✧ NEVER THOUGHT I’D END UP HERE ✧ by Ann Liang 4.25 stars — and my entire heart tbh
this book is like a soft sunbeam hitting your face at golden hour.
the✧ NEVER THOUGHT I’D END UP HERE ✧ by Ann Liang 4.25 stars — and my entire heart tbh
this book is like a soft sunbeam hitting your face at golden hour.
there’s something about ann liang’s writing that just gets it. she’s writing for the girls who feel too much, for the ones who laugh while quietly breaking, for the ones who feel like they’re always halfway between countries, cultures, and versions of themselves.
leah zhang is the moment. she’s imperfect in all the most real ways — trying to connect with her family, fumbling her mandarin, feeling disconnected from a place that should feel like home. she’s beautiful, thoughtful, a little lost, and so deeply human. every thought she had? it felt like someone held up a mirror to every insecurity and said “you’re not alone.”
and the way she learns to love her roots again? not in some flashy, perfect montage — but through awkward convos, embarrassing moments, and unexpected kindness — ugh. it made me tear up.
now cyrus sui… hello???
✨ childhood friends turned ex-best friends turned enemies turned maybe something more ✨ a boy who remembers ✨ a boy who regrets ✨ a boy who cares in the quietest, loudest ways
he is literally down bad in the most respectful, longing, softboy way. and i’m sorry but he kneels down to put bandaids on her blistered feet??? buys her overpriced snacks because she stared at them for too long?? the standard is now cyrus sui or nothing.
★★★★☆ (4 stars) This Time Around by Marina Pirlimpou a 2000s-tinted time-slip that made my heart soft and my soul nostalgic
Huge thanks to Marina Pirlimp★★★★☆ (4 stars) This Time Around by Marina Pirlimpou a 2000s-tinted time-slip that made my heart soft and my soul nostalgic
Huge thanks to Marina Pirlimpou & Love Notes PR for the eARC!! ...more
★★☆☆☆ (2.5 stars) My Wife, The Serial Killer by H. J. Garbett A murder comedy with a killer concept that fizzled fast.
Huge thanks to Storm Publishing & ★★☆☆☆ (2.5 stars) My Wife, The Serial Killer by H. J. Garbett A murder comedy with a killer concept that fizzled fast.
Huge thanks to Storm Publishing & NetGalley for the eARC!! ...more
2 stars: ★★☆☆☆ Huge thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for inviting me to read the eARC and to HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio for the ALC via Ne2 stars: ★★☆☆☆ Huge thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon for inviting me to read the eARC and to HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio for the ALC via NetGalley ...more
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab a stunning aesthetic drenched in emptiness
I am so f*cking disappointed. This was my first V.E. SchwabBury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab a stunning aesthetic drenched in emptiness
I am so f*cking disappointed. This was my first V.E. Schwab book and I truly wanted to love it—like, I was READY to have my soul ripped out, to be haunted, to feel something. But instead? I got 18 hours of vibes and repetition.
A summer rom-com dipped in chaos, with a side of secondhand embarrassment and a sprinkle of swoon.
This one★★★½— Till Summer Do Us Part by Meghan Quinn
A summer rom-com dipped in chaos, with a side of secondhand embarrassment and a sprinkle of swoon.
This one had all the ingredients for a fun escape — fake marriage, a millionaire MMC with serious improv energy, one bed, a woodsy marriage camp, and of course, the signature Meghan Quinn banter — but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me like I’d hoped.
The setup? Absolutely hilarious. Scottie, the only woman in a workplace full of wholesome married Brads and Chads, lies about having a husband just to fit in. Her lie snowballs into therapy sessions with her boss’s actual husband, a professional counselor, and suddenly she’s roping in her best friend's eccentric, pierced, improv-obsessed millionaire brother Wilder to be her stand-in hubby. And just like that, bam — they’re off to an eight-day marriage camp in the woods with her entire team. Yeah. Chaos.
I’ll give Meghan this — she knows how to write absurdity. The jokes were flying, Wilder was 10/10 ridiculous, and the situations? Fully unhinged. But here’s the thing... after a while, the jokes felt like they were trying too hard, and I started getting whiplash between secondhand embarrassment and actual laughter. That balance is tricky, and sometimes it tipped too far into cringe.
Scottie’s arc was solid but not seamless. She started off feeling like a fresh, hopeful protagonist. A bit awkward, yes, but relatable. Somewhere in the middle, though, she shifted — and not in a good way. Her emotional growth felt a bit forced, especially during the third act breakup. It didn’t fully track with who she was at the start, and that left me a little disconnected from her HEA.
Wilder? Wild indeed. He was not the typical polished billionaire MMC. He was chaotic, tattooed, pierced, and very much living his “yes, and” improv life. It made him feel unique, sure, but also made it hard to believe in their chemistry at first. Like, I wanted to root for him, but sometimes it felt like he was more of a gimmick than a grounded love interest. Eventually, though, he pulled through with some heartfelt moments.
Now the vibes? On point for summer. Marriage camp, campfire confessions, awkward group therapy sessions, forced proximity, one bed — all the tropes were troping. It felt like a rom-com Netflix would scoop up in a heartbeat. But there were just too many moments where I had to pause and internally scream because the cringe level was high and the romance payoff didn’t fully soften the blow.
˗ˏˋ ★★☆☆☆ ˎˊ˗ "Swept Away" by Beth O’Leary aka: lost at sea AND lost in the plot.
SPOILER WARNING — if you don’t want to know the WILD twist that drops l˗ˏˋ ★★☆☆☆ ˎˊ˗ "Swept Away" by Beth O’Leary aka: lost at sea AND lost in the plot.
SPOILER WARNING — if you don’t want to know the WILD twist that drops like a soggy anchor at 90%, turn back now!!!
This book had me screaming into the void and not in a swoony way. More like, “HOW is this happening?” and “WHO thought this was romantic???”
I went in expecting forced proximity + strangers to lovers + stuck on a boat = tension, chemistry, banter. What I got was a textbook example of trauma bonding and one of the WEIRDEST twists I’ve read in recent memory.
Let’s break this down: ⚓ One-night stand? Sure, I can vibe. ⚓ Boat drifting off because of miscommunication? Okay, I’ll suspend disbelief. ⚓ Dude has a festering injury and they're flirting through it?? What?? ⚓ They fall in “love” while dehydrated and delusional? This is not The Notebook. This is a health hazard. ⚓ And then… at 90%... HE’S HER BEST FRIEND’S BABY DADDY.
WHAT. THE. HELL.ASTAGHFIRULLAH. THAT AIN’T ROMANCE. THAT’S TRAUMA BONDING. AND IT AIN’T GONNA LAST.
I had high hopes. I really did. But this book gave: ✧ zero chemistry ✧ vibes of a weird fever dream ✧ characters who needed therapy more than each other ✧ dialogue that felt like it belonged in a CW show from 2012
Also… why was the reverse age gap written like THAT? There’s a way to explore it with nuance. This book said: “Let’s keep reminding you that he was ‘barely legal’ when he had a kid with a grown woman!” HELLO??? REPORT TO THE POLICE IMMEDIATELY???
TL;DR: ✧ 2 stars for effort (and the cover, I guess) ✧ The romance? Unbelievable. ✧ The twist? Soapy in the worst way. ✧ The vibes? Off. Just off.
I need a palate cleanser now. Happy reading (but not this one maybe) ...more
Fairuz ᥫ᭡.
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