Book Blog #410: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

 

Title: Ugly Love

Author: Colleen Hoover

# of Pages: 323 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her. Never ask about the past. Don’t expect a future. They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Review: An easy read for people who enjoy their romance with tension, bad communication, and baggage!

Ugly Love follows a similar story arch as Maybe Someday (just replace the song writing sessions with sex, and take out the cheating). I definitely could enjoy the main characters in this one more despite their flaws (Tate being so submissive she's a pushover, Miles needing therapy and being overbearing).

There's first person POV switching, but it didn't really bother me this time because the chapters for both Miles and Tate were pretty engaging. The downside of Tate's chapters were that they mostly focused on repetitive sex scenes vs Mile's POV was written like Milk and Honey style poetry but dumbed down to a wispy child's mentality. 

Hoover also does a great job at writing male main characters who give me the ick for one reason or another (makes me wonder what men in her life inspire such problematic male characters). Miles is better than Ridge, but I had a hard time cheering for his relationship with Tate because of his unresolved baggage he displaced on her. 

Overall a decent read for an accessible romance book. Scratched my itch for romance read!

Book Blog #408: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

 

Title: Maybe Someday

Author: Colleen Hoover

# of Pages: 367 (paperback)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Synopsis: At twenty-two years old, Sydney has a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter's cheating on her--and she is left trying to decide what to do next. Sydney becomes captivated by Ridge, her mysterious neighbor. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one...

Review: This one can go in the trash with all the other "romance" books that glorify cheating.

Maybe Someday tries to tout two main messages: "love has no boundaries" and "even if you cannot control how you feel, you can control how you act." However, Sydney and Ridge's relationship is a TERRIBLE example of both of these things. 

Ridge is a horrible person. Sydney wants others to recognize him as an honest man who works hard to maintain integrity in his relationships when he LITERALLY makes untactful jokes and doesn't seem to have respect for his other romantic relationship. Red flags everywhere. 

Sydney's perspective (because yes, there's first person POV switching) is what I imagine Ariana Grande's internal dialogue must have been like when she got with Ethan Slater. "Yes, he's in a relationship, but the undeniable love between us and our shared passion for our craft overcomes all (even though we know better)!"

Not attached to any of these characters who seem more like caricatures than real people. I was not excited about Ridge and Sydney's love story and thought it was not a story worth telling.

Book Blog #406: Whistler by Ann Patchett

 

Title: Whistler

Author: Ann Patchett

# of Pages: 296 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again. Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

Review: A short read but not a quick read.

"We should think about doing the things we want to do while we’re able to do them"

Whistler is unsurprisingly contemplative story focused on nuanced, familial relationships between 50+ yr old characters who are tied together by something greater than just blood. I did find myself feeling a bit emotional thinking about aging and lost time, but ultimately it's more of a slice of life of characters who spend a lot of reminiscing and not much else. While there was a lot of beauty in long lost relationships being rekinded, there's just not a lot that HAPPENS in this book, which made it less of a gripping read.

Although they're quite different (in format, character development), I do see why The Correspondent dropped in an Ann Patchett mention; the vibes are somewhat similar.  Another similarity with that book (and honestly many others) is that Patchett is definitely writing in the realm of what she knows (main character always dreamed of being a novelist, multiple characters work at major publishing houses, etc). 

I liked it, but nothing really stood out to me. I kept putting this book down and thought there could be more to the story. This is my first Ann Patchett book, so maybe this slow, slice of life style is common in her books, and it's just not my ideal read. I'd recommend it only if the premise already sounds interesting to you.

Book Blog #405: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

 

Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Author: V.E. Schwab

# of Pages: 442 (hardcover)

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: France, 1714: In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

Review: I went in expecting a fantasy romance and instead got a contemplative contemporary laced with magical realism. But the best part is I fell in love with this story more than I expected. 

This story was basically a big hypothetical scenario on what would life looked like if you had unlimited time (which most people wish they had more of) but no one remembered you (what many fear will happen in death). It makes me feel existential in the best way possible but also inspired; if Addie can still find beauty in being alive after 300 years then so can everyone else in our relatively short lives.

This book is pretty reads slowly in that there's a lot of nostalgic, vibes based writing that isn't directly related to the plot (the book would be 1/3 shorter if we cut out all the "fluff"). Although I wished the plot was a bit stronger, I actually liked the fluff in this case. The dialogue was simplistic, but the descriptions were so cinematic that captures not only the visual aspect but emotional as well. This is one of the few books I've read where the experience felt more like a movie in my mind.

Some parts actually reminded me of A Little Life, partially because both showcase the romantic aspects of NYC, but also because the story would jump between perspectives (but for this book, it's all in third person) and time. These latter two were actually downsides for me and almost made me want to give this book 3 stars (the chapters are short, so ever perspective change and/or time skip kept breaking my immersion).

