Author: baltimorebibliophile

Title: How Not to Fall in Love

Author: Jacqueline Firkins

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Publication date: December 21st, 2021

239 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

A hardened cynic and a hopeless romantic teach each other about love in this swoony and heartfelt contemporary romance that’s perfect for fans of Tweet Cute and The Upside of Falling.

Harper works in her mom’s wedding shop, altering dresses for petulant and picky brides who are more focused on hemlines than love. After years of watching squabbles break out over wedding plans, Harper thinks romance is a marketing tool. Nothing more. Her best friend Theo is her opposite. One date and he’s already dreaming of happily ever afters. He also plays the accordion, makes chain mail for Ren Festers, hangs out in a windmill-shaped tree house, cries over rom-coms, and takes his word-of-the-day calendar very seriously.

When Theo’s shocked to find himself nursing his umpteenth heartbreak, Harper offers to teach him how not to fall in love. Theo agrees to the lessons, as long as Harper proves she can date without falling in love. As the lessons progress and Theo takes them to heart, Harper has a harder time upholding her end of the bargain. She’s also checking out her window to see if Theo’s home from his latest date yet. She’s even watching rom-coms. If she confesses her feelings, she’ll undermine everything she’s taught him. Or was he the one teaching her?

Review

How Not to Fall in Love is a friends to lovers YA starring Harper who works at her mother’s bridal shop and her best friend Theo. Theo has been unlucky in love, where he comes on way too strong with girls and they break up with him only a few week in. Harper has never dated and wants to help Theo so he stops getting his heart broken. So they agree – Harper with teach Theo how not to fall in love and Harper will start dating. But instead, Harper and Theo start to get closer and lines start to blur…

This one was fun. I read Jacqueline’s first as well and what I’ve learned is that she really likes love triangles. Which is fine for those who love them, but I’m ambivalent at best about that trope. I didn’t love it in her first book but wanted to give this one a try anyway. Whereas I did enjoy it more that the first, I still can’t get behind the love triangle. Other than that, I have no complaints about this one. Harper and Theo were adorable and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I love nerdy, awkward boys and friends to lovers so I was in my happy place with this one.

Definitely recommend if you aren’t the type of reader that really hates love triangles, because I did really feel bad for the guy Harper blew off for Theo – even though I seriously shipped Theo and Harper.

Thank you to HMH Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Bad Luck Bridesmaid

Author: Alison Rose Greenberg

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication date: January 11th, 2022

320 pages

3.5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

It’s official: Zoey Marks is the cursed bridesmaid that no engagement can survive. Ten years, three empire waist dresses, and ZERO brides have walked down the aisle.

After strike three, Zoey is left wondering if her own ambivalence towards marriage has rubbed off on those she loves. And when her building distrust of matrimony culminates in turning down a proposal from her perfect All-American boyfriend, Rylan Harper III, she and Rylan are both left heartbroken, leaving Zoey to wonder: what is it exactly about tying the knot that makes her want to run in the opposite direction?

Enter Hannah Green: Zoey’s best friend, who announces that she’s marrying a guy she just met (cue eye roll). At a castle. In gorgeous, romantic Ireland, where Rylan will be in attendance, and Zoey will be a bridesmaid. It’ll be fine.

Okay, the woman definition of fine (NOT FINE).

Determined to turn her luck around, Zoey accepts her role and vows to get Hannah down the aisle—all the while praying her best friend’s wedded bliss will allow her to embrace marriage and get Rylan back.

But as the weekend goes on, Zoey is plagued with more questions than answers. Can you be a free spirit, yet still want a certain future? Can you have love and be loved on your terms? And how DO you wrangle a bossy falcon into doing your bidding?

Review

Nothing about this book went the way I expected it to based on the synopsis and cover. Which is not a bad thing mind you, just took so reconfiguring of my expectations early on in the book! If you’re looking for the typical rom com, HEA, tropey romance – look away (but come back when you’re in a women’s lit kind of mood). Bad Luck Bridesmaid is really a tale of independence, putting yourself first, and understand that it’s okay if your goals in life are different than the “normal”.

