Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: June 2021

June 30, 2021June 29, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

My reading was a bit all of the place this month. Started off super strong and I feel like downhill was the only place to go. That’s okay! Definitely a positive month overall.

Favorites: The Poplar Falls series (of which I binged in 3 days), KULTI!!!!!, Ugly Love if you’re looking for a good cry, Southern Sun Northern Star (for crying reasons as well), The War I Finally Won, and We Free the Stars

Least favorites: The Roommate Situation, and The Trustworthy Groom

Stone Hearts (Poplar Falls #2) by Amber Kelly – (☆☆☆☆☆)
Wicked Hearts (Poplar Falls #3) by Amber Kelly – (☆☆☆☆)
Fragile Hearts (Poplar Falls #4) by Amber Kelly – (☆☆☆☆)
Crazy Hearts (Poplar Falls #5) by Amber Kelly – (☆☆☆☆)
The Lion’s Den by Katherine St. John – (☆☆☆☆)
Kulti by Mariana Zapata – (☆☆☆☆☆)
In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount – (☆☆☆)
[ARC] A Feeling Like Home by Haleigh Wenger – (☆☆☆)
A Fate of Wrath & Flame (Fate & Flame #1) by K.A. Tucker – (☆☆☆)
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover – (☆☆☆☆☆)
[Graphic] Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman – (☆☆☆☆☆)
[Graphic] Heartstopper Vol 2. by Alice Oseman – (☆☆☆☆☆)
[ARC] Between You, Me, and the Honeybees by Amelia Diane Coombs – (☆☆☆☆)
Foundryside (The Founders Trilogy #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett – (☆☆☆☆)
A Fall from Grace (Clavering Chronicles #1) by Jennie Goutet – (☆☆☆)
Southern Sun, Northern Star (Glass Alliance #3) by Joanna Hathaway – (☆☆☆☆☆)
The War I Finally Won (The War That Saved My Life #2) by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley – (☆☆☆☆☆)
The Bone Thief (The Bone Charmer #2) by Breeana Shields – (☆☆☆☆)
At Love’s Command (Hanger’s Horseman #1) by Karen Witemeyer – (☆☆☆)
Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #1) by Tirzah Price – (☆☆☆☆)
Eye of the Beholder (Stone Springs #1) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell – (☆☆☆)
[Reread] The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom #1) by Danielle L. Jensen – (☆☆☆☆☆)
The Roommate Situation (Only in Atlanta #1) by Katie Bailey – (☆☆☆)
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado – (☆☆☆☆)
Only When It’s Us (Bergman Brothers #1) by Chloe Liese – (☆☆☆☆)
[Graphic] Soppy by Philippa Rice – (☆☆☆)
The Trustworthy Groom (Texan Titans Romance) by Cami Checketts – (☆☆)
We Free the Stars (Sands of Arawiya #2) by Hafsah Faizal – (☆☆☆☆ 1/2)
Knitted Hearts (Poplar Falls #6) by Amber Kelly – (☆☆☆☆)
Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor #3) by Jessica Townsend – (☆☆☆☆)

How was your reading month? Lets talk in the comments!

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ARC Book Review: To Sir, With Love by Lauren Layne

June 24, 2021April 29, 2021 GoodeyReads2 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 288 pages
Author: Lauren Layne
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: June 29th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Love Is Blind meets You’ve Got Mail in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy following two thirty-somethings who meet on a blind dating app—only to realize that their online chemistry is nothing compared to their offline rivalry.

Perpetually cheerful and eager to please, Gracie Cooper strives to make the best out of every situation. So when her father dies just months after a lung cancer diagnosis, she sets aside her dreams of pursuing her passion for art to take over his Midtown Manhattan champagne shop. She soon finds out that the store’s profit margins are being squeezed perilously tight, and complicating matters further, a giant corporation headed by the impossibly handsome, but irritatingly arrogant Sebastian Andrews is proposing a buyout. But Gracie can’t bear the thought of throwing away her father’s dream like she did her own.

Overwhelmed and not wanting to admit to her friends or family that she’s having second thoughts about the shop, Gracie seeks advice and solace from someone she’s never met—the faceless “Sir”, with whom she connected on a blind dating app where matches get to know each other through messages and common interests before exchanging real names or photos.

But although Gracie finds herself slowly falling for Sir online, she has no idea she’s already met him in real life…and they can’t stand each other.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC. All opinions are my own!

HOW ADORABLE.

Ahhhhh so happy I got an ARC of this one because Y’ALL.

CUTENESS OVERLOAD.

Okay, first I need to preface this by saying, I have NOT seen You’ve Got Mail. I will in no way be able to convey if it’s like it or not (the summary says it is). So with that skeleton thrown out of my closet, lets get into the review!

I couldn’t get enough of this couple. Gracie and Sebastian play a perfectly sweet sunshine/grump + hidden identities (a FAV) scenario that had me grinning from ear to ear. All of their interactions were spot on and they were easy to fall in love with. The whole cast was easy to fall in love with for that matter.

This seemed to play on a little bit of an insta-love, but in a realistic style. I had no issues with the progression and timeline. Everything felt so natural that Sebastian and Gracie would fall in love. If anything I would have loved even more page time with them. I love how sweet they were on each other without even trying. Gosh the chemistry was fantastic.

Aaaand the family dynamics!! This had some of the best sibling relationships I’ve read about in a long time. They were all so kind!! And supportive!! And there for each other!! Ahhhh, I loved it. It was so meaningful to see these connections along side the romantic one. Graice had a lot of solid friendships as well. I really think all of these other people in Gracie’s life made this book sing. Nothing felt lacking even with the romance at the forefront.

There was so much to this story (and for under 300 pages I am wowza impressed). I found myself absolutely invested in that final movie ending moment and how CUTE. Just gave me all of the giddy, sunshiney feelings.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: very little
Romance: kisses
Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of parents (happened prior to timeline in book), a side couple struggles with infertility

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Book Review: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

June 23, 2021November 16, 2020 GoodeyReads2 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Contemporary romance
Length: 404 pages
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
Release Date: July 19th, 2005
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She’s made a mistake so huge, it’ll wreck any chance of a partnership.

Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she’s mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they’ve hired a lawyer–and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can’t sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the #@%# ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope–and finds love–is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake.

But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does…will she want it back?

FIRST KINSELLA BOOK.

Was it the best one to choose? I have no idea. I did enjoy this one at least. A comment to the audio book though, did not love it.

Anywho, Samantha definitely had me laughing at some of the antics she got wrapped up in. It was funny and great to see her struggle with some of the very basics of house care. I didn’t love her at first (and that was probably the intention) because of how much of a workaholic she was. The change over the course of the book for Samantha was very needed and well crafted. Her new persona felt like it really matched the true Samantha by the end.

I wish the romance was more developed. Her and Nathaniel went from zero to one-hundred like whoa. Granted, there were some cute moments, especially near the end, that worked in their favor. Overall though, I wanted more.

I’m so glad that this story had some great resolutions. Getting more to Samantha’s life as a lawyer and what happened with her law firm helped me appreciate the entire story. I needed to know that it worked out in Samantha’s favor one way or another and this is why I love a good happy ever after!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance / Fiction
Language: some strong throughout
Romance: kisses / make-outs; some closed door scenes and a mild open door scene

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Book Review: Texas Cooking (Texas Hill Country #1) by Lisa Wingate

June 16, 2021November 13, 2020 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 320
Author: Lisa Wingate
Publisher: Onyx
Release Date: September 2nd, 2003
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

No one is more surprised than Colleen Collins when she’s offered a job writing fluffy magazine articles about rural Texas cooking. But after only a few days in the charming little town of San Saline, the big-city reporter is falling for the local residents, and finding it impossible to resist the infuriating True McKittrick, a local boy-made-good whose mere presence makes her feel alive…and at home.

MADE ME SMILE.

I was out there searching for something light, could make me smile and just be a simple read. A friend recommended this and I wasn’t disappointed. Texas Cooking is nothing special, but it made me laugh, I was into the relationship and I just felt good after reading it.

Many of the remarks and antics in this book had me busting up. It really did feel like being in small town Texas. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the wide open spaces this setting brought on. It made me want to run to the countryside and see some true stars for the first time in awhile.

This romance was sweet natured and full of heart. Honestly, this easily read as a Hallmark movie. I loved Colleen and True’s interactions were cute. They both got to learn about each other and got some laughs and great kissing moments along the way. I love how it worked out and the conflict wasn’t over blown.

A very quick read and romance (took place over a week). I gratefully didn’t find it to be too insta-love because of the way it flowed into the story. The political/scandal happening where Colleen used to work felt out of place at times and kind of stuffed in there to add drama. I’m curious about the other books in this series though so I may check them out.

Overall audience notes: