Kallum is a former boy band member turned pizza store owner who has recently had an untick in fame after the release of his sex tape. Winnie, who is famous for starring in a wholesome sitcom as a child, was known for her religious values…that is, until she divorced her childhood sweetheart. Ready to shake things up and get back into showbusiness, Kallum and Winnie are cast to co-star in a sexy Santa movie. Things get spicy after inexperienced Winnie, who is having trouble faking on-screen chemistry, enlists the help of Kallum for “research” purposes. When the distinction between “fake” chemistry and real feelings starts to blur, Kallum and Winnie must decide if their budding relationship can survive the real world after filming wraps.
A Holly Jolly Ever After is a spicy Christmas romance; it is a companion novel to Murphy and Simone’s A Merry Little Meet Cute but can be read as a standalone. I would recommend A Holly Jolly Ever After to fans of books like The Roommate by Rosie Danan, Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey, There’s Something about Merry by Codi Hall, A Photo Finish by Elsie Silver, The Nanny by Lana Ferguson, Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon, The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun, or Breakaway by Grace Reilly. Tropes in A Holly Jolly Ever After include spice coaching, good girl with bad boy, workplace romance, and accidental pregnancy. Important themes and topics present include religion, reputation, family and parenthood, appearance versus reality, female roles, sexuality, self worth, trust, miscommunication, marriage and divorce, body image, and narcolepsy. Potential trigger warnings to consider are cheating and complications during pregnancy. A Holly Jolly Ever After is split into two parts. I enjoyed part one of the book as it focused more on the emerging workplace romance between Kallum and Winnie, and their spicy “research”, whilst filming the movie. I personally thought that part one could have been the plot of the entire book as I found it to be more entertaining and engaging than part two. Part two changes the trajectory of the story and focuses more on the main characters struggling with some major life changes. I personally found that this part wasn’t as appealing, and it was dragged out a little too much for my tastes. I also wasn’t a fan of the prologue or epilogue of the book as they focused on two side characters (instead of the main characters) and they didn’t feel relevant to the plot. Even though I had some mixed feelings about this book, I appreciated all the Christmas and pizza related puns used throughout the book as they added a touch of humor. I also enjoyed the “Christmasy” film setting and thought that it was cool that, in part one, we almost got a behind the scenes look at what goes into filming a movie. Lastly, there are some swoony and heartwarming moments at the end of the book that I think fellow romance readers will appreciate. A Holly Jolly Ever After ended up being a lot more explicitly spicy than I was expecting. So, if you’re looking for a Christmas book with lots of steamy and explicit scenes, then you should definitely check out A Holly Jolly Ever After!
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Holly Winters is a quirky Youtuber who runs the holiday shop located beside her grumpy nemesis Declan’s hardware store. Their increasing hostility towards each other ends up starting an epic prank war. But when Holly desperately needs help setting-up her Christmas lights display, she is forced to hire Declan, the only handyman available on such short notice. Forced proximity, because of working together and being in Holly’s sister’s wedding party together, causes the pair to form a truce and develop a temporary “enemies with benefits” agreement. But the pair starts to doubt the temporary status of their arrangement when real feelings start to emerge.
Along Came Holly is the third installment of Hall’s Mistletoe Romance series; I highly recommend reading the three books in order as Nick and Noel’s (Nick and Noel’s Christmas Playlist) and Merry and Clark’s (There’s Something about Merry) stories continue in Along Came Holly. Along Came Holly is a contemporary Christmas romantic comedy featuring the “enemies to lovers”, forced proximity, and grumpy with sunshine tropes. Themes and topics present include family roles, marriage and divorce, Alzheimer’s, social media, privacy, growing up, miscommunication, appearance versus reality, as well as loneliness and isolation. I would recommend Along Came Holly to fans of Christmasy rom coms like Jingle Wars by R. Holmes and Veronica Eden, The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox, Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison, and Booked for the Holidays by Chelsea Curto. Along Came Holly was fairly lighthearted and very Christmasy; Holly had an Elf-like vibe whereas Declan’s vibe was more like The Grinch, which made for a humorous read. The prank wars definitely added a touch of comedy to Holly and Declan’s story, and I liked their spicy “will they, won’t they” relationship. In my opinion, it would be the perfect book to read by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate during your Christmas vacation or to listen to via audiobook whilst doing your holiday wrapping or baking. On the downside, for some reason I just didn’t feel as connected to and invested in Holly and Declan’s story, especially in comparison to the other two stories in Hall’s Mistletoe Romance series. As a result, I found that Along Came Holly kind of dragged at moments and didn’t really grab my attention overall. Furthermore, this book was very much a slow burn, which isn’t my favourite, and I personally found the ending to be a little cheesy for my tastes. Overall, Along Came Holly was a fun and humorous slow burn romance that’s perfect for the upcoming holiday season!
Whilst temporarily home from her traveling photography gigs, Kate Wilmot is forced to interact with her childhood neighbour and nemesis, Christopher, who is still close with Kate’s friends and family. After the Wilmot family pleads with Christopher to call a truce, Christopher learns that Kate acts hostile towards him because she wrongly believes that he hates her. Determined to turn over a new leaf, Christopher’s attempts to smooth things over with Kate end in a passionate kiss that forces the pair to reexamine their relationship. Better Hate than Never is a contemporary Shakespeare retelling featuring the forced proximity and “enemies to lovers” tropes. I would recommend it to fans of “enemies to lovers” romances like The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, You, with a View by Jessica Joyce, Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez, Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood, Twisted Hate by Ana Huang, and The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Themes present include family and found family, mental health, change versus tradition, order versus chaos, escapism, communication, meddling, loneliness and isolation, love, death and loss, secrets and lies, travel, world news, and working-class struggles. The obvious moral of Kate and Christopher’s story is that love is better late than never. Firstly, I want to advise readers who aren’t fans of Shakespeare to not be off put by the fact that this book is a Taming of the Shrew retelling; Better Hate than Never is a contemporary rom com that just so happens to use some of the same themes and names as Taming of the Shrew (much like how the movie She’s the Man subtly retells the story of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night). Better Hate than Never is the second installment of the Wilmot Sisters series but can be read as a standalone; I highly recommend reading the first book in the series as well, Two Wrongs Make a Right, as it’s also very good. Better Hate than Never is a “must add” to your fall TBR lists; it has a lot of cozy fall vibes and Kate loves all things fall-flavoured (especially donuts)! I enjoyed how less-common topics like ADHD and migraines were very much present in this book as this made Better Hate than Never more unique and memorable. I loved how Christopher and Kate learned to communicate and I appreciated that there wasn’t a pesky third act break-up. My favourite moment in Better Hate than Never was an epic paintball battle, featuring Christopher, Kate, and friends against some annoying misogynists, that turns spicy. I enjoyed seeing lots of Bea and Jamie, the main characters from Two Wrongs Make a Right, and I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a real page-turner! I highly recommend it to fans of contemporary rom coms and spicy “enemies to lovers” romances.
“True love is at stake in this charming, debut romantic comedy. Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch—only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price. Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency-romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean...Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.” (Summary courtesy of Berkley and Penguin Random House). Now, onto my review... My Roommate is a Vampire is a fantasy romance featuring the forced proximity and age gap tropes. I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy romances like Eternally Yours by Patrice Caldwell et al., The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, and Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn. Themes present include technology, society/ social norms, change versus tradition, displacement, companionship, arranged marriage, family, empowerment, and love. First off, I didn’t realize that Frederick is almost a historical character in that he belongs in a different era; seeing as I’m not a fan of historical fiction, I found that I didn’t really connect with this historical character. Overall, I found My Roommate is a Vampire to be slow paced; not only was the romance very much a slow burn, but the first half of the book seemed like it was just setting up Cassie and Frederick’s story. When Cassie is trying to introduce Frederick to technology and social media, I thought that Frederick’s reactions were a tad cringy in that he was almost likened to a stereotype of an elderly person who doesn’t know how to use technology. Lastly, I found it odd that the conflict was both introduced and easily resolved within the last couple of chapters; I felt like this was a tad rushed and could have been more engaging. On the other hand, I thought that the plot of My Roommate is a Vampire, a displaced vampire needing help navigating modern society, was unique in comparison to other vampire romances I’ve read. I enjoyed all the romantic texts and notes that Frederick and Cassie exchange throughout the novel as I thought that these were very sweet and swoony. My favourite moment was when Frederick, after determining that Taylor Swift is popular in modern society, brings up 1989 to blend in at a party and is hilariously labeled a “Swiftie” by Cassie’s friends. Overall, I thought that My Roommate is a Vampire was a swoony and somewhat spicy rom com that would be a perfect addition to any fall or Halloween TBR list! Links: Click HERE to add My Roommate is a Vampire to you "Goodreads" TBR! Continue reading for an excerpt of My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine curtesy of Berkley Publishing, Penguin Random House, and Jenna Levine… Excerpt of My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine: One Roommate Wanted to Share Spacious Third-Floor Brownstone Apartment in Lincoln Park Hello. I seek a roommate with whom to share my apartment. It is a spacious unit by modern standards with two large bedrooms, an open sitting area, and a semiprofessional eat-in kitchen. Large windows flank the eastern side of the apartment and provide a striking view of the lake. The unit is fully furnished in a tasteful, classical style. I am seldom home after sundown, so if you work a traditional schedule, you will usually have the apartment to yourself. Rent: $200 per month. No pets, please. Kindly direct all serious inquiries to [email protected]. "There has to be something wrong with this place." "Cassie, listen, this is a really good deal-" "Forget it, Sam." That last part came out more forcefully than I'd intended-though not by much. Even though I needed his help, my embarrassment over being in this situation in the first place made accepting that help difficult. Sam meant well, but his insistence on involving himself in every part of my current situation was getting on my very last nerve. To his credit, Sam-my oldest friend, who'd long ago acclimated to how snippy I sometimes got when I was stressed-said nothing. He simply folded his arms across his chest, waiting for me to be ready to say more. I only needed a few moments to pull myself together and start feeling badly for snapping at him. "Sorry," I muttered under my breath. "I know you're only trying to help." "It's all right," he said, sympathetic. "You have a lot going on. But it's okay to believe that things can get better." I had no reason to believe that things could get better, but now wasn't the time to get into it. I simply sighed and turned my attention back to the Craigslist ad on my laptop. "Anything that sounds too good to be true usually is." Sam peered over my shoulder at my screen. "Not always. And you have to admit this apartment sounds great." It did sound great. He was right about that. But . . . "It's only two hundred a month, Sam." *** I pulled up the listing on the computer. It hadn't changed in the time since I last saw it. The oddly formal style was the same. The absurd rent amount was also the same and set off as many alarm bells now as it did when I first saw it. But my financial situation also hadn't changed. Jobs in my field were still as hard to come by. And asking Sam for help-or my accountant parents, who loved me too much to admit to my face what a disappointment I was-was just as unthinkable as ever. And my landlord was still planning to evict me next week. Which, to be fair, I couldn't even blame him for. He'd put up with a lot of late rent payments and art-related welding mishaps these past ten months. If I were him I'd probably evict me, too. Before I could talk myself out of doing it, and with Sam's worried voice ringing in my ears, I opened my email. I scrolled through my inbox-an ad for a two-for-one sale at Shoe Pavilion; a headline from the Chicago Tribune about a bizarre string of local blood bank break-ins-and then started typing. From: Cassie Greenberg [[email protected]] To: [email protected] Subject: Your apartment listing I saw your ad on Craigslist looking for a roommate. My lease is up soon and your place sounds perfect. I'm a 32-year-old art teacher and have lived in Chicago for ten years. I'm a nonsmoker, no pets. You said in your ad that you aren't home much at night. As for me, I'm almost never home during the day, so this arrangement would work out well for both of us, I think. I'm guessing you've gotten a lot of inquiries about your apartment given the location, price, and everything else. But just in case the room is still available, I've included a list of references. I hope to hear from you soon. Cassie Greenberg A pang of guilt shot through me over how much I'd fudged some of the important details. For one thing, I'd just told this complete stranger that I was an art teacher. Technically, that was the truth. It's what I'd studied to be in college, and it isn't that I didn't want to teach. But in my junior year of college I fell in love with applied arts and design beyond all hope of reason, and then in my senior year I took a course where we studied Robert Rauschenberg and his method of combining paintings with sculpture work. And that was it for me. Immediately after graduation I threw myself into an MFA in applied arts and design. Excerpted from My Roommate Is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, Copyright © 2023 by Jenna Levine. Excerpt reproduced with permission of Berkley and Penguin Random House, all rights reserved.
