Counting Down with You by. Tashie Bhuiyan | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Counting Down with You

Author: Tashie Bhuiyan

Format: eBook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 464

Publication Date: 5/4/21

Categories: Romance, Family, Contemporary, Young Adult, Coming of Age, Fake Dating

A reserved Bangladeshi teenager has twenty-eight days to make the biggest decision of her life after agreeing to fake date her school’s resident bad boy.
How do you make one month last a lifetime?

Karina Ahmed has a plan. Keep her head down, get through high school without a fuss, and follow her parents’ rules—even if it means sacrificing her dreams. When her parents go abroad to Bangladesh for four weeks, Karina expects some peace and quiet. Instead, one simple lie unravels everything.

Karina is my girlfriend.

Tutoring the school’s resident bad boy was already crossing a line. Pretending to date him? Out of the question. But Ace Clyde does everything right—he brings her coffee in the mornings, impresses her friends without trying, and even promises to buy her a dozen books (a week) if she goes along with his fake-dating facade. Though Karina agrees, she can’t help but start counting down the days until her parents come back.

T-minus twenty-eight days until everything returns to normal—but what if Karina no longer wants it to?

Content Warning: Anxiety, Family Pressures

All immigrant families want is a better life for their children and Karina knows this with all her heart. Her parents want her to be a doctor but she wants to major in English after high school and she is trying her best to make them happy. Karina gets a breather when her parents go to Bangladesh for a month.

First off, this story is relatable to a lot of immigrant or first generation American children. Parents uproot their whole lives in their motherland country to give their children a better life somewhere else. My parents were very strict as well, so I related to Karina a lot in that aspect. I love that she had her dadu for support and telling her she’s a good kid and loved – that’s so important because it’s so easy for teens to fear disappointing their parents and think they are loved less because they don’t stand up to their standards. Being a perfect child is so hard and such an unreasonable expectation. I loved that this story was about a Bangladeshi and Muslim girl and we got to see her family dynamics. Also Karina has major anxiety because of these family pressures and it was good to see how she suffers and deals with it. **I can’t comment much on the Muslim representation, I see a lot of reviews on Goodreads marking this book a low rating because of it. **

Karina had her dadu for support and her girlfriends. They are a tightly knit group of three girls just surviving high school and everything that comes with it.

She also has support from her new fake boyfriend and guy she’s tutoring for English, Ace. He’s popular, white and rich. Ace being white though wouldn’t fly with her parents but the heart wants what it wants. For a romance story I thought it was teen appropriate and so emo. Cheesy emo at times but this is definitely the kind of book I would have eaten up as a teenager! The whole fake-dating aspect was the main focus of this book, it was cute but nothing serious.

My favorite parts of this story was when Karina and her dadu were together. When Karina finally tells her parents that she doesn’t want to study medicine her dadu’s support made me want to cry because grandparents are just so amazing that way. I love how dadu stood up for Karina and made her parents listen to her.

Why you should read it:

teens can totally relate about dealing with family pressures
Bangladeshi and Muslim representation, anxiety rep
it’s a very teen romance, has fake dating but that’s not the focus of the story

Why you might not want to read it:

might appeal more to teenagers

My Thoughts:

The beginning of the book reads like a teen romance with the whole fake-dating trope thrown in but the real story for me was Karina dealing with the pressures from her family and trying to please them and yet want a little happiness for herself too. I love her dadu and the unconditional love and support she gets from her, it makes me wish I had someone backing me up that hard when I was Karina’s age. My grandparents were amazing but pretty much stayed out of my family dramas – they had enough drama I suppose with their own grown children! This story is relatable and perfect for teens who can relate trying to deal with family pressure.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

“I’m expected to be this perfect daughter that I don’t know how to be.”
Counting Down with You by. Tashie Bhuiyan

“I am not Atlas, born to carry the weight of the world I am Icarus, wanting and wanting and wanting at the risk of exploding when I fly too close to the sun…”
Counting Down with You by. Tashie Bhuiyan

“Nothing I ever do is enough.”
Counting Down with You by. Tashie Bhuiyan

““The older I am, the more I realize it’s not worth it to prioritize things that make you miserable…”
Counting Down with You by. Tashie Bhuiyan

Reminders of Him by. Colleen Hoover | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Reminders of Him

Author: Colleen Hoover

Format: eBook (kindle unlimited)

Pages: 335

Publication Date: 1/18/22

Categories: Women’s Fiction, Adult Fiction, Romance, Family, Contemporary, Grief, Drunk Driving

A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1 New York Timesbestselling author Colleen Hoover.

