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brookeisbusyreading's reviews
324 reviews
Playing the Palace by Paul Rudnick
Lastly, here are similarities I picked up on with BM:
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I can see why this book is compared to RW&RB, but it actually feels more similar to Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (BM was published in 2020; PtP in 2021). The whole fake dating, royals/palace drama is probably the reason for the comparison to RW&RB.
First, some things I liked:
-The banter, playful insults, and comparisons were my kind of humor. I found myself laughing or smiling through most of the book.
-Edgar’s insecurities and Carter’s self-destructive tendencies really made me gravitate to the characters. I related a lot to Carter (similarly with Luc in BM).
-The locations where major events happened was interesting and felt very natural. Definitely appreciated that, especially the baking show scenes.
Things I disliked:
-There was SO MUCH happening in this book all the time that it kind of feels like I’ve got whiplash trying to remember everything.
-(Connected to the previous point) I think the book should’ve been longer. It’s like 270 pages and, like I said, A LOT happens.
-The imagery didn’t always come across clearly for me. Sometimes Carter’s thoughts and comparisons would make me lose what I was supposed to be visualizing. It didn’t happen often but I’m a visual person and I like being able to play stories out in my head like a movie.
-One MC was betrayed, is self-destructive, and immature.
-The other MC presents themself as perfect but is secretly insecure, desperate for acceptance/approval, and doesn’t see how toxic their family is.
-There’s a parental figure (Luc’s dad in BM, the Queen in PtP) who is one of the antagonists for the couple. The indirectly trigger negative thoughts in the flawed/self-destructive MC.
-At least one of the MCs has a snarky, bulldozer of a BFF who is or is like a sister and has a huge role in the story (which seems to be a common character to have?).
-Both MCs accept their flaws, each other’s, and agree to work on them moving forward.
Those similarities aren’t me saying I disliked PtP. I enjoyed it! The cover reminded me a bit of RW&RB’s, and the story was similar to BM in my opinion but it’s still its own story. If you enjoyed RW&RB and/or BM, you should definitely check out Playing the Palace!
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When I first came across this book, I knew I wanted to read it because it centers around a school shooting. I wanted to read a book not COMPLETELY real but one that was important or dealt with important things. After the year in the US with our record number of mass shootings, I decided to pick up This Is Where It Ends.
Man, I’m a mess of emotions - distraught, heartbroken, satisfied, SUPER sad, proud (of the author), and relief. It reminded me of why I don’t want many war movies…because the people behind them, like the author of this book, make you care about the characters but they don’t all make it to the end of the story. The level of horror, heroism, mature topics, and just general human complexity is stunning. It was also painful to read because of the real life shootings.
My biggest issue-that-isn’t-exactlly-an-issue with this book is the whiplash I occasionally got switching between the 4 POVs. The differences in each character helped me separate them but they cycled so frequently, it did kind of feel dizzying. Yet it also kind of worked with the pacing and tension. On the other hand, the pacing is a grey area for me on whether I like or agree with it. But that’s a minor thing I excluded from my rating criteria this once.
This Is Where It Ends is a ride wild enough to match the look in Tyler’s eyes and that’s all I’ll say.
Man, I’m a mess of emotions - distraught, heartbroken, satisfied, SUPER sad, proud (of the author), and relief. It reminded me of why I don’t want many war movies…because the people behind them, like the author of this book, make you care about the characters but they don’t all make it to the end of the story. The level of horror, heroism, mature topics, and just general human complexity is stunning. It was also painful to read because of the real life shootings.
My biggest issue-that-isn’t-exactlly-an-issue with this book is the whiplash I occasionally got switching between the 4 POVs. The differences in each character helped me separate them but they cycled so frequently, it did kind of feel dizzying. Yet it also kind of worked with the pacing and tension. On the other hand, the pacing is a grey area for me on whether I like or agree with it. But that’s a minor thing I excluded from my rating criteria this once.
This Is Where It Ends is a ride wild enough to match the look in Tyler’s eyes and that’s all I’ll say.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Blood, Dementia, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I cannot express how much I am crushing on both Scottie and Irene! First, I love the depictions of the girls on the cover - WOW! Scottie’s name is awesome, she sounds super cool, and the snarkiness of both of them are so satisfying. Their rivals to lovers romance was smooth too.
