Well Matched by. Jen DeLuca | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Well Matched (Well Met #3)

Author: Jen DeLuca

Format: paperback (own)

Pages: 336

Publication Date: 10/19/21

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Series

Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire — a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what’s real and what’s been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch’s family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch’s girlfriend again… something that doesn’t feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans — and open her heart — for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights.

I didn’t read book two in this romance series because I really wanted April story which is told in Well Matched. I found April an interesting character in Well Met because of her accident and also being a single mother. I’m so happy she gets to find love in this book.

Her so-called lover is Mitch, who is a friend and the school’s gym teacher! April decides to help Mitch out by going home with him and be his fake girlfriend in front of his family. The faking turned real in the bedroom when they realize that they are really attracted to one another. And who can blame April for falling for Mitch? He’s a good guy, a nice guy and he wears a kilt in the Ren Faire and has an accent!

My favorite parts of this series is always the action taking place in the Renaissance Faire. This time April decides to join in the fun and she realizes even though it’s grueling how much fun it is being with friends and working at the REn Faire.

There is a little hiccup between April and Mitch but it gets resolved in a timely fashion and they get their much deserved happily ever after.

Tropes: fake dating, single mother/gym teacher

Why you should read it:

you like the other books in the series
April and Mitch have great chemistry

Why you might not want to read it:

you didn’t like the other books in the series

My Thoughts:

It took me awhile to finish this paperback but only because May has been a crazy, busy month for me. I’m glad I finally finished it and I can see why it is so loved. Now I have to read the other two books in the series!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Well Met by. Jean DeLuca | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tokyo Dreaming by. Emiko Jean | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Tokyo Dreaming

Author: Emiko Jean

Format: audiobook (borrowed) /hardcover (own)

Pages:

Publication Date: 5/31/2022

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Coming of Age, Princess, Family

When Japanese-American Izumi Tanaka learned her father was the Crown Prince of Japan, she became a princess overnight. Now, she’s overcome conniving cousins, salacious press, and an imperial scandal to finally find a place she belongs. She has a perfect bodyguard turned boyfriend. Her stinky dog, Tamagotchi, is living with her in Tokyo. Her parents have even rekindled their college romance and are engaged. A royal wedding is on the horizon! Izumi’s life is a Tokyo dream come true.

Only…

Her parents’ engagement hits a brick wall. The Imperial Household Council refuses to approve the marriage citing concerns about Izumi and her mother’s lack of pedigree. And on top of it all, her bodyguard turned boyfriend makes a shocking decision about their relationship. At the threat of everything falling apart, Izumi vows to do whatever it takes to help win over the council. Which means upping her newly acquired princess game.

But at what cost? Izumi will do anything to help her parents achieve their happily ever after, but what if playing the perfect princess means sacrificing her own? Will she find a way to forge her own path and follow her heart?

Return to Tokyo for a royal wedding in Emiko Jean’s Tokyo Dreaming, the sequel to the Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Tokyo Ever After

I listened to this as an audiobook and then read the last few chapters (because I read faster lol). But I finally read book two of this series and it follows Izumi who is the daughter of the Crown Prince of Japan. After the events of book one, we find out her mom and dad still had feelings for each other so her mom agrees to go to Japan to see where the relationship would go.

Back in Japan Izumi and her mother have to adjust to royal life and it seems to be going well until some things catch up to them. I don’t know that I loved the love triangle. I think Eriku is a great guy and everything was easy and fun with him but her heart was still with Akio even though he basically disappeared from her life. I didn’t quite feel it for her and Akio though like I did in book one.

But I think Izumi grows a lot and she tries to figure out what she wants to do – college or not? And her mom tries to figure out if the royal life is for her. I did like that Izumi became friendly with her cousins.

Tropes: fake dating, love triangle

Why you should read it:

because you enjoyed book one
It’s like The Princess Diaries but set in Japan

Why you might not want to read it:

love triangle

My Thoughts:

I think this one was a sold sequel and if you are into The Princess Diaries type of stories, you may enjoy this one. I also love that it’s set in Japan and we get a peek into the culture and the royal life. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Tokyo Ever After by. Emiko Jean | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Love Wager by. Lynn Painter | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Love Wager

Author: Lynn Painter

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 315

Publication Date: 3/14/2023

Categories: Romance, Contemporary, Fake Dating, One Night Stand, Dating App

Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult.

She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs into the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she’d snuck out of.

Through the app, and after the joint agreement that they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie become partners in their respective searches for The One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don’t go well, the two of them can get tacos afterward.

Spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together.

Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off.

As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they each struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.

This one is a fun romance story about a guy and a girl who hook up at a wedding and then meet again on a dating app – but they don’t date each other. Instead they become friends and bet that the first one who finds love on the app gets a good prize.

Hallie and Jack are just pure fun together! I love that they put aside the one night stand moment that happened in the beginning and become friends. Because these two are amazing as friends, and it’s a slow burn to the moment they start sleeping together again. I loved the progression and their banter with one another.

There wasn’t too much drama between these two which felt right, even when there was one hiccup in the end between them. It already felt like no matter what you could tell Hallie and Jack were going to work it out because they were solid as friends and would make a great team as a couple.

Tropes: one night stand, fake dating, one bed

Why you should read it:

the banter between Hallie and Jack is so much fun
quick, easy, feel good rom-com

Why you might not want to read it:

My Thoughts:

I’ve only read one other book from this author and it was a YA book and I loved it. I enjoyed this one a lot too and it was exactly the kind of romance I was wanting to read at the moment: easy, quick, great banter between the characters, and lovers to friends to lovers again with great chemistry. I look forward to reading more books from this author!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Better Than the Movies | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

10 Truths and a Dare by. Ashley Elston | Audiobook Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: 10 Truths and a Dare (Messina Family, #2)

Author: Ashley Elston

Narrators: Sophie Amoss

Format: audiobook (borrowed)

Pages: 291

Publication Date: 5/4/2021

Categories: Young Adult, Coming of Age, Graduation, Romance, Teen, Family

It’s Senior Week, that magical in-between time after classes have ended but before graduation, chock-full of gimmicky theme parties, last-minute bonding, and family traditions. Olivia couldn’t be more ready. Class salutatorian and confident in her future at LSU, she’s poised to sail through to the next phase of her life.

But when the tiny hiccup of an unsigned off-campus P.E. form puts Olivia in danger of not graduating at all, she has one week to set things straight without tipping off her very big and very nosy extended family. Volunteering to help at a local golf tournament should do it, but since Olivia’s mom equipped her phone with a tracking app, there’ll be no hiding the fact that she’s at the golf course instead of all the graduation parties happening at the same time. Unless, that is, she can convince the Fab Four–her ride-or-die cousins and best friends Sophie, Charlie, and Wes–to trade phones with her as they go through the motions of playing Olivia for the week.

Sure, certain members of the golf team are none too pleased with Olivia’s sudden “passion” for the game. And sure, a very cute, very off-limits boy keeps popping up in Olivia’s orbit. But she is focused! She has a schedule and a plan! Nothing can possibly go wrong . . . right?

Content Warning:

How did I not realize this is from the same author as 10 Blind Dates until after I read the book?! I loved 10 Blind Dates and I think the author is on a roll with these family themed stories.

This is a really cute, fun and heart-warming coming of age story. Olivia comes from a tight-knit community and an even tighter large family, which made this story very wholesome. I loved the family aspects of the story because I could relate to growing up with all my cousins around me. Plus her cousin Charlie is the life of the party. I love her close bonds with Charlie, Sophie and her boyfriend Wes.

Olivia gets caught in a big dilemma and instead of telling her parents the truth, she tries to fix the situation by making up class hours and lying to them and almost everyone else she knows (except Charlie, Sophie and Wes). It was super funny when it was Charlie’s turn to help her out. And what is up with Olivia’s mom? I thought my parents were strict but maybe it’s a good thing I grew up in the age of no technology because if my mom tracked me back then – I’d be in a lot of trouble lol. I just thought her mom was so overbearing. Also I don’t think I’ve read a book with golf in it!

The romance is cute, the graduation events and parties sound like so much fun, and it ends happily.

Tropes: girl might not graduate from high school

Why you should read it:

you read 10 Blind Dates and want more Sophie’s family
a sweet love story
the family bond

Why you might not want to read it:

I think 10 Blind Dates was better

My Thoughts:

This one has been on my TBR for awhile so I’m glad I get to cross it off my list! I thought it was a cute book about family and graduation. I think I read it at the right time too since it’s graduation time!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Review | 10 Blind Dates ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The House in the Cerulean Sea by. TJ Klune | Audiobook Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea

Author: TJ Klune

Narrators: Daniel Henning

Format: audiobook (borrowed)

Pages: 394

Publication Date: 3/16/2020

Categories: Cozy Fantasy, LGBT+, Romance, Fiction

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

Content Warning: prejudice, abuse

This is one of the hyped books that was circulating around the past 2 years and I can see why it is so loved. It’s kind of a cozy contemporary fantasy which was just so very sweet in its message about being different and having the right to be loved and have a good, safe life despite being so different. It’s a beautiful message.

I also found it to have so many funny moments, especially because the kids have such strong personalities. I found myself laughing as I listened to this book as an audiobook. And let me say that the narrator did a splendid job doing all the different voices for the characters. I thought Linus was a great character who is one way in the beginning and we see so much growth in him as he goes to investigate the orphanage. I really love how he is this guy who basically lives by his routine and that all changes for him when he meets these kids. There is even a love story for him which was the sweetest. I do say Linus has the greatest taste in vinyl music! I knew every record he mentioned and loved because it’s the music my dad and grandpa would play on their record players back in the 1980’s.

It did take me a few days to get through this one only because I think I wasn’t quite in the mood for a story like this. I was reading enemies to lovers romances in between listening to this one, so I think if I wasn’t in the right mood to listen to it and if I wasn’t rushing for the sake of finishing it before my borrowing time was up, I would have enjoyed it more. But the story did grow on me and the message is a beautiful one.

Why you should read it:

the children and the diversity among them
the message about being different and standing up for what’s right
a sweet love story

Why you might not want to read it:

you don’t believe in celebrating diversity and differences
it might be too sweet for you

My Thoughts:

I’m glad I finally got to see what the hype was about with this book. I can see why so many fell in love with it. I fell in love with the children too and was so happy when Linus stood up for them. If you want a book to give you cozy, fuzzy feelings then definitely read this book.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Lightlark by. Alex Aster | Audiobook/Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Lightlark (#1)

Author: Alex Aster

Narrators: Suzy Jackson

Format: audiobook (borrowed) / hardcover (owned)

Pages: 416

Publication Date: 8/22/2022

Categories: Romance, Audiobook, Fantasy, Young Adult

Welcome to the Centennial.

Every 100 years, the island of Lightlark appears to host the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play. The invitation is a summons—a call to embrace victory and ruin, baubles and blood. The Centennial offers the six rulers one final chance to break the curses that have plagued their realms for centuries. Each ruler has something to hide. Each realm’s curse is uniquely wicked. To destroy the curses, one ruler must die.

Isla Crown is the young ruler of Wildling—a realm of temptresses cursed to kill anyone they fall in love with. They are feared and despised, and are counting on Isla to end their suffering by succeeding at the Centennial.

To survive, Isla must lie, cheat, and betray…even as love complicates everything.

Content Warning: violence

I listened and read this book because reading it at first, I couldn’t get into it. I figured maybe if someone read it to me, I could get through the beginning much more quickly and it really did help! I listened to the book almost until past the halfway mark. The narrator did great for the most part but I really wanted my own imagination to voice Oro and Grim. But because I was listening to the first part, I can’t say I followed the story as good as I should have, because there were some parts that my mind just drifted like at times when they were discussing clothes.

I thought the world-building was interesting but also sometimes confusing. There are six realms in a competition, and one realm will die at the end. Each realm has powers, but the Wildling representative, Isla…does not. And she has to keep that secret. There is a way to break the curse and get her powers back though and that’s her main objective at the Centennial. Anyway, I didn’t quite feel the high stakes of the competition, but I did like the ending of the story.

As a character, Isla wasn’t my favorite, but I’m not sure if I had one. She has no powers but she’s a good fighter and that’s all I can really remember about her. The whole book feels like it’s written for teens, except there is an intimate scene – but it isn’t detailed. It’s pretty rushed through and I felt like that was the whole theme of this book. The chapters are short, which is fine, but everything in this book felt rushed – the writing felt stilted. But I’m hoping it will get better in book two?

