In the quaint town of Simpleville, Samson is secretly in love with his best friend Millie. But when a charming traveler named Walter Melone arrives, Millie finds herself torn between two loves. One day, Walter suddenly disappears, and Millie embarks on a dangerous journey to find him, only to discover a shocking truth. Will Millie follow her heart or change the course of history? Dive into this thrilling story filled with love, passion, and smoothies that will leave you thirsty for more.
The Good
🍉Quarks of story – This story is weird and absurd after a while you have to realize it is not serious so much so in fact it is silly.
The people of Simpleton do not know what a car is…
🍉Reader is kept in suspense on who is going be chosen as love interest
🍉World is interesting – not only do you get to experience Simpleton but also a bit of world outside Simpleton.
🍉Plays with genre in way that is entertaining
The Bad
🍉Story can feel all over the place and disjointed at times
🍉Is there an editing issue? There are repeated parts in last chapter. In general, it can feel at times like when you let a robot read portions of document to you.
🍉Was enough time spent on love triangle or different conflicts?
The Meh
🍉Did the story copout on the ending?
Thoughts
🍉On one hand showcases why we very much need humans writing, editing, and generally behind the scenes in creation of books.
🍉Temper your expectations of technology
(image and synopsis from amazon.com)
I won this A Summer Fling to the X-treme from Smoothie King
đź’ŤFaith and having relationship with God as a constant in the story was thought provoking – makes me realize how absent faith & religion is to many stories.
đź’ŤLore of the world
đź’ŤRepresentation of God and Godly vision was interesting.
đź’ŤThe different conflicts
đź’ŤBachelorette-esque meeting of the romantic options was fun
The Bad
đź’ŤThe story…
~Could have done more in terms of conflicts?
~Can feel low stakes at times
~Skips interesting events- kings death, wedding, romantic build up (we really do not get to see them bond & the love interest is eh)
~Does not sit with the characters enough – so villain(s) reveal could have been better.
The Meh
đź’ŤDoes the story work better as a contemporary more than a romance?
Thoughts
đź’ŤFaith & romance – interesting reading this with the increase of open door/spicy romances
đź’ŤHow does religion effect the story? The pace? The stakes? The romance?
đź’ŤDid religion/faith step in the way of fully sitting with conflicts? (This is not to put down the presence of faith in the story)
đź’ŤTrope of the American coming in fixing Africa with their advanced American ways can be messy
💍Does the story lowkey talk down the kingdom of Ọlọrọ? Is the king a good king if he cannot buy folks bibles?
(cover and synopsis are from goodreads)
my book club won this from Bethany House Publishers
New York Times Bestseller | Good Morning America Book Club Pick
What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?
After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.
But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast “Listen for the Lie,” and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.
The truth is out there, if we just listen.
The Good
A. Different perspectives were interesting.
B. How everything went down with who killed Savvy – enjoyed.
The Bad
A. I do not like any of the characters.
B. Did not connect with the humor.
C. Lucy was annoying (corny?) with her, I want folks’ uncomfortable bit.
D. Felt like we were getting the run around at times.
The Meh
Is this book too long?
Thoughts
We are supposed to find rude behavior admirable in women that we do not like in men.
Is every thriller gonna be men = bad?
Story is not structured around who would want to kill Savvy.
(cover and synopsis from Celadon Books website)
I received Listen for the Lie from Celadon Books for review
This is not how soccer-star Zack Martin thought his summer would go. When the captain’s prank means trouble for the whole squad, Zack’s left with no choice but to take one for the team and cover for him.
Now he’s trading parties and beach days for community service at a seaside conservation center—fair enough. But thanks to his new reputation, the cute intern, Chip, won’t even give him a shot. Still, Zack finds himself falling for Chip between dolphin encounters and shark costume disasters, which means he suddenly has way more on the line than he ever expected.
Zack may be good at winning on the field, but can he keep up the lie without losing himself?
The Good
A. Low stakes/lightness of story- I have felt that many romances lean more on the realistic contemporary side and come off heavy so having an actually soft/light romance is rare (and positive).
B. Romcom moments- it had a few situations of high jinks and hilarity.
The Meh
Was I sold on the romance?
The Bad
A. Low stakes – it felt like we were floating from moment to moment at times.
B. There were many conflicts robbed of their big blow up (maybe the big blow up is considered toxic, I don’t know).
C. Disconnect from characters because they would appear then not appear for chapters, so it seemed like we really did not get the chance to know these characters.
