Book Review: The Comeback Summer by Ali Brady

August 21, 2024July 12, 2023 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Ali Brady
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: May 9th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Two sisters have one summer to crush their comfort zones and save their grandmother’s legacy in this sweet, sexy, and heartfelt novel by Ali Brady, author of The Beach Trap .

Hannah and Libby need a miracle. The PR agency they inherited from their grandmother is losing clients left and right, and the sisters are devastated at the thought of closing. The situation seems hopeless—until in walks Lou, an eccentric self-help guru who is looking for a new PR agency. Her business could solve all their problems—but there’s a catch. Whoever works with Lou must complete a twelve-week challenge as part of her “Crush Your Comfort Zone” program.

Hannah, whose worst nightmare is making small talk with strangers, is challenged to go on twelve first dates. Libby, who once claimed to have period cramps for four weeks straight to get out of gym class, is challenged to compete in an obstacle course race. The challenges begin with Hannah helping Libby train and Libby managing the dating app on her sister’s behalf. They’re both making good progress—until Hannah’s first love rolls into town, and Libby accidentally falls for a guy she’s supposed to be setting up with her sister.

Things get even more complicated when secrets come to light, making the sisters question the one relationship they’ve always counted each other. With their company’s future on the line, they can’t afford to fail. But in trying to make a comeback to honor their grandmother, are they pushing themselves down the wrong path?

I ENJOY THIS AUTHOR.

Second book by Ali Brady and I am once again very much a fan. I love the way that sister relationships are combine with romance and self discovery and everything in between. Libby and Hannah both had to learn to stand completely on their own and I looooved seeing that journey for them.

I really liked the romances! Both are totally different and brought a great angle to the general story. There were a lot of tough conversations and heartfelt moments + a little bit of spice. Everything was squeezing my heart and I was very grateful for the HEA at the end.

It’s a fantastic audiobook. It’s a great story. The romance plays a significant role. Just all good things. Looking forward to the next book!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: light strong
Romance: 2-3 open; low-moderate explicit
Trigger/Content Warnings: side character with a parent who has a degenerative disease, mentions of parents divorce, weight/body themes

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Book Review: Not Safe for Work (California Love #2) by Lindsey Lanza

August 20, 2024August 4, 2024 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 354 pages
Author: Lindsey Lanza
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 18th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A major dilemma. An unlikely hero.
A lot of inappropriate texting.

Olivia Diamond’s life is anything but sparkling. She’s still working through the most embarrassing break-up of the century, and now the promotion she thought was a done deal is turning into an impossible dream.

If being the only person on her sales team with a uterus wasn’t hard enough, now her boys’ club boss wants Olivia to date a client in order to close a massive deal. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t.

Enter Gavin Scott, Olivia’s least favorite and most attractive colleague. He’s here to save the day. Well, he’s here to try. And he’s hoping to do it all without revealing that he’s been crushing on Olivia since the day they started working together.

Not Safe for Work follows a chaotic and serendipitous chain of events that will have you laughing, raging, and swooning in every chapter. It’s a story of discovering your place in a world that’s working against you–and of finding love where you least expect it.

ANOTHER GEM.

See what I did there?

BUT REALLY. I am 3 for 3 on Lindsey Lanza books being an EASY five stars. EASY. I love them so much, and NSFW was amazing.

I officially am obsessed with the micro trope of he falls first, she falls hard, and he falls HARDER. I adored Gavin Scott. He was swoony and sweet and his passion and love for providing for his sister was incredibly endearing. I also loved how he took care of Olivia while never dulling her shine too.

And I loved Olivia. She was quirky and kind and full of this resilience and strength. Especially when she was thrown in increasingly difficult situations. I loved the way this office romance played out. I loved all of the soft moments and heated too. I devoured this book. I could not put it down and I can’t wait for Lanza’s next book!!

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: fade to black and 3+ open door
Content Warnings: on page panic attack, sexism and misogyny in the workplace

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Book Review: The Fiancé Dilemma (The Long Game #2) by Elena Armas

August 19, 2024 GoodeyReads1 Comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 432 pages
Author: Elena Armas
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: July 30th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Josie Moore has given the opposite sex—and love—plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include the absentee father who kept her existence a secret until very recently. So when her father decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece about the family, Josie realizes her romantic history is a complicated PR issue.

Matthew Flanagan is in the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck in the muck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So, he grabs a duffel with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life back on track. But instead, he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.

What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing a new role as doting fiancé. A fifth engagement—and a stunt, at that—makes Josie’s stomach turn, but every dilemma requires a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, and Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colorful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook.

BLESS MATTHEW.

Matthew single handedly held up this book. He had that epitome of a book boyfriend vibe that I couldn’t get enough of. He was swoony and hot and did all the right things that I love in a romance.

Josie was a struggle for me. I don’t necessarily mind a more chaotic, doesn’t have it all together FMC, but this felt forced. There was too much effort involved in the base of her character and it didn’t feel authentic. I do think as the book progressed, things mellowed and I enjoyed her more.

BUUUUUUT. I STILL don’t understand why Josie left FOUR fiancés??? Even with the explanations I had a feeling I wouldn’t be cool with it and I wasn’t.

I enjoyed this a lot more than The Long Game and it made me hopeful to continue reading Elena Armas books. The Spanish Love Deception is still my absolute favorite.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 3+ open door

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Book Review: Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea

August 18, 2024May 14, 2024 GoodeyReads2 Comments

Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: YA/Adult Contemporary Romance
Length: 273 pages
Author: Amy Lea
Publisher: Mindy’s Book Studio
Release Date: October 1st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

For two high school seniors, it’s seventeen going on thirty—overnight—in a magical romantic comedy about growing up too fast and living in the moment. Planning the perfect prom is one last “to do” on ultra-organized Charlotte Wu’s high school bucket list. So far, so good, if not for a decorating accident that sends Charlotte crash-landing off a ladder, face-first into her obnoxiously ripped archnemesis J. T. Renner. Worse? When Charlotte wakes up, she finds herself in an unfamiliar bed at thirty years old, with her bearded fiancé, Renner, by her side. Either they’ve lost their minds or they’ve been drop-kicked into adulthood, forever trapped in the thirty-year-old bodies of their future selves. With each other as their only constant, Charlotte and Renner discover all that’s changed in the time they’ve missed. Charlotte also learns there’s more to Renner than irritating-jock charm, and that reaching the next milestone isn’t as important as what happens in between. Navigating a series of adventures and a confounding new normal, Charlotte and Renner will do whatever it takes to find a way back to seventeen. But when—and if—they do, what then?

READ IT.

This might be my new favorite Amy Lea book (I’ve read them all at present). Gosh this was so incredibly CHARMING. It had 13 Going On 30 vibes but with a rivals to lovers angle. And BOTH of them end up in a different year together. I thought this was the perfect set up to bring out the FEELS and it delivered.

I loved the banter and snark. It’s that perfect balance of sass while also noticing the intense chemistry between Charlotte and Renner. I was obsessed with them from the get go.

There were also some great themes woven in too. I loved how Charlotte and Renner learned to look deeper and had more understanding towards each other and their situations. I loved them Charlotte learned what it meant to not be walked over by a friend and how to stand up for herself. I loved that this book brought such joy balanced with the heartache that life can be.

This is a charming delight.

Overall audience notes: