ALC Book Review: Love Felt Like This by Julie Olivia

September 4, 2026August 31, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: Julie Olivia
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: September 8th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A grumpy rock star and a joyful children’s show creator revive television magic in this cozy small-town romance.

Griffin Harvey lives his life in the spotlight. Reluctantly. The brooding famous singer-songwriter is on the cusp of composing his sophomore album . . . if only he could find the notes. But after gaining custody of his two-year-old daughter, the only music he’s writing is about shapes and counting to ten.

Enter Beverly, who lives her life in the background producing children’s television and laughter. Except joy is hard to find when her nonprofit loses funding. She sinks all of her savings to revive the children’s show by herself, but when her variety show appearance collides with Griffin’s, their banter and chemistry is caught on live television.

Suddenly, Griffin is singing a new tune. He needs a muse, and Beverly needs all the help she can get. With his secret daughter in tow, they hide out in her cozy mountain hometown, attempting to script, compose, and revive television magic. Their dynamic shouldn’t work. He’s all harsh tattoos and rough hands while she’s bright colors and gentle touches. Once their three months of work are done, they’ll return to their separate worlds. But what happens when it seems the true magic might be found in each other?

Thank you to PRH Audio (PRH Partner) for the gifted audiobook.

SWEET & COZY.

🎧: Loved the dual narration audiobook. Fantastic narrators and I thought it made the book feel even more cozy. Highly recommend that format!

I would first like to note if you’re like me and don’t usually read the summaries, this book is NOT set in the 1990’s (like If It Makes You Happy — the covers had the same vibe so I thought they were in the same world, they were not and I was confused for a beat).

Now the story is genuinely cozy. It’s slow and steady with a lot of quiet and tender moments. I loved seeing the relationship develop between Beverly and Griffin. It’s very much strangers to friends to lovers. The conversations are good and the build up to that first kiss was amazing. I was full on swooning at the love confessions and thought the closing chapters and epilogue were just right.

I did struggle a little with both MC’s having a repetitive inner dialogue about all of the reasons they couldn’t be with the other person. I understood and didn’t need to be told that many times.

But that small issues aside, I am still a big fan of Julie Olivia’s books. I love that this also wasn’t SPICY (like I know some of her books are). It gave me that vibe of writing spice for the couple/situation rather than making it spicy to be spicy and that is always 100x better. It made the connection and moments that much more sincere.

Can’t wait for her next book!!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 2ish open door
Violence: low

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Book Review: Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava

August 10, 2026August 31, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Danica Nava
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: July 22nd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A Muscogee pop star and a cowboy who couldn’t be more different come together to strike a deal in this new romantic comedy by Danica Nava, author of The Truth According to Ember.

Pop singer Avery Fox has become a national joke after posing scantily clad on the cover of Rolling Stone in a feather warbonnet. What was meant to be a statement of her success as a Native American singer has turned her into a social pariah and dubbed her a fake. With threats coming from every direction and her career at a standstill, she escapes to her estranged grandmother Lottie’s ranch in Oklahoma. Living on the rez is new to Avery—not only does she have to work in the blazing summer heat to earn her keep, but the man who runs Lottie’s horse ranch despises her and wants her gone.

Red Fox Ranch has been home to Lucas Iron Eyes since he was sixteen years old. He has lived by three rules to keep himself out of trouble: 1) preserve the culture, 2) respect the horses, and 3) stick to himself. When he is tasked with picking up Lottie’s granddaughter at the bus station, the last person he expected to see is the Avery Fox. Lucas can’t stand what she represents, but when he’s forced to work with her on the ranch, he can’t get her out of his sight—or his head. He reminds himself to keep to his rules, especially after he finds out the ranch is under threat of being shut down.

It’s clear Avery doesn’t belong here, but they form a tentative truce and make a Avery will help raise funds to save the ranch, and in exchange, Lucas will show her what it really means to be an Indian. It’s purely transactional, absolutely no horsing around…but where’s the fun in that?

BETTER THAN THE FIRST.

I was a wee bit hesitant to pick this one up but Y’ALL. REDEMPTION. I will absolutely be continuing to read Danica Nava books. I loved the fish out of water trope in this one. And celebrity?? Who am I reading so many celebrity romances recently??

I loved seeing Avery discover herself and her roots and all the things in between. She genuinely wanted to learn and I felt all the emotions on her journey. The impact of our own mistakes and how we can progress after those.

And the romance was good! I think I would have liked a little more *something* from them, but the heat and true slow burn nature was so nice to read (and he’s a cowboy so…..). The chemistry and tension between them was just right.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: mild+
Romance: one open door; 1-2 almost scenes
Violence: mild
Content warnings: toxic parents, racism, addiction, loss of family members

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Book Review: Chase Me If You Can by Heather Frances

August 8, 2026July 15, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 367 pages
Author: Heather Frances
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: June 23rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two storm chasers find a love that could blow them away in this electric debut romance.

Wedding photographer Sloane Michaels might spend most of her year running after brides, but she lives for the six weeks each spring she chases tornadoes instead. When the prestigious magazine Nature Shots announces a cover contest, Sloane knows that winning could be the chance she needs to break up with taffeta for good and establish herself in landscape photography.

The last thing she needs is a distraction in the form of reckless “Wild Wes” Talbot. A legend among storm chasers, he’s been Sloane’s close, personal frenemy for the last decade and is the man to beat for the cover contest.

Sloane isn’t surprised when Wes gets in an accident that jeopardizes his season. But with an active weather pattern emerging, she doubles down on her need to beat Wes fair and square, and begrudgingly invites him to join her for the remainder of the season.

As they race through hail, high winds, and stormy skies, Sloane realizes that Wes might be more than the rich, flirty, Texas wildcard she thought she knew — and that the feelings blooming between them are more charged and dangerous than the storms they’re chasing.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

LOOOOVED.

I didn’t know what to expect, but I also wasn’t expecting to devour this like I did. The audiobook was so good I found myself wandering the house to keep listening and finished this sucker in an afternoon.

I looove a man down bad and West is exactly that. I feel like he takes care of her is underused lately and I was down bad myself during those scenes. I loved the juxtaposition between the tender and the heated. You really got to see these two fall in love over miles and miles of storm chasing.

I thought I would be bugged by the third act (and alright, I was a little bit) but not enough to change my rating. I think it worked out well and I liked seeing the actual communication happen in the end too.

Tornados are 1000% not my thing but I didn’t mind one bit and loved how this felt different than the romances I’ve been reading lately. It felt like it had an adventure quality to it without being a travel romance (even though there were many hotels).

ANYWAYS. I’m obsessed. I loved Wes. I loved Sloan. I am blown away by this debut and can’t wait for more.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 4-5ish open door
Violence: mild
Content warnings: minor blood incidences, emotional abuse, car accident

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Book Review: Problematic Summer Romance (Not in Love #2) by Ali Hazelwood

July 17, 2026August 7, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 27th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

What is wrong meets what feels right in this romance set in Italy by the New York Times bestselling author of Deep End.

Maya Killgore is twenty-three and still in the process of figuring out her life.

Conor Harkness is thirty-eight, and Maya cannot stop thinking about him.

It’s such a cliché, it almost makes her heart implode: older man and younger woman; successful biotech guy and struggling grad student; brother’s best friend and the girl he never even knew existed. As Conor loves to remind her, the power dynamic is too imbalanced. Any relationship between them would be problematic in too many ways to count, and Maya should just get over him. After all, he has made it clear that he wants her gone from his life.

But not everything is as it seems—and clichés sometimes become plot twists.

When Maya’s brother decides to get married in Taormina, she and Conor end up stuck together in a romantic Sicilian villa for over a week. There, on the beautiful Ionian coast, between ancient ruins, delicious foods, and natural caves, Maya realizes that Conor might be hiding something from her. And as the destination wedding begins to erupt out of control, she decides that a summer fling might be just what she needs—even if it’s a problematic one.

OKAY THIS WAS FUN.

This really did whisk my away to wanting a summer holiday. The set up and setting were fantastic and brought me all of the poolside reading vibes that I could want.

I forgot how much I love Ali Hazelwood’s quirky FMC’s. They are so funny and relatable to me. I loved Maya and her ability to say whatever she was thinking and going after what she wanted. Two fools in love worked so well here. I thought Conor was amazing too. They truly had great chemistry and made the age gap make sense. Though I will say that was beaten over my head one too many times. I get it, they are 15 years apart. I GET IT OKAY.

Anyways, it’s swoony and hot and I loved all of the side characters, wedding shenanigans and cute moments. The whole book was a delight.

Overall audience notes: