Tag: contemporary romance

Book Review: Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 335 pages
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: January 18th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.

After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself.

The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them.

The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.

COHO HAS DONE IT AGAIN.

Not even surprised I loved this. LOVED IT. The hype is completely warranted and this is the type of classic Hoover read that I have to emotionally prepare for knowing it’s going to destroy me before stitching my heart back together.

I loved that this was way and beyond more than a romance. There were many types of love that played a part in Kenna and Ledger’s story. The major theme of getting a second chance had me in tears. Seeing Kenna come from so low and truly trying to do her best to get an opportunity to meet her daughter made for a heart squeezing read.

“Now that I’ve forgiven myself, the reminders of him only make me smile.”

Exploring different types of forgiveness and making the best choices in an horrible situation creating a memorable story. I love the gray areas Hoover explores and that each person’s path is not direct or like any others.

The romance was of course, fabulous. ALL THE ANGST. And Ledger is just a bar above the rest y’all. Plenty of chemistry, raw discussions and passion fueled moments. You’ll be hoping for the best for everyone involved by the end. This is now going to be ranking as one of my top CoHo books.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple brief to longer open door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: suicidal thoughts, detailed scene of losing a loved one by a car accident, under the influence car wreck (alcohol and drugs), grief and depression depiction, child neglect, parent incarceration

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ARC Book Review: With and Without You by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

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Rating: ★★☆ (2.5)
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Publisher: Viking
Release Date: April 19th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

#Wibbroka is back with another swoony YA–this time tackling long-distance relationships, in a novel based on their own romantic history.

If high school seniors Siena and Patrick were a superlative, they’d be the Couple Most Likely to Marry. They’ve been dating for three solid years, and everyone agrees they’re perfect for each other. But with college on the horizon, Siena begins to wonder whether staying together is the best idea. Does she really want to be tied down during possibly the most transformative years of her life? So she makes a decision to break up with Patrick, convincing herself it’s for the best. Before she can say the words, though, he beats her to the punch: his family is moving out of state. Caught off guard by the news, Siena agrees to stay with Patrick, believing their relationship will naturally fizzle out with time and distance. But over a series of visits throughout the school year, Siena begins to see a different side of Patrick–one that has her falling in love with him all over again. 

Thank you the the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

LETDOWN.

I am a huge fan of Wibberley and Sigemund-Broka. Read and enjoyed all of their previous books. This is the first time I have felt truly MEH about how this entire book went.

This relationship in crisis trope did not play out well. Siena complained entirely too much and kept pitying Patrick at every turn when she should have just BROKEN UP WITH HIM. Stop making ridiculous excuses. It also really bugged me that rather than communicate (since they’ve been in a relationship for 3+ years), she instead decides she wants to sleep with him for the first time even when she acknowledges she’s not in a good place for it. I could give you a list of more instances of Sienna making me want to toss my kindle.

Some of the second half was better. I’ll give it up to that. A few times there was some good communication. And I liked Patrick a lot! There wasn’t enough build up around his character so often he felt very bland, but he seemed sweet and I liked that we got some passion out of him by the end.

There’s more ridiculous miscommunication issues in the last quarter and I can’t say I was even all that happy with the ending. I felt there were enough red flags on both sides that I fell off the wagon of being behind this relationship.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: complete closed-door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: gaslighting, gray-area cheating

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ARC Book Review: Double or Nothing: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (A Pride and Pranks Romance #2) by Cindy Steel

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Cindy Steel
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: April 8th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

My best friend’s older brother is back in town.

Do I care? Not one bit. Logan may have been my childhood crush, but I’ve always been little Tessa to him. Not to mention, he’s turned into a shallow flirt and I’m not looking to get played again.

What’s the problem, you ask? (Besides all the flirting.)

Thanks to a scheming mutual friend, Logan and I find ourselves embroiled in a bet of absurd proportions. Now, instead of ignoring Logan and keeping my heart safely locked away, we have a date every Saturday night and a kiss looming on the horizon.

And the line between us is getting… muddy.

As long as Logan stays the shallow flirt, I’ll be fine. My heart is safe from the player. It’s the man underneath giving me a run for my money.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

LOVE.

I just loved this book. Simple as that.

There’s fantastic banter and teasing. The passionate kisses hidden in the dark. Dancing in sprinklers and laying underneath the stars. a one tent & angry moose situation. Allllll the baked goods, sweet friends and more. I just couldn’t get enough of Logan and Tessa.

I adored both of them separate and together. Both are working through relationship trauma of the past and [thanks to Jake] are pushed into a forced proximity situation that allows them to face fears and stumble together. I loved the deep conversations and acknowledgement of choices inside and outside of their control.

The antics were humorous, and the quiet moments WERE SO SOFT. The amount of times I found myself all filled up with swoonyness because of the simple, yet intense moments Logan and Tessa shared. This author just has a way with words y’all. Highly recommend.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary romance
  • Language: very little
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: past cheating recounted

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ARC Book Review: This May End Badly by Samantha Markum

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Samantha Markum
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: April 12th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

This May End Badly is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an eARC.

WORKED FOR ME!

Love a great young adult contemporary with some romance. This is definitely one of those reads!

The romance was so sweet!! I loved the fake dating (of course) and how clearly smitten these two were from the beginning, even if Doe didn’t realize it yet. Occasionally she was too concerned about the reasons they were fake dating, but that played into her character growth by the end. I adored Wells and Doe. I thought they were authentically teens, making some poor decisions and learning how to apologize and accept help. Doe was a wonderfully strong main character and one of the best parts of this book.

Some serious themes were also handled (see trigger warnings). While it didn’t seem to fit the original plot of the story, it did work to bring these two schools together. I think it could have benefitted from a bit more flow, but I love a good teamwork moment and This May End Badly accomplished that.

I liked the prank wars and competing schools. I adored Doe’s entire group of friends and all of the coming of age growth and conversations throughout. A really superb young adult novel you should check out too!

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: one fade to black + light innuendo
  • Violence: some pranks that cause minor harm
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual harassment, grooming by a teacher

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