Tag: taylor swift

Book Review: I Knew He Was Trouble (Sweeter Than Fiction #1) by Amanda Schimmoeller

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 280 pages
Author: Amanda Schimmoeller
Publisher: ABS Publishing, LLC
Release Date: March 13th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I’ve never needed help from anyone. I certainly don’t need it from the infuriating doctor next door.

I loathe my uncivil neighbor and the loud music he blares before the sun has risen. Even the dogs I walk—for one of my four jobs—despise him.

I’d be happy never seeing him again. But when he becomes his niece’s guardian for a few months and is in desperate need of a nanny, I begrudgingly accept the position.

How can I refuse when the salary he offers will allow me to open my dog rescue? It’s a win-win. Or a lose-win, depending on how you look at it. I mean, I still have to be around Tyler, and I would never consider that winning.

But the more time I spend with him, my cold indifference is melting away. And the way he’s starting to look at me feels more molten than icy.

I knew that Tyler was trouble from the moment I met him, but now I think I might be the one in trouble…of losing my heart.

I Knew He Was Trouble is an enemies to lovers, next-door-neighbor romcom with sizzling chemistry but no explicit content. It’s the first book in the Sweeter Than Fiction series, following four best friends finding love.

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy.

THIS WAS DARLING.

I adored this book and it is officially my new favorite by Amanda. I loved the connection between Tyler and Kelsey. There’s some playful banter and a prank war that doesn’t get out of control and lots of good forced proximity moments. (*note: I do consider this a sweet version of enemies to lovers not a full blown enemies mode). And I will say I LOVED how the preconceived notions were handled between them.

I loved watching Tyler and Kelsey interact and constantly found myself wanting to pick up this book. It’s light and sweet and brought me some joy. The chemistry was FELT and gosh do I love good kissing scenes.

There was a minor quip I had about the third act and with Evie. Do five year old’s have homework every day and ballet dance solos? Because that didn’t quit click for me. Otherwise Evie was really cute and a fun addition to the story (and maybe we get her mom’s book too??).

ANYWHO. A delightful read. I love a strong female friendship group. The Taylor Swift references are fun and I look forward to reading more in this series.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses

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Book Review: Better Than Revenge by Kasie West

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Rating: ★★★★★
Genre: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: December 31st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A swoony new romance from the author of Sunkissed! When her football-player boyfriend and now ex lands the podcast job she’s been dreaming of, a girl takes matters into her own hands by enlisting the help of his nemesis to get revenge.

Seventeen-year-old Finley has only ever had one to become a famous podcaster. This includes coming up with the perfect pitch to land her on her school’s podcast team. But when her football-obsessed boyfriend, Jensen, decides to also try out—and uses her idea—she’s left confused and betrayed. 

Determined to get back at him, Finley and her friends try to find the perfect revenge scheme, but quickly discover that Jensen is almost-impossible to best. Keyword, almost. 

By chance, Finley discovers a knack for kicking and decides to take Jensen’s spot on the football team. To help her train, she recruits Jensen’s cute but conceited nemeses, Theo. Soon the two discover that their connection runs deeper than football. But Finley can’t let herself get distracted, and Theo has secrets of his own. Is true love really better than the perfect revenge?

Thank you to Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

NEW KASIE WEST FAVORITE.

Well I was just absolutely charmed with this book y’all. At the core is a true young adult novel with a lot of relatable themes and content that’s appropriate for this age group. I loved the the teenage drama wasn’t over the top and lent itself to many great moments of character growth and self reflection for Finley.

And I was smitten with the romance. It was so sweet and also showcased mistakes and communication and hearing each other out. I loved the support Theo gave Finley in her endeavors and his kind nature. The banter was cheeky and fun and I loved the chemistry between them.

I also loved that Finley worked on her friendships, finding out what the next life step was and realized the true nature of being a vengeful person can become. All of the grandma content was really sweet and I was very involved in knowing her story. It was a great addition to the plot and seriously, this book was an absolute gem.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content Warnings: a grandmother in the early stages of dementia

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Book Tag: Wonderstruck (Taylor Swift)

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It’s Saturday: Book Tag day!

I was tagged by Arini from Her Ineffable Reads! I’ve recently started following her blog and have been really enjoying her content. If you’re following me, you should definitely be following her!

She originally found the tag from Olivia at Purely Olivia. And she is the creator of this tag.

I’m a closet Taylor Swift fan, but that won’t stop be from doing this tag. I love her work. I can’t deny it.

1.

You’re Not Sorry

A book that unapologetically broke your heart

I apparently don’t read many books that try to break me. Tender-hearted much? (It’s being a mom, it makes you soft). The Great Alone really tore me up. Leni deals with SO MUCH CRAP and all I wanted for her was to be happy. And when she had it, it was ripped away and given back in this bittersweet, my heart is breaking, kinda way. Happy ending used loosely.

2.

Back to December

A book you still think about even after you finished

I mention in my review that I truly believe everyone needs to read this book. A doctor, dying from cancer, writes a memoir that will make you cry. I contemplated how I was handling my life and it still comes to mind on rough days. What is a bad day, or a bad five minutes?

3.

If This Was a Movie

A book you really want to become a movie

I think a million+ books I’ve read should be movies, but this is the most recent one in my mind. Imagining some time-traveling and old-timey 1920’s Ireland makes me want to swoon. This was a magical read.

4.

Gorgeous

A book with the most beautiful cover

I am so bad with pretty covers. I tend to not even notice the cover and buy it for the summary or hype. In this case I remember picking To Kill a Kingdom specifically for the gorgeous, dark cover. It promised sea battles and plenty of stabbing. And it did not disappoint.

5.

Shake It Off

A book that gets hate but that you still love

It’s actually recently come to my attention that the Shatter Me series gets some hate. For me, it’s one of the few dystopian-based book that I’m invested in. The jaw dropping plot-twists, the swoon worthy romance, and the loyal friendships have made this a great series. Jury is still out with the “addition” of the next three books, but I loved Restore Me so there’s hope!

6.

Never Grow Up

A book that gives you childhood nostalgia

Oh yes, yes. The A Series of Unfortunate Events brings on all the nostalgia. It was one of my first series that I read all the way through. I only vaguely remember the details now, but I can’t wait to read them with my children in the future!

7.

Sparks Fly

A book that you instantly clicked with

This book was so stinkin’ cute. I immediately was captivated and it’s one of the few contemporaries I adore. The setting (Tuscany, Italy) and precious high school love was all I needed. It was a perfect summer read.

8.

Style

A classic that will never get old

I may not have time to re-read this all the time. But this book (more the movie) never gets old to me. I love the story and it’s classic style will always captivate.

9.

End Game

A book with a romance you love

My dear sweet pair: Kestrel and Arin. They were so frustrating and I couldn’t believe half the actions that went down, but boy I was on their side from day one. There’s SO MUCH LOVE HERE. It’s one of my favorite series. Now I think I need to go do a re-read.

10.

I Knew You Were Trouble

A book you couldn’t help but become obsessesd with

I may not talk about this series a lot, but I like doing tags to really branch out on my choices. So in this case, I was IMMEDIATELY obsessed with this series. Shusterman is a wizard with this story. It’s such a thinker. I continually panic over WHAT IF THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED? And you know what, I obsess over this anytime I remember the books.

11.

Bad Blood

A book where you loved the first one and hated the sequel

I’m totally using Arini’s answer because oh how I agree. I got through RQ (honestly wouldn’t say loved, but I liked it), decided to keep going. Made it through GS and thought, eh I’m not having fun, but I also want to know what happens. Then KC came out I skimmed read this and never bothered with WS. These progressively got worse with the cliches, the awful twists and more. I still haven’t read WS, but from a spoiler review I’ve seen, I’m okay with my decision.

I’m tagging:

Xandra @ Starry Sky Books || Jess & Teagan @ Fiction No Chaser || Sara @ The Bibliophagist || Purple Manatees

Even if you weren’t tagged, totally feel free to do this! And if you don’t like TS, that doesn’t matter either! It’s a clever tag that was fun to do. Tag me in the comments if you happen to do this, would love to see answers.