stephbeaudoin20's reviews
751 reviews

Mad About You, by Mhairi McFarlane

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emotional medium-paced
  • 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

4.0

Content warning: Mad About You deals with emotionally abusive relationships, it is a main theme of the book. In the end, the characters heal, triumph, and are free. But if this is a difficult topic for you, skip this book and take care of yourself.

Harriet is our heroine. We start the book with Jon and his horrible family. A surprise proposal in front of the whole family, even though Harriet has always told Jon she never wants to get married. Harriet ends the relationship and we're off!

Jon shows his true, horrible colors. Harriet moves out. Things get uncomfortable with her new landlord Cal, things get comfortable, Harriet falls in love.

In the middle we meet Scott, who is an emotional abuser. Harriet decides to stand up for a fellow woman and writes Scott's fiance a letter explaining Harriet's toxic relationship with him. Scott then goes on a campaign to discredit and abuse Harriet. He posts on social media that he was abused by Harriet. Terrible things happen, trolls appear, Harriet almost loses her business. 

In the middle of all this turmoil, Harriet finds out who her true friends are. She meets another ex-girlfriend of Scott's who had the same experience. And Scott's fiance sees the light. The ending of the book is spectacular, and I won't give it away. Just know that Scott is unmasked!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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Booked on a Feeling, by Jayci Lee

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee was an absolute delight! I loved the first two books in this series and book 3 was just as wonderful! You can read this as a standalone if you want.

Lizzy and Jack are both kind of stuck. They have careers that they are good at, but their careers don't bring them joy. Lizzy takes some time off work, ends up revamping a local bookstore and falling in love with Jack. Friend to lovers. Swoon!

Lizzy has anxiety and panic attacks, and the representation is phenomenal!

I really love Jayci Lee's use of language. There are so many words and phrases that just call to be highlighted! Because this is a review of an ARC, the only thing I will say is Cannonball.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Hookup Plan, by Farrah Rochon

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? No

5.0

The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon is spectacular! Enemies to lovers. Sex only with no feelings. Wait! We caught feelings!

I read romance for the happily ever after, or happily for now. So I know there will be love. I know that even if the characters fight it, love wins out. And I am OK with knowing how a trope ends up. It's comforting. What makes it not boring is how each author tells their story. Each story is unique. So even though you have a trope, you still don't know how these characters are going to react.

London and Drew are wonderful and I loved reading their story.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Kiss Hard, by Nalini Singh

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved Kiss Hard by Nalini Singh! Catie and Danny's story! Finally! The easter eggs have been there since the first book Cherish Hard when Catie first meets Danny and he treats her like any other teenage boy treats any other teenage girl. 

Kiss Hard has it all! Nemeses to lovers. Fake dating. That moment where people who've known each other for years finally get the tingles for each other.

Catie and Danny's love story is so very wonderful. To watch them learn each other's needs, trust each other, and love each other, it's very special.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Twice a Quinceañera, by Yamile Saied Méndez

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

Twice a Quinceañera is a very special story. I absolutely loved it! There are so many important themes. Nadia is a child of immigrants feeling the pressure to succeed, a woman needing to be married for all of her accomplishments to be valid, and we see her break out of these pressures. Success is in being happy, in loving yourself. Nadia learns so much about her family, she feels their love and support, and she finds herself, she loves herself, and she finds happiness, in herself, in her career, and with a partner.

I highly recommend this story!!!!!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
What Happens in Denver, by Liz Crowe

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challenging emotional funny medium-paced

5.0

Content warning: Sloane, a secondary character, has a severe eating disorder. She is hospitalized and goes into intensive treatment. As a secondary character, we don't delve deep into Sloane's struggles, and the author takes care of her. But if this is a difficult subject for you, please be gentle with yourself.

What Happens in Denver was such a great read. There are so many emotions throughout this book. It is definitely a rollercoaster. Andi is a woman in the male-dominated field of beer. Even if you don't know anything about beer, these themes resonate because we all feel this. She finally finds a place that accepts her brilliance! I think the sprinkles on top are the nuances about beer and food, they really make the story special. 

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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Thank You for Listening, by Julia Whelan

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan is an absolute joy to read! It has the feeling of a play within a play, but not so literal. The twists and turns are classic for a romance trope, but on the page, it is acknowledged how silly everything is and that it sounds like a movie or a book! I don't read audiobooks because I am a visual learner, but reading about the industry was fascinating!

I can't write a synopsis without giving it all away, so here is what you will get with Thank You For Listening: disability representation, former Hollywood Star loves her granddaughter, textual chemistry, page sex, spectacular quotes from a Cosmo interview with a fake romance author, the best dip recipe ever, Venice, and it's a Marriott!, love, and an HEA.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Hollywood Games, by Evie Alexander

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

Hollywood Games can be read as a standalone, but it's so much more fun if you read it after Highland Games. I went back and reread Highland Games in preparation for reading Hollywood Games and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

We pick up right where Highland Games left off: sexy times with Rory and Zoe. These two have the most combustible chemistry! They are so steamy together. All of our favorite (and not so favorite) characters return. We get fiery Zoe, stoic Rory, fluffy Basil, loyal Bandit, second mum Morag, siblings Fiona and Jamie, and Barbara the ice queen. And we get a whole new set of characters with the film cast and crew. Antics ensue, Rory's inner caveman comes out, Barbara falls in love, Zoe saves the castle, Rory throws someone in the Loch, and the cabin is finally finished.

Hollywood Games was such a fun story. And I love seeing the Sex Index again. Brilliant Invention! That Four Poster Bed chapter was absolute fire!

I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Wedding Crasher, by Mia Sosa

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adventurous emotional funny
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa can be read as a standalone, but it's so much more fun if you've read The Worst Best Man first. There are many characters from the first book in this book and it's wonderful to know their back story and get an update on them.

Solange wants someone to love her with their whole heart. Dean is not willing to give his heart away. So if course they end up fake dating. What could go wrong?

Solange and Dean have some wacky adventures: stopping a wedding, fake dating, fake sex, fake labor, a real newborn, axe throwing, boring lawyer dinners, a sex party, career day, the Tias, the Cousins, real mind-blowing sex, last minute plane rides, oh and one more thing, LOVE.

The families in this book make it whole. So much color, life, so many extras. They give you the full picture. The Wedding Crasher would not be as good of a story without the families!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
By the Book, by Jasmine Guillory

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

By The Book by Jasmine Guillory was such a fun story! It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but it's not a scene for scene remake, it is an original story with hints and flavors of the fairytale and movies. There are completely adorable references to the versions of this fairytale that we know. 

I am a sap for books about books! Books about reading, writing, editing, and publishing books, books about libraries, sign me right up! 

Izzy works at a publishing house, she is compliant, keeps her opinions to herself, and is just trying to make it in the publishing world. She finds herself at the magical house of Beau, a reclusive, uncommunicative author who needs to finish a memoir. Beau is grumpy and curt, a total Beast. And Izzy is having NONE of it! She finds her voice and ends up staying to help Beau with his book. Over time they become friends, books are written and edited, the house works its magic, there is surfing, a snack cabinet, and love.

Izzy and Beau confront pieces of themselves. They grow. They become better human beings. I loved this book, and I will be reading it again! 

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.