Book Review: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Title: Every Summer After

Author: Carley Fortune

Series/Standalone: Barry's Bay (Book #1)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Small Town

Pages: 320

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Paperback Copy (Own It)

"They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.

Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry's Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek- the man she never thought she'd have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family's restaurant and curling up together with books- medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her- Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam's mother's funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she's spent punishing herself for them, they'll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever."

My Rating: 4/5

Another famous Canadian author. I hadn't read anything else by this author, but when her book was one of the Goodreads challenges, I thought, what a good time to read another popular Canadian romance author. This story follows Percy as she grows alongside Sam summer after summer, while flashing to our current timeline following tragedy. 

Throughout this read, I was impressed by Carley's ability to bring to life Canadian lake life, as well as small town dynamics. I also enjoy a good friends-to-lovers story. The alternating chapters only added to my love of the story. That being said, SAM was aggravating near the end of the book! I found his character was becoming whiny-man-baby. If you've read it you'll understand what portion of the book I'm talking about. The final plot twists were entertaining and interesting, but I wonder where else this author will take her future love stories, and I'm hoping we aren't having a repeated trope moment.  

Sidny

Book Review: My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

Title: My Lovely Wife

Author: Samantha Downing

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Thriller, Adult Fiction

Pages: 390

Publisher: Berkley Books

Year Published: 2019

Format: Audiobook

"A couple's fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting...

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We're your neighbors, the parents of your kid's friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder."

My Rating: 3.5/5

This is the story of a couple, a romantic, terrifying, confusing couple. Our main characters are dark, twisted and a stereotype that we see in the suburban family life. They are even more than meets the eye, or meets the reader. The setting was basic, but with the background context, creepy. I did enjoy the fact that we as readers seemed in the know for much longer than some of our other characters. That being said, it did remind me a bit too much of some other psychological thrillers I've read and/or watched. 

Sidny

Book Review: Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Title: Book Lovers

Author: Emily Henry

Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult Fiction, 

Pages: 377

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Paperback Copy (Own it)

"One summer. Two rivals. A plot they didn't see coming...

Nora Stephen's life is books- she's read them all- and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she land enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, for the month of August when Libby begs her sister for a sisters' trip away- with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she's convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they've met many times and it's never been cute.

If Nora knows she's not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he's nobody's hero, but as they are thrown together again and again- in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow- what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they've written about themselves."

My Rating: 5/5

I'm slowly working my way through Emily Henry's work and some people are not the biggest fan of this one which is surprising to me. What's not to love, a sibling dynamic that is loving boarding on toxic, a love interest that fully understands the black cat energy. A small town, where they're expected to be excited about, but admit to themselves they love a space that many people don't stick around in. I felt that this is my second favorite of her work, coming in just behidn People We Meet on Vacation. Can't wait to read more.

Sidny

Book Review: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

Title: The Final Girl Support Group

Author: Grady Hendrix

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Thriller, Adult, Fiction, Horror

Pages: 326

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2021

Format: Paperback (Borrowed)

"In horror movies, the final girls are the ones left standing when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives... but what happens after?

Like his bestselling novel The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix's latest is a fast-paced, frightening, and wickedly humorous thriller. From chain saws to summer camp slayers, The Final Girl Support Group pays tribute to and slyly subverts out most popular horror films- movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream.

Lynette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she's been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized- someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece. 

But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up."

My Rating: 3/5

I liked the concept of this book, I liked the original aspect of this book, but the writing style wasn't quite what I expected. While parts were fast paced I felt that other aspects dragged. I didn't care for the main character, and found that the way they all were fairly stereotyped, I wasn't super into. I didn't see the plot twist coming, but once it got there, it did make a lot of sense. I would be curious to read more of his work, but I won't be picking up another one super soon. Any suggestions?

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Title: A Very Merry Bromance

Author: Lyssa Kay Adams

Series/Standalone: Bromance Book Club (Book #5)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 359

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Paperback (Own It)

"Country music's golden boy Colton Wheeler felt the most perfect harmony when he was with Gretchen Winthrop. But for her, it was a love him and leave him situation. A year later, Colton is struggling to push his music forward in a new direction. If it weren't about to be the most magical time of year and the support of the Bromance Book Club, he'd be wallowing in self-pity.

It's hard for immigration attorney Gretchen not to feel a little Scrooge-ish about the excess of Christmas when her clientsare scrambling to afford their rent. So when her estranged, wealthy family reaches out with an offer that will allow her to better serve the community, she's unable to say no. She just needs to convince Colton to be the new face of her family's whiskey brand. No big deal...

Colton agrees to consider Gretchen's offer in exchange for three dates before Christmas. With the help of the Bromance Book Club, Colton throws himself into the task of proving to her there's a spark between them. But Gretchen and Colton will both need to overcome the ghosts of Christmas past to build a future together."

My Rating: 5/5

I really enjoyed this Bromance Christmas special. It was exactly what I needed this season and included one of my favourite tropes, grumpy fmc and sunshine mmc. I find that as a fellow grumpy women it's annoying that often the woman is always the one cast as sunshine in these tropes, so when we have one that better emulates my husband and I (he is a ball of sunshine and all things good, btw), it's hard to resist.  This was a favourite series for me, and if Lyssa Kay Adams ever decided to put out more, they'd be on the top of my TBR pile.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Bride

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: Bride Series (Book #1)

Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Adult Fiction

Pages: 410

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2024

Format: Paperback (Library Copy)

"A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast- again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange- again...

Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It's clear from the way he tracks Misery's every movement that he doesn't trust her. If only he knew how right he was...

Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and every to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what's hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory... alone with the wolf."

My Rating: 3.5/5

This was very enjoyable. This author does beautifully when writing in a paranormal romance setting, as it remains in a sense of reality, but gives the sense of something more. Something fantastical. It allows the author to show her creativity in a structure that makes sense and doesn't model her other contemporary fiction works so closely. I look forward to continuing on the next book. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Title: Take My Hand

Author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult

Pages: 359

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"Inspired by true events that rocked the nation, a profoundly moving novel about a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on a terrible wrong done to her patients, from the New York Times bestselling author of Wench.

Montgomery, Alabama 1973. Fresh out of nursy school, Civil Townsend has big plans to make a difference, especially in her African American community. At the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, she intends to help women make their own choices for their lives and bodies.

But when her first week on the job takes her down a dusty country road to a worn down one-room cabin, she's shocked to learn that her new patients are children, just 11 and 13 years old. Neither of the Williams sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black and for those handling the family's welfare benefits, that's reason enough to have the girls on birth control. As Civil grapples with her role, she takes India, Erica and their family into her heart. Until one day, she arrives at the door to learn the unthinkable has happened and nothing will ever be the same for any of them.

Decades later, with her daughter grown and a long career in her wake, Dr. Civil Townsend is ready to retire, to find her peace and to leave the past behind. But there are people and stories that refuse to be forgotten. That must not be forgotten.

Because history repeats what we don't remember."

My Rating: 5/5

The audiobook of this story was truly fantastic. Reading about such horrors and blatant racism, obviously, isn't comfortable, but it's important to remember our past as a society to make sure we don't repeat it. I had read a bit about the Tuskegee case, but for whatever reason hadn't heard much about this case. It's uncomfortable to read about, but the way the author tells the story helps paint the picture of how someone could be involved in something like this, how blowing the whistle (while obviously the right thing to do) can cause such a landslide of events on not just her, but the family involved and society as a whole. Tremendously written, and incredibly important would recommend for fans of historical fiction.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Happy Place by Emily Henry

Title: Happy Place

Author: Emily Henry

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 400

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2023

Format: Audiobook (Own Physical Copy)

"Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college- they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now- for reasons they're still not discussing- they don't.

They broke up six months ago. And still haven't told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group's yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they'll all have together in this place. They can't stand to break their friends' hearts, and so they'll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It's a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared glasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week... in front of those who know you best?"

My Rating: 3.75/5

This was a harder one for me to get into. I do love a good second-chance romance, but something about this one just wasn't for me. Maybe it was the fact that they had been together so long previously, or some of the tropes used within that, but it was hard to not be frustrated with the female main character. While I appreciated the ideas presented throughout, it was just ok for me.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Beach Read by Emily Henry

Title: Beach Read

Author: Emily Henry

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

Pages: 361

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2020

Format: Audiobook

"A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.

Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They're polar opposites.

In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in a neighboring beach houses, broke and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She'll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he'll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no-one will fall in love. Really."

My Rating: 3/5

There were a few things that kept me from loving this book. I liked the concept, and I quite enjoyed Emily Henry's writing style. But the romance, while fun just wasn't all I wanted it to be and I couldn't ever quite get over the main character's name. What really took me out of the story was one of the sex scenes and the setting it took place in (if you know you know). I look forward to continuing to read her works, this one just wasn't the same hit as the last one I read.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny 

Book Review: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

Title: People We Meet on Vacation

Author: Emily Henry

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Adult Fiction

Pages: 364

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex, Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She's a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best friend. For most of the year they live far apart- she's in New York City and he's in their small hometown- but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together. 

Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven't spoken since.

Poppy has everything she should want, but she's stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together- lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees.

Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?"

My Rating: 5/5

I have tried many friends-to-lovers style romance books. I always find that I can't relate to them. For those who may not have read previously, my husband and I were best friends for 6 years before we started dating, so you might say this is a trope I want to relate to. This one is exactly how I felt leading up to my relationship other than the fact that we weren't adults when we were best friends. I loved the changing setting, the characters and the different emotions throughout the years. It was so well done. It's one of my new favourite contemporary romances for sure. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Below Zero

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: The STEMinist Novellas (Book #3)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Novella

Pages: 139

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"It will take the frosty terrain of the Arctic to show these rival scientists that their chemistry burns hot.

Mara, Sadie and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn...

Hannah's got a bad feeling about him. Not only has NASA aerospace engineer found herself injured and stranded at a remote Arctic research station- but the one person willing to undertake the hazardous rescue mission is her longtime rival. 

Ian has been many things to Hannah: the villain who tried to veto her expedition and ruin her career, the man who stars in her most deliciously lurid dreams... but he's never played the hero. So why is he risking everything to be here? And why does his presence seem just as dangerous to her heart as the coming snowstorm?"

My Rating:  2.5/5

This one was my least favourite out of the three novellas that I read from this author. it just didn't go the way I expected which is fine, but I think this one could have benefited from being a full-length novel. It just didn't have the traction that other pieces of her work had. I liked it, it was fun, but it wasn't all I thought it could be. 

Thanks for reading, 

Sidny

Book Review: Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Stuck with You

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: The STEMinist Novellas (Book #2)

Genre: Romance, Novella, Smut

Pages: 127

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"Nothing like a little rivalry between scientists to take love to the next level.

Mara, Saide and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn...

Logically, Sadie knows that civil engineers are supposed to build bridges. However, as a woman of STEM she also understands that variables can change, and when you are stuck for hours in a tiny New York elevator with the man who broke your heart,  you earn the right to burn that brawny, blond bridge to the ground. Erik can apologize all he wants, but to quote her rebel leader- she'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee.

Not even the most sophisticated of Sadie's superstitious rituals could have predicted such a disastrous reunion. But while she refuses to acknowledge the siren call of Erik's steely forearms or the way his voice softens when he offers her his sweater, Sadie can't help but wonder if there might be more layers to her cold-hearted nemesis than meet the eye. Maybe, possibly, even burned bridges can still be crossed...."

My Rating: 4/5

I have really enjoyed these smutty little novellas. The smut is great, the plot is fun and they are a quick little read for on-the-go. I do have a complaint that our heroine is constantly the same archetype. She is so small, awkward, petite and has the same interests stereotypically (we did see a flux with some interest in soccer here). The male lead is also very similar. Tall, muscular and for the first time this one had a bit of a different look. But overall I can't distinguish any of the heroes or heroines written by the author. I would just like to see a bit more of a diverse range of characters. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Under One Roof by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Under One Roof

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: The STEMinist Novellas (Book #1)

Genre: Romance, Smut, Novella

Pages: 112

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis- it leads to combustion.

Mara, Sadie and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn...

As an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. They require balance. And leaving the thermostat alone. And not stealing someone else's food. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Okay, sure, technically she's the interloper. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt's house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side... but Helena was her mentor and Mara's not about to move out and give her inheritance without a fight. 

The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him... and the easier it is to love him."

My Rating: 4.5/5

This is what I expect from a four-hour romance novella audio. This was smut! It was fun, it was a bit of pining but mostly knowing that by the end the people are getting together and it's gonna be fun to read about. If you've read Ali Hazelwood's other work you might want to take a minute in between this and the rest as I'm finding that most of her female main characters are fairly similar. That being said if it isn't broken, don't fix it!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Singles Table by Sara Desai

Title: The Singles Table

Author: Sara Desai

Series/Standalone: Marriage Games Series (Book #3)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult

Pages: 322

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"Opposite attract in this romantic comedy about a free-spirited lawyer who is determined to find the perfect match for the grumpy bachelor at her friend's wedding.

After a devastating break-up, celebrity-obsessed lawyer Zara Patel is determined never to open her heart again. She puts her energy into building her career and helping her friends find romance through the wedding season. She's never faced a guest at the singles table she couldn't match, until she crosses paths with the sinfully sexy Jay Donovan.

Former military security specialist Jay has no time for love. His life is about working hard, staying focused, and winning at all costs. When charismatic Zara crashes into his life, he's thrown into close contact with exactly the kind of chaos he wants to avoid. Worse, they're stuck together for the entire wedding season. 

So they make a deal. She'll find his special someone if he introduces her to his celebrity clients. but when their arrangement brings them together in ways they never expected, they realize that the perfect match might just be their own."

My Rating: 4/5

This was my favourite book in this series if memory serves. The author does an excellent job of having realistic characters and even more realistic conflicts. The characters are dynamic, they are unique and fun without being too over the top. The conflicts are real, deep seeded issues and the author gives them opportunities to work on themselves. The reason this isn't a five for me is the ending. I don't love some of the tropes that were used near the end. Overall super fun and romantic. Excellent Rom-Com!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Title: Love on the Brain

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Romance, Adult, Contemporary

Pages: 368

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Audiobook

"Bee Konigwasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project- a literal dream come true- Marie would accept without hesitation. Duh. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward.

Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark and piercing-eyes kind of way. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school- archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away.

But when her equipment starts to go missing and the staff ignore her. Bee could swear she sees Levi softening into an ally, backing her plays, seconding her ideas... devouring her with those eyes. The possibilities have all her neurons firing.

But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: What will Bee Konigswasser do?"

My Rating:4/5

When I was uncertain whether this book would be a hit for me, the author cranked up the heat! I was not ready for these spicy scenes but there were exactly what I didn't know I needed. I enjoyed reading about brains and astronauts, but I extra enjoyed the enemies to lovers. I loved the side characters and the puns. Overall so fun! My only complaint is that Bee and Olive from her other work felt too similar to me. Not because they are women in stem. Because they are both small petite women who have issues with attachment due to their pasts. While it was slightly different it was hard to not recall the first book.  Would recommend!

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Roommate by Rosie Danan

Title: The Roommate

Author: Rosie Danan

Series/Standalone: The Shameless Series (Book #1)

Genre: Romance, Adult Fiction

Pages: 325

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2020

Format: Audiobook

"House Rules:

Do your own dishes.

Knock before entering the bathroom.

Never look up your roommate online.

The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She's the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable.  But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara's childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too much to resist. Unfortunately, it's also too good to be true.

After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger, Josh might be a bit too perceptive- not to mention handsome- for comfort, but there's a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn't looked him up on the internet.

Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton's most scandalous story yet. his professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they're lucky, they'll help everyone else get lucky too."

My Rating: 3/5

This was a really fun audiobook. I think that the premise of a socialite and an adult entertainer living together and starting a company together is just what everyone needs. This book has a lot of heart and I think that the author did a good job of telling Josh's story and a decent job about Clara. I just wanted more smut if I'm being honest. I think that the idea and the lust behind it were good but I wanted more smut overall. I liked it, it was fun but not a forever favourite. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Isn't It Bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams

 Title: Isn't It Bromantic?    

Author: Lyssa Kay Adams

Series/Standalone: Bromance Book Club Series (Book #4)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Pages: 350

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"With his passion for romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Vlad wrote one.

Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared, she escaped danger the only way she knew how: She married her childhood friend, Vladimir, and moved to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.

Vlad, aka the Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But it's become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he's learned is that he deserves more. He's ready to create his own sweeping romance- both on and off the page. 

The bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love- and this time they're not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad's neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves the Loners. But just when things finally look promising, Elena's past life intrudes and their happily ever after is cast into doubt."

My Rating: 5/5

This series has it all. Just when I think that the tropes aren't going to be it for me Lyssa Kay Adams pulls it off seemingly effortlessly. The characters in every story are just incredible and the concept of the series is something I am so in love with. Lyssa Kay Adams invites us all to look at toxic masculinity and try something "out of the box" to better love our spouses! The idea of a group of men educating themselves about what women want and need through romance novels are just so beautiful to read about. The spicy scenes don't hurt either. I can't wait to read the next one in the series, my only complaint is that it might be the last one and I don't know if I'm ready for that.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Title: The Love Hypothesis

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Pages: 356

Publisher: Berkley Books

Year Published: 2021

Format: Audiobook

"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."

My Rating: 4.5/5

This was once again close to being a perfect read for me. So why wasn't it? What went wrong? I'll answer these really quickly. There is a scene where something happens with a breast and for that reason, I had to dock it .5 stars. It was so jarring and took me out of the moment so much that I needed to acknowledge it. This story is such a fun mix of academia and romance. I loved the nerdiness to it, but also the pining was all there. One of my new favourite contemporary romances for sure. Would recommend but try to skim over some parts of the sex scene (aka the boob scene)

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

Title: Crazy Stupid Bromance

Author: Lyssa Kay Adams

Series/Standalone: Bromance Book Club (Book #3)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult

Pages: 345

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2020

Format: Paperback (Library Copy)

"Alexis Carlisle and cat cafe, ToeBeans, have shot to fame after she came forward as a victim of a celebrity chef's sexual harassment. When a new customer approaches to confide in her, the last thing Alexis expects is for the woman to claim they're sisters. Unsure what to do, Alexis turns to the only man she trusts- her best friend, Noah Logan.

Computer genius Noah left his rebellious teenage hacker past behind to become a computer security expert. Now he only uses his old skills for the right cause. But Noah's got a secret: He's madly in love with Alexis. When she asks for his help, he wonders if the timing will ever be right to confess his crush.

Noah's pals in The Bromance Book Club are more than willing to share their beloved "manuals" to help him go from bud to boyfriend. But he must decide if telling the truth is worth risking the best friendship he's ever had.

A hacktivist and a cat cafe owner decode the friend zone in this romantic comedy from the author of Undercover Bromance."

My Rating: 4/5

This is one of my favourite tropes. I love friends to lovers, I love best friend crush vibes where you know both of them are into each other before they make the first moves towards being together. I think that this was an exciting pairing between a cafe owner and an ex-hactivist is so fun to me. Also watching friends pine for each other reminds me of my husband and me. So it's a fun throwback. I recommend this series to anyone wanting favourite tropes with great characters and fantastic tie-ins.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: He Started It by Samantha Downing

Title: He Started It

Author: Samantha Downing

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Thriller, Adult, Mystery

Pages: 383

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2020

Format: Hardback (Library Copy)

First Line: "You want a heroine"

"Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven't all been together in years. And for very good reasons- we'll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and- more importantly- secure their inheritance.

But time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone.

It's even harder when you're all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory- a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won't stop following your car- and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there's a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons.

But money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone."

My Rating: 5/5

This is my first Samantha Downing book and I'm obsessed. As for all thrillers/mysteries, I don't read the synopsis for them in full ever. I might skim, but if it's mentioned by a booktoker or a booktuber I like I will just pick it up. I can't remember where I saw this one, but someone brought it up and I was psyched that I hadn't heard much about it. Let me say I get the hype behind Samantha Downing. Her twists and turns were well written, her characters were fascinating and the story itself was gripping. I would highly recommend if you're into family thrillers and different timelines p.o.vs.

I'm looking forward to reading more of her work, and hope to continue on with audiobooks as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny