Not a bad week, but definitely a disappointing one overall.
The best part of the week was definitely Yulin Kuang’s angsty debut, How to End a Love Story. I requested the ARC based on the premise, so I was shocked to discover that Kuang is actually the screenwriter of Emily Henry’s upcoming movies. I can totally see why. It’s a powerful, moving story that still manages to be spicy and banter-filled, and I know I’m going to be thinking about it for quite awhile.
I’ve really enjoyed Amy Lea’s Influencers series, but this particular installment failed to hold my attention. Adorable cover, great premise, but I was just bored. There was no chemistry and I didn’t have any emotional investment in the relationship, so I ended up leaving it unfinished.
On the flip side, Kennedy Ryan’s newest started out strong before fizzling along the way. I loved the instant crackle of chemistry and the twists and turns at the start, but it shifted into a story that felt wholly like women’s fiction to me. Not bad, but I’m in it for the romance and that was the weakest element of the story. If you’re looking for an empowering self-discovery kinda read though, it was strong as that.
I’m looking forward to digging into some indies next week, I’d been taking a break from new releases after a string of disappointments, but there are some I’m excited to start. I also just got a BUNCH of new ARCs, so I’ll dive into those if the new releases disappoint.
If you read my Teaser Thursday post (found here), you know that there are some exciting books on the way soon! I’ll have reviews going up throughout the week.
If you missed any of this week’s reviews, I’ve got the blurb and rating for each below. There’s also a link to my new release list.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sneak peek review
A sexy and emotional enemies-to-lovers romance guaranteed to pull on your heartstrings and give you a book hangover from brilliant new voice Yulin Kuang.
Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever.
Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She’s even scored a coveted spot in the writers’ room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels, and if she can hide her imposter syndrome and overcome her writer’s block, surely the rest of her life will fall into place too. LA is the fresh start she needs. After all, no one knows her there. Except…
Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past, including building a life across the country. And while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he’s well liked around town as a screenwriter. He knows he shouldn’t have taken the job on Helen’s show, but it will open doors to developing his own projects that he just can’t pass up.
Grant’s exactly as Helen remembers him—charming, funny, popular, and lovable in ways that she’s never been. And Helen’s exactly as Grant remembers too—brilliant, beautiful, closed off. But working together is messy, and electrifying, and Helen’s parents, who have never forgiven Grant, have no idea he’s in the picture at all.
When secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. And yet… the key to making peace with their past—and themselves—might just lie in holding on to each other in the present.
Releases on April 9th – preorder today!
Read the sneak peek review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/48VjZqf
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Women’s fiction 🎧
Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who’s never met a party she couldn’t host or a charge she couldn’t lead. The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.
But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She’s too busy keeping a roof over her daughters’ heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.
But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn’t want but can’t seem to resist. She’s lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?
After all she’s lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?
Read the audiobook review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TrICGs
Mini audiobook review 🎧
A grumpy lobster fisherman tosses a fashion influencer’s impeccably curated life overboard in the next romantic comedy from international bestselling author Amy Lea.
In a last-ditch effort to rescue her brand from the brink of irrelevance, Boston fashion influencer Melanie Karlsen finds herself in a rural fishing village on the east coast of Canada. The only thing scarier than nature itself? The burly and bearded bed-and-breakfast owner and fisherman, Evan Whaler—who single-handedly disproves the theory that Canadians are “nice.”
After a boating accident lands Evan unconscious in the hospital, Mel is mistaken for his fiancée by his welcoming yet quirky family, who are embroiled in a long-standing feud over the B&B. In a bold attempt to mend family fences, Mel agrees to fake their engagement for one week in exchange for Evan’s help with her social media content.
Amid long hikes and campfire chats, reeling in their budding feelings for each other proves more difficult by the day. But is Mel willing to sacrifice her picture-perfect life in the city for a chance at a true, unfiltered love in the wild?
Read the mini audiobook review here
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3IGiilT
Check out this week’s new releases here.
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Jeeves Reads Romance 
The Catch sounds cute.
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Great cover too, wish I liked the story more.
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