Oh boy. Sometimes you have to wonder, when a premise is so eye-catching, maybe there's just nowhere more interesting for the story to actually go?

The idea of this forgetting pill is what initially caught my attention. Landon is shocked and devastated when he learns that the love of his life Rose has decided to erase their entire love story by taking this pill. She's now living in Edinburgh and has moved on with her life, but Landon cannot. So he goes there to try to recreate their love a second time.

The narrative is dual timeline and dual point of view. Now, if you're familiar with dual anything, then you probably know where I'm going with this next. And yes, one of the two is indeed more interesting than the other. Rose's point of view, where she rehashes their original love story, is honestly a bit dull, and there wasn't much there other than physical attraction. Now, nothing wrong with physical attraction (I'm a big fan of it myself), but it doesn't make for a riveting read.

Not only that, but Rose possesses traits that I tend to find very annoying in a book. She shows no remarkable (or even likable) characteristics, yet everyone she meets instantly falls in love with her, including Landon and Poppy. From then on, no matter how difficult or mean she is, they remain steadfast in their devotion to her, bending over backwards to accommodate her every whim while she doesn't really do anything back. In fact, in the lead-up to the falling out between the main characters, Landon is the one who had to constantly apologize even though Rose was the one in the wrong.

Sigh. This tendency in recent contemporary novels to glorify the main female character while making everyone else around her bend to her will, however unreasonable or unlikable she may be, is exhausting. And so is the message that if one has mental health issues, it is perfectly okay to take it out on one's partner rather than go seek professional help (or even do some introspection). Both detract from what should've been a sympathetic protagonist, and both make me feel slightly uncomfortable while reading it.

But Landon's point of view wasn't all roses either (har har). While his storyline was more interesting, it did start to feel slightly icky as it went on. Because here is his beloved, having gone to so much trouble to forget and leave him behind, and he can't respect her boundaries. Could there be any circumstances in which that would be okay? But on the other hand, if one of our partners just one day up and vanished and forgot everything, would any of us really just sit back and accept it? I don't know, it's an interesting bone to gnaw on.

And so that gets to the crux of my biggest issue, which is that even though I got hooked on the premise, I probably should've thought about it a bit before diving in. Because if I did, I would've realized that while there are a few different ways the narrative could've play out, none of them were really appealing and some of them were quite problematic. And just like my imagination, it really did play out like that. The last portion of the story, as everything culminated and resolved, was quite a bit of a hot mess. It felt like the author didn't know where to go to wrap it up, so she tried to go everywhere at the same time.

This wasn't all bad. It did make me tear up in one place and there were a few passages that I thought were interesting. But for how emotionally charged the story was supposed to be, my investment felt lackluster. It wasn't that long of a book, yet I crawled through it, bogged down by my indifference to Rose and Landon.

At the end of the day, I think I just wasn't the right audience for this. If I were younger and just starting out on my adult life, maybe I would've found this to be profound. But I've long since aged out of that demographic, and now my cold, wizened heart just can't see past the characters to appreciate the speculative within.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Meteorologists in love? Well, don't get too excited. Let's just say I would've had a better time sticking to my favorite weather blogs than whatever the heck I got here.

I have a lot of words to describe In Stormy Weather, but if I had to pick just one, it would be excessive. Everything is just so over the top—the characters, the romance, the storm chasing, the working in a male dominated field, even the spicy scenes. At some point, you have to wonder if subtlety is indeed dead or if this book was just out on a personal mission to kill it.

Where to begin? Quincy is a meteorologist in a field where literally every single other person is a guy (at least according to this book). And every time she has an interaction with them, they immediately look down on her and disparage her because she's a woman. Now, I'm a girl in STEM, so I know what it's like to be a female working in a male dominated field. But how can there not be a single male ally out there for Quincy except the love interest?

And so we start into what can only be described as slavish ass kissing on the part of Sebastian for the entire 400 pages of this book. Every time they get together, he calls her amazing and brilliant and resilient and yada yada yada. Like, I get it, girl is accomplished. But no real person talks like this unless they're aiming to be sycophant of the year.

Speaking of compliments taken too far, we also have Quincy's two BFFs. Every time the three girls are together, they first have to take turns complimenting each other on how amazing and successful they are, before we can move on. Like come on! How do these poor souls ever find the time to exchange any useful information, when they need to preface every single exchange with many platitudes of greatness?

This book was primarily written in dialogue form. It must take up at least 95% of all prose in here. But just because something has the potential to be banter doesn't mean it succeeds. The majority was so bland and, quite frankly, an obvious attempt at filler that I often caught myself losing focus and skimming, just to get to something good. You add to that the never ending reassurances between the characters on how successful and awesome and badass they all are, and you can see how this starts to feel like a slog.

Back to meteorology for a second (the main reason this book caught my eye). It is a science of predictions, so everything comes with a rate of confidence. But the way this book tells it, it's all black and white, and the only two people in the entire world who can make the right call are Quincy and Sebastian. And they do so by taking a millisecond glance at the data, followed by Sebastian goading Quincy into being a "badass bitch" and telling their discoveries to the world. As if having your lover "believe in you" is the only thing you need to be good at your job.

And don't even get me started on the spicy scenes (long to the point of cringey), page length (also long), the incessant Truth or Dare (inserted into every conversation), Quincy's credentials (having millions of followers on social media, which was brought up again and again), and the storm chasing (putting oneself and one's partner and potential rescuers' lives in danger, just to "prove" oneself). Like, have mercy!

Obviously, this book does not believe in the concept of subtlety. It has the bones of a good romance, but it was firmly buried under a tsunami of "rah rah go Quincy you're a girl" messaging that got real old real quick. And if someone's really that educated and accomplished and they still have to put their lives in imminent danger over and over again just to make themselves believe it, then probably the right place to work through that is in therapy and not through their lover and their friends complimenting them to death.