I was really invested in learning more about Addie, the demon with whom she make a bargin, and the young man at the bookstore (no spoilers!) and how at least the former two are morally grey. I also really enjoyed reading about their relationships especially in the last 1/3 of the book. 

However, the magical realism aspect of this story is pretty weak; the story is best enjoyed if you DON'T think too much about the rules. The rules aren't even clear to Addie, which is fine, but even by the end it's pretty ambiguous to the reader and feels like there's conflicting examples on when the curse does/doesn't apply. 

Got a bit emotional at the end thinking about mortality. Would recommend for people who like feeling existential and are okay with sad reads.

Book Blog #402: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

 

Title: The Love Hypothesis

Author: Ali Hazelwood

# of Pages: 383 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rating:★★★★☆

Synopsis: As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs. Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.

Review: This was WAY more enjoyable and fun than I expected.

The premise is nothing new; it follows the usual progression of any other friend to lovers romance, male savior fantasy. I was really in the mood to read something strongly focused on a love story, especially after reading a lot of books that had 0 romance (e.g. Dungeon Crawler Carl, The Poppy War). It checked all the boxes, plenty of yearning and sweet moments where the characters show how much they care about each other.

"This is a Hallmark movie. Or a poorly written young adult novel. That will not sell well."

What made this story standout is that its a metafiction. Hazelwood is self-aware of exactly what is serving the audience; a protagonist who is "a living, breathing, rom-com trope machine." I loved the commentary from the other characters on the ridiculousness of the premise and how exaggerated each trope plays out. 

But one trope I didn't enjoy was how prominent miscommunication is central in the conflict, especially at the end of the story. ESPECIALLY since this is not some high school romance; these are supposed to be more mature, intelligent adults in a relationship.

Hazelwood also does her signature "throw in a few tidbits of women empowerment in STEM". While the messaging is good, the execution feels random and non-cohesive with the main plot.

Overall, much much better Hazelwood's Deep End that I read earlier this year, despite both stories suffering from the bad communication trope. The characters were more likable, and it was more believable that the two main characters developed a relationship that isn't just based on lust.

Would recommend this to people who are interested in a fun, easy to read romance!

Book Blog #396: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

 

Title: The Correspondent

Author: Virginia Evans

# of Pages: 280 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter. Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness. Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

Review: To Virginia Evans, I give her a quote from her own book:

"You do very well with inhabiting your narrators and telling the story as they would" 

The Correspondent is a collection of letters/emails between Sybil, a grandmother and retired lawyer and various people in her life ranging from her children to a customer service rep. Sybil's personality is quite apparent in her letters; she's your classic rambling, oversharing, judgmental elderly retiree. I was hating this book in the start because I don't usually like talking with these type of people in real life, but I realized that Evan's was actually very masterful at crafting Sybil's letters to portray this familiar archetype.

Despite Sybil's stubbornness, I liked that she is depicted as a fallible. Although she is still an old woman who tends to be stuck in her ways, this story still captures her character growth in her capacity to reflect, process trauma, and most of all admit fault and make amends.

I usually avoid this format (collection of letters) because it's ultimately my least favorite format (first person POV switching), made worse by not knowing who is writing the letter until you pick up on context clues (or skip to the end to see who's name signs off on it). While these arguments still hold true for this book, Evan's did a great job at taking advantage of taking advantage of the benefits of this format. Major revelations are delivered almost offhandedly, embedded in the natural flow of the letters, which makes them feel more surprising and real as the reader learns about them alongside the recipient. 

Slow paced and a peaceful read. While I appreciate Sybil's realistic depiction, I didn't particularly connect with her and her story emotionally (thus the three stars). I wouldn't recommend this book in a hurry if you don't think you can resonate with this type of person, especially since the story is about a woman who is extraordinary amongst those she knows but unextraordinary otherwise. 

Book Blog #395: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

 

Title: Wild Dark Shore

Author: Charlotte McConaghy

# of Pages: 300 (hardback)

Genre: Adult, Mystery, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon. Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore. Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late―and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.

Review: McConaghy has written yet another great book.

But most noticeably, there's a huge climate/nature/animal conservation and appreciation element to this book that seems to be now be a running theme for all her books. This book is actually paced very slowly, and there's a lot of descriptions of the animals on the island and seeds in the seed bank that don't necessarily drive the plot forward. It wasn't surprising to hear that McConaghy visited, researched, and based the setting off Macquarie Island, and reading this book knowing that this is ultimately an ode to that island explains why there's so much focus on this rather than the mystery it's pitched as.

