Crazy Little Thing by Ellie Thornton Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

3.5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Multiple POV

➮ Rockstar MMC

➮ Slow burn

➮ Second chance romance

➮ Miscommunication

Synopsis

Kate is a librarian who has recently entirely sworn off men. Kate ends up needing help to clean the library in preparation for a contest. Kate's best friend Samantha enlists the help of Axel, a world-famous rockstar (not that Kate knows that). Axel is in town to get away from his crazy life and visit his grandparents. His grandfather Don and his conniving group of friends are hatching a plan to "help" Axel. 

My Thoughts

This book is part of a series of interconnected standalones about the residents of Diamond Cove setting up their family members. This story follows Don setting up his grandson Axel. The elderly folks' scheming makes this book have a very charming vibe. 

This story combines a few of my favorite things, libraries, animals, and music. With many cute library moments, hilarious animal interactions, and copious musical references, it was a joy to read. I wasn't expecting gator pee to be amusing but here we are. A lot of animal moments in this story made me laugh.  If you are a music fan, you can expect to appreciate the many nods to classic songs. 

This book has SO much miscommunication. Kate thinks Axel is a bodyguard and a homeless person. Axel didn't covey things correctly to Kate. Basically, every moment of significant communication goes wrong. If you hate the miscommunication trope this book is not for you. Their miscommunication is what propels the plot. 

I could stand to see this book be a little bit shorter. There were definitely a couple of scenes that felt like they were dragging on. There were a few pages I was tempted to only skim. 

The story is set during the Halloween season. That said, it isn't spooky at all or particularly season-focused. It is much more Florida-themed compared to Halloween-themed. 

Family bond focus is the heart of this book, at least from Axel's perspective. Many of his family members are prominent characters. This focus adds a lot to the overall sweetness of the story. The family quirks and a bit of drama felt reminiscent of real families. 

Do keep in mind there is a partial focus on Alzheimer's as well as a few other much more minor triggers. 

Overall, I enjoyed this mostly fluff romance story. The family moments, animal moments, and music references are what sold it to me. The miscommunication was the biggest contributor to what I didn't love about this book. Nothing about it is super unique or stand-out but if you are looking for a cute fluffy romance with animals and meddling grandparents, this book is a great choice.

I received this book as an ARC and this is a completely voluntary review. 

The Other Murder by Kevin Chapman Review

* This review is spoiler-free *

4/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Multiple POVs

➮ Butterfly effect

Synopsis

Hannah Hawthorne is a cable news producer who is looking to revive her career. Paulo is a local newspaper reporter looking to bring more attention to the lives of locals. When an NYU sophomore is found dead in Central Park a frenzy ensues. Paulo wants to shed light on the other murder in the park that night, Hannah wants to solve the case, the media wants the juiciest story, the police want to keep the public out, and the people involved want to fly under the radar. The Other Murder follows all of their perspectives as the two murders bring these people together. 

Best Quote From the Book

“Hannah kept chasing the tentacles of the Angelica Monroe story, which were spreading out in every possible direction."

My Thoughts

This book follows the perspectives of at least seven characters. That said, it is all written in the third person. It was like there were a lot of different side plots like a TV  show yet every perspective unravels the main plot. At first, these many perspectives got a bit confusing as I was getting to know all of the characters. That said, it was totally worth it to get the rich depth about the two murders from the lens of many different people all with different motives. 

My biggest qualm with this book is that it is set in the active present. More specifically, modern-day truly 2024. There was a brief mention of the pandemic and I have to be honest it took me out of the book for a good bit. I would've liked it more if the book was set in the present without such clear and distinct time markers making it feel too, meta. 

This book does an INCREDIBLE job of demonstrating how one incident can shape the lives of many people. The deaths of Angelica and Javier connected so many people who would've never given each other a second chance otherwise. It goes to show how powerful the butterfly effect can be. One brief moment directly and indirectly shaped the lives of many people forever. I wonder how many indirect events have shaped the direction of my life?

I am not sure why exactly this happened but I did find myself starting to make much slower progress with the book at about the halfway point and beyond. Perhaps that was the point where the story started to become much more complex and took me longer to process. 

