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spellbindingtomes's reviews
316 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Did not finish book. Stopped at 83%.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I really wanted to like this more than I did, but I had a lot of issues with it. Their entire schemeโwhere Sawyer tries to ruin romance for Mason, a hopeless romantic, by using all the romance tropes and clichรฉs against himโmade very little sense to me. When Sawyer says "she was going to become the blueprint for Mason's other half", while Mason falls in love easily just seems like a recipe for disaster.
Mason falls head over heels for Sawyer in just a month, which feels unbelievableโespecially for someone known for being a grand romantic gesture type of guy. Their relationship comes across as forced and rushed. I struggled to see why they were supposed to be a good match for each other.
I was not a big fan of Sawyer. She came off as immature and inconsiderate so many times. She also only hears what she wants to hear and she kept making a big deal out of a problem when it was really a minor thing (i.e., Mason and the film rights). There were many times I felt bad for Mason, which is unfortunate in a romance book. We don't see much character growth here. I felt their resolution was quickly brushed over. They didn't really do any work to fix themselves and when they got back together at the end they didn't even talk about what they fought about.
All that said, I think this had great potential! I really enjoyed the definition of each trope at the beginning of every chapter and I loved that this took place near the holidays. I will be on the look out for the author's next book!
Graphic: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
๐๐ข๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฒ๐ง๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ:
Emily Walker and Jack Bennett, two rival teachers, who also happen to be neighbors must work together to steal back a mistakenly sent manuscript, leading their antagonistic relationship to develop into something more.
โข
โข
โข
THIS WAS SO STINKING CUTE!! I loved Emily and Jack and their story so much. It was sweet and their banter had me laughing throughout.
Though it was a slow start for meโthere was a lot of inner monologue narration in the first couple of chapters that felt like the main plot wasn't progressing at all. Once I got past that, this was absolutely enjoyable and I fell in love with both Emily and Jack. I loved how their romance blossomed naturally and slowly.
I enjoyed being back in Rome, Kentucky. This one ranks between Practice Makes Perfect and When in Rome with the former being my favorite. There's just something so special about Sarah Adams' writing. I swear I had a smile on my face the entire time I read this ๐ฅฐ
I'm so excited to read Madison and James' book! Sarah heavily sets the groundwork for their romance and I'm (not so) patiently waiting for it.
Thank you to NetGalley & Dell Romance for this ARC.
Read if you love:
๐small town romance
โ๐ผwriters' romance
๐rivals to lovers
โ๐ผcolleagues
๐next door neighbors
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Did not finish book. Stopped at 26%.
Graphic: Death and Grief