So there you have it. I probably would've had more fun just reading weather blogs, which I will go do right now.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

To be honest, I thought Every Summer After did Charlie dirty. So I'm glad in One Golden Summer, he finally gets the story and the happily ever after that he deserves.

Cracking open this book and stepping back into Barry's Bay was a bit like coming home. I fell in love with this lakeside town during Sam and Percy's story, and was forlorn at the prospect of having to say goodbye. So when I heard there was a sequel, of course I jumped at it. To get the chance to visit Barry's Bay again and see Charlie's love story come to fruition seemed like a dream come true.

The progression of Alice and Charlie's relationship was surprisingly refreshing and relatable. It didn't quite fit with many of the exaggerated, well-worn romance tropes out there as is often the case with this genre. Instead, we have the simple story of boy meets girl, boy and girl are attracted to each other, but along with the intrigue also comes some reservations. And what follows is a friendship first, with benefits, that then blossoms into real love.

All the things that make a romance compelling—the yearning, the sizzle, the genuine connection—were here by the bucketful. And the things that readers usually cringe at—dramatic breakups and miscommunication—were kept to a minimum. Instead, we just have two authentic characters slowly and surely getting to know each other. And as we come to understand their reservations, they made sense and provided the necessary tension to move the story along without being too over the top.

There’s something about Carley Fortune’s writing that is instantly transportive. It's suffused with the sort of longing for the carefree days of youth that I think everyone can relate to. It's nostalgia at its purest form, a wistful affection for the lost days of summer that feels comforting and bittersweet at every turn. To read her books is to be swept away to a younger version of ourselves, one where the limitless possibilities of life still stretch out in front of us.

There is a keen awareness throughout the story of time and its forward march. Charlie's grief over the loss of his parents is a testament to that, as is Alice's bucket list for her seventeen year old self. And her work as a photographer, capturing brief moments and slices of life, was a way of trying to hold on to all that is fleeting and ephemeral. That awareness helped elevate the book to a new emotional height, one that kept me in its grips throughout.

This was a wonderful read. Fortune's nostalgia-tinted writing felt like magic. I laughed, I cried, I was swept away. This was first and foremost a romance, but it was also a love letter to Barry's Bay, a reverent nod to the golden days of summer, and a gentle reminder to live life to its fullest while we still can.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

If nostalgia for young love and the lost days of summer had a name, it would be Every Summer After.

I'm always on the lookout for the quintessential summer read. There's nothing more satisfying than finding that perfect book to suit my mercurial moods during the long, lazy, too-bright days of my favorite season. And Carley Fortune has been on my radar for ages, ever since this book, her debut, catapulted her to the stratosphere of famous beach read authors. So it was with quite a bit of excitement and glee that I turned to that first page and prepared to be wowed.

But nothing happened, at least not initially. I was not pleased, nor was I displeased. It just felt like a very generic start to such a story, and there are many ones like it out there. But then, the more I read, the more I was taken in—with the characters, with the drama, but most importantly, with the feelings it evoked in me of a time gone by and the bittersweet memories it left behind.

And I think that's where this story really shines. It isn't so much that the more I read, the more I grew to love the tale, but rather, the more I was reminded of my own youth—the magical feeling of having my whole life stretched out in front me, the limitless possibilities and loves and adventures, the inevitable mistakes, and hurting the people I loved on the path to discovering who I really was.

This is a second chance romance, and I personally think those are hard to write. You have to not only come up with a strong enough love to begin with, but then you have to add in a plausible reason why such an auspicious couple cannot possibly be together, often for many years. And then after that, you have to come up with even more plausible reasons why these two sad characters can finally resolve all their previously unsolvable problems and get their happily ever after. Like phew, just thinking about all that makes me tired.

But no worries here, Fortune did a good job. She expertly interweaved the two timelines, one spanning the six years of Percy and Sam's youth, the other over one weekend twelve years later. Each brought something to the table, though it's clear the past timeline was the heart of this story. Percy and Sam's developing friendship and relationship through all the summer days of their youth, sketched through the glittering lens of Fortune's writing, captured all that is wonderful and beautiful and heartbreaking about growing up.

It's been a minute (or a few decades) since I was a teenager, and nowadays, I often have trouble connecting with stories featuring such young leads, usually finding them too immature or angsty to endure for a few hundred pages. But the ones in here were uncommonly responsible, with enough emotional depth to make them feel relatable and compelling.

While this wasn't a perfect tale, and there were definitely moments it felt like a debut author trying to find her legs or I had to suspend yet more disbelief in order to buy into the characters' actions, it did hold me in its thralls the way a good beach read should. I ended it feeling a little bereft at having to say goodbye to Barry's Bay, so I was happy to discover the existence of a sequel.

If you haven't tried Carley Fortune and you're a fan of beach reads, this is absolutely worth a gander. As for me, I've had the urge to listen to "The Boys Of Summer" this entire time. (Of course the original by Don Henley is fab, but my favorite remains the cover by DJ Sammy). So I'm going to go do that right now.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

If you like your romance with tons of sap and the sort of head-scratching obtuseness that keeps its characters apart for no discernible reason, then First-Time Caller is for you. Me, I rolled my eyes through the whole thing.

This started out all right, sweet and earnest if a bit cheesy. Lucie has been a single mom for a long time and is feeling lonely. Her daughter calls up a romantic radio talk show to see if she can help her mom find some love. And what do you know, Lucie and the host Aiden hit it off immediately and there's sparks everywhere, and so we've got ourselves the beginnings of a romance.

Yep, that's all good, but that's only enough content to cover like a chapter or two. And so I find myself asking, what will the rest of the book be about? Well, it seems like the author was asking herself that same question for the rest book too, because nothing else of consequence happens. We just follow Lucie and Aiden as they talk and spark but deny that they like each other due to various made-up reasons, for hundreds of pages.

Every scene, every interaction, every dialogue just goes on and on. They say the same things to each other, they rehash the same dubious reasons on why they can't be together. Like have mercy, right? We don't need everything spelled out in such excruciating detail, every scene so thoroughly beaten to death.

Tension in a story comes from what is unsaid, not what is said. It is what the reader fills in with their mind in between the lines. So when you stretch every scene and every moment to the max, you have effectively removed all the tension from the story. And you know what you have when there is no tension in a romance? One big bland slog. And indeed, that is this story.

And the longer this went on, the less patient I became. What started out as mildly flirtatious dialogue soon stretched into the sort of awkward, cloy chatter you'd overhear from teenagers and cringe at in real life. And Aiden's grumpy demeanor morphed into the kind of emotionally unavailable character that no real, self-respecting woman would touch with a ten foot pole.

In fact, it got so bad through the second half that I found myself hoping Lucie would come to her senses and ditch Aiden. Lucie, run away! You deserve so much better!

All these issues can be traced back to one problem—the book was just too long. It did not have enough content to fill up over 400 pages. And so instead of coming up with some additional believable conflict or trimming it down, the author instead chose to go with what she had and pad it up. And that's exactly what it feels like when you read it. Every chapter is just the same thing over and over, the same dialogue on repeat, the same angst as to why they couldn't possibly be together when nothing was standing in their way.

So yeah, to all the folks who read this and loved it and want Aiden to be their boyfriend, have at it. I'm taking my ten foot pole and running the heck away.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Not gonna lie, Ali Hazelwood is my guilty pleasure. And Two Can Play is the perfect little escapist read to take me away from it all.

What is there to say that I haven't said a thousand times before? I love Ali Hazelwood, and this story is the perfect example why. Her writing is so spunky and vivacious, it never fails to engage me and put a smile on my face. Even when she uses her signature miscommunication trope, I'm still there for the ride, and that says something.

Speaking of miscommunication, that is the crux of this story. But before you go and throw this book out the window, know that it wasn't too bad here. The novella length saved it from the excessive and extravagant treatment that Ali is known to give her full length novels. Instead, we get just the right dosage and then it's all quickly resolved.

I'm not much of a video game player, so I did go into this with a bit of hesitation. But no worries, Ali has a penchant for writing smart, loveable characters, and I immediately fell in love with both Viola and Jesse. If ever there was a romance trope I adore, it's pining, and this had it in spades. In fact, both of our main characters were partaking, so the sizzle was high.

If I had one quibble, it's that the spicy scenes take up too much of the book, especially considering that this is a short novella to begin with. I wanted less of the sexed-up Viola and Jesse, and more of the regular version. But that's my problem. Every time I read one of Ali's novellas, I end up wanting more. But then I complain that the full length novels are too much. Sorry, Ali, it seems you just can't win with me.

I understand this first came out on audiobook format a few years, and it's only recently that it has been published to written form. That's interesting, and it might be the first time I've ever heard of such a thing. But I didn't listen to the audio, I've only read the book, so all my thoughts are solely for the latter.

Also, someone needs to write The Limerence Saga ASAP. Ali, I hope that's you?

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Perhaps a day will come when I can resist a reference to my favorite Agatha Christie, but it's not this day. And so from the moment I saw the title to this book, I knew I had to read it.

Let's start by setting the correct expectations though. Any similarities to Agatha Christie or And Then There Were None really begins and ends with the fact that both books contain quite a few dead bodies and one title is a pun of the other. But that's it. On every other front, you should really think of this story as not at all related to its namesake.

What this is though is a blend of murder mystery and romance, all set to the coziest of atmospheres and quaintest of villages.

The mystery itself was quite fun and interesting. Georgie's beloved Buncombe-upon-Woolly is gripped in the throes of crime. As more and more residents pop up dead, Georgie can't help but be concerned. Surely five suspicious deaths in a year seems a bit much. And so she has no choice but to stick her nose where it doesn't belong and sleuth out what's really going on.

I liked the mystery. I thought it had clever twists and turns and red herrings of the sort that every mystery reader would approve of. There were quite a few moments throughout when it took me by surprise, and even though the investigation was conducted in the bumbling way this sort of story usually is, it all came together in the end with much satisfaction.

But when it came to the romance, I was less certain. To be fair, I think this is in large part due to the fact that I'm just not crazy about the cozy genre. The writing and the characters ooze a sort of preciousness and by golly jolliness that feels distinctly inauthentic. And so when two of its characters come together, it feels even more fake.

With Georgie especially, although she is so smart in other respects, she exhibits a sort of cluelessness with Sebastian that is immensely grating. There are only so many demure "you can't possibly like me" a reader can take before having had enough.

I'm a little surprise because Martha Waters comes from a romance background and this was her first mystery, But go figure, I wasn't that into the romance and my vote goes solidly to the mystery side of things.

By the way, could this be the start to a mystery series? Now that the ridiculous romance has been all sorted out, I wouldn't mind reading more of Georgie and Sebastian's adventures.

"Why should I need to read about a fictional cozy village full of homicidal maniacs when I am already inhabiting one?"

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

I love Ali Hazelwood, I really do. But her recent tendency towards the meek and emotionally immature female main character has me throwing my hands up in exasperation.

This has been a slow, steady decline. Hazelwood has always been a fan of the miscommunication trope (or no communications at all, as the case may be), and it's the one overarching conflict in all of her books. But to make this trope into a scenario in which hundreds of pages could be written to keep two seemingly compatible people apart, one or the other must suffer from an inability to say what's on their mind. And so here we go again in Deep End.

This book had so much potential. Instead of the usual STEM participants that we've come to expect, we have collegiate athletes who also happen to take their education seriously. Now, as a STEM girl myself, I'm all for scholastic excellence, so to have both that and athletic achievement was almost too much for my nerdy heart to take. But the keyword here is "almost" because it started to go off the rails pretty much immediately.

Scarlett is a diver who harbors a secret inclination for BDSM-style sex. She also suffers from mental block and leftover trauma (the reasons behind the aforementioned inability to communicate). In swoops Lukas, a hot swimmer who just happens to harbor her same sexual inclinations. Only problem? He's the ex of her best friend.

On paper, the premise sounds fine. But even a cursory glance would have you come to the realization that the main conflict for the couple (her friend/his ex) is a thin one at best. How long could this self-inflicted martyrdom on behalf of her friend—who encouraged them to get together in the first place—go on for Scarlett? Well, the book clocks in at almost 450 pages, and you really start to feel it as it goes on.

By the time we get to the final culminating conflict, the wheels have really come off. Scarlett, in all of her meekness, could only watch in horror and victimhood as her friend, whom she has lied to and gaslit the whole way, finally called her up on it. But since Scarlett is the main character and could do no wrong, her friend was the one who eventually had to shoulder the blame and come crawling back to apologize.

You know, in psychology, there is this concept of nice versus kind. Nice is the superficial construct of always saying polite pleasantries and what the other person wants to hear, all in service of getting them to like you. But kindness is a deeper, more empathetic understanding of how to help the other person in the long run, even if it means they might not like you as much in the short term. Scarlett is all former, but the book is written such that it makes her seem like the latter, and I found the whole thing insufferable.

I don't blame the characters, obviously, since it's the authors who make them that way. And I don't even really blame the authors. I get that romance as a genre has always been looked down upon and to be taken seriously, writers feel that they must lean ever more into the conflicts and the trauma and the flawed characters in order to get there. But at some point, you've plumbed the depth of the scenario, and there is just no way to dig any deeper without going so over the top that you're just taking away from the story and the characters.

Also, a big deal is made about the BDSM exploration in this story, with the author even including a note to warn readers at the beginning. But it was so tame that I'm not sure I would've even noticed if the book had not made a huge deal of it. As it stands, the spicy scenes were steamy enough, but they also contain the sort of odd, inadvertently funny quirks that pepper Hazelwood's sex scenes (swallowing a whole boob in another book, constantly tear licking in this one).

And don't even get me started on how all the guys in this story seemed to lust after Scarlett, even though she's devoid of personality and can barely utter a complete sentence around them without a lot of hemming and hawing. Does it remind you of a certain book that rhymes with Twimight? Hmm, maybe that's just me.

All this complaining and yet I keep coming back to Ali Hazelwood. Her writing just grabs me, and no one does banter quite like her. So when we weren't stuck inside Scarlett's head and her back-and-forth about how she has no friends and no one could like her and how scary every male is and how she can't possibly let her best friend know about her feelings, I actually had fun. But it was just so few and far in between, and the rest so exhausting, that it sucked all the energy out the book.

Am I going to keep reading Ali Hazelwood? I don't know. The issue seems to lie in her full-length novels where she has the page count to really go to town on her female main characters, while her novellas remain as fun as they've always been. So there, I guess I've just answered my own question.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

When it comes to vibes, romances can run the gamut. Some are funny, some are steamy. An Academic Affair felt like one big cerebral hug, and I adored every moment of it.

These days, I'm always a little surprised when I enjoy a romcom. Long gone are the days where every single one I pick up is a winner. Now I feel more like a cynic, snarling in my head about the silly characters, unrealistic situations, and forced tropes that make reading a romance more cringey than swoony. So when I find one I actually enjoy, I get pretty excited.

This story works for me on almost every single level. First and most importantly, the premise makes sense. Every book of this genre, in order to cultivate a romance between its main characters, has to come up with valid reasons to keep them interacting with each other. And the one used in here—partner hire—is such an interesting and underutilized method, I have to marvel at its cleverness.

What follows is the sweetest of slow burns, turning academic rivals Sadie and Jonah first into friends, then into lovers. Because their rivalry underpins a lot of their interactions, we also get to participate in a bunch of fun arguments between the two of them, both on the personal front as well as the academic one.

Speaking of academics, I absolutely adored the setting. I have a soft spot for studious, hardworking, smart people who fall in love, and this delivered in spades. We also got to see a lot of Sadie and Jonah's areas of expertise and research, and it was fun to geek out a bit, even in a romance. Their struggle to survive in the cutthroat world of academia made me love them even more.

And maybe all of this hits upon the crux of why I enjoyed this story so much. At a time when other books of the genre seem to come up with ever more over the top schemes in order to force their ridiculous characters together, it's a breath of fresh air to read about genuinely sweet people falling in love under sane circumstances.

By the way, is it me or does it seem like Jodi McAlister is setting up for Chessie and Elias to each have their own stories? If so, I can't wait.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

To be fair, I think this is a fine, maybe even great read within the popular cozy fantasy genre. But am I that big of a fan of the genre to begin with? I'm not sure, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches didn't do anything to change my mind.

But let's start with the good stuff. First of all, this book isn't without its charms. In fact, as Mika embarks on her adventures at Nowhere House and meets all the loveable side characters, I thought the writing and dialogue were both snappy enough—if a bit cutesy wootsy—to give the book that necessary oomph to carry it through. But then the more I read, the more the book started to succumb to the usual things that plague a cozy read.

The issues probably all stem from the fact that everything is very low stakes, pretty much the de facto benchmark for cozy fiction. Every problem will always be neatly resolved, everyone will always get their happily ever after. So with nothing really on the line, I had a lot of trouble keeping my focus on the story, and my attention kept drifting away.

Since it's all very low stakes, the majority of conflicts that did exist felt very forced. The issues were by and large interpersonal in nature, and the characters were forced to behave in ever more melodramatic ways in order to keep them going. The initial snappy dialogue slowly but surely was replaced by ever more precious and saccharine lines, and I couldn't keep my eyes from rolling around.

The other thing that really stood out here was the book's excessive use of f-bombs. Lest you think I'm a prude, let me reassure you. I don't have a problem with swearing in books, and I myself happily partake in real life (something that has landed me in hot water with my toddler on more than one occasion). But here it was used so much—my kindle count came back at 47!—that it jarred me out of the cozy atmosphere constantly.