There is a love triangle and I did like the drama around it, because I like drama even though I found myself rolling my eyes a lot of times! I did feel like Isla could’ve figured out a few things that was going around her if she wasn’t so caught up and easily mesmerized by Grim. She had goals and basically he was a big distraction and then some – so I’m leaning towards Oro, I guess. I did feel like she was not even on their level, like who is she?! 😅 My favorite part of this book I think is the ending and all the betrayal.

Tropes: special girl, love triangle

Why you should read it:

to see what the fuss is about
you like love triangles

Why you might not want to read it:

writing/scenes feel rushed and repetitive, and it needed more world-building and more character development
needed more high stakes in the Centennial competition
this is compared to ACOTAR and Hunger Games (a lot of books are) but I don’t think it should be because those are big shoes to fill

My Thoughts:

Did I read it because of the tiktok controversy? Probably, but also because I do like to consume bingeable YA fantasy reads with lots of drama, and a love triangle. Sometimes I’m just in the mood for it. But I couldn’t really get into this story though until halfway in because I saw no point of the Centennial competition. I did like the ending and I will read book two, in hopes there is more world building and character development – and maybe more betrayal. 😅 I also hope Isla becomes a stronger character. I feel like the girl wants to be a badass but is really not on the levels of the other realms and it was hard connecting to her. I think younger audiences will enjoy this one, unless the idea of love interest that are 500 years old turn you off. I’ll definitely borrow book two just to see what happens with the love triangle but I am predicting angst. Lots of angst.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

All the Dead Lie Down by. Kyrie McCauley | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Title: All the Dead Lie Down

Author: Kyrie McCauley

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 368

Publication Date: 5/16/23

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Categories: Mystery, LGBT+ Romance, Contemporary Fantasy, Gothic, Horror

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Haunting of Bly Manor meets House of Salt and Sorrows in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley’s contemporary YA gothic romance about a dark family lineage, the ghosts of grief, and the lines we’ll cross for love.

The Sleeping House was very much awake . . .

Days after a tragedy leaves Marin Blythe alone in the world, she receives a surprising invitation from Alice Lovelace—an acclaimed horror writer and childhood friend of Marin’s mother. Alice offers her a nanny position at Lovelace House, the family’s coastal Maine estate.

Marin accepts and soon finds herself minding Alice’s peculiar girls. Thea buries her dolls one by one, hosting a series of funerals, while Wren does everything in her power to drive Marin away. Then Alice’s eldest daughter returns home unexpectedly. Evie Hallowell is every bit as strange as her younger sisters, and yet Marin is quickly drawn in by Evie’s compelling behavior and ethereal grace.

But as Marin settles in, she can’t escape the anxiety that follows her like a shadow. Dead birds appear in Marin’s room. The children’s pranks escalate. Something dangerous lurks in the woods, leaving mutilated animals in its wake. All is not well at Lovelace House, and Marin must unravel its secrets before they consume her.

Content Warning:

I never read The Haunting of Bly Manor (but now I’m intrigued) but I did read House of Salt and Sorrows and loved it. This book was not what I expected. Here is what I thought:

+ Right away the cover gives off that this will be a creepy book and I’m here for it. Marin moves into the house of her mom’s friend, Alice, an author with three daughters. Marin’s mom died so she’s alone and so she is now the nanny to Thea and Wren. The girls, especially Wren – are creepy. The writing is atmospheric and I got the gothic vibes for sure.

+ I was definitely kept guessing throughout the book. And there were weird and gross things like finding teeth in clams, or the girls cutting their hair and saving it in a chest and of course the dead animals around the property. If I was Marin, I would have left the moment Wren tried to feed me poisonous berries as a test lol.

+~ The lgbt+ romance was a sweet one – Marin and Evie complimented one another and they bonded through their grief. Marin lost her mother and Evie, her father. But I also felt like it didn’t work for me. I was caught up in trying to figure out what was going on at the Lovelace estate instead of wanting to read a romance happening.

~ The main reason this story didn’t work for me was to slow in the first half and it just lost my attention. I also failed to connect to any of the characters.

~ I’m probably not the right audience for this book or it was due to me not being in the mood to read it that I didn’t really enjoy it.

Tropes: creepy secluded house

Why you should read it:

you like gothic mystery and horror
the theme of grief

Why you might not want to read it:

too slow for me

My Thoughts:

The beginning was too slow for me to get invested into the story but I did think the writing was atmospheric and brought the creepy vibes. This one didn’t work out for me but I think if you like gothic horror and mystery, you will enjoy this one a lot especially in the second half of the book.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts by. Kristyn J. Miller | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts

Author: Kristyn J. Miller

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 5/16/23

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Podcast

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Love breaks all the rules.

Margo Anderson is sworn off commitment. Alongside her best friend, Jo, she runs a viral podcast featuring rules for hooking up without catching feelings. So when Jo surprises her by deciding to get married and taking up a sponsor’s offer to host an all-expenses-paid wedding trip on Catalina Island, they have the whole internet to answer to.

In a scramble for content to appease their disappointed listeners, Margo cooks up a social experiment: Break all her own dating rules, just to prove that it’s a bad idea. And she’s found the best man for the job in the groom’s best friend and her old high school nemesis, Declan Walsh. He may be easier on the eyes than Margo remembered, but he’s sure to be as smug and annoying as he was before—there is no chance Margo will ever catch feelings for him . . . until she does.

The more time they spend together through cake tastings and wedding party activities, the more Margo can’t ignore their obvious spark, and she may actually be enjoying getting to know Declan. But can she let go of the rules to let him in?

Content Warning:

What happens when two women who have a podcast about how to be single and happy and then one woman defects and gets married? Well they definitely can’t continue making a podcast about staying single! So it’s definitely a problem between Go and Jo. They have to figure out how to move forward with their podcast, but it’s hard letting go – especially for Margo.

This rom-com has a little bit of everything that makes it a fun read. A wedding party travels to Catalina Island for two weeks, there’s an enemies to lovers kind of romance between Margo and her old classmate Declan (who happens to be the best man – she’s the maid of honor of course) and being stuck on an island for two weeks – well…anything can happen. And something does happen between Margo and Declan but it’s ruined by one person withholding information from the other. I thought the parts where they bickered was fun and they even got some steamy scenes. The two are opposites where Declan is more on the quiet side and doesn’t know his way around social media as compared to Margo who’s job requires she be on social media all the time.

Speaking of the job – Go and Jo are podcasters but we get mostly Margo’s perspective of the show because Jo is basically all but out of the duo. Jo fell in love and she’s getting married. Where does this leave Margo? A little bit floundering and trying to figure stuff out. I’d assume Margo and their group of friends are Millenials because they mention high rent prices and having to move back home to get their feet under them again.

I think the friend group/wedding party didn’t add much to the story. I would have like to get more out of them just to liven things up a bit. I also wanted a little bit more from Declan’s character but I guess that’s just how his personality is.

Overall, this is a good light-hearted romance and it would be a perfect book for summer time.

Why you should read it:

you want a light-hearted, quick and easy romance
it’s got a wedding party traveling and spending time together
Margo and Declan’s romance – plus there are sexy scenes between them

Why you might not want to read it:

My Thoughts:

This rom-com has a little bit of everything and I think it’s a great book for a summer read!

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | Audiobook Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Narrators: Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles

Format: audiobook (borrowed)

Pages: 389

Publication Date: 6/13/2017

Categories: Historical Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT+, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Audiobook

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Content Warning: domestic violence, misogyny, prejudice against LGBT+ community

This is another book that I thought met all the hype it got. Would I say that if I read it? I’m not sure because I was picking up the ebook and not really getting into the story yet in the beginning when I decided oh hey, maybe the audiobook is available to borrow and sure enough it was! I decided to listen to the story instead and I was hooked. The narrators, and there are three, did such a fabulous job. Their voices were engaging and really took on the roles.

