. If you’ve read the other books in the series (which you don’t have to in order to enjoy this one), you know that Dean is unapologetically dirty and doesn’t care who knows it. This fell right in with this character and I was impressed with the dexterity of the swearing, which didn’t feel gratuitous.
- The scene of the ex-boyfriend aftermath. I don’t want to give spoilers, but this scene is everything! I have it bookmarked on my kindle because of how stinking romantic and wonderful it is. I felt as seen as Allie when Dean does what he does.
- The fact that the “dark night of the soul” was realistic and a punch to the gut. When Kennedy makes things fall apart, she really makes her characters go through a dumpster fire. I didn’t know how they were going to get around this one, to be honest. It was enthralling.
- The humor of the housemates. Honestly, this is a reason to read this entire series (which I have, several times, and you will, too). They’re such guys and they rib and poke at each other in the most lovable of ways.
- The way Dean is with the Hurricanes. I know you will have no idea what I mean by this, but I don’t want to ruin it. Suffice it to say that my ovaries worked overtime at the way he was with those kids.
Five stars? Abso-freakin’-lutely.
“Cassian leaned to whisper in her ear, “The first time I saw that look on your face, you were still human. Still human, and I nearly went to my knees before you.”
― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Silver Flames
5 Stars!
- I know that Nesta Archeron is a love-her-or-hate-her character from the ACOTAR series, but I am firmly in the love-her camp, so maybe this one isn’t for you, but if you enjoy unlikable characters with redemption arcs/understanding them better arcs, then you’ll enjoy this one.
- The training. Go with me here, but my romances need something besides romance in them to be truly good. This is a fantasy romance, so it’s already got that going for it. The training to be a savagely awesome woman warrior makes me extremely happy.
- The house. In the book, the house becomes as much a character as anyone else, and I adored the way the house took care of and loved Nesta.
- Cassian! I know it’s probably a cop-out to cite the male lead as a reason to read the book, but he was perfect in every way for Nesta, the perfect amount of alpha meets the perfect amount of holy-crap-you-have-way-more-power-than-me and I adore you.
- The spice. All you have to do is hit up booktok on tiktok to know what I’m talking about here, folks. The spice was graphic, explicit, and wonderfully over the top for the scenes that it existed in. That being said, this is a very long book and the spice to pages ratio isn’t that of an erotica, so don’t go in expecting that.
5 stars? You bet your fairy wings!
“Even when I didn’t like you, I lusted for you. It’s the most maddening, beguiling, damnable thing, but there it is. And if I hear one more word of nonsense from your lips, I’m going to have to tie you to the bloody bed and have my way with you a hundred different ways, until you finally get it through your silly skull that you are the most beautiful and desirable woman in England, and if everyone else doesn’t see that, then they’re all bloody fools.”
― Julia Quinn, The Viscount Who Loved Me
5 Stars!
- Anthony is portrayed in an… interesting way in the Netflix version of events and I have no idea what the next season will bring, but hopefully they stay mostly true to these novels, because the Anthony in TVWLM is an infuriating, amazing character who proves to the woman he loves that she is the best, and I think we all need that in our romances, don’t we?
- There are strong Taming of the Shrew vibes in this one. I am a sucker for hate to love romance and for strong male leads, but even more than that, I love strong female leads in my books, so this book was fantastic for that reason.
- The scene in the study with the desk. Read the book, find the scene, and you’ll know what I mean. I love their arguing.
- The quote listed above had to be one of the most romantic moments of the whole book. Just because the main character is strong doesn’t mean that she doesn’t have her own insecurities, and because of many factors, feeling like she’s not the most desirable makes sense. He blows that to pieces and I adore him for it.
- The spice was delightful and right in line with Julia Quinn’s other books. Of course, she enters into the arrangement very inexperienced, so if that’s your jam, you’ll enjoy all of Quinn’s books in this series.
5 Stars? Of course.
“You, Mackenzie,” he said slowly, “have a thesaurus where your heart should be.”
― Marni Bates, Awkward
5 Stars! YA audience
- Mackenzie always means well. She tries to save someone, which is what puts her in the spotlight in the first place, and then she’s trying to be a decent person throughout the entire endeavor. I need heroines that are awesome sometimes. She deserves her HFN!
- The members of the band are so fun in giving her guy advice. I was in stitches over it. In fact, the entire novel is hilarious. A for humor throughout this read, physical and verbal.
- The party scene. I loved how above the board the love interest was throughout the whole thing and the whole makeover is a big deal in all the novels I read. So satisfying!
- She’s actually talented. She has a big decision she makes and ultimately, I think she makes the right one, but it was nice that the author provided her with the choice of making it big or embracing her life at home
- The ending. This wrapped up the exact way I needed it to, and the chemistry (though Pg for sure) between the two main characters was hot!
5 Stars? Definitely.
“If you truly love me in return, accept me as I am. If you can’t accept me as I am, maybe you need to rethink your definition of love.”
― Olivia Dade, Spoiler Alert
5 Stars!
- The nerdiness. I loved that he’s in the show version of the books they are both writing fanfiction of, and that they both have this entire online persona and family that they rarely see but bond with through their fandom. That’s real life, and that’s modern.
- The confidence of the main character. She is savage in all ways: in her beliefs, in her professionalism, in her personal life. I liked that she wasn’t a pushover and wouldn’t play that to get the guy.
- The way curvy women are portrayed and the complicated relationship the main character has with her mom. Family is a tough thing to write when it comes to body image, and I thought that Dade struck the balance perfectly in this book. Her mom means well, but she needs to STOP.
- The scene against the fence. Hoo, boy. I was living vicariously through that one! Read it to know what I mean.
- The spice level was right for the kind of book that is. What was the spice level? Medium. This isn’t one of those books where it’s every other page, but it’s in there enough to make everyone feel desirable and connected. I enjoyed that.
5 stars? Absolutely.
“Hades chuckled, leaning in so that when he spoke, his breath caressed her lips. “Oh, darling. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
― Scarlett St. Clair, A Touch of Darkness
5 stars!
- Persephone x Hades. This book gets all the points for going there in Greek mythology when the market is already saturated with Persephone and Hades books.
- Hades. He’s everything in this book: protective, dangerous, understandable. I love that he owns a night club. I love that he bargains with people’s souls. It felt authentic. I also love that when Persephone gets hurt in the underworld he is livid.
- The spice. Come on, you have to know that this book has some great moments with Persephone and Hades. Their chemistry is completely electric and they definitely do the deed. The author does not wait to subsequent books to give us the gratification of seeing them together. Spice level: medium-high.
- The banter. There’s a part where he says something to the effect of she’ll remember the firs time they’re together that made me WEAK, y’all. Their back and forth is exactly what you’d expect from Hades and Persephone. It doesn’t disappoint.
- The scene where they are intimate the first time. It goes there, if you know what I mean-emotionally and physically. I loved it.
5 stars? Hell yes.
“No rush. This time things were slow and earnest. This time I wasn’t looking for an escape. This time it was about him. About me. About honesty and compassion and everything I’d never expected to find in Wesley Rush.”
― Kody Keplinger, The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend
5 stars! YA audience
- It isn’t like the movie. The movie version of this kept the character names the same and used the word DUFF, but that was about it. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was an adorable chick flick, and this book would definitely fall in the chick flick category, too, but they are on opposite sides of the spectrum. The first thing I like about this book is that it is not like the movie. It’s much more raw and irreverent.
- Wesley’s drama with his parents and his sister. It made him more of a real character to me, and I understood the choices he made.
- Bianca’s issue with her father’s drinking, mother’s career and their impending divorce. Her OCD tendencies definitely supported that she didn’t feel in control of her life a whole lot. In that way, the author did a good job of making Wesley Rush and Bianca Piper foils of each other.
- The spice level: for a Young Adult novel, I’d say it was fairly high. I’m counting the swearing on every page along with the fact that even though the scenes were fade-to-black, she got jiggy with Wesley on a number of occasions, and most of it was distraction.
- The best friends: without Jess and Casey, I think Bianca would’ve been more unlikable. With them, we can see as readers that she has redeeming qualities right off the bat.
5 stars? Yes. Go read it and tell me how you think it compares to the movie!
“I loved him, and no matter what my reasons were to live without him, I knew it wasn’t what I wanted.”
― Jamie McGuire, Beautiful Disaster
5 stars!
- The alpha vibe. Travis Maddox is a young man in college, but he’s physically and verbally intimidating, which makes it all the more satisfying when he bends to Abby’s wishes for the sake of having her.
- The spice level is high enough to keep my interest throughout the entire novel, and the sexual tension between the two characters is flawless. I like that Abby has her own thing going on in her backstory (I won’t spoil it) that makes Travis do a double take about halfway through the book.
- The possessive vibe is present, which can get toxic (and does a little bit here). Abby calls him out on it though, and it’s pretty funny.
