The lowdown on arcs I read and reviewed the second part of the year. thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing this advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.
With You Forever by Chloe Liese
Release date: September 14, 2021
Verdict: Amazing! Love this series.
I loved this one! I think it’s my favorite so far in this series. “With You Forever” doesn’t have a lot of angst and drama, and that’s refreshing. The characters are so loveable. Most of the book is just them falling in love. Even the big dramatic moment was mostly quiet and sweet, with fits Axel and Rooney perfectly.
Liese is so intentional and thoughtful about the characters and their experience and backgrounds. I’m never worried that Liese is going to throw in a curveball.
My main drawback was that I felt the ending as a bit rushed, and the ending felt abrupt. But maybe that’s just because being with Axel and Rooney was so much fun.
This is the fourth book in this series.
The Fastest Way to Fall by Denise Williams
Verdict: Like not love. (I’m in the minority about this though)
| Release date: November 2, 2021 A lot to enjoy about this book, although overall it didn’t have the extra spark I usually look for in a romance. I appreciated the thoughtful trigger warnings and note at the front of the book. Williams really handled this story responsibility and intention. The characters were charming and loveable. The side characters were also hilarious and supported the main characters well. I liked that there wasn’t a lot of angst, and the drama was just enough to make it interesting. I read this in one day. |
Lessons in Scandal by Avery Maitland
Release date: July 6, 2021
Verdict: DNF at 30%
A few reasons why I put this down:
A little too much time with characters criticizing each other’s bodies. I know this is a real thing that happens, especially by “Villains,” but too much and the book just isn’t enjoyable for me.
A few anachronisms, which aren’t always a deal breaker, but it was in this case.
Ariana was also so mean, and for almost no apparent reason. I’m sure her character growth will include her becoming nicer, but I couldn’t wait that long.
Overall I was bored. There’s a touch of mystery, but because we have multiple narrators, all the enigma is lost. I know what Constance is going to do, because she tells us in her chapters. So the chapters of Ariana wondering what’s going on with Constance are useless. I also had no sense of where the romance was supposed to come in (if at all).
One Last Kiss by A. S. Kelly
Release date: August 20, 2021
Verdict: DNF at 35%
This book had a lot of potential, but ultimately, I couldn’t get passed the huge age gap. I was also unsettled when the narrator would address the reader. A lot of the prose felt stream of conscious, and there was a lot of unnecessary dialogue. Sometimes I couldn’t tell who was speaking because there were so many quotations without any breaks. It felt like reading a script and all the characters’ names are covered.
Cheers to the Duke by Sally MacKenzie
Release date: October 5, 2021
Verdict: DNF at 25%
The writing left much to be desired. Lots of adverbs, showing and not telling, etc. The prose was also bogged down by the characters’ internal dialogue. There was much more than necessary. I’d also wish there was a trigger or content warning about the mention of suicide, since it comes up often and could be upsetting for some readers. I felt that Thomas was written unconvincingly. He could have been 17 or 7; his behavior ranged wildly. There were a few explanations that he was “wise beyond his years” but I was still distracted every time he spoke as I tried to remember how old he was supposed to be. There were some sweet moments, but overall not for me.
Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday
| Release date: October 5, 2021 Verdict: Cute and just fine. Well this was cute! Nothing too deep or profound, but a nice read that turned out to be pretty romantic. One character actually says that he felt his situation was like a Hallmark movie with royalty from a made-up European country, which is meta because that is exactly what this book is. A Hallmark movie with a lot of spice. It was cheesy and fluffy, which I’ll give a pass to because it is a Christmas book, and Christmas books can have much higher cheese factors and still be effective. I will say that the transition from friends to lovers was a bit abrupt. Also, the pop culture references didn’t really land for me. (Although they might be great for others!) |
Always, in December by Emily Stone
Release date: October 12, 2021
Verdict: A great read but very sad.
This was a tough one to rate and review. This touching Christmas book starts off first riveting; second section from Max’s point of view was halting and slow; the plot seemed to lose momentum there.
The rest was up and down and very emotional. The ending was so tragic. I wish it was more hopeful at the end. But I will say this book was effective because I was extremely invested and devastated at the end, even if it wasn’t the happy ending I was hoping for.
This is very much in the tradition of “Me Before You,” “A Walk to Remember” and “One Day in December.” (I know this might step into spoiler territory, but you should be forewarned.)
Overall I didn’t hate it, but it was really sad, and that’s not usually the vibe I go for for Christmas. But if you’re in the mood to have a cathartic cry around the Holidays, this one might be for you.
CW: terminal illness, car crash, grief
Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas
| Release date: November 2, 2021 Verdict: I love this series! Read all of them! What a delightful series. They just keep getting better and better. Just when I think I know where it’s going and then there’s a twist and I’m surprised all over again. Thomas never takes the easy way out of a story. Charlotte keeps coming into her own, deepening her character and overcoming every challenge that comes her way. I love spending time with her and those she surrounds herself with. The writing and plot are quite detailed, but everything comes together nicely at the end. I love how the slow burn romance is finally igniting. I love Charlotte’s relationships with her sister and Mrs. Watson. |
Love and Lavender by Josie S. Kilpack
Release date: November 2, 2021
Verdict: compelling, but proceed with caution.
The Dickensian story of inheritance, orphans, etc was compelling. I loved seeing working class characters. While they do have some level of privilege, it’s nice to see working class struggles as well. (Dukes are great but we can’t all marry dukes.)
Liked a lot of parts of this but struggled with the disability rep. I’m not in a position to say whether it’s good or not but it made me feel uncomfortable at times.
I was very invested in this book though.
The Wedding Ringer by Kerry Rea
Release date: November 9, 2021
| Verdict: Fun and cute! I’ll admit it was a bit slow to get into, and I’m not usually interested in stories that begin with “down-on-their-luck” social media influencers. But by the end I did love Willa. She had a great journey. This is not a rom-com. Maybe a platonic-com? While there is a romantic element, and it does center around a wedding, the core of the story is definitely about Maisie and Willa becoming friends. It had the same will-they won’t-they tension you’d see for a romantic couple, but with a friendship instead. They made a great pair, and their struggles and challenge of making and keeping true friends as an adult was so relatable. The writing was a bit slow at times; I feel like the inciting incident happened a bit too late. But I did enjoy the style of prose a lot. There were some lines that really made me laugh out loud, (like being jealous of the dog for being allowed to pant). |
Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens
Release date: November 9, 2021
Verdict: Adorable, sweet, and pretty clever.
A clever, charming book about love, meet cutes, and family.
This book has a similar feel to “The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Society” (which the book itself references). It takes place on a channel island, there are two love interests, there are letters from the past… etc.
A few aspects were a bit unbelievable and situations got to be too over the top and stressful for my tastes. (Although of course everything works out perfectly fine in the end.)
I loved the setting and how self-aware this book was.
Steam level is fade-to-black, and the cheese level is extremely high. Overall a great read.
Rules for Heiresses by Amalie Howard
Release date: October 26, 2021
Verdict: not worth the read
Started so strong, and then lost all momentum. I wish more of it took place in Antigua.
What I liked: I loved the time period, late Victorian is a great choice for this story.
The romance was excellent and I loved the chemistry the characters had.
Courtland just kept “walking away for her own good” a few too many times. I know this is a thing romance heroes do, but it just happened one or two times too many.
Too much girl-boss feminism for me.
The Christmas Escape by Sarah Morgan
Release date: October 26, 2021
Verdict: DNF at 51%
I’ve enjoyed Morgan’s work in the past, but this fell very flat for me. I had to suspend my disbelief too many times. I had to bottle my rage at characters too many times.
Seb doesn’t tell his wife that he lost his job. She thinks he’s having an affair. When she realizes her mistake, she apologizes! She is not in the wrong and I’m so tired of women apologizing for things that aren’t their fault. Also, he throws her planner away because she needs to “lighten up.” This is terrible. She’s doing all this emotional labor and keeping their household and family running, doing things that are important to her, and he just throws her planner away. How am I supposed to root for this guy?
And why and how would a couple ever convince two friends (who don’t know each other) to take their daughter to another country for the holidays. I love forced proximity but this makes zero sense. Was there no other way to get the characters to spend time together?
There are not enough dialogue tags. I constantly had to go back and remember who was speaking as they converse.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Release date: September 21, 2021
Verdict: If you like YA fantasy, you’ll like this
I was entertained the whole time. The battle sequences were exciting, but I also loved the in-between moments of connections with the characters. I loved the theme that cooperating with another person is different than submitting to them. I also loved how independent and ruthless Zetian was, even though her recklessness stressed me out sometimes. I think this book will be a hit for readers who are tired of the same YA tropes playing out again and again.
There were times when I felt like this book was shouting at me: “I’m not like other YAs!” and that was irritating and distracting. It was also extremely violent and heartless, which was a little too much for my tastes, but might be fine for other readers.
Overall, a great read and I’m looking forward to the sequel.
And They Lived Happily Ever After by Therese Beharrie
Release date: November 30, 2021
Verdict: DNF at 20%
I really wanted to love this but it just wasn’t working for me. I was a little confused about what was going on, and I was having a hard time buying into what was happening. One big issue I had was with the dialogue. I wish there were more tags; I couldn’t keep up with who was speaking.
Gentleman Seeks Bride by Megan Frampton
Release date: November 30, 2021
Verdict: worth it if you like historical romance
Enjoyed this one. Not extremely memorable but fun while I was reading. I loved the spicy scenes, very well written. Love the cover! Also appreciate a hero who isn’t rich. (They’re so rare in HR especially so I like to see them.)
I had a hard time getting a real grasp on Jane’s character. She just never fully formed for me, even though she kept repeating what she wanted and why. (Maybe that’s why? It’s like she had to say it so often so the reader would believe her?) I just didn’t buy her motivations.
Meg Loves Words 