While we're on the topic of jarring, was the steamy scene even necessary? (Now I'm really starting to sound like a prude.) I'm all for spice, but this one didn't really gel with the rest of the cutesy vibes. The characters' personalities came off as decidedly young and twee, so it was odd to all of a sudden read about them having sex. But hey, don't mind me over here. Perhaps this is a common thing in cozy fiction and I just haven't read enough of them.

Sigh. I think I speak for a lot of readers when I say it's very hard to resist the lure of cozy fantasy. After all, who wouldn't want to be cozy, unless you're mean-spirited and curmudgeonly in your soul (of which I am not). So every time a cozy pops up, I feel compelled to dive into it with the greatest of expectations (and lots of blankets and teas). And inevitably, I am disappointed.

Obviously, if you're a diehard fan of cozy fantasy and you haven't been living under a rock, chances are good you've already heard about and read and loved this book. But what about the folks who don't normally consume the genre? Should they go and pick this up? I'm sorry to say that in this case, my answer is no.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

What’s a girl to do when the only constant presence during the last millennium of her life has been a guy who’s contractually mandated to murder her?

What was it like before Ali Hazelwood came into my life? Well, for one thing, my cheeks didn't hurt so much from all that smiling and laughing, I'll tell you that.

As you'd expect, Hot for Slayer was pretty much a hoot from beginning to end. It was easy to fall into Aethelthryth's world, trying to carve out a life for herself by drinking sustainable scumbag blood and staying away from any vampire slayers. But when a slayer shows up with no memory of their rivalry, what's a vampire to do but invite the cutie over to do sudoku puzzles together and nurse him back to health?

In order for a novella to be successful, it all comes down to the characters. You have to plumb enough depth into them that they feel real and fleshed out, but you're obviously constrained by page count. And Ali Hazelwood totally gets it right with Aethelthryth and Lazlo. They're so sweet and kind and smart, you can't help but adore them.

In addition the characters, there were so many little touches that made this not just a fun read, but a memorable one. The writing was sharp, the dialogue snappy, and the situations authentic and hilarious. There were even little nods to vampire lore, which definitely added to the whole atmosphere.

Sometimes with a full-length romance, it can feel like the conflicts drag out unnecessarily, making it feel long and convoluted. And so to read a novella is quite refreshing. Every scene counts and there are no unnecessary misunderstandings or conflicts just to pad out the pages.

All in all, this was such a cute and delightful way to spend an hour or two. Thank you, Ali Hazelwood, for yet again delivering on the fun.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Not that I would've expected any less from Ali Hazelwood, but Check & Mate was absolutely the adorable and delightful romcom I needed.

Mallory used to love playing chess, but she hasn't played a single game in four years. So when she accidentally faces the #1 ranked player in the world and completely annihilates him, she's rightfully shocked. But it's one thing to stumble into a one-time win, it's another thing altogether to actually commit to playing the game. So what if she can't get Nolan out of her head and he wants a rematch? Mallory has disavowed chess, and she has no intention of changing her mind.

What can I say here that I haven't said about Ali Hazelwood a thousand times before? I read her books for the banter, the snark, and the puns, and she delivers every single time. I feel like I always have a permanent smile affixed to my face, just grinning like an idiot, every time I pick up one of her stories. And let me tell you, I'm not above having a good time.

Instead of being the usual STEM representatives, this time our characters are chess players. Now I know next to nothing about the game, but that didn't stop me from fully connecting with the characters and clapping and cheering for their successes. In particular, Mallory was an easy heroine to root for, and I was so there for her.

In terms of conflicts, I was happy to see that Hazelwood didn't rely on her default miscommunication trope like usual. Instead, Mallory was knocking on the doors of martyrdom, and while that did cause my eyes to roll a few times, the story moved along speedily enough that I didn't end up suffering any permanent eye damage.

Since this is YA, my biggest concern going in was whether this would feel too young to me. But that totally ended up being a nonissue. The story reads just like any other Hazelwood, but with the spicy scenes removed. It even contained the obligatory main character who wasn't into sex until they met "the one," a staple of Hazelwood's at this point. But if your concern is coming from the other direction (i.e. should I let my teen read this?), well that's a different conversation altogether.

It's so nice to have an author you can rely on anytime you're slumping and in need of a frothy, fun, but never frivolous read. And so Ali Hazelwood delivers again, just when I need her the most.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Helen Hoang has a real knack for taking a fairly fluffy genre and elevating it to something more.

It starts with the characters. Every single one of her characters feels so genuine and so sharp that they just jump off the pages, and Esme and Khai are no different. They each have their own problems, yet they remain so inherently kind and sweet throughout that I can't help but adore them.

Esme, in particular, resonated with me so much. She's an immigrant in a foreign land trying to make a better life for herself and her family. She doesn't know what to do a lot of the time, but she does know hard work will pay off and she doesn't shy away from it. She's fierce and determined, and even when things aren't going well, she doesn't give up. She's exactly the kind of female character I can look up to and cheer for.

And Esme and Khai's scenes together were so sweet and sizzling. This is a slow burn romance, so don't expect anything to happen too quickly. Instead, the respect and affection and trust slowly builds up between them, and it's so satisfying to see.

Hoang continues to win with her neurodivergent rep. Khai's character is so thoughtfully and lovingly constructed, you can't help but feel she must've drawn from personal experience and put a bit of herself in him.

But reader beware, for this story isn't all light and fun. In fact, there are some serious topics being tackled here, including the loss of a loved one and unresolved grief. So please tread carefully if you're sensitive to that.

This was such an easy story to fall into. The writing feels effortless, and the way the story unfolds so easily and organically, you're just pulled along for the ride. I totally inhaled it. I'm absolutely loving Helen Hoang's sweet and steamy romances, and I can't wait for more.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Here I was, thinking I'm getting too old and cynical to enjoy a romance. And The Kiss Quotient comes along and totally blows me away.

