Meanwhile, the handsome Drake Matthews has a secret: he has writer’s block and the only thing he can seem to write is historical romance. When Drake realizes that Kate may just be the inspiration he needs for his historical romance love interest, the pair form an unexpected truce; Drake will agree to all of Kate’s book launch plans with nary an argument and Kate will help Drake do “research” for his book. But, between a visit to a crypt, a pumpkin carving contest in Wizard of Oz costumes, and a trip to Niagara Falls, Kate and Drake’s professional relationship quickly starts to turn into something more. How Sweet It Is is a slow burn “enemies to lovers” contemporary romance novel with sprinkles of humor. It deals with themes like appearance versus reality, expectations versus reality, love and heartbreak, work/ life balance, and family. This book is appropriate for adult audiences only because there are some spicy scenes. This book is ideally suited for fans of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, and Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur. The main takeaways for me were that you must be true to yourself and follow your heart; Kate becomes an event planner instead of going into her family’s medical practice and Drake starts writing historical romance even though it’s not what his horror fans have come to expect. Another inspiring message from the book that I really liked is: “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice”. One thing that I loved about this book was the funny moments that had me laughing out loud. For example, Kate’s terrified reaction to Drake’s pint-sized “attack dog” and Drake’s sketchy-looking tin man costume. I loved the romantic scenes such as Kate and Drake’s helicopter trip over top of Niagara Falls; I found this scene especially cool because I live in Canada and have visited Niagara Falls several times over the years. I also loved the fact that Drake, dubbed the knight of nightmares, turns out to be a big softy. Lastly, without giving anything away, I thought that the end of this book was super romantic and very fitting. To be honest, there wasn’t a lot about this book that I didn’t like. Some minor cons were that I didn’t feel that the cover art really matched the plot/ feeling of the book, Drake and Kate had a few misunderstandings that really could have been avoided, and we never got to find out if anything romantic happened between Kate’s publicist friend and Drake’s brother (maybe this could be a potential sequel?). This was my first-time reading Dylan Newton’s work and How Sweet It Is exceeded my expectations. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to other romance readers. I gave this book a rating of 9 out of 10. This review was written for "The Nerd Daily". Click here to view this article on "The Nerd Daily's" website or copy & paste the following URL into your web browser: https://thenerddaily.com/review-how-sweet-it-is-by-dylan-newton/
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With her BFF (and secret crush) Leo off the market, Dakota is forced to start interviewing network-approved models and actors to be her date. On top of that, Koty tries to help Leo save his family’s struggling Japanese restaurant and earn enough money to pay for their school trip to Japan. Will Dakota finally get her prince charming, or will her love life turn into another viral moment? Faking Reality is a coming-of-age story dealing with themes such as empowerment, desire to escape, appearance versus reality, fame, family, love and heartbreak, wealth, culture and race, social media, and gender identity. This book really emphasized the importance of family, being true to oneself, and going after what you want. It also reenforced the fact that “reality” tv isn’t always real and isn’t always as glamorous as it seems. Faking Reality uses the friends to lovers trope and is geared towards teens and young adults. This book would be perfect for fans of Just Listen by Sarah Dessen, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson, and Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean as well as fans of HGTV shows like Fixer Upper, Good Bones, and Home Town. It would also be a great fit for fans of Sweet 16 by Kate Brian and fans of the reality tv show My Super Sweet 16. Firstly, since I don’t speak Japanese, I found that the inclusion of Japanese words (e.g. foods) and dialogue, which weren’t always translated into English, interrupted my reading experience. I also could have used some more information when the characters were discussing Japanese traditions and locations. Another critique is that the book could have been longer; I would have loved to read about Koty and Leo’s Japan trip! It also would have been fun to read about what happened to Koty (and her “Prince Charming”) after the conclusion of the book and the finale of Koty’s HGTV show. Lastly, I didn’t enjoy reading about Dakota’s awkward “auditions” for her network-approved sweet sixteen date. On the upside, I thought that this book was unique, and I loved the inclusion of the HGTV show! I thought that it was cool to get a behind the scenes look at a famous family; including all the scandals, invasions, compromises, and schedules that the McDonald’s needed to navigate to make their show a success. It was also fun to read about Koty’s elaborate sweet sixteen plans, which included a tiara, a celebrity musical appearance, a cake fit for a wedding, a choreographed dance, a massive guest list, expensive giveaways, and last-minute changes! Overall, I thought that this was a cute, fun, and unique teen/ YA read that is best suited for those who enjoy HGTV and the friends to lovers trope. I gave this book a rating of 8 out of 10. This review was written for "The Nerd Daily". Click here to view this article on "The Nerd Daily's" website or copy & paste the following URL into your web browser: https://thenerddaily.com/review-faking-reality-by-sara-fujimura/
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