malpal132's reviews
192 reviews
Text Appeal by Amber Roberts
0.5
i was shocked by how promising this felt in the beginning, and how far it fell by the end. the sex scenes were a bizarre mix of fade-to-black but also random details that also didn't make sense (how does she straddle him and then take off her shorts and underwear?), vague enough that it left me wondering if they'd actually had sex at all. an editor should have caught that. but the thing that made me angriest was the fact that the author clearly didn't know how to follow emotional threads in the story. i think the reader was supposed to feel that the fmc was justified in how she treated her friends and mmc, but she just fucking wasn't. she was selfish and immature and not in a way that felt intentional or justified by her backstory. there wasn't enough emotional depth to excuse it. and where was the chemistry?! for a book whose backbone is the fact that sydney is a sex worker, it was almost comical how unsexy and off-putting it was when the author was trying to communicate sexiness. and speaking of communication, this was pull-your-hair-out levels of frustrating miscommunication. anytime the mmc tried to talk to sydney about their relationship, she literally pulled out "i have to pee" and there was zero introspection or compelling reason why she didn't want to talk it out.
anyway, do not recommend.
anyway, do not recommend.
The Good Girl by Nikki Sloane
2.75
alright, listen. i read this in one sitting. i'm a sucker for "my brother's best friend" stories. that being said, was this mostly him telling her she's a good/bad girl and repeating that over and over again? yes. did he inexplicably refer to her "virgin pussy" like five times? idk. i didn't count. it was enough for me to notice, though. i had a good time regardless.
Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
4.0
oh man. there were so many scenes in this that felt iconic. this is also the first book i've read with a religious main character that i actually felt compassion for (as a girly with religious trauma) and understood. the writing was achy and devastating and really felt like it took all the time it needed to establish these characters and their virtues and flaws. it was almost uncomfortable to read because of how painful their situation was. for that reason, i almost felt trapped by it? like i just wanted to finish it to get away from that discomfort but it seemed to just keep going (as it needed to, honestly!). idk. i feel changed by it.
The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe
4.0
Eleanor & Andrew. I accidentally read this before I read the 3rd book so it was such a shock that
Spoiler
Nellie was the one the Duke of Lockwood met right before his engagement to Maddie!
The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe
3.0
Preston & Katherine. I liked this! Preston's falling ass over tit and acting absolutely obsesssssssed with Kat from the very beginning was delightful, especially because it took him so long to realize it. However, I got the ick from her calling him "my king" like imagine somebody saying that out loud and not only that but in the throes of passion as well.
Jana Goes Wild by Farah Heron
2.75
I wanted to like this more. The sense of humor didn't hit for me but it's an objectively well-crafted book, I think. Jana and Anil were good? Sort of boring. I kept hoping for more chemistry, more personality. Anyway, it's not a bad book. I just don't think it was great either.
The Right Move by Liz Tomforde
3.5
Ryan and Indy. This was good! The characters weren't two-dimensional and the conflict made sense.
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
3.5
Nate and Anastasia. This was fun! There was no third-act breakup and the majority of the conflict was with her skating partner, Aaron. Seeing her relationship with food finally start to heal from Nate's gentle prodding was lovely. And I found her portrayal of people who are complicated to be refreshing.
Reverse Pass by Maggie Rawdon
3.0
Ben and Violet. I had a good time, I just found them to be the least charming couple, I think.