sammytvo's reviews
664 reviews

every breath you take by the police (gwenalex's song)
melody by cadmium, jon becker
guilty as sin? by Taylor Swift
the black and white by the band camino
risk by gracie abrams

thoroughly enjoyed the slow-burn, angsty back-and-forth between xander and gwen ugh so so much tension and the mutual YEARNING !!! even tho we didn’t get much of xander/alex’s pov, we still felt his jealousy and his YEARNING FOR GWEN through the page EEEEKKKKK AHHHHHHHH

the way they edge each other by playing cello and violin together THAT ATE

fearless by taylor swift
let it happen by gracie abrams
enemies by lauv
love me not by ravyn lenae

first of all, the tension between teddy and gus is INSANE!! the way teddy and gus understand each other the way no one can GOT ME!! they just see each other. teddy sees how much gus gives so much of himself to the people he loves and visa versa like they are both two sides of the same coin. they are both mirrorballs but they let one another bejewel esp gus with teddy! it's crazy how their animosity toward each other prevented them from being together for so long. ngl the reveal of why they hate each other was lowkey underwhelming but we digress.

teddy anderson my girl !!! i resonated with her so much like she felt so real. she seems to be this confident person but as we read her pov and discover her internal crisis about being unsure with her life, made me love her more. as i wasn't expecting her to be a fashionista AND painter! she has so many sides. 

anyways teddy gives off major older daughter vibes baring all the worries and responsibilities on her shoulders with taking care of her father. then gus comes in to help take all that burden away and help her just BE. lets her relax and exist. OH I ATE THIS UP YUM

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

the aquatic adventures of prince siren and beacon kappa continues!! this second installment brings more cuteness and surprises for readers that will make you wanting the next volume! this one especially also made me giggle so much hehe siren and kappa are such cutie pies

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

18 - one direction

being together since high school, it’s understandable sarah and caleb has reach a sort of standstill in their marriage so off to the woods they go, to not just figure what is going on with their marriage but to also figure out what is going on with themselves

a touching, emotional story about a marriage with realistic problems between high school sweethearts that have been together for so long as well as grieving the loss of a parent. this story felt so real and raw especially with the emotional flashbacks with sarah’s mom and the glimpses of young love between sarah and caleb. so emotionally vulnerable

I especially love the narrative writing! lively and you can hear sarah’s personality

sarah’s inner conflict where she felt like she hasn’t achieved much in life was very relatable. very giving this is me trying - "So I got wasted like all my potential” // “I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere”

I love caleb my acts of service king !!! And his love for sarah reminds me of those soft, calming types of love that sarah truly needed especially in high school.

taylor swift songs
soon you’ll get better
marjorie
cardigan
right where you left me
this is me trying
begin again

with that being said, this book is very slow pacing where it felt dragging and boring at times. Also, in terms of a marriage in crisis book, this felt very bland. Idk how to explain it like this felt lacking for me. 

i wasn't expecting to love this so much! bexjack are such pookie bears <3 i also LOVEE the banter and dialogue!! 

the archer - bex’s song 
the lakes - bexjack's song
getaway car 
guilty as sin?
the very first night 

wtf did i just read

anyways i understand that this is a short novella but the relationship was not developed at all so it felt so off putting. also the dialogue was SEVERELY CRINGEY!! lastly, didn't love the lack of christmas vibes in this one especially when this is supposed to be a CHRISTMAS novella

ali hazelwood knows how to write OBSESSED BOY (if only we had his pov)

 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! 

 

happiness by taylor swift 

sharpest tool by sabrina carpenter 

 

this book was on the more heavier, emotional side compared to the author’s other romances. this second chance is not only about forgiveness but also about grieving and self discovery through starting over. it was interesting to see the perspective of adam who is a retired hockey player and divorced father in his 40s that recently came out and seeing how lonely his self discovery journey was at this point in his life. we also got to see riley hockey teammate and secret fwb going through the grieving process of losing his beloved father. it was nice seeing riley and adam help each other with their own separate journeys. yes this is a second chance romance of adam trying to win riley back but this book is so much more. layered with so much 

 
spoilers incoming

also this second chance romance was more on the SLOWWWER side. trust takes time to earn back but at times it felt like the plot was dragging. then towards the end, it felt very abrupt like confession then it ended like oh? that’s it? i didn’t love the inconsistency of that where we have a slow building of this relationship throughout the book but we never fully got to see the relationship in the end. the epilogue was nice though. we got to see flashbacks of riley and adam’s past together, i wish we got more of their relationship instead of their sexual chemistry. anyways i still enjoyed riley and adam’s story like the part with the moon snail shell and riley’s dad GOT ME 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love this continuation of morgana and oz especially with the vibrant art style. can't wait for the next book and see how this storyline develops!

loved reliving the happiest night of my life through the beautiful visuals of this book