Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Liz is only 17 years ago. She is a hopeless romantic. She loves nothing more than watching older romcoms and when Michael her long lost love returns back to her
hometown she suddenly wants to make a romcom of her own come true. She enlist's the help of childhood nemesis in an attempt to make the love story between her and Michael a reality.

The plan results in Wes and Liz spending time with one which means they get to know each other on a different level. Michael see's Liz as the young girl he know growing up posing a challenge when it comes to getting him to see Liz as a romantic partner and invite her to prom.

Better Than the Movies is a easy and cute read. All the characters are likable making you cheer them all on.  Painter writes books that make you want to read just one more chapter and then another and ....

Perfect Little Lives by Amber Brown

 Simone's life was turned upside down when her mother was murdered and her father was found guilty of her murder. This resulted in a massive life change for Simone. She was uprooted from living with both parents in a wealthy neighborhood to barely making ends met. Amongst all of these tragic events she also lost her best friend Hunter. Hunter and Simone formed a strong bond over the years as neighbors and when they run into one another - they are giving a second chance to rekindle their friendship. A friendship  that might lead to helping her free her father, who has maintaining his innocence.

Simone has a true crime documentarian breathing down her neck. The documentary is about her mothers murder and father's conviction. She's up against time as the release of it could hurt her fathers case. Simone is carrying a lot of her plate including her job and boyfriend. 

Perfect Little Lives is a character driven book however it took me a bit to get past the initial start of the book as it was a bit more than I anticipated. This book has romance, true crime and triller all rolled into one however it wasn't executed very well and sometimes felt unreal.  

Overall the read was decent and the story itself was very interesting. Simone is an unlikable character more often then not but you still cheer for her and want the best outcome for her. 

Betting on You by Lynn Painter

Bailey and Charlie met over a year ago at an airport. They had a bit of a disagreement and much to the frustration of Bailey she found herself as Charlie sitting next to one another on the long flight. They exchanged some information about themselves and then departed. The banter between them iswitty and entertaining. 

One year later when starting a job at a waterpark, Bailey discovers that Charlie is also working there! Charlie and Bailey form a friendship of sorts, make a bet  and then "fake date". Both of them like one another but don't know how to put aside their stubborn streaks and admit it to themselves and each other. 

Bailey and Charlie are fun characters and Betting on You has a lot of popular culture references. This is the perfect read if you need to relax and take a break from life. Easy, fast and enjoyable. 

Evermore (The Immortals, #1) by Alyson Noel

Ever Bloom is living with her aunt. She was the sole survivor of a car accident in which she lost her parents, little sister and dog. Ever keeps to herself because ever since the accident she can see people's auras, hear their thoughts and touching them reveals their life story to her. 

In an attempt to subdue the constant noise Ever distances herself but things change when she meets Damen. Being around Damen silences the noise. As she grows closer to Damen she discovers more about both of them and it's intriguing. 

Noel creates a magical world full of well developed characters. The loss of loved ones creates an emotional punch adding realism to the story. There are a few cliched moments but it just made me enjoy this romantic and entertaining story more. 

I read this book many many years ago and was surprised by how much I had forgotten which likely made it all that more enjoyable. 

Fever | by Lauren DeStefano

 

Fever is the second installment in The Chemical Garden Series. I absolutely love the first novel, Wither but Fever was as struggle to read. It takes more than half way through the novel for things to pick up and for the book to get mildly interesting. This book most definitely suffers from the dreaded second book syndrome.

Fever picks up right where Wither ended. Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion and are on the run. They find themselves as new care takers or young Maddie making their journey into freedom all that more challenging. Rhine and Gabriel find themselves in a less then stellar situation that puts them into further danger. A situation they need to get out of as they are being held captive of a Madame.

The book continues to drag as characters develop but pick up when there are revelations. Things get really interesting when we learn more about the virus and the other characters. If, I remember correctly this is done as a build up for the 3rd installment of the series. 

I  feel that this book needs to be read in order to get important background information and build characters. 

This Spells Love | by Kate Robb

 

Expected Publication Date: December 5, 2023

This Spells Love is about alternative realities. Initially, I was a bit concerned about reading books back to back in which time travel takes place however I didn't mix up story lines or characters. This year I've managed to read quite a bit of books on time travel and have found it to be entertaining and fun. 

