This was by far my favorite of the the Brown Sisters books. This book focuses on Eve Brown, a chaotic, but lovable woman just trying to find her placeThis was by far my favorite of the the Brown Sisters books. This book focuses on Eve Brown, a chaotic, but lovable woman just trying to find her place in the world. After Eve's parents cut her off financially and tell her she needs to finally grow up and figure her life out, Eve lands a chef job at Jacob Wayne's Bed and Breakfast. Jacob is the opposite of Eve in many ways--he's meticulous with a tough exterior and wants nothing to do with Eve, but as Jacob and Eve begin to spend more time together, they discover that they may have more in common than they thought.
This romcom features some of my favorite tropes including enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, and forced proximity. I loved that the other Brown sisters also made small appearances in this book too. Overall, I really enjoyed this Brown sister trilogy and greatly appreciated the neurodivergent , disability, and mental health representations!...more
This is such a powerful book. I'm ashamed to admit that before October 2023, I knew very little about what was happening in Gaza. Originally publishedThis is such a powerful book. I'm ashamed to admit that before October 2023, I knew very little about what was happening in Gaza. Originally published in 2022, this book offers insight into what like is/was like for people living in Gaza under Israeli occupation.
This anthology is an important collection of Palestinian voices sharing their lived experience and I absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested in educating themselves more about life in Gaza.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this audiobook....more
I am loving this series with the Brown sisters! This is the second book of three and focuses on the romance between on Danika Brown, a workaholic PhD I am loving this series with the Brown sisters! This is the second book of three and focuses on the romance between on Danika Brown, a workaholic PhD candidate, and Zafir Ansari, an ex-athlete turned security guard. Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I loved the anxiety representation in this book and just adored Zaf as a main character.
I have been listening to the audiobooks for this whole series and have been really enjoying them--highly recommend! Excited to dive into Eve Brown's story next....more
I loved this book!! As a reader and gamer, I was so excited to come across this novel by Seressia Glass.
This story centers around Samara, a DEIA consI loved this book!! As a reader and gamer, I was so excited to come across this novel by Seressia Glass.
This story centers around Samara, a DEIA consultant and anonymous gamer with a large following. Samara is also advocates for equal representation in video games, and after a post of Samara's goes viral calling out unacceptable character representation in Legendsfall, Samara comes face to face with the CEO of Artemis Games and creator of LegendsFall, Aron Galanis. When Aron sees Legendsfall trending for all the wrong reasons, he is determined to hire Samara to improve the game and help him align the company's games with his values.
This enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story offers important commentary on the treatment of women (and particulary those of color) within gaming spaces. From the treatment of women online to the depiction of women in games, Aron has a lot to learn as he embarks on a journey with Samara in order to make Artemis Games a more accessible and equitable company.
I absolutely adored this book. I loved both Samara and Aron as main characters and absolutely love the fact that while this is a romance book, there are also very real and important issues woven and discussed throughout this book.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book!!
"What’s so wrong about people wanting to see themselves represented in the things they love? To be able to look through custom mods and see their skin color, their hairstyle? What’s so wrong about wanting to see yourself in a game, and not as some wack stereotypical non-playable character that’s so offensive it’s not even laughable? What’s so wrong about wanting a seat at the same table?"...more
Rooney is an artist who trusts in the power of fate. Jack is a NASA engineer who is guided by facts and science. After sharing an enchanted night arouRooney is an artist who trusts in the power of fate. Jack is a NASA engineer who is guided by facts and science. After sharing an enchanted night around New York City, they come to realize that they might have had just that one night-accepting that their paths may never cross again. When they are reunited and given another chance to reconnect, Rooney is sure that their reunion is due to fate and that Jack might just be her stringmate.
This book is a sweet, feel good, slow burn romance. I loved both Rooney and Jack as main characters and I loved the family relationships represented in this story too. This is my second read from Lauren Kung Jessen and her other book, Lunar Love is also a favorite of mine, thus securing her as an auto-buy author of mine from now on.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
I LOVED this book! This rivals-to-lovers and opposites-attract romance had me smiling from ear to ear most of the way through (except for a tiny sad pI LOVED this book! This rivals-to-lovers and opposites-attract romance had me smiling from ear to ear most of the way through (except for a tiny sad part-iykyk). I found both of the characters so lovable and while the story was a bit predictable, I enjoyed every bit of it! I loved learning about Chinese culture as we followed Olivia and Bennett's love story and appreciated the themes around tradition vs modernity, grief, friendship, heritage, and culture. With Lunar New Year approaching, I absolutely recommend this to anyone looking for an adorable, warm, loving, fantastic romance read!
I am officially a fan of Lauren Kung Jessen's work and cannot wait to dive into her second book!...more
Yoga? Romance? Enemies to lovers? I was initially so excited to read this, but ultimately struggled to get through this one. I did finish it in hopes tYoga? Romance? Enemies to lovers? I was initially so excited to read this, but ultimately struggled to get through this one. I did finish it in hopes that maybe the end would redeem some of the things I struggled with, but in the end, this one just wasn't for me.
I really struggled connecting with the main characters and found the male love interest, Colin, kind of insufferable and shallow. He seemed to have a blatant disregard for boundaries and I just could not find it in me to care about him much as a character. I also found the female main character, Shay, a little hard to connect with as there wasn't much to her personality outside of her divorce. I also really struggled with the portrayal of depression in this story. While I do appreciate the representation of depression in novels, I think authors need to be extremely careful in how they do it. I think in the case of this book, this portrayal of depression was more harmful than representative.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