Thoughts
I. Punishment & what people deserve then for them to not be guilty
II. Is the story too light for me? Am I too much of a realistic contemporary drama mess reader?
II. Just comments
A. I was sick of everyone thinking the worst of Zack.
B. Where are all the adults? Where is the coach he appeared for five minutes then yelled about them (the players) stopping him from vacation (dude you been on vacation for majority of this book).
C. Do you think Zack was selfish? Do you think he needed to apologize as much as he did?
A fast-paced, hilarious road trip rom-com about a woman with amnesia who discovers she’s the identical twin sister of a rogue spy… and must team up with a rugged, grumpy operative to stay alive.
It’s the middle of the night in the middle of Paris and a woman just woke up with no memory.
She only knows three things for certain:
She has a splitting headache.
The hottest guy she has (probably) ever seen is standing over her, telling her to run.
And oh yeah…
People keep trying to kill her.
She doesn’t know who. Or why. But when she sees footage of herself fighting off a dozen men there’s only one explanation: obviously. . . she’s a spy!
Except, according to Mr. Hot Guy, she’s not. She’s a spy’s identical twin sister.
Too bad the only person who knows she’s not the woman they’re looking for is this very grouchy, very sexy, very secret agent who (reluctantly) agrees to help her disappear.
That’s easier said than done when a criminal organization wants you dead and every intelligence service in the world wants you caught. Luckily, no one is looking for a pair of lovesick newlyweds on their honeymoon. And soon they’re lying their way across Europe–dodging bullets and faking kisses as they race to unravel a deadly conspiracy and clear her sister’s name.
But with every secret they uncover, the truth shifts, until she no longer knows who to trust: the twin she can’t remember or the mysterious man she can’t let herself forget…
Recommend to…
if you like stories that are heavily romance/the couple
if you like grumpy man and sunshine woman
The Good
I. The conflict of Sawyer being spy and having a relationship
II. Twists- did not see them coming
III. Hit on elements that usually don’t get hit on with amnesia
The Meh
I. It is heavily romance like 95% and 5% espionage
II. Zoe is kind of annoying and felt childish at times
III. Not connecting with the jokes and overall vibe at times
The Bad
I. Did they build the romance? I ask this when this story was again 95% romance.
II. This feels very cardboard cutout/tropey in terms of characters they came off flat at times
III. I honestly think the execution of the story was not for me. I kept wishing for more espionage/mystery to balance out the story.
Thoughts
A. Blond Identity is a play on The Bourne Identity
B. This would be better as a movie or show?
C. Spent half of this book trying to pinpoint what movie this book is like
+is a good read if you like urban fantasy/paranormal romance
The Meh/The Bad
It has a fast pace which can be positive/negative depending on type of reader that you are.
I would have loved for there to be more transitions and more space for the moments to sit.
Book Blitz Entwined Within the Darkness by Charley Black
This is my stop during the book blitz for Entwined Within the Darkness by Charley Black. When a witch with forgotten memories and a vengeful vampire meet, it will take magical power to bring them together as they embark on a journey to save the ones they love.
This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 22 May till 2 June.
Entwined Within the Darkness (Within the Darkness #1)
By Charley Black
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 4 September 2022
Blurb:
Patience craves answers. Half a century after appearing on the steps of the witch academy, she was still no closer to recovering her lost memories and identity. Tormented nightly by visions of red eyes and burdened by dreams that, although connected, remain unclear. Patience, to distract herself, decides to defy the rules and enter the vampire club, Moarte, an act strictly forbidden for witches. Never expecting her best friend, Michael, to begin his transition into a full demon, Patience, desperate to save him, binds him to his vampiric lover.
To make matters worse, Lucius, the domineering brother of the vampire, whom Michael is now bound to, harbors a deep resentment for witches and especially for Patience. Even so, they must now work together to find a soul gem that will untether the bond before her best friend completely consumes his brother’s soul. As their unlikely alliance takes form and their attraction grows, Lucius’ presence draws out long-forgotten memories deep from within Patience. He may just be the key to unlocking her past—but will she be able to convince him that he needs her far more than he needs her dead? Rediscovering her past and how it binds her to Lucius may just prove to be far more dangerous than either of them imagined.
Charley Black is an up-and-coming writer and author who has been creating stories since she was twelve years old. Her early short stories dabbled in different genres, but her passion for romance novels — paranormal romance in particular — always shone through. Charley currently resides in Rhode Island, with her family and works at a local university. Debuting in September, Entwined will be the first of three novels set in the Within the Darkness universe.
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Entwined Within the Darkness. Three winners will each win a signed copy of Entwined Within the Darkness.