There was A LOT that happened in this book. Quindlen definitely crafted a beautiful, quaint town with an interesting name and history. The social and economic differences between Grandma Earl and Candlehawk were interesting, as was the rivalry of sports teams. There’s just so much to unpack, which means a re-read may be in order down the road.
I loved this book! I don’t read many sapphic romances because my gay romance list is so long, but I’ll definitely have to make room for more books like this. Can’t wait to read more of Quindlen’s work!
There was A LOT that happened in this book. Quindlen definitely crafted a beautiful, quaint town with an interesting name and history. The social and economic differences between Grandma Earl and Candlehawk were interesting, as was the rivalry of sports teams. There’s just so much to unpack, which means a re-read may be in order down the road.
I loved this book! I don’t read many sapphic romances because my gay romance list is so long, but I’ll definitely have to make room for more books like this. Can’t wait to read more of Quindlen’s work!
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Sci-fi stories aren’t usually my thing because they often have terminology or systems that get complicated. Luckily, this book didn’t have that. It did have a lot of politics, which is even less of my thing than sci-fi stuff. I’ve got massive respect for the author with the complex worlds and systems though. I enjoyed the mysteries, secrets, and the payoffs were good.
The miscommunication trope is strong with this one, but Kiem and Jainan’s personalities compliment each other well. There were times I got frustrated because they were clearly dancing around what each other meant because they actually couldn’t understand they were on the same page. It was adorable and endearing! Jainan was the cinnamon roll in this relationship with Kiem being the surprisingly confident one. I do like how the author balanced their personalities. That was probably my favorite element.
I’ll admit that the politics, government structures, and planet customs confused me many times. But that’s why I don’t read many sci-fi novels. The book’s blurb just sounded really good and I had hoped it would be less politics. There were also areas where I would’ve liked just a little more description. Since so many worlds and different customs or practices kept appearing, I felt like I lost a bit of the visual element somehow. That could be because I was trying hard to keep up with the government stuff, mystery plotline, and all the customs that were presented.
This was still a very good book! I’m at least going to check out the sequel, though I don’t know if I’ll continue it.
The miscommunication trope is strong with this one, but Kiem and Jainan’s personalities compliment each other well. There were times I got frustrated because they were clearly dancing around what each other meant because they actually couldn’t understand they were on the same page. It was adorable and endearing! Jainan was the cinnamon roll in this relationship with Kiem being the surprisingly confident one. I do like how the author balanced their personalities. That was probably my favorite element.
I’ll admit that the politics, government structures, and planet customs confused me many times. But that’s why I don’t read many sci-fi novels. The book’s blurb just sounded really good and I had hoped it would be less politics. There were also areas where I would’ve liked just a little more description. Since so many worlds and different customs or practices kept appearing, I felt like I lost a bit of the visual element somehow. That could be because I was trying hard to keep up with the government stuff, mystery plotline, and all the customs that were presented.
This was still a very good book! I’m at least going to check out the sequel, though I don’t know if I’ll continue it.
THE PRINCESS SAVES HERSELF IN THIS ONE by Amanda Lovelace
hopeful
fast-paced
3.0
I didn’t have high hopes for this book just because I tend to not enjoy the popular poetry, but I was surprised. There’s quite a few poems and even some concepts or imagery that I liked. Overall though, it didn’t blow me away at all. I did sense the emotions from the author, which is good that it came across, but it how the poems were written that missed rhe mark for me.
I was also a bit confused if this book was chronological or just a collection with a theme. There were parts that felt like both. And for a book that focused on a few different relationships, it could be jarring which one the author was talking about. I did relate to some of the issues between Lovelace and her mother. But the book had a love story too? There was just A LOT packed into this book and I felt like things jumped around.
All around not a BAD book. Not one I’ll probably remember though.
I was also a bit confused if this book was chronological or just a collection with a theme. There were parts that felt like both. And for a book that focused on a few different relationships, it could be jarring which one the author was talking about. I did relate to some of the issues between Lovelace and her mother. But the book had a love story too? There was just A LOT packed into this book and I felt like things jumped around.
All around not a BAD book. Not one I’ll probably remember though.
The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how I would handle the space aspect of this story with the terminology and whatnot. But Mr. Stamper did a fantastic job making everything easy to understand while not overloading the story with it! Cal Jr.’s journalism angle was a great way of presenting it all too. And the use of social media adds that touch of realism, which was satisfying.
The drama was interesting! Especially the accident, which I won’t go into for the sake of spoiling anything. That really got me! But, as I kept reading, it was one of those things that felt necessary to put the characters where they needed to be. It was just a moment I noticed from a writing perspective (because I’m also a writer). It didn’t feel forced and really ramped up the chaos that was happening.
Cal and Leon’s relationship was very nice, though I did kind of want more scenes with them….which could be the gay romance freak in me. The feelings that came through Leon from Cal’s perspective made me so happy! Stamper nailed that element! However, there was one aspect I’m conflicted on, hence the 4.5 stars. That would be how depression was shown. I’m one of the MANY people who have depression and I can’t decide if I like/agree with how Stamper presented Leon’s depression. On one hand, everyone deals with it differently and, on the other, I would’ve reacted another way. Maybe the thing that makes me conflicted is how Leon seemed like he had one foot off the edge through the whole story, save for the better moments? I kept waiting for him to snap since he felt that way to me. It put me on edge.
And, now that I acknowledged that, I’m wondering if it was intentional? If it was, success! If it wasn’t, it was still a success for me because it sometimes served as a distraction from the real rollercoaster. Then bang! Hits us with a good bomb drop!
The Gravity of Us is an absolutely wonderful story and I can’t wait to read more of Stamper’s work!
Out of the Blue by Jason June
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am obsessed with the way Jason June described Sean’s chubbiness! I’ve always loved Sean’s size in a guy because it make hugs more comfortable! Sean is also a sweetheart, hopeless romantic, and aspiring filmmaker whose ideas sound like something I’d watch. While I’m giving this book 5 stars, I do kind of wish we’d explored more of Sean’s personality and likes or dislikes. His empathy makes me very relatable, which makes me think there’s so many layers to him we didn’t get to see. Oh, and did I mention I’m obsessed with the way Jason June described his chubbiness? Because I can’t express how much I love it!
I have a lot to say about Crest too. Beautiful name, by the way! I wouldn’t call them selfish at the beginning of the story, maybe narrow-minded and self-absorbed. Naturally, Big Bear Sean swoops in with his thick thighs and brings Crest out of their shell. Their relationship feels smooth and, like their hand holding, just right. Crest’s outfits were iconic too! Love the non-gendered approach to this character and exploration of gendered attire! Between them and Sean, we definitely more details on Crest’s world and environment in the Blue. It makes sense with the human world being what we experience daily. Crest’s - no, I won’t call him Ross - fascination with new human things was adorable. And made even cuter through Sean’s perspective and project! I kind of want to see the film Sean made of them!
References to romance movies were enjoyable, though I don’t watch too many romances so I didn’t get some of them. Kavya’s part toward the end threw me! I get why she did it but come on, girl! The mer terminology, descriptions of their lifestyle, and how scaling works was beautiful! June’s writing style had me in a chokehold in Jay’s Gay Agenda and it wasn’t just a fluke. I need more! More stories, more chubby rep!
Lastly, we’ve got to talk about that ending… Yes, but also why’d you have to do my heart like that? It’s so satisfying, even if it wasn’t what I was expecting. Yeah, this is a wonderful book with some important lessons. So proud to put it on my shelf next to JGA!
I have a lot to say about Crest too. Beautiful name, by the way! I wouldn’t call them selfish at the beginning of the story, maybe narrow-minded and self-absorbed. Naturally, Big Bear Sean swoops in with his thick thighs and brings Crest out of their shell. Their relationship feels smooth and, like their hand holding, just right. Crest’s outfits were iconic too! Love the non-gendered approach to this character and exploration of gendered attire! Between them and Sean, we definitely more details on Crest’s world and environment in the Blue. It makes sense with the human world being what we experience daily. Crest’s - no, I won’t call him Ross - fascination with new human things was adorable. And made even cuter through Sean’s perspective and project! I kind of want to see the film Sean made of them!