There is one moment at the end of the book I just, cannot forgive. All I will say is why Paulo, why would you do that? That alone knocked the book down a quarter of a star because it just seemed so insane and out of character. 

Thought-provoking book club questions. If you do give this book a chance, I would love to hear what you think about what this book has to say about the criminal justice system and reporting. I didn't dive into that aspect in my review because it didn't really shape my opinion of the book. 

In sum, this book stands out a lot to me as a part of the mystery genre. I greatly appreciate the power of the many perspectives around the murders. Hearing from so many voices provided so much richness and variety while all being about the ramifications of about 15 minutes if that. 

Twisted Hate by Ana Huang Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

3/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Best friend's brother

➮ Dual POV

Synopsis

Josh Chen and Jules Ambrose are the classic enemies duo. Josh is a cocky doctor who has an affinity for talking women out of their clothes. Jules is his sister's best friend who has been a thorn in his side for years. When their lives are thrown together more than before, they agree to be enemies with benefits. Their demons catch up with them and turn their relationship into hellish chaos. 

Best Quote From the Book

“'Sometimes, people change. And sometimes, they meet people who make them want to change.' 

'And sometimes people sound like a human fortune cookie.'"

My Thoughts

This book follows Ava from Twisted Love's brother Josh. I was inclined to continue reading this series because of Twisted Games and Bridget's story which I quite enjoyed. This book left me feeling simply disappointed. 

The one part of this book I really liked was Jules and Josh's back and forth. They had a legitimate reason to go from enemies to lovers. It didn't force them together too quickly and their relationship took an extended period of time to actually develop and for their distaste towards each other to morph into something more. They also didn't ignore that Josh is Jules's best friend's brother which introduces its own challenges. 

Josh was legitimately supportive as Jules dealt with her grief and complicated life situation. The way he asked her out in a bookstore was a bookish girl's dream. There are redeemable moments for them and their relationship. Hence this book got three stars instead of a lower score. 

The first half of the plot was engaging and kept me on my toes excited to see what happens next. After that though... it just droned on and on and on. There was an excellent stopping point of the book at the nine-and-a-half-hour mark. The book continued on for five and a half more hours... At that point I was just desperate for the book to end and the senseless drama and smut scenes to stop. The back third of the book was just so murky and stereotypical and hard to root for them. I blatantly stopped liking Josh and believed he wasn't deserving of Jules by the end. 

This book is the spiciest in the series thus far. Instead of being an adult romance, this is starting to lean into the realm of erotica. The plot of this book is just so unnecessarily long and it all feels like an excuse to create more and more smut with a loose sense of plot. If you are going to read a book for smut, there are honestly much better series for it and a plot that is actually worth reading. 

In the end, I don't recommend this book. Stick to the first two of the series. It was entirely too long by 100s of pages/hours of the audiobook. Their relationship is hard to root for by the end. Most importantly, it just becomes a poor version of smut. 

Y'allywood Billionaire by Terra Weiss Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.75/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Coworkers to lovers

➮ Fake dating

➮ Forced proximity

Synopsis

Maddox and Riley are co-stars in a popular TV crime series Urban Dawn. On the screen they are a steamy duo, off the screen they don't even talk. That was until an awkward encounter at a nude beach leaves them reeling. As they begin a fake relationship for ratings, they have to deal with getting to know the real versions of each other.

Best Quote From the Book

“I want to try. Whatever it is, I want to make it work. I'm into this Riley. This feels different for me."

My Thoughts

Maddox and Riley feel like a pairing where it makes sense that they ended up being forced together. They have a lot of loved ones in common and their characters have a lot of chemistry. 

Who would've thought toilet paper gowns would be something to bond over? This concept really summarizes the type of humor this book has. They end up in wacky situations and have to do their best to figure it out in some rather wild ways. The humor in this book reminds me of A Love Catastrophe in that it involves a lot of comedic and clumsy chaos. 

This book also has a deep-running family and found family storyline. Particularly with the loss of Riley's grandmother. These relationships help push the story forward and give the characters purpose beyond their roles in Urban Dawn. 

