beckyyreadss's reviews
736 reviews

adventurous challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I got the first book during the one of the Stuff Your Kindle Days. I didn’t mind the first one and I was looking forward to the second one and was wondering how it was going to be done. I wanted more and I felt like it was more of Alex and Elijah’s story than Seth and Josie’s story.

This book has two points of view. The first is Seth Stewart and when tragedy strikes, he is forced to return home after the death of his beloved father. The unexpected detour forces him to oversee the family’s auto ship and the restaurant business, and Seth must kiss the prestigious internship goodbye after his first year at Berkeley Business School. When he collides with his first crush after his arrival, Seth wonders what possibly could have happened to Josefina Anders. The second point of view is Josie Anders, and she has hidden many secrets she is too ashamed to share with anyone, especially Seth. When they cross paths again, the urge to relive their past lingers in her mind even though she knows he couldn’t accept her sketchy past. Things get more complicated when her mother returns, as well as her overly possessive ex, who decides to crash into her fragile existence all over again. Will Seth’s connection for Josie be strong enough to see past her secrets, or will he realise he can’t rekindle an old flame?

I still adore this friendship group, and I feel like we got to see them more. I liked that Lexy was completely pissed at Seth without knowing anything and just being a girl’s girl. I still adore Elijah, and I love that he calls Seth’s bullshit out, too bad he couldn’t call his own bullshit out in his own book. Same with Seth. I liked the discussion of grief and the effects of abuse. I liked how it showed several points of view from grief from the community to Seth’s mum and how she wasn’t really dealing with it and Seth’s older brother was running away from the issue.

There was a lot of Alex and Elijah from the proposal and them just being cute and sweet together. Why are we seeing more of them than Seth and Josie? Like we get it, we’ve read about it. Like Elijah just repeats everything that happened in the last book when talking to Seth and every time they are together it’s just oh, they’ve been through hell. Those 70-80 pages could have been used to build more tension or Elijah, Lexy or Seth noticing that someone was making Josie uncomfortable. I would have liked more to happen to Brad, I felt like that was very rushed. I think I'm starting hate friends-to-lovers unless the story shows them growing up, the flashbacks were confusing me because it was like they were having a conversation and then one of them would start into space and boom here are Josie and Seth from 6th grade, like what? The storyline was sort of slowed-paced and then it was like boom, third act conflict, and all hell breaking loose from Brad being around.

Like with the last book, I wanted more. I still have more questions.

Content Warnings

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Sierra Simone, Julie Murphy

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wanted to read more festive reads this Christmas that my festive TBR is now as long as my normal TBR. I decided to read this one this year as it is a series, and it is one of the most talked about festive books in the book community. I adore Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone, so I was excited with starting this one.

This book has two points of view. The first is Bee Hobbes, but she is known online as Bianca Von Honey and she has a successful career as a plus-size adult film start. With a huge following and two supportive mums, Bee couldn’t ask for more. But when Bee’s favourite producer casts her to star in a Christmas movie he is making for the squeaky-clean Hope Channel, Bee’s career is about to take a more family-friendly direction. Forced to keep her work as Bianca under wraps, Bee quickly learns this is a task a lot easier said than done. Though it all becomes worthwhile when she discovers her co-star is none other than her childhood crush Nolan Shaw. The second point of view is Nolan Shaw, and he is an ex-boy band member in desperate need of career rehab. Nolan has promised his bulldog manager to keep it zipped up on set, and he will if it means he’ll be able to provide a more stable living situation for his sister and his mum. But things are heating up quickly in Christmas Notch, Vermont, when Nolan recognizes his new co-star from her ClosedDoor accounts (he is a member who has watched everything she has to offer). Now Bee and Nolan are sneaking off for quickies on set, keeping their new relationship a secret from the Hope Channel’s execs. Things only get tricker when the reporter who ruined Nolan’s career comes snooping around and takes an instant interest in mysterious newcomer Bee. And if Bee and Nolan can’t keep their off-camera romance behind the scenes, then this merry little meet cute might end up on the cutting room floor.

I will forever love Julie Murphy and how she writes about plus size women. I just wanted to hug Bee especially when they started having sex and she was sucking in her stomach and couldn’t shut up her brain because she was thinking about her angles. I also adore Sierra Simone and damn she can write a good male POV especially during the smutty scenes. I loved the dual POV, and I liked the storyline of a porn star meeting a bad boy band member and both wanting to get fresh starts. I loved the positive representation of sex workers from the porn industry to the strippers. I loved the Christmas aspect and how both love Christmas and hated being away from home from their families but also needed the career move or the money from the movie. I loved that both characters were bisexual, and they were laughing and joking with each other. Also, Bee acted way cooler meeting her celebrity crush from her childhood. If I met Harry Styles or Michael Clifford, I would still shit myself as a 25-year-old.

