sassypantsreading's reviews
727 reviews

Dreams and Desires: A Plus-Size Enemies-to-Lovers Romance by Sephyrra

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 67%.
No means no. Zade was super rapey in the name of being determined. Nope. I got to about 65% when Jade was struggling and fighting and slapping Zade to let her go, and he wouldn’t, because he “just wants to talk” and I had to DNF. Also, the writing was pretty terrible. 
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone

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emotional 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? No

3.0

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone was just kind of so-so for me. I didn’t feel like there was much plot or that much of anything happened. There didn’t seem to be much chemistry between Theo and Lexie. I was rooting for them to get together, but their relationship just kind of fell flat. There was one chapter, 31, that was told from Theo’s POV, which was totally weird. Why have the entire book written in third-person, single-POV (Lexie’s), then just one random chapter during the third-act breakup told from a different POV? And speaking of third-person, single POV… it should 100% be outlawed in romance books, and that’s a hill I’ll die on. Anyway, I felt that this book was more about Lexie coming to terms with her deceased father than romance. 

I received a copy of A Winter Wish from NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily. 
The Summer I First Saw You by Elizabeth O'Roark

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

5.0

I loved The Summer I First Saw You! I’m definitely going back to read the other books in the series. Daisy and Harrison were perfect together. I love a good age gap! My only complaint would be that the chapters are too short because my ADHD superpower is reading hyperfocus and I force myself to do things like walk and housework and feed my family in between chapters. I got a lot done with this book when I just wanted to be able to sit and read 😂

I received an ARC of The Summer I First Saw You from Valentine PR. I am leaving this review voluntarily. 
Why Not Both? by Sarah Neeson

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

5.0

I really enjoyed Why Not Both? I loved the characters, including the side characters. Lis and Spencer were a great couple. There was definitely some will-they, won’t-they on Lis’s part, but overall this book was very, very low angst. The steam was just right to balance the sweetness. I thought it was really well written, especially for a debut, but I believe the author also writes under a different pen name. I can’t wait for Ava and Derek’s book next!

I received an ARC of Why Not Both? from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi

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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

3.0

Best Hex Ever was a cute book! I loved that Dina was a kitchen witch and Scott was a museum curator - so cozy! The chemistry between them was really great as well. I adore Dina’s family house. Where can I find a magical house? One thing that wasn’t my favorite was the PC stuff really being force fed. I’m here to suspend reality; when authors oh-so-casually drop stuff like that in their books, it feels more like pushing an agenda dressed up in fiction to me. 

I received an ARC of Best Hex Ever from NetGalley. I am leaving my review voluntarily. 
All The Ways We're Wrong by Amelia Elliot

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emotional hopeful slow-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

5.0

All The Ways We’re Wrong was really well-done. I thought it would be a bit fluffy and was fully expecting a quick affair-to-HEA after Ava and Killian made it down the mountain, but the author decided to toy with me and my feelings a bit longer 😂 Ava and Killian had so much depth. To paraphrase the great words of Donkey, Ava was like an onion. Each time a layer was pulled back, she became more complex and relatable. Killian wears his trauma on his sleeve, and it’s so sad. The growth between them is superb. It’s angsty and dramatic, but also sweet and beautiful. Very nicely done.

I received a copy of All The Reasons We’re Wrong from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Book of the Month by Jennifer Probst

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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

4.0

I really liked Book of the Month. It was pretty cool seeing the behind-the-scenes work of an author. I didn’t like that Aspen was so motivated by fame and recognition, though. It almost would’ve been an easier pill to swallow if she was chasing money. I do like how her quest for fame added a different dynamic to her breakup with Brick; if she was merely chasing money, she could’ve just renounced it for love and that would be that. The fact that it went deeper than money added a more nuanced layer to her grand gesture to win Brick back. I was team Brick for the entire book. I hated how awful everyone was to him and about him. It’s awful how catty the women all were. I did love the more immediate secondary characters, especially Marco. The setting was great, and I like that the author used a real place instead of a made-up small town. And I am DYING for Sierra and Kane’s story! 

I received an ARC of Book of the Month from NetGalley. I am leaving my review voluntarily. 
We're All Mad Here by Leann Belle

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Whew 🥵 We’re All Mad Here was one HOT book. This is the second Vicious Wonders book for me (I read The Labyrinth retelling first) and I am hooked! I love these fantastical worlds and twists on classic stories. I love the growth that the FMCs go through. In this book, Alice had to figure out her own worth after being beat down by life. The way the author weaves together fantasy, steam, and emotions is brilliant. Yes, this book is dark. There’s TONS of blood. But, like Alice at the end, you just sort of become immune to it. I love these books!

I received a copy of We’re All Mad Here from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Taste of Fate by Sophie Ash

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

4.0

I really enjoyed Taste of Fate, and I don’t know why, but I wasn’t expecting to. I liked that it took place in modern times and the vampires seemed like regular people. So often the vampires in books are snooty, aristocratic types. These guys rode motorcycles! I really liked Tavia and Cyan together. The MMC treating the FMC like garbage just because he has feelings for her isn’t my favorite, but fortunately this book was short enough that it didn’t last long. One thing that seemed very odd was that the community of Sapien seemed super isolated, with only around 100 citizens, and no form of outside communication, yet Tavia knew about Mexican food and other modern human amenities. That didn’t really add up to me. I’m looking for to reading Amy’s book next.

I received an ARC of Taste of Fate from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Tempting by Bella Matthews

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

4.0

I’m sort of on the fence with Tempting. I didn’t realize this was a spin-off series. Even though it’s the first book in the series, I do think you should read the other series first. I was so confused about who everyone was and belonged to and how they were related. The author dove in assuming the reader knows everyone, which I don’t think should be the case for a first-in-series book. I think the author should assume the reader is new to the world. Aside from being thoroughly bewildered for most of the book, I thought the whole friend group was a bit incestuous. Especially how they discuss their sex lives with each other, even though they’re married or in relationships with others’ siblings. It was kind of weird and gross. 

I did really love Mackenzie and Nixon together. The dirty talk was amazing. And one of my favorite things, possibly ever, happened in this book: the MMC, a “possessive” brother himself, called the FMC’s big brother out on his crap. I DETEST the overbearing big brother trope, especially once they start throwing out the “baby sister” garbage. It’s infantilizing and takes away the FMC’s agency and is a little vomity. But in THIS book, Nixon puts Easton in his place, and even tells him it’s sick to think that another man is taking away his sister because she doesn’t belong to her brother. I wanted to bow down to this queen, Ms. Matthews, for that. Seriously, bravo 👏 Usually, it has to be the sister or the brother’s wife putting poor big brother’s feelings at ease. I adore that the author had the MMC do it in this book. Honestly, I gave the book an extra star because of that. 

I enjoyed this book, and I would read the next in the series, but I think I need to go back and read the other series first. 

I received an ARC of Tempting from Valentine PR. I am leaving this review voluntarily.