Book Review: The Night We Met (Say You’ll Remember Me #2) by Abby Jimenez

May 9, 2026March 29, 2026 GoodeyReads1 Comment

Rating: ★★★★.25
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Abby Jimenez
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: March 24th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A beautiful, compelling novel that revels in laughter, friendship, and the messy choices life can throw our way.

In everyone’s life, there’s a split-second decision that can change everything…

For Larissa, it came when choosing which guy to ride home with after a concert. That night, she had no idea she’d met the perfect man. She and Chris are great together, co-parenting a slightly unhinged rescue Yorkie, sharing their favorite books, and judging bread (pumpernickel for the win!). For the first time amid all her side hustles to scrape by, things finally feel easy.

But Chris isn’t the one who drove Larissa home all those months ago—Chris is her boyfriend’s best friend. All Chris wants is for Larissa to be happy. Standing by on the sidelines is slowly killing him, but making a move would destroy someone else. And he’s just not that guy.

HARD TO RATE.

I kind of waffled back and forth on what I would finally rate this for a few different reasons.

The yearning? TOP TIER. I love a man who years and years hard. Chris was the definition of a sweetheart and took care of Larissa in all of these beautiful little ways. I generally love the little moments most in romances and this is exactly what I got here.

I struggled with Larissa a bit. She’s dating *Mike* for a large majority of the book and while I didn’t expect to get much of them together I guess I was expecting maybe a little more? Only because they both talked (especially Mike) about how much they liked/loved each other and I didn’t believe it for one second so I was frustrated that they dated for a year. I loved when Larissa finally put her foot down and the book gained some momentum for the last few chapters.

It’s heartfelt and romantic as I find all of Abby Jimenez’s books. Up against my favorite (Part of Your World) this one didn’t beat it out. But still very enjoyable and incredibly easy to fly through. I did not want to put it down. I liked the mental health conversations, working hard and choosing a new [better] path for yourself and other nuanced things too. The ending was just what I was hoping for and gave a beautiful sense of hope.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: mild+
Romance: fade to black
Violence: low
Content warnings: alcoholism (on page), mental illness, toxic relationships, loss of a parent (recounted)

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ARC Book Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before the Graphic Novel by Jenny Han

May 5, 2026December 14, 2025 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance Graphic Novel
Length: 168 pages
Author: Jenny Han
Publisher: Simon Teen
Release Date: May 5th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is now a major motion picture on Netflix and the inspiration for the spin-off series XO, Kitty—now streaming on Netflix!

In this sparkling graphic novel adaptation of the Time Best YA Book of All Time selection and New York Times bestselling first book in the beloved series, Lara Jean’s love life gets complicated.

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed and, suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Experience Lara Jean’s story all over again in an all-new graphic novel format!

Thank you Simon Teen for the gifted eARC.

A GOOD ADAPTATION.

I have read and enjoyed the original trilogy, I have watched and enjoyed the movies, and now to see a graphic novel adaptation is wonderful! I really love graphic novels and I thought that overall, this held the core of the story + movie.

The art was beautiful and I LOVED the colors. I feel like the softness of the art lined up with the characters and story line. It’s easy to read and does follow the storyline well while hitting the necessary plot points. I do think some of the flow was missing though. I’d turn a page and there would be a new scene and that often felt a bit disconnected.

Still a fun read and mix to my usual hefty fantasies. I look forward to seeing book two and three in this style as well. PETER K FOREVERRRRRR.

Overall audience notes:

Upper YA Contemporary Romance Graphic Novel
Language: mild
Romance: kisses; low innuendo
Violence: low
Content warnings: loss of a parent [recounted]

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Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: April 2026

May 2, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

April showers brings May flowers! And a lot of books. Maybe the most I will get to this year. Have you read any of them?

