Book Review: How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams

November 19, 2021March 9, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Denise Williams
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: December 1st, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

One daring to-do list and a crash course in flirtation turn a Type A overachiever’s world upside down.

When her flailing department lands on the university’s chopping block, Professor Naya Turner’s friends convince her to shed her frumpy cardigan for an evening on the town. For one night her focus will stray from her demanding job and she’ll tackle a new kind of to-do list. When she meets a charming stranger in town on business, he presents the perfect opportunity to check off the items on her list. Let the guy buy her a drink. Check. Try something new. Check. A no-strings-attached hookup. Check…almost.

Jake makes her laugh and challenges Naya to rebuild her confidence, which was left toppled by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Soon she’s flirting with the chance at a more serious romantic relationship—except nothing can be that easy. The complicated strings around her dating Jake might destroy her career.

Naya has two options. She can protect her professional reputation and return to her old life or she can flirt with the unknown and stay with the person who makes her feel like she’s finally living again.

REALLY GREAT READ.

I thought this book was fantastic. It covered a very heavy topic that was difficult to read about, yet the infused sense of hope and strength from the main character gave this book shining colors.

Naya and Jake really do hit it off pretty well. Some cringe-worthy awkward scenes to get you going and then some truly sweet moments to make you swoon. I looooved Jake. The amount of support and communication he gave right off the bat was amazing. It allowed Naya to open up to him as she was ready and to explore herself dating again. They were goofy together and the banter was on point. Steaminess was too much for me, but past those scenes is a story worth reading.

There’s a lot of series subject matters discussed. It’s not a fluffy and light romance. Naya struggles to balance the aspects of work, and her previous abusive ex. I loved her determination to find her happy ending. The miscommunication that generally arises between the couple didn’t send me into a tailspin because it fit into the story. Naya had a lot to hold on too, and fighting to figure out where Jake fit of course led to some complications.

This was a strong debut and I look forward to what the author writes next. I loved the hopeful aspects at the end. Moving on, seeking therapy (and self defense classes!), getting to be with a partner who values and treats you as they should. It was all very rewarding.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary romance
Language: strong
Romance: very open door scenes
Trigger/Content Warnings: partner violence (physical, emotional, and verbal) — there are detailed flashback scenes; gaslighting, attempted sexual assault, blackmail (specifically revenge porn)

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: Amelia Unabridged by Ashley Schumacher

November 18, 2021May 29, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary + Romance
Length: 304 pages
Author: Ashley Schumacher
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: February 16th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future.

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They’re the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It’s the perfect way to start off their last summer before college.

In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn’t, the two have a blowout fight like they’ve never experienced. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future.

When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book to an obscure but enchanting bookstore in Michigan, Amelia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the enigmatic and handsome N. E. Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia’s and Jenna’s fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.

THIS WAS BEAUTIFUL.

I’m talkin’ made me tear up multiple times. Wanting to hug this book and give every ounce of love to these characters. Intensely poignant, yet hopeful and kind. Wow this is a read that I will be recommending to everyone!

The writing is what made me really love it. It was enchanting. Somehow taking the worst parts of someone’s life and combining them with the hopeful new beginnings of young love and starting over. The discussion of the healing powers of books/reading made me remember all too well how true that statement is for me.

I loved seeing Amelia grow through her trials and finding her footing in a new [to her] world. There’s many explorations of grief, loss, depression and more. I appreciated how these topics were discussed and how I was still able to love these characters and the story and not feel dragged down by the weight. Sometimes these types of reads can be too much for me, but this hit perfectly in many aspects.

This whole cast was top notch. Every character brought something to the story. Every character helped Amelia learn more about herself and her place in life. The romance was insta, but he way Schumacher portrayed it was everything I needed to enjoy such a quick intimate relationship. It was two people brought together through grief and the bond between them was tightly woven.

Read this book. I loved it all.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult contemporary + romance
Language: very little
Romance: kisses
Trigger/Content Warnings: depictions of grief and depression after loss, losing a best friend, losing siblings, parental neglect, anxiety and panic attacks, drowning, car accident

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: 11 Paper Hearts by Kelsey Hartwell

November 17, 2021March 6, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Kelsey Hartwell
Publisher: Underlined
Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A YA contemporary rom com about a girl who follows a trail of paper hearts from her mystery admirer–and it’s a paperback original perfect for fans of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and the Kissing Booth.

Ella’s life was picture perfect. She had a circle of close friends, a jam-packed social life, and an amazing boyfriend. But then something completely unexpected happened: a car accident after a Valentine’s Day dance. When Ella woke up in the hospital, she couldn’t remember the accident . . . or anything about the weeks before it, including the reason she broke up with her boyfriend.

Now, a year later, she begins receiving paper hearts from a mysterious admirer who seems to have the answers she craves. Ella is intrigued. The hearts contain clues to help Ella remember her life before . . . and take her on a journey she never imagined. Following the paper hearts is the most spontaneous thing Ella has ever done . . . but will she find love?

VERY SWEET.

I suuuper enjoyed this one y’all! It was perfectly cute and sweet. What I love about a great young adult contemporary romance. The premise of the hearts was fun to follow on the journey.

My only true complaint was how oblivious the main character was. The people she assumed who were writing the hearts made me laugh because of how CONVINCED she was that it she was right. Her friends were also terrible and I was enraged half the time at them. Gratefully it alllll worked out in the end so it at least worked within the story.

Besides that, this was a wonderful adventure! I loved following Ella’s story. Andy was so dang precious. They had banter that kept me smiling, and a vibe that I was hooked on. It’s completely predictable, but that is where it works best. A cute and predictable romance that will give you some good warm fuzzies.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult contemporary romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: car accident
Trigger/Content Warnings: car accident resulting in retrograde amnesia, bullying, terrible friends

Instagram || Goodreads

Book Review: The Last Legacy by Adrienne Young

November 16, 2021September 16, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: YA Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Author: Adrienne Young
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: September 7th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with The Last Legacy, a captivating standalone about family and blood ties, reinventing yourself, and controlling your own destiny.

When a letter from her uncle Henrik arrives on Bryn Roth’s eighteenth birthday, summoning her back to Bastian, Bryn is eager to prove herself and finally take her place in her long-lost family.

Henrik has plans for Bryn, but she must win everyone’s trust if she wants to hold any power in the delicate architecture of the family. It doesn’t take long for her to see that the Roths are entangled in shadows. Despite their growing influence in upscale Bastian, their hands are still in the kind of dirty business that got Bryn’s parents killed years ago. With a forbidden romance to contend with and dangerous work ahead, the cost of being accepted into the Roths may be more than Bryn can pay.

IT WAS FINE?

I don’t know what the point of this book was. And that became my main conclusion after talking to others about it too. Fable and Namesake are both gems (even though Sky in the Deep is my forever favorite) and this felt like a forced story in the same world.

I ended up minding more than I expected that we never saw a character from the previous two books. I know this is a separate story, but it almost felt like a different place because the world building went out the window since it was apparently discussed enough prior.

Bryn was a solid main character. I did like her and thought she was passionate and the kind of manipulative I love seeing in a mafia-esque book. She weaved her own destiny and did what was best for her and within her relationship with Ezra. Ezra was great too, but them together lacked intensity. They moved quicker than what was written so by the time a love scene (closed door) rolled around I didn’t feel invested.

The ending wrapped up SUPER quick. I’m still surprised that’s how it closed because it left a ton on the table. There just could have been a lot more added here and a lot more taken away that felt unnecessary. I’m truly feeling all the frustrated feelings of working through this one.

Overall audience notes: