Fake Dating and Matchmaking 101 by Evie Sterling Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Frenemies to lovers

➮ Brother's best friend

➮ Second chance

➮ Fake dating

➮ Opposites attract

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Dual POV

Synopsis

Fake dating my frenemy to save a wedding? Not my most brilliant scheme because now I’m starting to want real kisses instead of fake. My brother’s best friend, Cole, has always been majorly annoying. He’s my opposite in every way, and we’re better at bickering than getting along. So, it’s super awkward when we have to fake date at a couples' yoga retreat. It’s the only plan I can come up with to save my brother’s wedding. Cole and I get on each other’s nerves and now we’re forced to do couples’ activities for hours a day! He can’t wait until the charade is over. When we rescue a baby goat together, I see his softer side. Add fake kisses to the mix, and I’m basically seeing stars. This insane chemistry is a fluke… right? He asked me out over a decade ago, and that was a total disaster. Should we give this a second shot? 

Best Quote From the Book

“Even out here in the middle of nowhere, with the sun sinking lower each passing minute, I feel completely safe."

My Thoughts

I loved the little feature of Gemma in a podcast episode. It reminded me of my time reading Game, Set, Matchmaker. This little nod is just the right level of callback to show that the books are set in the same universe but the characters do not have to know each other personally. It is a nice thing to see done right. 

I truly cannot believe I am reading another book prominently featuring yurts in such a short time period. The Trouble with Love and Ink also includes yurts as a major propellant of the plot. Are they trendier than I realize? Dear reader, have you ever heard of a yurt? 

The best part of this book by far is the goat. This adorable creature is named Blue. In the same way he snuck into all of the characters' hearts, he snuck into mine. Blue is a large part of the many funny moments in this book. A baby goat can cause a surprising amount of comical hijinks. This is my official petition for more authors to include baby goats in their work. 

I really like how the characters are written about in this book. Oliva is a curvy girl full of determination. Cole is much more reserved and is much less in tune with his feelings. Each of them has notable flaws that help add realism to the story. They aren't just perfect cookie-cutter characters. These flaws are a major component and are not ignored throughout the story. They also help ground both of them as they have to tackle their flaws head-on. 

I love how even though Cole is not the best communicator, he demonstrates his feelings through actions. He goes totally above and beyond for Oliva and Blue. I will not give specifics to avoid spoilers, but let's just say we would all be lucky to have a Cole take an interest in us. 

The one thing I thought was really missing was Oliva's brother Trent's reaction to them getting together officially and admitting their feelings. There is a lot of hype up throughout the book about his obliviousness for it not to be resolved. The perfect time to reveal it all is cut short and the book proceeds to the epilogue. I would've also adored to see Blue's further hijinks at the wedding as the ring bearer. Evie, girl, you held out on us which I am upset by. 

Overall if you are looking for a clean romance with a cute goat and characters with flaws, this is definitely a book to check out. I would've loved a few more moments described above but even without them, the story is endearing. 

I received this book as an arc and am part of the haylingsbookstorm street team for Evie Sterling. My review is honest and voluntary

Twisted Love by Ana Huang Review

 

* This review is spoiler-free *

4.5/5 ⭐

Tropes

➮ Brother's best friend

➮Dual POV

➮ Forced proximity

➮ Grumpy x sunshine

➮    Alpha male

➮ Interracial romance

➮ Billionaire MMC

Synopsis

Alex Volkov is a billionaire with a cursed past. He desires to get revenge on those who have wronged him. He meets his best friend's little sister Ava Chen, who has a lot of trauma of her own. When forced to become neighbors, their stories begin to combine more than before.

Best Quote From the Book

“You want the world to think you have no heart when in reality, you have a multilayered one: a heart of gold encased in heart of ice. And one thing all hearts of gold have in common? They crave love."

My Thoughts

I love seeing a book with a main character that is a photographer. I have a passion for photography and capturing the beauty of the world around me. It is so beautiful to see a character have that same passion. That said, I would've loved to see a bit more with Ava interacting with her career. We see a lot of Alex's career (which makes sense for the plot), I would've loved to see more of hers. 

Ava's friendship with Bridget is truly iconic. Seeing them take on the world together and always have each other's backs is the friendship dedication we all dream of. I could easily read a whole book of their friendships before Alex was nearly as involved in Ava's life. 

Alex's protective nature is by far one of the best parts about him. You can tell everything he does has protecting Ava in mind. While a lot of what he does ends up being quite toxic, I appreciate that it comes with good intentions. 

This book (and series overall) is incredibly tropey. There are a lot more tropes than I listed at the top of this review including a third-act breakup that can make the book a bit hollow. That said, all of these tropes are written incredibly well. Listening to the audiobook read like a movie. I could easily picture all of the characters doing what the did and saying what they said. All of the chracters are well-established and clearly fleshed out. 

My biggest complaint about this book is how difficult I found it to root for Alex. There are a number of awful things he does that if this were real life, I would encourage Ava to run for the hills. He is often not a good person and has a lot of trauma and resentment that hinders him as a person and as a character. I almost didn't want them to end up together in the end for Ava's sake. Even so, when Alex stops being toxic, they do make a very cute couple. 

Notable spice warning for this book. There are a lot of chapters in this book that surround spice. If you do not like that sort of thing, I would say these scenes are skippable as they do not involve the plot too much. I would also like to warn that there are some quite dark themes including kidnapping and violence in this book. Please review all of the trigger warnings before reading this book. 

In sum, I defintely enjoyed this book, if I view in with the lens of a tropey romance book. It isn't going to change your life, it isn't a must read. If you like these tropes, it will fulfill your craving well. It is good for the tropes it has and has a good cast of characters.