Contemporary

Book Review: Eight Perfect Hours

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If you’re looking for a cute, fluffy, and heartwarming book to dive into while curling up on the sofa, this book is for you! The book follows Nicole Butterby and Sam Attwood who find themselves in the same place at the same time after being stuck in a snowstorm on the highway. The more and more they bump into each other, the more they’re starting to realize that fate has other plans for them and while they don’t know where it’s going to take them, they’re more than willing to give it a try.

While I did enjoy the plot and how it developed, I did feel like the characters were a little under developed and some of the things they did annoyed me. Both Nicole and Sam are very flawed and complicated characters but the romance between the two wasn’t as real or believable so it was hard for me to completely invest into their romantic relationship. But, I did enjoy the story itself as was heartwarming and real with two people who are trying find out what life has in store for them so check it out if you want!

Kiss Her Once For Me

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It’s not always something I love when it comes to one night stands that lead to misunderstandings but that is exactly what happened with this book. It follows Ellie Oliver who is at her wits end after losing her job a few weeks after having a one night stand with a mysterious woman named Jack at a Christmas party at the local book store. Everything was perfect until the next morning that left Ellie feeling hurt and rejected. That all changes or so she thinks when Ellie, finds herself a new job where she meets Andrew who is dealing with his own problems. The two strike a deal with Ellie pretending to be his girlfriend for the holidays in order to secure his inheritance and Ellie thinks this will get her back on easy street except for when they arrive at his parents house and she finds herself face to face with Jack.

The dynamics between the characters especially Ellie, Jack and Andrew were fleshed out and felt real. The author does a good job with balancing the comedy and drama throughout the book and sometimes that can be tricky to do especially with how it’s written. The beginning of the book shows how Ellie’s mother walks all over her and she can’t say no to her giving her the last dollar she has and while I found that frustrating, I do wish the author would’ve spent more time with adding more to the relationship. I found myself connecting to both Jack and Ellie and I was glad to see Ellie’s growth from beginning to the end to see her taking more chances with her own personal happiness and learning to put herself first. It’s a cliche message but it’s always a good reminder to take care of yourself in every possible way.

BOOK Review: ONe Of The Girls

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It was supposed to be the perfect weekend vacation for Lexi’s upcoming wedding that was just around the corner and all the girls were excited about spending it soaking up the sun, drinking martinis, and having fun while trying not to get into too much trouble. But, beneath the dangerous undercurrents, suspicious between the women began mount as each women is hiding a secret and someone is trying to make sure that Lexi’s wedding never happens and that one of them doesn’t leave the island once the trip is over. If the women don’t put aside their suspicious before it’s too late, there may not even be a wedding.

While the start was pretty slow, it picked up towards the middle and I was hooked till the end. The writing was what really helped me stay invested and I loved how well throughout the characters were and Lexi and Bella were the ones I liked and related to the most. It was a little challenging with so many POV’s and some weren’t as interesting as the others but I got used to it. There were surprises that I didn’t see coming which is always a good sign of a mystery living up the hype and being true to the genre. A lot of times there are books that I’ve read that were proposing but I could tell early on what was going to happen. So all in all, it was a fun and exciting thriller!!

Book Review: The Enemy

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“I feel my heart physically crack a little. It’s both painful and healing at the same time.”

It’s been twelve years since June Bug saw Ryan Henderson, the man who outsmarted her in a game of wits. If she had her way, she’d never cross paths with him again but all that fails when she gets news that Ryan will be showing up for her best friend’s wedding. A lot of time has passed since that fateful day and June is a different person, she’s owns a successful bakery and plans to rub that in his face. If all goes to plan, June will have her revenge on Ryan but fate has other plans in store for June.

Originally, I was going to write a review for this because it was so bad but I changed my mind. The summary made me believe it was enemy to lovers which is one of my favorites and it was a poorly attempt at it because they were pining for each other while not liking one another and that’s not what the trope is. So that was a bummer but that’s not what I disliked the most about this book. At first, I liked June who is one of the main characters as I found her interesting but quickly she began to really annoy me with how she was acting towards Ryan. While I do understand her hesitancy with future relationships because of her past, she came off as very immature at times not willing have to communication in a n effective way so there wouldn’t be anymore misunderstandings. She was being petty and annoying and this is where I started to lose my invested in the book, she was very unlikable and not in a good way. The romance also felt very forced so it was hard to really believe that they really liked each other, it was not a good book. I’m bummed because this trope is one of my favorites and when it’s poorly done, it makes me sad.

Book Review: Something Wilder

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“He’d loved Lily so deeply that it changed his biology. Standing here now, it seemed his love for her hadn’t gone away, it had just been vacuum-sealed and stored. Back in her presence, the physical memory of his infatuation was released in a deluge, gasping to life, and adrenaline flooded his bloodstream.”

Growing up as the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father, Duke Wilder left, Lily without much patience for the profession or money in the bank. But, as always, she will find a way to make things work she does just that. Finding a way to pay her bills but also continue carrying on the legacy of treasure hunting, Lily is looking forward to this new found journey. If only, Leo Grady didn’t show up with his new band of friends, things would be perfect and now she has to deal with the man she once loved, the man who broke her heart and if she had her way she’d take him out to the desert and leave him there. But, as fate has other plans for Lily and Leo.

While I didn’t character for the romance, I loved the other parts of the book especially the characters, Lily and Leo. I honestly would’ve preferred Lily on her own because there was something about Leo that felt off and I did find her very relatable. The romance takes a back seat in this novel and it;’s more of an adventure which I liked, the author is known for romance in her books and she’s very good at it. The pacing and writing helped moved the story along and I was into the adventure more than the romance so it all worked out! This has adventure, love, hope, danger, and romance so if you think this is up your alley then I would give it a try!

Book review: The Sentence

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“I’d taken a pink eraser to my childhood and blurred the pain.”

As this tale of loss, grief, shame, and hope unfolds, the main character Tookie finds herself in the middle of a mystery that she didn’t sign up for. Working in a bookstore as a seller, she must try to solve the haunting of the bookstore from November 2019 to November 2020 by the store’s most annoying customer, Flora who won’t leave the store. While trying to sort out this mystery, she also has to come to terms with the mistakes that she’s made in the past in order to move on to a life full of content, happiness, and peace.

This book was so good. I was hooked from the beginning to the end, the plot was super interesting and how the author developed the story along way made me glued to the page. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, it went in a completely different direction. Tookie was an interesting character and one that I didn’t like right away but as the story developed, I started to warm up to her after reading her backstory and seeing her development through the book. It has to be very challenging to navigate life after being incarcerated for such a long time, there’s so much that changed while being locked up and it can be overwhelming for people being released and trying to form a new life. While confronting Fiona on why she refuses to leave, Tookie has to face her past memories that are filled with grief, shame, sorrow, and anger and begins to realize that maybe there’s a reason why she’s the one who is trying to solve the mystery. I enjoyed how the story progressed and nothing rushed and the writing was beautifully written and it made me feel like I was in the bookstore. This is a really interesting and unique tale that will make you glued to the page and wanting more. Oh before I end this, the story does intertwine with real life events going on at this time with the pandemic and the George Floyd protests so please keep that in mind if you plan to read it since that was a difficult time for many people.

Book Review: The Magic of Found Objects

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“Just take your place in the world with as much grace and gratitude as you can muster and try to see the best in us.”

Conceived at Woodstock in a serendipitous liaison between a free-spirited hippie and farmer’s son, Phronsie Linnelle was born with magical wonder flicking in her DNA and rationally knit into her bones. Torn between the two for most of her life and now that she’s been betrayed by both love and the the mother she once idolized, her rational is winning out. So when her childhood best friend proposes that they give up on romance and marry each other, she couldn’t think of a better idea. What’s better than spending the rest of your life with your best friend who you know won’t hurt you? But as fate has it, right when she’s about to embark on this journey, someone from her past makes a very convincing argument for revisiting romance, Phronsie must look at her own heart to find that the answers that have been there all along.

What a delightful and fun read from beginning to end! I was so invested in the story and had to force myself to sleep or I would’ve stayed up way too late to read more. This book was so wild and entertaining and that’s really what I loved the most because just when I thought I knew what was happening, it would go in the different direction. I really loved how well written the characters were even the secondary characters were fleshed out and felt so human. They were all so deeply flawed and complicated which is so nice to have in books. Phronsie was such a likable protagonist and I really felt for her while she was trying to sort out the events that transpired in her life and I really liked her growth. The plot and how everything tied up nicely in the end was so well done, I really enjoyed this one and I’m going to check out more of Dawson’s work. Highly recommend this!!

Book Review: FLOAT PLAN

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“I’m starting to understand that some people come into your life when you need them, and go when it’s time.”

Float Plan follows Anna as she navigates through the loss of her fiance to suicide, she is grief stricken at the loss and unable to integrate back into her normal routine. Her life kicks back up when she gets a reminder about a trip that the two were supposed to take together but now she is alone and on a impulse she decides to go on the trip alone. But, it turns out to be too overwhelming for her and she realizes she needs an extra hand, someone who is good with sailing and she finds that Keane, a professional sailor to help. Much like Anna, his life has been thrown into a tailspin and he is trying to make his way through and soon a budding friendship starts to form with the two realizing that their might be more than friendship in their future.

This was such a great book! I binged it in one day as I was glued to my book to find out what was going to happen next and I found Anna so relatable and easy to like. I really felt for her while she was working through her own grief and how she went about it felt very real. Losing a loved one is never easy to deal especially with suicide as that brings out a lot of guilt and shame with thinking about what you could’ve done to help that person. It’s so difficult to process especially with by yourself and i thought the way the author developed the friendship and eventually romance between Anna and Keane was really well done, it didn’t feel so forced especially with the other issues that both characters are dealing with. Overall, I really enjoyed the book so defintely check it out if it sounds like something you’d enjoy!

BOOK Review: ACCIDENTALLY Engaged

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“Reena’s heart was safe. But she felt fine about their meddling. Truly. Friends who cared enough to meddle were hardly something to complain about.”

For Reena Manji, her life could be better but for right now she’s not complaining for while she’s not thrilled about her love life, she doesn’t really want to be involved in a relationship right now. If only her family got that memo and didn’t insert themselves into every aspect of her life. Reena is trying to do the best she can and drown out the noise but when her father moves his newest employee, Nadim across the hall from her with hopes that he’ll be the one, she’s going to get much more than she bargained for.

I absolutely loved this story, it was so pure and wholesome with heart warming and angst moments that made me glued to my book for more. Reena was such a relatable protagonist, I really felt for her and enjoyed seeing her character growth throughout the book and found her chemistry with Nadim very real and I loved both of them on their own and together. They were both very interesting and flawed and the development of the relationship didn’t happen so quickly or felt forced and that’s always good cause that can really be a downer. I did enjoy Reena’s relationship with her family and even if they did meddle in her love life, they truly cared for her and just wanted her to be happy. They were very close and there were some really great heartwarming moments and loved how Heron developed the secondary characters and made them just as important as the main characters. Highly recommend this one!