Book Review: Life’s Too Short (The Friend Zone #3) by Abby Jimenez

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Abby Jimenez
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: April 6th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A brilliant and touching romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of The Friend Zone and The Happy Ever After Playlist.

When Vanessa Price quit her job to pursue her dream of traveling the globe, she wasn’t expecting to gain millions of YouTube followers who shared her joy of seizing every moment. For her, living each day to its fullest isn’t just a motto. Her mother and sister never saw the age of 30, and Vanessa doesn’t want to take anything for granted.

But after her half sister suddenly leaves Vanessa in custody of her baby daughter, life goes from “daily adventure” to “next-level bad” (now with bonus baby vomit in hair). The last person Vanessa expects to show up offering help is the hot lawyer next door, Adrian Copeland. After all, she barely knows him. No one warned her that he was the Secret Baby Tamer or that she’d be spending a whole lot of time with him and his geriatric Chihuahua.

Now she’s feeling things she’s vowed not to feel. Because the only thing worse than falling for Adrian is finding a little hope for a future she may never see.

BEST OF THE SERIES.

This series (but not a series because you can read them out of order) has progressively gotten better with each book. I’m so happy I kept up with it because WOW. This was a gem.

Adrian has me absolutely smitten and swooning all over the place. He was such a dreamy guy. And his relationship with Vanessa was perfectly imperfect. They had me smiling, wanting to pass around many hugs, and full on cheering for them. I loved the conversations and shortcomings both characters had. There was raw emotions and learning to come to terms with the possible futures ahead. There whole dynamic was everything I could hope for in a romance. It was fast-paced and felt authentic.

My only tiny tidbit I didn’t like was Vanessa’s family dynamics. It came across as trying to add a bunch more drama to the story, but instead was overdone. Each member had something intense happening and I wanted to go back to Vanessa and Adrian more than anything.

Filled with plenty of moments to make your heart thump faster I couldn’t recommend this enough. It was just SO SWEET. I couldn’t put this book down and I’m not even mad about the super cheesy ending. CAUSE I LOVED IT.

If you choose to read any from this series, I’d say this one easily. Nothing is spoiled for the other two (besides who ends up with who, but honestly it’s a HEA romance, you know where those are going?).

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: some
  • Romance: kisses to closed door scenes
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loved one dealing with substance abuse, loved one exhibiting extreme hoarding, loss of loved ones through illness, main character dealing with potential incurable condition (ALS)

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: December 2021

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Hellooooo the end of the year. Wow did I end the year with a lot of reads. All of those short Christmas novellas added up! Even if only a few were okay.

Favorite Reads: All My Rage, The Mistletoe Motive, Project Hail Mary, ACOTAR [reread], Faking Under the Mistletoe [reread], Tokyo Ever After, The Bird and the Sword [reread], Our Violent Ends, Lore Olympus [reread]

Least Favorite: Falling Under the Mistletoe, Kiss the Girl

  • Falling Under the Mistletoe by Evelyn Mae
  • [ARC] Hunt the Stars (Starlight’s Shadow) by Jessie Mihalik
  • [Novella] (Not so) Alone for Christmas by Jenny Proctor
  • [Novella] The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese
  • Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone (Outlander #9) by Diana Gabaldon
  • A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
  • A Loyal Heart (An Uncertain Choice #4) by Jody Hedlund
  • Christmas As We Know It by Sarah Sutton
  • Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown
  • [ARC] Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead (Finlay Donovan #2) by Elle Cosimano
  • Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier
  • Lake Mistletoe by Amber Kelly
  • [ARC] Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter
  • Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross
  • [ARC] All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
  • Kiss the Girl (Creekville Kisses #2) by Melanie Jacobson
  • Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  • Charting Stars (The Nine Realms Tales #1) by Micheline Ryckman
  • Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis
  • Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
  • [Reread] A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1) by Sarah J. Maas
  • Come Back to Me (Come Back to Me #1) by Mila Gray
  • [Reread] Faking Under the Mistletoe by Ashley Shepherd
  • Tokyo Ever After (Tokyo Ever After #1) by Emiko Jean
  • [ARC] Always Jane by Jenn Bennett
  • If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be #1) by Julie Murphy
  • On These Black Sands (Aisling Sea #1) by Vanessa Rasanen
  • [Reread] The Bird and the Sword (The Bird and the Sword Chronicles #1) by Amy Harmon
  • The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (Pine Hollow #1) by Lizzie Shane
  • The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo
  • You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus
  • Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights #2) by Chloe Gong
  • [Novella] Silver Bells and Secrets (Twelfth Night Novellas #1) by Laura Rollins
  • [Novella] Stranded Ranch by Cindy Steel
  • [Novella] Believe Me (Shatter Me #6.5) by Tahereh Mafi
  • [Graphic Novel] Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe
  • This Shattered World (Starbound #2) by Amie Kaufman
  • A Trial of Sorcerers (A Trial of Sorcerers #1) by Elise Kova

How did reading go for you in December?

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ARC Book Review: When You Get the Chance by Emma Lord

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary + Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Emma Lord
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: January 4th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom.

There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can you find a new part of your life and expect it to fit into your old one, without leaving any marks? And why is it that when you go looking for the past, it somehow keeps bringing you back to what you’ve had all along?

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an eARC.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED.

New favorite of Emma Lord’s books!!!

I in no way, connect with Millie and her expressive, extrovert self. But wow did I enjoy the ride. This was everything I could’ve hoped for when I got this book and refreshed my love of young adult contemporaries.

Millie is a force to be reckoned with. I love her wild sense of self and how slowly over the chapters, layers were peeled back and I was able to see the true heart of what Millie was trying to prove and accomplish. She’s a teen searching for more, trying to forge a path for her future, while not wanting to lose the connections she already has.

I adore a great Dad/daughter dynamic and this had it. Along with a wonderful Aunt/Niece relationship too. Even her best friend, Teddy was a dream. All of these characters were well conceived and I felt like I knew and wanted to cheer for them alongside Millie.

The ROMANCE. It’s one of the many plots here and it was perfect. A dash of enemies to lovers that moved at a beautiful pace. I was full on grinning whenever the kiss scenes finally arrived and looooove Oliver and Millie so much. Shipping them was the easiest move.

Millie finding her Mom tore at many heart strings. I was tearing up at some deep, needed conversations between Millie and her Dad, and then Millie when she met her Mom. There was plenty to unpack and I was completely enthralled by how everything was going to work out.

Enter a little epilogue that gave closure to many avenues. Absolutely precious and what was needed. Wow do I love Emma Lord’s books. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I love the combination of coming of age, first love, and finding your truth.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary + Romance
  • Language: little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: parental abandonment

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Book Review: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Urban Fantasy / Mythology
Length: 480 pages
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Darkest Minds comes a sweepingly ambitious, high-octane tale of power, destiny, love and redemption.

Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality.
Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family’s sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt’s promises of eternal glory. For years she’s pushed away any thought of revenge against the man–now a god–responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore’s decision to bind her fate to Athena’s and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost–and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

WICKED.

WOW. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I had kept away because I honeslty wasn’t super interested until a trusted friend raved about it and thought I’d enjoy it. She was right!!

This was a twisted version of the Greek gods. It was full of violence (really, a lot of violence) and a never-ending struggle to become a new god. At first, the whole concept was confusing, but I felt by about 100 pages in, I grasped everything that was happening and why. I loved all of the gods and how vibrant every character was.

Lore did start to feel loooong towards the end. I remember having to push through the last 150 pages or so because everything just kept going. If it was a little shorter I think it would have packed a harder punch for me. I also mentally couldn’t get past the fact that the city of New York just let all of this happen every 7 years *shrug*. That’s my own issue with urban fantasies. I can’t get past the unrealistic aspects in a realistic world sometimes.

“Sometimes the braver thing is to accept help when you’ve been made to believe you shouldn’t need it.”

I really liked Lore as the main character. She was incredibly strong and indepdent. Yet (as above quote mentions) she found the ability to lean on others. Lore took nothing lying down and fought over the seven days to ensure her surival and those of her friends. The romance was perfectly accomplished too! It was sublte, on the side, and with the build-up of history made absolute sense. I was definitely shipping them and loved the nuances of their dynamic.

This was truly a great standalone fantasy. It gave a story that was action-packed and full of the strength of survival.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Urban Fantasy / Mythology
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: very bloody/gory
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of family members (including parents and young siblings), murder of young children, sexual assault, proposition for marrying a child, mass murder, gun violence

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