This book is such a breath of fresh air, and so comforting. It's such a great, polyamorous spin on the love triangle, with the forced proximity trope This book is such a breath of fresh air, and so comforting. It's such a great, polyamorous spin on the love triangle, with the forced proximity trope added into the mix. If you love "snowed in" stories, I'd highly recommend this! It's especially great if you've ever dealt with burnout - it feels like a hug....more
With Business Casual, this series has cemented itself as one of my favourite romance series. I love the cosy small town vibes full of hilarious shenanWith Business Casual, this series has cemented itself as one of my favourite romance series. I love the cosy small town vibes full of hilarious shenanigans, I love how we follow the seasons in these different installments, and I love how much we see of all the characters in each different book. I also love how consistent the vibe and atmosphere of the story is in four different books, with eight different main characters who all have their own personalities and problems. Nova and Charlie were both amazing main characters, making this book my second favourite in the series, directly after In the Weeds....more
I love a celebrity romance, and while I'm typically not a fan of the bodyguard trope, it did work really well for me in a sapphic book. I enjoyed thisI love a celebrity romance, and while I'm typically not a fan of the bodyguard trope, it did work really well for me in a sapphic book. I enjoyed this for the most part, but I had two problems that affected my enjoyment. Firstly, there were too many suspenseful scenes in the book, which came on suddenly and felt anxiety-inducing. I read romance for cosy vibes and to relax, so this took me out of the story. Secondly, I wish the characters had just fucking TALKED to each other about the nature of their relationship sooner. It took sooo long for them to actually have that conversation, and I prefer to spend a little time with the couple after they've established themselves as such....more
Icarus was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and I was so excited to get to read it early. The book was off to a bit of a rocky start fIcarus was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and I was so excited to get to read it early. The book was off to a bit of a rocky start for me, though. The sentences were largely very short, and the chapters were as well, which made the writing initially feel a little choppy and took some getting used to. This got a lot better once Icarus and Helios, the love interest, started building a connection.
I do love the way this book pulled from Greek mythology in a contemporary novel. It's such a strange book, with main characters who are really struggling but are finding support in each other. This was very touching and I did really like the romance. I started enjoying the writing more the longer the book went on as well. I also loved seeing disability rep (Icarus has EDS) as well as intersex rep (Helios is intersex!).
This book is most like The Wicker King compared to everything else K. Ancrum has written, which is, I think, the main reason why this didn't work for me as well as I'd have liked. The Wicker King has such a soft spot in my heart, so I think I had some unfair expectations of this book being as good or better. And at this time, I simply didn't feel the same level of emotional investment. I do think I might enjoy this more on a reread because I'll have managed my expectations....more
Considering this is Bethany Baptiste's debut, I am SO curious to see what she'll write next. This was such a promising debut!
It's a really dark story Considering this is Bethany Baptiste's debut, I am SO curious to see what she'll write next. This was such a promising debut!
It's a really dark story with an absolutely brutal magic system, which felt wholly original. There are so many interesting elements to the story that kept me wanting to read more. Sure, this is a very long book and maybe it didn't have to be, but I was engaged throughout. While this was dark and had so many heavy themes, it was also still really fun to read, which I think is a real accomplishment....more
Sometimes a family is a botanist gay dad, a taxidermist gay dad, their housekeeper, and their monstrous plant daughter.
I'm very specific in my horror Sometimes a family is a botanist gay dad, a taxidermist gay dad, their housekeeper, and their monstrous plant daughter.
I'm very specific in my horror reading tastes, and this hit the spot for all of them. I would describe this as a cosy horror. Even though it's unsettling, it's also filled with so much warmth. The writing was gorgeous and often really funny, and I just adored this queer found family....more
This is such a sweet, kind-hearted story, and Maya is such a precious main character. I might be an adult, but I found her character arc so relatable.This is such a sweet, kind-hearted story, and Maya is such a precious main character. I might be an adult, but I found her character arc so relatable. I loved that she was given space to grow, and how the acting camp was such a supportive environment. At times I wanted to give Maya a hug, but it was also amazing to see her figuring everything out, I ended up feeling so proud of her....more
Give me a story about soulmates who are fated to find each other in different timelines, and I know I'm going to be obsessed with it. And this was no Give me a story about soulmates who are fated to find each other in different timelines, and I know I'm going to be obsessed with it. And this was no different, I absolutely loved it.
It was very different from what I expected, and it took a long time before I was able to make sense of the story and connect all three timelines together. But the pay off was sooo good and so entirely worth it. Because of that, I think this will be really fun for me to reread as well.
I absolutely adore stories that show how queer people have always been here and always will be, and I found this story to be very touching because of that. We went so far back in time, and it was incredible to find out the earliest timeline is actually based on real people from history....more
Usually I know if and how much I'm going to enjoy a book in the first half (and maybe even sooner). This time, I wasn't quite convinced by the first hUsually I know if and how much I'm going to enjoy a book in the first half (and maybe even sooner). This time, I wasn't quite convinced by the first half of the book, because I felt like it focused too much on the DnD gameplay (S&S in the book), and not enough on the actual characters and plot. I've never played DnD and it all just felt like a LOT to me and I wasn't super interested. I also found it a little hard to read because Hollis, who's fat, anxious, confused about her sexuality and has self-esteem issues, hit very close to home for me and it was like reading about my own teenaged self. In the second half though, this book completely won me over, which made me raise my 3 star rating to a solid 4 stars. It was amazing to see Hollis come into her own and start being happier and standing up for herself and making so many amazing new friends. I still just wouldn't have needed so much detailed gameplay described, but I loved Hollis so much and found her so relatable. I loved the fat rep and especially the anxiety rep, and I loved that Hollis doesn't land on a label because it's all just words in the end and you don't have to know everything about yourself immediately....more
This started off really funny, which in no way prepared me for how invested I'd feel towards the end. I've loved Part of Your World, enjoyed Yours TruThis started off really funny, which in no way prepared me for how invested I'd feel towards the end. I've loved Part of Your World, enjoyed Yours Truly a lot, and then loved this one again. And the way all of these stories are connected? Amazing.
Throughout this book, I will say I found myself sometimes frustrated at Emma. Which isn't entirely fair because of her ongoing childhood trauma, but I still felt like her storyline kind of dragged at times. But the character arc she went on then made up for all of it.
I also absolutely loved Justin and his family. He was funny and caring and dependable, and I loved his backstory. I feel like we got to know him and his family really well.
I also loved Maddy, but I do wish we'd seen more of her as a person outside of always supporting Emma. Of course I appreciated this so much, but I feel like we barely got to know anything about her personality outside of some quirks.
I expected to give this 4 stars and say I'd enjoyed it, but the ending definitely raised this to a 5 star for me....more
I had been highly anticipating this for a while after really enjoying XOXO, and I ended up loving this even more. It's such a cute book and I felt so I had been highly anticipating this for a while after really enjoying XOXO, and I ended up loving this even more. It's such a cute book and I felt so invested in the second chance romance. I listened to the audiobook, which was great!...more
Only Casey McQuiston could get me this invested in a couple in the fucking prologue. The romance of it all was almost too much for me, Kit and Theo trOnly Casey McQuiston could get me this invested in a couple in the fucking prologue. The romance of it all was almost too much for me, Kit and Theo truly feel like soulmates from the start. I'm a huge sucker for second chance romance especially for this reason: people who have so much history together, and who've never stopped loving each other, finding their way back to each other because they are meant to be.
This book is very different from RWRB and One Last Stop, and I have a feeling people will either love or hate it. I have to concede this is my least favourite of their adult romances, but only because I love the other two so much.
The Pairing is a very emotionally messy book, which is frustrating to read at times, because you want to shake the main characters and be like “Use your brains!” and “Just have ONE actual honest conversation!” Their logic was truly not logicking for the most part. But throughout this book, I kept feeling like I was given exactly enough romance to keep me on the edge of my seat for the rest of the book to unfold, which does hinge on having a strong emotional attachment to the main characters from the start.
What I loved most about this book is the way it takes on dual POV. For the first half of the story, we follow Theo as our main character, and then halfway through, we switch over to Kit. I thought this was genius and it worked incredibly well....more
This might be a strange time of year to read a book set during Christmas, but honestly I feel like there's no wrong time for a wintery comfort read. AThis might be a strange time of year to read a book set during Christmas, but honestly I feel like there's no wrong time for a wintery comfort read. And this proved to be super comforting!
I've read from this author before, but it was YA fantasy (The Valkyrie's Daughter and its sequel). I loved those books, so I was hoping her adult romance would be great as well, and it was! I thought this was really well written. It was cosy but with a good amount of emotional depth and character development, and a good balance between the romance and a focus on growing back to who you truly are. I also just have a soft spot for second chance romance, it tends to work so well for me.
But who truly stole the show were the sled dogs!...more
Olivia Dade has been one of my favourite romance authors for a while, but this is certainly my favourite book of hers so far. Her writing style, combiOlivia Dade has been one of my favourite romance authors for a while, but this is certainly my favourite book of hers so far. Her writing style, combined with the unique premisse of a spite house, is what pulled me into the story initially. I'm typically a fast reader, but her funny descriptions made me slow down a lot because I didn't want to miss a single word. But what made me stay was the emotional story of two people who are each dealing with their own difficult issues, and who have both reached a point in life where they can't pretend things are going well anymore, finding their way to each other and working through things together. I felt the full range of emotions while reading this story....more
Many thanks to the author for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I've sometimes wished for more historical romance outside of regency roMany thanks to the author for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I've sometimes wished for more historical romance outside of regency romance, and if you've ever felt the same way, this is the book for you. The 80s setting is so great, and I would love to read more romances like this! I also looove reading stories that center music, so it was great to follow the drummer in an up and coming band and a music journalist!
The romance itself worked so well for me too. I really liked both characters and I thought they had great chemistry, which only improved throughout the book. This is a friends to lovers slowburn with some added angst from past relationship trauma on the guy's side. There was no unnecessary drama but instead very understandable growth they each had to go through....more
Last year I preordered Jenna Miller's debut... and I admittedly still haven't read it, for no reason whatsoever. I've clearly been missing out though,Last year I preordered Jenna Miller's debut... and I admittedly still haven't read it, for no reason whatsoever. I've clearly been missing out though, because her sophomore book is sooo good. I'll be picking up Out of Character ASAP as well!
I started We Got the Beat and immediately got sucked in by the fun, engaging writing. We immediately got to know the main character so well, and she truly carried the book. It's impossible not to love Jordan.
This book also felt like such a tight hug. Sure, there is conflict and messy situations arise, but underneath it all everything about this novel feels so incredibly kind, which made me feel so safe while reading it.
And one way this book really won me over was the MC's love for Doctor Who!...more
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