This sweet romance is just super cute. What else is there to say? The voice pops, the characters are lovable, the premise is way friggen fun, and the cozy vibes are off the charts. Though bodyguard + celebrity really isn’t new ground, it still feels fresh here, and although I wish there’d been a little more action, I totally inhaled it. This is my first Katherine Center novel, but it definitely won’t be the last. Totally recommend to anyone looking for a sweet but fun romance.
So, I really enjoyed the Love Hypothesis, and this book got a TON of hype so I was definitely looking forward to it but… I don’t think this one really delivered. I thought I was going into an enemies-to-lovers type of story, but… it’s more of just one big misunderstanding, the MC was leaning a little too hard into denial for me, and the reveal of the villain in the end seemed a bit moustache-twirley. The writing style was light and fun, but the characters and some scenes read *very* similarly to the ones in Love Hypothesis. So, I guess this one wasn’t really for me, but it might be for you! (3.5/5)
So, this is obviously a Christmas romance, and if you’re picking it up, I assume you’re in the mood for a cute Christmas romance. If so, good news, this is a really cute groundhog-day Christmas romance! Mae makes a huge mistake and wishes the universe would show her what would make happy, and she gets stuck in her very own groundhog-day-style time loop. The voice is fun, the characters are cute, I think the childhood friends-to-lovers is done really well here, and I liked the message of finally going after what you really want. Would totally watch the movie. I didn’t think there was anything mind-blowing here, but if you’re looking for a cute Christmas romance with a cozy vibe, this one totally fits the bill.
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
A super cute Christmas romance. Netflix, I’m ready for the movie!
I loved Today Tonight Tomorrow, so I definitely wanted to try another one of Solomon’s books, but Weather Girl was lukewarm for me. (Ack! A pun!) It’s very much like the movie Set it Up (which is amazeballs) but in a news station, not quite as funny, and with a sprinkle of cringey dirty talk. I didn’t find the characters or hijinks as charming as Set it Up, and the couple’s climactic fight felt a manufactured to me. Overall, I just thought it wasn’t super memorable. I’d still read another book by Solomon, but I don’t think this one was really for me.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Okay, when I say slowburn, I mean this book is SLOWBURN. Dibs follows Olivia 6 months after a rattling divorce as she goes on a work training trip notorious for hook-ups. Enter Adam, the incredibly attractive guy that her roommate has called dibs on, but who seems much more interested in Olivia.
But after Olivia’s divorce, she’s understandably loathe to trust again, and Adam is reeling from his own personal trials. Both of the characters are likable and definitely have the kind of chemistry that makes you hardcore want to will them together immediately. The slowburn is thick with tension, and ultimately leads to a satisfying ending, but there were times I found Olivia’s self-doubt and their interactions just a little repetitive.
Overall though, a solid romantic read that walks the line of steam, and one I would definitely recommend to fans of slow burn contemporary romances.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Whew. There is nothing that makes me want to shove characters together (in the best way) like slowburn.
Hayley Reese Chow 