Book reviews
Today I’m sharing my thoughts on these books; and can you believe all I read was romance?!
Each month when I finish a book I’m always thinking about sharing and reviewing them because I love for people to refer to my blog for book ideas and recommendations. So here it goes….hopefully you guys are sticking around for book recs.
You Deserve Each Other
This was such a fun book to read. It was definitely a plot I have never read before. Newly engaged Nicholas and Naomi are happily in love and engaged…. until they’re not.
Synopsis: Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.
Naomi wants out, but there’s a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.
But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves–and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.
It took me a while to really get into this one. At first I thought the main character Naomi was a bit prickly and unlikable. But then I realized (like Naomi) that sometimes you need a good thump on the forehead to realize what you have. I didn’t understand how they had such horrible communication at first and I was rolling my eyes at their silly immaturity. But once the funny pranks and antics got started it was too funny not to enjoy. The couple went through relationship growing pains, just like real-life couples and it was relatable seeing them work through issues with some good old communication. A cute, easy read that will take you out of a slump and keep you laughing.
5 STARS
The Hating Game
This was such a cute read! I absolutely loved the banter between the nemesis (turned lovers).
Synopsis: In this adorable rom-com Lucy and Josh are forced to work together when their publishing companies merge and they are stuck working side by side. They spend every spare minute sabotaging each other and making one another’s life as miserable as possible. And to make matters worse they are both up for the same promotion. Once they declare war and have an interesting little one-on-one in the elevator, Lucy and Josh start to wonder if they’ve been mistaken about the other all along.
I was gently pushed to read this book because the movie was out and my girlfriends and I made a movie night to watch it and I was the only one that hadn’t read it. After only a few days I was done and READY to watch the movie. I can go gon and on but I will just say it was the best adaptations of a romance lit turned movie that I’ve ever watched. So much of their personalities were portrayed on screen and I loved that they kept so much of the tiny details that the book explains so well. I fell in love with this movie and made my mom watch it with me for a second viewing. I highly recommend everyone watch this if you love a good chick-flick.
5 STARS 😍😍😍😍😍
This was a like fluffy hallmark movie (enter eye roll) that had WAY too many “chance encounters”.
Synopsis: Two strangers meet in chance circumstances during a blizzard and spend one perfect evening together, thinking they’ll never see each other again. But fate seems to have different plans.
If you know anything about me, then you know I loathe fluffy hallmark movies. I actually started this one because I wanted something in the holiday spirit, but it just had a blizzard and a snowy vibe. If you like a cheesy-rom com this is a good one for you. I realize sometimes you just need a feel-good Hallmark-type book to cuddle up with on the couch. No judgement here, just not my first choice.
3 STARS
This was my first novella, short and sweet at only 2.5 hours (free with Kindle Unlimited.)
Synopsis: Riley Kennedy’s emails keep getting crossed with her colleague, Kennedy Riley.
The infuriating man forwards them along with his annoying commentary and unsolicited advice. At least she never has to see him in person since they work in different locations…until they come face to face at the office holiday party. As luck would have it, Kennedy turns out to be gorgeous…though still a jerk. Yet somehow he’s able to charm her out on the dance floor—and convince her to participate in his crazy scheme: He’ll go home with Riley for a Christmas party and pretend to be her boyfriend if Riley agrees to be his date to a wedding.
It sounds easy enough. But little by little, the act they’re putting on starts to feel like so much more than a Christmas pact—and Riley’s about to learn there’s more to Kennedy than she ever imagined.
This was ok. It was cute, easy quick read but VERY similar to The Hating Game and wasn’t done as well. If you need a short read, without leaving you guessing this one will be fine. If you want to reread The Hating Game, but Christmas-version, then pick this one up.
3 STARS
This one will get you in the holiday spirit. It’s short and sweet and very charming.
Synopsis: When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn’t bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it’s a full-time job sorting through all of it.
At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it’s from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?
Ivy’s quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love.
This sweet little story had a unique feel to it. It’s set in a charming small town with many charming people. If you’re looking for a Christmas book to keep you in the holiday spirit, then I recommend picking up this one. It’s light-hearted, sweet, and heartwarming.
5 STARS
