Tag: contemporary romance

Book Review: Resisting the Fall (Falling for Autumn) by Jess Heileman

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Rating: ★★★.5
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 382 pages
Author: Jess Heileman
Publisher: Vagabond Publishing
Release Date: August 26th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The divorce never finalized. Neither did their feelings.

The discovery that I was still legally married—years after I thought my divorce was final—was supposed to be the worst thing to happen to me this fall.

It wasn’t.

Because apparently the state of Vermont believes in closure. And no regrets. And court-ordered thirty-day reconciliation efforts. So now, in order to fast-track my divorce from Bennett Walker—my high school sweetheart and the man who walked out on our marriage seven years ago—I’m being forced back to the small town we grew up in to spend an entire month proving our relationship isn’t worth saving.

A situation Ben annoyingly finds amusing.

Which is why I plan to make this the most memorable, insufferable, torturous thirty days of his life. As a prank-loving aficionado, I have countless ideas about how to drive Ben crazy while keeping myself focused on the goal: finalizing our divorce.

With my life in New York and a career I absolutely love, not even deeply embedded habits and old feelings can threaten my resolve.

I’m resolved.

So resolved.

Absolutely, definitely, one hundred percent resolved. And if I keep saying it, maybe this time around, I’ll be capable of resisting the fall.

WELL THAT WENT DOWNHILL.

I tend to enjoy marriage in crisis books so I was all over this one. Buuuuut there were some issues y’all.

One of the big ones was the fact I wasn’t convinced for basically the entire book that this couple made it??? There was hardly an attempt at working through the communication issues that caused the initial separation. Most things were brushed under the rug and never genuinely resolved.

I think having Ben’s POV from his childhood was a disservice to the current timeline. I wanted to see him yearn more and get his thoughts and feelings rather than having to wait until 85% of the way through to finally figure out why they separated in the first place. Maven was actually too petty for me about things (which again, I think could have been helped had I known the WHY not just “he’s the reason we’re in this mess”).

Lastly, the ending. I won’t go into specifics (but DM me if you want them). I don’t think it was handled well and let me wanting more for Maven, regardless of her assertions. All leading back to the communication y’all.

I did fly through this book and I didn’t hate it by any means. There were just enough stand out issues that I have been cycling through them on repeat since I finished. I do recommend the audiobook if you want to read it, the narrators were great!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

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Book Review: A Wilder Wild by KP Haven

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Romantic Suspense
Length: 400 pages
Author: KP Haven
Publisher: Self published
Release Date: October 21st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Chasing her next photograph, Jay Roke takes a chance on a remote Alaskan town. With her late father’s shadow hanging over her, a few months encased by towering spruce and endless wild is exactly what she needs.

She doesn’t expect Briggs Sawyer.

The sawmill owner is doing everything he can to keep his family’s business afloat. Burned by a failed marriage and too stubborn to admit how alone he is, he has no patience for outsiders—least of all a wildlife photographer with no intention of staying.

Then one impulsive night changes everything.

Snow-choked trails. Sun-starved wilderness. The undeniable pull between them. Jay wonders if Alaska offers more than her next viral shot—right up until her camera catches something she was never meant to see: a criminal operation hidden deep in the wilderness.

Now dangerous people want what’s on that memory card. And the one complication neither of them planned might be the only thing keeping her alive.

INTRIGUING.

This is my second book from this author. I had some mixed thoughts about the first one I read from KP Haven, but received an opportunity to try this book and I liked it! I would be interested in reading another. I think one of my favorite things to note is that it’s a genuine closed door (aka more than kisses). I feel like this niche in romances is hard to find and I appreciate it! I’m always here for a genuine slow burn too.

There’s some suspension of belief I had to rely on to follow through with a few tropes in here. It’s a little on the insta-romance side of things but it worked? I thought Jay and Briggs had chemistry and the banter between them worked well. I loved the remote Alaskan setting and the winter vibes this book provided. It does lean on the mildly heavy side but without overwhelming the romance. There were many themes to work through and I liked the way they were combined.

Overall audience notes:

  • Romantic suspense
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Content warnings: murder, gun violence, physical violence, mentions of past abuse, divorce, arson

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Book Review: Hollywood, Ending by John Green

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton Books
Release Date: September 22nd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A behind-the-scenes Hollywood love story that brilliantly confronts the private cost of a public life

For rising young actors Kai Laramie and Juniper Castillo, being cast in the buzzy biopic Andy Warhol Never Gets Old is the opportunity they’ve been waiting for. They’re on the verge of breaking out, and maybe even falling in love. Soon the movie is blowing up and so are their lives—in exciting but also terrifying ways.

John Green artfully blends a behind-the-scenes Hollywood love story with an unflinching examination of the insatiable attention economy. Told through dual points of view, the novel follows Kai and Juniper from their first days on location to the movie’s premiere, brilliantly juxtaposing their story with the on-screen study of Warhol’s life at the dawn of celebrity culture.

Hollywood, Ending is a deeply observed novel about the tension between a public and a private life, and finding your safe someone to hold onto. Tender, heartbreaking, and shrewdly funny, this is a story as only Green can tell it.

ALWAYS A FAN.

John Green can really just write in whatever genre he feels like and nail it.

This one had some heavy triggers that I thought were approached with care and a realistic sense of how trauma can keep occurring in our lives and how it affects everything around us.

I liked the chemistry between Kai and Juniper. The romance is at the front yet takes a step back for some commentary and themes surrounding Hollywood, acting and the like. I liked that Juniper and Kai had this soft build between them. You could feel the care they had for each other and how they learned to communicate and go through the hard things with trust. I love a good fight moment and I think this one did it well. Kai was easily my favorite character and I loved his enduring nature.

It’s very fast paced (read the audio in an afternoon), LOVED the audiobook (Julia Whelan y’all!!!!) and sad that I now have to wait for more John Green books.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: fade to black
  • Violence: moderate+
  • Content warnings: child sexual assault (recounted in some detail, theme throughout)

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ALC Book Review: Too Cold for Comfort by Nisha J. Tuli

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Nisha J. Tuli
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: November 10th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In this steamy romance from the New York Time s bestselling author of the Artefacts of Ouranos series, the arctic heats up when a photographer who rarely holds anything back is forced to share a private wing with a grumpy lodge owner who holds everything in.

Photographer Aadya Williams has trekked all the way to northern Canada to nab a career-making shot of a polar bear … and to put 1,500 miles between her and a messy breakup. Despite expecting freezing temperatures, nothing’s colder than the welcome she gets from Reid Doerksen, the gruff owner of the Northern Wilderness Polar Bear Lodge. Even worse, the lodge is overbooked, so now she has to share the private family wing with him for the next two weeks. At least Aadya has plenty to keep her occupied when she’s not out searching for the perfect photo op. But when a storm strands Aadya and Reid together at the lodge, it’s impossible to avoid the heat simmering between them. As the snow comes down, so do Reid’s walls, and Aadya begins to realize the most important shot of her life may not be one she takes with her camera.

Thank you Hachette Audio for the gifted audiobook.

TIMELINE ISSUES.

I don’t know if I just wasn’t as charmed but this timeline felt too quick for me. And more physically focused than anything else. Actually, that’s probably my main issue. I didn’t feel there was enough connection or conversations to get to the I love you’s with how much focus was on them sleeping together and the larger plot.

Not that I minded the larger plot. I adored the wintery setting and all of the polar bear moments. I loved that this was winter without being a holiday romance (I love a holiday romance but more of these please!). There were a lot of quirky side character personalities which did give it that Hallmark movie/small town vibe.

And I felt like I should have been more frustrated with the third act? But with the insta-lust I just wasn’t phased at that point. Things came together well in the end and they figured it out for the HEA at least. I always love a good compromise.

I liked Not Safe for Work more than this one.

🎧: The audiobook is great! Loved the narrator. No issues there. That did make for an easy and quick listen.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3ish+ open door
  • Violence: low

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