What can I say about this book that hasn’t been said? Evelyn is a compelling character. She’s someone who reinvented herself for money, fame, success and security. She married seven men for all those reasons and even though it was basically her marrying to get to the top, I applauded her for being a woman who knew what she wanted in a time when women didn’t have much power on their own. And she was even bi-sexual in a time when it was not okay to be and she was trying to figure it all out, and hide it. She was a person who lied and manipulated people and situations to get what she wanted but I didn’t hate her. I totally understood all her motivations until the very end but it was fun and sometimes heartbreaking to see her life’s journey. The message about women taking their power is strong in this story and I like how the journalist took on some of Evelyn’s advice.

I loved the feeling of being an insider in a big movie’s stars life and seeing how some marriages were just contracts to hide secrets. It makes you think about what current celebrities do to create the narrative they want the public to be hooked on. What a world! And clearly never will be my world and I’m actually grateful for that – I don’t know how anyone can deal with fame and not knowing the truth of things, like who your real friends are. I’m so happy Evelyn had Harry. And I really loved the message about love and soul mates and how people aren’t stuck with just one. There are many different kinds of worthy love out there.

All the characters that came into Evelyn’s life really made the story well-rounded. Her relationships with these men and Celia were all so different and fascinating, some even scary and heartbreaking. Evelyn really was a force to be reckoned with, someone who never gave up even when she had struggles.

It took me two days to listen to this book which means if I read it, it would have taken me one day – but by the end of it I was thinking, wow, what a time Evelyn had!

Why you should read it:

a story about reinventing yourself, taking what you want and love
entertaining story and behind the scenes of a movie star

Why you might not want to read it:

not into historical fiction

My Thoughts:

Another bestseller and hyped book is crossed off my TBR list and I honestly think it deserves all the hype. The narrators did an amazing job with voicing the audiobook but that also is due to having good material to work with. I loved all the messages about love and woman power in the story. Overall, it is an epic life journey story.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Malibu Rising by. Taylor Jenkins Reid | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ever Since by. Alena Bruzas | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Ever Since

Author: Alena Bruzas

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 5/23/23

Publisher: Rocky Pond Books

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Rocky Pond Books for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An intense, beautiful debut about the power of finding your voice and sharing your story after trauma. Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Kathleen Glasgow.

Seventeen-year-old Virginia makes bad choices. In fact, she’s That Kind of Girl, according to the whispers. But as long as she has her tight group of best friends by her side, she’s able to ignore the gossipers. Until she finds herself spending time with Rumi, Poppy’s boyfriend. Breaking with tradition, she doesn’t hook up with Rumi. Worse, she falls in love with him.

While Virginia and Rumi’s relationship grows in secret, she discovers that his little sister, Lyra, is being groomed for abuse. The soon-to-be-abuser is a respected member of the community, and only Virginia knows who he is and what he does. If she stays quiet, Lyra will become a victim. But coming forward feels equally impossible.

Content Warning: drug use, grooming, child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, suicidal ideation

First off, I love this book cover – it’s beautiful. This is a story with heavy topics but it’s an important book. The thing that really hit me about the story was that it resonated with me and not because I experienced these things but I have friends who went through some of these things and the way these girls are a tight group of friends, reminded me of me and my friends in college. The partying, the secrets, the drama – I felt like I knew these girls in this story.

I know a Virginia, a few Virginia’s and that’s a sad and scary reality. But although Virginia and her friends’ story is scary, and heartbreaking – they are courageous and brave. The ending is full of hope which I loved. I also loved the diversity represented in the story.

This story is under 300 pages and it’s a quick read. I found the story powerful but the writing didn’t flow for me. It was a bit choppy at times and I always had to find my place again. I felt like I missed a word or a sentence and had to reread the previous sentence. I understand it’s supposed to probably reflect Virginia’s panic, pain and her fears, but sometimes it took me out of the story. Despite all of that, this story is devastating.

Why you should read it:

powerful story about child abuse and the courage to stop it from happening again

Why you might not want to read it:

lots of trigger warnings

My Thoughts:

If you can handle the trigger warnings then read this book. This is a story filled with pain, hard issues like abuse, but a story about courage as well. Stories like these are never easy to read but I like how we get Virginia’s story because she’s that girl who has a bad reputation, yet people don’t know what she’s been through. And even though she is scared of her abuser her bravery to speak about what happened saved someone else from him, no matter the consequences and that matters.