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saylaurmoon's reviews
148 reviews
Funny Feelings by Tarah DeWitt
4.0
↠ 3.75 stars ⭐️, rounded up
This was cute! I needed a nice little romcom to work through my book hangover from ACOWAR, and I think this did the trick. However, doing that may have impacted my enjoyment just a bit.
The story was told in dual POV and timelines, which I always really enjoy! I liked all the characters AND their emotional maturity. Farley is quirky and funny and never fails to be herself. She also deals with anxiety, and I appreciated seeing that side of her—especially as a comedian, given that more comedians struggle with mental health than we realize. I also loved Meyer. He’s well-mannered, protective, emotionally intelligent, goes to therapy AND encourages others to do so. Not to mention, he is also an incredible father to Hazel, who was honestly my favorite character! I did love the mutual pining between Farley and Meyer, but I just didn’t feel as much of the romantic tension as I would have liked. Also, while it was certainly funny, I didn’t find it as hilarious as I was expecting it to be with two comedians as the MCs, but I digress.
As I said, I do believe I may have enjoyed this one a bit more if wasn’t nursing a book hangover, but overall, it was still a really cute and funny romcom I would recommend!
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Check out my reviews on bookstagram
This was cute! I needed a nice little romcom to work through my book hangover from ACOWAR, and I think this did the trick. However, doing that may have impacted my enjoyment just a bit.
The story was told in dual POV and timelines, which I always really enjoy! I liked all the characters AND their emotional maturity. Farley is quirky and funny and never fails to be herself. She also deals with anxiety, and I appreciated seeing that side of her—especially as a comedian, given that more comedians struggle with mental health than we realize. I also loved Meyer. He’s well-mannered, protective, emotionally intelligent, goes to therapy AND encourages others to do so. Not to mention, he is also an incredible father to Hazel, who was honestly my favorite character! I did love the mutual pining between Farley and Meyer, but I just didn’t feel as much of the romantic tension as I would have liked. Also, while it was certainly funny, I didn’t find it as hilarious as I was expecting it to be with two comedians as the MCs, but I digress.
As I said, I do believe I may have enjoyed this one a bit more if wasn’t nursing a book hangover, but overall, it was still a really cute and funny romcom I would recommend!
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Check out my reviews on bookstagram
The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden
4.0
↠ 4.5 stars ⭐️
Check out my other review for The Housemaid
The Housemaid was my first Freida McFadden book, and I loved it some much that I had to dive IMMEDIATELY into its sequel (seriously, I read both of these in 25 hours). And The Housemaid’s Secret was just as good as its predecessor!
While the storyline bore some similarities from the past, it was not enough for it to be a repeat of the same events from the first. It was written in the same way, in multiple parts. And this one kept me up until 4am.. I read it on my way to work, at work, and on my way home.. I simply HAD to know what happened! I knocked a half-star down from the first book only because I felt a little more annoyed by the FMC this time around lol.
This was another well-written, engaging, and fast-paced triller! And, I cannot wait to check out more of Freida's novels!
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Check out my reviews on bookstagram
Check out my other review for The Housemaid
The Housemaid was my first Freida McFadden book, and I loved it some much that I had to dive IMMEDIATELY into its sequel (seriously, I read both of these in 25 hours). And The Housemaid’s Secret was just as good as its predecessor!
While the storyline bore some similarities from the past, it was not enough for it to be a repeat of the same events from the first. It was written in the same way, in multiple parts. And this one kept me up until 4am.. I read it on my way to work, at work, and on my way home.. I simply HAD to know what happened! I knocked a half-star down from the first book only because I felt a little more annoyed by the FMC this time around lol.
This was another well-written, engaging, and fast-paced triller! And, I cannot wait to check out more of Freida's novels!
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Check out my reviews on bookstagram
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
5.0
↠ ∞ stars ⭐
Updated 12/18, re-read.
I seriously didn’t think it was possible for me to love this book any more than I already did, but rereading it quickly proved me wrong. And I still can’t find the right words to express my love for it other than I FUCKING LOVE THIS BOOK. This book makes me feel so many emotions, and I don’t think anything I say about it will ever remotely do it the justice it deserves.
I will accept no criticism of this book. Divine Rivals is flawless. A masterpiece, if you will. If the beautiful and poetic writing alone isn’t enough to completely captivate you, then the enthralling and mesmerizing story will. Rivals-to-lovers? Falling in love through letters? During a war between gods? COME ON. And the author does an amazing job of handling heavy themes such as grief, loss, and war.
Iris and Roman are beautifully written characters, and their romance will have you swooooning. I love their rivalry and banter, as well as their deep and intimate letters to each other. Also, I firmly believe that when Taylor Swift says “in a world of boys, he’s a gentleman,” it is 100% about Roman Kitt. I will accept no other answer.
Oh, and the cliffhanger???? I am once again not okay. I haven’t been okay since July, and I will not be okay until December 26th.
This is not only the perfect story for romantasy lovers, but also historical fiction lovers. I’m not big on historical fiction, but I really appreciated how WWI-inspired this wartime story is.
If you haven’t read this yet, then what are you doing? Seriously, y’all, read it.
_______
↠ 5 stars ⭐︎
8/4/23
I cannot properly articulate it so, do you want to know how much I loved this book?
Enough that I splurged on a resale copy of the Fairyloot edition of it.
THAT'S how much, okay???
But seriously, don’t walk, RUN.. because this was fucking incredible. The story and world-building were perfectly paced, the rivals-to-lovers romance was intoxicatingly sweet and swoon-worthy. The writing was mesmerizing, poetic, and atmospheric. The characters are beautiful and relatable. I loved everything about this book… except the ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL cliffhanger
Updated 12/18, re-read.
I seriously didn’t think it was possible for me to love this book any more than I already did, but rereading it quickly proved me wrong. And I still can’t find the right words to express my love for it other than I FUCKING LOVE THIS BOOK. This book makes me feel so many emotions, and I don’t think anything I say about it will ever remotely do it the justice it deserves.
I will accept no criticism of this book. Divine Rivals is flawless. A masterpiece, if you will. If the beautiful and poetic writing alone isn’t enough to completely captivate you, then the enthralling and mesmerizing story will. Rivals-to-lovers? Falling in love through letters? During a war between gods? COME ON. And the author does an amazing job of handling heavy themes such as grief, loss, and war.
Iris and Roman are beautifully written characters, and their romance will have you swooooning. I love their rivalry and banter, as well as their deep and intimate letters to each other. Also, I firmly believe that when Taylor Swift says “in a world of boys, he’s a gentleman,” it is 100% about Roman Kitt. I will accept no other answer.
Oh, and the cliffhanger???? I am once again not okay. I haven’t been okay since July, and I will not be okay until December 26th.
This is not only the perfect story for romantasy lovers, but also historical fiction lovers. I’m not big on historical fiction, but I really appreciated how WWI-inspired this wartime story is.
If you haven’t read this yet, then what are you doing? Seriously, y’all, read it.
_______
↠ 5 stars ⭐︎
8/4/23
I cannot properly articulate it so, do you want to know how much I loved this book?
Enough that I splurged on a resale copy of the Fairyloot edition of it.
THAT'S how much, okay???
But seriously, don’t walk, RUN.. because this was fucking incredible. The story and world-building were perfectly paced, the rivals-to-lovers romance was intoxicatingly sweet and swoon-worthy. The writing was mesmerizing, poetic, and atmospheric. The characters are beautiful and relatable. I loved everything about this book… except the ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL cliffhanger
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
3.0
↠ 3.5 stars ⭐️
I read this in October and kind of put off writing a review because I just didn’t know how to feel about it. And then forgot about it entirely. Then also completely forgot to post it here to Goodreads. Oops.
As a result, I don’t remember much about this one now. But I do know that I didn’t love this book, unfortunately. The overall premise sounded so interesting, but there was something that just wasn’t grabbing me the way I expected it to, and I’m pretty bummed about that because I was looking forward to this one.
Despite that, I thought the book was beautifully written, with extremely vivid descriptions and imagery. I was perfectly able to imagine everything the author described. I would definitely read more from this author based on the writing alone. And I really enjoyed the house as a character. The other characters.. I sadly have no strong feelings about. Maybe that’s due the time that’s passed since reading.