References to romance movies were enjoyable, though I don’t watch too many romances so I didn’t get some of them. Kavya’s part toward the end threw me! I get why she did it but come on, girl! The mer terminology, descriptions of their lifestyle, and how scaling works was beautiful! June’s writing style had me in a chokehold in Jay’s Gay Agenda and it wasn’t just a fluke. I need more! More stories, more chubby rep!
Lastly, we’ve got to talk about that ending… Yes, but also why’d you have to do my heart like that? It’s so satisfying, even if it wasn’t what I was expecting. Yeah, this is a wonderful book with some important lessons. So proud to put it on my shelf next to JGA!
Husband Material by Alexis Hall
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
From re-reading Boyfriend Material in preparation for this, and being genuinely excited for this, I can’t help but be massively disappointed. Frustrated too. Like, what happened?? BM was great! This left me rolling my eyes, waving my hand in that ‘get to the point’ motion, and groaning as Luc tried to blow every relationship he’d built over the past 2 years.
Criticisms:
- Why did Jon Fleming have to appear again? It seemed like Luc got his closure in BM and didn’t even need him at all in HM. What was the point?
- How many times, especially between Alex and Rhys, are we going to have them go back and forth about things that literally have no relevance to the story? It was so annoying!
- Going on a tangent during one or two emergencies is fine BUT DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN EVERY TIME?? An emergency would happen, the pacing would go from zero to rocket launch, then almost grind to a halt because the characters decided to have a conversation about some random remark (often sarcastic) one of them made.
- Where did the relationship between Luc and Oliver go? BM felt so much more balanced. It just seemed like Oliver became a background character in his own relationship with Luc.
- THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A DRAWN OUT LUC-LIKE SPEECH FROM OLIVER AT HIS FATHER’S FUNERAL! A whole chapter - rant, sorry - that was all over the place and just kept talking about how crappy Mr. Blackwood was? I get the need for Oliver to have closure but why like this? It didn’t have to be so long. Public, yes. It just…wouldn’t stop.
- The rainbow balloon arch thing was annoying too. Joke about it, sure. Have an argument about it, okay. I know it was just a symbol but the reasoning behind those conversations/arguments just made me kind of view Luc as a shitty person.
- The level of ridiculousness and chaos were way too high for me. It felt more like HM was an over the top joke, or at least one I didn’t get.
Basically, I’m just MASSIVELY disappointed and frustrated with the choices Hall made with this book. I’m just going to pretend BM is the only book to make myself feel better. Also, I have Paris Dallencourt is About to Crumble on my TBR and I want to read 10 Things That Never Happened but this experience has me a bit nervous to read them…
- Why did Jon Fleming have to appear again? It seemed like Luc got his closure in BM and didn’t even need him at all in HM. What was the point?
- How many times, especially between Alex and Rhys, are we going to have them go back and forth about things that literally have no relevance to the story? It was so annoying!
- Going on a tangent during one or two emergencies is fine BUT DID IT HAVE TO HAPPEN EVERY TIME?? An emergency would happen, the pacing would go from zero to rocket launch, then almost grind to a halt because the characters decided to have a conversation about some random remark (often sarcastic) one of them made.
- Where did the relationship between Luc and Oliver go? BM felt so much more balanced. It just seemed like Oliver became a background character in his own relationship with Luc.
- THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A DRAWN OUT LUC-LIKE SPEECH FROM OLIVER AT HIS FATHER’S FUNERAL! A whole chapter - rant, sorry - that was all over the place and just kept talking about how crappy Mr. Blackwood was? I get the need for Oliver to have closure but why like this? It didn’t have to be so long. Public, yes. It just…wouldn’t stop.
- The rainbow balloon arch thing was annoying too. Joke about it, sure. Have an argument about it, okay. I know it was just a symbol but the reasoning behind those conversations/arguments just made me kind of view Luc as a shitty person.
- The level of ridiculousness and chaos were way too high for me. It felt more like HM was an over the top joke, or at least one I didn’t get.
