Book Review Round-Up (#33)

The Sweetheart List by Jill Shalvis

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I wasn’t aware this book was the 4th in a series til 1/4 of the way through. I felt like I was supposed to know the characters better and I just didn’t.

I was most invested in Ivy story through the book but I honestly didn’t love how it was seen through Ivy AND Harper’s POV. I can’t explain it but it bugged me.

This book was… fine. In total honesty? It didn’t leave a lasting impression like so many other books have.

Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper

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Sigh – again, this book was fineeee. I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it. I liked that it was an LGBTQ+ book because I haven’t read a lot of them but I genuinely felt like Emmy (FMC) was a little over the top.

So many people love this book. Booktok was all about it. I honestly wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone I know cause it, again, felt very young.

Tame the Heart by Ava Hunter

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This was my favorite book from November and I want to recommend this book to all of my girlfriends. Especially those who are into or interested in cowboy romances. It’s not because I received an eARC for an honest review from Valentine Publishing but because I genuinely loved it.

This is my second Ava Hunter book this year and she’s quickly becoming a favorite author of mine because her MMCs fall so insanely hard for their FMCs. Charlie made me swoon and I cannot believe he has so many brothers, and there will be a series to follow them ALL.

Ruby is a force to be reckoned with. She’s trying to experience life to the fullest and you have to admire her for it. I felt as if she were my friend and because I was traveling while reading this book, I felt an extra special kinship with her wanderlust heart.

In short, do yourself a favorite and read my whole review on GoodReads, and then go pick up this book!

Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart

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Another book where the MCs could have easily been in their 30s but the author put them in their 20s for no reason. I think I need to reevaluate my upcoming holds at the library.

Anyway, Cas and Luke’s chemistry gets better and better. I love a good grumpy/sunshine and these two fit the bill. Luke warms up throughout the book, and though I didn’t fall in love with him, he was an absolute fit for Cas. He fell for her and so much faster than he intended.

The only gripe, as always, is simply that it takes place in a week. Other than that, it was such a cute, easy-to-read book that I recommend to those who appreciate an open-door scene and strangers to lovers.

Home Sweet Christmas by Susan Mallery

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Another book that’s just cute but I don’t know if I’d recommend it to friends. Which is surprising since I like Susan Mallery. This is the second in the series and I loved the first book last year.

I did love how there was a Snow King and Queen in this book but the truth of the matter is that we were following a lot of characters and I straight up kept confusing Dylan with Jake. They’re practically brothers but they weren’t different enough for me to differentiate.

I’m sorry, Susan. It was a like – not a love.

The Holiday Mix-Up by Ginny Baird

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The first three chapters I started to get angry cause if you’re a fan of the cult classic While You Were Sleeping… this book is practically a carbon copy of the plot.

That said, I loved so many moments in the book and I also really liked that the MMC was Puerto Rican American. Not to mention how utterly charming he is. Unfortunately, this was (yet again) another book where the characters could have easily been in their 30s but no. There were also a lot of red flags in this book for the FMC. I felt like she didn’t have a backbone at all and was a super pushover for the family all around. I also didn’t love how I felt like she was socially groomed and felt like she was doing everything wrong and felt bad about how she was feeling.

Everyone in this book needs therapy.

The Road to Christmas by Shiela Roberts

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Listen – I wanted to love this book but it was just okay.

This book was interesting because it followed multiple family members’ stories of trying to get to Christmas together via road trips. I was most invested in Michelle and Max’s story but they kept calling each other old and they’re only mid-40s and nothing drives me more up the wall than that.