“Maple Hills students Russ Callaghan and Aurora Roberts cross paths at a party celebrating the end of the academic year, where a drinking game results in them having a passionate one-night stand. Never one to overstay her welcome (or expect much from a man), Aurora slips away before Russ even has the chance to ask for her full name. Imagine their surprise when they bump into each other on the first day of the summer camp where they are both counselors, hoping to escape their complicated home lives by spending the summer working. Russ hopes if he gets far enough away from Maple Hills, he can avoid dealing with the repercussions of his father’s gambling addiction, while Aurora is tired of craving attention from everyone around her, and wants to go back to the last place she truly felt at home. Russ knows breaking the camp’s strict “no staff fraternizing” rule will have him heading back to Maple Hills before the summer is over, but unfortunately for him, Aurora has never been very good at caring about the rules. Will the two learn to peacefully coexist? Or did their one night together start a fire they can’t put out?” (Description of Wildfire by Hannah Grace was taken from Simon & Schuster Canada’s website).
I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Wildfire from NetGalley. Wildfire is a camp counsellor summer romance featuring the forced proximity and forbidden romance tropes. Trigger warnings include gambling, absentee parents, and drunk driving. Themes present include found family, addiction, abandonment, communication or lack there of, confidence, appearance versus reality, fame, and wealth. I would recommend Wildfire to fans of contemporary romances like Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy, The Fine Print by Lauren Asher, Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey, Always Only You by Chloe Liese, or Play With Me by Becka Mack. Overall, I was a tad disappointed with this book; even though I enjoyed Wildfire, I personally didn’t think it was as good as Icebreaker, which is one of my current favourites. Furthermore, I was expecting Wildfire to be a college sports romance like Icebreaker, and I was disappointed that the majority of Wildfire was set at Honey Acres summer camp instead of Maple Hills (even though Russ and Aurora are both students there). Additionally, there was very little mention of the hockey team. Even though they made some appearances, I really wish that the Icebreaker characters were more a part of Russ and Aurora’s storyline; beloved characters like Stassie, Nate, JJ, and Henry are only side characters in Wildfire. Not really a third act break-up but Wildfire does have some short-lived instances of miscommunication, which I’m not a fan of. The summer camp atmosphere at Honey Acres, where Russ and Aurora work, was definitely fun and summery; I feel like it will be nostalgic for those who use to attend or have worked at summer camps. My favourite parts of the book involved the camp golden retriever “Fish” and her puppies, who frequently follow and cuddle Russ; these moments were so cute and swoon-worthy (talk about a literal golden retriever boyfriend lol)! Russ and Aurora’s relationship was engaging as it involved a lot of sneaking around (since camp counsellors aren’t allowed to date each other) and spicy hook-ups. I enjoyed how Russ and Aurora are both bookworms, they even go on a date to the bookstore, and I think that fellow readers will appreciate this as well. Henry’s story was alluded to a bit in Wildfire so I’m hopeful that we will possibly get his story next! After the death of her father, smalltown librarian Sloane Walton decides it’s time to find her own happily ever after. Her neighbour, Lucian Rollins, is a hotshot mogul hell-bent on seeking vengeance and building an indestructible empire. Sloane and Lucian are enemies and yet, they share a secret history with each other. After Sloane’s attempts at online dating go awry, Sloane and Lucian develop a temporary truce and “enemies with benefits” arrangement. But, when old threats reappear, Lucian learns that it’s harder to protect Sloane from a distance. Can Lucian shed his hard exterior and convince Sloane to give him a real shot?
Things We Left Behind is the third and final installment in the Knockemout series; even though each book focuses on a different couple, the books should be read in order as the main action continues throughout the trilogy. Tropes include grumpy and sunshine, enemies with benefits, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity. Things We Left Behind is a spicy contemporary romance with dark and suspenseful elements that would be perfect for fans of books like Dark Succession by Katee Robert or Twisted Love by Ana Huang. Themes include secrets and lies, self worth, love and sacrifice, life and death, good versus evil or light versus dark, family, justice and injustice, and crime. Potential trigger warnings include wrongful incarceration, physical abuse and violence, cancer, death of a parent, and arson. Firstly, the plot reminded me of one of my current favourite songs, “Electric Touch (Taylor’s Version)”; if you’re also a fan of this song, you should definitely check out Things We Left Behind. I appreciated that I was able to jump right into the story, without a lot of preambles, because Lucian and Sloane were already introduced in Things We Never Got Over and Things We Hide from the Light. I also loved that all my favourite main characters from the Knockemout universe still played key roles in Things We Left Behind. I enjoyed Lucian’s morally grey personality and “touch her and you die” vibes. Sloane has some serious book loving energy, which I think a lot of readers will connect to. I liked Lucian and Sloane’s soulmate-like connection as it reminded me of popular paranormal romance novels like A Court of Thorns and Roses and From Blood and Ash. There are also some totally swoon-worthy moments involving a cherry blossom tree (which I believe are the flowers featured on the cover)! Things We Left Behind had a fair number of flashbacks sprinkled throughout the novel outlining teenage Lucian and Sloane’s history. Even though they were needed, I’m personally not a big fan of flashbacks and felt like they were a little drawn out for my tastes. But I do think that readers will enjoy finally figuring out Sloane and Lucian’s secret yet alluded to history. Lastly, I felt like some of the smaller plot twists were a little obvious, which was disappointing, but there was also a big twist that I didn’t see coming! Even though it wasn’t my favourite in the series, Sloane and Lucian’s enemies to lovers romance definitely did not disappoint. I would highly recommend Things We Left Behind to fans of morally grey love interests, suspense, and spicy “enemies to lovers” romances.
Ryker Matthews, Zander and Drake’s brother, is a retired Marine turned mechanic who struggles with PTSD and phantom limb pain after his below-the-knee amputation. Bryce Weatherford is a chef at PattyCakes who is struggling to adjust to her new role as a guardian of her 3 young nieces after a terrible accident; Addison refuses to take off her fairy wings and is wetting the bed, Cecily won’t bathe, and June has a grumpy and sassy attitude. On top of that, Bryce is struggling with lawyer fees since the Weatherford girls’ grandparents are petitioning the court for sole custody. After Ryker and Bryce bond over a mishap at the grocery store, they strike up a friendship and end up becoming much-needed shoulders for each other to lean on. Despite their instant attraction, Bryce doesn’t feel like it’s the right time for romance…but maybe a “change of plans” is just what she needs.
Change of Plans is part of a series of interconnected standalones about the Matthews brothers. Change of Plans is a smalltown romantic comedy perfect for fans of books like Knot My Type by Evie Mitchell, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings, The Summer Cottage by Annie Rains, and Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score as well as movies like Raising Helen and Gifted. Potential trigger warnings include PTSD and military flashbacks, custody disagreements, loss of parents, vomiting and broken bones, and dementia. Themes include change, communication (and miscommunication), parenthood and motherhood, family, war, mental health, fear of failure, death and loss, love and sacrifice, loneliness, trust, heroism, challenges of growing up, and working-class struggles. I think that one of the main morals of Change of Plans is that it’s okay to ask for and accept help. I loved how Newton described the process of applying for and being matched with a service dog as I thought that this was very cool and unique; it’s not something that I’ve seen very often (if at all) in romantic comedies. The meaning behind the service dog’s name was also very heartwarming! I appreciated that Change of Plans was an interconnected standalone as I find that it’s easier for me to get into the plot since I’m already familiar with the setting and a lot of the characters. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Bryce’s nieces playing big parts in the plot as I was afraid that it would distract from the romance elements, but I ended up really enjoying their hilarious antics (including a “laugh out loud” disastrous Easter party) and all the Tinkerbell references! I have to say that the custody disputes and the PTSD flashbacks were harder for me to read as these topics are so sensitive in nature. I also wasn’t really a fan of the side story involving the Matthews brothers’ mom, Patty, as I didn’t feel like it added a lot to the plot. Lastly, I was disappointed that the miscommunication trope, personally one of my least favourite tropes, appeared multiple times throughout the novel. Overall, I enjoyed this funny and heartwarming page turner and would highly recommend it to fans of romantic comedies and single parent romances. When high school senior Lily Hopper receives a note from the infamous Jester asking for help pulling off the traditional end of year prank, Lily agrees to help in a desperate attempt to ditch her good girl reputation. This year’s Jester turns out to be Lily’s ex-boyfriend, Tag Swell, whom Lily still has feelings for. Tag’s prank involves stealing the yearbooks and forcing the senior class president, who also happens to be Lily’s prom date, to go on an epic scavenger hunt to retrieve the yearbooks. As Tag, Lily, and their fellow pranksters hide clues across campus in the middle of the night whilst dodging campus security, Tag and Lily start to feel sparks again. But will old hurt prevent Lily and Tag from rekindling their relationship? What Happens After Midnight is a teen/ YA second chance romance with hints of mystery elements. The plot reminded me of books like Since You’ve Been Gone and Take Me Home Tonight by Morgan Matson, 11 Paper Hearts by Kelsey Hartwell, I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston, P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han, Paper Towns by John Green, as well as Margot Mertz Takes It Down by Carrie McCrossen and Ian McWethy. Additionally, the boarding school gave me major Zoey 101 vibes and Lily’s relationship with her mom was reminiscent of Rory and Lorelai’s relationship in Gilmore Girls. In my opinion, What Happens After Midnight is a perfect summer read for a teen audience, especially high school seniors! Some themes/ topics present include revenge, love and heartbreak, self esteem, identity, growing up, friendship, good versus bad, and diabetes.
I was a bit disappointed that What Happens After Midnight was geared towards more of a teen audience as opposed to Walther’s 2021 novel, The Summer of Broken Rules (which I felt was geared towards more of a young adult audience). Even though the Jester’s prank was originally intriguing, I felt like the scavenger hunt itself was kind of underwhelming and I was disappointed that most of the Jester’s “fools” didn’t really participate (for example, one of the participants is sick and ends up spending the entire prank in the restroom).
Overall, I enjoyed this book; I thought that it was an easy, fun, and summery read that teen and YA readers should definitely add to their summer TBR lists!
To make ends meet, theoretical physicist Elsie works as a fake girlfriend, where she tailors her personality to fit the needs of her clients. Whilst interviewing for her dream position at MIT, Elsie’s two worlds collide when she discovers that Jack, her favourite fake boyfriend’s older brother, is a renowned experimental physicist and on MIT’s hiring committee. Elsie’s chances at landing the job are immediately threatened as Jack believes that Elsie’s a librarian who’s lying to her “boyfriend”. Jack also turns out to be Elsie’s archnemesis as he previously published a paper that ruined Elsie’s mentor’s career and slammed theoretical physicists everywhere. But continuing to hate Jack becomes challenging when Elsie realizes that she can finally be her true self whilst around him.