Zoey doesn’t believe in relationships or marriage, or spending more time on a guy than your career. Especially after she was a bridesmaid in not one, not two, but three weddings where the bride didn’t walk down the aisle. But when she meets Rylan, her best friend’s cousin – she starts to throw the playbook out the window and settle into coupledom. But inevitably, he proposes and she… says no. So when Hannah gets quickly engaged and wants to have her wedding in Ireland with her close family – how can Zoey say no? Even if it means spending the wedding week with Raylan and his new girlfriend…

Like I said, not at all your typical rom com. The beginning of this book spends a lot of time detailing Zoey’s like to present – the relationships, careers, and the three wedding she “ruined” in her mind. Stick with it, it gets to the present day eventually. But this book really is a wild ride, and it feels like so much happened in a relatively average length novel. By the end, you’re thinking: how did we get here? But the themes of independence and acceptance of yourself are very empowering. And even if the end didn’t go exactly how I normally like – I respect the bold choice of going on the path less travelled.

I encourage you to ride the rollercoaster that is this book if you enjoy unconventional relationships or the less than common plot lines.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Happy Leap Day

Author: Ann Marie Walker

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Publication date: January 18th, 2022

304 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Friends becoming something much more in this hilarious romantic comedy from author Ann Marie Walker. A whirlwind trip to Ireland is supposed to end with a suitcase full of wool sweaters and souvenir pint glasses—not a husband you only just met!

After one-too-many whiskeys, fledgling screenwriter Cara Kennedy takes a page out of someone else’s script when she gets caught up in the Irish tradition of women proposing on Leap Day. She thought she might have dreamt everything, until she wakes the next morning with a hot guy in her bed and a tin foil ring on her finger. Her flight is in four hours, her clothes are all over the room, and she has the most important meeting of her career in exactly two days—and on top of everything else, her husband has a dog who thinks Cara is a perfect surrogate mother, despite the fact that she has never been much of an animal lover…

Deciding to work things out stateside, Finn and her new fur baby accompany her to LA, where Finn spends his days going on auditions and his nights charming his new bride, leaving Cara to wonder whether this is real love, or if Finn is another aspiring actor just after her Hollywood connections? With limited time on his tourist visa, will Finn be able to convince Cara that she’s the right girl for him, or will time run out on their Hollywood ending?

Review

As someone of Irish descent, I’m well aware of the Leap Day tradition. Also, there’s a similar movie – Leap Year that I loved (which is a controversial opinion I know). But if you, like me, liked that movie then go read this book! After her boyfriend cheats on her, Cara flies off to Ireland to take her planned trip anyway. She immediately meets Finn, the handsome Uber driver who gives her a tour of the city. Cara gets very drunk at the pub and ends up proposing to him on Leap Day – and there just so happens to be an ordained bartender who makes the wedding legit. Now Cara has to figure out how to end their marriage… but what if she doesn’t want to?

This book is fairly light and definitely an easy read. Somewhat divorced from reality, it’s a little unbelievable that the person you just met would fly to California on a whim with you and then get discovered as America’s next great actor but IT’S OKAY. It was enjoyable and frankly it just had great vibes. I loved Cara’s friends, hated her boss, and wanted the best for them as a couple. And sometimes that all you need in a rom com right?

It’s on the shorter side, just about 300 pages – but it doesn’t always feels like it. Basically it doesn’t feel rushed in plot line or pacing. I would read a follow up book about Cara’s best friend finding romance. I will definitely read more from this author, since I also liked her last one, Happy Singles Day.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves

Author: Meg Long

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication date: January 11th, 2022

368 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

After angering a local gangster, seventeen-year-old Sena Korhosen must flee with her prize fighting wolf, Iska, in tow. A team of scientists offer to pay her way off her frozen planet on one condition: she gets them to the finish line of the planet’s infamous sled race. Though Sena always swore she’d never race after it claimed both her mothers’ lives, it’s now her only option.

But the tundra is a treacherous place, and as the race unfolds and their lives are threatened at every turn, Sena starts to question her own abilities. She must discover whether she’s strong enough to survive the wild – whether she and Iska together are strong enough to get them all out alive.

A captivating debut about survival, found family, and the bond between a girl and a wolf that delivers a fresh twist on classic survival stories and frontier myths.

Review

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is a science fiction fantasy set on tundra planet that is known for having a valuable metal that the corporations who run the planets want and need. Every year there is a race with genetically modified wolves. Sena is the daughter of two racers who died on the tundra, so Sena refused to ever race again. But when she finds herself in trouble with a pit boss and steals a fighting wolf named Iska, Sena does what she has to do to survive. Even if it means joining the race and taking on those threats.

This whole book was a JOURNEY. It took a bit to get into really and the world could have been explained better in my opinion, but once the action started I was hooked. Sena by herself in the beginning was irritating as a character, but a main factor in this book is found family and once Sena is with her group she really starts to shine. Also, this book does not include a romance, which is frankly almost unheard of. There isn’t a subplot or even hint of a romantic connection and I really appreciated it. This book was about grit and survival, basically what The Hunger Games should have been without the love triangle.

I definitely recommend this for fans of science fiction YA. This is a very different take and personally I think it was a win for Meg Long. If you pick it up, be mindful of trigger warnings – there are a few to look out for.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: Weather Girl

Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon

Publisher: Berkley

Publication date: January 11th, 2022

352 pages

5/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her ex-husband, the station’s news director, to give Ari the mentorship she wants. Ari, who runs on sunshine and optimism, is at her wits’ end. The only person who seems to understand how she feels is sweet but reserved sports reporter Russell Barringer.

In the aftermath of a disastrous holiday party, Ari and Russell decide to team up to solve their bosses’ relationship issues. Between secret gifts and double dates, they start nudging their bosses back together. But their well-meaning meddling backfires when the real chemistry builds between Ari and Russell.

Working closely with Russell means allowing him to get to know parts of herself that Ari keeps hidden from everyone. Will he be able to embrace her dark clouds as well as her clear skies?

A TV meteorologist and a sports reporter scheme to reunite their divorced bosses with unforecasted results in this charming romantic comedy from the author of The Ex Talk.

Review

Get ready folks because I’m about to gush about this book so so much. After falling in love with Rachel’s last release, The Ex Talk, I knew I needed to read more of her adult romantic contemporaries and I was right. Weather Girl is about a Jewish FMC and a plus size MMC. It’s not a combination I’ve ever seen in a book before – especially the plus size hero/love interest. And friends, he truly was a hero. I feel like the body positive movement has been amazing for women but sometimes leaves the men behind. Fat is beautiful no matter what and it was so precious to see it told from the female perspective as they characters have a conversation on page about his weight and insecurity.

On top of that, the sexual tension leaps off the page and there is a slow burn to Weather Girl but our hero has d*rty talk down to a science, phew boy. I loved the family aspect and the fact that Ari has serious mental health issues and struggles with her depression. This was extremely relatable for me while I was reading and the writing was so thoughtful about how it addressed this serious issue. I felt seen in a way that I haven’t in a while, even from other books that I feel did a good just representing mental health.

Seriously, I can’t say enough about all the amazing aspects of this book. If you find yourself draw to cartoon covers as a reading genre – don’t walk, run to slam that request/purchase button so you too can experience the love that is Ari & Russell. And for good measure, pick up The Ex Talk too.

Thank you to Berkley and Edelweiss for an advances copy in exchange for an honest review

Happy reading, folks!

Title: No Ex Before Marriage

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication date: January 11th, 2022

293 pages

4/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

It’s not over until someone says ‘I do’…

While her friends join the “Wife Club” one by one, Poppy feels like that part of her life is done and dusted. Already married and divorced she’s not desperate to go through all that again.

Review

Portia MacIntosh writes some adorable romances set in Britain and No Ex Before Marriage is no different. It’s a second chance love story involving a divorced couple and them reconnecting when Poppy realizes their divorce never was filed – and Zac is getting married the following weekend in a high profile wedding with a minor celebrity. Poppy has to stop the wedding and try to not lose her heart to Zac again in the process.

I really enjoyed this quirky read and the unique romance Poppy and Zac had/have. After reading the reason why they got divorced in the first place, my heart hurt for them and it added in the needed emotional context to the fairly comical plot line and characters. I always appreciate that the women in MacIntosh’s romances are older than the average and show romance from a different perspective. There is an alternating timeline in this book as you read Poppy and Zac from current times with flashbacks back to high school and their marriage throughout the book.

Featuring light spice and the second chance love trope, No Ex Before Marriage continue a long line of successful romances from Portia MacIntosh (in my opinion).

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: The Betrothed (The Betrothed #1)

Author: Kiera Cass

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication date: May 5th, 2020

400 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.

Review

“In the end, we made enemies with our heads, but we unmade them with our hearts.”

Kiera Cass, The Betrothed

After The Selection series I should’ve known Kiera would hit us with another love triangle with a royal twist – but I was unprepared for how fast the love triangle happens. At least The Selection wasn’t insta-love because I swear all Hollis did was look at Silas and drop everything she ever knew and wanted for him. Which, fine – follow your heart and whatever but ugh the pining. The first half of this book is all stolen glances and giving up the love of a King for someone you just met and literally cost you your friend, parents, home, and reputation.

I can’t even express how much this book annoyed me, after thinking it had so much promise. And after everything that happened in this book – THE ENDING. How in the world should I feel like I want to read the next book after that? Let’s just go right ahead and turn that love triangle into a freaking square. I want more from the books I read and this was not it.

I’m not sure I’ll read The Betrayed unless I strongly want to just hate read something one day. Very glad I didn’t purchase this when it came out as I wanted to.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: The Ballerinas

Author: Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publication date: December 7th, 2021

307 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Dare Me meets Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive in a captivating, voice-driven debut novel about a trio of ballerinas who meet as students at the Paris Opera Ballet School.

Fourteen years ago, Delphine abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg––taking with her a secret that could upend the lives of her best friends, fellow dancers Lindsay and Margaux. Now 36 years old, Delphine has returned to her former home and to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House, to choreograph the ballet that will kickstart the next phase of her career––and, she hopes, finally make things right with her former friends. But Delphine quickly discovers that things have changed while she’s been away…and some secrets can’t stay buried forever.

Moving between the trio’s adolescent years and the present day, The Ballerinas explores the complexities of female friendship, the dark drive towards physical perfection in the name of artistic expression, the double-edged sword of ambition and passion, and the sublimated rage that so many women hold inside––all culminating in a twist you won’t see coming, with magnetic characters you won’t soon forget.

Review

Whatever I thought I was going to get from this book is not what I actually got. And for once, I don’t particularly mean that as a compliment. The Ballerinas had all of the drama I was expecting as the dance world is known for it’s ruthlessness and the strain it places on the girls. But what I didn’t expect was not liking any of the characters. At all.

Told in alternating timelines from the POV of Delphine, we get the story of her and her two best friends, Margauz and Lindsay, as they navigate their years with the Paris Opera Ballet. The present day timeline is the women at 35-36 as they are in their careers in dance and the flashbacks start at 9 years old and eventually catches up to present day. Delphine is not a choreographer after quitting the company to move to St. Petersburg to be with her boyfriend who ended up cheating on her, causing her to move back to Paris to start her choreography career.

I had the absolute hardest time getting invested in this book. I think the timelines alternated too quickly for me to keep up with or get invested in either storyline version of Delphine. I just… wow did not like her. Yes, I’m sure she’s written in this way purposefully, but I don’t find anything redeemable about her except the decision she made regarding Jock. All of the characters were extremely flawed (again, pretty sure that’s the point) but in a way that I could not relate to or get on board with. Nothing captured my attention about this book and it was a slog to get through.

But if you find yourself really drawn to the ballet, if you loved the Black Swan movie, and if you jam out to alternating timelines, this book will be for you. It wasn’t for me, but my 3 stars is someone else’s 5 stars.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading, folks!

Title: All Stirred Up

Author: Brianne Moore

Publisher:

Publication date: September 8th, 2020

320 pages

3/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis

Susan Napier’s family once lived on the success of the high-end restaurants founded by her late grandfather. But bad luck and worse management has brought the business to the edge of financial ruin. Now it’s up to Susan to save the last remaining restaurant: Elliot’s, the flagship in Edinburgh.