For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
< So the rafflecopter would not display but if you click on either of the links it comes up>
For fans of Grey’s Anatomy and Seven Days in June, this dazzling debut novel by Shirlene Obuobi explores that time in your life when you must decide what you want, how to get it, & who you are, all while navigating love, friendship, and the realization that the path you’re traveling is going to be a bumpy ride.
Ghanaian-American Angela Appiah has checked off all the boxes for the “Perfect Immigrant Daughter.”
– Enroll in an elite medical school – Snag a suitable lawyer/doctor/engineer boyfriend – Surround self with a gaggle of successful and/or loyal friends
But then it quickly all falls apart: her boyfriend dumps her, she bombs the most important exam of her medical career, and her best friend pulls away. And her parents, whose approval seems to hinge on how closely she follows the path they chose, are a lot less proud of their daughter. It’s a quarter life crisis of epic proportions.
Angie, who has always faced her problems by working “twice as hard to get half as far,” is at a loss. Suddenly, she begins to question everything: her career choice, her friendships, even why she’s attracted to men who don’t love her as much as she loves them.
And just when things couldn’t get more complicated, enter Ricky Gutierrez— brilliant, thoughtful, sexy, and most importantly, seems to see Angie for who she is instead of what she can represent.
Unfortunately, he’s also got “wasteman” practically tattooed across his forehead, and Angie’s done chasing mirages of men. Or so she thinks. For someone who’s always been in control, Angie realizes that there’s one thing she can’t plan on: matters of her heart.
The Good
+A representation of Ghanian-American suburban family
+Story is approachable.
+A representation of the divide between Black Americans and Africans (in this case Ghanaians) can see things (it did not go deep into it because that is not one of the main issues the story is dealing with)
~ specifically the divide that can come with Black Americans history with the medical community/field
+It gave what people say is a realistic romance because it had both main characters have issues that make sense to who the characters are.
The Meh/The Bad
Vibes
A. Contemporary Romance hybrid- It feels in vibe more realistic contemporary than romance, but it did not give itself fully to realistic contemporary elements either.
B. Slice of life- So we would go from situation to situation/get into situations without buildup or enough attention/resolution. The story really could have had a resolution to issues in relationship with the main characters, but it picked up issues —-> dropped them —> then in final portion wrapped things up quickly.
-It gave a bit of a slice of life vibe because of its going from one situation to another.
I won this in a giveaway from William Morrow on goodreads
The gorgeous new feel good LGBTQ+ romantic comedy from the author of Date Me, Bryson Keller!
Two boys. Two bands. Two worlds colliding.
Nate Hargraves – stage-shy singer-songwriter – is totally stoked for his cousin’s wedding in South Africa, an all-expenses-paid trip of a lifetime. Until he finds out his sleazeball ex-boyfriend is also on the guest list.
Jai Patel – hot-as-hell high school rock-god – has troubles too. His band’s lead singer has quit, just weeks before the gig that was meant to be their big break.
When Nate saves the day by agreeing to sing with Jai’s band, Jai volunteers to be Nate’s plus-one to the wedding, and the stage is set for a summer of music, self-discovery, and simmering romantic tension. What could possibly go wrong . . . ?
The Good
I. You don’t see many rom-coms showing the main character going to Africa as a wedding party trip type of thing.
From the trip Nate (and reader) got to experience his culture.
II. It has nice little adventures.
III. It is a true light contemporary romance.
The Bad
I. It just feels empty like things are just happening but there’s no connection or something. Does it lack depth?
II. The Romance
A. The love interest is a Ken doll- aka Jai is that perfect love interest that happens in so many romances thus he barely has a personality.
B. Yeah you have all these romcom moments but you don’t have them actually emotionally connecting and talking to each other.
C. Seems like Nate was obsessed with Jai at moments.
D. Jai just feels like he is at a distance from us (readers).
I. The third act conflict
No spoilers, I think energy could have been put to some other conflicts that would have bore fruit and been good to talk about.
Thoughts
I. Masculinity & homophobia – For some there is a expectation that homosexuality means you have to opt out of masculinity.
II. Light contemporaries
A. Realistic contemporary + Romance
This is probably a true contemporary light romance story.
B. It’s a very light story which I’m not used to especially now when there is such a push to make romance “realistic” and “modern”.
modern/realistic = add all these darker themes to the story
bipoc = add all these darker themes
(I could go into a rant about how many only see bipoc/poc in all these weird trauma ways).
C. I probably could get into it almost being like these “realistic” aka dark themes are meant to give validity/respectability to romance.
D. Is it in contrast pushing out certain parts of romance (light fluffy)?
E. So many bipoc authors/readers go to romance to get away from these dark themes.
F. At this point so much of what is happening in publishing and media at large is in opposition to what bipoc readers/authors want (need?).
G. Nate Plus One avoided going in darker directions that a realistic contemporary + romance would have, definitely. Honestly, the realistic contemporary lover in me would have enjoyed it because it would have birthed so much good discussion. At the same time I appreciated that it kept the lightness in that aspect especially for a queer story with two boys of color.
won this from Random House Kids via a goodreads giveaway
A. Was the message not handled that much? It can feel like we are told what we and the character should get out of the story. I wonder if the way that there was traveling from spot to spot got in the way of honing in on the message.
B. I am noticing this trend of young adult novels that feel like a bunch of events with messages that either are not being focused in at all or messages that barely are there. Either way the lesson is tacked on in the end.
C. What I took away: is examining motivation in your art/career-putting people as motivation makes your art/career dictated by people. There is much value in making your career about yourself and not others.
II. Conflicts
A. Are a lot stories not developing or giving enough room to their conflicts? Are they avoidng drama to give cleanier/easier stories and characters? Is it because it is a romance so we do not want to go too hard/heavy?
B. Done well- Evie lack of trust /keeping a distance- we understand why and see it in story. They set up good conflicts that were not super present and got wrapped up quickly at the end.
C. It rushed the conclusion and felt the message (loving yourself/finding inner validation) wasn’t processed well (like many contemporaries honestly).
D. No heavy racial discussion or anything.
E. Not a lot of drama -pro: it is not heavy drama and full of negative stuff. con: a lot of the issues are underdeveloped (many stories suffer from this).
II. Evie & unlikeable (Black) girl characters
Evie- there is a weird dislike of “unlikeable” or not nice girl characters.
A. Personally, I usually like the ones they say are unlikeable especially when talking about Black girls.
B. Most of time I don’t realize they are unlikeable.
C. Maybe I am not bothered by her selfishness because I get her. I generally understand why these “unlikeable” characters are the way they are. I definitely think her grandmother and parents are like at the top of the list of why she is the way she is (among the betrayal at the beginning of the novel). She has parents who are absent, a grandmother who can disappear without warning, and someone close who betrayed her.
D. There is a conversation/discourse about specifically “unlikeable” Black girls in young adult that needs to be put more out there.
III. Black love interest & Black guy representation:
A. Black guy who is shy and protective of lead (Evie).
B. I’m overall liking the increase of soft/shy/not as hard Black guys in ya (especially love interests). It is a positive to broaden Black dude representation since there is a trend of the tough Black guy love interest in ya.
IV. Black and brown characters at center.
A. All or at least a large majority of the characters are Black and brown.
B. Casually has Blackness in forefront- it is not done in a way that is stereotypical (been feeling like Blackness is being diluted into superficial markers. The way Blackness is portrayed can feel like a checklist in some of these books).
D. It can feel like it is becoming more and more of an anomaly to have majority Black spaces in ya.
V. Emotional Enjoyment
I was disappointed since emotionally I did not enjoy this as much as I feel I should have.
VI. Miscellaneous
Incompetent adults?
It would be interesting to see an increase in ya with Black (and brown) characters that are realistic contemporary/plain contemporary not be exclusively romance or race based.
Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in—it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. Raised by a single mother, it’s always been Izumi—or Izzy, because “It’s easier this way”—and her mom against the world. But then Izzy discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity… and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. Which means outspoken, irreverent Izzy is literally a princess.
In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight.
Izzy soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after?
The Bad
*Was the not enough (not Japanese, not American enough) dilemma handled enough? It would come up here and there (at times it felt out of nowhere)Â but was not fully articulated enough in the story for it to feel like a big or even medium dilemma.
*I do not know if the conversations it wanted to have were overall articulated enough for the story.
*The story was very light which is not necessarily a bad thing but the lightness took away from some of the tougher issues – an issue would come up then be resolved quickly so much so it made the story seem like there was no stakes.
*Plotless- partially due to fact that there seemed to be few stakes so things that were supposed to be big were not. It was a bunch of stuff happening.
*The romance/relationship – I just did not connect with the relationships between the characters overall owing to fact that the connections between the characters was not developed enough.
*Not connecting to overall story- I think I never really connected with Tokyo Ever After in general.
The MehÂ
It was a light contemporary story which probably would be good for summer and make good netflix adaptation.
The Thoughts IÂ Had
How do people feel about the age gap between love interest and main character? It is not that steep but Izumi reads young.
Is it realistic for there not to be a DNA test before labeling her part of royal family?
It is different immigrating as a child than a teen right?
I won this book in a giveaway from Flatiron Books on goodreadsÂ
themollyweather 