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#book reviewer
meltotheany · 4 months
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Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children, #9)by Seanan McGuire | ARC Review
Goodreads | Amazon US | B&N | Blackwell’s | Bookshop 1.) Every Heart a Doorway ★★★★★2.) Down Among the Sticks and Bones ★★★★★3.) Beneath the Sugar Sky ★★★★4.) In an Absent Dream ★★★★★5.) Come Tumbling Down ★★★6.) Across the Green Grass Fields ★★★★7.) Where the Drowned Girls Go ★★★8.) Lost in the Moment and Found ★★★★★ ARC provided by Tor – thank you so much !! “The door wasn’t there because…
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thebookraven · 25 days
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My reaction after reading Nona was to scream, “I am not okay! I am unwell!” and then proceed to have an existential crisis. I love this series so freaking much!!!
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tha-star · 4 months
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In a modern au of fem bingqiu, a social media influencers, I see Luo Binghe having a food channel or a gamer one (games of violence, because her OP energy would radiate, and I think this contrast in Binghe is funny), maybe both. Luo Binghe being very soft cooking, and rough cleaning battlefields like it was nothing in games.
While Shen Yuan reviews books, she also reviews other pop culture things, but more about books. Soft masc is more her style, while Binghe has the cute and baddie style.
Imagine both of them ending up on these horrible misogynistic podcasters, 'cause they heard that the other one would be there, and they are already fans of each other, the first time they will see each other in person is in this horrible situation.
I feel like they could constantly pit one against the other, like "Shen Yuan is the intellectual kind of woman, Luo Binghe is superficial, play games for the simps", "Luo Binghe has many talents of a housewife, Shen Yuan is not feminine, has no vanity."
But they constantly defend each other with passion.
Weeks later, Shen Yuan on live and Luo Binghe appears behind with cookies, kiss the top of her head and leaves. And the internet discovers that they are dating. (Or married, it would be even funnier that way)
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Today I was shopping at B&N and saw something exciting…my VERY FIRST front cover blurb! Thanks for blurbing my Booklist review, Flatiron Books! And shoutout to Elektra by Jennifer Saint.
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coffeebooksandmore · 1 year
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A bad reading habit of mine is starting a book with expectations of it changing my life. I don’t do this often, but lately I’ve been wanting more escapism from my books. “To A God Unknown” was suggested to me and I’m so glad for once, my initial expectations were low. I thought to myself, it’s okay if I don’t read most of it, I can pick it up later.
Thankfully I knew from the first chapter this one was special. Steinbeck wrote a story where even silences have meaning. The imagery of the California landscape will never leave me, it was so transformative. We are all looking for meaning in our lives and trying to connect to something greater and reading Joseph’s journey made me feel closer to finding mine.
IG: coffeeandbookss
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chanelslibrary · 2 months
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🌙𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰🌙
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Misery Lark, daughter of the Vampyre council’s leader, has been forced into an alliance with the Weres in the form of a marriage. She thinks pack leader and Alpha, Lowe, must have his own reasons for entering into this marriage of convenience since Weres and Vampyres have been mortal enemies for as long as she can remember. As long as the Vampyres, and her new husband don’t suspect her real motive for getting closer to Lowe Moreland, then all is fair in love and war!
I’ll be honest and say I had no idea what to expect coming into this book—(I went in not knowing the gist) and I liked The Love Hypothesis, but I absolutely LOVED this book! It has everything I love: werewolves, marriage of convenience, witty banter, and a great subplot! I’ve heard some mixed reviews, and to address people’s concerns…this is NOT an A/B/O book. There is knotting in the spicy scenes, so maybe people were confused, mislead or disappointed? If they expected full on A/B/O romance, this is knot the book!! lol Also, if you have read Ali’s books before her female characters are super book smart, but let’s be honest sometimes are clueless with love even when it’s obvious. I find it charming! lol (hello idiots in love!)
Anyway, the banter between Misery, who is not even the most likeable character—she truly hates everyone—and Lowe who is such a quiet authoritative Alpha wolf is amazing! The side characters are great, and I liked that she branched off into a new subgenre. Pick up this book if you’re a Ali Hazelwood fan or looking for something different in your romance read. I heard someone say—this is Rennesmee’s love story with Jacob and now that’s all I’ll think of and it kills me☠️
Read if you love:
🐺Werewolves, Vampires, etc
💍 Marriage of convenience
🩸Paranormal romance
🐾 Fated mates
👨‍👩‍👧 Found family
🔎 Mystery
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sillytriumphdragon · 2 months
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*the silent patient*
Author: Alex Michaelides
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.5 ⭐
From the very beginning of this book, I was hooked. I found myself so wrapped up in the story, invested in unraveling the mystery behind why Alicia murdered her husband.
Michaelides does an excellent job in creating a story filled with things and characters that are meant to keep you guessing.
Written in five parts with very short chapters, this made for one fast read that was hard to put down. It's so easy to burn through a lot of pages when you think,
"Well this chapter has 3 pages, I can keep going." And the twist? That twist? I found myself continuously changing my theories as more and more details surfaced, and I truly didn't see that twist coming until it was right under my nose.
Favorite dialogue:
*“Choosing a lover is a lot like choosing a therapist. We need to ask ourselves, is this someone who will be honest with me, listen to criticism, admit making mistakes, and not promise the impossible?”*
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bookaddict24-7 · 3 months
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REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!
EVERY WEEK I WILL POST A VARIOUS REVIEWS I’VE WRITTEN SO FAR IN 2024. YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS FOR MORE UP-TO-DATE REVIEWS HERE.
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8. That Time I Got Drunk & Saved A Demon by Kimberly Lemming--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First five-star read of 2024 🙏🏽
My friends have read this book and LOVED it, so I don't know why I'm lowkey surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I thought it would be a cheesy and slightly boring read (I didn't read the synopsis, okay? Sue me.) But what I got was SO far from that. Full of adventure, heart, sexual tension, and hilarious sass, I found myself laughing and paying rapt attention.
I loved the MC and her responses and commentary. I can see myself re-reading this just to highlight all of her sass. She's one of those contemporary characters set in a fantastical world that helps keep these kinds of stories light and fun. There's a scene where the demon just stares at her like "Okay, so we are definitely getting married" and I don't even blame him. This woman is a BADASS.
I loved their exploration of their world and how quick it was. Some readers might want more setting development, but honestly? I'm happy with how light and straightforward it was. I also really liked the side characters and how the demon just takes out anyone he wants, especially if they threaten the MC.
This was fun and everything I wish that other cozy fantasy book had given me. The new editions of the other two books have already been preordered 😌.
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9. The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH perfectly encompasses the tortures of middle school, the changing of the people we once called friends, and the effects of grief and how a child's mind may twist in ways that might help them comprehend the reality of death.
Ali Benjamin does a fantastic job of drawing out the history of her MC and her friend. The way they both changed and how the MC came to choosing to stay silent verbally for the majority of the book. Watching her trying to find reasons for why her friend has died was heartbreaking. I can't imagine being a parent in that situation, where you know you can't help your child comprehend the change in their reality.
Also, middle school is a cruel place for a lot of kids (hi, I was one of its victims) and the levels of evil some of these kids get up to is truly astounding. It broke me a little watching this friendship fall apart and this poor, young MC having to remember the last moment she saw her friend alive.
Sometimes things just happen and this whole book is, ultimately, a great source for children grieving. Life can be messy, confusing, and sometimes heartbreaking. Benjamin's novel is beautiful and this is another one of those middle grade books that I think adults AND kids should be reading.
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10. The Skull by Jon Klassen--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If no one has read any other Jon Klassen books, then they're in for a surprise. If they have, then they'll recognize the eeriness of his writing.
You can't tell me that the hat books aren't creepy (there's a couple of pages where the big fish CLEARLY eats the little fish in the long grass). This guy is morbid and props to kids' authors who can write a book both for kids and adults.
The artwork was beautiful as always and the story was a very, very quick read. Perfect for those 5-7 year olds who want to try something themselves but don't mind a talking skeleton or skull.
This also got reeeeeeal dark at one point and I was just thinking of how some of the Gen Alpha kids are.
