We Were Dreamers by Simu LiuMemoirMay 17, 2022, by William MorrowAudio ARC Review by Melinda I’m a big fan of celebrity memoirs, particularly when listening to an audiobook with the celebrity narrating themselves. It always lends more of a personal tone to the book and makes it feel more like the celebrity is just sharing stories with you one-on-one. We Were Dreamers is narrated by Simu Liu and he tells his background as a child of immigrants, and how that shaped his childhood and Continue Reading
Kate’s Minis: Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey and A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Williams
Very Sincerely Yours by Kerry Winfrey June 15, 2021 by Berkley Contemporary Romance Very Sincerely Yours is an adorable book. Unfortunately, I don't have that much more to say about it. It follows romance novel conventions, including the third act break-up, has one of my favorite tropes (hidden identity), and is very sweet. This is obviously not a negative - sometimes this is what you're looking for in a book! But not a ton happens in Very Sincerely Yours, and despite the aforementioned Continue Reading
Melinda’s Minis: The Wreckage of My Presence by Casey Wilson and Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler
The Wreckage of My Presence by Casey WilsonNon-Fiction May 4, 2021, by Harper Review by Melinda I’m familiar with Casey Wilson because I’m an unapologetic Real Housewives watcher, which also makes me an unapologetic Bitch Sesh listener, Casey’s podcast, alongside co-host with Dana Schneider. I listened to an audio ARC of this one, and I would highly recommend listening to it, rather than reading it. Casey obviously is a talented actress and from her time doing the podcast is Continue Reading
Melanie’s Minis: Happy Endings by Thien-Kim Lam & Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley
Happy Endings by Thien-Kim LamContemporary RomanceMay 18, 2021, by Avon Up until about the last 20% of this book, I really loved it and it was a solid 5-star book for me. The female main character, Trixie, is a Vietnamese American who, much to her parent's dismay, sells sex toys for a living. It was a second chance romance with her ex-boyfriend, Andre, who had dumped her via a post it note when he learned about his mother’s cancer diagnosis (this all happens way before the book begins). I Continue Reading
Jen’s Mini-Reviews: Reviews for Books by Sarah J. Maas, V.E. Schwab, Ilsa Madden-Mills and H. Hunting
I’ve read and/or listened to several books in recent weeks and thought a quick round up would be perfect. Two of these are WAY hyped and absolutely delivered for me. Two are sports romances that I adored, and one is an unfortunate DNF. Here we go… Hyped and Loved A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas was a super A+ awesome read. This entire series is all over TikTok and I feel like I’ve found my tribe. The ACOTAR books started as fun, adventurous YA reads with romance, but now have Continue Reading
Jen’s Mini-Reviews- Reviews for books by Ilsa Madden-Mills, Saffron A. Kent, and Garrett Leigh
The Revenge Pact by Ilsa Madden-MillsContemporary RomanceDecember 3, 2020 Self Published What to read when you’re trying to distract yourself from an insurrection? My book club chose The Revenge Pact by Ilsa Madden-Mills weeks ago and it was the perfect happy distraction. I discovered Madden-Mills this year and was thrilled to immerse myself in this latest book. It is part of a series, with each book being written by a different author. The series centers around three college football Continue Reading
Melinda’s Minis – His Beauty by Jack Harbon & The Switch by Beth O’Leary
His Beauty by Jack HarbonPNRNovember 17, 2020, Self PublishedKindle Unlimited This is a fun take on the Beauty and the Beast story we've all heard a million times. Yes, Isla goes to rescue her father from the evil Beast and has to stay there in his stead so he can go home. And yes, Isla talks to the servants and is reluctant to interact with the Beast aka Lowen. However, this version is STEAMY. And Lowen stays a beast the entire time. Don't ask me how Harbon pulls this off, because I have Continue Reading
Did Not Finish Friday
Here's a round up of books that I started but didn't work for me. Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade - I was so excited about this book. The cover is gorgeous. And I am 100% here for fat people finding the love they desire. But this book was a terrible let down for me. I made it 40% and I just felt so disconnected from the story. For me, the beginning being so steeped in the world of fan fiction, particularly a fictional version of Game of Thrones, which I don’t watch. For me, this was a Continue Reading
Kini’s Friday Kisses- Mini Reviews for You Had me At Hola by Alexis Daria, Like Lovers Do by Tracey Livesay, Fearless by Katie Golding, and The Mall by Megan McCafferty
We made it to Friday y’all. And it is kind of a weird day filled with lots of memories for many of us. Be extra kind and gentle with yourself today. But on to the books. Here is a smattering of books I started and finished recently. I even put them in order of how much I liked them, because why not? You Had me At Hola by Alexis Daria- This book was so good I am not sure I have the words to properly explain it. Beautifully written and engaging from page 1, Daria tells the story of two actors Continue Reading
DNF Friday- Four Titles I Started but Didn’t Finish
I am pretty selective about the books I read and over the years have really been able to identify books that will most likely work for me. I don't take a lot of chances any more. But even when I pick books I am pretty sure I am going to like them, but these four books did not work for me. And that is okay. Not every book has to be for every one. The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham- I had such high hopes for this book. It seemed like several of my friends were RAVING about it. But I resisted it Continue Reading