[ARC/ALC] A Deal with a Debutante (London’s Most Eligible #1) by Chelsea Bobulski
[ARC/ALC] Start at the End by Emma Grey
[Reread] The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass #0.5) by Sarah J. Maas
The Speed of Lightning (The Hebridean Shield #3) by Ashley Worrell
A Ghastly Catastrophe (Veronica Speedwell #10) by Deanna Raybourn
[ARC/ALC] I Could Give You the Moon by Ann Liang
Anytime I Want by Meredith Logan
Weavingshaw (Weavingshaw #1) by Heba Al-Wasity
Rites of the Starling (Shield of Sparrows #2) by Devney Perry
[ARC] The Duke’s Bargain by Megan Walker
From the Silence of the Shadows (The Veridian Empire #3) by V.B. Lacey
[ALC] Stranger Things Have Happened by Kasie West
[ALC] Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai
[Reread] Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas
Because the Beasts Came (Wells of Istri #1) by Madeline James
[ARC] The Commons (The Commons World #1) by Rebecce Ihim
Beneath (Rebirth #1) by Ariel Sullivan
[Non-fiction] Big Kids, Bigger Feelings by Alyssa Blask Campbell
The Wicked and the Damned (Dark Inheritance Trilogy #2) by Rebecca Robinson
A Desert of Bleeding Sand (A Desert of Bleeding Sand #1) by Lucia Damas
The Last Wayfinder by Ellen McGinty
[ARC/ALC] Rolls and Rivalry (Gaming and Romance #3) by Kristy Boyce
[ARC/ALC] First and Forever by Lynn Painter
Heart Check (Varsity #1) by Emily Charlotte
Perfect Wreckage (Wrecked #2) by Catherine Cowles
Heir of Twisted Lies (Stonegate #2) by LJ Andrews
[ARC] This Silent City (The Grim Empire #2) by A.C. Hobbs
A Love Most Brutal (Morelli Family #2) by Kath Richards
A Foolish Proposal (The Gentlemen’s Gamble) by Kasey Stockton
[ARC] Storm Breaker (Storm Breaker #1) by Nisha J. Tuli
[ARC/ALC] Student Union (The Undergrads #1) by Julie Murphy
Vengeful (Villains #2) by V.E. Schwab
[ARC] The Last Page by Katie Holt
[ARC/ALC] Spur of the Moment (Willow Creek #1) by Juliana Smith
The Thorn Queen (The Rose Bargain #2) by Sasha Peyton Smith
[Reread] Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas
[ARC/ALC] The Shippers by Katherine Center
I’m Only Me When I’m With Him (Sweeter Than Fiction #3) by Amanda Schimmoeller
Wrecked Palace (Wrecked #3) by Catherine Cowles
Reckless Refuge (Wrecked #4) by Catherine Cowles

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ARC/ALC Book Review: Rolls and Rivalry (Gaming and Romance #3) by Kristy Boyce

May 1, 2026April 18, 2026 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Kristy Boyce
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Release Date: May 5th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Roll the dice, strike up the band, and get ready for a swoon-worthy summer! A charming gaming romance that blends the magic of D&D with the camaraderie of band camp–from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!

Hazel’s senior year at band camp is set to be epic—until Max, her childhood crush turned drum-playing troublemaker, waltzes back into town.Their sections have always been rivals, but a shared love for Dungeons & Dragons pulls them together, sparking a romance Hazel never saw coming.

Just when things feel perfect, rumors Did Max ask her out because of a lost bet? With band drama mounting and her first D&D game spiraling, Hazel must prove their love—and her leadership—are the real deal.A swoony, nerdy romance full of rivalry, redemption, and roll-the-dice chemistry from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!

Thank you PRH Audio for the audiobook and Get Underlined for the copy (gifted).

ADORED.

This might be my favorite of the series?? I was super into this y’all. I think it helped I had read eight fantasy books prior and really needed a contemporary break-up and this hit the spot. It was big on the nostalgia and even though I was not a band girlie it totally transported me back to high school.

I appreciated that the drama wasn’t wild. Yes, it’s a bit *high school* but it worked and made sense so I’m not going to complain about that. It’s even better that this series is true young adult and that it’s easy to hand it to the age group and not worry about the content.

The romance was sweet and genuinely went from an enemies to lovers vibe (with some childhood friendship mixed in). I liked that they bantered and bickered and how that moved into meaningful conversation and hashing out the past. It was a good show of communication.

This had the right level of D&D content without overwhelming the plot (I struggle when too much of the story is just the characters playing the game). I liked the friendships and all of the band things. It was just a genuinely great read.

Overall audience notes: