The Truth According to Ember - Danica Nava

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Ember Lee Cardinal has not always been a liar - well, not for anything that counted at least. But her job search is not going well and when her resume is rejected for the thirty-seventh time, she takes matters into her own hands. She gets 'creative' listing her qualifications and answers the ethnicity question on applications with a lie - a half-lie, technically. No one wanted Native American Ember, but white Ember has just landed her dream accounting job on Park Avenue (Oklahoma City, that is).

Accountant Ember thrives in corporate life - and her love life seems to be looking up too: Danuwoa Colson, the IT guy and fellow Native who caught her eye on her first day, seems to actually be interested in her too. Despite her unease over the no-dating policy at work, they start to see each other secretly, which somehow makes it even hotter? But when they're caught in a compromising position on a work trip, a scheming colleague blackmails Ember, threatening to expose their relationship. As the manipulation continues to grow, so do Ember's lies. She must make the hard decision to either stay silent or finally tell the truth, which could cost her everything."

📚📚📚 

It's always nice after having a couple of lackluster reviews to read a book and think "you know, I quite liked this!" I preordered this book after a bookseller I follow on Instagram posted about it, and when it finally came out and I opened the package, I had to read it right away. (Sorry, TBR piles, I'm not ignoring you, I'm just not reading you yet.) The cover and the premise really captivated me, and I read it pretty quickly. Sadly, I did not write this review pretty quickly...I started it, and then I got busy and came back to it like a week and a half later. So...my memory of the finer details of the book are growing hazy, and this won't be a detailed review. Sorry, blame it on the dummies I work with who won't mask after multiple people test positive for COVID, resulting in a rotating cast of way too many staff members being out sick and me getting more work dumped on me as a result.

Anyway, there were some moments that irked me a bit, just because I was like Ember what in the world are you thinking?! But I don't think that was necessarily a bad thing - she was painted into some tough corners, sometimes by her own (frankly at times strange) lies, but others because other people were assholes. She put a lot of pressure on herself to handle things on her own and to avoid being a burden, and while that led to trouble in ways that would have been easily avoided by just talking to someone, it's supremely relatable to be so afraid of inconveniencing someone else that you dig yourself into a hole trying to handle shit on your own.

It's hard to decide what my favorite part of this book was, but it might be Danuwoa's sister. (I would check the book for her name, but I don't have it with me, so...sorry.) She was so sweet and so fiery and just absolutely hilarious, and I adored her. I also thought Ember's aunt was incredibly warm and kind, and her best friend was a very fun character. High fives all around for the excellent character development, even the catty company receptionist who was friendly until something not at all in Ember's control made her turn on her...the detail and realism were top notch.

Uhh...I'm very tired, and I probably should have waited to finish this review, but I didn't want to leave it for even longer. So I'm just going to say, read this book. It's good! A little spicy, so warning if you aren't into that. But that's just a handful of scenes, and it's still a solid story.

Cleat Cute - Meryl Wilsner

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women's National Team for ten years, even though she's only 26. But when she's sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. 22-year-old Phoebe is everything Grace isn't - a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become teammates with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.

Phoebe Matthews is too focused on her first season as a professional soccer player to think about seducing her longtime idol. But when Grace ends up making the first move, they can't keep their hands off of each other.

As the World Cup approaches and Grace works her way back from injury, a miscommunication leaves the women with hilariously different perspectives on their relationship. But they're on the same page on the field, realizing they can play together instead of vying for the same position. With every tackle the tension between them grows, and both players soon have to decide what's more important - being together or making the roster."

📚📚📚 

Well, this book sure did try to do a lot, and it did some of it okay. I thought the initial introductions of the main characters established who they were as people pretty well, and I liked how intentionally inclusive the writing was without feeling forced. I'm also very on board with a book about badass women athletes, so it had me there. Where it started to veer off course for me was the immediacy of Phoebe and Grace's romance. It felt forced and not fully developed when it kicked off, and then on top of that, a lot of the drama for their relationship stemmed from pretty flimsy miscommunications. Very meh.

I also think it seemed like the author wanted to take on a lot of things, like female athletes being grossly underpaid, shitty insurance bullshit that classifies gender-affirming surgery for trans people as elective, and how many girls with ADHD don't get diagnosed and are left to just fend for themselves and figure out how to manage their shit without support. Very cool, all of these things (and everything else in the book that I'm forgetting about now) need to be talked about. But it was sooooo many things to try to squeeze in between steamy secret sex between teammates (sidenote: not a huge fan of "baby girl" as a sexy nickname), so it ended up being a lot of "this thing is mentioned" and then...nothing is done with it. 

The ADHD thing in particular kind of caught me by surprise because it seemed the entire book like Phoebe was very aware that she had ADHD, and then we get almost to the end of the book and it turns out she had no idea. Sorry, but she was basically a walking "Signs of ADHD" poster, and there were MANY mentions to all the time she spends on TikTok...but somehow she never ended up on ADHD TikTok? That's TikTok algorithm slander, honestly. At the end of the day, it didn't ruin the book for me, but I found it very odd.

My issues with the book aside, it's alright. Not amazing, not terrible. Short-ish. Pretty quick read. It's fine.

Reboot Rereads - Alex, Approximately

I reviewed this book way back when, in 2020, and gave it five stars. I also mention in the review that reading it back then got me out of a reading slump, so what a coincidence that I chose it this time around for the same reason! I still love it - there are serious moments, but you know when things get rocky that it will all turn out okay, so it's such a comfort read. My appreciation for Grace grows every time I read this, and I really love her dad and how supportive and encouraging he is, as well as Porter's parents, who are both so wonderful. In my first review, I gave bonus points for modeling consent in a very natural way, which I still greatly appreciate, and I also give bonus points for the inclusion of roller derby, even if Jenn Bennet does refer to it as "the derby," which in all my years of roller derby participation I have never heard it referred to as.🤣

Anyway, if you're looking for a light, feel-good read, stop sleeping on Jenn Bennett. Her writing is delightful. Three rereads down, baby! And I've been making fairly steady progress on Not "A Nation of Immigrants," so it seems like the reboot is working!

A Fragile Enchantment - Allison Saft

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.

But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more—until an anonymous gossip columnist starts buzzing about their chemistry, promising to leave them alone only if Niamh helps to uncover the royal family’s secrets. The rot at the heart of Avaland runs deep, but exposing it could risk a future she never let herself dream of, and a love she never thought possible."

 

I should start a series where I review books that are not YA but get classified that way because they're fantasy novels written by women with female main characters. Owlcrate, take note! Do your due diligence and put actual YA books in your YA subscription boxes instead of adult fantasy masquerading as YA.

Anyway, having gotten that off my chest...this book was fine. Strong "inspired by Bridgerton" vibes, but maybe having a mysterious, anonymous gossip who publishes scandalous things and seems to know everything that happens is a common conceit in regency era novels and I just haven't read enough to know that. That being said, the anonymous gossip columnist in this book honestly features more heavily in the synopsis than in the actual book. "Buzzing about their chemistry," no. "Publishes one vague rumor that was basically a non-issue and in no way connected Niamh to Kit," yes. 

This was a common theme in the book and probably the main reason I rated it as low as I did - there were a lot of threads (ha, because she's a seamstress) that were picked up and dropped in a very random way, almost like there were too many moving pieces and Allison Saft kept forgetting about things and then realizing fifty pages later that they hadn't come up in a while and shoving them in again. Which is weird, because frankly...there weren't a lot of moving pieces. And at the end of the day, the central drama to the story didn't really feel all that dramatic. It was very manufactured.

Manufactured drama aside, the book was fine. I didn't love Niamh, and Kit was eh. But some of the side characters were very intriguing (Kit's best friend, the princess and her...advisor? Lady's maid? And Kit's sister-in-law, loved them). If they had featured more heavily, I might have bumped this up a star. It was just too much of Niamh in her own head and very mercurial interactions between her and Kit, that was fine at first, but a whole book of it, yeesh, give me some variety.

Well...it's late, and I've been sick all weekend. So that's about all I've got to say about this book. As mentioned, I got this in an Owlcrate box, and it has a very gorgeous cover and sprayed edges. If you go into it not expecting a masterpiece, it's an enjoyable dessert read.

Scattered Showers - Rainbow Rowell

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a collection of nine short stories, some based in existing Rainbow Rowell worlds and some featuring new characters and places. All in all, I greatly enjoyed it! Individually, I definitely had my favorites. Shall we go story by story to hear my thoughts? We shall.

Midnights: Loved it. So cute. The flashback, the slow burn, the dance moves and jokes about allergic reactions. Just adorable.

Kindred Spirits: Pretty good! I think this one struck a chord with me because my first job was at a movie theater, so people camping out for a movie brought back memories. I thought the character development was impressive given the length of the story, it had some excellent reveals, and overall I really enjoyed it. 

Winter Songs for Summer: Oh, this one might have been my favorite. Benji is adorable - I love him, his weightlifting gloves, and his mixed CDs. It's set at the same college, so it makes sense, but it gave me big Fangirl vibes.

The Snow Ball: Looooook...this one fell off a bit for me. Maybe it was the pace? I didn't check page numbers, but it felt like one of, if not the, shortest, and it was all one scene, super heavy on dialogue. I just didn't see the chemistry between the characters. It felt forced.

If the Fates Allow: REAGAN! This is set in the Fangirl world, and I love Reagan, and I love it. I'd read most of it before, when it was initially released as a standalone short story, but Rowell expanded it a bit for Scattered Showers (either that or I totally deleted part of it from my brain?), and while it's kind of tough reading a very COVID-centric story while the majority of the Western world pretends it no longer exists and abandons those of us who still try to be safe to bear all the weight of the pandemic on our own, I still love Reagan, and I still love her story. And I love her for being so COVID-responsible!

