Book Review: This Woven Kingdom (This Woven Kingdom #1) by Tahereh Mafi

May 19, 2022February 4, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Fantasy + Romance
Length: 512 pages
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 1st, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—bestselling author Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.

NOT A BAD START.

Ah, this book felt like a YA fantasy hug. All of the tropes and themes I love. The enjoyable predictable nature of it all. This was a great opening to a new series and I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the books.

I listened to the audio and loved it if you’re looking for a new book to read!

Back to the story here, I adored Alizeh and Kamran. Alizeh is just trying to survive and keep hidden in the shadows not telling anyone where she comes from. Enter Kamran, a bold prince who is captivated by Alizeh. I did think the pacing for this romance was a bit quick for me, so we’ll see how the other books shake out (especially after that ending!!).

The writing was wonderful as always. Engaging and kept a steady pace. I don’t remember any major lulls or dull moments. Consistent development and world-building were another great feature and something I love in my fantasy reads. The mythology was interesting and I loved all of those editions as too.

I always love a lost queen, a duty-bound prince and a forbidden romance.

Overall audience notes:

YA Fantasy romance
Language: none
Romance: make-outs
Violence: physical and magical altercations
Trigger/Content Warnings: abuse, injury, death of a parent, light blood/gore

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Book Review: Eye of the Beholder (Stone Springs #1) by Gracie Ruth Mitchell

April 22, 2022June 24, 2021 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 234 pages
Author: Gracie Ruth Mitchell
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: September 23rd, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

One girl. One boy. One bargain…

Mina
Look, I’m no social butterfly. I don’t care what the extroverts say; talking to people is scary. I’d rather hang out with my books than actual human beings. Books don’t call you names or dump water over your head in the cafeteria.
But high school is almost over, and I’m realizing I have nothing to show for it but good grades. I need to come out of my shell if I want to get the attention of a certain football player, and I’m going to need help. My neighbor Cohen is the man for the job. Sure, his attractiveness makes me nervous, and yes, he smells obnoxiously good all the time, but it’s fine. I’ve got this.
I mean, probably.
I’ve probably got this.

Cohen
Mina’s got a thing for my buddy Jack. I’ve got a thing for getting into a good college. My plan is simple: I’ll help Mina get Jack’s attention if she’ll tutor me for the ACT. No big deal, right? But working with Mina isn’t going to be easy. Her social skills are iffy at best, and don’t get me started on her (lack of) flirting skills. It’s a good thing she makes me laugh, because we’re going to be spending a lot of time together…

MOSTLY CUTE.

This was a quick, sweet read from Kindle Unlimited. Though as I’m sitting here to write this review (a few days after finishing) I’m realizing I don’t remember much. And that’s the story of this book. It wasn’t that memorable.

I think the interactions between Cohen and Mia were overall cute. I liked the banter when they starting acknowledging feelings between each other. Cohen was charming and kind, Mia very insecure, but working on her confidence.

What I didn’t love was that some scenes felt cringey. I understand that Mina was getting a make-over and it was supposed to be sweet, but it was heavily focused on this aspect. Like if she changed all of these things people would like and notice her. And I’m NOT saying that if you want to do those things you can, it was the way that the scenes came off that rubbed me the wrong way.

Different pieces were great, others not so much. I know a lot of others who’ve loved this so if you’re interesting in a young adult appropriate romance this could be for you!

Overall audience notes:

YA Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Trigger/Content Warning: bullying

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

April 14, 2022February 20, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

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: Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill

April 1, 2022January 10, 2022 GoodeyReadsLeave a comment

Rating: ★★★☆ (3.5)
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 368 pages
Author: Kaitlyn Hill
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: April 5th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

This summer, Reese Camden is trading sweet tea and Southern hospitality for cold brew and crisp coastal air. She’s landed her dream marketing internship at Friends of Flavor, a wildly popular cooking channel in Seattle. The only problem? Benny Beneventi, the relentlessly charming, backwards-baseball-cap-wearing culinary intern–and her main competition for the fall job.

Reese’s plan to keep work a No Feelings Zone crumbles like a day-old muffin when she and Benny are thrown together for a video shoot that goes viral, making them the internet’s newest ship. Audiences are hungry for more, and their bosses at Friends of Flavor are happy to deliver. Soon Reese and Benny are in an all-out food war, churning homemade ice cream, twisting soft pretzels, breaking eggs in an omelet showdown–while hundreds of thousands of viewers watch.

Reese can’t deny the chemistry between her and Benny. But the more their rivalry heats up, the harder it is to keep love on the back burner.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC.

WELL, I ADORED BENNY.

I really wanted to love this more than my review shows and while I did like a lot of it, there were some aspects that held me back. Something I did love was the setting!! I loved the concept of a company with online cooking videos and the like.

Benny. He was top notch one of the better YA love interests I’ve read in awhile. He was incredibly supportive, realistic, and charming. I love that he was the sunshine between the two and had a positive attitude. Benny was all things sweet and the grand gesture at the end was completely over the top and I loved it.

Reese. I was much slower to warm up to her. I didn’t mind that she was the grump in the relationship and I liked that they got together halfway through! She showed some growth and, but towards the end it got a bit stagnant. I didn’t love the way the conflict was handled and I felt my care for her decisions wane as she became increasingly whiny. It was okay.

I realize this is a contemporary romance and I love that. That’s why I picked it up. That’s what drew me in. Unfortunately the larger agenda of the book felt forced and pushy. Even for things I am all for and in support of, I felt suffocated by that storyline over what I thought was the main aspect of the plot (the romance).

Overall audience notes: