thoughts on books

Category: Romance

  • the dramatic life of jonah penrose by robyn green

    The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose is a British MTM gay romance that takes place in the West End theatre scene. Rivals-to-lovers is our trope, following Jonah, who is the most recent winner of the Olivier, which is like a British Tony award. The up and coming theatre actor is Dexter, who was just cast to a supporting role in Jonah’s hit play. However, soon his co-star and several other cast members become ill with the flu, so Dexter has to come on stage opposite Jonah in a romantic role. Sparks fly!

    A debut novel, this story shows a lot of promise. Jonah’s parents are strong supporting roles as is his friend in the show. There is a bit of homophobia that comes along from Dexter’s father, and a bit of miscommunication between the two leads. I felt that the pacing was a bit off, and I missed any humor. However, I thought that Robyn Green did a wonderful job of world building within the theatre community, and capturing the relationship between co-stars and actors and their agents. I also really enjoyed the conclusion and felt romance and good chemistry.

    Thank you to Harper Perennial for the free book! This book will be published November 2025. #harperperennialpartner

  • well actually by mazey eddings

    A fun enemies-to-lovers second chance romance. Eva is a journalist, her career isn’t the hard hitting journalism she expected, but she eats hot dogs with B list celebrities and social media content creators. She sees an ex boyfriend, Rylie, on TikTok and she stitches him to expose him as ghosting her when they were in college. Never expecting anyone to see it- she has only 200 followers. Only discovering the next morning it has blown up. Rylie has her on his podcast and seems to enjoy the attention, even though it isn’t great attention. He somehow convinces her to give him a second chance and go on a series of dates in order to redeem himself.

    Eva and Rylie have incredible chemistry! Great banter and if you like enemies-to-lovers- this is not one to miss. For me, way too many spicy scenes, but this is a preference and not indicative of the material. I see a lot of reviews talking about how much they loved Rylie, for me, it took me awhile to warm up to him. 30% of the way in, I really disliked him. That says a lot about the enemies-to-lovers trope… we need that moment in which we see the “why” behind their behavior.

    Recently we have more and more stories about bisexual people in a heteronormative relationship and this one was done very well and respectfully. There is some internalized biphobia but the characters are aware of it and learn and grown through their issues.

    My first Mazey Eddings title and definitely not my last!

    Audiobook- well acted, one female narrator who does a good male voice without sounding mocking. 5 star performance! Easy to follow on audio due to the great pacing.

    Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC. Book to be published 8/5/25.

  • last first kiss by julian winters

    I squealed when I saw there was a sequel to one of my favorite romances, I think they love you. This is in the same universe and even in the same family and business, 24 Carter Magic. An event planning company has so many potential storylines and this story follows a quick planning of Atlanta’s high society wedding of the year. The brides best friend and man of honor, Jamie, was Jordan Carter’s first kiss and crush. Back in their elite private high school, they had pot brownies, played Mario Kart and shared a kiss. Now Jordan is working with him as he helps his friend Amy plan a quick and beautiful wedding.

    Does this work as a standalone? Sure, but it ruins the plot of the first book, and it isn’t one to miss.

    Read if you like;
    Second chance romance
    Demisexual/pansexual representation
    Family business stories
    Wedding planning stories
    Flash mobs

    I genuinely appreciate how Jordan is figuring out his sexuality, and the complexities that go along with that- not only in Jordan’s mind, but also Jamie’s. Not everyone is up for being someone’s “first” experience.

    I read a quote recently that said “some people are bisexual in the sense that Michael Jordan once played professional baseball. And you are no less part of the LGBTQ community.” In this case, pansexual, but the sentiment is the same. And this was handled in such a great way, there wasn’t much homophobia/internalized biphobia. The characters were transparent and real. I loved the chemistry and the dialogue.

    Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC. Book to be published 1/27/25.

  • alice rue evades the truth by emily zipps

    In a modern retelling of “While You Were Sleeping,” Alice has a two year long crush on Nolan Altman, a rich lawyer in the building where she works as a night receptionist. She just hasn’t spoken to him yet. Then, he collapses right in the lobby, and she performs CPR which ends up saving his life.

