Hello book friends! Lately I’ve been falling painfully behind on my book reviews. I’ve been reading plenty (and maintaining my monthly reading goals!) but struggling with writing reviews. So, I decided to try something I haven’t done on my blog since Summer of 2021, mini reviews! Mini reviews are my favorites for when I’m struggling to manage my time, or struggling to come up with a lot to say about a certain book. So, today I’m sharing mini reviews of four of my recent reads.
Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler
In January I read all of the currently published books in the Moose Springs series, and this was my least favorite. The romance itself was cute, and I was so excited to have a book focused on the grumpy, mysterious Easton Lockett. However, a majority of this book takes place while the hero and heroine are climbing a mountain together. There was so few scenes that took place within Moose Springs itself, and I missed that aspect of the story. Moose Springs is such a cozy town, and I think I would’ve loved this romance so much more, if the story had taken place within Moose Spring. The book is still great, and serves a wonderful purpose within this fictional world, but my preferences simply didn’t align with this one!
Click here to see my reviews of the first two books: The Tourist Attraction & Mistletoe and Mr. Right
Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
When I started reading Weather Girl I was loving it. This book has been on my list of highly anticipated releases for a long time, and Rachel Lynn Solomon is an auto-buy author for me. I was hooked into the story with the unique plot (think, two co-workers setting up their bosses to fall in love, but then falling in love themselves). The romance between Ari and Russell was adorable, the plot was great, and the story had the perfect balance of emotional depth and exploration while also being a romantic comedy. Overall, this book was fantastic and I loved the representation. The story discusses mental health, features a plus size hero, and both of the main characters are Jewish.
My one note is that towards the end of the novel (maybe 70 pages left?) I had to pause reading due to school life. When I picked the book back up, so excited because I was loving it, there was a scene between Russell and Ari that put a bad taste in my mouth. Overall, it was a small moment in the story, but It left a lingering ick in my brain over that interaction. So, while I did love this book (and would recommend it highly) I also still feel a weird lingering about that scene.
Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
After seeing praise for Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships I borrowed an audiobook copy from my library, I was so eager to see what the hype was about. This was a beautiful story of grief, loss, friendship, and romance. The story is atmospheric and the author created a story that feels beyond real. I loved the writing, the characters, and the humor. I must have laughed out loud a few times while listening. The love was deep and heartfelt, and it goes so much deeper than a romantic interest. There was love between family, sisters, friends. I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future.
TW: death of a child, divorce, greif
You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao
This was a very highly anticipated read for me, and I’m very sad to be giving it only 2.5 stars. The writing in this book is very beautiful and dreamy, there is no denying that Dustin Thao has a way with words. However, as I continued to get into the story I struggled to feel connected with the characters. I struggled to understand Julie. I tried to give her patience, as grief is different for everyone, but I truly struggled to understand her decisions. I struggled with the way the writing would flow between scenes at times, suddenly shifting to a totally different moment. I struggled with the vague explanations of how the plot worked, and at the end I wanted to cry and I just didn’t. If I had been able to connect to this story, I think it would have gutted me emotionally. However, that wasn’t the case.
Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC via NetGalley.
Have you read any of these books? Are they on your TBR? Let’s Chat!
Stephanie
It seems as though we felt similarly about You’ve Reached Sam. I wanted so much *more* from that book and just didn’t get it, sadly! I hadn’t heard much about Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, but it sounds so good I might have to try it!
Alexis Gauthier
Agreed! I saw your review of it a couple weeks ago. I had such high hopes for it and was totally prepared for the story to emotionally wreck me…and it just didn’t.
I really think you’d enjoy Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships! It has so amazing character development and relationships. It’s also a closed door romance (and honestly I can’t even remember if there was any scenes that required a closed door anyways)
Neely Moldovan
Weather girl sounds really cute! Definitely going to check these out!
Alexis Gauthier
I adored Weather Girl! Rachel Lynn Solomon is a very talented author and her stories make me so happy. Like, they give me all the warm fuzzies!