Highly recommend--especially for those littles who love a little spooky with their bedtime stories.
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11. The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Romantic, at times funny, spicy, and full of characters I wanted to punch in the dick, THE FIANCÉE FARCE was entertaining from beginning to end.
Much like many of my reading experiences, I jumped into this without knowing what I was getting myself into and imagine my joy and surprise when the trope of "marriage of convenience" popped up. I loved watching these characters fall in love with each other, and I loved seeing the thwart the horrible people in their lives. I also loved that one of the MCs has a massive love for reading (shown through her family's bookstore).
Was this the best romance I've ever read? Not really--it had some pretty obvious climactic points and some very over the top villains--but it held my attention and I fell for the couple. I loved that one helped the other find her confidence that had been stripped from her at a younger age.
One of the things that keeps me from giving this a five star rating is how...in a bubble this story feels? Like, we meet other characters as they serve their purpose (as is the usual) but if they're not in the scene, it's like they don't exist. There's one scene where one particular character doesn't speak and it's a pretty pivotal moment for the reader to pay extra attention because this is a huge hint about this character, but Bellefleur doesn't even hint at it? It's like that character is deleted from the scene. This is like taking the adage of "when you're with me, I only see you" and using it to the max.
Other than that, this was an entertaining and sexy story of proving assholes wrong and falling in love despite you believing that you're not deserving of love. Highly recommend for enough looking for a cute romance full of family drama and fake relationships!
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12. Ana On the Edge by A.J. Sass--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Such a powerful story!
One of my favourite messages that ANA ON THE EDGE could potentially give young readers that it is OKAY to be in the process of trying to figure out who you are, but also that it's okay to not have all of the answers at once.
We see the MC struggle with their identity and their relationships throughout the whole book, especially because their world has always seemingly had such clear cut gender norms (Ice skating is a huge part of her world). I can't even imagine trying to find who you are when everyone around you is imposing who they think you are on you.
I also enjoyed that we got to see some of the more pivotal relationships in the MCs life and that messy in-between with friendships when big changes happen--like sudden schedule changes, or new friendships blossom. While this book tackled pretty big topics, I liked that its core it was still truly an MGLit book that explored the importance of friendships and keeping the good ones alive (even when life gets a bit hectic.)
Finally, I adored the relationship between the MC and their mom. I loved that they were a team and even though it took a little bit of time, they had some good communication between the two of them. There were some heartwarming moments and I loved seeing them understand each other better as the story progressed.
I think this is another great LGBTQ+ book to have in my back pocket for when I need to recommend great Queer books to readers!
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13. Mindy Kim & the Birthday Puppy by Lyla Lee and Dung Ho Hanh (Illustrations)--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It's been a while since I picked up the last MINDY KIM book but this was just as cute as I remember the last two books being. There were some moments that made me tear up a little, but I'm just an emotional mess sometimes.
I loved seeing Mindy come into her own with her brand new puppy. A couple of my best friends have a puppy and as I read Mindy's adventures (or misadventures), I thought of how difficult it was for my friends to parent a brand new puppy. This is a kid's book, so I'm not surprised Mindy was able to be so successful so quickly, but in reality, puppies are a lot more work than what was shown here. BUT this didn't take away from the story at all! I love that this could be a really great resource for littles who want a puppy, but need a further understanding of the responsibilities behind it.
And much like the last two books, there were some important topics explored here: how families might look, grief, multicultural traditions, and responsibilities one might take on.
Another great addition to the series and I'll hopefully be reading the next one soon!
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14. Suddenly by Isabelle Autissier--⭐️⭐️.5
I had a lot of expectations for SUDDENLY by Isabelle Autissier, but we all know expectations are sometimes the death knell of a story. The cover enticed me, the synopsis further pulled me in, but the clunky translation full of thesaurus-level words and the random time-jump totally took me out of the story.
Normally, I DNF books that aren't working for me because hi, I have a massive TBR to get through before I die. But I will give Autissier this: she wrote a very intriguing beginning to her book. I wanted to see these characters survive and thrive in their new environment. A morbid sense of intrigue had me continuing the story as they mercilessly killed creatures I never thought someone could kill so coldly, and as they had massive introspection about their super privileged lives (and their first world ignorance about their importance in the grand scheme of things.)
These two characters were severely unlikable, but I couldn't help but get attached. I felt such a mixed bag of emotions towards the FMC and when the time jump happened, I felt further disconnected from not just her, but the story as a whole.
I'll be blunt: the second part of the book (or more like 3/4 way through the book) ruined this for me. I understand the importance of seeing the story of the "after" but I hated it. I think it went from being an interesting exploration of survival and humanity to the superficial experience of society marking you as a hero for surviving. I get that this is also the point: the further examination of how society is in (the character's) reality vs. the truths they realized about the societies they had grown in and how wholly unprepared they were for the battlefield of survival. I get that, but I still disliked it. From there, I felt like the story dragged and my attention wavered even more.
And don't get me started on the ending--the page I thought was going to be the last page was a better last page than the actual last page.
Overall, I liked the first half of the book. Despite the dark aspects, the gut churning choices, and the heartbreaking conclusion, I enjoyed that part. The second part of the book brought the whole story down for me.
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15. Fake Dates & Mooncakes by Sher Lee--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
FAKE DATES AND MOONCAKES was a pretty straightforward and easy read, but listen, it was FUN. This felt like I was experiencing a K-Drama or C-Drama. It was such a good time--the dramatic twists, the threats against the middle class guy dating the rich guy, and the CRAZY RICH ASIANS-like trip and event? Freaking amazing. LOL the love interest literally waits for the MC outside of his school standing by his Ferrari. This is juicy Asian-drama level stuff and I ate. it. up.
The romance was adorable and sweet and I won't lie, I sometimes forgot these were teenagers--not because of anything gross, but because these two were so mature in their actions and how they interacted with each other.
The familial relationships were so sweet and I loved how they clearly had each others' best interests in mind whenever something pivotal happened. They were adorable and I loved them.
Reading this was like experiencing some of my favourite Asian dramas again, with a dash of CRAZY RICH ASIANS. It wasn't an earth-shattering read, but five stars for solely being entertaining and making me smile with giddiness. If you want a cute gay story with some truly cute moments, then you might like this--especially as a read for when the warmer weather finally returns!
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Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them?
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Happy reading!
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ninsiana0 · 6 months
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Read HEARTSONG by TJ Klune if you love sad gay werewolves, finding your way home, eyeglasses, memories, trauma narratives, ace love interests, sitting beneath trees, the scent of lake water, traditions, loss narratives, crackers, and waves of blue.
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illiteraterabbit · 2 months
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A Power Unbound - Freya Marske
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★★★★★ (5/5)
Date Started: 10 February 2024 Date Finished: 16 February 2024
"The past could turn you into a strip of paper with a single side, so that comfort and vulnerability slid away down the invisible channels and couldn't be grasped."
Kind of funny to post only a review for the final book in a trilogy, but unfortunately this blog didn't exist when I read the first two, so consider this my personal review for the series overall. Note: It is going to be a glorious, glowing and raving review focusing on this third book overall as it is what primarily weighs on my mind. All three of these books are firm 5 star ratings in my heart of hearts, and I will not budge on the matter.
I'm already a well established fan of historical fantasy, so when I stumbled upon A Marvellous Light back when I still worked at Barnes and Noble it felt like a matter of fate. I was in love with the world from the start and knew I would read as many books as it took to get to the end of the overarching plot line. A Restless Truth enchanted me just as much as the first book, though in a completely new and different sort of way. It was refreshing and fun and left me in dire anticipation for the release of the final book of the trilogy.
And that brings us to A Power Unbound. A book hasn't stressed me out as much as this one did in ages. And I mean that in a good way, of course! The stakes felt appropriately high, and that meant they felt apocalyptic. It might seem impossible to weave a romance within the lines of a book of apocalyptic stakes, but Freya Marske absolutely managed it.
The violent, aggressive, off-putting love between Alan and Lord Hawthorne felt just as desperate as everything else. It was a force to be reckoned with, and it knocked me off my feet every chance it had. Robin and Edwin may still be my favorite couple, but the romance between Alan and Jack definitely felt the most satisfying. Maybe it's because it was at least partially stretched across two books - maybe it was just because it was so... Well, everything it was. I don't know, but I did love every second of it. I don't like to talk plot much when I review books, because I personally hate reading a glorified summary when I seek out other reviews, but I can tell you that this book wrapped up everything perfectly. The ending was satisfying in more ways than one, and the epilogue perfectly reminded me how much I loved every single character throughout this series. I could not recommend this series any more intensely. If you are searching for a wonderful queer fantasy, it's waiting for you here.
I can't wait to see what Freya Marske writes next. I promise I will be a dedicated reader for life.
And with that:
"I would take your heart between my ribs and guard it like my own. Is there any way I could make you believe it?"
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bookishthings30 · 3 months
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The Justice of Kings: Book Review
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Favorite Quote: "Beware the idiot, the zealot and the tyrant; each clothes himself in the armor of ignorance."
This quote is from the first chapter and when I tell you how powerful it is after reading the book is an understatement. You don't know how perfectly the quote sets the tone until you finish reading book one. This entire novel, in my opinion, was a master piece. The world building, the characters, the complex law system, and everything else was amazing. I could easily write a multiple page document on this book, but that would be to long to post, so I will keep it as short as possible. I enjoyed learning about the world and the law system that is in-place within this empire. It's deep and complex and I feel that the book only scratched the surface of how deep, dark, and possibly corrupt this system of law can become.
The cast of characters we are introduced to are just as complex. Dubine has a sad background, but is a tough warrior and a fun character who is loyal to Vonvalt and will protect him and Helena. Helena was a bit annoying, I understand her background and that she is struggling to find her place in the world. However, there is certain scenes where she came off as an ungrateful child, and that got on my nerves. I will admit that she did improve a bit towards the end, so I am hopeful she becomes stronger as the series continues. Vonvalt, was such a strong and amazing character. He has such a strong belief in his order which is good but also harmful. He was naive and in denial to the point of insanity, and for such an intelligent man; he had stupid moments. He was so narrow minded and in denial that when danger was there, he was caught off guard. And finally, Claver. All I can say about him is that if I catch you, it is on sight.
The overall story and cast was amazing and you can't help but be invested in the characters and the story. Let me clarify that this is a political fantasy and may or may not appeal to everyone. However, I highly recommend for anyone of the fence about reading it or if it has been on your radar but you haven't read it yet. I hope this review is helpful and give you the push you need to give it a go.
Overall Rating:
Cover-5 Stars
Character's-4 Stars
Plot/World Building-5 Stars
Readability-5 stars
Recommend- Yes
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booklr-nova · 7 months
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UGLY LOVE
Book Review
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UGLY LOVE BY COLLEEN HOOVER
HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER!!!! MY HEART IS SO PERFECTLY BROKEN! I DON'T THINK I TOOK A BREATH THE WHOLE TIME I READ THIS BOOK! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME COLLEEN HOOVER!!! I HATE YOU BUT I LOVE YOU! YOU RUINED ME AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!
IF YOU CAN'T GUESS IT BY MY NON-STOP CAPS THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO THAN SCREAM "I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!"
WOW JUST WOW! I DON'T KNOW HOW OR WHEN I'LL GET OVER THIS BOOK HANGOVER.
Ugly Love was nothing like I expected it to be. I excepted it too be like a 50 Shades of Grey fan fiction with just a butt ton of thrown together steamy scenes... No, it wasn't it was so much more. I knew I was going to like Miles (because he sounded so hot), but I had no idea that I was going to love him. That he was going to have an actual back story... That he was going to be actually interesting in a realistic way... I had no idea he was going to break my heart.
All that being said I have a few bookish confessions to make before I really get into the review, I choose to read this book 1) because I heard it was becoming a movie and if there's anything I love nearly as much as reading it's seeing movies 2) because this is who they have playing Mil
and 3) I also need to admit that I didn't get what was so appealing about this book that it was actually going to become a movie... I get it now. I get all the hype and talk surrounding this book. I have NEVER, EVER, EVER cried so hard in a book. That's the very last thing I thought this book was going to make me do.
The characters in this book felt so real. Tate was naive and normally that would make me want to punch a B, in her case it made me love her. Unlike most leading ladies she isn't overly sassy, or has incredible lol rebuttals, she was realistic. Her brother Corbin, OMG CORBIN, I loved every single thing about him. He has to be one of my favorite sub characters ever. He was what I imagined a brother would be and even with him not being a constant character just his presence had me. Then there's Miles and he is hands-down the star of this book. The moment you meet him you hate him. He is a mysterious mess and I thought he was going to annoy me fast. He won me over once they started going into his back story. The further they went into it the more I could feel what was coming... Yes, I knew where this story was going and what was going to happen but in no way, shape, or form was I actually prepared for it. I was a blubbering weeping ball of emotions.
The switch between time and POVs was done flawlessly and revealed the perfect information at the perfect time to keep you hooked and wanting more. Colleen set up this story so at first you would only like Miles because of his looks (which I've already made clear I was guilty of) ...
"His shirt isn't buttoned. I'm staring at his stomach. Oh, my word he has the V. Those beautiful indentations on men that run the length of their outer abdominal muscles, disappearing beneath their jeans as if the indentations are pointing to a secret bull's-eye."
And yes, he is a looker, but by the end I could have cared less about what he looked like. He could have worn a bag over his head for the last half of the book and my heart would have still been his. The relationship between Tate and Miles is like nothing I have read before. It was something else that really surprised me about this book. Saying it was complicated would be an understatement. I thought that the steamy scenes were going to take up most of this book, but it didn't... Yeah that's something that would normally make me rank a book lower, but the scenes were so well written and again realistic. They were well placed and well thought out. Just enough to make this book not "too much" which is what had me falling hard for this read way harder than I anticipated. The scenes are hot though like dump a bucket of water on your head hot. Miles and Tate's conversations roll so smoothly and the moments between them are so; I don't even know a word for them, they're just perfect (that word really doesn't do justice). Not only is he romantic but he made average things so hot.
Orange juice is hot, rugs are hot, scrubs are hot, and curtains are so so hot. whoosh.
Honestly though the scenes that turned out to be my favorite were just "average scenes", like when they all go and visit Tate and Corbin's family for Thanksgiving. That whole section had to of been my favorite. I loved how I thought this story was going to be Tate's but turned out to be Miles'. I love how I thought this book was going to be a light sexy read but turned out to be a heartbreaking love story. I just loved how everything came together while falling apart... Because when all Miles story is finally shown and is laid out in its fullest, I was basically like this...
I want to rant and rave even more about this book, but this is something you really need to read and experience for yourself. Ugly Love might just be the biggest surprise read I've had all year. I can't express enough how impressive the characters, plot, and play out of this story are.
I didn't think that this book was going to be so hard on me... And yes,
it hurt. And yes, it was a total sobbing fest, but that ending... Good golly miss molly. That ending was perfection. I don't know if I can ever forgive Colleen Hoover for what she did to me, but God dang it I love her so much for it. I didn't see this coming, and I've never been so happy to be emotionally slapped in the face like I was reading this.
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thebookraven · 1 month
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😂😂😂 Just because my TBR takes up 3 double rows on my bookshelf doesn't mean I don’t need more books lol
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juleworm · 11 months
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hello!! given that it is the first weekend in june, i'd like to go through everything that i read in the month of may and say if i would or would not recommend it and why. lets go !!
in chronological order of reading:
king of pride - ana huang: YES absolutely! god i loved this book. more specifically, yes i would recommend it if you like opposites attract in romance and dating, or if you like income gap relationships ( he's a billionaire, she's a struggling author ), and yes if you like incredibly hot and well written spicy scenes between characters. i honestly can't even think of a no unless you literally just hate spicy romance as a genre; even then i still think this book deserves a chance for your time. i absolutely adore this book.
2. den of vipers - k.a. knight: yes if you miss reading self-insert on wattpad and like pick me fmcs. the vipers themselves do have a lot of good character behind them, but as far as the fmc...i just really didn't like her. i did finish the entire book hoping that it would get better towards the end, but in my opinion the ending was one of the worse parts of the book and throughout it all it felt very predictable. would i generally recommend this? no. but it's definitely a hit or miss book. you'll either really like it, or not like it at all.
