#not giving the fic a star rating bc if someone did that to mine i'd throw up but it was very very good just trust me!

[myloveforhergoeson]

ash's march 2024 reading round up

find all the books and fics i read this month under the cut with a link to the synopsis and my reviews/ratings attached :)

this is just for fun! i'm not a professional, i just like to read <3

booklist!

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy (18+)

• review: good book, fun read! nothing extraordinary but entertaining nonetheless, but i did struggle because the two main characters share the names of a few of my best friends... weird. anyway, i'm such a sucker for a second-chance romance, as logan and grace have in this novel after they're on the path to a relationship, but logan can't seem to get over the girl his best friend is dating... after a summer apart, both of them return to college and find themselves getting mixed up in each others business, which allows for time to reevaluate and find out together just what went wrong! love seeing a man grovel after he makes a mistake lol. but, again, it was a fun read, nothing super special or groundbreaking and i think elle kennedy has some internalized misogyny she needs to work out which comes through a bit in her writing sometimes. i don't think women in romance novels should always be put through terrible situations to culminate in a moment of love-clarity, but that's just me. that scene told me more about logan's character than grace's, which was nice to see him stand up for her and her friend, but still. hurt to read a bit. i am also slightly worried for graces' future as a therapist. she has absolutely no empathy when logan was opening up about his struggles with his father's alcoholism - to her credit, he wasn't telling her everything, not that he needs to, but still... regardless, i thought these two were cute. even after he blew her off big time in the beginning, he worked to prove he made a mistake and actively worked to better himself. i thought graces' list of things he needed to do to win her over was adorable - i wish there was more time spent on seeing him complete these tasks! the ramona (grace's kind of best friend) side plot was interesting but i was very caught off guard with how it was resolved... but! still enjoyed this book nonetheless~

• tw: depictions and scenes around alcoholism in a side character, side character held at party against her will

• rating: 3/5 boxes of blonde hair dye it must've taken grace to dye her hair

2. Happy Place by Emily Henry (18+ish)

• review: oh my god oh my god oh my GOD!!!!!!!! no book i've ever read has had such an emotional grip on me. i must've cried like five separate times while reading this book - not because it's sad, but because i found myself identifying with so many of the themes (and also because i may or may not have been going through it at the time of reading). this is a beautifully written tale about two ex-fiances, wyn and harriet, reuniting five months after their break up to join their friends on their yearly vacation to their favorite place in the world - a beach house in maine! - without telling anyone they've broke up. now, they must play the part of the once-happy couple they were in order to keep the peace and not ruin everyone's vacation. seeing how family, friendship, growing up, moving apart, grief, and not listening to one's heart affected each character absolutely gutted me in ways i was not expecting at all. like i said, i identified with so many of these themes, and the way they're all interwoven throughout the book is so masterful it literally brought me to tears. and not like silent streaks, i was sobbing at some parts. i also really loved that the book was told between two time periods: the present or "real life" and the past or "happy/dark place" so we could see the full span of wyn and harrys relationship, the connections they made with their friends, and how important each and every character is to each other. the scenes of the past felt so nostalgic, like i was there with everyone as friendships, and subsequently relationships, developed. the scenes from the present were just as comforting, even with all their real-life struggles. oh, yeah, and it was a romance novel. dubs for the second chance romance this month! anyway this one absolutely wrecked me and i cannot recommend it enough; one of my favorite books of all time! i could literally talk about it forever, but i'll stop here for now!

• rating: 5/5 times i stained the pages w my tears <3

3. Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan (18+)

• ok. lots to say about this one too but for different reasons lol. overall, i love the concept of this book. an archaeologist (clark) attempting to hit his big break after a rough patch, a curse breaker (riley) hired at the same site because the castle they're excavating has not let anyone discover much about it for hundreds of years, scottish folklore, romance... on paper this is a perfect book for someone like me, who loves both archaeology and the supernatural. however. i do not think that the concept of enemies to lovers really works in modern settings. i really think i've only enjoyed that trope in fantasy settings, but that's just me. like, you're telling me she straight up threatens him with a knife in the first 30 pages and he didn't immediately call the cops on her? he tries to humiliate her not even two chapters later? she breaks into his camper a chapter later? like yall... this isn't even enemies to lovers these guys just straight up hate each other. besides that, i thought the concept was fun. the curse placed upon the castle hundreds of years ago was on a romeo-and-juliet type couple and ended up affecting clark and riley in the same way, hence the enemies to lovers aspect. i thought the castle pushing them to be together to make up for what happened in the past was really cute! that being said the book specifically called out the enemies to lovers trope by name like eight separate times. it made me want to scream! we know that's whats going on, no need to repeat it! and i love a good modern reference, but im not sure four separate criminal minds shout outs were necessary. i love matthew gray gubler too but i do not need that to be randomly thrown in for no apparent reason. the book was really slow to start, i don't think i was really interested until about halfway through. also, i'll say it. some people really aren't meant to be together and i think those people are riley and clark. physical chemistry does not equal emotional chemistry and his confession really just came out of nowhere - i was so jarred. overall, weak characters, okay cringe millennial writing, and very interesting, detailed, and well thought out plot. there were some really great parts that made me blush or laugh out loud!

• 2.5/5 times clark made a comment no self respecting archaeologist would ever make...

fic list!

learning to love by autisticbarbie (3k)

• fandom: big time rush (tv)

• pairing: james diamond/original male character

• yall... such a cute one shot. literally had me giggling and kicking my feet and shit while reading. very well written too; i was so invested!!

this was the only fic i finished this month because i typically go for longer stories! (sorry to the two Inuyasha one shots i read and forgot to bookmark...)

but, i just started an incredibly long dr who/ofc fic called lost in time by whovianeverlark17 on wattpad and, as always, i'm reading icegirl2772's james diamond/ofc story take a shot in the dark on ao3! i'm not at the point where i've read enough of the first to recommend, but if you're a fan of btrtv fics take a shot in the dark is definitely for you!!!!!!! i love you oc fics i love you!

#once again: just for fun! not here to start anything - i'm just sharing my opinions #not giving the fic a star rating bc if someone did that to mine i'd throw up but it was very very good just trust me! #ash talks books #the mistake #elle kennedy #happy place #emily henry #do your worst #rosie danan

[myloveforhergoeson]

ash's january 2024 reading round up

find all the books and fics i read this month under the cut with a link to the synopsis and my reviews/ratings attached :)

this is just for fun! i'm not a professional, i just like to read <3

book list!

1. Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey (18+!)

• review: i am a massive, massive, massive tessa bailey fan so it's no surprise that this was my favorite from this month and my first book of 2024! i received this christmas-themed rom-com as a holiday gift and i absolutely loved every second of it. the plot centers around the main couple, beat and melody (i know, right?!), who are the children of two bitter ex-bandmates, attempting to reunite their mothers' band on a live, 24 hour reality tv show! definitely one of the most unique concepts for a contemporary romance book i've read in quite some time! i loved following beat and melody's dual perspectives on both their past and their present as well as unraveling how difficult their family relationships were despite their fortuitous upbringings. the position of being the child of a famous individual can be quite isolating and even though beat didn't mind the spotlight and melody hated it, they're still some of the only people in the world who understood the other's struggles. the 24-hour live stream format was also very interesting to read from their perspectives - they were so funny both on and off camera! their mothers, trina and octavia were such dynamic characters as well; learning about their bitter rivalry through the perspectives of their children was so neat! between the two main characters, melody was my favorite. she was such a well rounded and dynamic character! my favorite chapters were all from her perspective. i could have gone without beat's weird overprotectiveness of her though - personal preference. i'm not too fond of characters like that and sometimes he took his protectiveness way too far for my liking! highly recommend for fans of campy rom-coms and those looking for a fresh take on the genre :)

• rating: 4/5 epic guitar solos !

2. My Life With the Walter Boys by Ali Novak

• review: very conflicted feelings on this one. if i hadn't watched the netflix adaptation first, i think i would have liked the book more... idk. like other published wattpad novels before it, the main character jackie is displaced from her perfect new york city girl life after a tragic accident leaves her an orphan, so what must she do? move to rural colorado to live with her mother's best friend and her 12 children. of which 11 are boys. oh no! there were parts of the book that i really enjoyed, like getting to see jackie bond with her new housemates and get used to the small town lifestyle and making new friends around her high school. the show cut out a good majority of her friends but i really liked them in the book! however, aside from jackie and her love triange between walter boys alex and cole, all the other characters were super underdeveloped and two dimensional, which made me yearn for some of the original plotlines developed for the show. i feel like making the main conflict center around a family of 14 and not really developing 12 of them is just a waste of time. and also, i didn't really vibe with jackie or alex in this version of the story. i'm still a proud member of team cole in the book and the tv show. i also wasn't fond of the ending personally... tldr, if you're interested in the plot synopsis i have linked, just skip the book and watch the show. which feels backward to say, but trust me ok!

• rating: 2/5 characters i liked in the book but got cut out of the show :)

3. The Deal by Elle Kennedy (18+!)

• review: ah. yes. like in all things. men like hockey. women love music. haha. my favorite thing about this book was the concept - i'm a real sucker for these contemporary hockey romance novels set in fake college towns with fake hockey teams and a book for each player and their love life... generally, i very much appreciate what elle kennedy was going for with this one. that being said. the male main character, garrett, was just an ass for more than half of the entire novel and the female main character, hannah, just let him walk over her for a good part of the beginning. usually i like fmc's in books like these, but she was just a bit boring to me... yikes. i did really enjoy how gattett and hannah's stories intertwined throughout the book, and even though garret was a persistent dick he sure loves hannah. i can respect that. in addition to the main two, i though their respective friend groups were interesting as well! the jocks and the theater kids coming together to unionize is always funny to me :) hannah and garrett's two worlds blending together into one was nice. i'm planning to pick up the sequel to see how that progresses as the shift moves to other players on the hockey team! if it's got a hockey player in it, good chance i'm gonna read it.

• potential trigger warnings if interested in reading: mentions of a past sexual assault on the female main character; mentions of past physical abuse on the male main character; mentions of current physical abuse on a side character

• rating: 3/5 times i had to google a hockey term while reading !

4. Wildfire by Hannah Grace (18+!)

• review: if you run in booktok spaces, you may have heard of Hannah grace's other novel, icebreaker. in my humblest opinion, this book deserved the hype icebreaker got! main characters russ and aurora were sooo dynamic and i absolutely loved their second chance romance while they were both camp counselors at a fancy summer camp! both of them having their own separate storylines that ended up converging was so well written and the two of them supporting each other unconditionally was so refreshing. the atmosphere of the camp and surrounding town were so adorable - i wish i could go there! plus all the sneaking around they had to do because of the camp counselor's no-fraternizing rule... mm. russ was so freaking sweet too - not enough sweet, kind, shy gues in these types of books. i also enjoyed aurora's confident, outgoing personality! the side characters were adorable as well and the cameos from characters in icebreaker had me screaming! ugh i love them and this book so freaking much!! highly highly recommend for fans of second chance romance or good books in general :)

• potential trigger warnings if interested in reading: gambling addiction struggles in a parent; parental neglect and verbal abuse on the male/female main character

• rating: 4/5 marshmallows to make the perfect cup of cocoa

fic list!

Goddamned (51100 words) by skyline

• fandom: big time rush (tv)

• pairings: kendall knight/james diamond, brief kendall knight/jett stetson, carlos garcia/logan mitchell

• i can't sing this fic's praises enough, one of the best i've read in a quite some time. a pjo/btr crossover is just what i needed in my life and i enjoyed every moment, every word, every twist and turn... so so so obsessed! the world building was so incredible and after i finished it i couldn't think about anything else for hours. i can't recommend this one enough :)) we all know i love a long fic and this one was just perfect

#once again: just for fun! not here to start anything - i'm just sharing my opinions #not giving the fic a star rating bc if someone did that to mine i'd throw up but it was very very good just trust me! #wreck the halls #tessa bailey #my life with the walter boys #ali novak #the deal #elle kennedy #wildfire #hannah grace #ash talks books