I genuinely think that it was the mood reader in me that prevented me from enjoying this. I read it at a time where I wasn’t particularly in the mood to as a buddy read.. And I think that seriously hindered my reading experience. I tried to supplement with the audio, which was good overall, but it was still very meh for me. A very mid experience.
Would I give this book another shot? Yes, I would. Because I think this is one I could truly love and enjoy if read at the right time.
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Check out my reviews on bookstagram
I read this in October and kind of put off writing a review because I just didn’t know how to feel about it. And then forgot about it entirely. Then also completely forgot to post it here to Goodreads. Oops.
As a result, I don’t remember much about this one now. But I do know that I didn’t love this book, unfortunately. The overall premise sounded so interesting, but there was something that just wasn’t grabbing me the way I expected it to, and I’m pretty bummed about that because I was looking forward to this one.
Despite that, I thought the book was beautifully written, with extremely vivid descriptions and imagery. I was perfectly able to imagine everything the author described. I would definitely read more from this author based on the writing alone. And I really enjoyed the house as a character. The other characters.. I sadly have no strong feelings about. Maybe that’s due the time that’s passed since reading.
I genuinely think that it was the mood reader in me that prevented me from enjoying this. I read it at a time where I wasn’t particularly in the mood to as a buddy read.. And I think that seriously hindered my reading experience. I tried to supplement with the audio, which was good overall, but it was still very meh for me. A very mid experience.
Would I give this book another shot? Yes, I would. Because I think this is one I could truly love and enjoy if read at the right time.
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Check out my reviews on bookstagram
Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
2.0
↠ 2.5 stars ⭐
July 2023 BOTM Pick
Given how hard it is for me to give a rating any lower than a 4 without feeling bad (LOL), I genuinely didn't think it was possible for me to give a rating lower than a 3. But here we are.
When I finished this last night, I was leaning toward a 3.5. But the more I think about it, the more disappointed I am in this book. I've heard good things about Gong's other work (which I have not read), but this was... just not good. UGH AND THE PREMISE SOUNDED SO GOOD TOO.
Where do I start? Okay, well, the world-building was an absolute mess. It left me with more questions than answers and there was a lot of explanation missing. The idea of "body jumping" seemed so unique and interesting and it was just... very lackluster. I feel like the author didn't flesh out this concept enough prior to starting the novel and just developed it as she went. I'm usually a sucker for multiple POVs in a story, but I felt it was poorly executed here. I mean, it felt like at one point the POV changed mid-paragraph??? Like what. I also had absolutely no attachment to any characters because all of them lacked depth and development. The "romance?" Literally zero chemistry, so much so that not even a sex scene (which was also not that great) could save it for me. Seriously, I think I didn't DNF it out of pure stubbornness and curiosity to see if it got any better... Honestly, the best part of the book was the last chapter and I think wanting to know wtf happens next will be the only reason I pick up the second one in the future.
July 2023 BOTM Pick
Given how hard it is for me to give a rating any lower than a 4 without feeling bad (LOL), I genuinely didn't think it was possible for me to give a rating lower than a 3. But here we are.
When I finished this last night, I was leaning toward a 3.5. But the more I think about it, the more disappointed I am in this book. I've heard good things about Gong's other work (which I have not read), but this was... just not good. UGH AND THE PREMISE SOUNDED SO GOOD TOO.
Where do I start? Okay, well, the world-building was an absolute mess. It left me with more questions than answers and there was a lot of explanation missing. The idea of "body jumping" seemed so unique and interesting and it was just... very lackluster. I feel like the author didn't flesh out this concept enough prior to starting the novel and just developed it as she went. I'm usually a sucker for multiple POVs in a story, but I felt it was poorly executed here. I mean, it felt like at one point the POV changed mid-paragraph??? Like what. I also had absolutely no attachment to any characters because all of them lacked depth and development. The "romance?" Literally zero chemistry, so much so that not even a sex scene (which was also not that great) could save it for me. Seriously, I think I didn't DNF it out of pure stubbornness and curiosity to see if it got any better...
