⭐️ 4 "New Jersey Princess" Stars ⭐️
After reading In the Unlikely Event, I can genuinely state that L.J. Shen can write any genre with the same aplomb and skill! This story is very different from her usual novels, but I felt captured by Aurora’s journey all read long. ITUE, as I still like to called this book, is a breath of fresh air!

Between humour, betrayal, passion and heartbreak Rory is searching answers about her late estranged father. On her quick trip to Ireland, she meets the eccentric Malachy Doherty. They connect instantly and after a pact to be together if they ever meet again, they both separate with a broken heart! When they reconnect after years, nothing is easy and secrets long kept are gradually revealed.

As much as I enjoyed the book, the romance was a little lacking on the sparks. For a couple supposedly destined to be together, I didn’t feel their passion like I wanted. Yes, the interactions are sweet and funny with a mix of angst, but it wasn’t as powerful as I wanted to feel it. Mal is what made me compelled by this story. There’s just something so charismatic about his personality and the way he acts that I just fell under his charm.

I won’t tell you all the detail about the plotline and let you judge by yourself. In the Unlikely Event is truly a story you need to experience blindly to appreciate better. Definitely worth the read!

** ARC received in exchange for an honest review **

I utterly hated that, it was so much insta love
both of the main characters I found annoying especially Mal

Simply amazing. It made my laugh, it made me cry and it made me fall in love. Best book written by L.J. Shen.

EDIT:
Okay, so it was killing me that I'd gotten so far and didn't finish, so I kept going.
All I'm going to say is that this book is a hot mess in the extreme. It started out SO amazing. The beginning was really great and had me hooked. Then it just turned into something that I can't even explain. It's trying way too hard to be different that it's just become a huge cluster**k.
I have so many issues and after sitting on it for days I decided to drop another star.

DNF at 72%
Uggghhh. This book had sooo much going for it. Like so much! I was enjoying it so much.
But as it went on I started getting really frustrated.

The book started out really different to Shen's usual 'bully' style. It was nice, fun and carefree.
The odd 'notes' were different, but not bothering at the start.

Middle section. Mm I can see the usual 'Shen style' creeping in there. Lots of use of c**t, which I always find extremely off putting, but can move past if the story is going well. It's creeping in more and more with each book lately.
The 'notes' from nobody characters and inanimate objects are annoying. They're jarring to the narrative and so off putting. Every time one pops up, which now is frequently, it ruins my reading flow and I don't want to continue.

72% and yep I've had enough.
The notes are every chapter now. The best friend has turned out to be a POS, the boyfriend is a POS, which effectively makes Rory's cheating 'okay'. The over use of c**t. I just can't. It's the same as everything else.

I had high hopes and was really excited for this book. But yeah, it's ruined for me.

I've given 3 stars for the portion of the book I did actually like, but my feelings right now want to leave a 1.5- 2 star rating.

This book started off SO WELL and just progressed into shit. The beginning was beautiful and wholesome but also there was pining and spice and it had so much potential and it just turned into a clusterfuck of “how do I make this book seem deep and like it has a plot” that just made it really weird. Also, whose idea was it to add the POVs of dead people, inanimate objects, and animals throughout?? it wasn’t quirky it was just plain bizarre and confusing.
AND THE CANDY BAR SCENE? I read a lot of spicy stuff but that was just bad and uncomfortable to read and just plain trash.
Overall, If L.J Shen had left this as lovers to strangers to lovers without the family stuff and the people that meant absolutely nothing in there, it would have been great but this was just a mess.

Leigh did it again

I don’t know what cigar pants are but I picture them as kind of like cargo pant but instead of large pockets that can hold well cargo they have little pockets that hold cigars. I imagine objects, moments and even feelings as best friends also. I wouldn’t call summer my best friend, although I do love summer it leaves me for a few months every year so I wouldn’t consider it my best friend. Aurora you should probably go get some labs done, you might be cold all the time because you are anemic.
If Gina Davis isn’t dead where the hell is she? Also WHO THE HELL DRINKS VODKA AND DIET COKE IN IRELAND???
Let’s talk about Thailand, no wait more importantly let’s talk about elephants. They are amazing, I wish I had room to keep one in my house. You know they have course hair covering their body? It’s not all over, it’s sporadic. It’s like when you get laser hair removal on your pleasure place and a couple of years later it starts to grow back.
For a book that was supposed to be a tragic romance I sure did laugh a lot. But why don’t you find out how it went by reading the book instead of reading stupid reviews!
It’s fecking incredible.

I don’t know how to feel about the fact that a penguin has never introduced themselves to me.

This book is a fantastic read that sweeps you up and away into the world of Rory and Malachy.
This is a standalone that is different from LJ Shen's previous books but well worth a read.
The characters are very well written and the world building by this author is phenomenal. It sucks you right in from the start and spits you out at the end.

This book was fantastic! Though the story felt a bit long, I was fully invested in the main characters and I was hooked to their stories. I was also pleasantly surprised but how many times this book made me laugh out loud with the witty remarks! I hope I remember them so I can use them in my RL going forward. LOL An excellent, excellent read!

Shen does it again

In the past two weeks (yes you heard that right- two weeks) I have read 5 LJ Shen books and I’ve read a handful of others before then. This one just might be my favorite. The notes from inanimate and personified objects had me cackling while the kismet of the love really made my heart swell. So many good quotes about life and love in this book. Just beautifully written and so much fun to read.