Basically, I’m just MASSIVELY disappointed and frustrated with the choices Hall made with this book. I’m just going to pretend BM is the only book to make myself feel better. Also, I have Paris Dallencourt is About to Crumble on my TBR and I want to read 10 Things That Never Happened but this experience has me a bit nervous to read them…
Lore and Lust by Karla Nikole
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
First, I want to say that anyone can write whatever story they like. I’m not judging the author for writing the things they did. HOWEVER, this book had ZERO mention of adult themes/scenes or trigger warning for mature content. It didn’t have to go further than that, but there should have been mention of it somewhere between the blurb, Amazon/Goodreads page, or even in the ranking/keyword section - SOMETHING. I know it’s up to the author (or publisher) whether to include warnings but, since the scenes were so…explicit, there should’ve been something in my opinion because…
I feel like this book was basically vampire porn with a decent plot.
It was definitely the plot that kept me interested. I wasn’t a fan of the sex stuff. Yet I thought the plot was stuffed beneath the whole bonding thing. Nino and Haruka had a nice relationship outside of all the primal ‘I need to bond with you but I’m scared’ part.
And then there were the things I disliked:
- The use of present tense. It just didn’t work for me.
- The lack of explanations for why things were the way they were, what the rules of the world were, and character motivations (minor characters mostly).
- What was the deal with Giovanni and Cellina’s relationship? I thought it might’ve been they secretly loved each other but were being stubborn…and then it seemed like Lina just hated him?
- HOW MANY TIMES CAN ONE AUTHOR USE THE WORDS ‘HONEY/HONEYED’, ‘ALMOND’, ‘BEAUTIFUL’, ‘HANDSOME’, AND ‘FRIEND’ IN A NOVEL THAT ISN’T EVEN 300 PAGES???
I can’t tell you how annoyed I got with the last one by the time I reached the end. Don’t even get me started on the sex terminology. And there were like FOUR sex scenes by the way! I’m not bashing the author, I just don’t understand WHY.
So yeah, not continuing the series. It’s a shame too because the cover(s) are GORGEOUS and the plot was pretty interesting.
I feel like this book was basically vampire porn with a decent plot.
It was definitely the plot that kept me interested. I wasn’t a fan of the sex stuff. Yet I thought the plot was stuffed beneath the whole bonding thing. Nino and Haruka had a nice relationship outside of all the primal ‘I need to bond with you but I’m scared’ part.
And then there were the things I disliked:
- The use of present tense. It just didn’t work for me.
- The lack of explanations for why things were the way they were, what the rules of the world were, and character motivations (minor characters mostly).
- What was the deal with Giovanni and Cellina’s relationship? I thought it might’ve been they secretly loved each other but were being stubborn…and then it seemed like Lina just hated him?
- HOW MANY TIMES CAN ONE AUTHOR USE THE WORDS ‘HONEY/HONEYED’, ‘ALMOND’, ‘BEAUTIFUL’, ‘HANDSOME’, AND ‘FRIEND’ IN A NOVEL THAT ISN’T EVEN 300 PAGES???
I can’t tell you how annoyed I got with the last one by the time I reached the end. Don’t even get me started on the sex terminology. And there were like FOUR sex scenes by the way! I’m not bashing the author, I just don’t understand WHY.
So yeah, not continuing the series. It’s a shame too because the cover(s) are GORGEOUS and the plot was pretty interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Vampire porn with a decent plot
Celestial Strings by Samantha Peterson
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
3.5
[3.5]
This book has a wonderful aesthetic and I like Samantha’s style. I don’t normally highlight things but I couldn’t help myself. There were tons of poems and lines that were so pleasing to read - you know, when it just makes you want to sigh contently.
That said, my biggest issue with the book are the repetition of words, frequent alliteration (not entirely bad, just used A LOT), and occasional awkward or kinda-forced rhymes. I still finished the book and it’s good! It could’ve been shorter though, which would’ve made it more powerful in my opinion.
This book has a wonderful aesthetic and I like Samantha’s style. I don’t normally highlight things but I couldn’t help myself. There were tons of poems and lines that were so pleasing to read - you know, when it just makes you want to sigh contently.
That said, my biggest issue with the book are the repetition of words, frequent alliteration (not entirely bad, just used A LOT), and occasional awkward or kinda-forced rhymes. I still finished the book and it’s good! It could’ve been shorter though, which would’ve made it more powerful in my opinion.