How to Kiss Your Best Friend: A Book Review

I'm surprised how much I loved this book. It's a FANTASTIC friends-to-lovers with a swoony, muscley, kind guy and an adventurous, independent girl who struggles to figure out what she wants. There's lots of tension, some adorable moments between them, and lots of character growth for Kate. I honestly related to this book a lot (I totally knew a "Brody" and a "Kate" in high school/college who had the same relationship dynamic), so I think that's why I enjoyed this so much. 

This is a quick, sweet romance that will keep you reading. It's a wonderful addition to the friends-to-lovers romance books out there!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 5
Overall: 4

Thank you, Jenny Proctor and NetGalley, for the ARC!

Language: none

Violence: none

Romance: kisses

Content/Trigger Warnings: divorced parents, mention of cheating, brief accidental nudity

Unlikely Match: A Book Review

I was prepared for this book to wreck me. A transplant romance? Yeah, I was ready to cry. But I didn't expect it to be so heartwarming and funny at parts. So definitely read this if you love

- workplace rivals to lovers

- medical stuff/transplant process

- funny banter

- gay best friend who is the BEST

- start-up business culture

- grumpy + sunshine

This book was such a delight to read. I do wish there was a tad more romance, and the pacing felt slow for the last 30% of the book, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the story and even tearing up. Definitely add this book to your TBR!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4

Thank you, Laura Bradbury and NetGalley, for the ARC!

Trigger Warnings: chronic health illness, transplant, hospital scenes, foster system

Content Warnings: swearing, one open door and one fade-to-black scene

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Wild is the Witch: A Book Review

It's such a pleasure to read Rachel Griffin's magical writing. I instantly felt like I was in the Pacific Northwest in Wild is the Witch because the descriptions are so detailed and unique. And she has incredible characters that feel deeply and have wonderful growth throughout the story. Everything Rachel Griffin does is magic!

This book has so many wonderful elements to it: loathe to love, witches in an urban setting, spring in the Pacific Northwest, secret identity, and a quest to break a curse before it destroys everything. I couldn't put it down!! I read it until after midnight, and that's saying something because I don't have much sleep with a newborn as it is. Everything about this book was perfect: the slow burn romance with a great conflict, the setting/atmosphere, the magic, and the character growth.

Basically, READ THIS BOOK AND PREORDER SO YOU GET THE BEAUTIFUL LIMITED-EDITION HARDCOVER!!!!!

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you, Sourcebooks, for the ARC!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

For the Throne: A Book Review

So this book requires that you remember a lot of character and plot details from For the Wolf. I, unfortunately, did not remember any details. I had a basic understanding of how For the Wolf ended, and it wasn't enough for me to fully enjoy For the Throne.

I found the plot to be too basic, the world building too complicated, and the characters too lackluster. I didn't really understand Neve's motivation for helping Solmir besides the boring "it's the right thing to do," and her growth felt stagnant. I'm also not sure why we got Red's POV as often as we did. Red was important for the ending, but everything before felt unnecessary.

The one good thing about this book was Solmir. He was an interesting morally-gray character, and I liked learning more about him through this book. The enemies-to-lovers romance was also super sweet in some scenes, but it could have been stronger. Overall, a lot of things in this book could be stronger. I think it just wasn't for me.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 2
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Thank you, Orbit Books, for the ARC!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Edward and Amelia: A Book Review

Marriage of convenience always draws me in, but the sweet romance and lovable characters in this book kept me fully entertained. I loved that both the main characters had their secrets—it created the perfect tension without being annoying. And honestly, the guy MC was such a cinnamon roll. I loved all of his POV chapters and his intent on being the best husband. If nothing else, read this one for the cinnamon roll.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 5
Overall: 4

Thank you, Covenant Communications, for the ARC!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

The Stardust Thief: A Book Review

I was not expecting this book to be an absolute RIDE! It combined all my favorite things from previous desert-themed books like The Wrath and the Dawn, We Hunt the Flame, and Rebel of the Sands. It has many stories from One Thousand and One Nights, tons of jinn, magic and relics, and an intriguing quest full of hidden identity, secret politics, and desert traveling. The characters are magnificent and truly have a lot of growth through the book. Although there's no romance in this one, I have very high hopes that this book sets up the stage for a fantastic romance in book two. And the writing was superb: detailed and flowing and easy to get lost in.

Honestly I expect this book to be a huge hit once it releases. I can't wait to read books two and three! Definitely pick this up if you want a sweeping desert fantasy with jinn magic and fantastic characters and world building.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 5
Character Development: 5
Overall: 5

Thank you, Orbit Books, for the ARC!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!

Breaking Time: A Book Review

Hello, most gorgeous cover of all time. But unfortunately, Breaking Time fell into the category of "story didn't quite live up to gorgeous cover." There's always a risk of that happening, but honestly the story had a lot to live up to with this cover. It's just breathtaking. 

Basically, this book just felt lacking for me. The characters were okay, but the romance didn't feel fully developed. There were several plot conveniences that were ridiculous (what kind of national library keeps their special collections completely unlocked with no security cameras?) and I was kind of confused about the magic and exactly what Klara could and could not do. And there were some cringy pieces of dialogue. 

Overall, it had a lot of potential! I'm just being picky at this point. I think this book will find a home with many readers out there—I'm just not one of them. Except I won't forget this cover anytime soon. 

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 3
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Thank you, Inkyard Press, for the ARC!

For more ratings and reviews and to see what I'm currently reading, visit my Goodreads page here!