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JUST LAST NIGHT BY MHAIRI MCFARLANE // spoiler-free book review: another banger from my fave that’ll make you laugh and swoon and sob uncontrollably… have fun!
Hush you with your judgement. I shall not be taking it as this time otherwise we shall run out of time. Into the review! Title: Just Last NightAuthor: Mhairi McFarlanePage count: 393Date published: 1 April 2021Genre: Adult contemporary fiction 🪴 Synopsis: Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Now in their thirties, the four are as close as ever, Thursday pub trivia night is sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. Maybe she should have moved on by now, but she can’t stop thinking about what could have been. And she knows Ed still thinks about it, too. But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever. In the aftermath, Eve’s world is upended. As stunning secrets are revealed, she begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve’s future veers in a surprising new direction… They say every love story starts with a single moment. What if it was just last night? 🪴 🪴 Big thanks to William Morrow Books for the eARC via Netgalley! All thoughts and opinions are my own.…
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CHECK AND MATE BY ALI HAZELWOOD // spoiler-free book review: this book has me in a chokehold and we don’t talk about this NA rivals to lovers chess rom-com enough!!!
I just can’t stay quiet any longer. I must stand up and speak my truth: you are all wrong if you disliked this book and yes I have an argument to back myself up. What can’t of an amateur do you think I am? Anyways, let’s just get right into it!!! Title: Check & MateAuthor: Ali HazelwoodPage count: 325Date published: 7 November 2023Genre: New adult contemporary ♟️ Synopsis: Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess. Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist…. As she…
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BEGIN AGAIN BY EMMA LORD // spoiler-free book review: you 1000% need this friends-to-lovers NA contemporary romance that’ll also make you cry in your life!!!
IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING BUT, IT’S YOU AND ME, THAT’S MY WHOLE WORLD. Had to start this one off with a Taylor Swift reference, I just couldn’t pass it off hehe Let’s dive right in! Title: Begin AgainAuthor: Emma LordPage count: 352Date published: 24 January 2023Genre: New adult contemporary 🌳 Synopsis: As usual, Andie Rose has a plan: Transfer from community college to the hyper competitive Blue Ridge State, major in psychology, and maintain her lifelong goal of becoming an iconic self-help figure despite the nerves that have recently thrown her for a loop. All it will take is ruthless organization, hard work, and her trademark unrelenting enthusiasm to pull it all together. But the moment Andie arrives, the rest of her plans go off the rails. Her rocky relationship with her boyfriend Connor only gets more complicated when she discovers he transferred out of Blue Ridge to her community college. Her roommate Shay needs a major, and despite Andie’s impressive track record of being The Fixer, she’s stumped on how to help. And Milo, her coffee-guzzling grump of an R.A. with seafoam green eyes, is somehow disrupting all her ideas about love and relationships one sleep-deprived wisecrack…
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WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE BY EMMA LORD // spoiler-free book review: need a YA contemporary romance that’s also a mamma mia retelling with rivals to lovers AND is set in NYC? i got you.
In the wise words of Lizzo, IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME,,, Let us not waste any more of that and dive right into it! Title: When You Get The ChanceAuthor: Emma LordPage count: 320Date published: 4 January 2022Genre: YA contemporary romance 🎤 Synopsis: Nothing will get in the way of Millie Price’s dream to become a Broadway star. Not her lovable but super-introverted dad, who after raising Millie alone, doesn’t want to watch her leave home to pursue her dream. Not her pesky and ongoing drama club rival, Oliver, who is the very definition of Simmering Romantic Tension. And not the “Millie Moods,” the feelings of intense emotion that threaten to overwhelm, always at maddeningly inconvenient times. Millie needs an ally. And when a left-open browser brings Millie to her dad’s embarrassingly moody LiveJournal from 2003, Millie knows just what to do. She’s going to find her mom. There’s Steph, a still-aspiring stage actress and receptionist at a talent agency. There’s Farrah, ethereal dance teacher who clearly doesn’t have the two left feet Millie has. And Beth, the chipper and sweet stage enthusiast with an equally exuberant fifteen-year-old daughter (A possible sister?! This is getting out of hand). But how can…
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ONE OF US IS BACK BY KAREN M. MCMANUS // spoiler-free book review: i’m just so happy to back in this psycho murdery town ft. a side of addictive writing & the bestest romance
Didn’t originally think I was going to do a review but you’re all in luck hehehe Let’s get right into it! Title: One of Us Is BackSeries: One of Us Is Lying book #3Author: Karen M. McManusPage count: 360Date published: 27 July 2023Genre: YA mystery thriller 🔍 Synopsis: Ever since Simon died in detention, life hasn’t been easy for the Bayview Crew. First the Bayview Four had to prove they weren’t killers. Then a new generation had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now, it’s beginning again. At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview. But when a member of the crew disappears, it’s clear this ‘game’ just got serious – and no one understands the rules. Everyone’s a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things are starting to get deadly. The thing is, Simon was right about secrets – they all come out, eventually. And Bayview has a lot it’s still hiding. 🔍 Big thanks to Penguin Random House SA for the review copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own. 🔍 STAR RATING: (4 out of 5 stars) Almost had this finished on the last day…
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I HOPE THIS DOESN’T FIND YOU BY ANN LIANG // blog tour book review: the fiercest academic rivals to lovers you’ll ever see!!
Gah I’m a day late with this post because I’ve been having it rough lately,,, anyways hopefully getting back into it now. Big thanks to Colored Pages for having me on the blog tour, let’s dive right into the review! Title: I Hope This Doesn’t Find YouAuthor: Ann LiangPage count: 320Date published: 6 February 2024Genre: YA contemporary romance 🎓 Synopsis: Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a “pleasure to have in class.” It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She’d never send them of course — she’d rather die than hurt anyone’s feelings — but it’s a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie’s work. All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. “You’re attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you’ve been using to make your hair…
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JUST LIKE MAGIC BY SARAH HOGLE // spoiler-free book review: all you need for Christmas is this whacky, heartwarming & festive romance ft. a longing for the living holiday spirit!!!
Took me long enough to get to this one but I have gotten off my lazy ass and gosh am I in love. Let’s just get into the holiday yelling because there is a lot of it!!!!! Title: Just Like MagicAuthor: Sarah HoglePage count: 360Date published: 4 October 2022Genre: Adult magical realism romance 🎄 Synopsis: Bettie Hughes once knew the comfort of luxury . . . before she lost all her money. Long obsessed with her public image, Bettie boasts an extravagant lifestyle on social media but in reality, she’s broke and her family has no idea. Christmas, with all its pressure to meet familial expectations, is looming when Bettie plays a vinyl record of ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ backwards and accidentally conjures up Hall, the Holiday Spirit, in the form of a charming and handsome man. Once the shock wears off, Bettie knows she’s stumbled upon the greatest gift: a chance to make all her holiday wishes come true, plus a ready-made fiancé. But as some of Bettie’s wishes lose their charm, she finds herself thrown off-kilter by Hall’s sweet nature. Suddenly, grumpy Bettie finds her heart merry and light. But the happier she gets, the…
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IF ONLY YOU BY CHLOE LIESE // spoiler-free book review: finally reviewing one of my fave reads of the year aka friends to lovers sports romance perfection
A lot has been happening this year and by a lot I mean I’ve been working on my thesis for like 3 months straight. Hence this post has not happened until now *cries* I’m sorry, but I swear the wait will be worth it!!!! Because this book!!! Imma just get right into it because I need to yell!!!! Oh wait, you can check out my interview with Chloe Liese right over here: Title: If Only YouSeries: Bergman Brothers book #5Author: Chloe LiesePage count: 376Date published: 11 April 2023Genre: Adult contemporary romance ⚽ Synopsis: Ziggy I’m the youngest player on the National Soccer team, the baby of my family, and thoroughly sick of being underestimated, so I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. Which is where my brother’s best friend and teammate, the infamous Sebastian Marchand, comes in. Seb needs to rehab his reputation. I want to give mine an edge. So I propose a fake friendship with real benefits: spending time in the public eye, my good-girl image and his bad-boy notoriety rubbing off on each other. He’s my devious, dark-haired fantasy come to life, but his destructive ways make it easy to keep him in the (fake)…
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FOUL HEART HUNTSMAN BY CHLOE GONG // blog tour book talk: say hello to my favourite read of this year and hands down the best conclusion to a showstopping ya historical fiction fantasy series!!!
Hi hello friends! And welcome to my tour stop celebrating the upcoming release of Foul Heart Huntsman. As you can guess, I’m hyperventilating over this just a little bit and I’ll just shut up now so we can cry together,,,, Big thanks to Colored Pages Book Tours for having me! Title: Foul Heart HuntsmanSeries: Secret Shanghai series book #5Author: Chloe GongPage count: 560Date published: 26 September 2023Genre: Young Adult historical fiction fantasy 🫀 Synopsis: Winter is drawing thick in 1932 Shanghai, as is the ever-nearing threat of a Japanese invasion. Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: she’s been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, she’s barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She won’t rest until she gets him back. But with her identity in the open, the task is near impossible. The only way to leave the city and rescue Orion is under the guise of a national tour. It’s easy to convince…
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MAD ABOUT YOU BY MHAIRI MCFARLANE // spoiler-free book review: meet one of the best adult contemporaries i’ve ever read aka a delightfully british rom-com that has me in a chokehold
Please say hello to this absolute gem of a book that you should be ashamed you haven’t read yet. Yes I do have the right and power to say that about you all and you are not allowed to say it back *hides* AHHH I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH IT HURTS AND IM SHOVING IT DOWN ALL YOUR THROATS FOR ETERNITY!!!!! Onwards with the crying/yelling/screeching about this author *wink wink* Title: Mad About YouAuthor: Mhairi McFarlanePage count: 432Date published: 14 April 2022Genre: Adult contemporary fiction 🏡 Synopsis: Two reluctant housemates.Two broken promises.One crazy plan… Harriet Hatley may be one of the most in-demand wedding photographers in Leeds, but she hates the idea of marriage. Cal Clarke is used to the world falling in line with his plans – apart from his own love-life, which has gone hopelessly wrong. When they become unlikely housemates, it’s clear they’re both running away from something bigger. Can they take a crazy risk to face the past and change everything? 🏡 🏡 STAR RATING: (5 out of 5 stars) Trigger warnings for previous relationship emotional abuse — My heart is so full and I am jumping for joy and Mhairi McFarlane is…
