Tag: Book Review

ALC Book Review: The Honeymoon Crashers (Unhoneymooners #1.5) by Christina Lauren

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: About 5 hours
Author: Christina Lauren
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Originals
Release Date: August 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A perfectionist maid of honor and a carefree, surfer-bro best man team up to plan a wedding and end up finding a spark of their own in the first audio original from author duo Christina Lauren, a full-cast sequel to their New York Times bestseller The Unhoneymooners.

Ami is determined to break the Torres family wedding curse. Her own disaster of a reception ended with all the guests getting food poisoning, and she left her cheating husband soon after. But even though she’s still processing her own divorce, Ami won’t let her twin sister Olive’s day be anything but perfect. Olive may think she wants a private ceremony in Maui, where she and her fiancé Ethan first fell in love, but Ami knows better and secretly flies the whole Torres family out to surprise the couple. Now she and her meticulously organized binder have less than two weeks to get everything together for the big day, thousands of miles from home.

Enter Brody, Ethan’s best man, who happens to be living in Maui and insists on helping with the preparations. His playfully elaborate schemes and happy-go-lucky attitude are the last thing Ami needs. When sparks start to fly, could it derail all her carefully laid plans?

Equal parts hilarious and swoon-worthy, this full-cast production is your ticket to the ultimate destination wedding, bringing to life both a captivating couple and an unforgettable family. The Honeymoon Crashers is Christina Lauren at their charming, hilarious best.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Book Club Favorites for the gifted ALC.

IT WAS SWEET.

Audiobook notes: I loved the full cast! It’s becoming my new favorite thing in the audiobook world. I thought everyone did an excellent job on narrating and I think the book was really fun in this format. There were even some well placed sound effects that added to the whole flair.

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked this up and I thought it was a quick and great read for summertime. I loved being back in this world and seeing Ami get her happily ever after.

Brody was flat out adorable. I loved his energy and personality and how he and Ami really balanced each other out. Definitely an opposites attract vibe combined with wedding planning and I was smitten. I liked all of the little moments they got and it felt realistic while being swoony.

If you’re looking for a book to listen while at the beach, this is an easy pick.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance Novella
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: 1-2 open door; low-moderate explicit
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of divorce and cheating (Ami’s ex-husband)

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ARC Book Review: The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Allison Ashley
Publisher: MIRA
Release Date: August 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

All of the fun, none of the heartache…as long as they stick to the agreement.

The proposition is simple: if ER nurse Claire Harper and her roommate, firefighter Graham Scott, are still single by the time they’re forty, they’ll take the proverbial plunge together…as friends with benefits. Maybe it’s the wine, but in the moment, Claire figures the pact is a safe-enough deal, considering she hasn’t had much luck in love and he’s in no rush to settle down. Like, at all. Besides, there’s no way she could ever really fall for Graham and his thrill-seeking ways. Not after what happened to her father…

Just as things begin to heat up way before the proposed deadline, Graham’s injured in a serious rock-climbing accident—and he needs Claire’s help to heal. She’ll do whatever it takes to nurse him back to health…even if it means moving into Graham’s bed and putting up with his little dog who hates her. But with this no-strings arrangement taking a complicated turn, keeping “for now” from turning into “forever” isn’t as easy as they’d planned.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

GRAHAM.

I am a PUDDLE after sweet Graham took over my heart. I binged this book because I was wrapped up in the undeniable chemistry between Graham and Claire and I needed to get to every soft and fiery moment between them. The banter was stellar and I loved them. I loved them so much.

Friends with benefits is a tough sale for me, But I will say I liked the way Ashley went about it. I didn’t feel like the physical aspects were pushed just to add heat. There were true relationship building moments that got me on board with the dynamic and I JUST ADORED THEM. I loved seeing Graham open up to his vulnerable side and seeing Claire getting the things she deserved and working through what happened in her past.

I loved the medical jargon and adventure aspects. I liked the subtle side characters and their roles. And even getting to see Mia and Noah!! This book was a delight. I love the way Allison Ashley weaves a romance and two books in and I’m an official fan girl. She also writes fantastic heat (a little reminiscent of Sarah Adams) where the heat is building and fades out. My favorite level of steam.

Read it y’all!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: light frequency but strong
  • Romance: multiple vague fade to black
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a father, airplane crash (recounted), trauma, medical discussions, rock climbing accident

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ARC Book Review: Kiss the Girl (Meant to Be #3) by Zoraida Cordova

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance Retelling
Length: 320 pages
Author: Zoraida Cordova
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
Release Date: August 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A modern tale of unexpectedly falling in love and finding your voice, Kiss the Girl is the highly anticipated third installment in the acclaimed and best-selling Meant to Be collection.

Ariel del Mar is one of the most famous singers in the world. She and her sisters—together, known as the band Siren Seven—have been a pop culture phenomenon since they were kids. On stage, wearing her iconic red wig and sequined costumes, staring out at a sea of fans, is where she shines. Anyone would think she’s the girl who has everything. 

But lately, she wants more . Siren Seven is wrapping up their farewell tour, and Ariel can’t wait to spend the summer just living a normal life—part of a world she’s only ever seen from the outside. But her father, the head of Atlantica Records, has other begin her breakout solo career immediately, starting with a splashy announcement on a morning talk show. 

The night before, Ariel and her sisters sneak out of their Manhattan penthouse for a night of incognito fun at a rock concert in Brooklyn. It’s there that Ariel crosses paths with Eric Reyes, dreamy lead singer of an up-and-coming band. Unaware of her true identity, Eric spontaneously invites her on the road for the summer. And for the first time in her life, Ariel disobeys her father—and goes with him. 

Caught between the world she longs for and the one she’s left behind, can Ariel follow her dreams, fall in love, and, somehow, find her own voice?

Thank you to Disney Hyperion for the ARC.

A CUTE RETELLING.

This is one of those books where the three star rating might make it seem like a don’t read this book, but honestly, I think it was a me thing and that a lot of others will enjoy this. I won’t say run out and buy it, but I’m also not saying skip it either.

I thought the retelling aspects were subtle and connected well. I noticed nuanced things (as well as big picture) that were fun to see how The Little Mermaid was woven into a contemporary rock star romance. Eric being a hopeless romantic was cuuute. I loved his personality and his optimism. While the insta-attraction didn’t work for me I did like some aspects of the chemistry between Eric and Ariel.

The plot is filled with kind found family band mates and some humorous antics that happen on tour. I did like seeing Ariel find her voice (see what I did there), and stand up to her Dad. AND I absolutely LOVED that her sisters were continually supportive and helpful. I looove tight sibling relationships and that might have been my favorite part of the book.

It’s a sweet book, easy to fly through, a bit of a third act break and a grand gesture to bring it all back together. Take this as you will.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance Retelling
  • Language: light (but strong)
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a Mother (mentioned), strained parent relationships

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Book Review: Echoes of Time (Surviving Time #3) by Calia Read

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Time Travel Romance
Length: 321 pages
Author: Calia Read
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: May 25th, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For Etienne and me, our love has always left a trace. 
It reigns over kingdoms, and rules over time. 
With Etienne now in the present day, the echoes of time grow louder. 
We must face the answers we seek to set things right.
However, we must be incredibly careful. One false move and everything we love will be destroyed.
And this time, could be the end of our surviving trace.
 
Echoes of Time is the epic finale in The Surviving Time Series.

ONE BOOK TOO LONG.

I think this would have been a great duology, but as a trilogy the plot was stretched too thin and this book didn’t have enough substance.

Most of the focus was just on the couple sleeping together? And I already skip over that, and when it really doesn’t feel apart of the plot it gets boring. I LOVE Etienne and Serene. They are fantastic together. I wanted more of them actually working with the overall story. There was another [spoiler redacted] sub-plot I was fine with, yet, once again, it took over too much of the story.

I liked that there were chapters from Nathalie’s perspective. She’s an underrated character and I would love to check out her story too (separate novel!). It also gave another side to the story so that things at least kept moving in some direction.

It was a fast listen, and it did have a good (and wild) ending. It was all satisfying by the last page.

Overall audience notes:

  • Time Travel Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple open door; high explicit
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: a loved one with a traumatic brain injury, physical altercations, murder, weapons violence

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