I have no idea where I heard of this book, but I'm so glad I found it because I thoroughly enjoyed it! Maggie has been kind of floating through life, I have no idea where I heard of this book, but I'm so glad I found it because I thoroughly enjoyed it! Maggie has been kind of floating through life, trying to figure out what she wants to do, when her college friend asks if she wants to manage her bookshop while she's on maternity leave. Maggie isn't much of a reader but she needs a job, so she moves across the country for this. The town, Bell River, is famous because it's where the author Edward Bell used to live, and everything in town is geared to bring in tourists who are interested in Bell himself. Even the bookshop is prohibited from selling books that were published after Bell's death. Unfortunately, those are the books people want to buy, and the bookshop isn't doing too well. In an effort to bring in more business, Maggie decides to start secretly selling contemporary books, host literary events, and befriends almost everyone in town in the meantime.
This was such a fun book to read! I loved the description of the town and all the people who lived there. It felt like such a tourist attraction but shown from the perspective of those who live there. Maggie was so intrepid, and I absolutely loved her idea for secret literary events to bring in business. It made all the attendees (and me, as the reader!) feel like they were in on a secret. I totally want these literary events to be held near me because they were absolutely brilliant! The characters in here felt so real, and the romance that develops between Maggie and one of the men in town was believable and sweet. I also really enjoyed reading about the rivalry (for lack of a better word) between Maggie and one of Bell's descendants, who was committed to preserving Bell's legacy at all costs. This storyline added a hint of mystery and intrigue to the book as well, rounding it out even further.
I am so surprised this book doesn't only have rave reviews because I thought it was just so fun! I would heartily recommend this to anyone looking for a very fun and entertaining story that feels grounded but also makes you feel like you're going away on vacation to a small town somewhere with a really lovable set of characters. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!...more
Anastasia is part of the figure skating team at her college, hoping for an eventual shot at the Olympics with her pairs partner. After she meets one oAnastasia is part of the figure skating team at her college, hoping for an eventual shot at the Olympics with her pairs partner. After she meets one of the guys on the school's hockey team, she finds herself falling for him despite all the reasons why she doesn't want to get involved with a hockey player.
I kept seeing this book being hyped, so finally I had to check it out and see what all the fuss was about. I think I expected this to be mostly a lighthearted romance but it was definitely a bit more spicy than I anticipated! The plot was pretty basic and you already know how it'll end (this is a romance, after all), but the author did a good job creating believable and actually somewhat complex characters overall, which is the main reason I kept reading the book despite having to continually suspend my disbelief. Even the premise is unbelievable, but this isn't about reality here, this is about entertainment!
I felt like the book was longer than it needed to be, but I was impressed by the author's ability to keep the story moving along despite it being fairly straightforward. Some of the phrases in here made me cringe a bit (like Anastasia constantly being called a "good girl" or "baby") and the plot occasionally seemed contrived or just ridiculous (what college has a competitive figure skating team where the participants have a legitimate chance at going to the Olympics?), but it was pretty entertaining overall. ...more
3.5 stars. Samantha and Xavier meet when she brings a kitten into his veterinary practice. They don't immediately get along, but they are immediately 3.5 stars. Samantha and Xavier meet when she brings a kitten into his veterinary practice. They don't immediately get along, but they are immediately attracted to each other. Soon after, they end up going on a date that neither wants to end... but it has to end, which makes them both sad because the next day, Samantha has to leave for another state to help the rest of her family get through a crisis, and she doesn't know if she'll ever return to Minnesota. She tells him to forget her, but neither of them is able to forget the other, and soon they are in a long-distance relationship that doesn't seem to have an endgame since neither is in a position where they can move to the same state.
The characters were well-rounded and felt as authentic as usual, I enjoyed the deeper-than-seems-typical personal dynamics for each of the two main characters, and I liked that the forces keeping the two lovebirds from truly being together wasn't some silly misunderstanding but was due to real reasons why they had to live in different states. That said, the reasons also didn't feel (to me) like they were insurmountable, but they were at least believable forces keeping the two distanced from each other. As usual in the author's books, the characters felt believable and relatable, and I liked the fact that they were complex and dealing with real issues in their lives that could be relatable to readers.