I didn’t like the third act conflict. We knew this was going to happen, but Nolan went about it the wrong way and Bee overreacted, and his manager was a tool. I would have wanted more to happen to the reporter for basically trying to ruin 4 people lives. I would have liked more tension or a slow-burn between Bee and Nolan, I understand that they both had a crush from each other with Bee having a crush on Nolan in the boyband and Nolan being a subscriber on her site. But I would have liked more of a growing tension during the filming as they literally did a stage kiss and then started fucking like bunnies.

I’ve seen that this is a series and am I going to wait until next December to start this work? Absolutely not. So, I might be reading a Christmas book in July.

Content Warnings

Winter Knights Dream by Ariadne Breylard

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I got the first book during the one of the Stuff Your Kindle Days and the cover looked interested and I struggled with the first book as it was the first time I read a bully romance and the first book was a major information dump so I was wondering how this book was going to go and it was a lot better than the first book.

This book is still based on Lyra, and she is the future Night Queen so she must hide her identity until her fated mates prove themselves worthy of the title Knight. Traditionally the Night Queen has at least one mate from each seasonal court. She has had one of her mates, Axel from the Spring Court reject her. But she has found a mate in the Summer Court. She has found the happiness she once thought was only a dream with Vale. He is everything she could have hoped for, and with his unwavering loyalty, she has finally found peace and restored her faith in fate. However, the shadow of the rejection still lingers, and his unrelenting presence sparks questions about his true intentions. As a dissenting coalition emerges in the kingdom, Axel’s involvement comes into question, forcing Lyra to confront her feeling sand decides whether he is truly the villain or the victim.

I loved Vale. I loved his chapter. I love him. He is so sweet and hot, and I want one. I loved that Lyra finally got one of her mates. I still love the relationships that Lyra has with her friends and with her family. The way that her family was so protective of her, and her brothers were willing to fight for her, but they couldn’t do anything. I loved the LGBT aspect of it. I loved that Vale was sucked straight into the family and was willing to die for Lyra. It was an easy read with only 207 pages and within 150 pages there was a lot of world-building and a lot of magic skills.

I still cannot tell the dads apart; they were all blended into one character that it hurt my head a bit when they were all in the same chapter. It was hinted as a why choose smut filled book, but yet there was minimal smut. I am assuming that the why choose bit will be happening soon with the cliffhanger and that she has 2 more mates.

I still don’t trust Axel. He is such a tool, like just go away and I would love to kick Axel in the balls. He was just an absolutely tool. He does not deserve forgiveness, and I hope he doesn’t get forgiveness either.

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A Song Flung Up to Heaven by Maya Angelou

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I decided to read this book because I bought a poster with 100 books to read in your lifetime. I enjoyed the first book in the series and wanted to carry on with it. I'm just inspired and in awe of her. I knew I wanted to carry on with this series and learn more about her life. This book is about the death of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

This book is the sixth of seven volumes of Maya Angelou’s autobiography. It is a testament to the talents and resilience of this writer. This book is set between 1965 to 1968, this book begins with Maya’s trip from Accra, Ghana where she has lived for the past four years, but now she back to the United States. Two massive events frame the beginning and the end of the book – the assassinations of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Maya describes how she dealt with these events and the sweeping changes in both the country and in her personal life and how she coped with her return home to the US. The book ends with Maya at the threshold of her literary career.

Usually I struggle with non-fiction books, I find them slow, boring and I can never really dig into them and thoroughly enjoy it. However, this book I managed to enjoy. This book still discusses serious and difficult topics but it’s a journey of her finding her voice and becoming a writer and her dealing with the death of two massive figures. It’s almost as if she was writing about a fiction character in a storyline that I had to remind myself several times that she was the main character she is talking about and that she is talking about her life. The worries and the sadness she had about Malcolm and Martin was heartbreaking. I would have loved to see some chapters from her son as he made a re-appearance and finding love and I wanted to know how he met her and if he said anything to her after what happened with her and his mum.

Again, with the previous book when it gets towards the end it feels rushed. I think it’s the gripping factor to get you to read the next book. I am sort of hoping with me having one book left in this series that this stops and comes to a point because I am hoping that she finds happiness and peace.

Content Warnings

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I wanted to read this book because I've been wanting to read more of Adam Silvera’s work since I enjoyed Death-Cast series and his collab with Becky Albertalli and decided to start with his first book. It was mind-bending and weird.

This book is based on Aaron Soto and in the months after his father’s suicide, he is finding it tough to find happiness but with the support of his girlfriend Genevieve, he is slowly remembering what that might feel like. When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron starts hanging out with a new guy, Thomas. Aaron’s friends notices and they’re not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can’t deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself. Since Aaron can’t stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute’s revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if means forgetting who he truly is.

