laurenslittlelibrary_'s reviews
674 reviews

4th Degree by Nikki Castle

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really liked this one, but Kane and Isabella are still my favorite. I loved how much Dominic gave Skylar room to grow and be her own woman, but still (literally and figuratively) stood in her corner and was there whenever she needed him. When she finally allowed herself to be happy and not let the weight of her family life crush her, it was so wonderful to watch her blossom beautifully. 
Hands Down by Mariana Zapata

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emotional hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This was not my favorite MZ book. šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø I didnā€™t love the pacing- I know all her books are slow burn but this took it to a whole other level of slow. I honestly kept getting annoyed with Bianca and Zacā€™s seeming lack of true communication skills. Like yeah they talked, but not about anything important it seemed. And Zacā€™s revelation of his feelings felt very abrupt. I dunno, just didnā€™t do it all that much for me. 
Learn Your Lesson by Kandi Steiner

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I adore Kandiā€™s books, characters, and the worlds she creates. Chloe and Will were such good characters! Both had their own traumatic pasts to deal with and the expressions of that trauma came across the pages beautifully. The way that Chloe just loved Ava and helped bring her back to life essentially was incredible. I just adored these characters and this story. 
The Rule Book by Sarah Adams

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funny 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

5.0

Sarah could publish her grocery list and Iā€™d enjoy it. I love her writing. Nora was such a fun character- independent, unapologetically herself, and a bright light. Although I didnā€™t love Derek being a jerk to her in the beginning, I did completely understand where he was coming from. Their relationship unfolded beautifully! I loved that they came back together after so many years and built each other up to accomplish their goals. This book just felt like a ray of sunshine and I adored every second. 
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 30%.
I felt like this was very repetitive, I had a hard time connecting to the character or caring about her, I couldnā€™t figure out if her mom was dead and sheā€™s talking to her ghost. I just couldnā€™t get into it. 
Only and Forever by Chloe Liese

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emotional hopeful lighthearted slow-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 donā€™t think there will ever be a book Chloe writes that I wonā€™t love. Viggo and Lula were so freaking good. Black cat x golden retriever, learning to trust one another, leaning into each other & utilizing their skill sets, the animal and plant menageriesā€¦ I just loved it all. I adored seeing Tallulah go to therapy and really try to be everything she wanted to be for herself. This was the perfect ending to the Bergman stories and Iā€™m so sad itā€™s over šŸ˜­ 
Wine or Lose by Amanda Chaperon

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I've seen some reviews giving this one a lot of crap for not revealing the secret trope beforehand, but it worked for me! I liked that there was an added layer  of tension between the characters that ultimately helped in bringing them back together. Amara and Cal were sassy, charismatic, and just generally fun characters! I enjoyed the "prove him wrong" part of Amara's personality and Cal finally seeing past his preconceived notions about her was perfect. I thought that the family dynamics were great and I'm looking forward to getting to know the other Delatou sisters throughout the series! 
Puck Pact by Kristen Granata

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emotional hopeful slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Aarya and Alexander's story is absolutely a sloooowwww burn but it is so worth it! Kristen did a fantastic job with developing these two lovely characters and made them so easy to fall in love with. Watching both of their walls slowly crumble was perfect- Aarya's walls were built from her traumatic past and Alex's from his need to protect his daughter. I loved watching things unfold for Aarya in the last third of the book and that epilogue was perfect. Definitely worth picking up for a great slow burn hockey romance! 
Blitz by Devney Perry

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emotional hopeful tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I liked, but didn't love this one and I really wish I had! I liked the tension and spice, but Toren and Jennsyn's communication skills were severely lacking. The drama with Jennsyn's family and the history with Toren's added a layer of complexity to each of their characters that was absolutely necessary. Without it, I feel like they both would've been pretty flat overall. I didn't love that the "big reveal" about Jennsyn's past came in the literal last two chapters- it feels like something that should've been discussed wayyyy sooner. The forbidden aspect of their relationship kept things interesting and I liked that Jennsyn was finally able to have a more healthy relationship with her roommates by the end. Not my favorite Devney book, but it sure won't deter me from reading more of her works in the future. 
Behind the Camera by Chelsea Curto

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-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

4.5

Dallas and Maven are so freaking good together! I love that they are both sunshine personalities that openly communicate how they're feeling about literally everything. June is freaking adorable and adds such a fun aspect to the dynamic. It really didn't feel like there was much of an age gap since Maven was so mature and Dallas could let go and be a little silly. Their chemistry together was insane! Loved that Dal wasn't ashamed to read Mae's romance books as "research" and did whatever he could to make her happy and feel wanted. Really the only reason I'm not giving a full 5 stars is that the wrap up seemed a little rushed and I wanted to see playout of the epilogue and final chapter a little bit more. Chelsea's writing just keeps getting better and better; I'm so excited to see how much she continues to grow.