audiobook – Hayley Reese Chow

Posted on May 30, 2023April 23, 2023 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – It Happened One Summer

This one wasn’t my cup of a tea, so it’s a little tough for me to review.

I love a good dual-POV romance, and I loved Legally Blonde, so I thought this would be a good fit. Piper is definitely your “Legally Blonde” type, but I don’t think she’s quite as lovable or redeeming as Elle Woods. She comes a long way though, and I was definitely cheering for her at the end.

Meanwhile, Brendan is kind of your standard brooding, romance hero / sea captain, but their relationship seems to be based on 90% physical attraction. Which I think I could have rolled with, but there is a *lot* of smut in this book. Like I felt like most of the second half is just smut… which, personally, kind of bores me when it doesn’t advance the plot in any way. I once heard someone use the term anatomy-level smut, and that seems pretty accurate for this book. Plus there’s also a lot of dirty talk, which for me, is kind of like including original song lyrics in a book. They don’t seem to ever come across the page right, and it just comes out cringe. Or maybe that’s because I was listening to the audiobook?

Either way, the ratio of smut to plot was too high for me, but if you’re into all that though, this could definitely be the book for you!

⭐⭐⭐½

Thanks for reading!

Posted on May 23, 2023April 23, 2023 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Life’s too Short

Five glowing stars. This is one of the audiobooks that made me HAPPY to get stuck in traffic. Officially a Abby Jimenez fan.

Okay so I read Jimenez’s The Friend Zone #1, and I liked it well enough, but I *loved* this book. The premise was thought-provoking, the characters are so loveable and grow so much, and Jimenez’s writing style and dual-POV voices are incredibly fun. I was SO worried how this book was going to end, and the pay off (while maybe a tad convenient) was amazing. The only thing I’m extremely concerned about it is that there are currently only 5 Abby Jimenez books in the world right now and that is not NEARLY enough. The audiobook is excellent, but PLEASE, someone make this movie.

(Also this book totally stands alone. I’ve read #1, but haven’t read #2 yet.)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

HUGE heart for this one. Definitely one of my favorite reads this year so far.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on May 2, 2023April 23, 2023 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Soulmate Equation

Loved this one! Totally sucked me in. The voice is fun and light, and I loved the main characters, Jess and River. Their romance unfolds naturally, and the premise of the science-based matchmaking company added with the fake-dating trope was so fun. I saw the twist coming from a mile away, but it does pose an interesting question that got me thinking and the ending was capital-A Adorable. I liked (but not loved) some of Christina Lauren’s other books (like the Unhoneymooners and Josh & Hazel) but this has by far been my favorite, and had me scrambling for more books by her. 100% recommend to anyone looking for a cute romcom, and I’m SO here for a movie adaption – just saying.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I am HERE for a good romance, and that last scene? SO friggen cute.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on April 21, 2023April 21, 2023 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Something Wilder

So after loving The Soulmate Equation, I jumped for more Christina Lauren audiobooks at the library. This second-chance romance didn’t really do it for me though. The characters were cute, but the circumstances of their initial parting were very convenient. Everything just felt a little to cliché for me, and I feel like the big reveal at the end wasn’t as satisfying as I would’ve liked. Overall, a decent listen to pass the time, and if you enjoy western adventure vibes in your romances, you might want to give this one a try, but it felt like there wasn’t a whole lot that set this one apart.

⭐⭐⭐½

I love me a good trope… but this one was too cliche for me.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on April 18, 2023February 15, 2023 by hrchow12

Book Review – Dyrwolf

I fear I might’ve been in a bit of a reading slump when I started Dyrwolf, but I did like all the elements. Strong female MC, sweet love interest, great writing, lots of action, interesting world dynamic between the Dyr and humans, and interesting political intrigue—but I think there was just something about the pacing and possibly the chemistry between Lea and Henrik that threw me off just a smidge. Even so, I definitely enjoyed this action-filled fantastical adventure, and would recommend to anyone looking for a fun YA fantasy with a wolfy twist.

I think this book has convinced me that I’m *really* not a paperback person. I’m always losing them, and after spending hours editing, revising, and beta-reading, I really just want to have someone read to me on an audiobook. While I’m not saying I’m moving exclusively to audiobooks… I think the paperback life might be behind me. Which feels weirdly bittersweet for some reason.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks for reading!

Posted on April 11, 2023February 15, 2023 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Box in the Woods

It’s been a while since I’ve read the Truly Devious trilogy, but I remember liking it (except maybe one thing… but I can’t remember what it was—oh well) so when I saw the audiobook pop up in the library, I picked it up. And for the first 50% I was so thrilled with it! Stevie is fun, Nate is my favorite EVER, the writing is voicey and FANTASTIC, and I love the way the present and past intertwine to build the mystery of the cold case.

Then at around 75% I remembered EXACTLY what I didn’t like about the first trilogy, and his name is DAVID. Ugh. While I don’t exactly hate David, I hate how Stevie acts when she’s around him, and honestly I think they make each other worse. The conflict between them seemed a little manufactured, and then I feel like we really didn’t have a resolution to their relationship plotline. Blah.

BUT! Everything else was still excellent. So while I won’t be picking up book 5 (because, ew, David) I’ll definitely be looking into what Maureen Johnson writes next, and I’d still recommend this to fans of the first three books (especially if you don’t mind David.)

⭐⭐⭐⭐¼

Thanks for reading!

Posted on April 4, 2023February 15, 2023 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Defy the Night

I’m not going to lie. I was scared to read this book, because I don’t trust sequels. I loved Defy the Night SO much, I was so scared the sequel wouldn’t live up to it. But, it did NOT disappoint. Tessa and Corrick are back and facing new troubles in both the kingdom and their relationship that flow well from the first book and make a lot of sense. The new adventure takes us onto a ship (which I love) with a dashing captain (who I also love), and intrigue and twists to spare. The only two things that fell a little flat for me were the third POV (which I won’t spoil) and I did wish that Tessa had more of a stronger role in this book. I felt like she played more of a supporting/pawn role here than in the first book, but I think it’s set up perfectly for her to come into her own big time in book 3. I also loved the narration of the audiobook—couldn’t put it down—and look forward to the third!

⭐⭐⭐⭐¾

Thanks for reading!

Posted on March 28, 2023February 15, 2023 by hrchow12

Book Review – A Curse of Hope and Shadows

I loved Katherine Macdonald’s Thief of Spring duology, so I was absolutely ready to pick up another book for hers. A Curse of Hope and Shadows kind of reminds me of a cross between Beauty and the Beast and Downton Abbey. The romance is sweet and slowburn, and the plot closely shadows the source fairy tale, but (and this is a personal preference) there wasn’t quite enough tension for me. Adeline and Dimitri fall pretty steadily for each other throughout, although at times, I feel like Adeline was a bit motherly toward Dimitri. But as per usual, Macdonald’s writing is gorgeous and her characters are both likable and showcase a lot of depth. I would totally recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet, character-driven Beauty and the Beast retelling.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Give me the frightening, monstery beasts that are something to fear.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on March 21, 2023February 15, 2023 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Book Lovers

Dannnnnng. This was a good friggen book.

Okay. THIS BOOK. This was another one that I came into with big expectations. The hype has been CRAZY, and I loved Beach Read (though not People We Meet on Vacation, so this was an Emily Henry tiebreaker for me.)

And boy, did she deliver. The characters are likable and relatable, they had great chemistry, the concept is fun, and the twists fit perfectly like missing puzzle pieces. One thing I love about this book and Beach Read is that while it is, at its core, a romance, it goes so much deeper than just the relationship and I love the growth her characters undergo in her novels. Her writing is beautiful as she peels back the onion layers of her characters, and I am so here for every word. Also the audiobook narration is fantastic. There is some steam and language so if you’re not into that, beware, but otherwise, I’m recommending this one to all romance fans, and I’ll definitely be picking up Emily Henry’s next book, whatever it is.

My favorite read of the year so far. Five glittering stars.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks for reading!

Posted on March 7, 2023February 15, 2023 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Dead Romantics

Okay, so I feel like this book has been crazy hyped, and I loved Ashley Poston’s Geekerella so it’s important to know I came in with some INTENSE expectations. Which were… mostly met. This book is basically like Just Like Heaven (romcom with Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon—if you haven’t seen it, you should) meets The Adams Family. While the story was charming, the writing is fun, and the characters were likable, the chemistry between them just wasn’t quite there for me, and I knew immediately what the twist was. Still a really solid read I would recommend to all romcom fans out there, but I’m not sure it quite lives up to the super intense hype.

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Thanks for reading!