After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself.

The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them.

The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.

Content Warning: Suicide Ideation, Death, Grief, Drunk Driving

I don’t read a lot of Colleen Hoover books, only because I have read enough that I know I have to be in the right headspace for her stories…it’s usually heavy reading and I need a tissue box near me. Reminders of Him brought out the tears for sure – it gutted me.

Kenna was in an accident with her boyfriend Scotty. Thing is, she was driving the car under the influence of alcohol and edibles. They both were under the influence. They get into an accident, he dies, she doesn’t and gets jail time for involuntary manslaughter. To top it all off, she is pregnant in prison, gives birth and never gets to hold her daughter. Her daughter Diem is being raised by Scotty’s parents, as she should be. Now Kenna is out of prison and she wants to see her daughter.

Kenna is a broken young woman. She made a mistake and served her time. She was so in love with Scotty and it really was an accident, but she made a poor choice, and was punished for it. But now what? Does she have a right to see her daughter? Does she have a right to be forgiven? I empathized with her because I’m a mom. I want her to have a chance to see Diem. Add Kenna’s backstory and honestly I was just heartbroken for her as a person. She’s been alone for so long, until Scotty had come along. But I empathized with the other mom in this story, Scotty’s mom, Grace. I could so understand their anger and fears about Kenna being out of prison.

Ledger is Scotty’s best friend and when he meets this female stranger in his bar, he is instantly attracted. Of course when he finds out who she is, it gets so damn complicated. Ledger is a good guy, he’s had a good life, like Scotty did, they are well-adjusted guys who come from loving homes. He is solid and he has loved Diem as if she was his own. I can see why Kenna falls for him. Ledger has to figure out if he hates Kenna still or is he ready to forgive her. He knows that Scotty was absolutely in love with her and in the end Ledger himself falls for her too.

It’s messy isn’t it? If I was Kenna, I would have put Ledger in the friend zone after finding out who he is…but that’s just me. So I can’t say this was only a romance story about Kenna and Ledger. I could feel the love Kenna has for Diem, that made me cry my eyes out. I could even feel Kenna’s love for Scotty in her letters to him and her memories about him, heartbreaking. I also could see how Kenna and Ledger’s love for Scotty and Diem brought them close together, a common ground. So this was a complex story about love but mostly about forgiveness.

I was kind of waiting for some crazy plot twist that the author usually has at the end of her books, but this one didn’t have that. There was just this feeling of impending doom as you read Kenna’s story play out. I think I related a lot to Ledger…because he knew shit was about to hit the fan and I, like Ledger wanted to stop it for Kenna, Scotty’s parents and everyone else’s sake!

Why you should read it:

a story about forgiveness
emotionally gripping
it’s more than a romance

Why you might not want to read it:

it may make you cry
this is not a rom-com

My Thoughts:

Somedays I just crave a good, complex story that has a little romance in it and punches you in the gut. This is not a romance book that makes you feel light and fluffy in the end, it’s a CoHo book! 😅 Go into it knowing it will carve you up you emotionally and that you may need a tissue box nearby. I don’t read many of her books for this reason, but once in awhile I need a good cry.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

“I want to be good at life. I want to make it look effortless, but up until this point, I’ve made every aspect of life appear entirely too difficult to navigate.”
reminders of Him by. Colleen Hoover

“…happiness isn’t some permanent thing we’re all trying to achieve in life, it’s merely a thing that shows up every now and then, sometimes in tiny doses that are just substantial enough to keep us going.”
Reminders of Him By. Colleen Hoover

“Maybe it doesn’t matter whether something is a coincidence or a sign. Maybe the best way to cope with the loss of the people we love is to find them in as many places and things as we possibly can. And in the off chance that the people we lose are still somehow able to hear us, maybe we should never stop talking to them.”
Reminders of Him by. Colleen Hoover

The Heart Principle by. Helen Hoang | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient, #3)

Author: Helen Hoang

Format: eBook (borrowed)

Pages: 339

Publication Date: 8/31/21

Categories: Romance, Women’s Fiction, Adult Fiction, Mental Health, Family, Contemporary

A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this new New York Times bestselling romance by Helen Hoang.

When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too. Translation: She’s going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.

That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex—he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she herself has just started to understand. However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.

Content Warning: Toxic Family, Suicide Ideation, Toxic Relationships, Cancer, Death, Grief

I went into this book not reading many reviews of this book and wow, it was more than I got more than what I was expecting. There is romance, yes, but there is soooo much more than that. This story is about personal growth and acceptance, overcoming challenges, dealing with family who supposedly loves you but hurt you instead, opening up in a new relationship, being a caregiver, and just so many things. And for me it all worked beautifully.

Let’s talk about what I was here for – the romance. I fell in love with Quan when I read The Bride Test (because I read the books out of order) and I think I’m not alone in saying that everyone was waiting for Quan’s story. We get his story for sure, but we also get Anna’s. And this solidifies that I have finally found my book boyfriend and his name is Quan lol. I love his patience, his ambition, his love for his family, and of course his love for Anna. They meet and try to do a meaningless one night stand, but it doesn’t go so easy and they keep trying haha. They continue trying until they have a breakthrough, which I love about them. I knew they were meant to be when they both didn’t give up on one another even though it was scary – for both of them.

And now let’s talk about Anna. This is about Anna and if you read the author’s note, this is the most autobiographically book out of the three and this one hurt. This one is raw, painful, triggering, and yet the journey with Quan by Anna’s side was so absolutely gorgeous. It didn’t make me cry, maybe because some of the issues she goes through – like the family tough love – I’ve learn to deal and make peace with my own family’s tough love…but whew – it is so spot on. Even when she becomes a caregiver, I could relate so hard. There are times I wanted to shake Anna but honestly I felt like she was asking me as a reader to understand and please be patient with her, she was not going to get things right because that’s not her. Anna isn’t like everyone, she is on the autism spectrum but she only finds that out now. I love that she goes to therapy, I love that things make sense eventually. I hated that her family didn’t accept the truth but I grew up in a family like that so once again, I relate HARD. Anna goes on such a journey in this story…but Quan is there. He’s there. 😭❤️ They worked through their challenges and it made me love them as a couple.

This wasn’t some light-hearted romantic comedy, but to me it is an epic journey of self and love. Life is freaking hard, and we fight on like Anna and Quan.

This was more Anna than Quan but I felt like it was enough for me. The one thing that felt rushed was Quan’s journey after Anna hurts him. I felt like it jumps so fast from him running on a treadmill to him hiking the Grand Canyon. I understand what the author was trying to say and do for Quan but, it was such a leap from one moment to the other, I kind of wish that part wasn’t so rushed.

Why you should read it:

complex characters
Quan – he is amazing
Anna and Quan’s relationship: giving each other space when needed, being patient with one another and opening up when it’s hard
more than just a love story

Why you might not want to read it:

very triggering, dealing with hard topics, especially if you have a toxic family or working through some issues this might not be the romance book you are looking for
this is not a rom-com, not even light-hearted reading, it’s complex

My Thoughts:

Beautifully complex, this story takes you on an emotional journey and I was definitely rooting for Anna and Quan’s happily ever after. Like the book though, it doesn’t come easy – these two tough it out in their relationship and outside of it too.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the Book:

“I don’t question why people do things. I just observe and copy. That’s how to get along in this world.”
The Heart Principle by. Helen Hoang

“Family is not safe. Not for me. Tough love is brutally honest and hurts you to help you. Tough love cuts you when you’re already bruised and berates you when you don’t heal faster.”
The Heart Principle By. Helen Hoang

“I’ll draw a line around you, and I’ll protect you and stand up for you and speak up for you when it’s right. I’ll keep you safe. And I’ll do the same for me. Because I matter, too.”
The Heart Principle by. Helen Hoang

“Instead, I must focus on giving what I have, not what people want, because that is all I can give. I don’t mask anymore if I can help it.”
The Heart Principle By. Helen Hoang

Lease on Love by. Falon Ballard | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Lease on Love

Author: Falon Ballard

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 2/01/22

Publisher: GP Putnam

Categories: Adult Fiction, Romance, Roommates

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

Thank you to GP Putnam for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

After getting passed over for an overdue—and much needed—promotion, Sadie Green is in desperate need of three things: a stiff drink, a new place to live, and a one-night-stand. When one drink turns into one too many, Sadie mixes up a long-ignored dating app for a roommate-finding app and finds herself on the doorstep of Jack Thomas’s gorgeous Brooklyn brownstone. Too bad she’s more attracted to his impressive real estate than she is to the man himself.

