readwatchcrochet's reviews
422 reviews

Raise the Bar by K.M. Gillis

medium-paced

4.0

Was completing shipping these two from the moment they met. 

📚 friends to lovers

📚 millionaire 
📚 fake dating
📚 he falls first

📚 dual POV

🌶️🌶️

“You’re my favourite person. The moment you leave a room is the moment I start kissing you”

|Thoughts|

Love a good set of interconnected standalones. This is book 2 in the Love in 2C series. 

This book continues with the strong theme of parental issues, which adds a nice layer to the story. 

Always appreciate some good nicknames. 

“Whoa, hold up a minute. You can’t just compare a man to Superman and then walk away from him.”

As aloof as Callum attempts to appear, love seeing how smitten he is with our heroine. 

“I’m now experiencing jealous towards bake goods. It’s a new personal low”

“Goodnight, Clark”
“Sleep well, Lois”

Onto book 3!

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Taming 7 by Chloe Walsh

4.5

The Finest Print by Erin Langston

4.0

Santa Overboard by Carolyn McBride

2.5

Heavy on the references to the pandemic, light on plot. 

🚫 clean romance

|Thoughts|

Sad to say not much about this story stood out to me. Although it was nice to follow a FMC who’s not a teenager or in college, never really felt a connection to the character or story. 

At least once a chapter there was a mention of the Pandemic and just felt a bit much. Felt more a story about life post pandemic as opposite to a festive romance. 

Listened to the audiobook and found the narration enjoyable to listen to. 

“None of us were untouched by the pandemic”

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Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher & author for an eARC in exchange for this honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. 

Running Into You by K.M. Gillis

fast-paced

4.0

Ate this one up. 

“I’m falling for my neighbor, who happens to be my sister’s best friend and who doesn’t want a boyfriend. .”

📚 forced proximity (neighbours)

📚 best friends brother
📚 friends with benefits

📚 dual POV

🌶️🌶️ (frequent but not too detailed)

|Thoughts|

Loved the dynamic between Betty and Josh. Once again, a story that benefits from dual PoV. 

Surprisngly had a third act break up that I didn’t hate. It didn’t feel forced or outlandish given the plot and their relationship. 

Perfect story if you’re into reading about two adults who just want to deny the chemistry and sexual tension. 

“Nothing has changed with our friendship. We’ve just added sex into the mix. Much like we added running earlier in the week.”

There are also a few characters that are deplorable, but happy to say, they do get out in their place. This is also nicely balanced with some best friends and side characters that are amazing (including one that continues with the NSYNC references). 

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Crime and Punishment by itscometothis

medium-paced

For non-book records, review text and ratings are hidden. Only mood, pace, and content warnings are visible.

Redeeming 6 by Chloe Walsh

medium-paced

4.5

Could not get through this fast enough and continue to think about well after putting it down. 

“And like the habit of a lifetime, I followed her. This girl was by far, my greatest addiction”

📚 trauma & addiction

📚 found family
📚 he washes her hair
📚 friends to lovers
📚 nicknames

📚 dual POV
*check TW

🌶️🌶️🌶️

“I’m not worth saving”
“Do you know how fucken selfish that sounds?”

|Thoughts|

Just when you think the characters have hit rock bottom, Walsh digs them into even deeper and darker holes. 

“The truth was I didn’t want to lie anymore. I didn’t want to cover up. I was completely done with the bullshit”

Particularly appreciated the sections that told the events of Binding/ Keeping 13, but from Joey & Aoife’s perspective. 

“…I felt on edge. Because Teddy Lynch was never more dangerous and unpredictable than when he was cornered”

Aoife’s love for Joey must run extremely deep for her to continue to stand by him given what he exposes her to. Glad we get to see a HEA in this story. 

“I’m so fucking angry at you…because every horrible situation that I’ve found myself in this past year and a half has been of you. I keep on getting hurt because I love you” 

“Forget the romantic side of things…he’s my closest friend on the entire planet and this is killing me”

In saying that, just loved their relationship. Wish I could spent more time with them. 

“I had come to the realisation that Aoife Molloy had become the single most important person in my world. Unnerving as it was to admit, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect her. Even if that meant going against my entire family to do right by her”

Continue to love the continuous references to the time period (early 2000s, which is coincidently exactly when I was finishing up high school). So appreciate the pop culture references.  

“You are a drug addict…you are killing yourself and it’s killing me!”
“Look at my face, Joe…this is what hurting the person who loves you the most in the world looks like. Remember this moment. Remember what I looked like the day you broke my heart”

Some of their family members (beyond the obvious - Teddy & Marie), are just the worst. And some of their decisions are just bonkers and the opposite of a supportive family (looking at you Kevin & Darren). 

“They protect each other. They have each others backs… at least, that’s what I thought we were. But clearly I was wrong…you’re underestimating the damage you’ve done to our relationship”

And for one of the most despicable characters on paper, Teddy…

Also, I like Lizzie all of a sudden. And somehow Paul ended up (sort of) redeeming himself.

“The same fucken spot”
“…I didn’t know that”

“Because I wanted to make sure his first love had a fighting chance with her first love”

Once again, Gibsie is worth his weight in gold. 

“…but I’m so damn desperate and he’s-“
“You said six hundred? Here is is”
“No, and you can’t them yet because-
“Like I said, I can keep a secret,” he offered a wink. “I’ve got your back, Mrs. Joey the hurler”

This really just makes me want to hug all the launch children. They have been through things that no human should ever be exposed to. 

“Because if anyone else in your year had to deal with what you do on the daily, I guarantee you that they would crumble”

And he does come across across as intelligent. And when he talks in Irish, swoon. 

“Bhí mé at rá le mo leannán go bhfuil grá agam Di”…Fair enough, teacher. I was just telling my sweetheart that I love her’
‘Agus go bhfuil mo chroí istigh into’
“And that my heart is inside her”

And the Kavanagh family…no words can describe just how much I love all they’ve done for the Lynch children. Just so wonderful to see people caring for Joey & putting his needs first for a change 

“We want to keep you! All five of you. Especially you! I think I want you the most”

And the way he was a father to his siblings…at his core, Joey is such a good guy. But was dealing with the weight of adult issues as a kid. 

“I have them, Joey.” Four words that shook the foundations I was standing on, followed swiftly by four more. “I got them out”
He had them? My kids? He had them? “You got them out?”

Recommend the audiobook, I may be partial the Irish accent. 

“The father of my unborn chip was a heroin addict. That was a painful admission. It hurt so bad I could hardly breathe.”

“You love that shit you inject into your veins more. I don’t want anything to do with that kind of love. Keep your love for the drugs”

And those nicknames…

“Hey, study”
“Hey, Queen”

“If I had a packet of Rolos right now, I’d give you my last one”

“Because he’s going to get better, I can promise you that, and then your fan I’ll y is going to meet the real Joey. And I promise, you guys are going to fall head over heels in love with him”

“You love your family, Joey. Each and every one of you. Especially you”. Especially me. Well shit.

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The Situationship by Abby Jimenez

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Give me more of Maddie and Doug!!

📚 offical meet cute

📚 novella

📚 single POV

🚫 clean romance

|Thoughts|

”can you play this?” he looked over. “I only play one song” 

This was just a fun little glimpse into the start of the ‘situationship’ between two characters introduced in the Part Of Your World Series. Both characters were brutally honest and it was such a pleasure to read. I really wanted more of them together!

‘“Do you always ask such invasive questions?”
“Do you always answer them?”
“I do if I’m not ashamed of the answers”
Green flag, green flag, green flag’

NOTE: do not read this until you’ve at least finished Just For The Summer, as this novella contains massive spoilers. 

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Saving 6 by Chloe Walsh

medium-paced

4.25

Didn’t realise just how messed up Joey was until reading his perspective. 

“The first time I laid eyes on you. And the first time I understand what it mean to have my heart beating for someone outside of my family” 

📚 friends to lovers
📚 trauma
📚 drug abuse
📚 found family
📚 dual POV

🌶️🌶️

“The only boy that I wanted to spend tonight with came with a hurly, a BCS uniform and a truck load of trauma”

|Thoughts|
Going back to when Joey & Aoife met for the first time, and getting to see their relationship evoke was everything. 

“Just know that you’ve been the best part of my day, for every day since I was twelve years old”

Just when you think you can’t despise Teddy anymore, he just continues to prove to be the worse human. 

“It was the closest I’d seen her to come to dying in a long time”

And unfortunately Marie doesn’t fair too much better. Imagine accusing your teenage son, who is the only one to protect you and help when you’re catabolic, of being just like his father. 

“You’re just like him. In every way.” What was the point in fighting my dna. 

Aoife is also an extremely strong individual. 

“Which means that I’m going to keep on loving you, Joey Lynch. So you might want to start thinking about stopping breaking my heart”

Love their little one word each game. 

As messed up as Joey is, he does have a pure heart. Really hope he gets his happy ending.  

“You told me once that you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose again. But seeing you completely out of it last night hurt”

As much as I spent the beginning of the book wanting more Johnny & Shannon, it was nice to get a little glimpse and Gibsie humour (catching them at the pub). 

“Howdy love birds. Don’t mind me”

He be subjected to the emotional neglect, physical scaring and sheer pressure he’d endured from a lifetime of holding the fort and raising children that didn’t belong to him. Had finally broken something pivotal inside his mind. He’d given up on himself”


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Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Reread of Twilight

“I can do this. No one is going to bite me”

📚 Romantasy

📚 YA

📚 human x vampire
📚 suspense

🚫 clean romance 

|Thoughts|

Honestly lost count how many times I’ve reread this series. It was always an extremely easy and enjoyable read. 

“I hear voices in my mind and you’re worried that you’re the freak”

Can see I’m no longer the target audience for this anymore, as I find the Insta love a bit cringy. 

“I was uncontainable and irrevocably in love with him”

Have always loved the scenes prior to Bella discovering the truth. And maybe even more so after reading Edward’s perspective in Midnight Sun (at the restaurant). This reread does make me think we need more Jacob in this book though 

“What if I’m not a superhero. What if I’m the bad guy”

Beyond some of the issues I have with it, I can’t deny this was a cult classic for a reason. 

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