I will start by saying this isn’t my normal type of thriller or romcom or bookclub read but I was scrolling through my Kindle Unlimited to find new books one day and came across this. I figured, “hey, why not read a forbidden romance?” and y’all, I was unprepared! This book a was a quick, spicy and fun book! I loved how fun Sophie was and learning more about the publishing/magazine industry. It is a true forbidden, age gap romance that starts with an assistant meeting their new boss only to discover that they were each others one-night stand several years before after meeting in an airport. There’s about a 15-20 year age gap (Sophie lied about her age upon meeting Neil at the airport) and they go through a classic trope of rich, older man and struggling, young free spirit. Overall liked it and would recommend if you want something quick and spicy (high on the spice level, IYKYK) and has several other books in the series included a post-release prequel and 2-3 books after this initial one to follow Sophie and Neil’s story.
my library
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The Boss
B -
The Honeymoon Crashers
A+The Honeymoon Crashers
Y’all, this is one of my favorite RomComs ever. The characters was seriously so fun and although very predictable end, a truly funny book sharing a silly family “wedding curse”, a friend suggested “meet-cute” and characters who are very lovable. I believe this is my first book from this author and I now can’t wait to read more!
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The Other Mothers
A-The Other Mothers
This book was a rec from my friend Grace, @graceatwood / thestripe.com, and I truly l o v e d it! This is a very twisty thriller including a nanny, #RichPeopleProblems and twist+turns until the very last page…literally. The entire time I didn’t expect the killer to be who they were and I was hopeful for the bit of redemption at the end but y’all, if you want to read something truly twist and will keep you on your turns, this book is it!
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Such a Fun Age
B-Such a Fun Age
Coming off our January 2024 #LotsofBooksClub discussion, I had SO many thoughts on this book. First, I couldn’t decide who public enemy number one was – Alix or the boyfriend. Second, I think this book would have resonated differently if I read it pre-pandemic which is really interesting to think about how the pandemic and the many social justice issues that have been brought to light over the past few years can totally change how you think about a fictional book. Overall, I would give this book a 3.5/5 star rating. I do think it shed light onto the sometimes uncomfortable closeness of a nanny and family, postpartum, a healthy dose of #richpeopleproblems and how, often, some people view the lives of people of color as disposable or less than theirs. If you read the book back in 2019, I would love to know if your thoughts have changed after the past few years!
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The Jessabelle House
AThe Jessabelle House
Y’all, this was one of the most fun books I’ve read in a long time. I love any family drama and absolutely adored how this story came together around a beautiful house. If you love a heartwarming book with enough family drama to make you never want to mess up again, you’ll love this book. The audiobook was only about 4 hours long and perfect to complete in a workday or on your commute. I can’t wait to read more from this author!
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The Family Remains
C-The Family Remains
Okay, I have so many thoughts and honestly, most of them are not good. This is part two of a truly twisted family thriller I read a few years back. This book was not as triggering but honestly, there are triggers for almost everything. As much as I love thrillers, I do think this one, and the book before, were beyond disturbing just for the sake of being disturbing. Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend this book to most unless you have read the first book and feel comfortable with the content. I do believe that a lot of loose strings were tied up from book one which was nice to read this time around.
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Nerdcrush
A-Nerdcrush
Y’all, this young adult romcom was seriously so fun! I love reading books about first crushes and young love because it’s so pure and light and fun and intense and inspiring all at once. I am not too familiar with some of the interests of the main characters but my recently developed love for the Big Bang Theory did help to shed some light on some of the fanfic and comic-book loving main characters. This book, as like most romcoms, has an adorable bow tie ending and I devoured it in just three days.
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The Other Half
B-The Other Half
Overall, very twisty with quite a few characters but a real mystery that kept me guessing the whole time! I love posh #richpeopleproblem thrillers SO much and this was no exception. With a little bit of royal adjacent 1%ers and lavish estate to match, this was an indulgent thriller. There is an on-screen content warning that happens about 2/3 or 3/4 through the book so I would skip this book or that section (there are brief mentions later) if that type of content is sensitive to you.
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It Happened One Christmas
B+It Happened One Christmas
Another holiday cozy book that I devoured in just a few days. This book was like a Hallmark movie inside of a Hallmark movie and truly adorable. I loved learning a little more about the tv and movie industry. Highly recommend!
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Love in Winter Wonderland
B+Love in Winter Wonderland
Y’all, this YA was so adorable that it hurt. Truly the perfect holiday romcom revolving around a black-owned bookstore and narrators with the most fun English accent. The perfect bow tie ending, too!
We of course read this book for #LotsofBooksClub in December 2023 and you can learn more + join us: here.
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Everything Is Not Enough
C+Everything Is Not Enough
This book left me feeling a little flat after loving the first book so much! I do feel like we get a great new story line with a friend of Muna joining the cast but I was disappointed in the story line of the other ladies. I am curious if this book will get a part three and if it will move focus to one specific woman versus all three.
We read both book one and two for #LotsofBooksClub! You can learn more and join us: here.
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Murder is a Piece of Cake
A+Murder is a Piece of Cake
Beyond fun and adorable cozy mystery that just enough murder but not too scary. I love the main character and how sweat her partner Michael was. I also realized later that you get some answers to “who dun it?” but there’s also a lot to be discovered which sets the perfect stage for book #3. Would highly recommend and the author, who we had live on book, is such a doll!
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The Light on Halsey Street
C+The Light on Halsey Street
Lots of cliches and stereotypes which felt a little old to read. However, this is truly a story a redemption, forgiveness and faith. The stories of Dana and Lisa are stories that I know my parents could recite about people they knew growing up. The “perfect” kid, the kid just on the edge of the cracks/falling through and more. What I took from this story was the power of one decision. Even decisions that we don’t make. And how they can impact our lives. The decisions we make are important but the decisions people around us make could end up impacting us more. Overall a good story!
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Before I Let Go
B+Before I Let Go
If you loved Seven Days in June, you will absolutely adore this book! I felt for the main character SO much in this story. No one talks about the reality of women and families who lose children and what it means to be “on the other side”. The romance between the main characters is 🔥 🔥 🔥 and I loved the element of food/owning a unique restaurant together both as a married couple and divorce. My bookclub absolutely adored this book and we are so excited for book two to be released in March 2024 telling the story of one of the best friends. Friendship and how friends can and will change over your lifetime was such a strong component of this book and was really refreshing for those who feel like they are outgrowing friends, in different spaces than friends they’ve had forever and are navigating making friends as an adult.
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Summer on Sag Harbor
ASummer on Sag Harbor
**spoiler alert** So many thoughts! I absolutely loved the first book, Summer on the Bluffs, and didn’t know what to expect from the second one. I actually love that this book focused on Olivia’s story compared to the first book which focused on all of the girls stories. I do feel like some of the ending pieces were rushed like Billie’s story, and the relationship between Olivia and her father. So I hope that the next book, regardless of which godsister it is focused on, gives us some insight into the future of Olivia and how she’s doing after this really crazy summer on Sag Harbor. A solid 4.2 star book for me!
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My Song: A Memoir of Art, Race, and Defiance
A+My Song: A Memoir of Art, Race, and Defiance
Wow, it has taken me so long to try to find the words to talk about how impactful this story has been for me. Admittedly, I knew very little about Harry Belafonte during his life but I learned SO much not just about him, but about the small moments that led to the civil rights movement; how artists showed up in hidden spaces and dark corners to support Dr. MLK Jr.; and just how he led his life with the grit and tenacity we can only dream of. This book is T H I C K, okay? It is not a quick read but if you are looking to read an interesting memoir that teaches you about the music industry and the civil rights movements, from a different perspective, you will absolutely love this book. It is the best memoir I have ever read!
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Happy Place
AHappy Place
One of my last beach reads of the season and it was p e r f e c t! Some spicy, heartbreaking, deeply devote love while in the most beautiful setting and surrounded by friends. I absolutely love the element of friends/forever friendships in this story and how important the author made each relationship in the story.
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Wednesdays at One
B+Wednesdays at One
Solid 4! You’ll never see the ending coming and i live for a twisty end! Just enough characters to be interesting but not so many that you get confused. A fun, quick thriller.
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The Art of Scandal
A-The Art of Scandal
DRAMA, d r a m a & more drama, Y’ALL! This is the best type of messy, political marriage, interracial marriage type of mess. Really loved the redemption at the end!
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All the Dangerous Things
B+All the Dangerous Things
WOW, I didn’t expect any of the explosive reveals throughout the book. One thing I really loved about this trailer is that secrets were being shared all throughout the book versus just at the end like most other thrillers. I also thought the twist where we finally find out what actually happened to the baby was super unexpected, at least to me. I actually really liked this book and felt so bad for the main character of the whole time because she just was going through it. A solid four or 4 1/2 star book for sure!
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It Had to Be You
CIt Had to Be You
I absolutely wanted to love this book since SO many people recommended it but it was a little unorganized and had a ton of characters. The overall theme was cute and could still be a fun read if you have lots of time to read it!