However, surprisingly I actually liked the simultaneously despairing but hopeful slice of life story that allows the reader to get to know Rowan, Dominic, and his children. The whole book could have focused more on these people building relationships with each other (focus on themes of family/parent-child relationships, trauma, etc.) and I would have been happy (4+ stars). 

What did bother me was the first and third person POV switching. The rapid switching between 5 characters means short chapters, but this could have been told equally effectively in omniscient third person. 

Most of the mystery element is created by omission; the characters collectively know the full story but will trickle truth it to the reader. I don't remember much about Migrations after 4 years but IIRC, they similarly used this story telling strategy. Not a fan, and on the mystery aspect and POV switching (especially in the beginning before I became invested in the characters, I was almost going to rate this book 2-3 stars.

The way children were depicted in Migrations felt unrealistic to me, and I feel similarly about the 9 year old child (Orly) in this book, especially in the beginning. This improved a bit later on in the story, but the older children and adult character felt more authentic. 

In the end, this book lands somewhere between a high 3 stars and a low 4 stars. I couldn't put this book down and blazed through the latter half. I'd recommend this book, especially if you're interested in a slower paced, story with a focus on beauty and fragility of nature.  

Book Blog #389: Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 

Title: Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig

# of Pages: 288 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Between life and death there is a library. When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change. The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger. Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?

Review: The Midnight Library's plot feels like something I've read/watched before. 

I kept thinking that there must have been an early 2000s feel-good movie that had a similar plot, but then I realized there's a ton of media out there that involves reflecting on your life choices (one being The Five People You Meet in Heaven). 

The point being: the premise of this book is hardly original, but I was hoping that Matt Haig would add some new to the concept. Unfortunately, I was disappointed; the ending and message for this type of "reflective" story is fairly predictable. 

Nora, the protagonist, felt like a mouth piece for the author to spout some Thoreau quotes and ramble some inspiration philosophy. The reader is supposed to be learning and growing with Nora, but then suddenly Nora is lecturing someone on something she barely just realized/learned! Her character growth didn't feel organic. 

That being said, some of the imagery was quite beautiful; it would probably be a better movie than a book. I was actually surprised it wasn't already a movie, but apparently it was just announced this month that it's being adapted into a movie. I suppose we are all on the same page after all. 

This was a 2 star to maybeeee low 3 star for me. It didn't make me feel anything (except scared in the middle, but this is likely because of my overactive imagination making some scenes more dramatic than they actually are, especially considering horror is NOT one of the book's genres), and I didn't gain anything from read this book.

It's not a BAD book, but I spent most of my time not enjoying reading it. Wouldn't recommend this book in a hurry unless the premise already sounds like it's up your alley.

Book Blog #384: Normal People by Sally Rooney

 

Title: Normal People

Author: Sally Rooney

# of Pages: 274 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Connell Waldron is one of the most popular boys in his small-town high school--he is a star of the football team and an excellent student, and he is never wanting for attention from girls. The one thing he doesn't have is money. Marianne Sheridan, a classmate of Connell's, has the opposite problem. Marianne is plain-looking, odd, and stubborn, and while her family is quite well off, she has no friends to speak of. There is, however, a deep and undeniable connection between the two teenagers, one that develops into a secret relationship. Everything changes when both Connell and Marianne are accepted to Trinity College. Suddenly Marianne is well liked and elegant, holding court with her intellectual friends, while Connell hangs at the sidelines, not quite as fluent in the language of the elite. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle each other, falling in and out of romance but never straying far from where they started. And as Marianne experiments with an increasingly dangerous string of boyfriends, Connell must decide how far he is willing to go to save his oldest friend.

Review: I read this book because I heard it was recommend for fans of Heated Rivalry, but they're not actually similar at all. 

I was expecting a fluffy, happy, romantic story full of yearning and characters that I cared and rooted for. Instead, I felt like an outsider looking into a slice of life story about an on and off again relationship between the two main characters: Connell and Marianne. 

Although there was some underlying messaging about loneliness, living authentically vs conforming to expectations, there wasn't enough character building to get the reader invested in the characters. Their lives and relationships are complicated and messy, but instead of relating to them, I felt alienated and frustrated with the characters, especially when their problems could be chalked up to poor communication.

Overall this was a drag to read, and I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you're looking for a true romance story. 

Book Blog #380: Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser

 

Title: Mona's Eyes

Author: Thomas Schlesser

# of Pages: 446 (hardcover)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Historical Fiction

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Synopsis: Fifty-two that’s all the time Mona has left to learn about beauty. Every Wednesday, Mona’s grandfather picks her up after school and takes her to see a great work of art. Just one. A different masterpiece every Wednesday for a year. Fifty-two weeks of consummate beauty. Fifty-two weeks of visits to the museum before Mona loses her sight forever.  Together, Mona and her grandfather will experience a full range of emotions; their enchantment as well as their sadness will be complete. From Botticelli to Basquiat, Mona will discover not only the power of art but also the meaning of generosity, doubt, melancholy, loss, and revolt.   At once a profoundly moving and beautifully crafted novel about the fullness of life and an enthralling guide to the world’s most renowned art, Mona’s Eyes is, at its core, a story about the deep and moving relationship between a young girl and her grandfather.  

