Book Review: The Fiancé Dilemma (The Long Game #2) by Elena Armas

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 432 pages
Author: Elena Armas
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: July 30th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Josie Moore has given the opposite sex—and love—plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include the absentee father who kept her existence a secret until very recently. So when her father decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece about the family, Josie realizes her romantic history is a complicated PR issue.

Matthew Flanagan is in the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck in the muck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So, he grabs a duffel with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life back on track. But instead, he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.

What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing a new role as doting fiancé. A fifth engagement—and a stunt, at that—makes Josie’s stomach turn, but every dilemma requires a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, and Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colorful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

BLESS MATTHEW.

Matthew single handedly held up this book. He had that epitome of a book boyfriend vibe that I couldn’t get enough of. He was swoony and hot and did all the right things that I love in a romance.

Josie was a struggle for me. I don’t necessarily mind a more chaotic, doesn’t have it all together FMC, but this felt forced. There was too much effort involved in the base of her character and it didn’t feel authentic. I do think as the book progressed, things mellowed and I enjoyed her more.

BUUUUUUT. I STILL don’t understand why Josie left FOUR fiancés??? Even with the explanations I had a feeling I wouldn’t be cool with it and I wasn’t.

I enjoyed this a lot more than The Long Game and it made me hopeful to continue reading Elena Armas books. The Spanish Love Deception is still my absolute favorite.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3+ open door

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ARC Book Review: House of Thorns by Isabel Strychacz

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: YA Horror
Length: 304 pages
Author: Isabel Strychacz
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: August 20th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the vein of The Haunting of Hill House , a teen returns to the mysterious house from her past to search for her missing sister and uncover the truth of Brier Hall in this atmospheric and eerie modern gothic novel.

Lia Peartree is haunted—by memories, by her past, by secrets, by the ones she left behind. Five years ago, the Peartrees fled their home—the infamous ancestral Brier Hall—and never looked back. But her oldest sister went missing that night, and there’s been no sign of her since.

In the aftermath, the Peartrees are traumatized and get by however they can. Lia’s remaining sister Ali says yes to any bad idea, and Lia tries so desperately to be the perfect daughter that it’s tearing her apart. But as the five year anniversary of the night they left nears, Lia begins seeing her missing sister everywhere, and memories of Brier Hall won’t leave her alone.

When Ali disappears with no warning except a cryptic phone call—“don’t follow me when I’m gone”—Lia is sure she’s gone back to Brier Hall. Lia must go home one final time and face what haunts her in an effort to find her sisters and uncover the truth of her past.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

ABSOLUTELY CREEPY.

This is the first book in a long time that I can remember feeling genuinely creeped out by. I loved this haunted house and its many layers. The writing was incredibly atmospheric and built the scene so well I felt it. I was wrapped up in this gothic tale waiting to see what would happen next.

It’s a short book so the pacing moves quickly which keeps the entire situation from being bogged down. I would have loved just a little more build up of the characters backgrounds and relationships but that was my only minor issue.

This was lyrical and cinematic. As someone who doesn’t read a lot of the horror genre I think this is a great balance of scary with still being able to read it at night. I loved trying to solve the secrets of Brier Hall and the mysteries that it held. It’s incredibly eerie and made me crave all things autumn.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Horror
  • Language: low-moderate
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low

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Book Review: Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA/Adult Contemporary Romance
Length: 273 pages
Author: Amy Lea
Publisher: Mindy’s Book Studio
Release Date: October 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For two high school seniors, it’s seventeen going on thirty—overnight—in a magical romantic comedy about growing up too fast and living in the moment. Planning the perfect prom is one last “to do” on ultra-organized Charlotte Wu’s high school bucket list. So far, so good, if not for a decorating accident that sends Charlotte crash-landing off a ladder, face-first into her obnoxiously ripped archnemesis J. T. Renner. Worse? When Charlotte wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed at thirty years old, with her bearded fiancé, Renner, by her side. Either they’ve lost their minds or they’ve been drop-kicked into adulthood, forever trapped in the thirty-year-old bodies of their future selves. With each other as their only constant, Charlotte and Renner discover all that’s changed in the time they’ve missed. Charlotte also learns there’s more to Renner than irritating-jock charm, and that reaching the next milestone isn’t as important as what happens in between. Navigating a series of adventures and a confounding new normal, Charlotte and Renner will do whatever it takes to find a way back to seventeen. But when—and if—they do, what then?

READ IT.

This might be my new favorite Amy Lea book (I’ve read them all at present). Gosh this was so incredibly CHARMING. It had 13 Going On 30 vibes but with a rivals to lovers angle. And BOTH of them end up in a different year together. I thought this was the perfect set up to bring out the FEELS and it delivered.

I loved the banter and snark. It’s that perfect balance of sass while also noticing the intense chemistry between Charlotte and Renner. I was obsessed with them from the get go.

There were also some great themes woven in too. I loved how Charlotte and Renner learned to look deeper and had more understanding towards each other and their situations. I loved them Charlotte learned what it meant to not be walked over by a friend and how to stand up for herself. I loved that this book brought such joy balanced with the heartache that life can be.

This is a charming delight.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: Kisses; low innuendo
  • Content Warnings: mentions of divorce, loss of a parent

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Book Review: Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Annabel Monaghan
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s
Release Date: June 4th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Benefits of a summer romance: it’s always fun, always brief, and no one gets their heart broken.

There aren’t enough labeled glass containers to contain the mess that is Ali Morris’s life. Her mom died two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn’t worn pants with a zipper in longer than she cares to remember. She’s a professional organizer whose pantry is a disgrace.

No one is more surprised than Ali when the first time she takes off her wedding ring and puts on pants with hardware—overalls count, right?—she meets someone. Or rather, her dog claims a man for her in the same way he claimed his favorite of her three children: by peeing on him. Ethan smiles at Ali like her pants are just right—like he likes what he sees. The last thing Ali needs is to make her life messier, but there’s no harm in a little Summer Romance. Is there?

JUST WHAT I NEEDED.

I haven’t been getting along with contemporary romances lately and this was the gem I needed to remind me of the goodness they can bring. I loved this book so much!! It was full of heart and doing the hard things and breaking off what isn’t working anymore to find what could be.

The romance had me absolutely smitten. This is how you craft a summer romance. I loved Ethan, he was such a sweetheart and was so KIND. Gosh it was soul melting. And I loved seeing Ali grow and expand and realize how confined she had been for too long. I loved the motherhood aspects as well as the acknowledgement of what she needed as a person to be the best Ali.

There were so many lovely moments throughout. It’s a fast read and an amazing one. I think this is my new favorite from Monaghan. It is a must for summer TBRs!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low-moderate
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Content Warnings: loss of loved ones, depictions of grief, FMC is going through a divorce

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