While this was engaging overall, I didn't like this book nearly as much as the previous books I've read by this author. I felt like this relied a little too much on insta-love (seriously, they went on one date before she moved out of state!) and the chapters occasionally felt repetitive as there were multiple ones that opened or ended with a statement about how much one of them missed the other or saying how everything felt right once they were together again. I started wondering when the story would move from these musings and move into part of the story that wasn't just about how much they missed or loved the other one. I think it would have been more believable if the two had more of a history together, perhaps childhood friends or were formerly in a relationship and are now getting a second chance to do things well. Instead, I just had to believe that they were very quickly falling in love. And to be fair, she does write romance well, so it was easy to believe this... it just also felt unrealistic. There were also a number of pop culture references that didn't hit the mark if you didn't have a frame of reference for it, such as multiple people comparing Xavier to a character from a popular book series.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and am glad I read it. I'll continue to read more by the author because she does such a good job with the worlds she creates and her romances have more depth and complexity than a lot of other authors in the same genre. I would recommend this book to fans of the author, but if you haven't read anything by her before, this wouldn't be the book of hers I'd recommend starting with since I think there are better ones out there that will truly turn you into a fan!...more
This book was mentioned as a fun romance on a podcast I was listening to, so I decided to check it out. Turns out, this is not the book for me. I founThis book was mentioned as a fun romance on a podcast I was listening to, so I decided to check it out. Turns out, this is not the book for me. I found the writing awkward and the story and characters pretty average. Everyone talked like they were speaking for the reader's benefit and I felt like the dialogue was trying too hard to be funny. Didn't read far enough into this book to rate it, but I did read enough to know I did not want to finish....more
A friend and I came across this at a bookstore, and it seemed like a romance totally meant for me. This is the first in a trilogy, each starring a difA friend and I came across this at a bookstore, and it seemed like a romance totally meant for me. This is the first in a trilogy, each starring a different former member of a boyband as the male love interest. In this one, Nolan, the former "bad boy" of INK, is trying to rehab his image and this had led him to taking the starring role in a Christmas movie for a Hallmark Channel-ish station. The lead actress has to drop out, so the producer (who secretly also produces adult films under another name) replaces her with Bee, an adult film actress who's eager to star in a mainstream movie under her real name, even though she knows she has to keep her day job a secret in order to keep this role. Nolan recognizes her, as he's a big fan of her work, and Bee of course recognizes him too since she used to have a crush on him when he was in INK. Soon, the two of them are meeting for secret rendezvous all over town while trying to keep their budding relationship a secret from everyone else.
This sounded like it would be a fun story, and parts of it were. However, as a whole, this seemed to drag on a lot longer than necessary and I started skimming partway through. The authors did a good job showing the chemistry between Bee and Nolan, but their relationship never seemed to get much deeper than attraction. They each had thin backstories about their motivations for doing this movie and their family lives, but when they were together, it was basically just about how they couldn't keep their attraction to one another hidden and then worry about getting found out by anyone else on set.
There were a few funny inclusions that made me think this would have made a real entertaining novella. I enjoyed various crew members of the movie having to drop out for one reason or another and the producer secretly replacing them with crew members from his adult business, warning each of them to keep their usual jobs a secret. These little bits were funny and engaging, but it wasn't enough to carry a novel, and there wasn't enough romance, plot, or depth to carry the novel either. This had its moments, but I won't be reading the rest of this trilogy....more
4.5 stars. Anna is divorced with two kids and writes a column for a local paper. She has no interest in dating, but with her office rival vying for he4.5 stars. Anna is divorced with two kids and writes a column for a local paper. She has no interest in dating, but with her office rival vying for her column space and a company takeover meaning jobs will be cut, she offers to write a dating column with a twist: her kids will pick out the men for her to date.
This was such a fun story! I’d read a book by this author before and remembered liking it; this one did not disappoint and makes me think I should check out some of her other books. The story was super cute, and the humor in here was really spot on. I couldn’t help but smile throughout the book and thoroughly enjoyed some of the situations that Anna found herself in. There was a lot of personal growth in here, showing Anna coming to accept her life and move from being kind of resigned to what’s happened to her to feeling like she actually is enjoying herself, gaining a lot of self-confidence along the way.
The men her kids picked out for her to date were all different and entertaining. While the main love interest was obvious from the start, it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the journey it took to get there. There were some common romance tropes in here that could have felt tired and overdone, but the writing in here sparkled enough that the characters still felt like they had depth and complexity that turned them into real people instead of just characters in a book.
I finished this book wanting more and feeling pretty happy because the book was such a feel-good story. Every time I put it down, I was excited to pick it up again. For anyone looking for a lighthearted romance with characters that feel real and interactions that make you smile, this is a good book to check out! ...more
This book has so many rave reviews and is a bestseller, so of course I had to pick it up. Unfortunately, I couldn't read more than a few chapters and This book has so many rave reviews and is a bestseller, so of course I had to pick it up. Unfortunately, I couldn't read more than a few chapters and don't understand why others seem to love this. The main characters are serial killers targeting other serial killers and bad guys. After a chance meeting, they fall in love and then I guess they have to escape something, but I didn't get that far because I couldn't stand reading any more of this.
The main characters were so unlikeable (yes, I know they're murderers, but they're supposed to be "good" ones, and if I'm reading a book, I need to not hate the main characters) and the weird mix of horror and romance absolutely did not work. This felt like it was trying too hard to be in both categories, and I did not enjoy any part of either. ...more
Brynn likes to binge her favorite 2000's teen soap, Carson's Cove, anytime she needs a pick me up. On her 30th birthday, while binging the show with hBrynn likes to binge her favorite 2000's teen soap, Carson's Cove, anytime she needs a pick me up. On her 30th birthday, while binging the show with her roommate, Josh, she makes a wish that results in them both waking up in Carson's Cove the next morning. Brynn is Sloan, the female lead on the show, and Josh is Fletcher, the town's bad boy. Brynn's goal is to give Sloan the happily ever after that she never got, since the show was canceled before the main love story could be resolved. But as Brynn goes through the motions, she discovers that the town isn't as magical as she once thought and that she might actually be more attracted to Josh than she is to the male lead that she's supposed to be pursuing!
The story in here was kind of complicated at times, due to needing to follow the actual story of Brynn and also catch up on the storyline in the teen drama she liked, and the magic in here was more magical than explained, but the novel was nevertheless a lot of fun. It definitely gave off Dawson's Creek and The O.C. vibes and how these shows would be viewed by someone today who's been binging them! I thought the author did a good job bringing this all together and turning this all into a cohesive story, which felt like no small feat due to the complexity. There were a few things I wish had been explained a bit more (the magic, for example), but it was entertaining so I can't complain too much. Sometimes you have to just accept that something magical has happened in order for the story to get underway!
The characters in here were interesting, if slightly underdeveloped, likely due to there being so much world building involved that it came at the expense of character building. I liked Brynn and Josh, and I really liked the characters they met in the world of Carson's Cove, as Brynn learned that there was more to the supporting characters than she'd realized while binging the show, too busy focused on the main characters to think about anyone else. This was probably the sweetest part of the book, the realization that everyone is still a person even if they're not considered the star of the show. The romance was cute too, although I feel like that could have been a bit more developed as well.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and reading this was a fun way to spend some time. If you've ever enjoyed teen dramas and wish you could go into their world, this might be a book to pick up!...more
Last Christmas, Ellie met a woman who she fell in love with. The next day, everything fell apart in her life and she hasn't seen the woman since, but Last Christmas, Ellie met a woman who she fell in love with. The next day, everything fell apart in her life and she hasn't seen the woman since, but she's thought about her every day. A year later, she's basically just going through the motions and hoping she can scrape together enough money to make rent, when Andrew, the landlord of the building she works in, offers her a marriage of convenience so he can come into his inheritance, promising to pay Ellie a percentage of it for her participation. The idea makes Ellie's already strong anxiety worsen, but she desperately needs money and prepares to spend the holidays with Andrew's family as his new fiancee. Once at his family's cabin, however, she discovers that his sister is Jack, the woman she fell in love with the previous year, and she needs to figure out whether she should keep pretending to be engaged to Andrew or if she should try to pursue something real with Jack, assuming Jack returns her interest.
This book came highly recommended to me from a friend, and it was just as cute as I anticipated! The characters were relatable and believable, the writing was great, the pacing was perfect, and although the plot was convenient and not exactly realistic, who cares when it's this fun? I really liked the way that secrets were dealt with, as the characters actually talked through things instead of just assuming what someone else felt, leaving the reader frustrated and wishing people would actually communicate. People actually did communicate in here! The drama the ensued was for actually believable reasons instead of being something that wouldn't exist if they'd just talk (one of my pet peeves), and I was continually eager to read on to see what more would happen.
I loved the various layers of complexities between the characters in here. It was so understandable how Ellie, always lacking a stable homelife, would fall in love with Andrew's family and desperately want the way they've accepted her to be real. I also loved the dynamics between Ellie and Andrew, Ellie and Jack, and Ellie and her friends. There was so much heart in this book, and it really came through. Although the plot seemed ridiculous at times, it was ridiculously fun. There's a lot of love throughout the entire book in the form of romance, friendship, and family, and this book also felt like a bit of a love letter to Portland, where it is set.
This is definitely a holiday book, since it takes place over Christmas, and I'm glad that I waited until December to read it so I could be in a festive mood during it. Very engaging and entertaining. Definitely a book I'd recommend to anyone looking for a sweet holiday read!...more
After Cassie loses her job, she is desperate to find something that allows her the flexibility to finish school and its required labs. She can't find After Cassie loses her job, she is desperate to find something that allows her the flexibility to finish school and its required labs. She can't find anything promising and doesn't want to reactivate her OnlyFans account... but then she comes across an ad seeking a nanny, a position that comes with great pay and includes room and board. Although the girl, Sophie, has run off previous nannies, she quickly loves Cassie. The dad, Aiden, is incredibly hot and Cassie finds herself fighting attraction to him. She soon realizes that Aiden isn't completely a strange; he was previously her biggest fan on OnlyFans and has no idea it's her because she always wore a mask and wig and used a fake name. Eventually, Cassie and Aiden both acknowledge their attraction to one another and Cassie struggles with how to tell Aiden about their shared history and how it might affect whatever's budding between them.
I expected this book to be a fun, light read. It met my expectations in part, but it wasn't nearly as compelling or romantic as it seemed like it would be. Cassie was almost too perfect in parts, and it wasn't believable how quickly she won over Sophie nor did she seem to possess especially impressive nannying skills. There was a scene where she introduced Sophie to Shrek and they watched all three movies on a single weeknight. Aiden also wasn't super believable. He was a head chef at a restaurant and fairly well-off from this, but he couldn't make good pancakes at home and this was a running joke because Cassie had to make pancakes for them all regularly, something that also endeared her to Sophie. All of this stuff felt so convenient and simplistic.
The "romance" between Cassie and Aiden was mostly them ogling each other from afar. When they finally acted on their attraction, it was the start of many, many sex scenes that featured lots of dirty talk from him. I felt like I was reading Fifty Shades of Gray or something. I wish there had been more actual chemistry between the two or that I could see what would actually attract them to each other and keep them attracted to each other aside from their looks, but that was seemingly it.
The rest of the characters in here were fairly weak as well. I liked Cassie's friend/former neighbor Wanda, but everyone else didn't seem especially fleshed out. The drama in here, aside from Cassie debating how to tell Aiden about the OnlyFans thing, mostly revolved around Sophie's aunt, who wanted more time with Sophie and immediately disliked Cassie because she disliked everyone who was around Sophie. But of course Cassie slowly won her over! The drama felt kinda manufactured, even though it wasn't entirely unrealistic. And of course the crux of the book came with an unbelievably stupid decision, manufacturing drama between Cassie and Aiden, and I couldn't help but sigh continuously.
If you're looking for some romance that's more erotica than anything else, this might be something you'd enjoy. I wish it had been a bit more complex or interesting. I unfortunately found this mostly tired and lazy without much depth, chemistry, or even interesting/believable characters. I finished it mostly because I was on a plane, but I did end up skimming parts because I just couldn't handle how tedious it was. ...more
4.5 stars. Briana is an ER doctor who's hoping for a promotion and worried that the new doctor, Jacob, is going to steal it from her. She's also stres4.5 stars. Briana is an ER doctor who's hoping for a promotion and worried that the new doctor, Jacob, is going to steal it from her. She's also stressed out in her personal life, worried about her brother who needs a new kidney and still bitter about her divorce, which is closed to being finalized. She and Jacob have a bad interaction to start, and he's dealing with his own issues (mostly severe anxiety), so he apologizes for his actions through a really kind letter. Briana realizes he's not as bad as she originally thought and writes him back. As they continue to get to know each other, Briana realizes that he's actually a really kind person, especially after she discovers that he's offered to donate a kidney to her brother, and she wants their friendship to develop into more but doesn't think he feels the same about her.
Books by this author are always so fun to read, and I think this was her best yet! I loved the characters in here, the writing was perfect, and the plot was simple but really well done. Briana and Jacob came to life almost immediately. I loved the flaws that each had, and they were written in a way that made their personalities spring to life, flaws and all, and helped me get a sense of the struggles they had while still endearing me to each of them. The narration alternated between the two, and I enjoyed having a peek inside each mind. The plot, as mentioned, was simple, but somehow it never felt like it was dragging or like there was any filler material. I really enjoyed the way the story kept moving forward and all the interactions they had with each other and with their friends and families.
This was such an engaging book to read. The romance was so well done, and everything felt very grounded in reality. I did get annoyed with Briana more than once at parts where she jumped to an understandable but of course wrong conclusion and responded with anger or withdrawal. Of course with any book like this, there will be some drama due to misunderstandings, so that's almost expected, but near the end she reacted in ways that weren't due to misunderstandings but were just due to her being stubborn or angry. It was perhaps realistic, given her backstory, but it was also annoying. Still, I did enjoy the story a lot and the journey it took from start to finish. There were certainly overly common tropes in here (fake dating, for one), but this was done so well that I didn't care. Anyone looking for a well-written romance should enjoy this!...more
Remy is a drummer who still plays shows with his brother, with whom he was in a semi-popular band, but mostly makes a living as a studio musician. He'Remy is a drummer who still plays shows with his brother, with whom he was in a semi-popular band, but mostly makes a living as a studio musician. He's offered the opportunity to go on tour with Vivi Swan, a Taylor Swift-like musician embarking on a world tour. He's unsure about leaving his brother, but he knows that working with Vivi is a great opportunity that will help launch his career as a music producer. Vivi is a mega star who's adored by her fans yet has a reputation for writing breakup songs about everyone she dates. One night, thanks to a mixup with the buses, Remy and Vivi find themselves on the same bus and she ends up asking him to help produce her next song. The two of them get to know each other more as the tour goes on, and what started as a business relationship develops into something more.
I don't know what I expected from this book; perhaps something akin to Taylor Swift fanfic. And this did fit that bill. Yet I also enjoyed this way more than I expected to. It's been a long time since I've simply enjoyed reading a book as much as I liked this! The characters were well drawn, the setting was nicely researched and sprang to life, and the story was so much fun and so sweet. I had such a good time reading about this world and about the people that I both was excited to finish to book yet also didn't want to leave. The author did such a great job putting this together and turning what must have been a "what if..." question while reading entertainment news into something utterly engrossing and compulsively readable.
My only minor complaint about this is that I feel like the conflict between Vivi and Remy was resolved a bit too quickly and smoothly instead of feeling like it was earned and a bit more believable. I feel like I often have complaints about the crux of a novel and how things either are too slow or too quick to resolve. In here, I feel like the pacing was perfectly fine but it was a slightly too seamless and not fully believable. Still, this is a minor quibble overall and the rest of the book was so enjoyable that I can't complain that much. I have no idea if the author is planning on a sequel to this book, but I would definitely read one because this was positively delightful!...more
3.5 stars. Jess is a single mom who's given up on romance. When she hears about a new matchmaking company that claims to be able to find your soulmate3.5 stars. Jess is a single mom who's given up on romance. When she hears about a new matchmaking company that claims to be able to find your soulmate using a new DNA test, she submits a sample and it comes back with an unheard-of 98% match for her. Unfortunately, she already knows the guy, River, who's the founder of the company and thinks he's a jerk. She has no intention of pursuing the match but the company is about to go public and they think this could be great publicity, so they offer to pay her to get to know River and see if she likes him and do a few interviews along the way. Naturally, River turns out to be more than what she imagined and Jess starts thinking there may be something to this soulmate matching after all.
This had a cute premise and nice spin on a very tried and true plot of two people who hate each other at first growing to fall in love with each other. I went into this book expecting a cute, light read and I was not disappointed! The characters were entertaining, the interactions were cute, and the writing kept the story continually moving forward. Jess and River had unique personalities, and there was great chemistry between them. I also liked the fact that most of the drama was in their own heads and they were both actually quite nice people, which made their interactions even better. I also liked the dynamic between Jess and her best friend, Fizzy, who was a bit much to read about at first but seemed to mellow out a bit as the book went on.
Aside from needing to use your imagination to buy the idea of DNA tests predicting how well you will match with someone, my only real complaint about the book is that the requisite drama near the end (because of COURSE not everything can go completely smoothly or else there wouldn't be a novel!) seemed a tad manufactured and not fully believable. I had a hard time buying the drama and accepting it as realistic. However, the book as a whole was fun and if you're reading this for a lighthearted romance, it won't disappoint, as all the right ingredients are there! ...more
I'd read the previous two books in this series and picked this one up, hoping for something light and fluffy. This book is the story of Maria and PeteI'd read the previous two books in this series and picked this one up, hoping for something light and fluffy. This book is the story of Maria and Peter, two actors on the massively popular Gods of the Gates series (basically a Game of Thrones-ish show) who spend their time trying to ignore their chemistry after an ill-fated fling before they knew they'd be costars, but once the show ends, they finally let their guards down despite the fact that a future doesn't seem possible.
I had a hard time getting into this book. I don't know if I wasn't in the right mindset to read this or if it just wasn't what I wanted to hold my attention. When the book opens, there's a lot of explosive chemistry between the two main characters, but this quickly evaporates once the show starts filming, and they spend the bulk of their time ignoring each other while also being secretly attracted to the other. Perhaps their lack of real interaction made me feel a little bored. I'm not sure. But after a handful of chapters like this, I stopped caring and realized I shouldn't finish this since I wasn't enjoying it.
This wasn't bad by any means, but it didn't hold my interest for whatever reason. The writing was fine, the story was fine, and the series has been fine. If you've read the previous two books in this series, you'll likely still want to pick this up and hopefully you'll enjoy it more than me!...more
Nothing ever seems to go right in Olivia's life. She's temporarily living with her brother and his roommate, Colin, after a disastrous breakup that leNothing ever seems to go right in Olivia's life. She's temporarily living with her brother and his roommate, Colin, after a disastrous breakup that led to her apartment accidentally burning down, and she's looking for a job so she doesn't have to accept money from her parents. A wrong number texts her one night, and they end up becoming anonymous texting buddies with no plans to ever meet or find out each other's identities. Their banter is entertaining for both of them... and then Colin discovers that the "misdial" he's been texting is actually Olivia! They've never truly gotten along in person, but he'd actually enjoyed their flirty texts. So now he's wondering whether to ghost her or pursue her in real life and whether to let on that he knows her identity.
Not sure how I heard about this book, but it was cute. The narration is mostly Olivia but starts jumping to Colin's perspective as well shortly into the book. I liked the characters in here, which is mostly to say that I liked the two main characters. Both seemed a bit flat at first and I worried that Olivia's entire personality was going to be "klutzy" or something like that, but when she started job-hunting, she became a bit more rounded and I could see her passion for writing and how good she felt about that talent. I also enjoyed the details about their families and how their upbringings led them to become the adults they were now. Jake, Olivia's brother, fell a bit more flat to me and kind of annoyed me at times with how ridiculously protective he seemed to get about Olivia for no real reason.
The story in here was fairly convenient and fairly predictable at times, but it was still entertaining overall. Was it all believable? No. But was it engaging? Yes. Also, there were a few spots where Olivia brought up a random thought or question that made me actually laugh, so that helped propel this into 4 star territory. Looks like there's a sequel to this coming out soon featuring Olivia's brother as the love interest, so I'm curious to read it and see if he becomes any more likable in that!...more
I think I heard about this book from the Goodreads Choice Awards. Solange is helping her cousin, who's a wedding planner, at an event when she overheaI think I heard about this book from the Goodreads Choice Awards. Solange is helping her cousin, who's a wedding planner, at an event when she overhears the bride talking about how she's in love with someone else. Unable to help herself, Solange speaks up at the wedding and the couple calls things off. The groom, Dean, isn't all that disappointed since he wasn't in love either and was just getting married because he thought they worked together well and that it'd help both of their professional careers. Soon after this, Dean asks Solange to pose as his girlfriend to do some networking that could help land him a promotion, and as the two start working together they of course fall in love despite the many reasons why they each think it would not be wise to start dating for real.
This was okay. The narration jumped back and forth between Dean and Solange so you can see what's going on in each of their heads. This seems to be fairly popular in romance recently, but it is fun when done well, so I can't complain, especially since it gives the reader a more rounded view of everything going on. Solange and Dean were both decent main characters with their own goals and personalities, and it was easy to root for them to figure out their issues so they could end up together, as you know they will.
The fake dating aspect in here is a really popular trope, and the way it was set up in here felt more forced than natural. I didn't fully buy that Dean "needed" to have a significant other in order to do new work that would get him promoted or that it was fully believable to anyone that Dean was in a "serious relationship" mere weeks after calling off his wedding. I had to suspend some disbelief in order to read this book, and once I did that, it was mostly enjoyable. Some of the scenes or situations felt forced or like they were mostly there for entertainment instead of truly advancing the plot. For example, there's a scene where Dean's colleague sets him up to be embarrassed, and once Dean realizes what's going on, he isn't sure how to respond and Solange suggests the best response is to do nothing and have his colleague wonder when he'll retaliate. I kept expecting this to come up again at some point, but it never did and this subplot was just lost.
Overall, this wasn't bad but it also didn't especially wow me. There were some cute moments in here, but there were far too many scenes that didn't seem to advance the plot itself but simply served to show Solange and Dean flirting or acting like a couple at times when they didn't "need" to be pretending. I continually just wished the two of them would act like adults and talk to each other about what they were thinking. Okay overall but certainly not one of the best books of 2022!...more
Alex is an actor in a hit show about to launch its last season, which he was exceptionally disappointed in, and he's acting out a bit accordingly. To Alex is an actor in a hit show about to launch its last season, which he was exceptionally disappointed in, and he's acting out a bit accordingly. To keep him in line, the show runners hire Lauren, who's between jobs, to basically babysit him until the season airs, wanting to make sure that he stays out of trouble. She is determined to keep a wall up between them, but as she gets to know Alex, she finds that he's not at all what she expected. She figured he'd be a drunk jerk, but she doesn't see him drinking and he's actually quite charming despite the fact that he talks nonstop and he's pouring his frustrations with the show into anonymous fanfic about the show online. As they spend more and more time together, they start to fall for each other, but they both worry it isn't mutual and that it can't last because they are too different.
This is the second book in a series set in this world. I read the first one (Spoiler Alert) awhile back and liked it, but I definitely enjoyed this one more! I think typically books set in the same universe, eve with different main characters, tend to occupy different timelines, but about halfway through this book, a scene that I remember from Spoiler Alert happened and I realized this actually had a parallel timeline for at least part of it! What a fun idea. It actually made me want to go back and reread the first book just to see how things happened from that perspective.
The plot in here was predictable (obviously they're going to get together in the end; it's a romance, after all), but it was still a lot of fun. The author also was quite clever about it, having Alex note various tropes that happen in fanfic and then point them out when they happen to him and Lauren. Definitely cute! The characters were very likable and engaging, and the story kept moving forward at a great pace. I was curious how everything would wrap up, and while it wasn't all perfect at the end, I was definitely satisfied with the ending and happy with the journey taken to get there.
This was one of those books that was just plain fun to read. It was entertaining and light-hearted but had a well-rounded backdrop to it. Every time I put it down, I looked forward to picking it up again, and I just plain enjoyed reading it. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!...more
Shay is a producer at a public broadcasting station. Her new coworker, Dominic, is driving her crazy with his continual references to his master's degShay is a producer at a public broadcasting station. Her new coworker, Dominic, is driving her crazy with his continual references to his master's degree and the fact that he seems to be the boss's favorite already despite her having worked there for ten years. While brainstorming ideas for new shows, Shay comes up with a relationship one where two exes talk about relationships, including their own. The idea is a hit, and Shay and Dominic are asked to pretend to be the exes on the radio, since they already hate each other and people would easily believe they'd dated. They are slightly uncomfortable with the idea at first but decide to go for it, and the show is a hit. Problem is, now that they're working closely together and getting to know one another, they're starting to fall for each other.
I was surprised to see that this book was actually by the author of another book I'd read and enjoyed recently (See You Yesterday), as I'd put these books on my to read list separately and had no idea there was any tie! There were some of the same themes in this one: the main character is Jewish, the love interest is Asian, and the main character is self-conscious about something (in this case, her voice). The writing was also solid and the characters well done, but the story was solidly more adult and romance in here! I enjoyed the banter between Shay and Dominic, and I understood where both were coming from and what they wanted out of their jobs. I could see why the show was a hit, and I could see why the two main characters were attracted to each other.
The plot in here ended up being mostly about the romance between Shay and Dominic, and although I got a bit annoyed at the requisite twist that pulls them apart, I liked the story overall. I continually wondered what would happen when their secret (they weren't really dating!) would inevitably get out, and I was invested in their talk show. I think the ending of this wrapped up, and gave a follow up, a bit too quickly for my liking, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Cute premise, nice pace, good writing, engaging characters. ...more
I watched Virgin River on Netflix, and it was enjoyable in a ridiculous, predictable Hallmark movie kind of way, so I decided to check out the first bI watched Virgin River on Netflix, and it was enjoyable in a ridiculous, predictable Hallmark movie kind of way, so I decided to check out the first book in the series the show is based on, curious what was changed and how it compares. Turns out, the show is significantly better than the book, giving a lot more depth and likability to the characters and making the plots a lot more engaging, even if they still incredibly easy to predict.
Melinda is a nurse practitioner who moves to the town of Virgin River from Los Angeles, needing a change after her husband dies. The town ends up not being quite as idyllic as she expected: the cabin where she's supposed to live is run-down, the doctor she's supposed to work with isn't thrilled about her being there, and there's no cell service. But the people there are mostly welcoming, the work is very rustic compared to working at a city hospital, the town is beautiful, and she finds a love interest in Jack, who owns the bar in town.
There were two main problems with this book. First off, it was boring. Not a lot really happened in here except one pregnant woman after another needing Mel's assistance and Mel occasionally ignoring the advice of everyone else to head to where the "growers" live and provide them with food and other assistance. The characters were incredibly bland, and I just didn't care about anything that happened. Mel made one dumb decision after another, and I just kinda thought "yeah, okay" as I read on. I couldn't distinguish most of the secondary characters because they didn't stand out from each other, and I didn't even feel chemistry between Mel and Jack or anyone else. And this was supposed to be a romance! The writing was mostly "tell" and very little "show". I just had to take the narrator's word that they'd become close friends and then were in love with each other. Yeah, okay. It was cheesy. And not cheesy in the Hallmark way the Netflix show was but cheesy in a dumb, boring way that made me just not care.
The other issue in here is that the book feels incredibly dated despite being first published in 2007. For example: Jack regularly thinks about how much he appreciates Mel's "nice fanny". Are these 80 year olds that we're reading about? Jack is a forty year old former marine... yeah, I'm sure "fanny" is his go-to word to describe that body part. Even when a secondary character, a teen boy, is with his girlfriend, there's a reference to her fanny. Because of course that's how teen boys talk too. It's not like this was some super clean, chaste romance: there was swearing and there was sex (albeit not super explicit). There were just a lot of fannies too for some reason. I also got a good laugh during a scene where some guys are out fishing and one of them reaches into his pocket and pulls out "a fistful of condoms". Because who doesn't carry a whole fistful of condoms in their jeans when out fishing with the dudes? So much to cringe at! Not to mention, for all that condoms were mentioned as being important, there were never actually used. No wonder there were so many pregnant women!
The plot in here was equally predictable and lame. You know Mel and Jack are going to get together - and they do. It actually surprised me how little I cared. Jack also isn't especially swoon worthy despite everyone telling Mel (and the reader) that he's a total catch. When the book opens, he has a woman in the next town over who he's casually seeing and visits her one last time, thinking of Mel, before telling her their arrangement isn't working for him anymore, freeing him up to pursue Mel. He then tells Mel about how he's never been in love, he's just casually dated many, many women - the whole trope of "I've never wanted to be in a relationship until I met you and fell in insta-love!"
Writing was average at best, characters were underdeveloped, a plot barely existed, and even the romance (the whole point of this book) fell flat. Yet somehow this series has a big enough following that it now spans over 20 books.... wow. Did I read the same book as everyone else?...more
I don't read much romance, and it's been a few years since I read the first book in this series, but I remember enjoying it and so I picked this up foI don't read much romance, and it's been a few years since I read the first book in this series, but I remember enjoying it and so I picked this up for a quick, light read. This story features Katie, who's been in love with her best guy friend, Josh, for years, but he's only ever seen her as one of the guys. Now, he finally notices her, but the timing is bad because he's planning to finally leave town while she plans to stay there.
The plot is here was pretty thin, although the main characters were likable enough. The series seems to focus on various members in a single family, and since this was the sixth book in the series, there seemed to be a lot of catching up with other family members. Having only read the first book in this series (and a few years ago at that!), I didn't really remember most of the characters and so was fairly uninterested in their updates. I think if I'd actually read the full series, this would have had a much bigger impact.
At times, I felt like the main romance was almost secondary to the updates on the other family members. The romance was decent but definitely on the thin side. It seemed like there needed to be bigger stakes or a more gripping storyline, as the story became kind of predictable and fairly plain. The writing was nice enough and reading this wasn't a bad way to spend a few hours, but it seemed fairly average overall. If you're a fan of this series, you'll probably love the updates on all the characters in here. If you're not a fan, then it's probably best to become one by reading all the previous books before this one!...more