Review: This book shouldn't exist. 

One of the worst reads I've encountered in a long time. Mona's Eyes weakly attempts a fictional plot that nonsensically ties to a long exposition on 52 different pieces of art. These two could be completely separated: the fictional aspect fleshed out into its own book unrelated to art, and the art pieces covered in a comprehensive textbook. Their union in this book is so forced that one wouldn't be lacking without the other. 

The book is structured such that every chapter has a couple paragraphs of fiction at the start. This covers the "plot" that more like a slice of life on Mona's life as a young child in France (going to school, interacting with her parents) and a bit of a mystery on what's wrong with her eyes and what happened to her grandmother. Notice how the plot doesn't seem to be strongly tied to art or its history? 

The rest of each chapter (probably 2/3s of it) is Mona and her grandfather Henry examining a piece of art. Schlesser is an art history teacher, and I horrifyingly learned that he uses Henry as a way to verbosely spout a bunch of facts to Mona (and the reader) about each art piece. Even worse later on, Schlesser uses MONA (an elementary schooler) in the same way which was very unrealistic for someone her age (no matter how astute). Any of these art pieces could have swapped out for a different piece, and it wouldn't have affected the plot at all. 

It's the latter point that made this book such a long read; this is an art history textbook in the sheep clothing that is "fiction", where the fictional story isn't even worth reading in its current state. I received this book as a gift because apparently BARNES AND NOBLE has called it Book of the Year for 2025. I don't know what metrics they're using to chose this book: it's not very popular, and it's just not good fiction. I'm convinced money was traded to push this book despite mainstream audiences not liking it. I have 0 trust on Barnes and Noble's recommendations because they're definitely not recommending this book for the right reasons. 

It's a shame because art history is already not a popular topic, and there's were actually some interesting points covered for some of the paintings. However, Schlesser's writing style reads like the ramblings of someone infatuated with the sound of their own voice rather than writing to appeal to an audience new to art appreciation. I'm actually more put off on the topic now than I was before reading this book.

I wasted ~2 months of my life trying to chip away at reading this book, with the only reward at the ending being able to write this review to warn people: do NOT read this book.

Book Blog #377: Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy

 

Title: Half His Age

Author: Jennette McCurdy

# of Pages: 277 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rating:★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Forceful. Hurting. Perceptive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher with the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks and the growing paunch. She doesn’t know why she wants him. Is it his passion? His life experience? The fact that he knows books and films and things that she doesn’t? Or is it purer than that, rooted in their unlikely connection, their kindred spirits, the similar filter with which they each take in the world around them? Or, perhaps, it’s just enough that he sees her when no one else does. Startlingly perceptive, mordantly funny, and keenly poignant, Half His Age is a rich character study of a yearning seventeen-year-old who disregards all obstacles—or attempts to overcome them—in her effort to be seen, to be desired, to be loved.

Review: The Lolita story told from the perspective of Lolita (aka Waldo) who is a seemingly "willing" and "promiscuous".

McCurdy seemed to be trying to reach a word count with the many times she thought it was necessary to list all the items Waldo buys every shopping binge. Otherwise, every reader (hopefully) knows what type of "romance" this book is, but not much actually progresses in that department despite the book being under 300 pages. I couldn't help but repeatedly put this book down because I was so disinterested to hear about Waldo's story (and I maxed out the 7 days hold I had on this book via Libby). 

Not worth reading; I would not recommend. 

Book Blog #374: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

 

Title: Remarkably Bright Creatures

Author: Shelby Van Pelt

# of Pages: 362 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late. Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

Review: I never thought I would say this, but the octopus is my favorite character.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is told from the octopus Marcellus's first-person perspective, but each chapter alternates between 3 other third-person perspectives: 

- Tova, who cleans the aquarium where Marcellus lives. She's a tidy, self-reliant 70 year old woman who's still grieving over the sudden disappearance of her son Erik even after decades have passed. 

- Cameron, who's an entitled loser from Modesto who's got mommy and daddy issues that will infuriate the reader.

- Ethan, who is similar age as Tova and works at the store Tova shops at. It's unclear why his perspective is included at all since it overlaps with Tova's and Cameron's. 

On the other hand, Marcellus is a surprisingly insightful octopus that makes you wish the whole story was told from his perspective instead. If it was, this could have been a 4 start read at least, or even if it was just from Marcellus and Tova's perspective. 