- The scene in the cafeteria where Travis sings? I mean, what? That doesn’t even belong in this book in my humble opinion, but for some reason I was laughing through it and really enjoyed that moment.
- The ending is satisfying, especially after the disaster that happens in the basement.
5 stars? Survey says yes.
“I know the course of true love is never supposed to be smooth, but this is ridiculous. Now let me think…”
― Jude Deveraux, Wishes
5 stars!
- An oldie but a goodie. It was published way back in 2004 when there were less body-positive books out. Nellie is considered plus size in her time and must be tended to by a fairy godmother who was obsessed with image before ending up in purgatory. I enjoyed that this was an early body-positive book.
- The magic. I liked that not everything went smoothly and that the fairy godmother was as much a part of this as the main character was, and that they both had growth arcs.
- Jace Montgomery gives me all the swoons. If you’re a Jude Deveraux fan, she writes in the Montgomery and Taggert families extensively, and I adored how he saw and treated Nellie throughout the entire narrative. This man loved this woman exactly as she was and legitimately thought everyone was crazy the entire novel.
- The evil sister. It was definitely a callback to Cinderella in many ways, as the fairy godmother thing suggests, but she got exactly what I wanted her to get in the end, and I felt like she was treated as a person more than the baddies in versions others have done.
- The spice level. Pretty low, but that’s because this was a sweet romance which called for it. I liked that he got her in a pickle to “ruin” her and make her see that they should be together. It made my day.
5 stars? Yep. This was magically delicious!
“Sex creates chemicals that can be mistaken for love. Not understanding that about our bodies creates a lot of misunderstanding and unnecessary suffering.”
― L. Marie Adeline, S.E.C.R.E.T.
5 Stars!
- The spice level is about as high as it gets. I’d classify this one as an erotica, for sure. Each experience is richly deserved and means something to the character, too, which is hard to do in a book that centers so much around this concept.
- The feminism in the book is high, being that it is about a secret society that is expressly to help women rediscover their uh… personal awesomeness. Consent throughout the whole thing makes this an enjoyable read.
- The character arc of the main character is not easily won, which I think really makes this realistic and makes the character likeable in my opinion.
- The scene where she gets to “choose” is everything. Read it to find out what I mean, but there is nothing sexier than a woman owning her body and I love a good dance scene.
- The ending that sets up the next book was completely unexpected, and I always enjoy something that I don’t see coming.
5 stars? Yes! This one sizzles!
“I care,” he said in a trembling voice. “I care so much that I do not know how to tell you without it seeming inconsequential compared to how I feel. Even if I am distant at times and seem as if I do not want to be with you, it is only because this scares me, too.”
― Aimee Carter, The Goddess Test
5 stars! YA audience
- The backstory about the main character’s mom was the perfect setup for this novel.
- The frustrating mysteries that surround each of the characters kept me turning the pages!
- Henry. He’s everything he should be: brooding, protective, wonderful to Kate. A+ for this young adult love interest!
- The twist! It’s hard to write the five stars for this book without giving away the ending, but I’d never do that to you, dear readers! Suffice to say that everything blows up close to the end of the novel and even if you suspected part of the twist, I guarantee that you won’t see the rest of it coming.
- The ending. It leaves it on a cliffhanger of sorts, but one I didn’t mind. I could’ve read this as a standalone if I wanted to, but I continued on to the next book in the series because I loved TGT so much!
5 stars? Gods, yes.
“I love him so much it’s like a thread piercing me. Punching holes. Dragging through. Stitching love into me. I’ll never be able to untangle myself from this feeling. The color of love is surely this robin’s-egg blue.”
― Sally Thorne, The Hating Game
5 stars!
- The voice is really unique. I think you are either going to love it or hate it. For me personally, she came off as a little bit immature, but I really enjoy flawed characters.
- Josh’s patience with this girl is miraculous. I’m really into the sweet cis guy vibe (which fine, is an obsession and you can see it in my writing too).
- The games they play. Like, look y’all, I know it’s called the Hating Game, but her “I’m meeting this other guy in a bar” thing after walking in looking like sex on a stick had me in stitches.
- The entire paintball scene and him TAKING CARE OF HER afterwards when she runs a fever was everything.
- The spice scene was so… I’m going to say it again, are you ready? Unique! I’ve never read anything so specific to their characters as this book does during their scene, and it felt so original and awesome that I tagged the page. Of course I did.
5 stars? You betcha!
“Reality came with a bite, a pinch, a kiss. Longing, loss, resentment, and the most impossible of all, passion. Passion was real. It wasn’t an obsession with the thing you couldn’t get better at, like my dad had coldly told me long ago. It was the only thing you could get better at.
Without passion, there could be no growth.”
― Cori McCarthy, Now a Major Motion Picture
5 stars! YA audience
- The spice level is low (kissing mostly). This works because of the way the story is told. I don’t always put low spice level as a reason TO read a book, but I know some readers prefer that in their YA.
- The nerdiness of it all. The book is basically a girl who ends up on the set of a high fantasy movie set and falls for one of the actors. There’s all kinds of fandom things here to nerd out over.
- The darker themes of the parenting style of her father in this book are meaty enough to hang onto and create a conflict for the character outside of the romance. Trigger warning for it a little bit if you don’t have the best relationship with your own dad, but other than that, I enjoyed the reality that intruded onto the set of this book.
- The writing style. I think it sits that perfect place between commercial and literary, and you can fight me on this. I thought the descriptions were lush but not over the top.
- First love vibes. All the innocence meets teenage hormones. Just read the book. You’ll get it.
5 stars? Yes!
“I don’t want just a night or a week or a month with you. I want you all the time. I like you better than calculus, and math is the only thing that unites the universe.”
― Helen Hoang, The Kiss Quotient
5 stars!
- The representation of the main character was everything in this book. A neurodiverse person who sees the world in black and white is actually perfect for a romantic novel. I don’t have enough thumbs to put up for how this went.
- The sexiness of the the scenes they had together. I loved the spice and how he helped her to understand not only her body, but her pleasure.
- The scene where they’re in the club and she gets overstimulated is perfect to me. I loved how great he was with her and how well this got normalized.
- The cringeworthy scene where she kept putting her foot in her mouth with his mother was so necessary and felt so real to me that I just about died for her.
- His profession and how unique their situation was made this a standout for me.
5 stars? Absolutely.
“Is this the part where you start tearing off strips of your shirt to bind my wounds?”
“If you wanted me to rip my clothes off, you should have just asked.”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Bones
5 stars! YA audience
- Clary isn’t the type to sit around and let anyone save her. Her autonomy gives this book the first star, hands down.
- Jace is the perfect tortured hero with daddy issues who remains protective of Clary even when he isn’t sure he even likes her. His found family in this book makes him amazing.
- The magic system is established, detailed, and authentically unique
- THE BANTER. Oh my word people, the quote above doesn’t even do it justice. I came for the angels and demons and stayed for the banter.
- Reading this book is like crack style-wise. You can’t put it down and it flows effortlessly, giving you new tidbits to the mysteries as you go. It’s addictive and easy to get into.
5 stars? Heavens, yes.
“Just get her to the formal,” I said. “Then watch me win back my girl.”
― Alexandra Moody, The Wrong Bachelor
5 stars! YA audience
- The author complicates this one right out of the gate by giving the FMC a boyfriend. How is she going to fall in love with the bachelor if she’s already attached? The drama!
- The fact that the MMC Cole is a serial flirt. I know it’s not just me. A flirty guy with actual banter? Sign me up.
- The friends in this book really round out the characters. I feel like Madi’s in particular are A+.
- The way in which she falls, which is slowly and in tiny scenes that shouldn’t mean a lot but do. This one is hard to describe. Read the book and see what I mean.
- The ending was so satisfying in this one, y’all. I put a teaser in the quote. All the sweet romance!
Five stars? Yes. Go read this book!
“I decided the Alchemists needed an entire department devoted to handling Adrian Ivashkov.”
― Richelle Mead, Bloodlines
5 stars! YA audience
- Just go read this whole series folks. It’s based off one of the side characters from the Vampire Academy novels by the same author, so if you want to read the originals first to get more world building you should do so. These books are ALL five stars.
- Adrian. I loved him in Vampire Academy and was crushed when Rose (rightfully) ended up with someone else. He’s so sarcastic and protective and flawed. He needed to find someone and now here is a series with him as the leading man! Bring it on!
- Sidney Sage. She’s the protagonist here and an alchemist, which were only briefly hit on in the VA series. She’s the perfect foil to Adrian, straight-laced where he’s all rough edges and honor bound where he’s trying to see the world burn.
- The chemistry. When these two get together, the banter is STRONG. It’s also hilarious. I actually about died of laughter at least three times in this series and shook my head while smiling a handful of other times. For those who know me, I’m a stoic reader, so this is a major accomplishment.
- The actual plot. The obstacles that keep these two apart are dramatic and life-threatening in every book. Sidney finding out she has her own special thing (I don’t want to spoiler this!) also adds an element of girl power that I needed, too. There’s always something happening that could ruin everything, and I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole way through.
Five stars? Sources say yes.
“Tell me you want this too, baby doll.”
“Want what?” I can’t think, my head is heavy, my limbs fumbling.
His dark eyes meet mine. “Everything.”
My finger shakes as I trace the dark line of his brow. His lids lower, his head tilting to follow my touch. I lean in, kiss the corner of his eye. “Only with you.”
― Kristen Callihan, Idol
5 Stars!
- I’m always a sucker for a celebrity/rock star book, and this one falls right into that trope. Chalk it up to my fanfiction days as a teen, but I will never get over this premise.
- The inciting incident was dramatic and hilarious (to me, anyway).
- The FMC does not take any crap, y’all. She is a complete savage in her own right, and this is made clear from literally page one. The voice in this novel is everything.
- The water scene (when you get to it) was so well-written for me. She has a very real problem with what happens, and they don’t skip over it or smooth it over. Everything about this novel is knock-down-drag-out, and this was no exception.
- The spice was appropriate to what you think going in. There was no disappointment on my end, that’s for sure!
5 stars? Hell yes.
“His eyes looked at my body as if it were a drink of water on a desert dune.
“I don’t know much,” I confessed, my voice barely audible.
“Don’t worry. I know a lot.”
― Charlaine Harris, Dead Until Dark
5 stars!
- Yes, this is the book series that True Blood is based on, but it diverges a lot, especially after the first book/season, and the show is infinitely more graphic even before that. This is a series that had me skipping undergrad classes to read, y’all. I was that emotionally invested.
- I like the shapeshifter world. It isn’t just wolves in this series. It’s all kinds of animals and they all have their own personalities and packs. I thought the world building in that respect was great.
- I’m in it for Eric, especially in the 3rd and 4th book of this series. He is the sexiest Vampire “alive”. I’m not even kidding.
- Later in the series, I think they do a good job portraying the PTSD that Sookie is dealing with after some of the horrible things that happened (spoilers redacted). I don’t think I’ve read a series since that deals with it this explicitly or well.
- The spice level with the vampires is at the exact level I want, and the tension! I lived for the tension in these books between Sookie and Eric. She has other love interests in the series, but that was the one that sizzled for me!
5 stars? Most definitely.
“For what it’s worth,” Dad says, running his fingers over the picture, “I’ve never seen anyone run faster than Henry after you hurt your knee last week.”
― Miranda Kenneally, Catching Jordan
5 stars! YA audience
- She plays football, and plays it well. I’m always down for a book that busts gender norms.
- There’s a love triangle with a twist. She’s attracted to a rival football player who moves to town, but her best friend who’s always been there for her is also a contender. I liked that football was involved in her decisions here.
- The sleeping “head to toe” stuff was adorable and really gave context and cuteness to Jordan and Henry’s relationship. This book was low on spice but high on intimacy, which works just fine for the level of experience of the main character.
- The fact that Dad always knew who she should be with and finally tells her.
- The writing style feels authentic and fast-paced. It was a refreshing read for this reason.
5 stars? Yes!
“Everyone always says that love was enough. It wasn’t. Not when your soul has been shattered.”
― Abbi Glines, Fallen Too Far
5 stars! NA audience
- I love that this book looks at the in-between year of being nineteen. So seldom do I see NA books classified correctly or represented enough in my local bookstore, but it’s a real and valid point in time in everyone’s life! It gets a star for going there!
- Blaire’s kind of a damsel in distress (technically) but she doesn’t see herself that way at all. She’s so stubborn that she sits there with peanut butter and limited food for God knows how long rather than just eat what’s around in that darn house. I kind of loved her for that.
- The first spicy scene in her bedroom at Rush’s house was complete fire
- The absolute soap opera vibe that this whole book gives off. It is literally drama after drama with these people and all about their messed up lives because of their weird family. It’s popcorn-worthy, truly.
- The ending was not what I expected. I won’t give spoilers, but as someone who is always able to predict her romances, I found it refreshing that I couldn’t with this book.
5 stars? Yep! I’d “Rush” to buy this. 🙂
“But that was Rishi… he was like a pop song you thought you couldn’t stand, but found yourself humming in the shower anyway.”
― Sandhya Menon, When Dimple Met Rishi
5 stars! YA audience
- Here’s a white girl moment: I loved this book for its representation and its culture that is different from mine. I wanted a fluffy summer read when I grabbed it, and I got so much more than that. It was a window into how someone else lives, and that made it important to me.
- The way relationships are portrayed and how the young people of that culture sort of fit or don’t fit into how that works. They get paired together and are from the same culture, but that’s not necessarily as cut-and-dried as someone might believe.
- Their banter is pretty good, not gonna lie. I felt like I was going to get a cavity from how sweet the whole thing was.
- They went there with intimacy. This is young adult/maybe new adult crossover? and they had the characters go all the way. There’s bravery in that.
- The ending was everything. I refuse to spoil it for you.
5 stars? Certainly!
“Thanks for being here.”
“Of course. What are friends for?”
“Not too many of them are for this.”
― Ellie Cahill, When Joss Met Matt
5 stars! NA audience
- The premise was what I came for, and it didn’t disappoint. The friends with benefits vibe was strong, as strong as I’d hoped for.
- The term “sorbet sex” had me rolling on the floor laughing.
- There was a lot of inner monologue on Joss’s part, but for some reason I was really in the mood for this. This one might be a “just me” thing.
- The twist wasn’t predictable until I was right on top of it, and so even though I could call the ending, this is still pretty good, since I read almost exclusively in romance. I’m a pro.
- The cluelessness of both these characters, y’all. It is the most adorable thing I’ve seen in a while. It was super amusing and cute.
5 stars? Yes, it was shockingly sweet!
“For someone so determined to be labeled a monster, he’s incredibly invested in my pleasure and consent.”
― Katee Robert, Neon Gods
Five stars! Lots of chili peppers!
- The book dives right in with the conflict in the first few pages, which is compelling and impossible enough that I felt bad for Persephone. I’m all for hard hitting right out of the gate.
- The language was delightfully adult and doesn’t shy away from emotional swearing. Sometimes this can be over or underdone, but this book hit the right spot for me, somehow.
- The power plays between Persephone and Hades felt realistic based on what I know about the myth. Don’t get me wrong: a LOT of liberties were taken here. I’ve always been drawn to Persephone and Hades because of the brevity of their myth, however, and this felt like it fit right in with it.
- The protectiveness of Hades. He never wants to see her harmed in any way, and that gets all the puppy dog eyes from me.
- The not-so-private hot scenes were fire. Just trust me on that.
Five stars? Yes! This was a scorching good time!
“Maybe there is more truth in how you feel than in what actually happens.”
― Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
5 stars! YA audience
- I am fully aware that this might be a nostalgia post and literally could not care less. There’s so much love in this/these books (it’s a series). POV gets the first star, because the book shares its POV with the whole friend group, which is a hard thing to pull off correctly, but Ann Brashares does a great job!
- The friendships! It’s the thread (like the pants) that holds all the storylines together. I know I blog romance, but this is just as valid as far as love goes.
- Bee’s plotline, I should point out, is the most squee-worthy in this book. Some might think that Lena and Kostos steal the show, but the camper/camp counselor and soccer vibe win it for me.
- The book doesn’t skirt around reality, and not every plotline is a girl having a fabulous summer. It adds a layer of depth and plot to the story that feels legit.
- I think the most awesome thing about this book is that there is definitely a girl here that anyone reading this can relate to. The personalities are so different, and yet they are all friends.
5 stars? Yes!
“You’re too precious to put into words. I think … it’s like one of Theodore’s buttons. If you asked him why he cared about them so, he would tell you it’s because they exist at all.”
― T.J. Klune, The House in the Cerulean Sea
5 stars! Any audience.
- This isn’t a romance in that it is all it is. When people recommended this book to me, they told me it was because I liked Harry Potter and Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children AND I liked romance. So suffice it to say that there is plot involved.
- The book came off very British to me, in that the romance within it was subtle, but you could definitely see that it was there.
- The side characters are what make this book so charming, honestly. It was hard to choose a favorite character, so I gave up.
- Everyone in the book is super accepting of the MM romance. The couple didn’t encounter any kind of resistance or prejudice because of it when they did get together in the end, and that is so RARE to read in a MM romance that I was grinning ear to ear.
- This is one of those books that is hard to describe and you just need to read it. That’s actually what my sister said when she handed it to me on vacation. Just read it. You won’t regret it.
5 stars? At least.
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Jessica K. Foster 