hollielovesromance's reviews
587 reviews

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Amelia Rose is ready to have a GD breakdown from the break neck pace of her pop star life until she makes a run to Rome…..Kentucky after seeking comfort from Roman Holiday. Everything that could go wrong does including being stuck staying in the home of a grumpy pie shop owner who has sworn off love. With a limited amount of time in town can anything really come from a relationship with Noah Walker or is he doomed to be Gregory Peck?
This was cute, fast, and very closed door. I enjoyed the chemistry between Amelia and Noah but found the whole cast of supporting characters even more charming. What a fun little town to spend some time in. 
The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I had been really excited for this book but found that the overall execution left me wanting more. I appreciated the folklore weaved into this story and the exploration of family dynamics in an extremely dysfunctional isolated family. While there was resolution in the story it didn’t feel very satisfying to me and I found myself asking “that’s it?”
Good Girl by Aria Aber

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Aria Aber has delivered a powerhouse novel exploring belonging, identity, family and the ties that bind us, art, and grief. I instantly found myself drawn into Nilab’s world watching with equal parts intrigue and an almost parental worry. Nilab is young and facing grief over the lost of her mother, the feeling of belonging no where, and immense pressure from her culture but also herself in terms of making art. It’s easy to understand how the attention of a writer who is older and experienced success would be so enticing and hard to escape. I had a few moments in the book where I felt such anxiety about what would happen to Nilab that I couldn’t put the book down. I always love when a poet decides to write a novel as the writing is so sharp and rich. Aber did not disappoint. This will be a book that I revisit in the future and will be recommending to friends. 
Across an Endless Sea by Marie Mistry

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I don’t know how I’m ever supposed to really love Caed but that’s not my problem. I am not the goddess incarnate. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Beyond the Faerie Gate by Marie Mistry

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adventurous emotional funny tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Let’s freaking go faerie queen why choose magic. I am obsessed and refuse to spend precious time writing a more detailed review because I got to know what happens in book 2!
A Match Made for Thanksgiving by Jackie Lau

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fast-paced

3.0

Quick fun holiday read. I love some meddling moms and grandmas. 
Mistlefoe: A Mead Realm Tale by Kimberly Lemming

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

Fun short holiday novella. That fox demon sure knows how to take care of girl. Also the talking sword curse is hilarious. Alexis you’re my girl!
A Monsoon Rising by Thea Guanzon

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

Someone please tell me how I am supposed to wait for book 3?!?!? Holy smokes. I had enjoyed The Hurricane Wars but always caution readers that it is the slowest of burns I’ve ever encountered. I didn’t know what to expect from A Monsoon Rising but this book was an absolute delight. We still have the very intense political marriage between Alaric and Talasyn as they try to navigate preventing the Voidfell from completing the darkest night eclipse that will kill almost everyone. Except this time these idiots (said with so much affection) cannot keep their hands off each other. Their verbal sparing is truly foreplay. I loved that Guanzon decided to explore if people can change and we spend all of book 2 watching our MMCs try to figure out if they can work together to make a better world even though their idea of how to achieve that goal is significantly different. I enjoyed  our cast of side characters and seeing glimpses of them throughout the book. I won’t spoil it but this book ends on a cliffhanger and I would be lying if I said I didn’t scream “noooo!” as I read the last sentence. I cannot wait to return to this world and see how our characters fair. 
We Are The Beasts by Gigi Griffis

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adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An interesting look at societal expectations, family dynamics, the patriarchy, and class dynamics. As bodies (or parts of them) start to turn up of children across rural villages a hunt is called to find the creature responsible for it. While tending to their sheep, Joséphine and Clara stumble upon the body of a boy and in one instant make a choice that will shake up the life that they knew. This quickly evolves into our pair recognizing the harm and violence the men of the village (and surrounding areas) have no problem inflicting on the women and girls in their lives. Through many schemes and clever plans they work to try to help a handful of girls escape before it is too late. But of course this cannot be easy and we have creepy power hungry priests, no brained soldiers out to hunt and kill the beast, and powerful men who do not care who is harmed along the way. 
I really appreciated the way our characters have to work through past traumas to find their power and move into the lives that they deserve. It did feel slightly repetitive at times but if this was a book that was your first exposure to feminism and the idea that you can fight back against your oppressors it wouldn’t necessarily feel that way. Knowing this is a YA novel it fills me with hope that folks reading it will realize that just like Joséphine, Clara, Charlotte, Hélène, Eugénie, Louis, and Belle that they do not have to tolerate anyone trying to destroy who they are. 
Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari

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informative fast-paced

3.5

There were a lot of interesting things brought up in regards to the way that various causes are affecting our ability to focus. I plan on implementing some of the ideas from this book in my every day life. I did find it to be repetitive at times and have some questions regarding the studies concerning health issues mentioned in the text. At times it felt like an oversimplification of what the health issue meant and the very real problem that many folks don’t have access to multimodal treatment due to the shitty American healthcare system.