The Prince and the Troll: Hahaaaaaa, this one drove Joel up a wall! Is it an allegory? Is it not? What is happening?! Nothing makes sense! I thought it was very entertaining and odd and fascinating. Was it maybe sponsored by Starbucks? Could be! Reading it definitely makes me want a coffee.

Mixed Messages: This is set in the world of Attachments, which lands solidly in the middle on my ranking of Rowell's books. I found the characters' ages slightly confusing - kind of assumed they were younger than they were until toward the end - but also thought it had some funny moments. Much like the novel the characters come from, middle of the road for me.

Snow for Christmas - SIMON SNOW, babyyyyy! I'll read anything with Basilton Pitch in it. I love him forever. And I thought this was a very sweet story. Have you read the Carry On series? If not, what the fuck are you waiting for? Get after it!

In Waiting - Last one, and oooooh, it was so interesting! Not only was I intrigued from the start, it really got me in a writing mood. Of course, I was reading this in bed to Joel before we went to sleep, so I did not actually write after reading it...but I wanted to, and that counts for something, right?

Whiteout - Dhonielle Clayton, et al

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆☆
Character Development: ☆☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"A snowstorm like this hits Atlanta only once every hundred years. As the city grinds to a halt, a group of teens band together to help a friend pull off the most epic apology of her life. But will they be able to make it happen, in spite of the storm?

A mall full of holiday spirit...and a confession under the twinkling lights.

A deserted aquarium...and secrets that keep bubbling to the surface.

A stalled road trip...and a car full of bittersweet memories melting in the ice.

A whole city blanketed in snow...being warmed from the inside out.

No one is prepared for this whiteout. But then, we can't always prepare for the magical moments that change everything."

 

I just finished this book, and it took me on a journey. I don't know if this will be a real REVIEW review, but I'm going to share my thoughts as they come in, riding on the waves of sadness over finishing a lovely book and wishing I could be in it for just a little longer, even though that isn't how books work.

I understand why we couldn't, but I wish we got more time with each character. Most of them are so loveable, the ones that I had moments of hesitation about I feel like it was just because I didn't have much time to get to know them, and also, like I said, I want to live in this world for a little longer. Please? 

I got so frustrated with some of the miscommunications and overreactions and indecisiveness, but only because it was SO true to teenage life, and it weirdly made me nostalgic for when I was that age, even though you could not pay me enough to deal with all that angst again. Like, Evan-Rose? So many crushes, so little time...I empathize, E.R. I remember the days where I had multiple crushes and was like oh god, is something wrong with me? I like more than one person? How can feelings be real if you feel them for more than one person? It messes with you.

The morale of basically every story in this book is that open and honest communication is key. Talk to each other, friends. It will always bring more clarity than avoiding people and stewing.

I can't decide if Jimi and Teo's story is my favorite or Ava and Mason's. Or Jordyn and Omari's.

I hope this author group writes more books together. I will read them all.

The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆

Character Development: ☆☆

Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases--a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice--with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan--from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he's making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic..."

 

I picked this book because, aside from the outdated reference to Asperger's, the plot sounded intriguing. From the description, I expected it to be sweet, maybe a little nerdy, and something of a slow burn romance-wise. Imagine my surprise when I turn on the audiobook for the first time on my drive to work and within the first two chapters Michael is gripping his cock and masturbating to just shy of completion in preparation for his first "date" with Stella.

I mean...I know it's a romance but it read more contemporary fiction and less bodice-ripper to me, so it took me a lot by surprise being auditorily accosted by cocks at like 6:30 in the morning pulling into an effing ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. Slow burn this was decidedly not. Also, I take issue with "before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he's making her feel..." in the description because "before long" is basically immediately. And that brings me to my biggest issue with this book: Every bit of the plot felt manufactured.

I mean, we start off with Stella eating with her parents, hearing about the pressure from her mom to have grandkids (even though Stella has never actually dated anyone) and witnessing firsthand Stella's discomfort with being touched. Alright, I'm following. If you don't like being touched in general, you're probably not going to be super comfortable with doing the sex, particularly if you've never been in a relationship.

Then we're treated to a description of the last time she'd had sex (which I believe was her third time ever), and we learn that her only sexual encounters thus far have been obligatory sex with random blind dates who have essentially sexually assaulted her after it was clear that she was not enthusiastically consenting to anything they were engaging in. Ummmmmmm. That's certainly...something.😐

Enter Michael, the cock gripper himself. They meet up for the first time, and while there is a little tension and anxiety on Stella's part, she almost immediately is going weak-kneed and horny for him. Which is hard for me to wrap my brain around, both taking into account her aversion to touch in general and keeping in mind that literally her only other experience with intimacy has been so decidedly negative. I mean, at the risk of getting into TMI, I have been sexually assaulted before, and while everyone reacts differently, I just do not buy being instantaneously comfortable with someone just because they take things a tiny bit slow. Nope. No way.

Immediately comfortable Stella is, though, and after a tiny bit of turbulence, the book basically becomes nonstop filthy sex. Not only that, but Michael and Stella have pretty much fallen in love at their first meeting, and they're essentially dating, but of course they're not actually dating because [insert trivial manufactured reason Stella thinks Michael doesn't actually like her] and [insert trivial manufactured reason Michael thinks Stella doesn't actually like him]. It didn't even feel like there was plot conflict for like 80% of the book because it was just Stella and Michael boning down in between forced introspection about how much they liked being together and how sad they were that it could never possibly work out for real because mumble mumble mumble...

Things do finally come to a head, probably 85% of the way into the book, in an incredibly convincing and not at all contrived way (insert sarcmarkⓒ here). The not-couple breaks up, sending both of them into a vicious downward spiral in which Michael contemplates fucking someone else, since Stella totally is (?), while Stella decides she needs to quit her job (?) to become a doctor instead. Fortunately, while all these dark thoughts are going down, Stella goes out to dinner with a trashbag of a coworker, Michael runs into them, and after totally necessary shenanigans, the couple is happily reunited. Not only that, but Michael informs her the moment they get back together that he will be proposing to her in three months, so she has time to mentally prepare. I'm sorry...what?! How incredibly Mormon of you, Michael.

Anyway, congratulations to the happy couple, but even more congratulations to me for not having to listen to this book anymore. Did I hate it? No. Did I want to finish it? Also no. Did it make me like it approximately 78% less than I would have otherwise that Michael on multiple occasions dictated to Stella that her vagina MUST be referred to as a pussy and that he basically ordered her to wear her hair down and wear sundresses at one point? Absolutely. Did I also not love that in one chapter there were approximately infinity references to Stella's "sex," which is possibly my least favorite euphemism for a person's bits? I truly did not. Am I just asking rambling questions now because there were so many little gripes I had with this book? You nailed it.

Read this book or don't, I don't care. If you do, I recommend avoiding reading in public, since so much of it is extra spicy, but you do you.

Let's Talk About Love - Claire Kann

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆☆☆

Character Development: ☆☆☆☆

Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Alice had her whole summer planned. Non-stop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting--working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she's asexual). Alice is done with dating--no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done.

But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!)

When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn, and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood."

 Let's talk about love, baby, let's talk about Alice and Takumi...

Seriously, though, let's talk about Let's Talk About Love. I've come across very little ace representation in books, so I was excited to come across this. It had been on my TBR for a while, so how fortuitous that one of the Read Harder challenges this year was to read a book with ace rep! Just the nudge I needed to finally, finally make the time to read this. 

Right off the bat, I was impressed with the character development. I mean, Margot is in like...one chapter? And the level of trash person achieved in that short a time...wow. Incredible that someone featured so briefly could inspire such instant and thorough dislike. I want to TP her car. The more heavily featured characters were also very realistic - like to the point that sometimes I found them incredibly annoying, and then I would realize oh! This is just like real people, they don't always do everything right and you can get irritated with them! (I mean...seriously, please just communicate...but kudos to Claire Kann for the realism.)

Moving right along, the plot. The book was much more character driven than plot driven, so there wasn't heaps of action, but things moved along at a good pace and progressed nicely. My two gripes were 1. the fatphobia (let's be clear, Takumi has an eating disorder, and nothing about that is "health conscious") and 2. the fact that Takumi as a BRAND NEW library assistant was running storytimes for the library. I don't know what that library's deal was, but it was unrealistic at best. Outside of mistaking thinness for "health" and taking some creative license with library stuff, though, pretty solid story. It's hard to really get into specifics without giving spoilers, but the self-exploration was solid, and I liked that multiple characters experienced growth and not just the main character.

Anyhoo, I'm very full and also sleepy, and I want to make sure this is ready to go, so abrupt wrap-up: Solid story. I would maybe recommend the physical book over the audiobook, but either option would provide entertainment.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

Initial Draw: ☆☆☆

Character Development: ☆☆☆

Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆☆

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐☆

From the cover:

"Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways."

I went back and forth and back and forth about my ratings for this book for so long, and I'm still not entirely sure how I should rate it, so I'm just going to stick with what I've got and dive in to the why, starting, of course, with the initial draw. I debated whether I should include this or not, since I went into this not having really read a synopsis or anything, so from an "oh, I'm dying to get into this story" perspective there wasn't any draw because I didn't know anything about it. But I put it on my Read Harder list and I thought the cover was striking, so it was something that I did want to read on some level, so ultimately it stayed. What's strange to me, now that I have read the synopsis, is that I honestly don't know if knowing what the book was about would have made me want to read it more or less. Is that weird? Anyway, whatever, I gave it an average rating. I don't know.

On to character development, another toughie because here's the thing. Evelyn Hugo? I was dying to know more. The way that she was written to be so complicated and in some ways so dark but also still someone I felt like I just had to root for was masterful. I also loved Harry, who seemed like a complete fucking sweetheart, through and through. There were even some minor characters, like Frankie, who I found very intriguing and wanted more of. The downfall? Every time the story shifted back to Monique, I found myself disappointed because the present-day storyline was so one-dimensional next to Evelyn's. I guess it's hard to stack up against a decades-long tale of Hollywood stardom, intrigue, scheming, love found and lost, etc, but...why tell the story this way, then? 

The transitions back to the present were an anchor dragging the rest of the story down, particularly because neither Monique nor her storyline were really developed. Even her divorce, which is painted in the synopsis as a Big Deal, was very meh. The character development in the flashbacks? Five stars. Present day? Two stars. It kind of reminds me of when competitors on cooking shows decide to prepare two dishes when they're only asked for one and the judges are like "hrmmm ok, but just know this means we'll be forced to judge you on the worse of the two dishes..." No disrespect to Monique, I wanted her to get more development and have a better story, but her parts of the story were the worse of the two dishes.

And finally, plot and writing style. Heavy sigh. This could have been five stars, y'all. It should have been. Bisexual representation, biracial representation, the inclusion of an abortion that is pretty much a non plot point, it's literally like one line...there were so many things included in this book that I loved. And the main character being a woman who, beginning in the 1950s and continuing through her whole life, knew what she wanted from her life and did what it took to get it, regardless of how anyone else reacted or what people thought of her? Hello, I'm in love. Unfortunately, there was one huge thing I hated about this book, and that was the fatphobia. I mean, this was in my early notes, and it did not improve from there:

It was just...SO excessive. Monique is getting divorced, but at least her face is thinner, thank god! This group of men is so unattractive, very rotund. Ugh, I hate my mom's nickname for me, it's a reference to how I was SOOOO FAT as a child. Like. We get it, Taylor Jenkins Reid, you hate fat people. Please find more creative ways to describe people in your writing, because if the only way you can think of to paint a character as unattractive is by deciding they're fat, you lack imagination and also are just generally being shitty. It was grating enough that if the rest of the story hadn't pulled me in so thoroughly I would have DNF'ed in the first few chapters, which is incredibly disappointing from an otherwise pretty socially aware and engaging book. 

Anyway, should you read this book? I don't know. If someone asked me for recommendations and this fit the bill, I'm not sure if I would put it on my list or not...but I do know that if I did it would have an asterisk. So do with that what you will.

On the Way to the Wedding - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Unlike most men of his acquaintance, Gregory Bridgerton believes in true love. And he is convinced that when he finds the woman of his dreams, he will know in an instant that she is the one. And that is exactly what happened. Except...

She wasn't the one. In fact, the ravishing Miss Hermione Watson is in love with another. But her best friend, the ever-practical Lady Lucinda Abernathy, wants to save Hermione from a disastrous alliance, so she offers to help Gregory win her over. But in the process, Lucy falls in love. With Gregory! Except...

Lucy is engaged. And her uncle is not inclined to let her back out of the betrothal, even once Gregory comes to his senses and realizes that it is Lucy, with her sharp wit and sunny smile, who makes his heart sing. And now, on the way to the wedding, Gregory must risk everything to ensure that when it comes time to kiss the bride, he is the only man standing at the altar..."

Mehhhhhhh. I wish Gregory featured more heavily in the earlier books. The first four, I was more invested because you've gotten to know all four older siblings. The fifth, I was also invested, because I love Eloise...until her character was completely ruined and she was shackled to a garbage person. Of all the siblings, I think Francesca and Gregory featured the least prominently in the other novels, so their stories were a little harder to be enthusiastic about. Thankfully, they were compelling enough that I still liked them, but the earlier books are markedly easier to get into because you already know and are invested in the characters. That said, this was...mostly fine, if a little dull.

I liked Lucy as a character, she was probably the character I liked most in this book. That said, the whole romance arc between her and Gregory felt a little funky and forced, and I wish it had been handled differently. He went from being wholly fixated on her best friend to liking her much too quickly, and the whole thing just felt...clunky. Then we get into some spoilers, so...warning. Spoilers.

Spoilers below!

The end of this story felt a little jump the shark-y. The book starts off with Gregory running to stop a wedding, so...alright. I can get into that. But then...she actually gets married? And then...he "kidnaps" her and ties her up in a bathroom? But wait! Now her uncle has found her and...he has a gun? Someone gets shot? Oh, and the marriage can still be annulled with no issues because she and her (btw, hella gay) husband have not consummated yet! It was...a lot. You're doing too much, Julia.

Ultimately, the highest praise I can give this book is that it's just fine. There are some weird things and choices that I don't know if they should have been made, but...it's not Eloise's story, so it's passable.