Love, Theoretically is an enemies to lovers, academic romance perfect for fans of Chloe Liese, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Tessa Bailey, Abby Jimenez, Mazey Eddings, and/ or Elsie Silver. It deals with themes and topics like identity and sense of self, communication, truth and lies, family, friendships, feminism, love and heartbreak, revenge, working class struggles, STEM, diabetes, and the aro/ ace spectrum. The moral of Elsie’s story is that you should be the person that you want to be, not the person that you think other people want you to be. Firstly, I enjoyed all the references to popular culture including Taylor Swift and Twilight. I also really appreciated that Adam and Olive (from The Love Hypothesis) made an appearance in Love, Theoretically as I absolutely love these characters. I thought that the plot was unique, and it was refreshing to see uncommon topics like diabetes, aro/ ace, and physics included in this novel. I also appreciated that the plot was interesting, engaging, and kept me guessing. Though not completely relevant, I thought that Elsie’s students’ emails, which are frequently present at the beginning of chapters, were a fun and comical addition to the novel. Jack Smith was totally swoon-worthy and perfect “book boyfriend” material; even though it was a slow burn romance that took a while to get started, I thought that Elsie and Jack’s relationship was very sweet as well as steamy. One thing that I wasn’t a huge fan of was the physics jargon that Elsie and Jack use as I felt like a lot of this went over my head. I was disappointed that Elsie and Jack’s romance took so long to get started; the first portion of the book is mainly dedicated to Elsie’s “fake girlfriending” and her longwinded MIT interview. I was also confused about the inclusion of Elsie’s roommate Cece’s budding relationship with one of her “fake” girlfriend clients, Kirk; it takes place during the same time as Elsie and Jack’s romance, but only vague details are given about Cece and Kirk…perhaps Cece’s story will be the subject of one of Hazelwood’s future novels? Lastly, without spoiling anything, even though I liked how the book ended, I personally found that I was a tad underwhelmed by the epilogue. Overall, I thought that Love, Theoretically was an engaging and unique page-turner that I would highly recommend to fans of women in STEM and enemies to lovers romances. I can’t wait to read more of Hazelwood’s work in the future!
“Beyond the walls of her romance bookstore, Gigi Rutherford is out of stock when it comes to her own love interests. And instead of enduring one bad date after another, these days she'd rather curl up at home with her favorite audiobook and the only man who makes her heart skip a beat: Zane Wilkenson, the smooth-voiced narrator Gigi is convinced is her soulmate. Then, she's presented with the chance of a lifetime: a ten-day bus tour through the hilly English countryside, taking in the sights and sounds of a world an ocean away from her bookstore--all in the presence of the man of her dreams, Zane, as he leads the tour . . . in person. But things don't go as planned. When Gigi arrives at the bus terminal in London, Zane is nowhere to be found. Until he shows up, she's stuck with an eclectic group of fellow travelers she'd rather not be with on a long road trip, including the brooding bus driver, Taj, who Gigi finds infuriating but also incredibly alluring. Will Gigi find a happy ending with Zane? Or will each stop on the tour bring her closer to a completely different destination?” (Description of Two for the Road by Chantel Guertin was taken from Penguin Random House Canada’s website).
Two for the Road is a contemporary rom com perfect for fans of books like The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest, Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, and Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter. Themes and topics discussed include love and heartbreak, forced proximity, family, death and grieving, communication, character, change versus tradition, desire to escape, friendship and companionship, appearance versus reality, fate versus freewill, travel, as well as loneliness and isolation. Some trigger warnings to note include loss of parents (off page), degenerative conditions (briefly discussed), marriage on the rocks, and hospitalization. I think that the moral of this story is nicely summed up by this quote from the book: “It wasn’t about finding the pages to complete a story. The story of my family is finished. Now, whatever family I make, that’s a new story. One I can’t write entirely on my own. It’s one that has to write itself, organically.” (Two for the Road by Chantel Guertin) I wasn’t really sure about this book when I started reading, but I ended up enjoying it more than I expected. I felt really connected to the main character, Gigi, as she is a fellow book lover; she owns her own bookstore, she is constantly thinking about books that she’s read (and even making some book-related detours) whilst she explores England, and she finds comfort amongst the pages of her favourite books. I enjoyed all the beautiful descriptions of the places that Gigi visits during the bus tour through England; I felt like Guertin did a very good job at helping the reader to envision the various destinations and I wonder if, perhaps, the author has been on an English bus tour like Gigi. I appreciated that Guertin didn’t take too long to set up Gigi’s story; the main action started almost right away, which, in my opinion, made the story more engaging. I didn’t really like the inclusion of all the side stories regarding the other passengers on the bus tour as I felt like these distracted from Gigi’s story and most weren’t imperative to the rest of the plot. Additionally, I felt that it took almost too long for the romance aspects of the novel to get started (it was definitely a slow burn). Lastly, I felt like the story was a tad predictable and that the ending was kind of unrealistic. Overall, I enjoyed the book and felt like it was a good page turner. I would recommend Two for the Road to fans of travel, slow burn romances, and “books about books”. |
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