Jack, still grieving the unexpected death of his parents, has learned to find comfort in video games and movie marathons instead of friends. So while he doesn’t know just what to make of the vivaciously verbose Sadie, he’s willing to offer her his spare bedroom while she gets back on her feet. And with the rent unbeatably low, Sadie can finally pursue her floristry side hustle full-time. The two are polar opposites, but as Sadie’s presence begins to turn the brownstone into a home, they both start to realize they may have just made the deal of a lifetime.

Content Warning: Death of Parents, Parental Abuse

Sadie Green is that snarky friend who is tough, confident, beautiful and the life of the party but she doesn’t have it all together. Things fall apart at her job and she has to figure out her next move in life. She ends up being a rooming with Jack Thomas, a quiet, introverted guy who lives in a nice house. Jack is mysterious, keeps to himself mostly but is attentive and so considerate. He has this comforting quality about him and I like how they balanced each other out. The slow burn between these two characters is so good, the tension between them builds quietly and honestly Sadie needed that because she is a flight risk due to her past. I was rooting for them hard until the end!

The romance starts off as roommates, then friends, into something much more and I love how it progressed. Sadie is the social butterfly and she brings Jack out of his shell. She doesn’t change him at all, but just draws out the part of him that’s been hiding. The both of them have had some trauma in their past and that’s where they connect. His parents died in a car accident and he is basically all alone. Sadie’s father was abusive so her past haunts her often – in fact when things are going good in her life, his words invades her thoughts to the point of self-loathing. Her defense mechanism is never allowing a guy to get close so she couldn’t get hurt and I love that this story touches on therapy.

Sadie’s group of friends, her found family, is so fantastic. There is Harley, Gemma and Nick, friends she made in college – who know her inside and outside, bad and good and love her anyway. They welcome Jack into their safe space and I love that for him. Also we get to see into their lives as well – they are this group of millennials trying to advance in their jobs, or change their careers, paying off loans, falling in love and taking the next steps in life. They are relatable because they are struggling in some type of way, well except for Nick of course because he’s wealthy. I’d say Jack isn’t struggling financially but he is definitely struggling internally.

I only have minor issues with the book – Sadie has low self-esteem despite the front she puts on and it really affects when she starts getting close . The conflict was resolved rather quickly and it felt a little rushed or maybe I wanted them to have a bigger discussion on it? Maybe I’m just so used to dramatic conflicts in stories or gravitate towards that? But in a way, it fits how I think Jack would handle that moment. I did like how they put space between them so both could cool down and think. It was so mature of them and that was refreshing.

Why you should read it:

roommates to lovers, Sadie and Jack are so good together
Sadie’s found family, great group of friends
light-hearted and fun at times and yet emotional as well

Why you might not want to read it:

ending conflict is a bit rushed and doesn’t seem like a major conflict

My Thoughts:

Lease on Love has it all. A snarky, ambitious, hardworking main character who wants to open a flower shop. A love interest who is mysterious, introverted and sweet. Two characters who are dealing with some emotional trauma from their past and learning to move on. A group of friends who are supportive and all of them going through the late-twenties issues: dating, career decisions, and trying to live their best lives. And a romance that is a slow burn that gave me all the feels. I totally enjoyed this one and read it in one night.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Edgewood by. Kristen Ciccarelli | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Edgewood

Author: Kristen Ciccarelli

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 3/01/22

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Categories: Young Adult, Contemporary Fantasy, Romance

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

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

No matter how far she runs, the forest of Edgewood always comes for Emeline Lark. The scent of damp earth curls into her nose when she sings and moss creeps across the stage. It’s as if the woods of her childhood, shrouded in folklore and tall tales, are trying to reclaim her. But Emeline has no patience for silly superstitions.

When her grandfather disappears, leaving only a mysterious orb in his wake, the stories Emeline has always scoffed at suddenly seem less foolish. She enters the forest she has spent years trying to escape, only to have Hawthorne Fell, a handsome and brooding tithe collector, try to dissuade her from searching.

Refusing to be deterred, Emeline finds herself drawn to the court of the fabled Wood King himself. She makes a deal—her voice for her grandfather’s freedom. Little does she know, she’s stumbled into the middle of a curse much bigger than herself, one that threatens the existence of this eerie world she’s trapped in, along with the devastating boy who feels so familiar.

With the help of Hawthorne—an enemy turned reluctant ally who she grows closer to each day—Emeline sets out to not only save her grandfather’s life, but to right past wrongs, and in the process, discover her true voice.

