Tag: audiobook

Book Review: The Brightest Sunset (The Darkest Sunrise #2) by Aly Martinez

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 286 pages
Author: Aly Martinez
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 27th, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Bullshit.
Words destroyed me.
“I’m sorry. She didn’t make it.”
“Daddy, he can’t breathe!”
“There’s nothing more we can do for your son.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Those syllables and letters became my executioner. I told myself that, if I didn’t acknowledge the pain and the fear, they would have no power over me. But, as the years passed, the hate and the anger left behind began to control me.
Two words—that was all it took to plunge my life into darkness.
“He’s gone.”
In the end, it was four soft, silky words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Charlotte Mills.”

GOOD CONCLUSION.

I liked the way thing wrapped up in this one. It once again kept me totally enthralled and I needed to know that there was going to be a happy ending or I might have thrown this book across the room.

What I didn’t love was Brady. He was awful the entire time and while I understood it was there to create the tension, it did eventually start to feel a bit over the top and redundant.

I once again still love Porter and Charlotte. They are really there for each other and it’s sweet. I like that neither of them gave up and actually found a way to work together for a solution that would make everyone feel satisfied.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance; multiple open door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of kidnapped baby, recounting of an attempted murder-suicide (side character), physical altercations, grief and depression

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Cozy Mystery
Length: 336 pages
Author: Mia P. Manansala
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 4th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes—one that might just be killer….

When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.

With the cops treating her like she’s the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila’s left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block…

Thank you Berkley #BerkleyPartner #Berkley for the gifted copy.

IT WAS FINE.

I thought cozy mysteries were my jam, but maybe not right now? Or after reading the Aunties series I saw many similarities and this hardly felt new. I have no big feelings towards the book, nothing I outright disliked, I just felt even toned about it all. And the plot was repetitive.

I think many would like this as there are some funny comments and also very serious themes that balance off of each other. I thought the sweet romance was cute and I liked the friendships and close family connections too. There’s lot of delicious food that definitely made me hungry while listening.

I don’t have plans to continue the series though.

Overall audience notes:

  • Cozy Mystery
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: racism, domestic violence mentioned, drug abuse, police intimidation

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

Book Review: The Darkest Sunrise (The Darkest Sunrise #1) by Aly Martinez

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 266 pages
Author: Aly Martinez
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 13th, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Whoever coined that phrase is a bald-faced liar. Words are often the sharpest weapon of all, triggering some of the most powerful emotions a human can experience.
“You’re pregnant.”
“It’s a boy.”
“Your son needs a heart transplant.”
Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me.
Lies.
Syllables and letters may not be tangible, but they can still destroy your entire life faster than a bullet from a gun.
Two words—that was all it took to extinguish the sun from my sky.
“He’s gone.”
For ten years, the darkness consumed me.
In the end, it was four deep, gravelly words that gave me hope of another sunrise.
“Hi. I’m Porter Reese.”

THE DRAMA.

Totally picked this up based off of ONE review I saw from a friend. And then I binged both books back to back. Was it GREAT? No. But it stopped my reading slump from the pure drama of having to know what was going to happen next.

There’s a lot to unpack in this heavy, short story. It kind of had a CoHo vibe with the intensity of it all. I did like the romance at its core. There were many great sweet moments between them as both struggled with some past traumas.

I felt a vast array of emotions throughout as things went up and down and seriously, all around. I don’t want to leave a long review because I don’t want to allude to any of the things that go down. It was enthralling and kept my attention and was exactly what I was looking for at the time.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: kidnapped baby, attempted murder-suicide (side character), a child with a heart condition, grief and depression, physical altercations

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph

ALC Book Review: I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers

GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Upper YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 305 pages
Author: Eva Des Lauriers
Publisher: Henry Holt
Release Date: May 21st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this drama-filled love story, private confessions are scattered on the beach during a senior class overnight and explosive secrets threaten to tear everyone apart, including best friends (or maybe more?), Natalia and Ethan.

It’s Senior Sunrise, the epic overnight at the beach that kicks off senior year. But for Natalia and Ethan, it’s the first time seeing each other after what happened at junior prom―when they almost crossed the line from best friends to something more and ruined everything. After ghosting each other all summer, Natalia is desperate to pretend she doesn’t care and Ethan is desperate to fix his mistake.

When the senior class carries out their tradition of writing private letters to themselves―what they wish they would do this year if they were braver―Natalia pours her heart out. So does Ethan. So does everyone in their entire class. But in Natalia’s panicked attempt to retrieve her heartfelt confession, the wind scatters seven of the notes across the beach. Now, Ethan and Natalia are forced to work together to find the lost letters before any secrets are revealed―especially their own.

Seven private confessions. Seven time bombs loose for anyone to find. And one last chance before the sun rises for these two to fall in love.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

LEAN INTO IT.

I knew going into this that it would be drama with a capital D. Honestly, knowing that going in allowed me to enjoy it more. I wasn’t overanalyzing everything and rode this rollercoaster in style.

Audiobook notes: The audiobook was fantastic. It’s a dual POV story with two narrators which worked wonderfully. Definitely recommend this format.

Anyways, this is a concentrated timeline of about 48 hrs with a few flashback chapters here and there. It kept the pace fast and I did find myself continually wanting to pick it up so I could see what spectacle was going to occur next.

There are some good moments of growth towards the end. And I didn’t mind the main characters. Yes, it’s filled with miscommunication but I also tried to remind myself these are 17/18 year old’s and I’m glad they worked things out in the end.

Overall audience notes:

  • Upper YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: one closed door scene; mild innuendo throughout
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: mentions of inappropriate teacher/student relationship, homophobic remarks, cheating (off page), divorce, underage alcohol use

Instagram || Goodreads || The StoryGraph