It's In His Kiss - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Meet our hero. Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past...and the key to his future. The problem is - it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.

Meet our heroine. All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there's something about her - something charming and vexing - that grabs him and won't quite let go...

Meet poor Mr. Mozart. Or don't. But rest assured, he's spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual - and annually discordant - Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other...and that there is nothing as simple - or as complicated - as a single, perfect kiss."

I've been arranging and rearranging my ranking of these books in my mind as I've read them and subsequently reviewed them, and I really think this one has landed solidly in second place. Aside from Anthony and Kate, the development of the romance feels the most natural, and overall I just liked Hyacinth and Gareth as characters. (Although Gareth, horrible name for this character. Hate that decision for him.) Hyacinth is so snarky and outspoken, and I am here for every moment. Also, her friendship with Lady Danbury meant there was significantly more Lady D in this book than in others, and can I get a hell yeah? God, I love Lady Danbury. I aspire to be like her.

I also greatly enjoyed that a fairly big part of this story revolved around hidden diamond hijinks, which...what?! It was somewhat silly but in a super enjoyable way, and I was very on board. Although I am unendingly curious where Hyacinth found herself a pair of pants, specifically pants that fit her so well that Gareth was drooling all over seeing her in them. You know her brothers don't have pants that would be hugging her curves...Hyacinth, tell me your secrets. 

Once again though, we must confront the thing that I did not like. The SAME THING, as a matter of fact. What is with the men in these novels scheming to trap women into marriage via seduction? Boo, Gareth, boo. We fuck because we want to, because we're both into it and it's great fun! We don't fuck to force someone to marry us! That's not cool, bud. Hate to see it.

In conclusion: be cool, guys, stop weaponizing sex. More Lady Danbury, please. Hyacinth is a badass.

When He Was Wicked - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one's life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London's most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.

After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca's surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer - the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.

But that was then...Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love...until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets..."

Okay, Julia. Okay. This book has a weird premise, but I'll go for it. 

Things I'm here for: Francesca and Michael banging for weeks while Francesca steadfastly refuses to accept his proposal of marriage. Hell yeah, girl, get that dick! Being married is not a requirement for having a good time! Also, is this the first book where a man actually goes down on a woman? Because SNAPS for that. Sorry, fellas, I don't care how big Julia says your dicks all are, I'm not convinced that any of you were getting these women off with penetration alone. I don't buy it. Be like Michael. Give them some legit foreplay.

That said...the THING with all capital letters that I am decidedly not here for: Michael scheming to trap Francesca into marriage by seducing her and subsequently attempting to knock her up. MICHAEL, NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Thankfully, he wises up and changes course pretty quickly, but bro. Ew. Supremely not cool.

Anyway...as mentioned, this book has an incredibly strange premise, but...it was solid.

To Sir Phillip, With Love - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Sir Phillip knew from his correspondence with his dead wife's distant cousin that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except...she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her...

Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking...and wondering...and before she knew it she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except...he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered. And he certainly should have mentioned that he had two young - and decided unruly - children, as much in need of a mother as Phillip is in need of a wife."

 Eloise Bridgerton deserves better! This could be my whole review, honestly. Her entire story was just...such a letdown. She is built up as such a strong, independent, intelligent character through the first four books, and then BOOM as soon as Penelope decides she's getting married, suddenly Eloise is like "oh fuck I need to find a man, like, stat." Nooooooooo! Why are we erasing everything good that has been established about Eloise as a character with the premise of this book? Why?!

Add to that the fact that Phillip is a complete fucking dumpster fire of a character, and it adds up to an incredibly disappointing book. If he was amazing, I could maybe, maybe forgive the premise and wrap my brain around Eloise needing to meet him and quickly falling in love with him, but not only are the snippets of the letters they share to each other completely benign and sometimes outright dull, Phillip is such an unrelenting douchebaggy drip of a person! Uuuuuuugh I haaaaaaaaaaaaate iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. I wish I could be more eloquent about it, but I just...I don't have it in me. Start to finish, BLEH. 

I'll end with this - was I the only person who was reading Eloise as queer throughout the first four books? I mean, I will freely admit, give me an opening and I'll read anything as queer. [Premise] but make it queer, always a recipe for success. But FOR REAL, can we let Eloise be gay and have a great time? Please? In my brain that will be what actually happened. This book no longer exists for me.

Romancing Mister Bridgerton - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Everyone knows that Colin Bridgerton is the most charming man in London. Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for...well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret...and fears she doesn't know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same - especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide...is she his biggest threat - or his promise of a happy ending?"

This is one of my favorite book of the series, and it's not just because I see myself in Colin Bridgerton and his insecurity with letting other people read his writing. Or maybe it is, who's to say? Honestly, the more that I've sat with it, I feel like part of why I liked it so much was because it was pretty benign, which was a pretty big breath of fresh air after Benedict went full Dennis in the last book. I like Penelope and how quietly snarky she is, I love that we get more Lady Danbury in this book, and I enjoyed the way Colin gradually becomes more aware of Penelope until he's like oh, shit...am I in love with her? The boy is dense, but it was cute.

An Offer From a Gentleman - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball - or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other - except, perhaps, this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?"

Look...it's fine...but Benedict's overtures have distinct Dennis Reynolds vibes. 

I mean, I know it's a romance novel, and I know it's set in the regency era...but yeesh. I was intrigued at first at the idea of a Cinderella-esque pseudo retelling, but the way that Benedict is engineering scenarios to basically force Sophie to be with him - not even to marry him, but to be his mistress, which she has made incredibly clear she does not want to do - is gross. And it made it really hard to like Benedict. And consequently, the book. I don't even want to talk about it more than this, because 🤮. This was my second least favorite book. Do not like.

The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn

 Initial draw: ✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, this author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And in truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better..." - Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814

But this time, the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry - he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield - the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate is the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands - and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate is determined to protect her sister - but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself..."

I am still far too immature to read words like "maidenhead," but this is one of my favorite books of the series. It was by far the most organic in terms of relationship development, and I was genuinely rooting for Anthony and Kate. It also got into some serious trauma-related stuff that I really didn't expect! I appreciated that it got into some serious stuff instead of just skimming the surface. It even taught me something about bee sting allergies - did you know that with deadly bee allergies, the first sting doesn't always trigger a reaction? It's the second that becomes problematic. Interesting...interesting.

Anyway, if you want to dip your toe into Bridgerton but don't want to read the entire series, I would go with this one. Kate remained one of my favorite characters throughout the rest of the series, and I found her outspoken snark delightful.

The Duke and I - Julia Quinn

Initial draw: ✰✰

Character development: ✰✰✰

Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"After enduring two seasons in London, Daphne Bridgerton is no longer naive enough to believe she will be able to marry for love. But is it really too much to hope for a husband for whom she at least has some affection?

Her brother's old school friend Simon Basset - the new Duke of Hastings - has no intention of ever marrying. However, newly returned to England, he finds himself the target of the many marriage-minded society mothers who remain convinced that reformed rakes make the best husbands.

To deflect their attention, the handsome hell-raiser proposes to Daphne that they pretend an attachment. In return, his interest in Daphne will ensure she becomes the belle of London society with suitors beating a path to her door. There's just one problem, Daphne is in very real danger of falling for a man who has no intention of making their charade a reality..."

 

Ah, the Bridgertons...I, of course, bingewatched the series when it showed up on Netflix, and when I found out the show was based on a book series I half-heartedly debated reading them. My reading habits generally skew more toward YA or Middle Grade, so romance isn't typically in my rotation, but then I found out a friend had started reading them, and that sealed the deal. I never can pass up an opportunity to talk about books with my buds, and as a bonus, I was able to borrow their copies to read, so...ease of access to the books and someone to discuss them with? I didn't stand a chance. And here we are.

All that to say...I wasn't super drawn to the books initially. My initial reticence aside though, while I have some issues, I did think the character development was solid, the dialogue was witty, and honestly even the worst book can be improved by having someone to react to it with, so...all in all, The Duke and I was an okay read. I wasn't intending to review them, so aside from the reaction texts I sent my friend (which primarily consisted of things like "I cannot with 'the cradle of her femininity'" and "yeah, I'm not mature enough for this"), I have no notes on the book, so I'm sorry that this review is a bit lacking. The best I can do is give you my top three takeaways, which will include spoilers, so...sorry.

Not lying about spoilers. Don't keep reading if you don't want to be spoiled.

Takeaway 1: Did we need to include a rape scene? Daphne decides that even though Simon doesn't want to have kids, she does, and that's more important! So when homie is drunk, she initiates sex, and even though he very clearly is like hey, please let's stop, she keeps going until he finishes. This was included in the show, too, and I just. We're not even going to call out that this was not an okay thing for her to do? Really?

Takeaway 2: If I never hear the word "maidenhead" again, it will be too soon.

Takeaway 3: I lack the patience for storylines set in this era in which the societal expectations of the time are strictly adhered to. Are you really going to tell me that girls weren't finding ways to get intel about sex and doing the dirty on the downlow? Daphne didn't know a single fucking thing about how sex worked? Her mom couldn't do even a slightly better job of explaining it to her? I know there are some things that I need some suspension of disbelief, because I'm holding regency-era characters to 2021 feminist standards, but for shit's sake. It really drove me crazy that the whole premise of the book is basically "men fuck as much as they want, and of course everyone is okay with this, but women don't even know what a dick is." I cannot.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown - Talia Hibbert

Initial draw: ✰✰✰✰✰
Character development: ✰✰✰✰
Plot/Writing style: ✰✰✰ (3.5, really)
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost - but not quite - dying, she's come up with seven directives to help her "Get a Life," and she's already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family's mansion. The next items?

• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And...do something bad.

But it's not easy being bad, even when you've written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford "Red" Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He's also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe's wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior..."

I had a hard time deciding how I felt about this book, so I've been sitting with the review for a while, but I've come to a decision and am finally ready to blog about it. The initial draw was stars across the board - as soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I wanted to read it, and getting started I was immediately pulled in. The characters are three-dimensional, well-developed, and relatable, the story is solid, and I loved Chloe. After being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, she started shielding herself from any experiences she thought might trigger her chronic pain, but following a near-death experience she has decided that needs to change. Armed with a "get a life" list, she takes the first step - moving out of her posh family home and into a small flat of her own - and now she and her cutting wit and focused determination are ready to check more items off the list.

Which is where Red comes in. Chloe immediately butted heads with her new superintendent, but it doesn't take long for the pair to realize that when one of them isn't infuriating the other, they...kind of get along? After a few verbal sparring matches, the pair begin to click, forming an unexpected partnership, and things escalate from there.

And I do mean escalate. (Spoilers incoming, you have been warned.)

Y'all...this is a present-day bodice ripper. Like, all caps. And I have no problem whatsoever with things getting steamy, but my library classifies books by genre, and this one was in plain old fiction. The summary does mention sex, but in sort of a throwaway way. Things start off like any other vanilla contemporary novel. And then BAM. You're sitting on your couch, reading away, and Red wakes up from a nap-turned-wet dream with cum on his belly. And proceeds to give himself a hand in vivid detail. I mean, things go from zero to sixty in the space of a sentence, and the heat only gets cranked (heyoooo) up from there. Again, no problem with a horny novel - I'm midway through the Bridgerton series at the moment, as a matter of fact - but generally I like knowing that's what to expect going into it, and in this case...

Maybe I missed a memo and everyone else was well aware that it was going to get hot and heavy fast, but I was very surprised, and therein lies my initial uncertainty about how I felt about the book. It took me a bit to decide if the unexpected level of spice took me out of the narrative (I mean, at one point Chloe is so ready to bone down that she describes her vagina as feeling like a CLENCHED FIST. What.), but ultimately I decided no, it did not. The storyline is great, the character growth is a thing of beauty, and the representation included is...*chef's kiss*. If you're on board with lots of filthy, sometimes public, sexytimes in your reading, I say give this book a go. Just...maybe don't read it in the same room as your mom.

Jo & Laurie - Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"After the publication of her first novel, Jo March is shocked to discover her book of scribbles has become a bestseller, and her publisher and fans demand a sequel. While pressured into coming up with a story, she goes to New York with her dear friend Laurie for a week of inspiration - museums, operas, and even a once-in-a-lifetime reading by Charles Dickens himself!

But Laurie has romance on his mind, and despite her growing feelings, Jo's desire to remain independent leads her to turn down his heartfelt marriage proposal, and she sends the poor boy off to college heartbroken. When Laurie returns to Concord with a sophisticated new girlfriend, will Jo finally communicate her true heart's desire or lose the love of her life forever?"

Buckle up, this is going to be the shortest review ever.

If someone had told younger me that one day I would be reading published Little Women fanfiction, I never would have believed it, but here we are, and I fuckin LOVE it. There are heavy moments, but overall, the description says it all. It's straightforward, light, and delightful. What more could one ask for? It's a perfect holiday read.

When Dimple Met Rishi - Sandhya Menon

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways."

Rishi and Dimple meet at Insomniacon, a summer program dedicated to coding and app development. The catch--Rishi is there specifically to meet Dimple, since their parents have arranged their marriage, but Dimple has no idea Rishi even exists. As you can imagine, their relationship gets off to a rocky start. Fortunately, it improves from there, but the pair are so different, is a real, successful relationship even possible for them?

I was pretty split on this book, and ultimately I think it's only meh. I liked Dimple, Rishi, and especially enjoyed reading about Rishi's brother, but most of the characters were pretty one-note, stereotypical, and not terribly well-developed. I loved the premise of a teenage girl being interested in coding and pursuing her career over romance, but the execution fell flat for me, especially since virtually the entire book is her being starry-eyed over Rishi. If you're going to tell me someone has no interest in a romantic relationship, you can't have her bowled over by some dude she barely knows with almost no build-up.

More than anything, the book was just too long. I was into it at the beginning, but after Dimple starts enjoying Rishi's company a few days into Insomniacon, nothing really happens. It's just chapter after chapter featuring more of the same until you get to the end of the book and suddenly things get exciting again and are hastily wrapped up. I wish there had been more character development, more time devoted to Dimple actually working on her app and developing her coding skills, and a little less time devoted to how their hearts beat harder when Dimple and Rishi looked at each other. I wouldn't discourage someone from reading this, but there are definitely more compelling stories out there.