Just when I finally came out of a 6 week reading slump I ended up coming down with Covid for the first time. Thankfully, it was relatively mild but I did end up just laying on the couch for a week straight with very little mental energy to do anything other than re-watch Criminal Minds for the 10th time. But then right when I was feeling better, my job implemented mandatory overtime so that further cut into my reading time. I got back into the groove right at the end of August so I'm really hoping I can get back on track for September!
Outside of the books below, I also read Smartasses: A Sexy Nerd Romcom Anthology - linked here.
Booked on a Feeling - Jayci Lee
This is the third book in the A Sweet Mess series and follows friends Lizzie and Jack. Lizzie is a lawyer in LA working her way up the ladder and Jack works in the office at the family brewery in Weldon. After Lizzie wins a big trial for her firm, she's burnt out and needs some time to figure out what's going on with her career so she drives to Weldon. She's staying for 3 weeks and when Jack runs into her in town, he can't believe his luck. He's had feeling for Lizzie for years and now that she's in town with nothing on her agenda, he's going to make the most of their time together. But he knows that he can't risk their friendship for his feelings - but maybe if she had feelings too, that would be a different situation. I overall really liked this story but felt the relationship pacing was a little odd. I loved Lizzie and Jack as their own characters but I didn't quite feel their friendship on the page. Maybe it was because they were living hours away from each other, but they felt more like acquaintances than good friends. We do see how their families are intertwined and how much history they have with each other but it never quite felt like Lizzie and Jack had a deeper emotional connection like I expect with a friends to lovers romance. Friendship aside, these two had chemistry flowing off the page. I absolutely loved when they started getting together. I also really enjoyed how the main conflict for both of them is wanting to be in charge of their own lives and neither of them needed to give up on their dreams for the relationship. They both made their own career and life choices and then were able to come together stronger in the end.
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Publication date was July 26, 2022
This is the second book in the A Brush With Love series and follows Lizzie and Rake. Lizzie has ADHD and is struggling with her day-to-day due to it being uncontrolled. One thing that always settled her mind and body is sex - and Rake is on board with having a quick hookup. Only one night turns into a weekend and, a few weeks later, that turns into a positive pregnancy test. Lizzie decides she wants to be a mom and when she tells Rake, the two end up moving in together to platonically co-parent. Or, at least, as platonic as they can while sharing a studio apartment with only one bed. I really enjoyed this read and Eddings is now an insta-read author for me. I'm not into babies or having kids so I generally stay away from most pregnancy-centered romances. However, I really liked Lizzie from Eddings's first book and I was seeing so much praise from early reviewers that I requested an ARC. I love Lizzie and Rake with my entire heart and thought their journey together was so fantastic. The steamy scenes come in real early but the emotional connection is a slow burn. I loved how both of them were emotionally guarded for different reasons, but were both able to slowly let their walls down. The side characters were great as well and we do get the friend group back together for a little bit - which is always nice.
As a note, I did see some discussions on Twitter as well as in some reviews where reviewers didn't appreciate the comparison between Lizzie choosing to stay pregnant and another character's choice to get an abortion. I personally felt like the discussions around both of those choices was well done and I didn't feel like it was a true comparison where Lizzie was 'better' because she kept the baby like I saw some other folks were feeling. However, maybe my expectations were skewed by seeing those comments before I read this book so I was expecting more of a buildup than what I actually read. Also, I am reading an ARC so maybe something with change in the final copy.
TW/CW: pregnancy, abortion (not MC), toxic family
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Publication date is September 6, 2022
The Make-Up Test - Jenny L Howe
This academic rivals (and exes) to lovers second chance romance follows Allison and Colin as they start their Ph.D. program. The two dated 2 years prior in undergrad before breaking up and not only are they in the same program, they were selected to be co-TAs for the same class. The two have an icy relationship, at best, that centers around trying to 'win' every possible competition. But when their advisor says she has to pick one of them to stay under her at the end of the semester, the real competition begins. However, as the two spend more time together and finally start to talk about their shared past, they both realize the feelings they had never went away and there might just be a future together if they don't let their competition get in the way. I really enjoyed this debut and thought the whole set up was great. I really liked getting the school setting with older (mid-20s) characters and slightly higher stakes than a typical college/new adult romances. Both Allison and Colin were so interesting and complex with their own journey as well as their shared past. This is only told from Allison's POV and I really wish this was dual perspective because of their shared past. There was a ton of fun banter back and forth and I really enjoyed the whole group of grad students. If Howe writes more in this series, I would be so interested to follow the other people in this group. I'm a little bit of a hard sell on second chance romances, especially when the initial breakup was for very valid reasons (as is the case here). I think Howe did a fantastic job of showing us how much both Allison and Colin had changed during the past 2 years as well as showing them working through any hurt that they still had and actively choosing to move forward together. The 3rd act conflict in this, for me, was a little too much of a communication issue that literally could have been cleared up with 1 conversation but it was on-brand enough with the characters that I wasn't put off too much by it. Overall, I really enjoyed this read and I would love to read more of Howe's romances in the future.
TW/CW: discussions of food/bodies, fatphobic language by family member, death of a parent
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. Publication date is September 13, 2022
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