The story starts with big-city ER doctor Alexis Montgomery accepting a tow from a handsome stranger after she gets stuck in a ditch in the smalltown of Wakan. After Alexis and the handsome stranger, Daniel Grant, both end up at the same diner later that night, Alexis ends up going home with Daniel and (seemingly) having a one-night stand. But, to escape her irritating and relentless ex as well as her demanding family and their medical legacy at Royaume Northwestern Hospital, Alexis starts to travel to Daniel’s B&B in Wakan on a regular basis. Alexis and Daniel understand that their fling must be temporary…in addition to the 10-year age gap, Daniel can’t leave his Mayoral responsibilities and his family’s B&B in Wakan while Alexis has a family legacy to uphold and an upcoming promotion in Minneapolis. But the longer their “fling” lasts, the harder it becomes to ignore their growing feelings for each other. Can Alexis give up the joy she finds with Daniel in Wakan to continue her family’s demanding medical legacy in Minneapolis? Or will this “opposites attract” couple find a way to permanently be a part of each others’ worlds? Part of Your World is an age gap “opposites attract” smalltown romantic comedy told from both Alexis and Daniel’s point of views. In my opinion, Alexis and Daniel’s relationship in Part of Your World was reminiscent of Margaret and Andrew in The Proposal movie, Alexis and Mutt in Schitt’s Creek, Mel and Jack in the Virgin River series, and Piper and Brendan in It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey. I would also recommend Part of Your World to fans of Alison Cochrun, Lynn Painter, Alexandria Bellefleur, Dylan Newton, and Ali Hazelwood. Part of Your World deals with themes like character and identity, mental health, abuse, love and heartbreak, family/ parenting, change versus tradition, class, desire to escape, and empowerment. The moral of this story is: “grace costs you nothing”. Furthermore, through Daniel’s influence, Alexis discovers that a little bit of goodwill can go a long way towards helping someone in need. I found Part of Your World to be very engaging and entertaining and I adored Daniel’s puppy dog-like personality. I loved the nods to popular Disney fairy tales! Most obviously, this story had major Little Mermaid vibes including the title (Part of Your World), Alexis’ red hair, and the fact that Alexis yearns to ditch her burdensome family responsibilities and become a permanent part of Daniel’s world in Wakan. There is also a fun nod to Cinderella when Alexis accidentally leaves behind her shoe after her one-night stand with Daniel. In my opinion, there was a good mix of both steam and romance; the steam wasn’t overdone, and the romance wasn’t too cheesy. Furthermore, I enjoyed how Jimenez seamlessly combined romantic moments (such as a penguin-inspired love gesture and a private trip to the drive-in movies), comical elements (like a baby goat in pajamas and an incident with a rogue squirrel in the dining room), and more serious topics (like cheating, abuse, and drug-use). I also liked how Alexis fell in love with the town of Wakan while she was falling for Daniel and I appreciated how Alexis (and her world) grew and changed for the better as a result of her time with Daniel in Wakan; she learns to care for herself instead of relying on staff to do things for her, she learns the power of grace and starts to use her medical knowledge to care for the residents of Wakan (who have severely limited access to medical professionals). As the book goes on, Alexis also re-accesses and reorganizes her priorities so that she can live the life that she wants to live (not just the life that will make her parents happy). I won’t spoil anything, but the emotional ending will definitely keep you engaged and pull at your heartstrings!
I haven’t read any of Abby Jimenez’s previous books, but I decided to pick this one up after seeing it a lot on bookstagram and it ended up totally exceeding my expectations! If you enjoy romantic comedies and the “opposites attract” trope, then you should definitely pick-up a copy of Part of Your World!
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Inspired by her wander-lusting older brother, recent high school graduate Auden West decides to spend the summer with her father, as well as his wife Heidi and their new baby Thisbe, in a small beach town named Colby. After meeting some girls her age who work at Heidi’s store, Auden realizes that she missed out on some typical high school social experiences (e.g., prom, sleepovers, parties, sports, etc.) because of the intense focus on academics that her parents encouraged. Also, due to her parents fighting and eventual divorce, Auden can’t fall asleep at night. So, when Auden meets fellow insomniac Eli, a competitive biker who is struggling with the sudden loss of his best friend Abe, Eli encourages Auden to go on a “quest” to complete some of the “typical” childhood experiences that Auden missed out on (like learning to ride a bike, having a paper route, playing kickball, getting into a club, bowling, etc.). But when more conflict arises in Auden’s family, just as Auden is learning how to open-up and make real connections, Auden must fight against the urge to shut everyone out again. I decided to pick-up a copy of this book after seeing the trailer for the upcoming Netflix movie adaptation that releases on May 6th. Along for the Ride is a coming-of-age teen/ YA novel dealing with themes such as insomnia, divorce, death and loss, loneliness, family and family conflict, academia and stress, identity, selfishness, and friendship/ relationships. The quests in Along for the Ride were reminiscent of the wanders in All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, the dares in Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson, the dares in the Dash & Lily books by Cohn and Levithan, and the bucket list items in The Lucky List by Rachael Lippincott.
For me personally, I felt like Along for the Ride fell short of the hype and my expectations. Furthermore, it seemed like too much of the beginning of the book was dedicated to setting the scene (e.g., Auden moving in with her dad, meeting her new baby sister and stepmother, exploring her new surroundings, etc.) and I felt like it was a long time before anything interesting started to happen between Auden and Eli. I was also a bit disappointed with Auden’s “quests”; in comparison to Emily’s dares in Since You’ve Been Gone for example (e.g., kissing a stranger, stealing, skinny dipping, etc.), I just felt like Auden’s quests weren’t as exciting to read about. I also wish that there was a little less of Auden’s parents’ drama/ conflicts and a little more of Eli’s story. Additionally, I found it shocking and unrealistic that none of Auden’s parental figures noticed that she was staying out all night and not sleeping (which would have been especially challenging during the school year due to daytime classes). Lastly, I thought that the playlist included at the end of Along for the Ride was (understandably) a bit dated – but I’m looking forward to seeing what songs are going to be on the movie adaptation’s soundtrack!
Overall, this book was a good read, but, in my opinion, it didn’t live up to the hype and it was geared towards more of a younger audience (high schoolers and recent high school graduates). But I’m definitely interested in comparing the book to the movie adaptation when it comes out in a few weeks.
Will you be picking up a copy of Along for the Ride and/ or watching the movie adaptation when it comes out on May 6th? Links: Click HERE to add Along for the Ride to your "Goodreads" TBR! Click HERE to watch the trailer for the Along for the Ride movie adaptation! Everything for You is the fifth installment of Liese’s Bergman Brothers series – I highly recommend reading the first four Bergman Brothers books before picking up a copy of Everything for You so that you don’t get any spoilers! All the Bergman Brothers books are interconnected so, even though this book focuses on Oliver Bergman’s story, the other Bergman siblings’ storylines continue in Everything for You. Like the other Bergman Brothers books, Everything for You is told from a dual point-of-view and includes a book playlist. Four years after With You Forever, Oliver Bergman is playing professional soccer alongside his idol, English player Gavin Hayes. But Oliver and Gavin are total opposites; Oliver is a younger player with a sunny “kill them with kindness” attitude whereas Gavin is a veteran player who is grumpy and closed-off. Even though Gavin is very attractive, Oliver has suffered the consequences of getting involved with a teammate in the past so starting anything romantic with his teammate, who also happens to be his neighbour, is off the table. But, after the coach appoints Oliver and Gavin co-captains, much to Gavin’s dismay, the two are forced to put their hostility aside…after a few harmless pranks that is! After some sibling, coach, and senior citizen meddling, Oliver and Gavin realize that there’s more to each other than meets the eye; like Gavin’s chronic pain, loneliness, and despair over the inevitable end of his soccer career as well as Oliver’s anxiety and panic attacks. They say that “opposites attract” for a reason…the more time that Gavin and Oliver are forced to spend together, the harder their mutual attraction is to ignore. Will these two finally be able to put their differences aside and open their hearts to the possibility of love?
In addition to fans of the other Bergman Brothers books, I highly recommend Everything for You to fans of Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, the Off-Campus series by Elle Kennedy, Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood (releases August 23rd), Tools of Engagement by Tessa Bailey, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, and the Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert. I think that one of the morals of this story is that you shouldn’t let your pain and fears get in the way of your love and happiness. First off, I thought that both Oliver and Gavin were totally swoon-worthy, and I loved how their story was full of both romance and steam. I also liked how we got to see lots of the other Bergman siblings (and their significant others) - I don’t want to spoil anything but there may be some wedding bells and baby Bergmans in this book! Having recently watched Ted Lasso, I loved how Oliver and Gavin were reminiscent of Ted and Roy respectively. Oliver reminded me a bit of Ted because he is newer to the profession and has a sunny disposition. Gavin reminded me a lot of Roy Kent; like Roy, Gavin is a bossy, grumpy, closed-off, veteran English soccer player who is having a tough time accepting the upcoming end of his career, likes to swear and use the word “oi”, and is secretly a softy around kids. Also, being a fan of both Disney and musicals, I loved how one of the ways that Oliver and Gavin bond is by listening to the “Encanto” soundtrack and watching “Hamilton”. I also really enjoyed the humorous elements including Oliver’s colourful wardrobe and outrageous pranks (especially the prank involving a glitter bomb). I honestly loved this book, so it was hard to think of downsides. One minor drawback for me was that, seeing as both the main characters are professional soccer players, there was a lot more soccer happening on page in comparison to the other Bergman Brothers books. As someone who isn’t sporty, the soccer lingo was a tad challenging to decipher and follow. Additionally, this slow burn was almost too slow…there is a lot of secret mutual pining before anything romantic happens between Oliver and Gavin. Lastly, Everything for You was a relatively quick read for me (I didn’t want to put it down!) and I affectionately wish it was a little bit longer.
Overall, I highly recommend this slow burn sports romance (as well as the entire Bergman Brothers series) and I think that Oliver’s story might just be my new favourite Bergman Brothers book!
Will you be picking up a copy of Everything for You when it releases on May 10th? Links: Click HERE to add Everything for You to your "Goodreads" TBR! Click HERE to purchase the Bergman Brothers book stack sticker (pictured on my journal) from my "Redbubble" shop! |
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February 2024
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