This Spells Love revolves around Gemma. Gemma is only 28 years old. Her boyfriend broke up with her and she is devastated. Gemma gets together with her aunt and sister. Drinks are drunk and intoxication takes place. Gemma, her aunt and sister cast a love- cleaning spell.  The spell is meant to erase her ex from her memory.  

The next day Gemma wakes up only to discover the spell has worked! The spell has changed her life in major ways - one of the most important and difficult change is that her best friend Dax is know a stranger to her. 

 Gemmas life has changed for the better in some ways but navigating her new reality comes with challenges.

The characters are well developed and interesting. I was able to connect with both Gemma and Dax. They are the type of characters you wish were real and you can be friends with.  Sit back and enjoy this fun and entertaining read. 

The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner

 

Expected Publication Date: December 5, 2023

Sadie's had a hell of a year. In an instant she lost her job, her boyfriend and her apartment. Her brother's best friend has been kind enough to let her live with him. She's lost and takes a chance on making a wish. A wish that will allow her to repeat her very bad year. Much to Sadie's surprise she wakes up on Jan 1st with an opportunity to repeat the year. 

Things initially seem perfect but as the days and weeks pass on Sadie is able to the major ramifications of wish. Not only has her life changed but so has that of others.  You'll fall in love with some of the characters and this rom-com story.  The Second Change Year has well developed characters and fantastic side characters making this book extra charming. 

*** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Wither (The Chemical Garden, #1) by Lauren DeStefano

 I first read Wither back in 2011.  I thought I'd pay it a revisit. It's just as good as I remember. Wither takes place in the future in which life expectancy has been cut short. The reason for it is unknown. Females do not live past the age of 20 and males do not live past the age of 25. The world is full of older generations, those born before life expectancy was cut short and those under 25 years of age. 

Rhine and her twin brother having been working together to live and survive since the untimely death of her parents who died in an attack. Young women are taken from the streets everyday and despite all their efforts to prevent Rhine from being taken she is kidnapped.

Rhine is taken to live in a mansion. A beautiful mansion full of comforts, food and riches. She is forced to marry Linden and become a sister wife.  From the day she enters into the mansion she plots to escape it. While there she forms close relationships which pull you into the dark world she lives in. 

The characters are well developed. The story grabs you and has you wanting to know everyone's truth. Their story. Their background. 

Romantic Comedy | by Curtis Sittenfeld

 Romantic Comedy follows Sally Milz. She is a comedy writer for a Saturday Night Live, like show called The Night Owls. The first half of the book is quite mundane and could have easily been reduced to 25% of it's size. It's essentially a guide on how work happens at The Night Owls. The 2nd half is when things really pick up and everything gets interesting.  The 3rd and final portion is the best and the portion of the book in which putting the book down becomes impossible. 

Sally Milz is a bit of an introvert and a divorcee. She's worked on the show for many years. She's seen hosts come and go but none catch her attention like Noah Brewster. They have chemistry but Sally is convinced that a man as charming, handsome and popular as Noah would not be interested in a girl like her. Her lack of self confidence results in her blowing her opportunity with Noah. Time passes and she has occasional thoughts of him and is completely surprised when she receives an email from Noah. 

The pandemic has everyone living different lives and Noah and Sally start a pen pal relationship over email. Opening up to one another and discovering each other with words. 

Speak | by Laurie Halse Anderson

I first read Speak when it came out  in 1999. Before I was blogging! I was a different person than and living a completely different life. This book had a much more emotional toll on me this time around. 

Melinda is a freshmen at Merryweather High School. At a summer party after being raped she called  911. She did not report the rape and as a result of calling 911 and busting the party up she was quickly made into an outcast. She was left lonely and with no friends resulting. Melinda stops speaking however an art class she is taking is helping her deal with being rape. 

Speak is an emotional and powerful read. You can feel Melinda's pain radiating through the page. This book should be read with caution in mind . 

Wither: A Beauty and the Beast-inspired | by Ashlyn Drewek

 

Zane Beaumont is a librarian who wants to be a writer. Zane is given the opportunity of a life time. To work for his hero Gerulf Prince, a well known and famous writer. Gerfulf hasn't produced any work in over 2 years and the due date to his newest book is just around the corner. 

Zane's new job requires him to move in with Gerfulf. He has become misanthropic and cantankerous. He doesn't want Zane's help much less to have him around. They slowly find a way to work together and get to know one another. 

I must note that I didn't realize that this was a MM romance book and recommend that this book be read by a mature audience. Zane and Gerulf (I hate that name) are well built characters who have a lot of depth. 

** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.