Scan barcode
chai_and_books's reviews
129 reviews
Playbook by Rebecca Jenshak
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Read this in so many chunks I have forgotten what happened but I think it was your run-of-the-mill romcom so yeah
Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I've been looking forward to reading this book but just got around to it and hmhmh...
I was Liz and Wes' age when I read bttm and I'm almost their ages in this book as well which was a little sentimental to me because you know how you grow up but book characters stay the same age- ok getting off topic here
You can tell Lynn did her research for UCLA, which good for her, but I felt it was too detailed at certain times and too vague at others. Like I'm glad I know x hall of y building z minutes away from Wes' dorm he takes his calc class in, but their date was described without any attention to detail so...
Ok so LIz- her being the 'unromantic, one of the boys' is giving the same energy as that phase I had in junior year where I refused to like pink and pastel colors to be 'different' (lasted all of 3 months). That being said, I liked her more in this book??? (considering how people think she got more annoying, I don't what this says about me)but she's thriving, interning, finding her niche in college- good for her. And I understand the choices she made to a great extent, as someone who was just part of the collateral damage when it came to Wes' decision.
Wes- his internal monologue gave me the ick-it took him way to long to realize people can change- he was mentioned taking class twice (how is he passing mechanics help???) and idk something with him felt off- but there were moments where you could see the old Wes shine through and those were pretty sweet.
The side characters were forgetful- I could not tell you there names if you asked me in 2 days time
And lowkey I felt like Lilith manipulated Wes into giving her a house tour by dangling Liz in front of him like a carrot (but that's the vibe I got idk).
HOWEVER, that scene with the phone call between Helena and Wes? So soft. I loved that moment- v wholesome :)
The writing was okay for the most partbut the Jack Antanoff scene was so random I had to read it twice just to confirm I was reading it right. It felt so out of pocket??? And dare I say too many pop culture references? I loved them in bttm so may be I've just out grown that writing style but it stopped being cute a 100 pages in.
I also felt the ending was a little rushed.Ok so Wes confesses (for the 100th time) Liz asks for time to think, Wes gets hit with a baseball and Liz decides he's the one for her. I wish she'd come to the conclusion independent of the circumstance that 'Wes almost died'- it made the decision a byproduct of the situation rather than one taken from the heart- especially because the story was building up to it, but alas.
Overall, the book wasn't bad by any means, it just felt unnecessary? and has successfully convinced college romances are extremely risky- so that's great
I was Liz and Wes' age when I read bttm and I'm almost their ages in this book as well which was a little sentimental to me because you know how you grow up but book characters stay the same age- ok getting off topic here
You can tell Lynn did her research for UCLA, which good for her, but I felt it was too detailed at certain times and too vague at others. Like I'm glad I know x hall of y building z minutes away from Wes' dorm he takes his calc class in,
Ok so LIz- her being the 'unromantic, one of the boys' is giving the same energy as that phase I had in junior year where I refused to like pink and pastel colors to be 'different' (lasted all of 3 months). That being said, I liked her more in this book??? (considering how people think she got more annoying, I don't what this says about me)
Wes- his internal monologue gave me the ick-
The side characters were forgetful- I could not tell you there names if you asked me in 2 days time
HOWEVER, that scene with the phone call between Helena and Wes? So soft. I loved that moment- v wholesome :)
The writing was okay for the most part
I also felt the ending was a little rushed.
Overall, the book wasn't bad by any means, it just felt unnecessary? and has successfully convinced college romances are extremely risky- so that's great
- second chance
- college romance
- sports romance
- groveling
- fake dating
Play Along by Liz Tomforde
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
The way this man was down bad for Kennedy wow-
First book post a 3 month slump let's go
It was fun, fast-paced and dramatic but not to over the top- same Vegas wedding formula but I loved how the characters took time to learn more about each other; it made the progression of their feelings feel more natural
I will ignoreIsaiah's attempts to hit on Kennedy while she was engaged because, frankly, friendly banter or not, I don't think anyone would be comfortable with that in the workplace and it gave me the ick.
Speaking of workplaces, you could spot the Kennedy getting lead medical role for the same team from a mile away- don't get me wrong- I'm very happy she got it, she definitely deserved it but I don't know the predictability of it took away from her moment (you know she wasn't moving from Chicago- it's called the Windy City series)
I have mixed feelings on Kennedy- I liked her more as an individual than as a love interest- like on her own she was accomplished, had aspirations and took charge but with Isaiah and the way she treated him, especially they were officially together, was weird to me at times.
Isaiah was golden retriever energy, yes, but again it felt like too much at times.
It was nice to see the other characters settled into their lives.
First book post a 3 month slump let's go
It was fun, fast-paced and dramatic but not to over the top- same Vegas wedding formula but I loved how the characters took time to learn more about each other; it made the progression of their feelings feel more natural
I will ignore
I have mixed feelings on Kennedy- I liked her more as an individual than as a love interest- like on her own she was accomplished, had aspirations and took charge but with Isaiah and the way she treated him, especially they were officially together, was weird to me at times.
Isaiah was golden retriever energy, yes, but again it felt like too much at times.
It was nice to see the other characters settled into their lives.
- sports romance
- boy obsessed
- he falls first
- wedding in Vegas
- golden retriever mmc
- opposites attract
Mine For A Moment by Catharina Maura
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
You know usually Catharina Maura books are so bad they're good and so I treat them as a guilty pleasure of sorts. But this one was just bad.
Everyone in this story had one personally trait: being unlikable.