Spoiler
it didn't.
Icebound by Meredith Trapp
4.0
↠ 4.5 stars ⭐️
This was such a cute read! I don’t often read sports romances, but I do enjoy the occasional hockey romance, and this was such a good one!
I loved the two main characters, Rhode and Nina. Their connection, instantaneous. Their banter, hilarious. I loved Rhode from the start. He’s caring, loyal, and incredibly thoughtful. Nina is strong, brave, and supportive. They were meant to be from the moment they met, and I adored the way they supported and helped each other heal, in ways both big and small.
The true beauty of this story though is how the author portrays the reality of living with anxiety. It is visceral, vulnerable, and authentic. Trapp does an incredible job of capturing the intricacies of living with anxiety in such a relatable and respectful way. And it made Nina’s journey of self-discovery through the story that much more… human and impactful.
Also, I neeeed more Patty and Micah! I loved them so much, and I’m looking forward to learning more about each of them as this series continues.
What to expect
✧ hockey romance
✧ fake dating
✧ age gap (m: 33, f: 22)
✧ anxiety rep
✧ strong male friendships
✧ jealousy and pining
✧ cat dad MMC
This was such an incredible debut from Meredith, and I’m looking forward to more in the Boundless Players series. Lovers of hockey romance, fake dating, and age gaps will absolutely devour this!
Thank you to Love Notes PR and Meredith Trapp for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
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Quotes
“No one else can fight my battles. All I want is someone who sees the darkest corners of my soul and doesn’t get scared off by the cobwebs.”
_
“I like that tattoos are an outward sign of a person’s soul. I can’t change my appearance, but I feel like tattoos are a way to show people the parts of me that I want to be seen.”
_
“Don’t have sweet dreams. Have wild ones.”
_
“… even though they sparkle, we all shine for someone.”
_
“You can snap if you need to, just don’t break on me.”
_
“Love is made with little moments, and we have enough to build a castle.”
_
“There’s a peacefulness in him that the chaos in my soul craves.”
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Check out my reviews on bookstagram
This was such a cute read! I don’t often read sports romances, but I do enjoy the occasional hockey romance, and this was such a good one!
I loved the two main characters, Rhode and Nina. Their connection, instantaneous. Their banter, hilarious. I loved Rhode from the start. He’s caring, loyal, and incredibly thoughtful. Nina is strong, brave, and supportive. They were meant to be from the moment they met, and I adored the way they supported and helped each other heal, in ways both big and small.
The true beauty of this story though is how the author portrays the reality of living with anxiety. It is visceral, vulnerable, and authentic. Trapp does an incredible job of capturing the intricacies of living with anxiety in such a relatable and respectful way. And it made Nina’s journey of self-discovery through the story that much more… human and impactful.
Also, I neeeed more Patty and Micah! I loved them so much, and I’m looking forward to learning more about each of them as this series continues.
What to expect
✧ hockey romance
✧ fake dating
✧ age gap (m: 33, f: 22)
✧ anxiety rep
✧ strong male friendships
✧ jealousy and pining
✧ cat dad MMC
This was such an incredible debut from Meredith, and I’m looking forward to more in the Boundless Players series. Lovers of hockey romance, fake dating, and age gaps will absolutely devour this!
Thank you to Love Notes PR and Meredith Trapp for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.
Quotes
“No one else can fight my battles. All I want is someone who sees the darkest corners of my soul and doesn’t get scared off by the cobwebs.”
_
“I like that tattoos are an outward sign of a person’s soul. I can’t change my appearance, but I feel like tattoos are a way to show people the parts of me that I want to be seen.”
_
“Don’t have sweet dreams. Have wild ones.”
_
“… even though they sparkle, we all shine for someone.”
_
“You can snap if you need to, just don’t break on me.”
_
“Love is made with little moments, and we have enough to build a castle.”
_
“There’s a peacefulness in him that the chaos in my soul craves.”
₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆. ₊‧.°.⋆˚₊‧⋆.
Check out my reviews on bookstagram
Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
5.0
Who does Abby think she is making me SOB within 60 pages???
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