nicolesbookcorner's reviews
427 reviews

Spectacular by Stephanie Garber

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I honestly wanted more of the story to be about scarlet and Julian but as always Tella seems to be the main focus. I know she is a complex characters but sometimes she really gets on my nerves with her self-centered ideas. When I read Once upon a broken heart and it’s following books, I saw a glimpse of a more mature Tella but I cannot say that I see that development in this story. 

Business Casual by B.K. Borison

emotional funny relaxing fast-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

4.5

I think Charlie and Nova were my favorite couple from this series so far. They communicated in a healthy and mature manner, they cared about each other and were honest. I felt bad for Charlie because I myself could relate to his thinking and feelings about not belonging. 

Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

It was cute at first then he turned hillbilly in the middle of the deed??? I’m not sure how his character made such a drastic turn in 5 pages. 

Daydream by Hannah Grace

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Classic Ali Hazelwood formula in a short story version which only teases me and makes me yearn for more! I don’t know what it is about her writing style that just has me hooked

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Underwhelming compared to how many people reviewed it well

Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I enjoyed the storyline, the main characters, caleb's family had an interesting dynamic but my criticism comes from the length of the book and the pace. I alternated between the audiobook and the ebook, with the audiobook it was so distracting listening to caleb's internal monologue and his interactions with the family because the narrator could not accurately pronounce spanish words. I believe that if you are going to use spanish in your book, one of your narrators (specially the one who is speaking these Spanish words) should be fluent in the language they are narrating in (with correct pronunciations) I want authors to know that if you are inserting latino characters into your stories, it is okay if they do not fit the stereotypes of having a large family and overusing the term "abuela" every 3 seconds. Please take the extra time to consult with people who have latino heritage and get their input about these conversations before making it a centered topic in your book.

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Classic Ali Hazelwood, always a treat

Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0

They were so loving and real in this book. I know people found it hard to understand why such lovable characters changed so much between the first and second book, but they both went through their own traumas. Wes had the death of his father, taking care of his sister while his mom was checked out, and breaking up with Liz. Liz had her first love break up with her and lied to her saying he cheated so she would accept the break up and not be held back by him. She spent two years thinking the her first love cared so little for her and their shared history and on top of that, he was the only one she knew at UCLA, her whole plan for college went out the window. I love seeing how they found their way back to each other and the addition of the new characters was great as well!

Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was so adorable and heartwarming that I am afraid to read the sequel because what do you mean they will be breaking up after this book? Wes was the YA mmc that you end up comparing all the other mmc you read after to. Liz was quirky and sometimes her actions were questionable but her intentions were always the same- keep her mom’s memory close to her. I would have liked to see a conversation between Liz and her dad about her mom, something along the lines that no one could replace Liz’s mom, maybe an angsty moment when she says “but you did” idk I’m just spitballing here. I like Joss sometimes but other times I was thinking to myself “why are you best friends with the girl if you hate how she dresses, how she thinks about love and her choice of romantic partners, why be a hater” so yeah that was my biggest problem with the storyline. Truly nervous about the sequel

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death of parent