Archer with his 'domineering aura' was boring, Serenity was annoying, her brother was forgettable, Theo couldn't get a hint and Tyra was unnecessary drama. The Muse storyline was so goofy- like what was the reason?
You could legit guess the whole story in the first 15% and yet it still fell flat.
Archer and Serenity gave me the ick and the way they talked to each other- I just know I would die of second-hand embarrassment if I ever saw them interact in public.
Save yourself. If you really want to read a Catharina Maura book just read one from her Windsor's' series- at least those are bearable (except the second last one wtf was that)
P.s. I'm having a bad week and in the mood to be a hater so take my review with a pinch of salt (thanks <3)
Everyone in this story had one personally trait: being unlikable.
Archer with his 'domineering aura' was boring, Serenity was annoying, her brother was forgettable, Theo couldn't get a hint and Tyra was unnecessary drama. The Muse storyline was so goofy- like what was the reason?
You could legit guess the whole story in the first 15% and yet it still fell flat.
Archer and Serenity gave me the ick and the way they talked to each other- I just know I would die of second-hand embarrassment if I ever saw them interact in public.
Save yourself. If you really want to read a Catharina Maura book just read one from her Windsor's' series- at least those are bearable (except the second last one wtf was that)
P.s. I'm having a bad week and in the mood to be a hater so take my review with a pinch of salt (thanks <3)
- brother's best friend
- workplace romance
- forbidden? i think
- third act break
- she falls first he falls harder
Marriage for One by Ella Maise
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
jackrose they could never make me hate you
this has become a comfort book of sorts for me so my rating is based on vibes more than anything else
anyways, read this book on a cozy winter evening, you're welcome.
this has become a comfort book of sorts for me so my rating is based on vibes more than anything else
anyways, read this book on a cozy winter evening, you're welcome.
- marriage of convenience
- grumpy x sunshine
- forced proximity
- dual pov
- rom com references
Shameless King by Maya Hughes
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
it was good. I thought Mak's story was well explained in regards to her motivations and goals. Declan's mom made one appearance which didn't make sense considering how close he was to her. The prologue didn't make sense to me and the story felt too fast in some cases. But overall, an enjoyable read.
The Devious Husband by Catharina Maura
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
This book was so goofy I could not.
RIP Grandma you will not be missed. Istg the way everyone in this family is borderline brainwashed-
Like one of the sister in laws (Raven I think) goes like we don't get divorced in this family because the matches are always perfect- ma'am you're husband was planning to get back with your sister while married to you (or smth weird like that I don't really remember tbh) and don't even get me started on the brother who knocked his wife out with a gun. WHAT PERFECT MATCHES-
Also Sierra was a book girlie which was cute but the knock off 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' she was reading took me out y'all-
The miscommunication in this book went crazy because half the time I didn't even know what the issue was like legit the way Xavier squared up when Sierra asked for a divorce- why then all of a sudden? It's not like he started taking therapy or processing his emotions in a healthy way- my mans was flipping 180 degrees every few pages.
Also this one part where the businesses he acquired spelling out Sierra:
The Siren
Indus
Everest
The Renegade
Renaissance
Artemis
Sir- it clearly spells out TSIETRRA
Anyways, still better than the previous one (the couple doesn't even get a scene in this one lmao take that LeXIngToN)
RIP Grandma you will not be missed. Istg the way everyone in this family is borderline brainwashed-
Also Sierra was a book girlie which was cute but the knock off 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' she was reading took me out y'all-
The Siren
Indus
Everest
The Renegade
Renaissance
Artemis
Sir- it clearly spells out TSIETRRA
Anyways, still better than the previous one (the couple doesn't even get a scene in this one lmao take that LeXIngToN)
- arranged marriage
- brother's best friend
- work rivals (I think)
- miscommunication
- dual pov
- found family (meh)
Dust Storm by Maggie C. Gates
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was a 3 star for me at the start. It began as any cowboy small town rom-com does with the rugged single dad and city princess who just doesn't fit in with her heels and pant suits and what not. Contrary to what I've seen online, I enjoyed Cassandra's prickly please-stay-away-from-me attitude. It was over the top at times but funny for the most part. But also for how smart she was, how did she not figure out her fiancé wasn't loyal to her. And it would make sense to me if she trying to hold the relationship together because she had abandonment issues or something but that just wasn't translated very well in the story. Why was she letting him string her along? And what was her job? PR manager? Accountant? Developer? Since when do PR managers draw billion dollar ranch expansion programs and manage finances?
Christian was okay. The don't open the door rule got goofy after the first time but sure you do you.I did not like him when he forced Cassandra to make a 'choice'- it was presented in such a weird way where if she didn't stay with him she was a coward for running away. Frankly, I could not see her staying in a small town taking care of his children- that wasn't her vibe even after learning how to ride a horse (rite of passage in any small town apparently). And him and his kids both calling Cass 'my queen'- NO.
The ending wasn't it for me. It took one convo with Christian's mother for Cassandra to give up her life in New York and settle down. Which isn't wrong by any means, it just didn't feel like a choice her character would make. The kids were cute though.
Christian was okay. The don't open the door rule got goofy after the first time but sure you do you.
The ending wasn't it for me.
- small town
- single dad
- city girl x cowboy
- reversed grumpy x sunshine
- forced proximity
- workplace romance
Pretty Rings and Broken Things by Kat Singleton
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Better than the last one. It started off okay but I just got bored towards the end which made it feel like a chore to finish. I just don't like Emma as a character I'm sorry-
Just This Once by Lena Hendrix
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It was okay. A little boring in the middle and rushed towards the end but meh not bad.