In recent years, I've started to give up on romances. I pick up so many, yet only a few have managed to really grab me. The characters have gotten crazier, the tropes ever more outlandish, and the sheer amount of disbelief I have to suspend just to imagine that anyone could fall in love with these nutters has really tired me out.

When every book you pick up from a genre is middling, you start to wonder if it's you and not the book. Perhaps the time has come to face the fact that I've started to age out of this genre and that falling in love was so many years and decades behind me that I can no longer recall the feeling. But no, for here is a story that made me remember distinctly the heady, swooping, all encompassing joy of finding your soulmate.

There are many reasons I love this story, and the main characters are undoubtedly a big one. Helen Hoang meticulously and lovingly crafted them to life, and it really shows. There's something so special about Stella and Michael. They each have their own issues, yet they remain so intrinsically good, so sweet and kind and caring throughout, that I just wanted to hug them. I don't think I've ever cheered so hard for a couple to work out.

I absolutely love the neurodivergent rep in here. Sometimes the question comes up if an author has to be what they write. And the answer is, of course not as that would be very limiting. But there is only so much extrapolation, so much imagining you can do about a different way of thinking and a set of experiences you do not have, and to bring actual personal understanding into a character takes it to a whole other level. Stella is so clearly defined, her humanity and her autism so sharply sketched, because Helen Hoang is autistic herself.

Got to talk about the steam factor. I think this book first came out when the trend started of putting cartoony covers on spicy books, and readers everywhere were caught unawares. I don't think anyone reading it today would be surprised, but yeah, this is a steamy book. In fact, I would give it all the red chilly peppers. It's not that the content itself is super outrageous, but more that there is so much tension and sizzle embedded into just about every scene—and there are a lot of these scenes when the story is about a male prostitute teaching an inexperienced woman how to have sex—that you definitely need a cold shower or two afterwards.

Often the romance genre can feel a bit over the top with their pile-on of tropes, conflicts, and misunderstandings, all of which could be easily resolved with some simple conversations. Thankfully, I didn't find this story to be too out there. Yes, there were some issues that dragged on for longer than strictly necessary, but I stayed riveted throughout, mostly due to how genuinely sweet and earnest the characters were, bumbling though they may be.

I gobbled this up. In fact, this was my second time reading it, and I stayed up way too late because I still couldn't put it down. This old favorite definitely remains a favorite, so take that, romance genre!

At the end of the day, do we not all judge romances books by the simple barometer of does it make us feel like we're falling in love? And this story certainly does. But I would venture to say that even more than that, this story exemplifies the core characteristics of a real, happy relationship—that no matter what flaws or issues there may be, that we must remain kind and unselfish and give the best version of ourselves to the person we love. I adore that message so much, and I adore this book for it.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

On the one hand, I did have some fun with this one. But on the other hand, shouldn't these characters be in therapy instead of a romcom?

Let me preface this by saying that my opinion here is decidedly in the minority. I see so much love for this book, so I'm inclined to think this is probably a me-problem and not a book-problem. I'm getting to that cynical old age when I should stop reading romances about silly young 'uns and move onto more serious novels about geriatric leads.

But since you're still here, I might as well tell you my thoughts.

First, the good. The premise of this book is a lot of fun, about a romance author all romanced-out and pretending for her readers. There is a lot of trope awareness within the pages, so it almost feels a bit meta as you're reading it. I also thought the banter was top notch, and it definitely had me chuckling along.

But then, the not so good. I feel like this book took every possible minor issue that the characters could have had and laid it on so thick, it robbed any semblance of reality from the story. Find out your favorite romance author doesn't believe in happily ever after? Cancel her. Caring for an ill loved one? Why not make it almost Munchausen by proxy. Love someone but can't physically be in the same location? Don't even consider long distance, just call it quits and wallow in self-pity.

It's hard to take a story seriously when it's so over the top on everything. I understand that to have a story at all, there needs to be conflicts and resolutions. And yes, sometimes one has to stretch the conflicts a bit in order to have a story last the requisite 300 pages to be called a book. But this one went so hard to town with just about everything, it started to feel vaguely farcical.

And this nuttiness extended to the characters too. At the center is Margot, the most beautiful and successful female lead ever, yet so full of self-doubt that she needs constant reassurance from everyone around her, which she manifests as rudeness and brattiness and borderline harassment.

"No, Forrest, you listen. You gave me every indication that you were interested. I thought maybe we could have a little fun in this godforsaken place, but since that's obviously not something you're capable of, I'm happy to find it somewhere else."

Yikes, talk about a red flag! Then there is Forrest, yet another one of those doormat male leads, existing solely to fall in love with and bolster up our female lead, no matter how poorly she behaves. I cringed so hard in embarrassment for them both, my cheeks were permanently pink while reading this.

And the cherry on top? They were both caring for ill loved ones, but to a degree that was so extreme, these said loved ones had to formulate complicated plans to extricate themselves from this unwelcome, excessive style of smothering and guilt/self-conflagration. My eyes rolleth out of my head, my friends.

At its core, in order for me to buy into a romance, I have to believe that people can fall in love with the main characters, and it just didn't happen here. It's one thing to suspend disbelief, and I'm happy to do so for pretty much every book I read. But the way Margot and Forrest were written, they were just a step too far beyond disbelief for me.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

"You get the world you're willing to fight for."

Ah. We've now come to the exhilarating conclusion of The Crimson Moth duology, and let me tell you, my friends, it does not disappoint.

We start off soon after the end of the first book, and it's as if I've never left. Everything I loved is back—the characters, the enemies-to-lovers romance, the unbelievably high stakes and the even bloodier conflicts. And just like its predecessor, Rebel Witch was unputdownable from the first page to the last, and I couldn't have been more thrilled with how it all went down.

One of the things that impressed me the most about this series is the ease in which one can just slip into this world and its magic system. When it comes to reading fantasy, there is nothing worse than onerous or confusing worldbuilding, all happening at the expense of the reader's ability to be fully immersed. So I'm always delighted when I open the first page of any book, and I'm immediately sucked in.

I have to talk about the enemies-to-lovers here. It's a trope lots of books try, but hardly any get right. That's because it's hard to come up with a reasonable premise in which two people who hate each other could not only grow to love each other, but would actually have the time and opportunity to do so. Enter this duology and its searing romance, taking that trope and totally hitting it out of the park.

Romantasies can really run the gamut in terms of how much fantasy versus romance they each have. Some are predominantly fantasy with just a smidge of romance and some have lots of romance with nary a whiff of fantasy. This duology really strikes the perfect balance between the two. Both are crucial to the story, but neither overshadow the other. As a result, I do feel like you have to be able to enjoy some romance in order to appreciate this series, though maybe you don't necessarily have to be a huge fan of fantasy, if that makes sense.

Also, let's not beat around the bushes here. It's clear a big reason why this was such a riveting read is that it's two books and we're done. I hope it's not blasphemous to say in a genre and era dominated by ever longer multi-book series, but I like them succinct. It's not always better to have more books, especially when there isn't more content. So it's refreshing to come across standalones and duologies that get to the point, where every scene matters and the narrative is motivated to move forward at a snappy rate.

The one thing to note (and I thought the same about the first book) is that this very much feels like an adult story even though it is marketed as YA. The themes in here are undeniably mature, including scenes of violence, torture, death, blood, and sex. Honestly, there are plenty of adult books tamer than this. So watch out if your young 'uns want to read this, is what I'm saying.

It's hard not to get caught up in the story here. Every component, while not super unique, comes together and clicks so well, you're just swept away into the world of witches and the New Republic. I think if you're looking for a fun romantasy, you can't reasonably ask for more than this.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Gideon would come for her, and when he did, Rune would be ready.

Okay, this would have to be the most enjoyable witchy story I've read in quite some time.

Rune Winters is a witch, but no one can find out. For in the New Republic, to admit to being a witch is tantamount to treason, punishable by having your throat slit and strung up to bleed out in the public square. Rune watched her beloved grandmother die this way, and she can't stand by and do nothing while others suffer the same fate . But she's going up against the Blood Guard, an elite group of soldiers bent on purging witches. And their captain, Gideon Sharpe, is the most lethal of all. In order to save others of her kind, she'll have no choice but to seduce him and gain his confidence.

When we're talking about enemies-to-lovers (in my opinion, one of the most interesting tropes out there), I often feel like the enemy part isn't taken very seriously. In place of real enemies, you're more likely to come across weak rivals or even snarky acquaintances, who are then forced to interact in ever more outlandish ways in order to satisfy the "enemy" trope. So you can imagine my surprise and delight when Rune and Gideon turned out to be actual enemies, with good reason to hate each other and want each other dead. Well then, let the games begin, shall we?

I love it when a story grabs you right off the bat, and Heartless Hunter does just that. There's no awkward worldbuilding, no confusing backstories. Right from the first page, we're sucked into the thick of things and it doesn't stop from there. The magical system is clear and easy to understand so we can focus on the good stuff, and that's what's happening between Rune and Gideon.

The witch and the witch hunter must engage in a cat and mouse game in which each is trying to outmaneuver the other. Both are committed to their cause and believe it's worth fighting to the death for. To mess up is to face deadly consequences, so the stakes could not be higher. You then sprinkle in a bit of attraction between the two, and how could I not be riveted?

But I don't want to overemphasize the romance part because I think that undersells the story and it isn't the main reason why I found it so interesting. It's the matching of the wits and how the two enemies must always stay one step ahead of the other. In particular, I loved Rune's character and how she approached the obstacles in her way. She's smart and courageous in face of overwhelming odds, and she's exactly the sort of heroine I get excited about.

The only thing I'm a little surprised by is that this is marketed as young adult. The violence, the themes, and the sexual content all seem pretty on par with any adult fantasy I've ever read, and it even has one spicy scene. The only young adult part of it is the age of the characters, so just be aware if that concerns you.

I wouldn't say this story treads new ground, but what it does, it does supremely well. It was such a fun and entertaining read from beginning to end, and I can't wait to get to the sequel.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Can you really fill 500 pages with nothing but posturing and dithering, and call it a book? Apparently you can.

What the heck happened here? Was Rebecca Yarros kidnapped and an imposter wrote this book? Did she crack under the pressure and had to ChatGPT it? Because this doesn't resemble at all the series I've come to know and love, and I'm left pretty speechless (well, not so speechless that I can't rant).

Let's start by asking the most crucial question of all: did anything of consequence actually happen in this book? And the answer is unfortunately no. No plot was furthered, no stakes were raised. In fact, the end of the book is where I thought it would begin, so you can imagine my bewilderment at all the pages in between.

So what were these hundreds of pages filled with? Endless scenes of Violet and Xaden declaring how much they love each other (yeah, we get it) while throwing a fit at anyone who dare disagree (wah wah), interspersed with political intrigue that didn't amount to anything (who are these randos?) and quests that didn't amount to anything either (who even cares).

Where is the tension of the first book? Where are the jaw-dropping reveals of the second? But what the third book lacks from the first two, it amply made up by being inexplicably confusing. There were so many needless characters and locations mentioned, none of which really mattered. I kept flipping back and forth to the map, trying and failing to discern what it is I'm meant to take away from those moments.

Every scene in the first book felt essential and memorable, and the same could be said for the second book (minus the ones related to Violet and Xaden's mind-numbing conflicts). And yet, I come to a close on the third book and can hardly point to even one thing in here that stood out. Honestly, I barely remember what happened because nothing actually did.

And in place of real developments, we get non-reveals disguised under intentionally obscure writing. Instead of calling something or someone by its name, we get treated to vague pronouns like "it", "he", and "she", only for the subject to be divulged many pages later once the reader is good and befuddled. And each time this happened, it was treated like a reveal, as if we readers are too dumb to notice we've been had.

