cheesie's reviews
158 reviews
Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
young adult romance hasn’t been a genre i’ve dipped my toes into since i was younger and i am thankful i didn’t pass by this one! i really liked it. i am a huge fan of books that take place over the course of one day and this really opened my eyes to that. very fast read.
pros:
- real apologizing! “sorry, i didn’t realize i came across as such an asshole that time” is so much more mature than many adult romance rivals.
- fun plot! we love a competition!
cons:
- a couple things were said in the heat of the moment that i don’t think i would forgive so easily 😭
- a whole love story in one day moves a little too fast for me at the end tbh some things could be said more down the line
- some things could have been shown instead of told, like her barbie movie esque rants on social issues
- why are they driving under the influence. come on man
pros:
- real apologizing! “sorry, i didn’t realize i came across as such an asshole that time” is so much more mature than many adult romance rivals.
- fun plot! we love a competition!
cons:
- a couple things were said in the heat of the moment that i don’t think i would forgive so easily 😭
- a whole love story in one day moves a little too fast for me at the end tbh some things could be said more down the line
- some things could have been shown instead of told, like her barbie movie esque rants on social issues
- why are they driving under the influence. come on man
Collide by Bal Khabra
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
saurrrr cute ngl it gave exactly what i needed right now! all the characters were likable and it was similar to other college hockey romances like off campus and icebreaker without being a carbon copy. i am so proud of bal!
pros:
- great smut at a good pace
- good and believable backstories
- my bff kian ishida
- no unnecessary final act breakup!
cons:
- i simply don’t think they needed the breakin plot when they already had a photo but the plot was plotting
- the cleanliness levels of a ferris wheel are questionable to low
- none of these students in college romances seem to ever have jobs 😭 but aiden has his sponsorships so that counts
pros:
- great smut at a good pace
- good and believable backstories
- my bff kian ishida
- no unnecessary final act breakup!
cons:
- i simply don’t think they needed the breakin plot when they already had a photo but the plot was plotting
- the cleanliness levels of a ferris wheel are questionable to low
- none of these students in college romances seem to ever have jobs 😭 but aiden has his sponsorships so that counts
Radiant Sin by Katee Robert
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 50%.
love katee but haven’t had any interest to pick this back up in almost 6 months :/
Happy Place by Emily Henry
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
the emilyhenryverse is so vast…
Double Pucked by Lauren Blakely
lighthearted
really liked the premise of this mfm book at first but i lost interest quickly. i think there were just a few too many cringy dialogue moments to keep going. i got to about 75% and skimmed the rest. the smut wasn’t great, the romance was very juvenile… not my favorite of all time.
The Anti-Hero by Sara Cate
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
this was ok! i liked the idea more than the execution. i wish we knew more about sage’s character. the way that this went kinda felt like her only purpose was to facilitate adam’s plotlines.
overall i think the unique plot really makes up for a lot in this book. i almost wished it was longer and we dove more into sage and adam’s relationship as it was building.
overall i think the unique plot really makes up for a lot in this book. i almost wished it was longer and we dove more into sage and adam’s relationship as it was building.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing by Jessa Hastings
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
WOWWW. i had fun with this one as a julian haites stan. his perspective was really fun, i love seeing a tough man unravel and get softer.
christian and daisy were a little bit less interesting than in daisy haites 1, which was disappointing because i really like them! i just didn’t think there was much for there to happen for their relationship here. i liked what daisy had going on individually, i liked her budding friendship with parks, but they fell at the wayside.
also… did not realize this series was not finished until the very last chapter??? WHAT! i thought we would get more information than mp2! and on a big cliffhanger too 😭
christian and daisy were a little bit less interesting than in daisy haites 1, which was disappointing because i really like them! i just didn’t think there was much for there to happen for their relationship here. i liked what daisy had going on individually, i liked her budding friendship with parks, but they fell at the wayside.
also… did not realize this series was not finished until the very last chapter??? WHAT! i thought we would get more information than mp2! and on a big cliffhanger too 😭
The Long Way Home by Jessa Hastings
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
SURE. sure we’ll do the same song and dance over and over again. i guess. i know the appeal of magnolia and bj getting their happily ever after comes at the price of so much constant conflict but DAMN! COME ON!!! 😭😭😭
i was SO excited for julian in this one. he is such an interesting character. it’s interesting getting to be inside his head in daisy haites 1, and then only getting magnolia and bj’s perspective of him in mp2 and having to try to figure him out.
i like the answers we get for the gaps in their history. in a way, magnolia and bj’s flashbacks are my favorite parts. the ending felt rushed in a way i wasn’t obsessed with.
i do want to point out that i guessed that ending almost to a t even though it came out of nowhere and ended on a cliffhanger. ☝️🤓 i have amazing intuition and i will be picking up dh2 to see just how right i was.
i was SO excited for julian in this one. he is such an interesting character. it’s interesting getting to be inside his head in daisy haites 1, and then only getting magnolia and bj’s perspective of him in mp2 and having to try to figure him out.
i like the answers we get for the gaps in their history. in a way, magnolia and bj’s flashbacks are my favorite parts. the ending felt rushed in a way i wasn’t obsessed with.
i do want to point out that i guessed that ending almost to a t even though it came out of nowhere and ended on a cliffhanger. ☝️🤓 i have amazing intuition and i will be picking up dh2 to see just how right i was.
Daisy Haites by Jessa Hastings
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
i liked this even though the first half felt soooo slow to get into. it picked up like everyone said it would, but i think we could definitely have sped things up faster.
first, i LOVVVVEEEEE julian haites. we like dis 🤞 second, i really like daisy. it is a little frustrating that she was essentially made a nurture-born “i’m not like other girls” and i wish she had more opportunities to treat other women w respect and grow in that way, but maybe in the next books?
it’s so interesting the author decided to give us another big love triangle-web as our main romantic plot? idk if that was necessary. nobody here is rooting for romeo in the way that i felt like i was kinda rooting for tom england. i think christian and daisy have great chemistry and make a lot of sense.
i do like the haites family business stuff. i like gang/mafia related plots, and i liked the tension of their “we can do bad things but we have rules” gone awry plot.
one thing that isn’t the author’s fault and more just me rambling to myself is that i really like daisy’s footnote inner monologue and feel like it added a lot to her personality, but found myself skipping over them half the time because it was so frustrating to read on kindle 😭😭 and i’m upset about it.
first, i LOVVVVEEEEE julian haites. we like dis 🤞 second, i really like daisy. it is a little frustrating that she was essentially made a nurture-born “i’m not like other girls” and i wish she had more opportunities to treat other women w respect and grow in that way, but maybe in the next books?
it’s so interesting the author decided to give us another big love triangle-web as our main romantic plot? idk if that was necessary. nobody here is rooting for romeo in the way that i felt like i was kinda rooting for tom england. i think christian and daisy have great chemistry and make a lot of sense.
i do like the haites family business stuff. i like gang/mafia related plots, and i liked the tension of their “we can do bad things but we have rules” gone awry plot.
one thing that isn’t the author’s fault and more just me rambling to myself is that i really like daisy’s footnote inner monologue and feel like it added a lot to her personality, but found myself skipping over them half the time because it was so frustrating to read on kindle 😭😭 and i’m upset about it.
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
okayyyyyy. okay. okay!
i am gonna be so honest in saying that i never thought i would finish this book when i first gave it a shot. the writing was jarring and i had no idea who all those people were. and then when i gave in and realized this isn’t a cute romance, it’s reality tv in book form, i was in.
i’m not rooting for magnolia and bj. i am a little, because the book wants me to, and i’m rooting for magnolia and i think she’ll never be happy with anyone else, but DAAANG. they really can’t be happy for more than like 12 hours together huh.
the ending of this shook me to my core. i love a big dramatic reveal when i realize things the same time as the characters do. i will be tuning in for the other 3 and i hope there’s just as much drama in those.
i think this series is good for fans of the addicted series if you’re reading that for the drama too …. :)
i am gonna be so honest in saying that i never thought i would finish this book when i first gave it a shot. the writing was jarring and i had no idea who all those people were. and then when i gave in and realized this isn’t a cute romance, it’s reality tv in book form, i was in.
i’m not rooting for magnolia and bj. i am a little, because the book wants me to, and i’m rooting for magnolia and i think she’ll never be happy with anyone else, but DAAANG. they really can’t be happy for more than like 12 hours together huh.
the ending of this shook me to my core. i love a big dramatic reveal when i realize things the same time as the characters do. i will be tuning in for the other 3 and i hope there’s just as much drama in those.
i think this series is good for fans of the addicted series if you’re reading that for the drama too …. :)