onthesamepage's reviews
952 reviews

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I decided not to continue reading this book because I don't think it's for me. When it comes to romances, a huge part of my enjoyment lies in connecting to the main characters. However, in the case of Marigold, I knew that wasn't going to happen. I had 0 impression of her as a character, other than she's wild at heart and not like other girls. At the beginning of the book, she states that her only option in life is to get married and be someone's wife. Then, when her grandmother tells her she is a honey witch, she feels saved from a fate worse than death. I understand that this is regency-inspired, but it's also queernorm, so I don't get the logic of her only option in life being to become someone's wife in the first place. Marigold also constantly mocks women who do aspire to fall in love and get married. She gets called out on it once, but it doesn't really fully stop. There's also a scene where people come to her grandmother for contraceptives, and Marigold comments about how she is all for women not getting pregnant. I'm guessing the author was going for a pro-choice statement, but the way it was phrased read more like anti-motherhood to me.

By 33%, not much had happened at all, and ultimately, I didn't find her a compelling enough character to push through.

This was such a fun read. Amari is an amazing heroine, and I loved the discussions surrounding racial discrimination and classism/elitism. There are wholesome friendships, bullies, and leaders that abuse their power for their own gain, but Amari stands strong in the midst of it all. And it's not that she never doubts that she belongs there, it's just that she learns to not listen to that little negative voice inside her. She's so determined to find her brother, and to prove that not all magicians are bad. I really loved her.

The ending took a surprising turn, and I'm definitely curious to see what happens next.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I am not the target age for this book. Even though I gave up on it, I do think it will appeal to teenagers, so please pick it up and give it a try if it sounds interesting to you.

While I still think the premise is intriguing and appeals to my enjoyment of superhero stories, I didn't really get along with this book. The characters and the language they use just felt very young to me, in a way that really made me feel my age. There's a lot of teenage posturing and picking fights over nothing, and there's an insta-love relationship that becomes "I think we have something" after two minor conversations. I didn't get to see any of the superhero elements by 12% in, and since I wasn't invested in the characters, I couldn't really find it in me to keep going. 

I picked this up because I loved How We Met, which is the author's memoir, but her fiction didn't quite hit the mark for me. Because it's a collection of short stories, it quickly struck me that one common theme is that all her female main characters are POC and Muslim born, and the majority of them are in a romantic relationship with a non-Muslim man. Maybe this is because of the author's circumstances—some of the stories did feel like they came from a very personal place. I guess I was just hoping for more diverse stories and voices. I also noticed that she never calls the characters Muslims, or refers to Islam by name. She talks around the religion by using descriptors like "the holy book" when she clearly means the Quran. I personally dislike this because it feels like she's trying to make being Muslim more palatable to a white, Western audience.

There are a lot of common themes here, like the struggles between mothers and daughters. Some of the stories really hit the hard way—The Jammaker is a definite standout for me, but I also really liked Superstitious. I still appreciated her writing, but I'm not sure her fiction is for me.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Just a heads up that even though both main characters are Muslim, this is not a halal romance.

I really appreciated the ease of the Muslim representation. There are frequent mentions of praying, or asking Allah for help, in that casual way that Muslims perform these regular acts of worship. It was also really easy to read, with POVs from both main characters. Both of them are compelling people to follow, but the romance felt lackluster to me. When we first meet Said and Tiwa, we find out that they used to be friends but aren't anymore, and of course it takes a while before we find out why. It's not that the reason doesn't make sense, it's how it came about that left me scratching my head. This next part is full on spoilers for the eventual reveal of the origin of their conflict:

this entire premise of their letters not reaching each other falls apart as soon as you try to employ some critical thinking, because a) why are they sending letters instead of emails in the first place? and b) Saf's reasoning makes no sense whatsoever. And the way they just accept Saf's explanation when she finally gives it, and the only thing Said can think to say is "you're both doofuses" when his sister ruined the most important friendship in his life? The entire conflict felt so far-fetched to me.

There was a moment in this book where I thought I'd be getting some very important commentary on racism within Muslim communities. Tiwa is going door to door to gather signatures for a petition, and came in contact with people she recognized from the Islamic center, but who didn't recognize her. Her being Muslim is called into question, and there's an implication that it's because she's Black. But the book falls short of really digging into this topic, which is a shame in my opinion. 

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Even though it deals with some heavier topics like misogyny in gaming, classism, and bullying, the overall tone of this is still really light-hearted and fun. The story is set in Indonesia, which made for a refreshing change. Kiki is a fun main character to follow. She has her flaws, and the author doesn't try to polish those away, but you also can't help but feel for her. I also really liked Liam, as well as a few of the side characters that brought a lot of humor to the story.

There were a few things that happened in the book that didn't make much sense to me, because I couldn't understand why a character would do something like that, but that didn't really hinder my enjoyment. Would definitely recommend for the target audience.

This ended up being too short to be interesting to me. I didn't really vibe much with the main character. It feels like the author did a lot of research on the historical period, but seeing it through the lens of an Icelander didn't do much for me, sadly. It was short enough that I didn't DNF it, but I did consider it at some point. I do think that if you enjoy historical fiction, you'll like this, so if that's you, give it a try. 

Tropes: 

hate to love, first time, misunderstandings, she's his brother's ex-fiancé, third act breakup, small town romance

Steam level:  🌶🌶🌶

This unexpectedly dug its way into my heart. While the setup isn't necessarily my favourite, because a man falling for and pursuing his brother's ex-fiancé is a logistical nightmare that I can't ever see working out, there's an incredibly soft and sweet romance at the core of this, and I was powerless to resist it.

What really made this hit home for me was the mental health representation. The parts where Athena was experiencing depression and struggling with just getting through the day, really hit me hard. And the way Matthew dealt with that made me feel all the things. That scene in the bath tub? Chef's kiss. 

I also appreciated that Matthew had his own issues, and that they got nearly as much focus as Athena's did. This is why I always prefer dual POV when it comes to romances. Matthew got to explain early on why he broke Athena and Johnny apart, which makes it a lot easier to root for him as a love interest. But I also felt for him. As the oldest sibling, he felt responsible for Johnny, in a way that was ultimately going to end with him burning out. I think both characters showed a lot of growth by the end. There is a third act breakup, but I understood where it came from, and thought it was fitting for this situation and these characters. I also like the groveling Matthew ended up doing to make up for his very bad decisions. It's impossible to change 30-odd years of behavior overnight, and I'm glad the author didn't try to do that.

Even though a big chunk of this book hit hard, there were also a lot of funny moments. Athena's plots for revenge against Matthew were hilarious to follow. I also really liked the side characters in Harlot's Bay, and I'm so excited for Karl's romance.

Very informative and structured in a way that makes it easy to refer back to specific sections. My only complaint is that there is quite a bit of repetition in general.

That ending has left me unwell.

There is such a huge difference in pacing between the first book and this one. I was engaged throughout, and across all the different perspectives, which doesn't happen that often.

The highlights of this book are definitely Will and James, aka Sarcean and Anharion. Their dynamic just hit all my buttons. I have 62 highlights on Kindle, and I'm sure that 80% are related to these two. And it's complex, too, because is this really a romance, considering all the things we know as the reader, that James isn't privy to? And yet it feels like one. It's such a slow burn between them, with so many good moments and quotes. I also feel like there's still more to discover about their relationship in the past, that not all is as it seems there.

All in all, I really appreciate what Pacat is doing with this story, and I'm so excited to find out how it concludes.