Category: Book Reviews

Drunk on Love Review

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51SIbaX9OALSummary (from the publisher): Margot Noble needs some relief from the stress of running the family winery with her brother. Enter Luke: sexy, charming, and best of all in the too-small world of Napa, a stranger. The chemistry between them is undeniable, and Margot is delighted that she lucked into the perfect one-night stand she’ll never have to see again. That is, until the winery’s newest hire, Luke, walks in the next morning. Margot is determined to keep things purely professional, but when their every interaction reminds her of the attraction still bubbling between them, it proves to be much more challenging than she expects.

Luke Williams had it all, but when he quits his high-salary tech job in Silicon Valley in a blaze of burnout and moves back to Napa to help a friend, he realizes he doesn’t want to tell the world–or his mom–why he’s now working at a winery. His mom loves bragging about her successful son–how can he admit that the job she’s so proud of broke him? Luke has no idea what is next for him, but one thing is certain: he wants more from the incredibly smart and sexy woman he hooked up with–even after he learns she’s his new boss. But even if they can find a way to be together that wouldn’t be an ethical nightmare, would such a successful woman really want a tech-world dropout?

Set against a lush backdrop of Napa Valley wine country, nothing goes to your head as fast as a taste of love–even if it means changing all your plans.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars 

My Thoughts:

Jasmine Guillory is a contemporary romance staple. Her debut novel, The Wedding Date, is on so many ‘new-to-romance’ reading lists and I’ve personally loved the companion novels in the series, Party of Two and While We Were Dating. I also really enjoyed her installment in the Meant to Be series, By the Book, based on Beauty and the Beast. That being said, I was excited for her to venture into a new storytelling, as Drunk on Love is its own standalone novel (although I could foresee spin-offs featuring Margot’s brother, Elliot, and her best friend, Sydney??).

Drunk on Love is set in the Napa Valley and is told from the perspectives of Margot, a co-owner of a winery, and Luke, an ex-software engineer who has a one night stand with Margot…and then realizes that Margot is his boss when he starts working at the winery the next day, much to Margot’s shock. Margot is set on convincing her brother that she is as serious about the winery as he is and is trying to convince him to have a huge party to draw in new customers, so Luke doesn’t exactly help her cause. The two decide to hide their prior meeting from everyone, but their chemistry just can’t seem to keep the two away from one another. 

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FAVORITE TJR BOOK: Carrie Soto is Back Review

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UnknownSummary (from the publisher): Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Grand Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father, Javier, as her coach. A former champion himself, Javier has trained her since the age of two.

But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning player named Nicki Chan.

At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked “the Battle-Axe” anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever.

In spite of it all, Carrie Soto is back, for one epic final season.

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I love Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books, but as I’ve shared in my reviews and in my TJR book ranking, I have controversially felt medium on Daisy Jones and the Six (I do have a library hold on the audiobook) and although I flew through and really enjoyed Malibu Rising, I wasn’t screaming my love off the rooftops (or on the blog). However, I had seen such rave reviews for Carrie Soto is back over its first two weeks. With a free weekend ahead and some impatience for it to come in from the library , I bought my own copy. Reader, is it surprised that I finished the book in less than 24 hours?

Carrie Soto is Back follows the title character as she comes out of retirement when the current #1 player, Nicki Chan, threatens to break her record for the most amount of Slam titles. The book begins with Carrie’s decision to come out of retirement, with her father once again as her coach, but then goes from her days as a child to her early career to her most successful stages and then transitions back to the present day and quest to keep her title as the greatest of all time.

I know the title makes it easy to use the following pun, but my love for TJR’s books is back because Carrie Soto is Back is for sure one of my favorite reads of the year! 

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VERY ANTICIPATED READ: Love on the Brain Review

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59571699._SY475_Summary (from the publisher): Like an avenging, purple-haired Jedi bringing balance to the mansplained universe, Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project–a literal dream come true after years scraping by on the crumbs of academia–Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

 

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. And sure, he caught her in his powerfully corded arms like a romance novel hero when she accidentally damseled in distress on her first day in the lab. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school–archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. Perhaps it’s her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas…devouring her with those eyes. And the possibilities have all her neurons firing. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do?

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis was one of my top two books of 2021, right alongside Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation, and like nearly every contemporary romance reader, I’ve been anticipating her second full length book ever since finishing her debut! 

Love on the Brain follows Marie Curie superfan, popular women in STEM Twitter account runner, & neuroscientist, Bee, who takes her research assistant and heads off to NASA to work on a neuroengineering project. While Bee is ecstatic about this project, she is not looking forward to working with her enemy from grad school, Levi, who is the head engineer on the project. Bee could never figure out why Levi was so standoffish towards her, even once refusing to work on a research project with their advisor together, and still seems to feel that Levi is trying to sabotage her work at NASA. 

Love on the Brain reminded me why I love Ali Hazelwood’s writing style so much. I love the humor and sarcasm from all of the characters, and especially the side characters, like The Love Hypothesis. Bee is a very unique character based on her personality and interests whom I think will become very memorable to readers. I was very mixed on her novella series this year, so this book was a reassurance in my enjoyment for her writing. I 100% admit that I didn’t always understand the science part of Levi and Bee’s project, but it had some twists that I did not see coming. 

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Dream On by Angie Hockman Review

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Summary (from the publisher):

 

59366218What would you do if your dream man turned out to be real?

When law student Cass Walker wakes up after surviving a car accident, she is flooded with memories of her boyfriend, Devin. The only problem? Devin doesn’t exist. But everything she remembers about him feels so real, like the precise shade of his coffee-brown eyes; the texture of his favorite hand-me-down scarf; even the slightly crooked angle of his pinkie, broken after falling off a trampoline in third grade. She knows he’s a figment of her imagination—friends, family, and doctors confirm it—but she still can’t seem to get him out of her head.

So when she runs into the real Devin a year later in a Cleveland flower shop, she’s completely shocked. Even more surprising is that Devin actually believes her story, and soon they embark on a real-life romance. With her dream man by her side and an upcoming summer job at a prestigious law firm, Cass’s future seems perfect. But fate might have other plans…

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts: 

I really enjoyed Angie Hockman’s debut last year, Shipped, an enemies-to-lovers set in the Galápagos Islands, so I was interested in checking out her latest release, Dream On. The book follows Cass, a law student who wakes up from a coma after getting into a car accident and keeps asking for her boyfriend Devin…only for her best friend and mother to break the news to her that Devin is not real. A year later, Cass feels like her life is getting back on track: she’s gotten a job as a summer associate at her dream law firm, she is living with her best friend, Brie, and her memory has made some improvements. 

Imagine Cass’s surprise when she walks into a flower shop and while talking to the owner, Perry, his brother is the man of Cass’s dreams, Devin. After the initial shock on both sides, Cass and Devin get to know another, but throughout the story, Cass must determine if Devin and even her job if the life of her true dreams. 

Dream On was a fun and unique contemporary romance. The premise was different from what I’ve seen done in YA before, and Angie Hockman executed the story and all the other plot & character elements really well. I enjoyed that the story is more than Devin and Cass’s relationship, as Cass works as a summer law associate and isn’t sure if it’s everything she thought it would be. Devin’s brother, Perry, is also a big part of the story than the book’s official synopsis hints at. Perry isn’t too keen on Cass and Devin’s relationship, based on Cass’s near unimaginable backstory involving Devin and Devin’s own romantic past. I really liked Perry as a character and his role in the story, including his encouragement of Cass’s artwork. 

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What I’ve Been Recently Reading: August 2022 Edition

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I took a little blog break last week, but I of course have been reading offline. Today I’ll be updating you on some of my recent reads, including some summer reads and an especially popular memoir. 

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy – I had seen Jennette McCurdy’s memoir on a few anticipated books of summer lists, but I finally hit ‘must read’ on my TBR when so, so many rave reviews started flying in. It’s become near impossible to get your hands on a physical copy both online and in-stores, but I was able to grab a digital copy through Libby. I devoured this memoir following Jennette McCurdy’s childhood through her acting career and now – that’s not to suggest though by saying that I ‘flew’ through this book that it was an easy read, as there are warnings for eating disorders, alcohol abuse, relationship abuse. You know that I almost always share star ratings but I won’t be for this book given how personal it is and Jennette McCurdy’s braveness for sharing her story.

The Wedding Season by Katy Birchall – I wish I saw more hype for Katy Birchall’s books because her books are SO worth the hype. I read The Secret Bridesmaid last summer and adored it, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Wedding Season. This British contemporary follows Freya, whose fiancé cancels their wedding the day before. Heartbroken and with a full summer of friends and family members’ weddings ahead of her, Freya’s friends challenge her with new tasks for each event to get her out of her comfort zone and have some fun again. The Wedding Season was so perfectly charming and funny. I loved the cast so much, as Freya’s friends and family really surround her to help her embrace her new phase of life. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a light read! My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

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5 STAR YA: See You Yesterday Review

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Summary (from the publisher):

 

59365594Barrett Bloom is hoping college will be a fresh start after a messy high school experience. But when school begins on September 21st, everything goes wrong. She’s humiliated by the know-it-all in her physics class, she botches her interview for the college paper, and at a party that night, she accidentally sets a frat on fire. She panics and flees, and when she realizes her roommate locked her out of their dorm, she falls asleep in the common room.

The next morning, Barrett’s perplexed to find herself back in her dorm room bed, no longer smelling of ashes and crushed dreams. It’s September 21st. Again. And after a confrontation with Miles, the guy from Physics 101, she learns she’s not alone—he’s been trapped for months.

When her attempts to fix her timeline fail, she agrees to work with Miles to find a way out. Soon they’re exploring the mysterious underbelly of the university and going on wild, romantic adventures. As they start falling for each other, they face the universe’s biggest unanswered question yet: what happens to their relationship if they finally make it to tomorrow?

My Rating: 5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Rachel Lynn Solomon is one of those authors for me whose books, both contemporary romance and young adult, I know I am going to love. That being said, as a huge fan of her work, it takes a lot for each book to top the next one. I love, LOVE Today Tonight Tomorrow (her enemies-to-lovers YA contemporary following a scavenger hunt-esque day around Seattle) and I really enjoyed her last YA release, We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This. I wanted something that gave me Today Tonight Tomorrow feels, which was totally delivered by See You Yesterday! 

I haven’t been reaching for YA as much as I used to, really only reading the genre now when one of my FAVORITE authors publishes a new romance or a new YA book gets a ton of buzz..but if you tell me a YA book is college-set, I’m already there. See You Yesterday follows freshman Barrett Bloom, who is trying to create a fresh start for herself after an overall awful high school experience (tw for sexual harassment), on her first day of college…which you could say ultimately is pretty disastrous, between a know-it-all in her physics class, her high school ex-best friend becoming her roommate, not doing the required reading, a bad interview with the college newspaper editor, and maybe even a fire. Barrett doesn’t know how she is going to make it through her second day…until she wakes up the next morning re-living her first day. Barrett soon discovers that her physics classmate, Miles, is also experiencing the same phenomenon and the two set out to figure out how to make it to tomorrow. 

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Just Another Love Song Review

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81g4SXndjwLSummary (from the publisher): Two high school sweethearts get a second chance at their perfect ending in this charming new romance by Kerry Winfrey, author of Very Sincerely Yours.

Once upon a time, Sandy Macintosh thought she would have her happily ever after with her high school sweetheart, Hank Tillman. Sandy wanted to be an artist, Hank was the only boy in town who seemed destined for bigger things, and they both had dreams to escape town together. But when Sandy’s plans fell through, she stayed in their small town in Ohio while Hank went off to Boston to follow his dreams to be a musician, with the promise to stay together. Only that plan fell through, too.