Violet and Xaden's interactions border on insufferable in here. What made their relationship compelling in the first book was the intrigue of enemies-to-lovers. That quickly started wearing thin in the second book, and by the time we get to this one, all the shine had fallen off. The trope is over and done with two books ago, so why is Yarros still harping on it? After all, there's a reason why lovers-who-can't-stand-to-be-apart isn't a trope, and it's because no one wants to read that whiny crap.

Just to cement how far this has deviated from the series I love, we only need to look at the end of this book. What I expected was to be wowed by a supremely shocking development on the fantasy side, something to tide me over for the next however many years it will take Yarros to write the next book. Instead, we get a trivial update on Violet and Xaden's relationship, presented as if it's the sort of epiphany that will keep me coming back for book 4. No, thanks.

At one point while trudging through this, I started to doubt myself and my love for the series, wondering if I'd imagined the whole thing and was just caught up in the hype. Then in a moment of confusion, I went to look something up in the first book and was immediately and thoroughly sucked in, only managing to tear myself away two hours later. Reading them side by side, the difference in the quality and immersiveness of the two books is stark and dispiriting. And when I would rather reread a book I'd already read in the series than the shiny new installment, you know something is terribly wrong.

Which brings us to the question of why does this book even exist in the first place. Did Yarros think this was an essential tale that needed to be told, but it somehow went off the rails during the writing process? Did she take inspiration from Peter Jackson and The Hobbit and try to squeeze as many books as possible out of the smallest amount of content? Or did she get talked into a five-parter by her publishing team against her better judgement? Whatever the reason, I can't help but think this book is such a poor showing, surely many of her readers will not continue from here.

It isn't just that this book is filler. It's that it's such trite, garbled, confused filler as to make me lose confidence in the author and her ability to deliver the rest of the series. This book not only reeks of confusion for the reader, but it also seems like Yarros herself is confused too, as if even she doesn't know where her series is going. And that is disheartening indeed.

When I first started this series, I went in with some trepidation. Rebecca Yarros comes from a romance background, so I thought there was a chance she wouldn't be able to balance fantasy and romance in the same story. I was afraid that she would prioritize the romance to the detriment of the fantasy, and three books in, my worst fears are realized. Maybe her original fanbase is thrilled by this book, but as a reader who got hooked on Fourth Wing primarily because of its fantasy badassery—dragons, signets, heroes and heroines, you name it—this book doesn't deliver any of what I wanted.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

I feel like to really enjoy Ali Hazelwood and her brand of romance, you have to be someone who loves nerdy science talk and wacky banter, the more the better and preferably all in the same sentence. Lucky for me, that's exactly the sort of thing I enjoy.

Let's start with the science here. Hannah and Ian both work for NASA on engineering teams that land rovers on Mars. Yeah, I pretty much hyperventilated when I realized that was the setting of their romance. It harkens back to my youth when I dreamed of working for NASA, so you can understand my excitement. Then you add in the copious amounts of technical jargon that Hazelwood always sprinkles into her stories and my space-loving heart was just blown into smithereens.

Of course as always, the dialogue was on point and had me in stitches from beginning to end. It's not just the conversation between our two mains. It's also all the side chatter and even the inner dialogue. Everything felt so sharp and witty and thoroughly delightful.

One thing is that Hazelwood's stories do tend to rely excessively on the miscommunication trope. So it's with relief that I report the conflicts in here actually make sense and it's not just two people deciding not to say simple things to each other. And since it's a novella, the conflicts don't drag on and on, but rather is resolved swiftly and with satisfaction.

I loved this story so much! I only wish Hazelwood had saved the premise for a full-length novel instead so I could've had more of it.

Readaroo Rating: 4.5 stars

I don't think I'm asking for too much when it comes to romance. I want banter, I want sizzle, and I want swoon. And yet, somehow, I keep coming across romance books with none of the above.

Emmy was thrown from her horse during barrel racing, so she's now back at her family's ranch recovering mentally from the accident and figuring out her next steps. Of course there's a cute boy next door who just happens to be her brothers' best friend and totally off-limits. All of a sudden, sparks are flying and Emmy and Luke can't help falling for each other.

Okay that's a great premise. But right off the bat, there's a problem. Where are the sparks? I detected not an ounce of sizzle or tension anywhere in here. The characters were bland, their conversations were bland, and I had a hard time imagining anyone falling in love or lust while saying such bland and boring things to each other.

A large part of the problem is the writing style. It essentially intercuts scenes inside the characters' heads (where they constantly go on and on about how beautiful the other person is and how attracted they are to them), with the aforementioned bland dialogue, with some additional scenes of them talking to their BFFs about how much they like the other person. It was just tell, tell, tell, with no show at all.

The things is, tension (romantic or otherwise) always comes from what is unsaid, not what is said. So if you have a story that is all tell and no show and essentially overshares and overexplains the feelings that the characters have for each other, then you have effectively killed good and dead the most important element in a story.

Another issue is the characters. It's not that they're unlikable, because that would mean there is something to dislike. It's more that they feel generic, like cardboard cutouts of what romance leads should be. Luke is nice and handsome and always there to lend a hand, while Emmy has deep-seated issues that Luke will inevitably swoop in and make all better. I guess I just expected a little bit more.

Even the cowboy element felt so bland. If you take out the fact that they're on a ranch and Luke wore a cowboy hat once in the whole story, and substitute a different sport for barrel racing, this would literally be any other romance. I don't think there was even a single cowboy expression or "yeehaw!" in here.

The other thing that was disappointing was the ADHD rep. There was specifically an author's note at the beginning of the book talking about how she has ADHD, and she wrote Emmy with that in mind. I'm always so heartened to see diverse representation in books, so when Emmy's ADHD turned out to be little more than her being messy and late to things, it felt lacking.

I'm sorry, but this book did not live up to the hype. Sure, if you're wanting a generic romance with some horses thrown in, there's nothing wrong with this one. But if you're hoping for even a little bit more, you're better off looking somewhere else.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars