contemporary romance – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 385 pages
Author: Olivia Dade
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: November 16th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Following Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade returns with another utterly charming romantic comedy about a devil-may-care actor—who actually cares more than anyone knows—and the no-nonsense woman hired to keep him in line.

Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, God of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he’s dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.

Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness…not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.

When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants—her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all.

I FELT ALL THE FEELS.

Not mad one bit I finally decided to pick this one up. Oh my goodness, I absolutely ADORED IT Y’ALL.

I LOVED Alex. I liked his personality, the way he was boisterous and caring and all of that protectiveness over Lauren had me downright swooning. The banter was cheeky and well timed with sizzling chemistry from the get-go. I loooove forced proximity and this is present in spades.

There’s plenty of dynamics to love, grump x sunshine (where she’s the grump!), celebrities and great representation. This story had me hooked from the beginning and I flew through the audio in a day with a continual drive to see where the story would go. I took a 1/2 star off because the conflict leaned more towards miscommunication and I got a bit disgruntled.

Otherwise, this is a fantastic contemporary romance. It had too much spice for me (which doesn’t affect my rating, but wanted to note). The entire plot was stellar and I’m happy to have picked this up.

**I have not read Spoiler Alert. There were a few brief times when I was a little confused, but I don’t think it hindered my reading experience overall.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: strong
Romance: multiple open; high explicit
Trigger/Content Warnings: fatmisia, domestic abuse

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Book Review

Book Review: The Luck of Finding You (The Nelson Sisters #1) by Taylor Epperson

March 28, 2023September 7, 2022 GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 280 pages
Author: Taylor Epperson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 23rd, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Can you fall in love with the same person twice?

Exactly five years, five months, and three days ago I spent a single afternoon with a guy, Noah, and promptly fell in love with him. Then he left without leaving a number or his last name.

Now he’s standing above me in the same tiny cafe we met all those years ago. And he’s a grown man with an easy smile that’s making me feel eighteen again. But I don’t fall in love, not anymore.

Which is why I make this promise to myself. I will not fall in love with Noah. Again. Even if I do have to work with him every day for the next year in his Grandma’s book store, thanks to her will.

And I will not fall in love with Mo, my online best friend who’s suggesting that we finally meet in person after two years of talking.

Because in the end, guys always leave, and happily ever afters only exist in romance novels.

CUTE.

I enjoyed this one! It had a cute You’ve Got Mail-esque plot with some decent main characters. I adored the bookstore set-up and the forced proximity. There’s a very fast tempo to the story so if you’re looking for a sweet rom-com to read in a day, this could be it!

The insta-love was a bit of a struggle for me. I think pacing + insta was where it lost me. I have read books where insta-connections work, this though, fell flat. I wanted more depth from the main characters (praises for dual POV at least!). Trying to add in hard backgrounds + everything happening in present time + the romance was a tricky combination that didn’t always succeed.

There is a miscommunication trope here too. It isn’t over the top dramatic but I know this is a controversial trope to use so I figured I’d mention it. I liked the charming moments and the second chance these two took at love. The kissing scenes were nice and swoony and I think book two has the potential to be even better.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of a mother (recounted)

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Book Review

Book Review: Last Chance Summer by Shannon Klare

March 24, 2023May 14, 2022 GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Shannon Klare
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Release Date: July 21st, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In Shannon Klare’s fun and sexy YA novel Last Chance Summer, a teen is shipped off to work as a counselor at a summer camp―only to butt heads with her co-counselor.

Alex is a sheriff’s daughter with a less than pristine reputation. When she’s caught drinking at a party by her dad’s deputy, she’s in deep trouble. With an already incriminating incident in her past, Alex’s parents ship her off to her aunt’s summer camp to work as a counselor.

What’s worse than spending your summer deep in the mosquito-infested woods of Texas?

Being paired with an obnoxious co-counselor who wants nothing to do with you.

Alex is determined to make the best of her summer, even if it means putting up with Grant, who has secrets of his own that he’s determined to protect. Can Alex and Grant put their egos to the side and find the bright side of a summer that neither of them signed up for?

SWEET SUMMERTIME.

An enjoyable backlist summer time read with allllll those camp vibes. I really liked this!

Alex and Grant had a solid enemies to lovers vibe, but yet sweet? I don’t know how to explain it. I loved the banter and the fun ways they got to know each other in a camp setting. They had maaaany super cute moments where I was cheering them on.

Alex had a lot to learn and explore within herself and this book did an alright job accomplishing that. I think there could have been a deeper dive into the entire story. It’s a short book and I felt much of it was surface level. The ending went kind of quickly with the bigger plots being wrapped up.

It was an engaging read I had a hard time putting down. It’s a simple read that’ll have you thinking of all things summer.

Overall audience notes:

YA Contemporary Romance
Language: a little
Romance: kisses
Violence: mild
Trigger/Content Warnings: drunk and underage driving (resulting in loss of life), loss of a parent, grief depiction

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Book Review

Book Review: Love & Olives (Love & Gelato #3) by Jenna Evans Welch

March 22, 2023May 14, 2022 GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 506 pages
Author: Jenna Evans Welch
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: November 10th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Santorini felt like an island holding its breath. As if it were keeping in a secret…

Liv Varanakis doesn’t like to think about her father much, which makes sense—he fled to Greece when she was only eight, leaving her with just a few painful memories of their shared love for the lost city of Atlantis. So when teenage Liv suddenly receives a postcard from her father, who explains that National Geographic is supporting a documentary about his theories on Atlantis—and asks if she will fly out to Greece and help—Liv is less than thrilled.

When she arrives in gorgeous Santorini, things are just as awkward as she’d imagined. There are so many questions, so many emotions that flood to the surface after seeing her father for the first time in years. Liv doesn’t want to get sucked back into her father’s world. She also definitely doesn’t want Theo, her father’s charismatic so-called protégé, to witness her struggle.

Even so, she can’t help but be charmed by everything Santorini has to offer—the beautiful sunsets, the turquoise water, the sun-drenched villages, and the delicious cuisine. But not everything on the Greek island is as perfect as it seems. Because as Liv slowly begins to discover, her father may not have invited her to Greece for Atlantis, but for something much more important.

TAKE ME TO SANTORINI.

Oh wow. I read Love & Gelato years ago and adored it. I ended up skipping book two after seeing less than stellar reviews. I HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS A BOOK THREE??

I’m so glad I read it because it was the charming quintessential young adult contemporary that I love reading. This gave me major wanderlust about traveling and now I have officially added Santorini to my bucket list. I loved all of the Atlantis theories and lore. I remember a time when I was really into this fabled city and it was fun exploring that too. The ending made me tear up with the discussions on mental health and doing the best you can.

Olive held a lot of pieces I love about teen girls. I liked her bravery in going to see and confront her father, but also her willingness to see what’s been happening in his life. She had a great balance of (deserved) anger and finding new joys while overcoming personal anxieties. I thought the sweet romance with Theo was so stinkin’ cute. It continually made me smile. My only tiny issue was that I hate when a main character dates someone off page for 95% of the book (he really didn’t have a point past the first 15%).

Anyways, LOVED THIS. A great edition to the series.

Overall audience notes: