This was cute! I liked Brad a lot, and the struggles both characters were going through, especially Brad's OCD and his struggle with what he's going tThis was cute! I liked Brad a lot, and the struggles both characters were going through, especially Brad's OCD and his struggle with what he's going to do after high school, were great. I liked the supporting cast of friends and family, and the camping trips.
And while I liked Celine, she does just kind of feel like every other FMC by Talia Hibbert? Kind of quirky, highly competent, falsely confident to hide a deeper pain, has commitment issues - like that's also the description of Cloe Brown, Dani Brown, and Eve Brown? And while I don't think it's bad to write the same character over and over again, it does just makes the MMC stand out way more because they're usually more diverse in archetypes? I also felt like a teenager making conspiracy videos would not be seen as a good thing, because conspiracy theories, no matter how silly, can often end up snowballing into some really serious territories really quickly, and I was waiting for that to be some kind of plot-point but it didn't actually add anything to the story.
I did find the first 35% of the book unbearably slow and a slog to get through though, and I think that's due to the fact that the author keeps information as to why the two broke up as friends from the audience until that point - which like, why? The reveal wasn't a big one, basically what one would expect, but just having that big thing over their heads the entire time made it impossible for me to care about their relationship. Once that conversation was had I read the rest of the book very quickly.
I also kind of felt like the ending was a bit rushed, and Brad's friendship with Donno was never really addressed after about the 50% mark of the story, when I though that'd be more of a plot point too....more
Joy summons a demon to help her murder the man who raped her (full content warnings list at the beginning of the book). The book hits the ground runniJoy summons a demon to help her murder the man who raped her (full content warnings list at the beginning of the book). The book hits the ground running, and keeps up a good pace throughout its 200 pages - no scene feels unnecessary or like filler.
While the book hits some heavier and darker plot points (I mean, we are murdering rapists here) it's also very sweet - the romance between Joy and Malachi is lovely, and as someone who prefers queer romances over straight ones, it delivers on that too (Joy is bisexual, both characters ask each other for their pronouns when they meet, (view spoiler)[and Joy pegs Malachi in the epilogue! Delightful! (hide spoiler)]). And, of course, the book is set in Nigeria, and I'm always happy to find a book that's not set in USA....more
I really enjoyed the first 70% of this book, and spent more of my Sunday reading it, but I think the ending just kind of fizzled out and didn4.5 stars
I really enjoyed the first 70% of this book, and spent more of my Sunday reading it, but I think the ending just kind of fizzled out and didn't really stand up to the rest of the story for me - still, I enjoyed the first 2/3 so much that I'm still giving it 4.5 instead of 4.
I really enjoyed the friends to lovers stuff, and the huge amount of pining Rahul had going on. I also liked the addition of the flashbacks to add to the pining. Rahul is a fantastic love interest and perfect book boyfriend, and Jasmine is fun and quirky - basically, the relationship dynamic I've come to expect from Talia Hibbert's books.
I think, in terms of the ending working better for me,(view spoiler)[ I would have liked to see a little bit more of them figuring their stuff out apart. Rahul is given the advice that he needs to figure out who he is without Jasmine, and the only thing we see of him doing that is visiting his mother and going on a run with a new acquaintance - I'd have loved to see more? And I'd liked to have seen a bit more of Jasmine getting through her abandonment issues too, it all happened off-page at the end there. The epilogue also kind of bored me - I know the characters talked about wanting kids, so I expected the epilogue to feature pregnancy or children in some way, but I'd also have liked to have known more about, IDK, if Rahul still spent so much time at work or if Jasmine was still working for a charity or not. That kind of thing. (hide spoiler)]
Overall, I did really enjoy this one, but it's not kicking Take A Hint, Dani Brown out of my #1 Talia Hibbert book spot....more
This is a really interesting book. I usually avoid dystopian stories, but this one was recommended to me and so I gave it a try. While I found the dysThis is a really interesting book. I usually avoid dystopian stories, but this one was recommended to me and so I gave it a try. While I found the dystopian back story a little confusing at times, and wasn't a huge fan of the over all plot, I did find the characters and their dynamics with each other pretty interesting.
This isn't your average romance book - and I'm not talking about the polyamory or the dystopian stuff when I say that. No, just in terms of the average formula for writing a romance story, which this book doesn't really follow. I felt like Van and Clark barely actually spend any time together or get to know each other very much. By the 80% mark in the story, they'd had sex a few times but the actual progress they'd made in having feelings for each other or knowing each other well didn't feel like a lot - like, I'd say with normal romance books, these two would have been at the 30% mark in the story, if that makes sense?
So I was fully expecting for me to hate how this ended and to feel like the romance was not fully developed. But, it pulled through for me. By the 90% mark I could see that the importance in this book was not the two main characters falling in love, but giving themselves the chance at love. And they both do so, and venture into a new path in their life with their little found family, and I actually really loved the ending. It's a really sweet hopeful ending.
So I definitely was sceptical about this one, but I actually really liked it in the end. And I loved the polyamory, the casual representation of different races, genders, disability, etc, the interconnection between different characters. ...more
I loved the first book in this series, and this second one is just as good!
This installment follows Tiwanda, Corinne's cousin, who has just quit a demI loved the first book in this series, and this second one is just as good!
This installment follows Tiwanda, Corinne's cousin, who has just quit a demanding job to finally try and achieve her dream of running her own business of running soap and chocolate making classes.
She's participating in a business competition to get extra capital for that dream, but on the first night of the conference her phone gets taken over by Met, the same app from the first book, and it tells her that she's going to meet 4 people who all have the potential to be her soul mate.
What I really like about this instalment is that Tiwanda is grey-sexual, and finding romance isn't really her priority. She's very focused on getting her business up and running, and reconnecting with her mother's side of the family. The 4 characters that could be her soul mates are also all amazing, and it's easy to route for all four of them to be The One.
I love this romance mystery vibe, and all the side characters are so lovely. And there's also a cute rescued dog!...more
While I think the first book had more in the way of plot, I think I enjoyed this one a lot more. I'm a fan of the trope wherein characters get to knowWhile I think the first book had more in the way of plot, I think I enjoyed this one a lot more. I'm a fan of the trope wherein characters get to know each other through letters or text messages before they actually meet, and I really enjoyed this here. I also really liked the character dynamics, and really appreciate Marian as a character in particular....more
I saw this on a romance list somewhere and the concept intrigued me enough to give it a try, and I enjoyed it! It starts out with a warning from the aI saw this on a romance list somewhere and the concept intrigued me enough to give it a try, and I enjoyed it! It starts out with a warning from the author that this book has fanfic vibes in that it doesn't take a long time to establish the characters or have a 3rd act conflict, and I was glad for that warning.
I really love how this book is a m/f romance but it is very much extremely queer. Danielle is bi, Victor is multi-sexual but doesn't use a specific label. There are a few side characters that mention they're polyamorous or in nonbinary or queer. I dunno, it was just delightful.
The premise of the glory hole and the way the building is described was a little ...hmm... fantastical? But hell, maybe a random glory hole in the middle of nowhere that is really clean and has well-stoked sex-toy vending machines is possible! It sounds like something that could exist in Japan lmao. But the sex scenes were pretty hot and the characters had a pretty good dynamic during them that was quite sweet.
I will probably try out more books by this author....more