    The EMT mistakes Alice as Nolan’s girlfriend, and soon his entire family believes it too. Since Nolan is in a coma, they are thrilled to hear he has a girlfriend and she reluctantly agrees to spend Hanukkah with them. It’s only a matter of time before Alice falls in love with his big family. Since both of her parents died from long term illnesses, Alice talks herself into the charade so she can be around a big family again.

    And then there is Nolan’s sister, Van. Alice can’t deny the chemistry between them. But is she somehow cheating on her fake boyfriend Nolan by having feelings for Van?

    Like the movie, this book takes place over the holidays, which has a lot of opportunities for togetherness and nostalgia. Instead of Chicago, the novel takes place in Portland. And I truly appreciated the fresh story and so many more mature and serious elements of this version. Alice and Rue had great chemistry, and the minor characters are very memorable and add a lot of comic relief.

    “This is the worst idea anyone has ever had, but also already the best thing that’s ever happened.”

    Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC. Book to be published 10/26/25.

  • hot to go by kristen bailey

    A summery, sweet, fun-loving story of two teachers and a one night stand. As I write this review, it is 97° in the shade. And it is wildly hot on a beach vacation for Charlie and Suzie. While in Mallorca, they connect and hook up for a one night stand. They each give a fake name.

    Little do they know that Charlie and Susie ware going to be coworkers, fellow teachers on the same staff in London. This makes things a little awkward. But there’s a lot of great chemistry between them and they have satisfying banter. A great beach read for the summer and a cute one night stand turned relationship story.

    I liked this story and read it quickly. There was good anticipation built up as we know the characters are bound to end up together. I very much enjoyed this authors Christmas story We Three Kings so I jumped at the chance to read this one. I didn’t connect to the characters as much, but she still writes really funny situational romantic comedy.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. Book to be published July 17, 2025.

  • backslide by nora dahlia

    A double timeline and double POV second chance romance- Noah and Nellie connected in high school but something happened to make them archenemies. Now, their friends Ben and Cara are renewing their vows and having a big wedding party. They have a big group of friends that is spread across the country and Nellie doesn’t spend a lot of time in Northern California so she has to get her bearings. She curses herself as she notices she is still attracted to Noah, now a orthopedic surgeon for the LA Dodgers (lol).

    Great pacing, easy to read. I really felt the chemistry between the MCs. The culture of the 1990’s had a lot of nostalgia and charm. Because this was a reunion of sorts we had a larger supportive cast. The frenemy Lydia was a bit too unlikable and as a character I thought she was a bit one sided. The other minor characters really led to a camaraderie and helped moved the MCs forward. I think second chance dual timelines are really hard to pull off, because to not “spoil” the early timeline you have to leave out a lot in the later timeline. But the dialogue and character development was so good that it worked very well.

    Fans of dual timeline and Elissa Sussman will enjoy.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books, the Gallerinas, for the ARC. Book to be published October 21, 2025.

  • fake skating by lynn painter

    Dani’s parents have gotten a divorce, and she and her mom are moving to Minnesota, moving back in with her grandfather. Although she has visited in the summer many times, it will be very different to live there, and in particular to move halfway through her senior year. She is brilliant and wants to go to Harvard. Her father is in the air force and her mom married him at age 18. Dani is not sure she wants to reconnect with her childhood friend Alec, because they wrote to each other for awhile but then he ghosted her.

    Ony to find that Alec is now a high school hockey star and the kids all call him Zeus. She and Alec are accidentally caught in a compromising situation, so they agree to fake dating to save his reputation with the hockey scouts and her reputation at a new school and for college applications. Dani also becomes a manager of the hockey team, which is convenient because her grandfather was a star player in the NHL.

    Lynn Painter is really the master of the YA romcom, I appreciate that they have good story content aside from the romance. They aren’t spicy but they do have realistic dialogue and funny banter. This was well paced and a fun setting. It reminded me of the couples in Better than the Movies and Nothing Like the Movies. I would have liked a little more from the side characters, as they were interesting and had good personalities of their own. It feels like most small towns and the culture of high school sports.

    Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC. Book to be published September 30, 2025.

  • sunny side up by katie sturtino

    Really cute story that is an obvious homage to Carrie Bradshaw. It’s like if Carrie Bradshaw was a recently divorced millennial size 14. She has a blog where she names her potential boyfriends as nicknames. She has her own boutique PR firm. She has 3 equally fashionable and girly friends that she often lunches with in Manhattan.

    After dating Zach seven years, they get married and divorce after only 3 months.

    She joins a recent divorced ladies group and they decide to go to the Bahamas to celebrate. Although she has always been a size 12, now she can’t even fit into a size 14. On manhattan this counts as plus sized. She takes the experience of bathing suit shopping as inspiration and starts a bathing suit company.

    I really thought that the body acceptance vs body positivity language really landed. It is way more accessible to accept and be neutral about your body rather than to celebrate it. I have been a size 18W and a size 2, I can definitely relate to all of her body image issues. I’ve lost and gained over 1000 pounds in my lifetime, so I can tell you that although dieting is unhealthy and doesn’t work long term, I will never stop dieting because the world just treats you so much better when you are in a smaller body.

    The sexual freedom in the book isn’t for me, not necessarily my generation, but I also appreciate the sex positive message, particularly within the framework of high fashion, high socioeconomic status body image culture.

    Sunny has a judgmental mom, an infuriating ex, and fun friends. It’s not all that relatable to a common woman in middle America and it’s a bit hard not to be jealous of Sunny who is very successful and privileged in a lot of ways. And it can be hard to listen to someone whine about their successful, glamorous life.

    That said, I really enjoyed this and it is great on audio as well. Well acted and good New York accents and parent and man accents.

    Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ARC. Book to be published June 24, 2025.

  • sounds like love by ashley poston

    A romantic and heartwarming story with an underlying soundtrack. Joni Lark grew up in a musical family, playing piano at age four with her legs not even touching the floor. Her North Carolina childhood was spent with her family at the Revelry, their music venue. But now she is a famous songwriter experiencing some writer’s block. When she returns home, parts of a melody start entering her brain, as well as the voice of someone else, with whom she shares a musical psychic connection. Hearing the same song, they start writing it into a full song.

    Sebastian is somewhat of a has-been, a former boy bander 15 years later. His father is a famous artist that he no longer has a relationship with.

    Ashley Poston is one of the best writers of magical realism that is also romantic. While Sounds Like Love fits in with the rest of her works, this one is less paranormal and more about the connection that Sebastian and Joni share. There are plenty of references to songs from all the last 50 years, and guaranteed to get several of them stuck in your head. Symbolically, I know the feeling of wanting that special person to be with you when you wake up in the morning and the person you tell everything to.

    The book is sweet, and I hope it is memorable. The author’s note at the end moved me to tears. I especially enjoyed several of the quotes and references to High School musical, the Bearnaked Ladies, and WOW- Five For Fighting. Now that was a blast from the past. Thematically, several conversations and references definitely activated something in my brain. So sharing a psychic connection with someone really doesn’t seem like a stretch.

    This was one of my most anticipated books for 2025- while it lacked the magical narrative and surprising plot elements I loved in Novel Love Story and Seven Year Slip, it definitely is charming and just as romantic and touching.

    Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley romance for the ARC. Book to be published June 17, 2025.

  • the four engagement rings of sybil rain

    Sybil is in Hawaii taking her honeymoon for the wedding that never happened. A year ago her heart was broken and her wedding canceled. And naturally her ex-fiancé is at the same resort! Did I say ex-finance? I mean TWO ex-fiancés. Not only is Jamie there, but also Sebastian. Sybil still has feelings for Jamie, and blurts out that she is there with her boyfriend. So Sebastian plays along. Then Jamie gets jealous.

    Somewhere along the line there was Liam, her first boyfriend and ex-fiancé. So there is Jamie, Sebastian, and Liam. But what is the fourth ring in the title? More to come.

    This is a miscommunication— second chance romance—fake dating- beach setting romance. Sybil is a likeable lead with good chemistry with Jamie. Her back story includes some heavier topics and need for therapy. I found the characters to be well rounded and the plot pacing was what I’d expect.

    Although this is second in the series it definitely works as a stand alone. It is relatively lighthearted. It lacks the humor of a lot of beach romances but it is female centered and single POV. There are some spicy scenes in the 3rd act.

    I was fortunately given an ALC of this audiobook from Hachette audio and NetGalley. I loved the audiobook narrator who had a great performance, particularly dramatic during Sybil’s breakdowns. Book to be published 6/24/25