Author: Cristina (Girl in the Pages)

The STEMinist Novellas by Ali Hazelwood| Review

Posted October 24, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’m always a bit concerned going into a novella if I’m going to really feel connected with the characters due to the limited length. I’m happy to report that in all 3 of Ali Hazelwood’s STEMinist novellas I not only enjoyed the characters and romances, I adored them. Following a trio of best friends, the first novella kicks off with Mara, an environmental engineer who’s forced by circumstance into being roommates with Liam, a lawyer for a big-oil company, pretty much making them instant enemies. Ali Hazelwood is known for her hate-to-love romances and these novellas are no exception. However, […]

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood | ARC Review

Posted October 17, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

Ali Hazelwood is the queen of writing hate to love romances, and Love on the Brain is no exception. Following protagonist Bee who is distinguished scientist as she teams up with her grad school arch-nemesis fellow doctor Levi Ward, Love on the Brain combines two of my favorite things when reading: a delicious romance and teaching me something new! Hazelwood’s books always focus on protagonists working in the STEM field, and this novel is no exception. Though I don’t work on the STEM field myself, I love that her works showcase not only females making strides in the STEM world […]

Book of Night by Holly Black | Review

Posted September 19, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve had truly a hit or miss experience with Holly Black books. I read the Folk of the Air trilogy because everyoneeee was talking about it for a few years there in the YA community, and while there were some things about it I really enjoyed, I never really connected with the series and felt it to be a little underdeveloped. However, I was intrigued upon hearing that Holly was branching into the adult fiction sphere, especially with an urban fantasy novel (I feel like it’s honestly an underappreciated genre). When my library hold came in I hesitantly started it, […]

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center | ARC Review

Posted July 11, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

The Bodyguard is a rom-com that subverts a common trope- body guard and client fall in love, except the bodyguard is a woman and the client is a very attractive and somewhat stubborn man. I’ll admit, I was surprised at this change of pace (I clearly didn’t remember the synopsis by the time I sat down to read it!) but it made for a very unique, funny, and quirky read in what feels like a sea of rom-coms these days. Protagonist Hannah Brooks is an Executive Protection Agent who’s personal life is crumbling around her and she dives herself into […]

Mini Reviews: The Matzah Ball and God Spare the Girls

Posted July 7, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

This was fun! I don’t think I’ve ever read a Jewish holiday romance before, and it’s a bit Meta because the protagonist is tasked with writing one (even though she’s built a secret career on writing Christmas romance novels and is obsessed with all things Christmas despite being Jewish). I’m always intrigued by books that focus on religion or religious elements (former Religious Studies major here) and it was fascinating reading about Rachel’s struggle with her Jewish identity- from being a dutiful rabbi’s daughter in some elements of her life, but having this closet fascination with Christmas in others. This […]

House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J Maas | Review

Posted June 13, 2022 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I went into the second installment of Sarah J Maas’ urban fantasy series with no real expectations- I enjoyed House of Earth and Blood well enough, but it definitely didn’t hold the same space in my heart that the TOG and ACOTAR series did. You can imagine my surprise when House of Sky and Breath caught me so entirely and utterly off guard with its ending. Screaming, crying, throwing up (not really, but still). Literally shrieking from my bedroom, causing my husband to ask what the heck had possibly happened (and I promptly read him the last two pages, as […]

Cozy Mystery Mini Reviews | Four Aunties and a Wedding (ARC) & Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead

Posted June 6, 2022 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

There’s something about the books in this series that are so absurd, yet they somehow just work. Picking up shortly after where Dial A for Aunties left off, Four Aunties and a Wedding follows protagonist Meddy at her own wedding this time, where (of course) a massive chain of disasters ensue. You know how they say how doctors make the worst patients? That’s basically what happens in this novel, with, you know, your casual mafia twist. Meddy and her aunties run a wedding planning business, and are now looking for vendors for their own family wedding. Meddy doesn’t get much […]

Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein | ARC Review

Posted May 30, 2022 in Books / 0 Comments

In a market that’s super saturated with romance novels, Meant to Be Mine had a premise that instantly caught my eye. How does one navigate life, dating, romance, and feelings when you know you won’t meet your predestined match until a certain date? This is a classic fate vs. choice premise, and it made for a thoroughly fascinating story. As stated in the premise, Edie’s beloved grandmother has an (arguably) supernatural knack for matchmaking, and has successfully predicted dozens (if not more) matches via the date they will meet. Edie, who has always greatly admired her grandmother and seeks to […]

Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean (Tokyo Ever After #2) | ARC Review

Posted May 23, 2022 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

If you’ve been reading my reviews over the years, you know that one of my absolute favorite series in the whole wide world is The Princess Diaries, and that I am a sucker for the normal-girl-finds-out-she’s royalty trope. Naturally, Izumi’s story of finding out she’s the illegitimate daughter of Japan in the Tokyo Ever After series is right up my alley! I actually found that I enjoyed the second book in this series quite a bit more than the first, because as a reader I adored getting to see how Izumi has adjusted to royal life and what her life […]

Our Last Days in Barcelona by Chanel Cleeton | ARC Review

Posted May 16, 2022 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

When I tell you that I LOVE the epic story of the Perez family that Chanel Cleeton has created, I am not kidding! Every installment in the series is an instant “add-to-TBR” book for me, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review an early copy of the newest addition to the Perez family’s history, Our Last Days in Barcelona. In Cleeton’s newest novel, readers follow eldest Perez sister Isabel who’s often been in the background as the dutiful, quiet sister. After a few years from their escape from Cuba to Florida, Isabel has been married off to […]