Cameron experiences basically no character growth (I don't buy the sudden "growth" at the end of the book; it felt like the author just threw that in to try to make him more likable). He's erratic, irresponsible, and like to blame his problems on those around him. Sounds like your run of the mill teenage boy who has time to grow out of these problems right? Except he's freaking 30 years old! Gives me the ick. By the end of the book, he still sounds ungrateful for those who have helped him along the way and sounds judgmental of his aunt for being a hoarder in a trailer park. 

Otherwise, the book overall is a slow paced slice-of-life style story about these characters who are tied together by a shared mystery. The mystery reveal is predictable (Van Pelt makes it very easy to piece together what ties all these characters together very early on with the knowledge from all these different characters). The real mystery ends up being how the characters themselves find out the big reveal. 

Overall, a three star read! Although the story dragged a little bit, and Cameron was insufferable, the story was cozy and a refreshing read after binging a bunch of trashy romance books. It's a wholesome read and is an applaudable effort for being Van Pelt's debut novel!

Book Blog #373: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

 

Title: Every Summer After

Author: Carley Fortune

# of Pages: 320 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right. They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart. Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without. For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family’s restaurant and curling up together with books—medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her—Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart. When Percy returns to the lake for Sam’s mother’s funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she’s spent punishing herself for them, they’ll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Review: Fans of The Notebook will love this book!! (I did NOT like The Notebook).

Every Summer After is about two childhood friends, Sam and Persephone (Percy). Their love story is told from Percy's perspective and each chapter jumps between their childhood and their present day at age 30. The author is building toward revealing some secret on why Percy and Sam haven't seen each other for over a decade, which because more and more obvious as the book progresses.

The problem with this style of storytelling is twofold:

1. In the present day, Sam and Percy already have some sort of romantic history. When they're together, they're already supposed to have some sort of chemistry that the reader hasn't learned about yet since the childhood chapters are running in parallel. It made me feel like I was privy to something that I wasn't a part of, which hurt my early investment in their love story.

2. Readers have to hear about a teenage love story despite this being targeted toward adults. I didn't find depiction nor the dialogue for the characters as children to be particularly realistic. This part of the story was also more slice of life that felt like stalling so that the "big secret" isn't revealed too quickly.

Even after I learned more about the Sam and Percy, I didn't ever actually like either of them. Both of them had issues you could chalk up to immaturity but also these two created this "tragedy" of not being in each others lives for so long because they don't talk to each other! My feelings aside for them as individuals, I don't think they're actually better together (I actually think Percy is better matched with a different character in the book). 

The whole "love conquers all" trope that is present in both this book and The Notebook always gives me the ick because the author usually makes the characters behave morally questionably to prove this point (e.g. a character could lie or cheat / someone might illogically forgive these nefarious actions in the name of "love").

Not really a love story worth reading. 

Book Blog #371: The Long Game by Rachel Reid

 

Title: The Long Game

Author: Rachel Reid

# of Pages: 453 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis: Ten years. That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything? Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all. It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love. It’s time to make a call.

Review: I honestly don't think this book is particularly better then the other books I enjoyed in this series (Heated Rivalry, Role Model, etc.) but SOME book in this series has to get the coveted 4 stars to show how addicted I am to these Game Changers books.

Here's my justification for the extra star; while ALL of the Game Changers book are DEEPLY hopecore, The Long Game has that underlying feeling of hopelessness and angst that makes the story even more irresistible. Shane and Ilya have already done the formula all the other books have gone through of becoming a couple, which allows this "sequel" to their love story concentrate on other relationship problems (long distance, compromises) as well as broader issues with themselves and those around them (mental health, systemic homophobia/bigotry).

As typical of romance books (and staying on the hopecore theme), The Long Game still has the typical happy ending and wraps up any lingering issues into some (too) easy resolution. But similarly (and actually more so than Heated Rivalry), I thought the ending actually had a good amount of tragedy too. This puts it a step above the endings for the other books in the series; it feels a bit more realistic because not EVERYTHING is just sunshines and roses.

Don't get me wrong; this book is far from perfect. The beginning 1/4-1/2 of the book dragged because of all the story "recap"/overlap with other books (I was worried Reid didn't know how to write an actual romantic sequel without focusing on new characters). It seemed like The Long Game was treated as a reunion episode where EVERY lead character from the previous books gets their time in the lime light. 

Since I read all of these books in rapid succession, all the sex scenes sound the same to me and was actually one of my least favorite parts of this book (they kept having sex instead of talking/doing something more plot relevant). All the dirty talk is about the same across all the lead characters of the book (they start slurring and speaking in the same sentence fragments), so it gets really old by book 6. 

Once again, shout out to the Heated Rivalry show for making it so easy to imagine and love these characters, even if we are a long ways from the second season. 

Book Blog #370: Role Model by Rachel Reid

 

Title: Role Model

Author: Rachel Reid

# of Pages: 341 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: The hits just keep coming for Troy Barrett. Traded to the worst team in the league would be bad enough, but coming on the heels of a messy breakup and a recent scandal… Troy just wants to play hockey and be left alone. He doesn’t want to be in the news anymore, and he definitely doesn’t want to “work on his online presence” with the team’s peppy social media manager. Harris Drover can tell standoffish Troy isn’t happy about the trade—anyone could tell, frankly, as he doesn’t exactly hide it well—but Harris doesn’t give up on people easily. Even when he’s developing a crush he’s sure is one-sided. And when he sees Troy’s smile finally crack through his grumpy exterior, well… That’s a man Harris couldn’t turn his back on if he wanted to. Suddenly, Troy’s move to the new team feels like an opportunity—for Troy to embrace his true self, and for both men to surrender to their growing attraction. But indulging in each other behind closed doors is one thing, and for Troy, being in a public relationship with Harris will mean facing off with his fears, once and for all.

Review: It's possible that if Heated Rivalry didn't already have an amazingly produced TV show with extremely likable actors to bias my impression of the story, Role Model could be my favorite book of the series.

Reid isn't doing anything revolutionary here; the topic she's pushing this time is related to sexual assault and what it means to be an ally. As always, the book leans deeper and deeper into the hopecore as the story progresses, and as a pessimist it actually gives me the ick. All of these problems are resolved so nicely, everyone is so supportive; it's basically a fantasy at this point. 

But what IS new is that Reid wrote a REALLY likable new character: Harris. I was hesitant when starting this book because I already thought Ryan Price in Tough Guy was too much of a side character, and Troy Barrett seemed to be tangential off of Ryan. Was this character too far removed from the original characters for me to care about him? But his love interest Harris is so funny; I was literally laughing out loud. Paired with Troy as a more serious, uptight guy, they complimented each other well.

Based on the timeline and Ilya/Shane mentions, there's a lot of overlap with The Long Game. I actually felt like I was missing out on a lot of key Ilya/Shane details that I'm now excited to read about in the next book.

If there's any non-Ilya+Shane book to read from this series, this is the book!

Book Blog #369: Common Goal by Rachel Reid

 

Title: Common Goal

Author: Rachel Reid

# of Pages: 335 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Veteran goaltender Eric Bennett has faced down some of the toughest shooters on the ice, but nothing prepared him for his latest challenge—life after hockey. It’s time to make some big changes, starting with finally dating men for the first time. Graduate student Kyle Swift moved to New York nursing a broken heart. He’d sworn to find someone his own age to crush on (for once). Until he meets a gorgeous, distinguished silver fox hockey player. Despite their intense physical attraction, Kyle has no intention of getting emotionally involved. He’ll teach Eric a few tricks, have some mutually consensual fun, then walk away. Eric is more than happy to learn anything Kyle brings to the table. And Kyle never expected their friends-with-benefits arrangement to leave him wanting more. Happily-ever-after might be staring them in the face, but it won’t happen if they’re too stubborn to come clean about their feelings. Everything they both want is within reach… They just have to be brave enough to grab it.

Review: Better than Tough Guy! Finally, another book that feels interconnected with the other books (basically a Game Changers sequel) to justify actually being part of a series. 

There's some common themes I'm seeing in these books:

- civilian bfs are sex gods (is Reid trying to play into the stereotype that gay men are more promiscuous??? Would have loved to see more nuance here.) 

- the start of your male gay fantasies will coincide with leaving your high profile hockey career. This allows you to avoid any remaining homophobic issues in NHL and the public eye (which were important topics in Game Changers and Heated Rivalry). Also, now you're free to do whatever your heart desires because you're already loaded because...

- money solves all problems (go on the vacation of your dreams, buy whatever will make your partner's dreams come true)

Honestly I don't consider Eric and Kyle to be a good match (age gap or not). Despite Kyle being fluent in dating and sex, when he's with Eric, he becomes a sitting duck waiting for Eric to make up his mind. But all is forgiven if they have great sex and live happily ever after right?

Happy to see more Scott/Kip and Shane/Ilya scenes in this book, although not enough to be worth it to read if you're only interested in the Shane/Ilya relationship. Too much of this couple's relationship overlapped with Tough Guy's couple to the point where Tough Guy could have just never been written altogether. 

Not sure if I'm just desensitized, but it felt like there were less redundant sex scenes compared to the first two books in the series. But if characters are supposed to feel closer after all the "talks" they have after sex, why does the story SKIP most of those talks and focus so much on the sex that doesn't particularly show their romantic relationship deepening?? Their one shared interest (art) seemed like some gimmick that they actually didn't DISCUSS other than saying some nice words about some pretty art. 

This couple was too boring for me to give this 3 stars, would recommend skipping unless otherwise invested.

Book Blog #368: Tough Guy By Rachel Reid

Title: Tough Guy

Author: Rachel Reid

# of Pages: 312 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating:★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Pro hockey star Ryan Price may be an enforcer, but off the ice he struggles with anxiety. Recently traded to the Toronto Guardians, he’s determined to make a fresh start in the city’s dynamic LGBTQ Village. The last thing he expects to stumble upon in his new neighborhood is a blast from his past in the fabulous form of Fabian Salah. Aspiring musician Fabian loathes hockey. But that doesn’t stop him from being attracted to a certain burly, ginger-bearded defenseman. He hasn’t forgotten the kiss they almost shared back in high school, and it’s clear the chemistry between them has only intensified. Fabian is more than happy to be Ryan’s guide to the gay scene in Toronto. Between dance clubs and art exhibits—and the most amazing sex—Ryan’s starting to feel something he hasn’t experienced in a long time: joy. But playing the role of the heavy on the ice has taken its toll on his body and mind, and a future with Fabian may mean hanging up his skates for good.

Review: 2 stars that maybeee can lean to 3 stars. It was a very mid read (in the truest sense of not hating it but not loving it), and I don't think I would have read this story if it wasn't part of the Game Changers series.

For readers who are only invested in the Ilya and Shane romance, there's nothing particularly relevant to their relationship in this book (their appearances in this book were brief and didn't progress their character nor relationship development).

Our male leads are Ryan (super side character in Heated Rivalry) and Fabian (new non-macho love interest):

Fabian:

- Outgoing, sex positive, high self-esteem

- Brings problems to an otherwise unproblematic relationship 

- Fatal flaw: projects his opinions onto others (just because you hate hockey doesn't mean you should emotionally manipulate players into quitting??)

He is clearly passionate about his craft (and a "starving artist") but should still check his privilege; not everyone can feel as comfortable as he is just quitting a stable job.

Ryan:

- The opposite of Fabian 

- Low self-esteem that will really bum you out

- Main source of turmoil: wants to orgasm

I started to sympathize with Ryan's struggles, but then some of them seemed to be pretty easily resolved. If the fix was so quickly and easily changed his attitude, was it really a struggle at all?

Loved as always how Rachel Reid made these characters feel distinct from the other Game Changers characters, but their chemistry wasn't really there (especially since Fabian is so strongly opinionated, doesn't make sense to me why he would feel such a strong connection to a hockey player, regardless of their history). 

While I did like how this book highlights hockey's enforcer role and how detrimental it is to the player in such a role (like football players, there's an actual higher risk of CTE due to the physical nature of the role), I otherwise didn't find Ryan and Fabian's love story worth reading about. 

Book Blog #367: Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid

 

Title: Heated Rivalry

Author: Rachel Reid

# of Pages: 372 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Pro hockey star Shane Hollander isn’t just crazy talented, he’s got a spotless reputation. Hockey is his life. Now that he’s captain of the Montreal Voyageurs, he won’t let anything jeopardize that, especially the sexy Russian whose hard body keeps him awake at night. Boston Bears captain Ilya Rozanov is everything Shane’s not. The self-proclaimed king of the ice, he’s as cocky as he is talented. No one can beat him—except Shane. They’ve made a career on their legendary rivalry, but when the skates come off, the heat between them is undeniable. When Ilya realizes he wants more than a few secret hookups, he knows he must walk away. The risk is too great. As their attraction intensifies, they struggle to keep their relationship out of the public eye. If the truth comes out, it could ruin them both. But when their need for each other rivals their ambition on the ice, secrecy is no longer an option…

Review: I was more addicted to this more than Game Changers, but it doesn't quite hit the 4 star bar.

I'm going to assuming making some high level comparisons with the TV show and commentary on the actions during the smutty parts do NOT count as spoilers. If you think otherwise, skip this review.

I read this book soon after binging the TV show (after it was all over my social media feed despite never hearing about this series). I wanted to see a more verbose version of Shane and Ilya's story (plus I wanted to read the other books to figure out what happens after).

The Heated Rivalry book delivered in both of these areas; since there's third person POV switching (similar to Game Changers), the reader gets to hear more details on their inner turmoil that is more subtle in the TV show. That being said, the POV switching is more noticeable than in Game Changers, likely because the characters are in different locations most of the time. For Reid's writing style, I think it's a necessary component (and translates well to TV), despite still not being my favorite form of story telling. 

Another props to the writing (especially compared to Ali Hazelwood books where a lot of the same gendered main characters read similarly across books) is that the characters felt distinct: Ilya being the brash but well meaning, and Shane being innocent and neurodivergent (which was SHOWN rather than told, which is refreshing for a smutty romance).  

Not sure how much of this was influenced by watching the show; Reid should give major props to the actors/director who made these characters even more likable than I could have imagined them being. I was pleasantly surprised by how many scenes and their dialogue were lifted straight from the book to screen and overall translated well (unlike some books->movies coughColleen Hovercough). All in all, props to Reid for writing a solid book in the smutty romance genre. 

That being said, the common complaint between Game Changers and Heated rivalry is there's too much redundant sex. Of course for the sake of keeping down the total screen time, some of the sex scenes were consolidated in the show (and that already was a lot of sex!). I think the book could have made similar cuts, especially since them navigating the obstacles of their relationship are interesting on its own. 

Special shout out to Shane being at least briefly grossed out at the thought of kissing Ilya after Ilya was licking Shane's butthole. Loved Shane for being so relatable since there's is 0 mention of them doing any prep.

If you're a fan of the show, definitely give this book a read! It's fast (finished in only a couple of days) and easy read (and ended up rewatching parts of the show as I read to simulate listening to an audiobook). 

Book Blog #366: Game Changer by Rachel Reid

 

Title: Game Changer

Author: Rachel Reid

# of Pages: 380 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Synopsis: Pro hockey star Scott Hunter knows a good thing when he sees it. So, when a smoothie made by juice bar barista Kip Grady precedes Scott breaking his on-ice slump, he’s desperate to recreate the magic...and to get to know the sexy, funny guy behind the counter. Kip knew there was more to Scott’s frequent visits than blended fruit, but he never let himself imagine being invited back to Scott’s penthouse. Or kissed with reckless abandon, nevermind touched everywhere all at once. When it happens it’s red-hot, incredible and frequent, but also only on Scott’s terms and always behind his closed apartment doors. Scott needs Kip in his life, but with playoff season approaching, the spotlight on him is suddenly brighter than ever. He can’t afford to do anything that might derail his career…like introducing the world to his boyfriend. Kip is ready to go all-in with Scott—but how much longer will he have to remain a secret?

Review: Read this book hot off watching (and being obsessed with) the Crave TV show Heated Rivalry. 

This book was way better than I expected (and of course I expected it to be a smut-forward hockey romance that I already saw in episode 3 of the TV). Not sure if I just wasn't into the actors chemistry, or Scott x Kip's story is too might of a tangent off of Ilya x Shane's love story, but I thought episode 3 was boring. But even though I knew what was going to happen, I was addicted to reading the extra details that come through in the book.

I was actually pretty impressed on how true to the story the show was to the book, considering that one episode was able to tell the ENTIRE story from this almost 400 page book. Which leads to me my first complaint; Game Changers didn't need to be as long as it was. They could have cut out 1/3 of the page count (which, yes would including cutting out some of the sex scenes) and still have packed the same punch romantically and plot-wise. 

What I really appreciate about this book is the focus on the closeted gay struggle, especially in the NHL. As someone who just binged a bunch of Ali Hazelwood books (read: heterosexual romance that follows a similar formula), it was incredibly refreshing to read a romance book that highlights a real-world problem.

This was almost a four star read! Definitely go in with the expectations that this will be a smutty gay romance, but if that's what you're looking for, this would be the book for you.

Book Blog #365: Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

 

Title: Deep End

Author: Ali Hazelwood

# of Pages: 464 (ebook)

Genre: Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Synopsis: Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.

Review: I've read two Ali Hazelwood before this, but this is my intro to her contemporary romance writing (which I heard was better than her paranormal romance).

It wasn't. 

One of the characters in this book kept saying that Scarlett's kinks are "so Fifty Shades!" (since she's into the dom/sub aspect of BDSM). This essentially set the stage for the rest of the book; it felt like a watered down Fifty Shades of Grey. There was a lot of smut, but it actually wasn't that kinky and a bit boring, honestly. I thought that they would explore more of the kinks they supposedly shared, but it was mostly just him telling her what to do and her crying because she liked it so much. 

There's no depth in the relationship between the two main characters. It's fine to have two characters bond over shared kinks, but it's hard to call this true romance when they don't seem to do much together except want to have sex, and all their emotions seems to be based off the greatness of their sex lives. The dom/sub kink seemed to be their whole personality, the defining feature who makes them who they are. I would have preferred more nuance to their characters.

And of course I was constantly frustrated with the plot because most of the problems fall under the poor communication trope! These characters will just choose to not talk to each other for long stretches of time, another character wants to withhold information about a breakup and keep up the facade of being a couple (oh what could go wrong?)... 

Usually with this trashy, smutty romance books, it'll be at least a fast read. However, this was not the case for Deep End; had to really push through the beginning half especially when it felt like very little of anything was happening. 

I would not recommend this book.