Book Review · Books

In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW]

In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 384

Genre: Romance, YA, Contemporary

Publisher: Rock The Boat

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

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Nieve Monroe is devastated after her boyfriend Carter dies saving her from drowning. Even worse she blames herself for his death… and so does his best friend, Max. He was there with them on that fateful day, and he’s never liked Nieve.

Unable to pull herself from her grief and wanting to hide from the accusation in his eyes, Nieve goes to stay with her grandmother, who has always had strange stories to tell of uncanny happenings, of magic and make believe. The next morning, Nieve wakes up on the first day of college, the year before.

This time she plans to make sure Carter never follows her into that river. She’ll do everything in her power to keep him safe, even if it means losing him in other ways. But the more distance she puts between her and Carter, the closer she gets to Max, drawn to him in ways she never expected.

But is she betraying Carter if the only way she can save him is to move on? And can she ever forget her past to embrace her future?

My Thoughts:

“Time is like these colors. It changes and bleeds and blends. Don’t let today’s color seep into tomorrow.”

“In Time With You” by Kristin Dwyer is one of those books that brings you peace whilst reading it, and leaves you with a warm smile after you’ve finished it.

Nieve is devastated after her boyfriend, Carter, dies trying to save her from drowning. Filled with grief, she goes to her grandma’s house and the next morning she wakes up, and it’s the first day of college… again.

She has a chance to make things right this time around, but the more she tries to avoid Carter in order to keep him safe, she realises there is a boy that she has not been paying attention to at all.

I am not usually a fan of the “time loop / Groundhog day” dynamics in a book, but this one managed to execute this very well.

I felt for Nieve and I instantly started rooting for her and Max. Their chemistry was amazing and I loved the passion they both shared for art.

But the most important thing that stuck with me was the story about Nieve herself. Her struggling with grief and PTSD from a moment that is no longer a reality for the rest of the group must have felt so lonely! Her knowing she needs to do something to fix what she knows is about to happen, but every choice backfiring had a toll on her as well. Watching Nieve trying to navigate through all of this, all whilst catching feelings for Max was a very raw and emotional story, but filled with a lot of maturity and without any unnecessary drama.

I really devoured this book and enjoyed the beautiful and emotional journey that Nieve and Max were going through. It is one of those books that will always linger in your mind when you wish you could turn back time in your own life. Definitely recommend!

“Time, my love, takes what it wants. Even when we try to stop it.”

About the Author:

In Time With You by Kristin Dwyer [BOOK REVIEW]

Kristin Dwyer grew up under the California sun and still prays every day for a cloudy sky. When she’s not writing books about people kissing, she and her spouse can be found encouraging their four mischief makers to get into trouble. Kristin is a part-time hair model and wants you to know she is full-time TSA PRECHECK, and one time a credible news outlet asked for her opinion on K-pop (it was the best day of her life). Please do not talk to her about your fandom, she will try to join.

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Book Review · Books

Ever After by Amanda Prowse [BOOK REVIEW]

Ever After by Amanda Prowse [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Ever After by Amanda Prowse [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 412

Genre: Romance, Fiction

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

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My Thoughts:

“Ever After” is an emotional rollercoaster of a book, but in the most beautiful way. It had so much emotion poured into it, and I couldn’t help getting invested in Enya’s story. 

Enya is a widow that is still grieving her husband. I mean, do you ever really stop grieving a loved one, especially your soulmate? Her son, Aiden is in a relationship with Enya’s best friend and next-door-neighbour’s daughter, and everything seems to be going well. Except that, one day, Aiden returns from a work conference and has news that will change everyone’s lives forever.

Enya finds herself in a very difficult situation that she neither chose, nor does she have control over. What doesn’t help is that she also keeps a secret that she can’t tell anyone, and this burdens her for multiple reasons. The support network she used to have is now gone, leaving her very lonely, and she reverts to her default setting – making sure everyone around her is okay and happy, even to the detriment of her happiness.

I found it painful, but refreshing, that the characters didn’t shy away from difficult topics and voiced how they were feeling, even though sometimes this took much longer than it should have for them to open up. 

The writing was beautiful and raw, every chapter leaving you satisfied and craving for more at the same time. Amanda Prowse is now on my auto-buy list of authors. I will instantly get her book as soon as I spot the next one. I already have “This One Life” on my TBR to get to it as soon as I possibly can. 

If you are looking for a book that makes you feel things and care for the characters, please pick this book! It will take you on a real and raw adventure and make you open a new tissue box whilst at it. How can you say no to a good old healthy cry? 

Favourite quotes:

“I can’t remember what I used to think about before my head was full of you!”

“Speaking for myself, it has always been rooted in love. Loving those that love me a bit too much and not loving myself enough, I guess.”

“His expression, she feared, matched her own; it was that potent mix of longing and regret that, had it been expressed in music, would have been loud and building, a crescendo that carried you along with its passion and its beauty, a trailing rapture that could pierce her very soul. Feelings that had the ability to floor her, to be her undoing, and her salvation. A moment of connection, knitting all the strands of desire and roping her to him, this man who had come into her life in the most unconventional of ways and had turned things upside down.”

About the Author:

Ever After by Amanda Prowse [BOOK REVIEW]

Amanda Prowse is an International Bestselling author whose thirty-two novels, two non-fiction titles and ten novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. Published by Lake Union, Amanda is the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today; her titles also consistently score the highest online review approval ratings across several genres. Her books, including the chart topping No.1 titles ‘What Have I Done?’, ‘Perfect Daughter’, ‘My Husband’s Wife’, ‘The Girl in the Corner’ and ‘The Things I Know’ have sold millions of copies across the globe.

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Book Review · Books

The Shelf by Helly Acton [BOOK REVIEW]

The Shelf by Helly Acton [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

The Shelf by Helly Acton [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 416

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher: Bonnier Books UK

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★★

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My Thoughts:

Reading “The Shelf” was so fun. It’s a “make you feel good” book, focusing on inner happiness, with or without a partner. 

Despite reading the synopsis, I went into this book blind. I blame this on my forgetfulness – I tend to read 10 synopsis of books, and then choose 1 book to read out of them all. I’ll be honest – I did not connect with Amy at all in the first chapters. It was hard to read about her current life and relationship. Then the surprise event happens and Amy ends up being dumped live on TV, and entering this new TV Show – The Shelf!

It was at this time when I instantly sided with her, and loved reading about her journey.

“The Shelf” show has to be the worst, most hectic, most sexist show I’ve ever come across in my years of reading fiction. Basically, you get to win the show if you can prove that you are the best “housewife material” out there. And I have nothing against housewives. My favourite person in the world – my late grandma – was a housewife, and I know her life wasn’t easy at all. It was busy and filled with manual work, house work, gardening. But it was a house that was always filled with lots of love. Some of my fondest childhood memories I have are connected with that woman.

And to see the “housewife” term used as a TV-show concept in this way was not the nicest thing to see, is all I can say. I just believe that this should be a woman’s choice of life and not a decision made on her behalf, or a mandatory tick box when finding a partner, as portrayed in this book. In this show, you could only win the game if you are the perfect housewife material. The show was full of men treating women in a way they shouldn’t ever be treated.

“We’re all so busy trying to find the right person, we aren’t trying to be the right person.”

All the other women are in the same boat with Amy (dumped and left on the shelf), competing for one million dollars and being crowned “The Keeper”. I know, the show is a huge red flag. But the contestants are here to save the day. Aside from Amy, we’ll meet Jackie, Gemma, Hattie, Lauren and Flick – all of them very different and with their own stories. And most important of all, all these women make their lives a priority, despite their environment telling them otherwise.

I devoured this book in just a few days.

It was heart-warming, fun, uplifting and powerful. It spoke to my younger-self, that it’s okay to be single and happy on your own until / if you meet your person. And it spoke to my present self that it’s okay to have your person and share experiences and work things out. And that if something suddenly goes wrong – you’ve still got your person – yourself! I can only warmly recommend “The Shelf” for you. I hope it brightens your day like it did mine.

About the Author:

The Shelf by Helly Acton [BOOK REVIEW]

Helly Acton is a copywriter from London with past lives in the Middle East, Africa and Australia. Born in Zimbabwe, Helly and her family emigrated to the East Sussex coast when she was 15 years old. Here, she finished school and spent her holidays in Saudi Arabia, where her father had been placed with work. She studied Law at King’s College London before following a more creative path into advertising.

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Book Review · Books

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang [BOOK REVIEW]

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 343

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: Piatkus

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★

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He has a heart of ice…but for her, he’d burn the world

A diverse new adult steamy romance from Tiktok sensation and USA Today bestselling author Ana Huang.

Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.

Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.

But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:

A crack.

A melt.

A fire that could end his world as he knew it.

***

Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.

But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.

Her brother’s best friend.

Also her neighbor.

Her savior and her downfall.

Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen-but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.

My Thoughts:

“Twisted Love” is a book I’ve always had my eyes on. My sister gifted me a copy, and I instantly dived in. Now, I am all for “bad boy” romances, but this one just wasn’t it. It felt like the author wanted to include all romance tropes at once, and whilst doing so, created a proper mess.

Firstly, our main male character, Alex Volkov, is a horrible person. Rich, as in, I own my grandpa’s company and no one can touch me. Stubborn, arrogant, jealous and possessive. Usually, I don’t mind this in a romance book and just go with it, enjoying the book, despite a character’s red flags. Who am I to judge, right? But Alex was way too annoying. I should request some kind of compensation for the amount of eye rolls this book gave me. Maybe I am owed some eye drops or something.

As for Ava, I really liked her, even though I thought she was a bit gullible at times. I also have to remind myself that she had a crush on Alex, and with that comes a lot of tunnel vision and her wearing her rose-tinted glasses. I liked how her trauma was presented, and it added great depth to the character.

There was one moment in the book that really made me chuckle.

It mentioned how easy it was to cross borders in Europe. And I laughed, because it is clear the author never tried to cross a Balkan border during a summer holiday. If she did, she wouldn’t have made that statement. Europe is much more than crossing the French-Italian border. 

What I found interesting about the book is that despite the unlikeable characters and cliche plot, I devoured this book in two days. Writing this down, I don’t know if that says more about the book, or me. 🙂 And that’s the main reason I haven’t given this book a 1 star. The second book in the series is the story of Bridget and Rhys, and I have to admit, I’m extremely excited about that! I think and I hope that we will see characters with way less red flags. I will still be reading the rest of the series, as I am now intrigued about the rest of the characters.

About the Author:

Twisted Love (Twisted #1) by Ana Huang [BOOK REVIEW]

Ana Huang is a #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, #1 Sunday Times, and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Best known for her Twisted series, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance with deliciously alpha heroes, strong heroines, and plenty of steam, angst, and swoon.

Her books have been translated in thirty languages and featured in outlets such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, NPR, Cosmopolitan, and PEOPLE magazine.

A self-professed travel enthusiast, she loves incorporating beautiful destinations into her stories and will never say no to a good chai latte.

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Book Review · Books

Loving Romeo (Magnolia Falls #1) by Laura Pavlov [BOOK REVIEW]

Loving Romeo (Magnolia Falls #1) by Laura Pavlov [BOOK REVIEW]

About The Book:

Loving Romeo (Magnolia Falls #1) by Laura Pavlov [BOOK REVIEW]

Pages: 352

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Publisher: HQ Stories

Format I read it in: Paperback

Rating: ★★★

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Demi Crawford was Magnolia Falls royalty.
I was the boxer from the wrong side of the tracks.
She was the epitome of everything good, while I was broody and rebellious.
We couldn’t be more different.
Her family was enemy number one which made her guilty by association.
I despised her before I even knew her.
It was easier that way.
But now she’d moved in next door to me, and she was everywhere I turned.
I couldn’t avoid her no matter how hard I tried.
She was beautiful and honest and sweet.
Everything I knew I shouldn’t want.
Shouldn’t need.
They say there’s a fine line between love and hate—and I don’t know when I crossed over.
I was so wrapped up in this girl I couldn’t see straight.
She was the right hook I never saw coming.
Hating her was supposed to be my end game.
Loving her… well, that was just the beginning.
But the secrets that lived between us threatened to tear us apart.
Lucky for her—I was a born fighter.
And she was definitely worth the fight.

My Thoughts:

“Loving Romeo” was a cute love story. A bad boy meets the rich girl in a small town, and catches feelings for her, despite hating her family. I have to be honest, I did not like Demi at all and couldn’t relate to her or connect with her. She obviously comes from a rich family, and she’s quite fast to say to everyone that everything she has, she worked hard for. And yet, she has this to say about her owning a coffee shop and an apartment on top of it:

“I’ve been away at school for four years. I came home and opened a business, one that I’m working at every day. I’m living in a small apartment above the coffeehouse and trying to do things on my own. But I’m hated anyway because my family has money?”

Umm, sorry, Demi, darling, but you sound entitled. How exactly did you manage to open a business right after finishing school? With what and whose money? Not all mortals can just spawn a business right after finishing school, unless they have some kind of support.

With Romeo, I could understand where he was coming from. I could understand his hatred towards Demi’s family. In the book, we later find out more about why he holds such hatred, and it ends up being the reason that actually brings the two together. But it still felt exaggerated at times when he would judge and be rude to Demi, saying he hates her by association, only to 20 pages later ignore his opinion and want to rip her clothes off.

Once we get past this and they start catching feelings for each other, I enjoyed the story more. Although I have to say, it lacked action and adventure. The most exciting part was the actual boxing match – I really enjoyed that part. I am still curious though – did Johnny Cane got his autographs for letting the girls in?

Overall, it’s a cute romance. Nothing too special and I probably won’t remember the book in too much detail in a few years. But it’s a great book to take on a holiday with you, or pick it up when in need of a bit of small town romance. That being said, I will still be reading the rest of the series, as I am now intrigued about the rest of the characters.

Favourite Quotes:

“It ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward” Rocky Balboa

“Don’t ask me how, but standing in this cold space, where most of the people who worked out here smelled like dirty socks and were covered in sweat, still somehow managed to be the most romantic moment I’d ever experienced.
Because I felt a connection to him that was foreign to me.
Something I’d never felt before.”

“It doesn’t really matter what anyone else thinks. When you love someone, you love all of them.”

“I don’t hold love over people’s heads. I’m careful about who I love, and when I love someone, it’s forever. I can’t just turn it on and off, and I don’t think you can either.”

“I’d never felt this connected to another person, yet at the same time, it felt like the world I’d known was crumbling around me.”

“If nothing good ever happens to me again, I’d still be the luckiest guy in the fucking world.”

“There was something about the way that he looked at me. Like I was the only girl in the whole world. Like he’d move heaven and earth for me if I asked him to.”

About the Author:

Laura Pavlov is a USA Today and Amazon top 10 Bestselling author. She writes sweet and sexy small town romance that will make you both laugh and cry. Laura is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome kids who are currently adulting, one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. She’s living her own happily ever after in Las Vegas. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves hearing from readers!

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