Source: NetGalley

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone | ARC Review

Posted June 3, 2024 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

Ready or Not by Cara Bastone is truly a slice of life novel. Following protagonist Eve, I found the story to be a beautiful exploration of identity and the transitional space between pre-parenthood and motherhood. The story takes a unique take on a pregnancy story. Eve becomes pregnant via a one night stand with a cute and charismatic guy she meets during a night out on the town. It’s a shock to her perfectly curated, if perhaps a bit too safe, life in New York, with her freedom and perfectly curated apartment and total devotion to her best friend. To […]

Mini ARC Reviews | Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle & A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak by Laura Taylor Namey

Posted May 27, 2024 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I was super intrigued by the premise of this one- I love a touch of magical realism in contemporaries, and Rebecca Serle usually integrates magical realism so well into her romances. This protagonist in this story receives a slip of paper with an amount of time whenever she begins dating someone, which will determine how long the relationship lasts. This inevitably leads to questions about what is fate vs what is a self-fulfilling prophecy, etc. I was interested in settling into the flashes of Daphne’s past and seeing the snippets of her past relationships and how they ended juxtaposed against […]

The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton | ARC Review

Posted May 21, 2024 in ARCs, Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I love love love Chanel Cleeton’s historical fiction novels about the Cuban diaspora in the US, and this one didn’t disappoint, with the added bonus of also being a mystery with a spooky slant to it. As with many of Cleeton’s novels, the story is told in two interwoven timelines. The first follows Anna, who is the wife of a wealthy American man who basically wants to be the next Gatsby and moves them from New York to Florida to build an over the top, enormous manor and estate (Marbrisa) that his wife isn’t really a big fan of. The […]

Love, Me by Jessica Saunders | ARC Review

Posted January 15, 2024 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

*Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an ARC for review!* While admittedly (in my opinion) more “women’s fiction” than romance, I was fully captivated by this debut novel by Jessica Saunders that explores the forbidden “what if” you ran into your high school ex fantasy. However, the twist here is what if your high school ex was now a highly popular celebrity? I live for this kind of drama in my stories so this one was RIGHT up my alley. The story follows Rachel, a successful lawyer, mother of two, seemingly happily married woman who is leading […]

Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz | ARC Review

Posted September 15, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I love a good thriller, and the elements of this novel having a Latinx protagonist and a 1920s themed party had me instantly sold from the synopsis! Protagonist Izzy goes on a graduation trip thrown by her very privileged BFF, Kassidy, at a famous estate owned by an eccentric mogul that served as the setting of many of their favorite silent film era movies. It gave me MAJOR Heart Castle vibes (a landmark on the Central Coast of California that was owned by William Randolph Hearst who threw parties that were rumored to have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Gatsby parties). […]

Reign | American Royals #4 by Katharine McGee | ARC Review

Posted August 28, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I’ve probably said this in every review I’ve written about the American Royals series, but I’m just fascinated by the premise. An AU where America became a monarchy and the Washingtons are in the royal family, still to this day? Fascinating. It’s what keeps pulling me back to this series, and makes me sad to see it end since there’s still SO much I want to know about how an American monarchy would function. Therefore, Reign being the last novel is bittersweet, for as much as I’d love to continue learning about this AU, it feels right that the story […]

Ciao for Now by Kate Bromley | ARC Review

Posted June 13, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

When a book is pitched to me with The Lizzie McGuire movie as a comp title, it would be illegal for me not to read it. Therefore, it’s was practically a foregone conclusion that I was going to enjoy Ciao for Now, a romance set in Italy featuring an aspiring fashion designer and a broody screenwriter. However, I didn’t anticipate just how much I was going to enjoy a new novel from a new to me novel- so much so that I’m immediately adding all of Kate Bromley’s backlist titles to my TBR list! First off, this book came out […]

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood | ARC Review

Posted June 12, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I am quickly becoming an Ali Hazelwood stan, as her BOOKS.DON’T.MISS. Thought I have my favorites over others, every time I pick up one of her romance novels, I am completely transported into a story with steam and science- an amazing combination! I consider myself #blessed that I continue to be approved for ARCs of her novels via NetGalley, and Love, Theoretically is one of the best romances I’ve read in 2023 (and I’ve read mostly romances this year). First off, I am sooooo happy that all of her novels are set in one universe, and I am absolutely delighted […]

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren | ARC Review

Posted May 29, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

I love a good Christina Lauren novel, and The True Love Experiment is one of the best they’ve put out in a long time (in my humble opinion!) I didn’t realize until I started it that it’s a companion novel to another CLo book I thoroughly enjoyed (The Soulmate Equation) but there’s something so special about The True Love Experiment that had me falling in love with Connor right alongside Fizzy. I’m admittedly a reality tv junkie (yes, I’m still watching the dumpster fire that is the Bachelor franchise at this point along with many, many other shows) so the […]

The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton | ARC Review

Posted April 10, 2023 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

I’ve had the privilege of receving ARCs for several Chanel Cleeton’s Cuba inspired historical fiction books, and they have never let me down. I’m pleased that The Cuban Heiress continues this tradition, as I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced historical mystery! Set aboard the real-life cruise ship the SS Morro Castle, the novel follows two women, Elena and Catherine, who are both on the ship at the same time for its week long journey from New York to Havana and back again. Told in alternating POVs, both women’s true motives slowly unravel- and eventually intertwine- over the course of the […]