To put it bluntly, sometimes writing a review for a book is hard. When I sat down to begin catching up on reviews I kept getting stumped after a couple paragraphs. So, instead of pushing myself, I decided to try something new today! I’m sharing four mini reviews of all my recent reads.
A Taste for Love was a cute and entertaining read full of drool-worthy food that made me hungry off the page. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and found it to be a perfect story to pick up if you’re looking for something fun and cute.
I was first attracted to this book after seeing that the plot had a focus on a baking competition (and the cover is adorable). I was instantly hooked and knew this was a book I’d have to read! Throughout the entire story I was invested in the characters and plot. I loved Liza’s strong personality and the story felt atmospheric and cozy. However, I was also disappointed that the baking competition began so late in the story. I had been expecting the baking competition to be the main plot from the beginning, and was disappointed to see how little it was included. I was also thrown off by a *mysterious backstory drama* going on between some of the characters. In my personal reading preferences, it felt overdramatic and out of place in a story that was so focused on fun and baking. Overall I enjoyed this story and gave it 3/5 stars!
She’s Too Pretty to Burn is a book that I have completely mixed feelings on. While I thought the concept sounded
interesting, and I enjoyed one of the characters, I also had a list of dislikes.
On the positive side, I really enjoyed Veronica and her mom. I thought their dynamic and relationship was so warm and loving. Vernonia was easily my favorite character and her interest in photography was fun to read. I was interested to see how the story was going to play out. I mean, you can’t promise me fire and drowning without following through on something wild. right? While this story was eventful and dark, I also struggled with the writing style. It had a very specific atmosphere that felt oddly vintage and twisted. Aside from Veronica, I didn’t care much for the characters. It was an interesting thriller that is unique from others I have read, but I struggled to connect to the characters and enjoy the twisted plot.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC via NetGalley! Opinions are all my own.
I’ve been counting down the days until the release of Last Chance Books for months now. It sounded perfect for my interests (books, enemies-to-lovers romance) and I’m obsessed with the pink cover. My favorite aspect of the story was the family dynamic. I loved Madeline’s unique family, their atmospheric bookstore, and the character development Madeline had. Sadly, I wasn’t fond of the romance. It didn’t have the enemies-to-lovers angst that I typically expect for a book with this trope. I found some of Madeline and Jasper’s flirting cute, but once they inevitably got together I wasn’t a huge fan. There were several small actions that the characters did that, on a personal level, made me uncomfortable and sucked out of the story. While these actions may be no big deal to other readers, it put a sour taste in my mouth that lasted the rest of the story.
In the end I gave this book three stars. It was entertaining and fun but lacked in terms of romance. I’d be interested to read another story from this author in the future, as I think the nature of Last Chance Books along with specific actions from the characters is what led to my lack of enjoyment.
After debating if I should buy a copy of Admission for ages (and I mean ages) I downloaded the audiobook from the library. I’m so disappointed to say that this book just wasn’t quite it. Honestly, I think that If I had picked this book up in another format there is a huge chance I would have DNFed it. The characters lacked depth, the romance felt pointless, and the story overall was just missing something. The concept was really interesting but otherwise?
The few things I enjoyed in the story were Chloe’s younger sister and Chloe’s character development. However, Chloe’s development was also mildly frustrating since her entire character arc was based on her realizing she was privileged. Some of the things she said during the story was just *painful* with how privileged they were. I’m glad she eventually realized? However, this wasn’t what I was expecting from this book and I felt that it could have been more nuanced. Overall Admission earned 1.5 stars from me.
Have you read any of these books? Are they on your TBR? Let’s chat!
Jo Linsdell
Mini reviews is a great idea, especially when they are books that weren’t quite the right fit for you. Great post.
Bookapotamus
These all sound good and they are all on my TBR! Bummer about Admission tho – I was looking forward to that one! Oh well, can’t win ’em all!
Andrea's Book Corner
These are great recs! I haven’t read any of them yet but have seen these floating around everywhere. Especially love the bubble tea on the cover of A Taste For Love. I’ll check it out 🙂
Stephanie
Reviews ARE hard – I am 100% with you on that. But I love these mini reviews. It’s a great way to get a taste of what you liked and disliked about the books in a nutshell. I’ve had Last Chance Books on my TBR for a while. I’m bummed you didn’t love it, but I’m hoping that maybe I’ll enjoy it a bit more than you did when I do get around to reading it.