11/2/2022 0 Comments Gravity by Tal BauerThis was a really cute mm hockey romance with one of my favorite tropes, friends-to-lovers, but I wasn’t as moved by it as I’d thought I’d be. It was a fast-paced and sweet story, but it was a bit too repetitive, lacked a bit of nerve and the cuteness was borderline too cheesy for me to be fully smitten by it. Gravity follows hockey players Bryce and Hunter. Bryce is captain of a Canadian hockey team and a superstar in NHL. And a closeted gay. Hunter is a decent hockey player, who can’t believe his luck when he’s not only invited to the All-Star Weekend but to play alongside his big hero Bryce. Their connection is instant, but maybe it means something different for Bryce than Hunter…
I really loved the beginning of the book and the nerve from Bryce and Hunter forming such a strong connection, but with all the angst from Bryce hiding his true feelings. I loved their interactions and the sexual awakening parts. I also think that for a hockey romance there was a perfect amount of hockey; not too much details, but enough to add some thrills to the story. But the story itself lacked a bit of depth. I’d wanted to see more of Bryce’s and Hunter’s families and to know more about their backgrounds, and why Bryce felt so strongly that he had to hide who he really was. After the second half of the book, the story became a bit too slow and lost most of its suspense, and the sweet romance started to feel a bit boring and too cheesy, to be honest. I also started to get a bit annoyed by all the French, that in my opinion, didn’t add anything to the story but made it slower and harder to get into. So, all in all, Gravity was a very sweet mm hockey romance with adorable characters, but compared to other books in this genre it felt a bit too light weight. (If you haven’t read Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy, or Scoring Position by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James yet, I’d recommend those instead.) Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Author links Author info: Tal Bauer
0 Comments
10/23/2022 0 Comments Frat Wars by Saxon JamesThis was a bit of a disappointment, sadly. I had such high expectations for a fun, sweet and quick read, and it started off very well, but then it just became so… slow? And so full of uninteresting frat things and a mystery plot that just went on and on. In the end, I didn’t even really care who was behind the scheming, I just wanted the mystery to be over with. I did care for the two main characters though, and there were some really sweet moments between them that made the story enjoyable enough to keep reading to the end. Presidential Chaos is the third and final book in Saxon James’s Frat Wars series, which focuses on the two presidents of the rivaling frat houses Sigma and Kappa, Zeke and Charles. I was really looking forward to getting their story and the premise of them secretly dating while joining forces to solve a mystery seemed like a great one.
But even though they were great as characters, and there were some really sweet moments, I never fully rooted for them. Charles was really sweet and I loved the way he genuinely cared about Zeke, as well as the way he wanted to keep the family together by taking on his grandfather’s expectations. But as regards Zeke, there was a huge lack of background and information to make him more than the one dimensional jock with tattoos who desperately wanted to win the Olympics. A problem was also the way the story was told from their different POVs without making their voices distinguished enough. They sounded so alike that I often had to go back to check which one of them that said or did what. I also frankly thought that the secondary plot, the mystery with someone spreading rumors to try and shut the Sigma house down, was quite boring. I skimmed through a lot, just wanting that part of the story, as well as the parts with the juvenile frat pranks, to be over with. Overall, it was a cute and fluffy story, and I liked both Charles and Zeke as characters as such (even though I’d wished for Zeke to be more fleshed out). But the mystery plot was unexciting, and there was a general lack of substance to the story and the characters to make me fully root for them. So even though I enjoyed the sweet parts and the adorable banter enough to keep reading it all the way through, sadly, I have to say that this book wasn’t for me. Rating: 2.5 stars rounding up to 3 Get your own copy: Amazon Add on Goodreads Author info: Saxon James 9/29/2022 0 Comments Nick and Charlie by Alice OsemanI loved the Heartstopper series to so much, so of course I had to read this add-on novella. But sadly, it was not what I hoped for. The story was just about a drama that felt completely made-up; like it was there just for the sake of it, when it could so easily have been avoided. Basically, this novella was 80 pages of unnecessary drama and angst and Charlie overanalyzing and overreacting. Nick was still adorable though, and I loved the cute illustrations. So, it was an okay read overall, but not as all as good as the Heartstopper series.
Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Amazon Book Depository Author info: Alice Oseman 9/18/2022 0 Comments Make Me Wilder by Serena BellThis was a sweet and fun small-town, opposites-attract romance with the wonderful Wilder family at the center. It wasn’t fully as great as I’d hoped for, but it was still so fast-paced and addictive that I read it all in just a couple of hours. Make Me Wilder is the first book in the Wilder Adventurs series, but I actually started this series in the completely wrong order. I received the fourth book as an ARC and absolutely loved it, and wanted to work my way through Serena Bell’s backlist. And while I enjoyed Make Me Wilder too, it didn’t quite match A Little Wilder. Maybe because I already knew a lot of what would happen, or maybe because Serena Bell has developed as an author throughout the series?
In this first book, we get acquainted with the wonderful Wilder family, who owns an adventure business in the little Oregon town Rush Creek. After Gabe’s father died when he was 15, he assumed responsibility for the business and the promise to take care of his mother and brothers. But when hot springs are discovered, the town transforms from a rodeo-focused one to a spa-and-wedding destination, and suddenly the Wilder business is struggling. So his mother hires city girl Lucy to give Wilder Adventures a makeover. Lucy is the opposite of what Gabe is looking for in a girl, and not to mention how opposed he is to her ideas that threatens to turn Wilder Adventure into a glamping, yoga and sunset cruises business instead of real outdoor adventures, but still he can’t keep his eyes of her, and soon sparks start to fly… I really loved Gabe and his bad-boy with a good heart vibes from the start, but I had problems connecting with Lucy. I didn’t like her damsel in distress attitude, and how she was this silly city girl walking around in high heels and spending hours on getting her make up perfect. It didn’t make sense that she would be so ignorant to outdoor life, having grown up in a small town herself. Her character just didn’t add up, especially since she was supposed to be a strong business woman who would give advice on business development for the adventure business. I did enjoy her and Gabe’s banter, and their chemistry though. But my favorite part was the big Wilder family with their wonderful dynamics and love for each other. All in all, this was a quick, fun and sweet read, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations and I don’t think I will continue this series. Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Amazon Add on Goodreads Author info: Serena Bell 9/4/2022 0 Comments Little Rock by Álex BeltránI was immediately intrigued, and requested an ARC from BookSirens, when I saw the adorable cover of Little Rock and learned that it was a queer YA mystery taking place at a boarding school and involving an ancient Celtic legend. I did see the trigger warnings for sex, violence and rape, but based on the cover design and the fact that it was a YA book, I didn’t think too much about it. So that’s my own mistake I guess, but still with the trigger warnings, I don’t think there was enough to fully prepare you for the brutal rape scene. So please, before going into this book, be aware that it has content that could potentially be harmful for some readers, and that the trigger warnings for violence and rape should be taken very seriously. (If possible before the release, I would really like to advice the author to add a clearer warning in the beginning of the actual book explaining this, not just the trigger warnings listed by BookSirens.) Little Rock is set at a boarding school in England in 1993, following American teenager Owen Appletoff who is sent to the school against his own will after the death of his mother. He soon befriends and starts getting romantic feelings for his roommate, the handsome Taylor, but also, confusingly enough, finds himself being attracted to bad boy and school bully Daniel.
Owen is going through a lot in this story; not only grieving his mother and dealing with his estranged father, but also being haunted by strange visions and interested in finding out the mysteries, old legends and hidden truths at his new school, while also trying to understand his sexuality and who he is as a person. I really rooted for Owen right from the start! He was such a sweet, innocent and caring main character, and I felt very protective of him in his struggles. I’m such a fan of first love stories, it’s one of the big reasons why I love the YA genre, and there were so many sweet moments in this story, with Owen’s first kiss and first love (loves) and his sexual awakening. I also took both Taylor and Daniel to my heart and couldn’t make up my mind about whom I wanted Owen to choose… I’m usually not a big fan of love triangles, but here it was done really well. So well actually that perhaps Owen wouldn’t have had to choose, but it could have been a full polyamory relationship with all three. There was definitely the potential for the latter, in the sweet way they all cared for each other! Especially after the tent scene (don’t want to spoil anything, but it was one of my favorite parts of the story!). I really enjoyed the parts in this story about self-discovery and sexual awakening, as well as the Celtic legends and Hades and Persephone retellings/references. But as regards the actual mystery plot, there was just something that felt off when it came to the pacing and development. It took almost a third in for the mystery to take part of the story, and then it suddenly turned way darker and creepier than I expected for a YA story (not only because of the rape scene mentioned above). I don’t usually read dark mysteries, so it’s probably my own fault, but I didn’t enjoy all the creepy vibes and how dark and heavy the story turned with all the descriptive violence, and especially the brutal, painful, rape scene that went on for pages. It really threw me off balance and the story never recovered after that for me. In fact, I’m not sure I would even call this a mystery, the way it developed it really felt more like a horror story to me. I also had some issues with the writing style. For a YA set in the 1990s it was written in a quite old-fashioned way that made the language feel too adult for the teenage characters. For example, calling each other “old chap” didn’t feel like an expression a teenager would use, not even in the 1990s. So, sadly this was not a book for me. But please don’t let that discourage you if you’re into dark mysteries, and considering the trigger warnings ahead of reading, then this book could very well be your new favorite! There were a lot of parts that were really good, like the amazing characters, Owen’s journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance, the sweet ‘first-love, first-kiss’ parts and the queer relationship. If only it hadn’t been for the brutal violence and the way it turned into a horror story rather than a mystery… So, 2.5 stars rounding up to 3 in total. Thank you BookSirens for the free review copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Rating: 2.5 stars rounding up to 3 Get your own copy: Amazon Add on Goodreads Author info: Álex Beltrán This was a quick and enjoyable story about confronting your past, and learning to love and stand up for yourself. There was a wonderful friendship and a promising sapphic romance around the corner, but also a lot of homophobia and a toxic relationship, so please check the trigger warnings before reading. Unexpected Departure follows 28 years-old Riley, who is stuck in a toxic relationship she can’t get out of and in a job she hates. But after catching her girlfriend cheating (again!) and finding out that her estranged mother is dying, she finally starts a journey of finding herself and reclaiming control over her life.
It was a very quick and short read (only 159 pages) and quite different from the usual romance novel. Most of the story is about Riley trying to get out of her toxic relationship and dealing with her past. The romance part is more of a promise for the future, which I hope we will get to read more about in the next installment in this series! Riley was both a perfectly imperfect and completely annoying main character. It was almost painful reading about her forgiving her cheating girlfriend time after time and letting the girlfriend control every aspect of her life. There were so many times I wanted to scream at Riley to stop undermining herself and to end the toxic relationship. But on the other hand, Riley was also such a sweet person, always seeing the best in others and willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, and her and Luna’s friendship was pure gold. The writing style was perhaps a bit too much telling, not showing, and I really wished that the meeting with Riley’s dying mother had turned out differently. But on the other hand, it was probably more realistic this way, and it gave Riley the incentive to confront her demons and start the journey of self-discovery and self-love. All in all, this was a promising start of a new series and an enjoyable read about reckoning with a toxic relationship, homophobic parents and finding the strength to stand up for and learning to love yourself. Thank you to Gay Book Promotions for the free review copy and blog tour invitation! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Amazon Add on Goodreads Author info: Shannon O’Connor 8/7/2022 0 Comments Youngblood by Sasha LaurensI have such mixed feelings for this book. The blurb sounded amazing – a queer vampire story set at a gothic boarding school – but unfortunately the execution was very problematic with all the racist and homophobic remarks, as well as the completely unnecessary HP references. So even though I did enjoy a lot of things in this story, it was not what I’d hoped for. In short, Youngblood follows the two former childhood best friends, and vampires, Kat Finn and Taylor Sanger as they end up as roommates at an elite vampire-only boarding school. Since a virus has infected nearly all of humanity, vampires can no longer drink blood from humans but have to rely on an expensive synthetic blood substitute (Hema) to survive. This has led to a division between vampires, with elite vampires who can afford the drink and who have separated themselves from humans, whereas other poor vampires struggle to make ends meet, and even having to risk their lives to feed on humans when they can’t afford Hema – like Kat’s dad.