3. does it hurt? - h.d. carlton: yes yes yes yes yes. this was my favorite read of the month of may. i'd recommend it even more if you like witty and funny fmcs; it's sort of a dark romance version of grumpy x sunshine. it has a lot of spice and it's very creative if that makes sense? it's not just boring vanilla missionary, that's for sure. the mmcs character is phenomenal and both of them each have very full character arcs. but i wouldn't recommend it if mentions of incest and domestic abuse trigger you, or if body horror and gore triggers you.
4. never lie - freida mcfadden: yes if you're new to thrillers and want something easy to digest. definitely not if you're not new to thrillers and have read some absolutely breathtaking ones that kept you up at night. to me it had a rather predictable storyline, a twist that falls flat, and characters with absolutely zero depth or anywhere near a completed arc. i really did not like this book at all. also yes if you like a quick read; this didn't take me very long to get through.
5 + 6. there are no saints / there is no devil [ sinner's duet ] - sophie lark: yes if you like a "beginner" dark romance that doesn't stray too far into depravity, but still has a very dominant and demanding mmc. no if you've read things by h.d. carlton or other dark romance authors and that's your expectation level. this might come off as boring to you. however as this was a bit tame for me storyline wise, the spicy scenes were amazing and i did like that they were both artists. i feel like usually billionaires are business-oriented but it was cool to see a wealthy and famous artist. also yes if you like mentor romance dynamics.
7. iced out - veronica eden: yes if you like boys who are very clearly written by women ( in a good way! ). the mmc is perfectly balanced; he's as hot and dominant as he is cute and sweet and nice and thoughtful. he's pretty much the picturesque model citizen for what a girl typically would want in a perfectly healthy romantic relationship. there's very little drama between characters, which i personally liked. but no if parental death or familial death or grief/loss are triggers for you. for a more in-depth response, i did a spoiler free book review here!
if you do read any of these let me know! i'd love to see how our opinions differ :))
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Hard at work reviewing one of my most anticipated reads of the year! 💪🏻
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coffeebooksandmore · 1 year
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It seems like all I read or see is about loss. To have hope for the future feels foolish. Why waste your prayers when everything is burning to the ground? Why try when we are told that there is no more time left?
Hopelessness is capitalism’s biggest tool. If you are stuck in a black hole of “what’s the point,” you’ll let yourself sink into the nothingness they want you to feel.
When you start searching for hope, you start finding it in everything. There are people fighting, all over the world, people who have less power and resources than you and me. For them, losing hope isn’t an option. They need our help because your hope is theirs; and theirs is yours.
“Eating to Extinction” is a book by journalist Dan Saladino, who traveled the world to tell the stories of the world’s most at risk foods. Once these foods are gone they will leave devastating impacts on our ecosystem. In each chapter you learn about a food item at risk; you are told its history the legacy it holds and the culture it inspired. The Kavilca wheat’s ancient connection to Anatolia, Bison and the Great Plains, Memang Narang from the Garo Hills in India - these stories brought me to my knees. I know so much, but know so very little.
There are certain stories that make the foundation of who I am and one of those stories are of the world’s first seed bank created by Nikolai Vavilov. This seed bank had over 150,000 seed samples, collected by Vavilov and his colleagues to study and save for future famines. Sadly the seed bank was under attack by the Nazi’s during World War 2. They saw the Seed Bank as an incredible genetic resource and knew they had to have it. 900 days this seed bank was under attack and the caretakers of the seeds never gave up. 9 of the caretakers died of starvation. Instead of saving themselves and eating the seeds they gave their lives up for future generations. For the earth.
We have to honor the lives of those before us who gave up everything, so we can have a more beautiful future. We can honor them by planting something native and endangered, that’ll give life for years after we’re gone. We can start to examine what we buy in the grocery store. Have you gone to your local farmer’s market recently? We all can take small steps to eating more diversely. I know it’s a lot to take on, but what are we here for if it’s not to take care of each other?
IG: coffeeandbookss
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