The Al Gore Rhythm got me. Recently, I’ve been receiving algorithmic ads for serial romances, where you pay to unlock chapters. Typically, Instagram or Facebook will show you the first few chapters to hook you and then send you to one of the gazillion romance novel apps out there. The excerpt grabbed me, but I was not about to pay per chapter for a serial that, while thankfully completed, was over 150 chapters. Lucky for … Continue reading The Wrong Obsession by E.L. Sparrow →
Lessons in Disaster is such a beautiful, finely crafted book that I feel kind of humbled to have been able to read it. It’s not a perfect book – it ends abruptly, it can be didactic, and I developed a love/hate relationship with the tendencies of all these intellectual characters to use words like ‘heuristic’ in the middle of emotional arguments. But overall, this was lovely. The book tells the stories of two women and … Continue reading Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders →
Problematic Summer Romance is a friends-to-lovers romance/brother’s best friend romance, but it utilizes those tropes without any masculine over-protectiveness, which I appreciated. It’s also a romance that’s light on external conflict, but heavy on emotional growth, which was perfect for me. Maya Killgore’s parents died when she was barely a teenager, leaving her to be raised by her overwhelmed brother (about fifteen years her senior). Said brother has an extremely lucrative biotech start up with … Continue reading Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood →
What a fever dream of a book, I tell ya hwat. To shelve it into a category, this is a dark fairytale (Beauty and the Beast) romance with dystopian elements. Set in a sort of futuristic Silicon Valley, four families run the world’s most prominent social media conglomerates. Those conglomerates are run on different gemstones, with each family having an affinity for specific stones (garnets, diamonds, etc.). Their company’s power (I think? I’m honestly still … Continue reading One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti →
Love is a War Song is a fun sunshine/grumpy/fish out of water romance with a New Adult feel. While the romance is fun, the cultural representation is what sets this novel apart from others. Here’s the publisher’s plot description: Pop singer Avery Fox has become a national joke after posing scantily clad on the cover of Rolling Stone in a feather warbonnet. What was meant to be a statement of her success as a Native … Continue reading Love is a War Song by Danica Nava →
This is an average length book at 368 pages. But it flew past in the blink of an eye. If I were to make a reading recommendation, I would say block off half a day and forbid anyone from interrupting you, then dive into this book and just revel in it. This is a fake relationship book that has that most rare of things: the reason for the fake relationship actually makes sense. I did … Continue reading Maid for Each Other by Lynn Painter →
This guest squee is from Jeevani Charika! Jeevani Charika (also known as Rhoda Baxter) writes romantic comfort reads with a dash of fun. Her books have been shortlisted for multiple awards. Jeevani is British-Sri Lankan. She loves all things science geeky. She also loves cake, Lego and playing with Canva. You can find out more about her (and get a free book!) on her website. Her next book, How Can I Resist You? is available … Continue reading Movie Review: KPop Demon Hunters →
I’ll Have What He’s Having is a sweet m/m romance that is cosy and chill but marred by an excess of mopiness towards the end. The worst thing I can say about this book is that it made me super hungry and that the minute I finished it I forgot all about it. It was pleasant and solidly written (barring too much repetition) but not especially memorable. Farzan is a great cook, a skill he … Continue reading I’ll Have What He’s Having by Adib Khorram →
I don’t enjoy reading women’s fiction and this book is women’s fiction, so please keep that in mind when you read this review. I shall do my best to correct for my preferences, but it’s best to be upfront about these things. So why on earth did I pick it up? Well, it was the premise you see. It totally sucked me in. I was so curious how this set up would unfold because this … Continue reading Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess →
If you’re curious about this book, please check triggers. The author has a more comprehensive list on her website. Hooked is a dark, contemporary mafia romance with lots of winks and nods to Peter Pan. It’s the first book in the Never After series, which is a reimagining of known fairytales and House of Mouse movies, but with villains as the love interests. This is your common revenge story of a man wanting revenge against … Continue reading Hooked by Emily McIntire →
This guest review comes from Lisa! A longtime romance aficionado and frequent commenter to SBTB, Lisa is a queer Latine critic with a sharp tongue and lots of opinions. She frequently reviews at All About Romance and Women Write About Comics, where she’s on staff, and you can catch her at @thatbouviergirl on Twitter. There, she shares good reviews, bracing industry opinions and thoughtful commentary when she’s not on her grind looking for the next good freelance … Continue reading When We Chased The Light by Emily Bleeker →