Desperate to find a way out of her and her mother’s poverty, Kat applied to the prestigious elite vampire school with a full scholarship. At school, she not only meets but have to share rooms with her former best friend, now enemy after Taylor betrayed Kat and her family. Taylor has grown up in the wealthy vampire world, but she’s tired of its backward, conservative values—especially when it comes to sexuality, since she’s an out-and-proud lesbian. Soon other problems start to rise, when Taylor stumbles upon the dead body of a vampire, and Kat makes a shocking discovery in the school’s archives. On top of that, the straight Kat might not be as straight as she’d always thought, when she’s starting to have more than friendly feelings for her roommate… I really enjoyed the concept of this story. It was witty and fun with so many things I love - queer, vampires, boarding school, friends to enemies to lovers, and headstrong female main characters – and it gave me such great Vampire Academy vibes. I also really loved Taylor’s character. But unfortunately, it was also very problematic and dealt with issues like racism and homophobia in a terrible way, and on top of that added HP references. It was so unnecessary to ruin the story with all these racist and homophobic remarks. It feels like the author added them to prove how woke Kat was as a character, but it only made me like her less and ruined the story for no reason. The story would have worked just as well even if the boarding school had been queer-friendly and diverse. The blasé attitude about colonization, racism, homophobia and the HP references was way too off-putting for me to be able to recommend this book to anyone. But I’ve decided to give it a 2.5 star rating nevertheless, since there were a lot of things I enjoyed and since the book ends in way that made it possible to interpret it as if the new generation got their eyes opened to the bigotry amongst the elders and that they would create a better world onwards. Rating: 2.5 stars rounding up to 3 Author info: Sasha Laurens This is the first book in the new YA fantasy series Orb and Arrow by V.L. Stuart following the teenage healer Brillar on her adventures through the Wild. It was a light and enjoyable read, with a strong main character to root for and an interesting world building, but a bit slow at times. In short, the story is about the young noblewoman Brillar of Laurenfell, who was expected to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a healer, but instead decided to take on the way of the bow and run away to explore the world as an archer. Now a highly skilled hunter, she has been forced to kill to release a mage, bound in enchanted chains. When the mage, Master Elden, insists on making Brillar his apprentice, Brillar finds herself on a new journey where her healing skills will find greater challenges. Settled lands are one thing, but in the Wild, she will have to rely on her Master’s knowledge of the terrain and the people, the Rovers, who are not always friendly…
I love strong female leads and I immediately rooted for Brillar. She’s so headstrong, brave and has such a great moral compass. I really liked the premise of the plot and the world building. But for a YA fantasy there wasn’t as much action as could have been expected. Some parts were a bit slow and the writing felt a bit drawn with long descriptions of Brillar’s and Elden’s travel and the people they met without much happening. I also never fully understood why Brillar had run away from her studies and what she’d hoped to achieve more than a wish to see the world, nor what the purpose of her and Elden’s journey really was. For a YA fantasy, I also missed some kind of romance or pining for unrequited love. I do believe that the author will let the relationship between Brillar and Elden develop into a romantic one as the series continues, but for this installment there was nothing to spark the interest as far as romance goes. I also have some mixed feelings about the idea of Brillar’s and Elden’s relationship taking a romantic direction, since it was clear that Brillar thought of the twice-her-age Elden more as an uncle or teacher. I hope that any relationship developments onwards will be done in a way that ensures that Brillar stays powerful. But all in all, Orb and Arrow: Exploration was a light and enjoyable read with an interesting world building, loveable characters and exciting adventures that I want to keep on reading about in the next installment of this series! Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for the free review copy and blog tour invitation! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy of Orb and Arrow: Amazon Add on Goodreads Author info: V.L. Stuart This was an okay read, but not as good as I had expected. Mostly because I didn’t fully root for the main character and because of the love triangle that wasn’t my cup of tea at all. Right Where I Left You follows the introverted and socially awkward comic fan Isaac in the last summer before he goes to college and has to leave his best (and only) friend Diego behind. Diego has decided to take a gap year to pursue his game designer dream career instead of going to college, so Isaac plans to spend every second he can with Diego this last summer. But it all changes when Isaac’s long time crush Davi suddenly speaks to him at the comic store, and reveals that he’s bisexual. So instead of spending his time with Diego, Isaac ends up swooning over Davi…
I loved Diego from the start. He was such a sweet, nerdy and likeable person. And I absolutely adored him for always being kind to Isaac, even though Isaac mistreated him for most of the summer. The main character Isaac was harder to like though. He came across as whiny and selfish, and not understanding at all how badly he treated Diego for Davi’s sake. I also had problems understanding his hatred for his dad and brother. Yes, his dad left his mom for another woman, but if Isaac’s mother could forgive him, it seemed a bit over the top how Isaac kept hating him, and his brother for just trying to make peace in the family. I also never shipped the relationship between Isaac and Davi. Davi seemed very flirty and unserious all the time, and it never made sense why he would be into Isaac. Spoiler alert: It would have been much better if the love triangle had started sooner, with Isaac struggling with feelings for both Davi and Diego, rather than just suddenly realizing he has feelings for Diego when Davi breaks up with him. But all in all, it was a cute, fast paced read that had a lot of potential. I just wished the friends-to-lovers trope had been better executed and that the main character had been a little more likeable. Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Indiebound Amazon Book Depository Author info: Julian Winters Married to my Best Friend is exactly what the title says: a cute story about two childhood friends, one gay and one supposedly straight, realizing their love for each other after getting married in Vegas by mistake. It’s a very short and fast-paced novella with two lovely main characters, and with one of my favorite tropes (friends to lovers), but unfortunately it was a bit too cheesy for me. It started off really well, with flashbacks to Caden and Alex’s childhood relationship and how Alex realized that he was gay. But after the drunken wedding in Vegas it all started to go downhill and the story felt so cheesy and unbelievable that I caught myself rolling my eyes and feeling secondhand embarrassment for the poor guys.
But it was a cute, heartwarming story that nevertheless kept me engaged the whole way through and made me smile (at the same time as I rolled my eyes), so 2.5 stars rounding up to 3. Thank you to the author Riley Hart and Prolific Works for the free review copy! All opinions are my own and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily. Rating: 2.5 stars rounding up to 3 Get your own copy: Author Links Author info: Riley Hart |
