Every time I'm about to embark on a Tessa Bailey book, I'm just filled with glee. She has always spoken my love language, and with this Bellinger Sisters series, I feel like she's really hit the top of her game.

Why did it take me so long to get to this book? I kept putting it off because I'd seen some mixed reviews and was afraid I wouldn't enjoy it. But of course Tessa Bailey wouldn't let me down. I should've known better than to doubt her.

Piper is a wealthy socialite who passes her days with shopping, partying, and attention-hogging on the internet. But after a publicity stunt goes wrong, her stepfather cuts off her funding. She's forced to go to Westport to find her roots and her purpose in life. But what does a girl like her know about fitting in at this small fishing town? Soon though, she starts to understand what makes Westport so special, including a certain gruff, hardworking sea captain.

Can we take a moment to talk about how adorable the Piper and Brendan pairing is? Piper appears a bit frivolous at first with her glamorous exterior, but underneath is an optimistic gal with a heart of gold. And Brendan is clearly besotted with her, though he tries hard to hide it beneath his grouchy, reticent demeanor. How cute is that! Honestly, I just can't get enough of the grumpy/sunshine trope.

While a lot of romances skirt around the fact that the female lead might be high-maintenance, I love how this book puts it front and center. Both Piper and Brendan not only acknowledge it, but it's a big part of their attraction to each other. She wants nice things and he wants to give them to her. While I'm a pretty low-maintenance girl myself, it still makes my heart go pitter-patter to think of a lover who wants to work hard to keep their beloved's affection.

As the story progressed, I loved the focus on Piper taking the time to discover who she really is and finding the meaning that she so desperately craves. The backstory of why she is in Westport and all the supporting characters add so much heart to this whole thing. Change is hard, and it's heartwarming to see both Piper and Brendan change and meet in the middle to make their relationship work.

This is the fifth book by Tessa Bailey I've read, and I've loved them all. You'd think by this point, her stories would start to feel old and stale, but no. Each of her books feels unique, with its interesting characters and fun storylines. They just draw me in and I'm always riveted.

Since this is a Tessa Bailey, of course it comes with a public service announcement regarding the steam factor. Please watch out, especially if it's your first one by her. She definitely isn't shy about including explicit, open-door scenes, even though the cute cover will have you thinking otherwise.

No doubt about it, this was a delightful experience from beginning to end, with enough sizzle to leave a permanent sear on my heart. In fact, of all the Tessa Bailey's I've read so far, this has got to be my favorite. It totally spoke to me, and I loved every character and every moment. And there's just enough teaser in here that I can't wait to read Hannah and Fox's story.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

I'm always excited to learn a little bit more about the universe. And while This Way to the Universe does do that for the parts I understood, I feel like a lot of it went over my head.

The book takes us on a journey through the highlights of all that science has discovered and yet to discover about the universe, from its origin all the way to now and where it might go from here. It's a fairly technical journey, bound in theoretical physics and math, and my understanding of the book definitely reflects that.

For me, where this book works best is that it tries to tie all the information together into a cohesive narrative. It was satisfying to walk through the history of scientific progress and to check in at its pivotal moments. Along the way, Dine pays homage to many scientists, including women and those from non-Western countries whose impact may be lesser known to the world.

However, the book lost me for a big chunk in the middle once it started going into subatomic territory with mesons, pions, gluons, and symmetry, to name a few. There's just not enough depth here. The book tries to tackle these fairly complicated topics without the necessary background or details. So if you don't already know the topics covered, it would be hard for you to glean anything from what's in the pages.

It's not entirely the author's fault. I can see that he didn't want to get mired in the technical details in a 300-page book. Otherwise, it would soon resemble a textbook. But without any technical explanation, it's just impossible for me to make heads or tails out of the whole thing. It almost feels like this should be a companion to a graduate-level course rather than a standalone book for the layman.

Too bad. The topics in here are fascinating and the parts I could understand worthwhile. But I just can't rate it higher than 3 stars when I didn't understand half the book.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

Meh. The Paris Apartment feels mostly like melodramatic dithering, but I guess I was somewhat entertained.

Jess needs a place to stay, so she hits up her half brother. When she arrives at his residence, she finds a fancy building with questionable tenants, but no sign of Ben. As she digs deeper and asks around, she starts to realize that all is not as it seems at this apartment building. Dun dun dun!

Having read a few of Lucy Foley's books, I feel like she's really good at building up anticipation. Every moment in this book is so dramatic, with dark shadows and scary sounds at every turn. That's all good, but after a while, it gets to be a bit much, you know? There's no natural ebb and flow in the tone. It's just all high anticipation, all the time.

It doesn't help that every character acts so high-strung and paranoid, even when nothing is happening.

I watched as Nick's friend plucked a sprig of rosemary from one of the bushes, tearing hard to wrench it free. How he crushed it to his nose, inhaled. There was something presumptuous about the gesture. It felt like an act of vandalism.

What the heck. Who attacks a bush just to smell it? And who watches someone do that and calls it "presumptuous"? Reader, if you're able to keep from rolling your eyes, you're a better person than I am.

For a book advertised as a mystery, it sure doesn't feel like one. Jess doesn't so much suss out clues as she bumbles around, pilfering stuff, sticking her foot in her mouth, and just generally acts like an incompetent idiot. The other characters are all unlikable too, though each in their own way. And everyone is smelly, with stale breath and excessive sweat.

After all that exaggerated writing, do the twists deliver? Eh, they seem pretty standard to me for the genre. I wasn't really surprised or shocked. In fact, it feels more ridiculous than anything else.

Still, I was compelled to turn the pages, so I must've been somewhat entertained by all the antics.

Readaraoo Rating: 3 stars

Imagine if all men took women seriously . . .

When you come across that perfect read, at what point do you realize? For me, it was from the very first page of Lessons in Chemistry.

Honestly, who does Bonnie Garmus think she is, coming in here and writing a book that completely speaks to me? And on top of that, it's her debut. Well, just knock me over with a feather too while you're at it, why don't you!

Elizabeth Zott is a chemist in the 1960s. The problem is, she is the only one who views herself that way. Her male colleagues cannot get past the fact that she's a woman, and treat her more as a secretary and doormat, acknowledging her only long enough to steal her work. That is, until Calvin Evans, another brilliant chemist, comes along and really sees all that she is capable of. But life is unexpected, and so a few years later, Elizabeth is somehow the host of a cooking show. But in her heart, she still desires to be truly seen as a chemist.

You guys know how much I love strong female characters, and Elizabeth Zott is all that and more. She's fearless in the face of adversity, she stays true to herself, and she never lets others intimidate her into being less than all she can be. In other words, she is my hero.

It's not just Elizabeth who warms my heart. This story has the most wonderful collection of supporting characters. They add so much color and spirit to the whole thing. I wanted to hug them all. And if you're an animal lover of any sort, just be ready to have your heart burst into a million ooey gooey pieces. In fact, Six-Thirty might just be my favorite literary dog of all time.

The writing is so witty and brilliant. There's a zing to it that makes it feel zippy and wholly original. I couldn't stop laughing and I couldn't put it down. Usually I can't wait to reach the end of a book so I can check it off my long TBR and move onto the next. But I wanted this to go and go and never end. I tried to savor every moment, but I ended up devouring it.

What an absolute delight this was, from the very first moment to the last. It possesses all the hallmarks of the very best stories. It made me laugh, feel, think, and wonder. It filled me with joy and buoyed my spirits. It gave me everything I wanted and everything I didn't even know to ask for.

So many books come and go that often a true gem ends up buried in the deluge. Please don't let this one pass you by. Go read it. You'll be glad you did.

Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.

"I was raised in hatred, Roma. I could never be your lover, only your killer."

Before you get too excited, that was practically the only pithy line in the entire book. I thought I was getting an exciting gangster retelling of Romeo and Juliet with some fantasy elements. Instead, the writing almost did me in.

In 1920s Shanghai, rival gangs the Scarlets and the White Flowers are engaged in a blood feud. Their young heirs Juliette Cai and Roma Montagov used to be secret lovers, until Roma betrayed Juliette. Now they are sworn enemies. When rumors of a monster reaches their ears, and dead bodies start piling up around the city with their throats torn out, they know they must act. But can they put aside their differences to save their people, or will they lose everything they hold dear?

The premise sounds so good, right? And did I mention it's set in Shanghai, the place of my birth and early years, one of my favorite cities in the world to visit? But even the scintillating setting and the story's numerous references to its beloved landmarks and delicious food could not save it.

It was such a slog from beginning to end. The writing feels overdone in the way that YA can sometimes come across. The melodramatic and ornate style is meant to impress the reader with how deep it is, but instead I'm just confused. Sure, it sounds good and all, but what does it actually mean?

There is so much fluff and unnecessary details packed in everywhere. No character can be introduced without pages of irrelevant background information, like how much they enjoy drawing spheres and what their favorite necklace is. But it's all telling and no showing. So even after all that, I still can't discern their personalities other than that they shoot first and ask questions later, as is typical of gangsters.

The pacing is absolutely glacial. The developments happen so slowly that I often forget where I am in the plotline. It doesn't help that the book keeps making big deals out of reveals that I thought were obvious many chapters prior, while still being unclear about key points. (What is the Larkspur?)

For a 450-page book, almost nothing happens until the very end. You could conceivable skip hundreds of pages in the middle and miss nothing. In fact, I barely have any memories of the middle chunk of the book.

I'm honestly baffled that such an amazing premise could turn into such a dull and onerous execution. There's a good story in there somewhere. It was just smothered to death by the overwrought writing.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

"What did you tell him?"

"I explained that you are a highly skilled assassin."

I've been so excited for this follow up to the Finlay Donovan series ever since I read book 1 last year. The dark humor and zaniness really left an impression on me. But unfortunately, I just didn't find Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead to be nearly as good as its predecessor.

If you'll remember from book 1, Finlay accidentally got mistaken for an assassin for hire when her conversation with her agent was overheard and misconstrued. The book ended on a twist that perfectly sets up for this one. And so we pick up right where we left off, with Finlay yet again trying to untangle herself from the world of murder and mayhem, with her loyal friend and nanny Vero by her side.

This series has always been a bit over-the-top, and that is part of its charm. Bad things happen, so Finlay has to find a way to fix them, and in the process, more bad things happen. But this book took that formula and just went to town with it, such that it no longer felt like dark humor so much as slapsticks comedy. We follow hijinks after hijinks, and it never ends. After a while, I didn't really see the point anymore.

It doesn't help that there were so many characters in here, each of whom had their own reasons and their own antics. Soon, so much was happening that it all became a bit muddled. It felt like we were just going in circles, and I had trouble keeping straight who was related to who in what way and why they were all doing what they were doing. It felt like a hot mess, honestly.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it at all (because hot messes can be fun in their own way). But looking back on the first book with its charm, wit, and dark humor, this one just doesn't quite compare.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

With Reminders of Him, Colleen Hoover cements her status as queen of the emotional read.

You'd think having read so many of Hoover's books, I would be better prepared. One, always have a box of tissues ready. Two, never read it in public. But I haven't learned my lesson. This time, I was in the doctor's office, sitting in the waiting room, when I got walloped with the feels. I tried to pass it off as allergies, but sobbing and allergies don't exactly look the same, you know?

Kenna has just been released from prison, where she served her time for an accident that had forever altered the course of her life. She returns to the town where it all went wrong, in the hopes of being reunited with the daughter she's never known. But old grudges die hard, and the town isn't so ready to welcome her back. The only ally she may have is Ledger, owner of the local bar, who has his own ties to her past.

This book sure packs a punch. I don't know if it's just where I am in my life currently, but reading about Kenna's separation from her daughter was particularly painful and heartbreaking. It was hard not to cry through most of it, if I'm being honest. The other thing that really struck a chord with me is Kenna's hope for a second chance after having done her time. It's still pretty rare for literature to include this important theme, and I'm always so heartened to see it.

There are so many sides to this story, so many different ways of looking at it. There's no real right or wrong, just lots of gray in the middle. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of readers felt strongly that Kenna's situation is too harsh or too lenient. And I certainly wouldn't be surprised if those two groups ended up overlapping, with the same readers feeling both. This is exactly the sort of story that balances on an edge, tugging your heartstrings one way, then another.

If I had one quibble, it's that the pacing of the story felt a little bit off. The middle part dragged on for longer than necessary without much in the way of plot advances. Then when we get to the end, the resolution happens seemingly out of nowhere, without any of the anticipated pushbacks. After the odyssey that was the journey, the ending felt a bit abrupt to me.

Still, Colleen Hoover is known for delivering eminently readable stories, and this is just as riveting as the rest. Though she puts so much emotional toil into them, they never make me want to turn away. I want to continue flipping the pages. I want to feel whatever emotional punishment she has in store for me. And that's what makes her stories so special.

Just don't forget my two tips if you're going to read this. And maybe I'll even remember them myself one day.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.