But what awaits Susan in the charming city of Auld Reekie is more than she bargained for. Chris Baker, her grandfather’s former protégé–and her ex-boyfriend–is also heading to the Scottish capital. After finding fame in New York as a chef and judge of a popular TV cooking competition, Chris is returning to his native Scotland to open his own restaurant. Although the storms have cleared after their intense and rocky breakup, Susan and Chris are re-drawn into each other’s orbit–and their simmering attraction inevitably boils over.

As Chris’s restaurant opens to great acclaim and Susan tries to haul Elliot’s back from the brink, the future brims with new promise. But darkness looms as they find themselves in the crosshairs of a gossip blogger eager for a juicy story–and willing to do anything to get it. Can Susan and Chris reclaim their lost love, or will the tangled past ruin their last hope for happiness?

Review

“Chris, you need a bitch in yer life who won’t leave you.”

Brianne Moore, All Stirred Up

I found myself mildly disappointed after this book because it didn’t live up to what I wanted from a romance. That is generally because I would classify this more as chick lit or women’s fiction, where the romance isn’t the main focus and doesn’t play the largest part in the book. I prefer straight romance driven plots personally – but don’t listen to me if you prefer chick lit. Looking at this book through that lens, it was probably pretty good and solid! I just… needed more of the romance.

Also, do not eat this book on an empty stomach or without food readily handy. The descriptions of the food are just unfair! Both MCs own restaurants, Chris is a chef and Susan is a pastry chef – so just imagine all the food they make during the course of this book. Chris and Susan used to date years ago before a rocky ending and Chris moved to America. He’s now back in Edinburgh and opening up his own restaurant in town to compete with Susan’s family’s.

I super hated the background characters of Susan’s family. They all had unnecessarily extra personalities (not in a good way) and were the archetype for personality disorders. Susan had no backbone and would not stick up for herself, which just annoys me in a character.

Basically, this book is a pass from me. It’s an average story with a below average romance that will just make you hungry. Read it or don’t read it, your life won’t change any.

Happy reading, folks!

Wow, it feels like just yesterday I was writing my January 2021 TBR post – I’ve definitely found that the older you get, the faster the years seem to go by. Especially during these stressful times where time is a confusing concept and everyone’s perspective is skewed and warped. I desperately hope for some peace this year, and frankly that includes my reading. I spent a lot of 2021 reading a very strict list of books that I made each month, and berated myself if life got in the way and I didn’t finish or if I just wasn’t feeling that book at that time. I forgot why I’m reading and was doing it for others – for Netgalley, for publishers, for bookstagram. My overarching goal for 2022 is to basically not have TBRs.

Now, you may be asking yourself, “but why is she writing this post then?” and that would be an excellent question. My fickle brain is complex – it’s been wanting to mood read but without some parameters I am paralyzed by indecision and that ends up stressing me out more. So, imagine these TBRs as a very loose guideline for the month – a list of books that my current brain wants to read soon. And I think it will be interesting to compare the results at the end of the month in my wrap up posts. So, don’t expect me to actually read the books below. But if I do, fantastic 🙂

PHYSICAL

1. Our Violent Ends (These Violent Delights #2), Chloe Gong
2. Rise Up From the Embers (Set Fire to the Gods #2), Sara Raasch
3. The Bookworm Crush, Lisa Brown Roberts
4. Diamond and Dawn (Amber and Dusk #2), Lyra Selene
5. All These Bodies, Kendare Blake
6. The Best Laid Plans, Cameron Lund
7. Love and Other Words, Christina Lauren

EBOOKS

1. Twisted Hate (Twisted #3), Ana Huang
2. When You Get the Chance, Emma Lord

ARCS

1. The Ballerinas, Rachel Kapelke-Dale
2. Mother of All (Women’s War #3), Jenna Glass
3. All of Us Villains, Amanda Foody
4. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, Megan Long

AUDIO

1. Smoke in the Sun (Flame in the Mist #2), Renee Ahdieh
2. The Marriage Game (Marriage Game #1), Sara Desai

I have no goals for how many books I want to read, but I normally read between 20-30 so obviously there’s a lot of wiggle room here. I’m excited to embrace this new mentality.

Happy reading, folks!