I really like the pacing of this book. The various plot points are perfectly placed. It keeps things exciting but is still easy to follow. As a first read of 2024, I am quite happy with it. The cast of characters is so genuinely funny and engaging. For a group of rich people, they are quite down-to-earth and not snobby. I'd be happy to read other books that follow other members of this group. 

For once a book where people set boundaries and defend them. It was such a refreshing inclusion. When Riley and Maddox establish their fake relationship, they clearly state what they are and are not okay with. After establishing the ground rules, they stick to them and enforce them. I'd appreciate seeing more of this from the fake dating trope. 

This book provides a nice representation of the positive benefits of therapy. Riley genuinely benefits from it and it isn't blown out of the water that she sought help for her mental health. 

My one complaint about this book is the inclusion of the pandemic. Honestly, it is just too soon for me to enjoy reading about characters suffering from the ramifications of the pandemic. It felt a bit too, currently accurate to keep it a nice reading experience for that portion of the book. 

The plot twist at the end (which I will not say too much about) is very perfect for Riley's character. It spreads an important social message and is an important reminder that our actions and decisions do impact others.

This book does have a few spicy scenes so keep that in mind. They can be skipped but are embedded in chapters. 

As a note, I did get the chance to read this book as an ARC. This review is entirely voluntary. I really enjoyed this reading experience. With a fun cast of characters, positive mental health representation, excellent pacing, and lots of funny moments, I am happy to recommend this book. 

Twisted Games by Ana Huang Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Princess x bodyguard

➮ Dual pov

➮ Enemies to lovers

➮ Age-gap

Synopsis

Rhys Larsen is a stoic bodyguard who has vowed to never get emotionally involved with his clients. That was until he met Bridget von Ascheberg... a rebellious and stubborn princess. Bridget desires freedom, and Rhys desires her. Their love could tear her whole kingdom apart.

Best Quote From the Book

“ I came back despite knowing the torture I’d have to go through because I can’t stay away from you. Even when you’re not there, you’re everywhere. In my head, in my lungs, in my fucking soul."

My Thoughts

Of all of the girls in the series I know of so far, Bridget is by far my favorite. She is so fun, spunky, and determined. As I mentioned in my Twisted Love review, I adore Brdget's character and attitude. Hence, I thoroughly enjoyed her story because it meant I got more from her. The royalty drama she brings is also a nice change of pace from Ava's story.

Yet another protective guy! Similar to Alex, Rhys would move mountains for Bridget if he thought it would make her life easier. There are lots of times his protectiveness bothers Bridget but it is really just how he shows he cares. There is one scene in particular involving an at-home festival and it is honestly one of my favorite scenes from the entire series. Rhys is a lot easier to root for compared to Alex. He truly is the embodiment of "if he wanted to he would."

Rhys amused me frequently during his many attempts to remain stoic. Unsurprisingly, Birdget's openness rubs off on him and he often fails dramatic to keep his stoic and cold persona active while around her. 

My rating decreased a bit because of a very confusing last-minute plot twist. I am all for books not ending as a reader expects them to, but I genuinely lost complete track of what was going on and the various relationships between the different characters. It sucked me out of the reading experience and led to me just feeling as though the book didn't know how to wrap itself up. 

As a warning, this book is very spicy. Many chapters are unskippable with this content. If those kinds of scenes are not your preference, this series is not the one for you. 

Overall, I will always be a fan of a book that has Bridget as one of the characters. I can say with confidence she is one of my favorite characters of 2023. I look forward to seeing if she will have any notable roles in the rest of the series. Rhys was very charming and caring towards Bridget which was nice to see. The royal drama plotline helped differentiate this story from Twisted Love. It is truly a series of interconnected standalones. 

December 2023 Reads

  December 2023 Reads 

This month I read 13 books 

These books were 100% fiction

The most popular genres were romance, young adult, and contemporary

My average rating was 3.88 stars

The Books

➽ We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

➽ Allure by Yuri Ebihara

➽ The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

➽ Book Lovers by Emily Henry

➽ Twisted Love by Ana Huang

➽ Heartstopper Volumes 1-5 by Alice Oseman

➽ Twisted Games by Ana Huang

➽ A Love Catastrophe by Helena Hunting

➽ 'Tis the Season by Bonnie Hardy