Fifteen years later, Sandy runs a successful greenhouse while helping her parents with their bed and breakfast. Everything is perfect…until Hank rolls back into town, now a famous alt-country singer with a son in tow. She’s happy with the life she’s built by herself, but seeing Hank makes her think about what might have been. There aren’t enough cliché love songs in the world to convince Sandy to give Hank another chance, but when the two of them get thrown together to help organize the town’s annual street fair, she wonders if there could be a new beginning for them or if what they had is just a tired old song of the past.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

There are few things better than floating around the pool with a good romance book, which is exactly what I did reading Kerry Winfrey’s latest release, Just Another Love Song.

Just Another Love Song follows Sandy, the owner of her small-town’s green house, as her high school sweetheart and country singer, Hank, comes home for the summer. Sandy and Hank were destined for one another, until Hank goes off to college and Sandy decides to break things off for a certain reason. But fifteen years later, Sandy is still hung up on Hank, but is still trying to convince herself that she is 110% happy with her life in Baileyville AND that she has no feelings for Hank, especially as the two work together to put on the town’s annual fair. 

Just Another Love Song is a solid contemporary romance read. The novel plays with a few tropes, including second chance romance, small town romance, and the famous person trope. I really loved the small town setting, set in a small Ohio town – it was reminiscent of one of my recent favorite reads, The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston – & seeing Sandy and her friends come together to put on the town’s annual fair (now here’s where you picture Stars Hollow). The book is so heart-warming, between Sandy’s relationships with her friends, Hank, her best friend, Honey, and Honey’s kids, and her parents, who own the town’s only B&B. If you want a book that puts a smile on your face, then  Just Another Love Song is the book for you. 

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For Butter or Worse Review

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71qHgvkRepLSummary (from the publisher): All chef Nina Lyon wants is to make a name for herself in the culinary world and inspire young women everywhere to do the same. For too long, she’s been held back and underestimated by the male-dominated sphere of professional kitchens, and she’s had enough. Now, as co-host of the competitive reality TV series The Next Cooking Champ!, she finally has a real shot at being top tier in the foodie scene.Too bad her co-host happens to be Hollywood’s smarmiest jerk.

Restaurateur Leo O’Donnell never means to get under Nina’s skin. It just seems to happen, especially when the cameras are rolling. It’s part of the anxiety and stress he has come to know all too well in this line of work. So nothing prepares him for the fallout after he takes one joke a smidge too far and Nina up and quits—on live TV.

To make matters worse, the two are caught in what looks like a compromising situation by the paparazzi…and fans of the show go absolutely nuts. Turns out, a “secret romance” between Nina and Leo may just be what their careers need most.

Now all they have to do is play along, without killing each other…and without catching feelings. Easy as artisanal shepherd’s pie. Right?

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

If you love any rom-com with foodie talk or perfect descriptions of food, then Erin La Rosa’s new release, For Butter or Worse is the book for you.

For Butter or Worse is an enemies-to-lovers meets fake dating romance following restaurant owners and co-hosts of a cooking competition show, Nina and Leo. When Nina quits their TV show on-air after Leo makes a not-so nice comment, the two face a PR disaster that means less customers in Nina’s LA restaurant and Leo’s family owned Italian restaurant chain. In order to save their reputations and businesses, and after a revealing paparazzi photo of the two together, Nina’s publicist suggests that Nina & Leo fake date to save their careers… but why do their fake dates and fake feelings for one another start to feel a bit too real? 

For Butter or Worse is perfect for fans of Jasmine Guillory’s Wedding Date series, based on the LA setting and food talk & descriptions alone. Nina is a chef, and Leo runs the business side of his family’s Italian restaurant chain, aka meaning that the food talk was descriptive and perfectly endless in this book. I loved seeing the restaurant owner side of things, even though both Leo and Nina’s restaurants are facing financial struggles throughout the story. And throughout, this book made me crave chocolate, donuts, and pizza…just to name a few things. If you’re also a fall fan, the book is set during the transition from summer well into autumn, aka there are a few fall-set and Halloween date scenes. 

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The Beach Trap by Ali Brady Review

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Summary (from the publisher):
9780593440155When twelve-year-olds Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill meet at Camp Chickawah, they have an instant connection. But everything falls apart when they learn they’re not just best friends—they’re also half-sisters. Confused and betrayed, their friendship instantly crumbles.

Fifteen years later when their father dies suddenly, Kat and Blake discover he’s left them a joint inheritance: the family beach house in Destin, Florida. The two sisters are instantly at odds. Blake, who has recently been demoted from regular nanny to dog nanny, wants to sell the house, while social media influencer Kat is desperate to keep the place where she had so many happy childhood memories.

Kat and Blake reluctantly join forces to renovate the dilapidated house with the understanding that Kat will try to buy Blake out at the end of the summer. The women clash as Blake’s renovation plans conflict with Kat’s creative vision, and each sister finds herself drawn into a summer romance. As the weeks pass, the two women realize the most difficult project they face this summer will be coming to grips with their shared past, and learning how to become sisters.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

You know those books whose cover and synopsis that just scream summer? One of those books is hands-down writing duo Ali Brady’s debut release, The Beach Trap.

With some inspiration from The Parent Trap, The Beach Trap begins at summer camp when twelve year olds Blake and Kat become best friends, until they discover through a loss that they are half sisters, sharing the same father. Flash-forward fifteen years later with no communication between them, Kat and Blake’s father passes away, leaving them the family vacation home. As a nanny who is need of money to take care of her ailing grandfather, Blake wants to sell the house, while rising social media influencer Kat will do anything to keep the house in the family, even with her own’s family’s financial situation looking not so great. As the sisters duel over much needed renovations and find themselves each in a summer romance, they need to figure out their past and what it means to be a sister. 

The Beach Trap was the perfectly addicting summer read I needed while floating around the pool one afternoon. I devoured this book based on its setting alone, Destin, Florida, and as always, it made my beach house envy grow even more.And yes, there is an adorable dog throughout the book, too. It took me a  little while to settle into the dual POV. Kat and Blake’s personalities and voices were distinct,  but I felt a little pulled out of the story flipping back and forth at times, mainly because Kat has a very hard time nearly until the end of the book seeing things from Blake’s point of view. 

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Meant to Be Mine Review

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meant-to-be-mine-9781982175276_hrSummary (from the publisher): What if you knew exactly when you’d meet the love of your life? Edie Meyer knows. When her Grandma Gloria was a young woman, she had a vision of the exact day she would meet her soul mate—and then Grandpa Ray showed up.

Since then, Gloria has accurately predicted the day every single member of the family has met their match. Edie’s day arrives on June 24, 2022, when she’s twenty-nine years old. She has been waiting for it half her life. That morning, she boards an airplane to her twin sister’s surprise engagement, and when a handsome musician sits beside her, she knows it’s meant to be.

But fate comes with more complications than Edie expected and she can’t fight the nagging suspicion that her perfect guy doesn’t have perfect timing. After a tragedy and a shocking revelation rock Edie’s carefully constructed world, she’s forced to consider whether love chooses us, as simple as destiny, or if we choose it ourselves.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Thoughts:

Hannah Orenstein has become of my favorite contemporary romance authors and book recommendation sources on Instagram. I loved her last published book, Head Over Heels, and was really excited to jump into her 2022 release, Meant to Be Mine.

Meant to Be Mine follows NYC stylist, Edie, whose grandmother has successfully predicted the day their family members will meet the love of their life, including Edie’s recently engaged twin sister. Edie meets Theo, an upcoming musician, on a plane on the day she is supposed to meet the one and sparks fly in the air. However, as her and Theo’s relationship develops, she can’t help but wonder if Theo is really the man she is supposed to end up with.

Meant to Be Mine is a love letter to NYC. The city is also the main setting of Hannah Orenstein’s Playing with Matches and Love at First Like, but it felt extra special and atmospheric in this book. I’ve listened to a few podcasts with Hannah Orenstein about the book – I recommend listening to Get Lit with Lianna’s episode AFTER you’ve read, as there are spoilers – and she wrote the book during the early stages of the pandemic when she dreamed of travel and going around the city as normal.

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