I liked the idea of being able to repress your memories if something happened like his father’s suicide and as someone who has lost someone very dear to me from suicide, I understand wanting to get rid of those memories. But I love that Adam basically discussed the repercussions and that you aren’t living yourself if you aren’t getting through those troubles and coming out of the other side stronger. I still adore Adam’s writing style when it comes to mental health and grief. He makes it feel like he is inside my head.

The chapter balance was throwing me off especially when Aaron whacked his head and then we got the full round up from Aaron’s gay awakening to now. Aaron’s dad is a dick, and I wanted to smack him if he hadn’t had passed. I think this was the first story as well where I don’t feel content with the ending especially because it was making it seem that every man wants a lavender relationship, and the gay relations are toxic which they aren’t. The insta-love with how quickly Aaron fell in love with Thomas was just slightly annoying, his girlfriend had been gone for three weeks and before she comes back – he has had a gay awakening.

I was just wanting more and was slightly rooting for Aaron and Genevieve rather than Aaron and Thomas.

Content Warnings

Christmas in Chestnut Springs by Elsie Silver

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I wanted to read this book because it’s Elsie Silver’s work and Christmas. Two of my favourite things. Yes, I went into this without reading Beau’s book, but it is the next one in the series, but I was wanting to read this book this year. It was adorable and I loved it.

This book is based on the five men we met over the Chestnut Springs series, and we cannot forget the wives or Harvey. Twas the night before Christmas and we go back to the Eaton family to see holiday pranks, new friendships formed and possibly a new arrival.

One of the main things I loved about this book was the fact that it was one continuous story, it wasn’t five separate stories. It was one story just from five different points of view. It starts with Rhett and Summer being up to no good and pranking Cade, then the next point of view is Cade dealing with the prank and then slightly shifts to just fun Christmas fun and a new arrival. Even though I haven’t read Beau’s book yet, my favourite chapter was Beau’s just from the way it started of banter and joking about Christmas dinner to the snow fight and the aftermath of the birth and everyone getting together to help and all the family being together and just being happy.

I just wanted it to be longer. I could have a book in Chestnut Springs every couple of years with an update from our gang and how the children are getting on and if Summer and Rhett and Beau and Bailey have their children and what they are called and how Harvey is getting on. I just don’t want to leave Chestnut Springs like ever.

I cannot wait to read Beau’s book and to hopefully get a book about Harvey soon and in the meantime, I’ll be over at Gold Rush Ranch and Rose Hill.

Content Warnings

Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read the first nine books between the ages 9 – 12 and then stopped. Obviously when lockdown happened and everyone was spring cleaning, I came across all my book from this collection. I loved the series when I was a child, I might be 24 years old, but I am still reading this series until stops. I refuse to give up this small piece of my childhood. I will be giving these books to my niece or nephew, so obviously I must read it as well.

This book follows Greg who we’ve been following for the last eighteen books. The pressure is building for Greg, who discovers that when you mix heaps of family, a tiny beach house and sweltering heat, it’s a recipe for disaster. Speaking of recipes – the secret ingredients behind Gramma’s famous meatballs have been closely guarded for years. Can Greg unpack of all of his family’s mysteries before their vacation is over? Or will he just stir the plot?

I liked that this book is about his family again especially his mother’s family. We have seen his dad’s brother a few times and he make an appearance. I loved seeing the sister’s bickering and it made me feel normal that my family bicker monthly and I'm sure other children would feel thankful that this has been normal. I love that Gramma and Greg get close, like most family members pair off and always felt like no one understood Greg or is close to him until this book and hopefully Gramma and Greg will be close in future books.

I did miss the friendship between him and Rowley, and I was hoping Rowley would be with him on the family holiday. I also missed Manny causing absolute chaos, he wasn’t seen much besides in the background.

This book was so funny, and I cannot wait to see what trouble Greg gets into next.

Only Santas in the Building by Alexis Daria

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

When Amazon announced this short series by some of my favourite authors, I was all for it. This is the fourth book that I've read out of the five and this is by an author I've not read before. Like other books in this series, it was just too short. I wanted more.

This book is based on Evie Cruz, and she is a comic book illustrator trying to make a tight deadline. All she wants for Christmas is a nap. And maybe some ornaments for her naked Christmas tree. And while she is making a list, she wouldn’t mind unwrapping her sexy upstairs neighbour like a present. Luckily, the building’s Santa-themed party and a surprise sprig of mistletoe gives her the opening and the confidence to make all her wishes come true.

Like with the other books, this was just too small. I wanted more. I would have loved for it to be dual POV but obviously with the six chapters, it wouldn’t have worked. Though I would have liked one chapter at the beginning from Toby’s point of view and one at the end maybe before the Christmas party. I would have liked to see more from the neighbours as we only saw them when they set them up at the Christmas party.

I don’t think this was an insta-love vibes because you could see the build-up and the back story behind Evie and Toby. There were a lot of cute moments with Toby making decorations for Evie and how you could tell that man was falling hard from his first appearance. I liked the idea of a Santa party. However, it would never work for me because no one likes each other in our estate.

This book could be a stand-alone or a whole series about people finding love in the building.

Content Warnings

The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wanted to read this book because I have enjoyed Lucy Score’s previously work and I wanted to read more of her work. This book was on Kindle Unlimited, and I have just read the first book last month and this one was Christmassy, so I was so excited to want to read it. It was an adorable, spicy and an easy read.

This book has two points of view. The first is Noah Yates and when a late season hurricane hits Merry, Connecticut and he is the city manager and a single dad and now he must inform the already devastated residents that there won’t be a Christmas Festival this year. No festival means no tourism dollars. A disaster of epic proportions for his hometown. But when home renovation expert slash smoking hot reality TV star Catalina King shows up with a camera crew and a budget big enough to put the town back together, Noah balks. Hard. The last time Cat was in town she stirred up trouble everywhere she went as in residents were still talking about the town’s first and only bar fight. Noah doesn’t need a TV diva capitalizing on his town’s tragedy or filling his daughter’s head with glitz and glam. The second point of view is Cat, and she is ready and willing to put Merry back in Christmas mode with a holiday special that will leave everyone believing in miracles and get her friends back in the home they love. But there’s one big problem standing in her way. And his name is Noah Yates. He is wrong about her, and she can’t wait to prove it. Ring those jingle bells because it’s on.

I loved this storyline and how vulnerable our main characters get with it. I loved how Cat was like I'm going to prove him wrong and fully did, even if she went the wrong way to get permission to re-do the town. I loved that we got to learn why Noah was the way he was, and that Cat managed to figure it out by how his mother was at Thanksgiving and knew that this was why he was boring and Mr. No. I loved Cat in the first book and I loved her in this book and how she only lets people in once she can trust them so she was letting Noah believe she was this fake-reality, trauma-chasing reality star when she was in Merry, but she was there a few years ago for April, who we heard about in the first book and she wanted April to have her the best house that she had. Then she fell in love with Merry. I still enjoyed the found family aspect within the town and within the crew and how they all came together and even decided not to be paid for it to help with Cat because they knew how much this met for her. I love that everyone, but Noah and Cat knew they were together and were going to be together and it took Noah’s daughter to be like “yo everyone knows.” I loved that Lucy showed healthy co-parent relationships even if they aren’t together and how they all still spent thanksgiving and Christmas together – I just wanted to join the family. I loved the Christmas aspect to the festival, the traditions, the fact that the town was called Merry. There was also no third-act breakup which I loved. I was getting nervous towards the end because they were kind of arguing about things and I thought she was going to leave, and they talked about the issues to find a solution.

I really enjoyed this and glad I left it to be one of my final festival reads of 2024 and I also want to go back to this series to see Drake and Henry get their happily ever after, as two separate stories or an MLM story.

Content Warnings

Tangled in Tinsel by Trilina Pucci

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I was wanting to read more festive reads this year and I've seen this one over the last few years on booktok and bookstagram so when I saw it on Kindle Unlimited, I took it as a sign to try it this year and holy hell, I feel like I need a shower after reading it and yet I was kicking my feet and giggling at these men.

This book is based on Samantha, and she is an interior designer, her biggest clients are the four men who she has worked with several times including the cabin that she’s at now getting ready for Christmas. However, just as she has gone to leave, there is a snowstorm, and she can’t get home. Imagine being snowed in with four hot successful men. They have all played the hero in too many of her naughtiest dreams. Problem is they are off limits because she works for them. Except now they’re looking at her like she’s Santa’s cookies and they definitely want to take a bite. Talk about making her reconsider her life choices. These four are aiming for Santa’s naughty list, and she is pretty sure she is getting: Jace, Reed, Alec and Cole for Christmas. It might’ve started as a decorating job, but it ended tangled in tinsel.

I liked that it wasn’t all smut and no story, I mean there was a LOT of smut, but we also got to know Sam and Ellie and the family dynamic. I love the conflict in Sam’s mind and how she is completely stunned about wanting to do this but had a lot of questions and was overthinking everything and the guys wanted to make sure she was comfortable and relaxed and not trying to overwhelm her. I was kicking my feet at these guys being so cute and building forts and watching the films that she likes and also being so sweet that they were giving me tooth ache. The smut was also mind-blowing that I’m also certain I'm going to be thinking of those chapters for a while.

I would say the only weakness for me personally was I was struggling between knowing which guy was who when talking because it was lot of, he said this, and he said that, and I had to go back and see who she was talking to.

I have seen the second book is about Ellie and with how funny she was during this book; I cannot wait for her book and what trouble she gets into.

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beckyyreadss's reviews 736 reviews

beckyyreadss's reviews
736 reviews