nothingforpomegranted's reviews
654 reviews

This middle-grade novel is wholesome, surprising, and full of love. In a small village with a central cathedral, young Duck is part of a gang of child thieves, always scheming for their next meal under the leadership of Gnat, their teenage leader. When Gnat decides to install Duck as an apprentice at the bakery, responsible for secretly passing bread and coins to the Crowns each week, Duck is surprised to find herself drawn to the baking and the baker herself. The unexpected affection challenges Duck as she struggles to do the right thing by both of her found families until the Crowns break in and Duck’s duplicity is found out. 

I loved the friendships between the characters, who were all full of love despite any tension or sadness in their pasts. Duck and Ash had a meaningful bond, and I loved seeing Duck consistently surprised by how willing Griselde the Baker was to accept her, flaws and all. The narration of the gargoyle wasn’t my favorite. Those first-person chapters were spliced in seemingly randomly, attempting to create tension that just didn’t serve the story. Overall, despite sweet characters and an interesting plot, this was just a bit too long and filled with excessive description. 

A fascinating memoir of a Native woman whose parents cared deeply about her assimilation and success while also prioritizing culture. Aspects of the memoir felt a bit repetitive and the pace was slow, which dragged a bit during the middle portion of the book. I appreciated the stories and the detail, and it was powerful to learn about a culture that is generally unfamiliar to me. 

This final book in the series was a disappointment after I rather enjoyed the first two. Not my favorite in any case: I didn’t fully understand the world, and the romance between Breen and Keegan wasn’t convincing. This novel was slow and repetitive, with endless build-up to a battle ending that was quick and unsatisfying. 

Maybe because I know people with a similar situation—adult step siblings who got married—I just couldn’t quite muster the investment in the drama of their relationship. It seems easy enough to explain that yes, this is a bit weird, but there’s nothing inappropriate or wrong about the coincidence and then everyone would just move on with their lives. 

Other than that, I liked the story enough, and I loved Sig as a hero. His love was so aggressive and genuine, if a bit dramatic. I loved the tension and the build up, but I found Chloe extremely annoying, so overall, this definitely wasn’t my favorite, but I will definitely continue with the series. I love a hockey hero. 

This book dragged for me, despite the mystery and the epistolary style, which should have created a page turning energy. I just wasn’t that interested in Amanda’s background and its connection to the case, and the case itself just didn’t capture my attention. 

This hit on lots of favorite tropes (hockey, nanny/single dad, age gap, size difference), and I really enjoyed reading about the connection between Tallullah and Burgess. The end of the book happened a bit too quickly, but the tension build up was so fun, and their spicy scenes were spicy indeed. 

I didn’t think I liked Emily Henry after reading People We Meet on Vacation, so I haven’t been interested in picking up other of her books, even when some of the plots appealed to me (lots of bookish romance in this woman’s repertoire!) When a friend recommended it to me twice in one week, I figured I might as well give it a shot just for the social perks of discussing a book with a friend. Turns out, I loved it! The tongue in cheek approach to the romance genre was endearing and fun as a committed romance reader, and I found myself laughing along with Nora and Charlie’s consideration of and challenges to tropes. 

I pretty much can’t go wrong with a brooding hero who falls harder, and it’s even more fun when he falls first. The averting of small town romance vibes was so fun, and I’m thrilled that

they wound up back in New York

. On top of all that, the North Carolina-New York pipeline (without looking back) is one I know well. Emily Henry brought the sexual tension, and I really enjoyed the push-pull of Nora’s obligations both within and outside of her relationship with Charlie, who was inarguably sexy. 

I also really enjoyed the backstory of the characters and the relationship between Nora and Libby. Henry accomplished a lot in not so many pages, and I’m glad I picked this one up. I’m still uncertain about her other books, but maybe they’re worth a shot. In the meantime, on to a couple hockey romances by Tessa Bailey. 😅

This was silly and spicy and hit on lots of tropes I typically enjoy. I used to think I liked grumpy-sunshine, but I think I actually find sunshine a bit annoying, though I love grumpy. I definitely like she falls first, he falls harder and mean to everyone but her. The spicy scenes were 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️, and Tessa Bailey remains a master of dirty talk, so that was fun. Looking forward to Tallulah’s story! Seems like a really fun premise. 

Maybe I like romantasy? Though the prologue definitely had me skeptical with the worldbuilding, and though it isn’t quite the balance of romance and fantasy that I prefer, I really enjoyed this first book in the series, and once I got about halfway through, I felt like I had to keep going. I’m looking forward to reading the next one! The vibe is rather wholesome, and I love that Breen has such a supportive circle. 

interesting subject matter and lots of research and examples, but started to feel a bit dry and repetitive as we moved through the chapters. nonetheless, I enjoyed learning interesting history through this lens, and the anecdotes made it more relatable and memorable.