Haunting and romantic, Kristen Ciccarelli’s Edgewood is an exciting novel from a bold, unforgettable voice in fantasy.

Content Warning: Dementia, Alzheimer’s

This was an interesting story and at first I wasn’t sure it was working for me. It’s about a girl who’s a musician but she comes from a place called Edgewood where everyone knows the woods are enchanted – she grew up with stories about the forest, even neighbors had visited the court of the Wood King so this is very much contemporary fantasy.

As a character, Emeline is a musician and independent. She is on her own trying to make a big splash in the music world. She seems to have issues with guys, always having a new boyfriend to push away whatever memories or feelings she feels like she is running from. Her grandfather is her only living family and he has Alzheimer’s. When he is tithed to the Wood King, Emeline goes to rescue him but bargains with the Wood King herself.

My favorite part of this story though was how it unraveled and the romance between her and Hawthorne Fell. It at first starts off as an enemies to lovers romance but then we dig deeper and find out the truth of what happened and it comes full circle. The reveal at the end was magical and unexpected.

World-building wise I thought it was pretty good but lacking on details of the faerie court, which I generally look forward to because I love the Fae. But it’s a standalone book so I can understand why it wasn’t so detailed.

The beginning was slow as we get to know Emeline and her musical ambitions but it definitely picks up when she returns to Edgewood to rescue her grandfather.

Why you should read it:

contemporary fantasy with a forest that takes you into the world of the Wood King
Emeline and Hawthorne’s love story
love how music and memory was entwined with the story

Why you might not want to read it:

slow beginning

My Thoughts:

This story grew on me and I couldn’t put it down even though I was doubting how I felt about it at the start of the book. But by the end I was captured by the romance story of Emeline and Hawthorne and how it was revealed.

📚 ~ Yolanda

The New Girl by. Jesse Q. Sutanto | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The New Girl

Author: Jesse Q. Sutanto

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 288

Publication Date: 2/01/22

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Categories: Young Adult, Prep School, Thriller, Mystery, Contemporary

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

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lia Setiawan has never really fit in. When she wins a full ride to the prestigious Draycott Academy on a track scholarship, she’s determined to make it work even though she’s never felt more out of place. But on her first day there she witnesses a girl being forcefully carried away by campus security. Her new schoolmates and teachers seem unfazed, but it leaves her unsure of what she’s gotten herself into. As she uncovers the secrets of Draycott, complete with a corrupt teacher, a golden boy who isn’t what he seems, and a blackmailer determined to get her thrown out, she’s not sure if she can trust anyone–especially when the threats against her take a deadly turn.

Content Warning: Murder, Drug Use, Bullying

This is my second Jesse Q. Sutanto book and I can definitely see a theme with her stories. Murder! The New Girl is a thriller mystery filled with prep school drama filled with beautiful people, brand names, bullies, wealth and drug use.

I love that the main character is half Indonesian and half Chinese-Indonesian. We get to learn some Indonesiand and Chinese-Indo culture. She attends Draycott Academy where the rich kids drive very fancy cars, wear designer clothes, pay for good grades, use drugs and basically do whatever they want. But when Lia gets a mean girl mad by taking her spot on the track team, she has to do everything she can to fight back and keep her spot at the school. And this is when things go haywire.

Lia is not scared, I gotta give her credit for that. She stands up to Mandy, the girl on her track team but that gets Lia into deeper trouble. The story is full of teen drama, scandals and even murder. I’m usually into teenage drama, but there was something about this one that was turning me off at times and I think it’s all the teen speak going on – it just wasn’t working for me.

Pacing was a little off for me also. It started off slow with her meeting a cute boy and falling for him and then it really picks up as the drama between her and a certain teacher begins. Then it gets wild but I felt that way about her other book, Dial A for Aunties. There are some twists and turns, so with a story like this you just have to hang on and enjoy the ride.

Why you should read it:

you like ya mystery thrillers that take you on a wild ride
Lia’s experience being Indonesian and Chinese-Indo
twists and turns keep you on your toes

Why you might not want to read it:

slow beginning, fast ending
lots of rich teen drama
teen speak wasn’t working for me

My Thoughts:

It took me awhile to get into this book but the twist and turns did keep me intrigued. Also I like the Indonesian and Chinese-Indonesian representation. The book overall wasn’t a book for me because I’m not the right audience for it but I think teen readers would enjoy this one.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: Heartbreakers and Fakers

Author: Cameron Lund

Format: hardcover (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 6/8/21

Publisher: Razorbill

Categories: Young Adult, Romance, High School, Fake-Dating, Enemies to Lovers, Coming of Age

From the author of The Best Laid Plans comes another fresh voiced, hilarious rom-com perfect for fans of Tweet Cute and The Rest of the Story.

Penny Harris just ruined her life.

As one of the most popular girls in school, she’s used to being invited to every party, is dating the Jordan Parker, and can’t wait to rule senior year with her best friend, Olivia. But when Penny wakes up on Jordan’s lawn the morning after his first-day-of-summer bash, she knows something went terribly wrong the night before.

She kissed Kai Tanaka.

Kai, her long-time nemesis. Kai, Olivia’s boyfriend. Penny can’t figure out what could have inspired her to do it–she loves Jordan and she would never hurt Olivia–but one thing’s for sure: freshly dumped, and out a best friend, the idyllic summer she pictured is over.

And despite the fact that Jordan seems to be seeking comfort (and a whole lot more) in Olivia, all Penny can think about is winning him back. Kai wants to save his relationship too, so they come up with a plan: convince their friends that they really do have feelings for each other. After all, no one can resist a good love story, and maybe seeing Penny and Kai together will make Jordan and Olivia change their minds.

But as summer heats up, so does Penny and Kai’s “relationship,” and Penny starts to question whether she’s truly faking it with Kai, if he’s really as terrible as she always thought he was, and if the life she’s fighting so hard to get back is the one she really wants.

Content Warning: Bullying

Penny is that girl who wasn’t always popular but once she became best friends with Olivia, the queen bee at school, she’s been her number two girl and she tries her best to keep her spot. This makes Penny a follower, and not the most likable character but she is relatable because she used to be the one who was bullied. It makes sense she doesn’t want to be bullied anymore but being friends with Olivia makes her a bully too.

As far as the romance, it’s an enemies to lovers, fake-dating situation where her enemy is the one who came up with the name she was bullied with! It’s natural that Penny hates Kai, but as they get thrown together, they finally get to know one another and in essence both of them was trying to survive being picked on in school. The story has a lot of high school drama but in a way I could understand Penny’s fears. Who likes to be bullied? No one.

Penny does grow by the end of this and I’m glad about that because it was hard to watch her try to find her way back to Olivia’s side when clearly Olivia is not a nice person and a worse friend at that. I like that Kai teaches her to let go a little and not be afraid to be herself. But it’s high school and people can change.

I do like how this author writes complicated and not automatically likable characters. They are flawed, make messy decisions, they are kids in high school who think everything matters in that very moment when as adults reading we know something bigger is coming their way. Bills. LOL…just kidding, but not kidding. 😅

Why you should read it:

fake dating, enemies to lovers
you like high school drama
realistic characters, even though not exactly likable, relatable high school situations

Why you might not want to read it:

you are not into the mean girls high school drama

My Thoughts:

Penny isn’t perfect, she is friends with a mean girl, and then she becomes one of the mean girls to survive. Penny and Kai’s enemies to lovers fake-dating situation helps them really get to know each other and pushes Penny to take a good look at who her friends are, and who she is without Olivia. Navigating high school is not easy and trying to figure out who you are in high school won’t happen overnight. Most people find ourselves after high school. This was full of messy high school drama, and as an adult I enjoyed it because it’s relatable. This one would appeal definitely appeal to teen readers.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the book:

“If you make a bad choice, you have to try to fix it. You have to put in the work to make things better.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund

“The truth is high school is such a small blip on my timeline. Life is too short to waste the whole thing worrying.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. cameron Lund

“Who cares if people are staring? The fact is, they probably aren’t even looking my way at all.”
Heartbreakers and Fakers by. Cameron Lund

The Love Hypothesis by. Ali Hazelwood | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: The Love Hypothesis

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Format: ebook (borrowed)

Pages: 352

Publication Date: 9/14/21

Publisher: Berkley Books

Categories: Contemporary, Romance, Fake-Dating, Science, Academia

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships–but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor–and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding… six-pack abs.

Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

Content Warning: sexual harassment, death of a parent, mental abuse

I have finally read the book that everyone has been raving about and I can see why it’s gotten the hype. The hype is about Adam lol because he’s this tall, handsome, nerdy, grumpy, protective guy who is secretly crazy about Olive.

The banter and dialogue between Olive and Adam is my favorite part of this book. It was so cute seeing these two scientist fake-dating, talk “science” and getting to know each other. The two of them are both lonely people who find the perfect companion in one another. Adam is this grumpy, tall, handsome, professor with an a-hole reputation and Olive is a sweetheart, Phd candidate with intimacy issues that stem from her past. They balanced each other out a lot, he gave her comfort and security, she gave him fun. This is a slow burn romance but when it burns, it burns! I was not expecting that out of Adam. 👀🔥

Olive’s best friends Ahn and Malcome are her found-family and they are all she really has. Olive has no family. Ahn is protective and Malcom is the life of the party. Adam has a good friend of his own that we only get to know halfway into the book but he was pretty funny also.

Now there were some issues I had with it but my expectations were high! The beginning was too slow of a burn for me I think. Ahn had to step in and force some kissing and touching to happen between Olive and Adam. Olive and Adam didn’t communicate their feelings very well so I was getting a bit frustrated with both of them. I think it got better after the bedroom scene because finally some of their walls come down.

Why you should read it:

a sweet, light-hearted, fake-dating trope
women in STEM and academia reps
cute banter between Olive and Adam

Why you might not want to read it:

slow beginning
not into professor/student dating (but he’s not her professor)
it’s got a lot of hype, so you might want to wait a little while before reading it

My Thoughts:

When I saw this book pop up on my online library as ready to be borrowed I jumped at the chance but then I wondered if I should wait until the hype died down. I think the hype got to me so I was expecting a lot of major feels but for the most part I was feeling this book as a 3.5 star read. But when they finally admitted how they felt for one another, my heart melted so I bumped it up to a 4. I felt like it kind of snuck up on me through their slow burn, awkward and cute bantering, their heat in the bedroom and of course Adam, who was carrying this flame for Olive for awhile. Overall, it is a cute fake-dating story set in the world of academia!

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the book:

“Because I’m starting to wonder if this is what being in love is. Being okay with ripping yourself to shreds, so the other person can stay whole.”
The Love Hypothesis – Ali hazelwood

“carry yourself with the confidence of a mediocre white man”
The Love Hypothesis – Ali Hazelwood

This Poison Heart by. Kalynn Baron | Book Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: This Poison Heart

Author: Kalynn Bayron

Format: ebook (own)

Pages: 384

Publication Date: 6/29/21

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Categories: Contemporary, Fantasy, Mythology, LGBTQIA+

Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.

When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.

From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.

Content Warning: violence, death, poison reactions

There is a lot to like about This Poison Heart. I love that it’s a story about a girl, Briseis with plant powers and that makes her immune to very poisonous plants. Now the story of how she has these powers is fascinating and tied into Greek mythology. The mythology story that explains Briseis’ family tree is the one about Medea and Jason and The Golden Fleece which honestly…I don’t even remember. I don’t know much about Medea but I have heard of Jason and The Golden Fleece, but ask me what it is about and I have no recollection. But the story gives us the background about it.

A lot of this book is a mystery because Briseis is adopted and then she’s willed an estate which was owned by her bio aunt, Circe. We learn that all is not as it seems at this new home Briseis and her moms have moved into. I loved that Briseis has two very loving moms. Her moms were my favorite characters in the book. The story is wonderfully diverse with Briseis moms and she herself being bisexual. There is a blossoming love interest in this story as well.

Briseis is very trusting and that bites her in the end. At times I just wish she wasn’t so trusting but she has to make her mistakes and learn but it’s a hard lesson in this story. The second half of the book was so much better than the first half. The first half was a little too slow for me but it’s due to setting up all the backstory of Briseis connection to Medea. The second half pulls the story together and there are some crazy things that happen. It definitely sets everything up nicely for the sequel.

Why you should read it:

you like Greek mythology
Briseis’ moms are amazing and other lgbtqia+ reps
Briseis’ plant powers and poison immunity is really cool

Why you might not want to read it:

slow beginning but it’s setting up the story so push through

My Thoughts:

I took my time with this one and I’m glad because the ending was really great and makes me look forward to the sequel.

📚 ~ Yolanda

Quotes from the book:

“Can’t be done no other way. You fixin’ somethin’ for somebody you love, for this healin’. Gotta do it with your bare hands and your whole heart. Understand?”
This Poison Heart by. Kalynn Baron

BLOG TOUR} Love at First Spite by. Anna E. Collins | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: Love at First Spite

Author: Anna E. Collins

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 320

Publication Date: 1/4/22

Publisher: Graydon House

Categories: Contemporary, Adult, Romance, Office Romance

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

Thank you to Graydon House for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In this delightful, breezy romcom, interior designer Dani decides to get revenge on her cheating ex the only way she knows how: by building a spite house next door.

They say living well is the best revenge. But sometimes, spreading the misery seems a whole lot more satisfying. That’s interior designer Dani Porter’s justification for buying the vacant lot next to her ex-fiancé’s house…the house they were supposed to live in together, before he cheated on her with their Realtor. Dani plans to build a vacation rental that will a) mess with his view and his peace of mind and b) prove that Dani is not someone to be stepped on. Welcome to project Spite House.

That plan quickly becomes complicated when Dani is forced to team up with Wyatt Montego, the handsome, haughty architect at her firm, and the only person available to draw up blueprints. Wyatt is terse and stern, the kind of man who eats his sandwich with a knife and fork. But as they spend time together on- and off-site, Dani glimpses something deeper beneath that hard veneer, something surprising, vulnerable, and real. And the closer she gets to her goal, the more she wonders if winning revenge could mean losing something infinitely sweeter…

Content Warning: divorce, arson

This love story is one about revenge but in a very interesting and unique way. Dani wants to get back at her cheating ex-fiance by building a house on the adjacent property to his. Her cousin, Mia, and landlady, Iris, say they will help her out and they go into business of building a bed and breakfast and call it the Spite House. It helps that Dani already works at an architectural firm as an interior designer – she asks for help from the best architect in their firm, except she thinks he’s a miserable person. He helps her out and they start to get to know one another and that’s when the attraction between them grows.

My favorite part of this book has to be the relationship between Dani and her cousin, Mia. Iris, Dani’s landlady is thrown into the mix when she helps Dani by investing into the project but I’m glad Dani has her guidance because her own relationship with her parents isn’t the best. Iris and Mia is the friendship and support group that Dani needs when it comes to navigating her romance with Wyatt, and revenge on on Sam, her ex.

Wyatt is someone who is well respected in his field, and someone who is all about business and not so much making friends with anyone at work. He is reserved but he has his reasons. Interesting thing about Wyatt is that he has Meniere’s disease which involves the inner ear – I could somewhat relate because a few years ago I had an episode of vertigo that lasted almost 3 weeks. My ENT doctor mentioned Meniere’s disease but I wasn’t diagnosed with it. I was put on the same vertigo medication as Wyatt but I hardly used it because it made me nauseous. My symptoms was due to a virus and it eventually went away but it took almost a month and I remember thinking what if it didn’t go away? How would I drive or take care of my kids? So I could totally understand why Wyatt didn’t want his secret out at work. He didn’t want them to see him differently or as weak, especially since he is in a position of authority.

The romance progresses nicely but for awhile it’s a no-strings attached kind of situation. It works until both of them catch feelings. As far as Dani’s ex-fiance, Sam, he’s only in the story in the beginning and the end, and right away you can tell he’s horrible. But I would have thought Dani would have let go some of the resentment and thoughts of revenge while building the Spite House and hooking up with Wyatt.

The romance was just okay for me. I would have liked more chemistry between them. It was hard to get into Wyatt’s head because he was already such a reserved character but we only get Dani’s perspective in this story and it just wouldn’t been nice to get his.

The idea of a spite house is not something I would invest money in. But it is a unique idea! You must have to hate someone a lot to think up an idea like that and see it through though.

Why you should read it:

unique revenge idea
nice friendship story between three women
work place romance

Why you might not want to read it:

the revenge isn’t worth it
want more chemistry between Dani and Wyatt

My Thoughts:

I think this was an okay read. I would have loved a bit more chemistry between Dani and Wyatt. Although the idea of a Spite House for revenge is a unique and funny idea, in the end, it makes one wonder if it’s worth it. The best part of the story was the friendship between Iris, Mia and Dani, three women who are there for one another.

📚 ~ Yolanda

About the Author:

Anna E. Collins is a Seattle-area author who writes stories about the lives and loves of women. Once upon a time she was a teacher, and she has a master’s degree in educational psychology. LOVE AT FIRST SPITE is her first novel.

Author Website

Twitter: @AEC_Writer | Facebook: @aecollinsbooks | Instagram: @aeccreates | Goodreads