CategoriesAll 1 Star 2 Stars 3 Stars 4 Stars 5 Stars Abbi Glines Abby Kaitz Abdi Nazemian Adam Silvera Adib Khorram Aiden Thomas Aisha Saeed Aislinn Brophy AJ Collins Alexandra Christo Alex Beltran Alexene Farol Follmuth Alexis Hall Alex Kelly Alex Sanchez Alice Dolman Alice Oseman Alice Winn Ali Hazelwood Alison Cochrun Al Riske Alwyn Hamilton Amanda Ferreira Amanda Woody A. Meredith Walters Amy Aislin Amy Harmon Amy S. Foster Amy Spalding André Aciman Andy V Roamer Angie Thomas Annabeth Albert A. Poland Ashley Poston Ashley Woodfolk Ashlyn Kane Audrey Coulthurst Ban Gilmartin Becca Fitzpatrick Becky Albertalli Benjamin Alire Saenz Beth Bolden Bill Konigsberg B.L. Maxwell Briar Prescott Bri Spicer Brooke Skipstone Cait Nary Cale Dietrich Cara Dee Casey McQuiston Cassandra Clare Cat Sebastian C.F. White C.G. Drews Charlie Adhara Charli Meadows Chasten Buttigieg Chris Bedell Christina Lauren Christina Lee Ciara Smyth Claerie Kavanaugh Clarissa Pattern C.L. Beaumont Colette Davison Colleen Hoover Courtney Kae Crystal Frasier C.S. Pacat Dallas Smith Daven McQueen David Biddle David Yoon Dean Atta Debbie McGowan Debbie Rigaud Debbie Schrack Deborah Harkness Delia Owens D.G. Carothers Dhonielle Clayton D.N. Bryn Douglas Stuart Dustin Thao Elisa A. Bonnin Elizabeth Acevedo Elizabeth Arroyo Elle Kennedy Elle Wright E.L. Massey E. Lockhart Emery Lee Emily M. Danforth Emily Mims Erin Watt Ernest Cline Evan J. Corbin Eve Morton Everina Maxwell Evie Dunmore Felice Stevens F.T. Lukens Grace Williams Gwen Martin Hannah Grace Hanya Yanagihara Hayden Stone Heather Truett H.E. Edgmon Hettie Bell Holly Black Hope Irving H.S. Valley Hudson Lin Ingrid Sterling Jacob Gelman Jacqueline Lee Jacqueline Woodson James L. Sutter Jamie Deacon Jandy Nelson Jax Calder Jay Hogan Jeanette Winterson Jeff Zentner Jen Bailey Jenna Evans Welch Jenn Burke Jennifer E. Smith Jennifer G. Edelson Jennifer Gilmore Jennifer Iacopelli Jennifer Kropf Jennifer Niven Jenny Downham Jenny Han Jeremy Ray Jesse H. Reign Joelle Lynne John Green Jonny Garza Villa Julianne Donaldson Julian Winters Kacen Callender Kami Garcia Kara Leigh Miller Kasie West Kate Larkindale Katharine McGee Kathleen Mareé Kathy Anderson K.A. Tucker KD Casey Kendall Grey Kevin Van Whye Kiley Reid Kim Fielding Kim Holden Kim Liggett Kitty Bardot Kris Ripper K.S. Marsden Laura Hall Laura Pavlov Laura Silverman Lauren James Lauren Shippen Laurie Frankel Leah Johnson Lee Matthew Goldberg Leigh Bardugo Lex Croucher Leylah Attar Lisa Henry Lisa Williamson Lisa Wingate Liv Rancourt Liz Plum Lola Noire Lynn Michaels Mackenzi Lee Madeline Miller Magdalena Di Sotru Maggie Doolin Maggie Stiefvater Malin Persson Giolito Malorie Blackman Margaret Stohl Marie Lu Mary E. Pearson Mason Deaver Matthew R. Corr M.A. Wardell Melanie Munton Melina Marchetta Meredith Russo Miel Moreland Mila Gray Miranda Kenneally Moa Backe Astot Morgan James M. Tasia Nancy Garden Natalie Haynes Nathaniel Shea Nicholas Sparks Nicola Yoon Nic Starr Nic Stone Nina Kenwood Nita Tyndall Nora Sakavic N.R. Walker Nyla K. Owen Lach Penny Aimes Phil Stamper Quinn Anderson Rachael Brownell Rachael Lippincott Rachel Hawkins Rachel Reid Racquel Marie Rainbow Rowell Ray Stoeve Renée Dahlia Rhiannon Wilde Riley Hart River Braun Roan Parrish Robin Gow Roseanne A. Brown Rowan MacKemsley Ruby Moone Ruta Sepetys Ryan La Sala Sally Green Sally Rooney Sarah J. Maas Sarah Waters Sarina Bowen Sasha Laurens Saundra Mitchell Saxon James Serena Bell Shannon O’Connor Sidney Bell Simone Elkeles Siryn Sueng Sophia DeRise Sophia Soames Sophie Gonzales S.R. Lane Stephen Chbosky Stephenie Meyer Steven Salvatore Susan Mac Nicol Suzanne Collins Tahereh Mafi Tal Bauer Tamara Girardi Taylor Jenkins Reid Teagan Hunter Terry J. Benton-Walker Tiffany D. Jackson Timothy Janovsky T.J. Klune T.L. Bradford Tobly McSmith Tomasz Jedrowski Tomi Adeyemi Tracy Deonn Tucker Shaw Val Wise Veronica Rossi Veronica Roth V.E. Schwab Wesley Chu Victor Dixen Victoria Aveyard V.L. Stuart Xan Van Rooyen Yamile Saied Méndez Archives
September 2023
|