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lisaluvsliterature's reviews
3959 reviews
Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I adored the first book in this series, Today Tonight Tomorrow, even when it was just a standalone. So when I found out we were going to get the next part of Rowan and Neil’s relationship, I was very excited!
So it makes sense to get a sequel, even if the author says she didn’t really know she was going to write one. I mean the whole actual relationship, getting together for the original story kind of happened in just a day or two. And we don’t get a lot of time to see what happens after as it is the end of the school year. This sequel gives us a short look at that summer before they go off to their separate schools on the East Coast. They are sure they can both handle the long distance relationship. And honestly, they do have what it takes.
Unfortunately there are other things at work that keep things from going just perfectly. First is one thing I know I experienced when I went to college. When you are in the top of your class in high school, college can be a bit of a shock, because often you are now competing with all the people who were top of their class in their schools. And the teachers are also expecting more. It isn’t easy. In fact I soon realized that those students who had struggled and had to learn how to study to do well in high school had a bit of an advantage over someone like me who never really had to study or do much to get good grades. I wasn’t at all prepared for putting more effort besides the actual things the teachers talked about. I was used to having assignments/homework that helped me learn. Many classes were just lecture and then studying on your own.
Rowan and Neil have their own issues. Some similar to what I had. For Rowan it is feeling like all of a sudden she can’t write anything. I felt a similarity with her here too, although for the exact opposite reason. She wondered if she was having trouble writing her romances because now she was happy in her own. Whereas I’ve always struggled with finishing the romances I try to write because I haven’t ever been in love. She got great advice from her Creative Writing professor, advice I need to take myself. But even as she was so sure she was going to be told she didn’t belong, the lessons she learned about taking that criticism and suggestions from her teacher were so good.
Neil on the other hand had some of his personal history affecting him. Dealing with his father’s influence through letters he was sending even though he didn’t want him to. As many kids do, they get to an age when they begin to wonder if they are or will be like their parents. And in Neil’s case, with a father in prison, he did not want to be. It doesn’t help that he’s taking a psychology class his first semester and he is starting to see so many things that make him question his connection to his father as well. Neil’s side of the story was really sad at times as he definitely was becoming depressed and seeing him not know how to deal with it, and pushing friends and Rowan away. As much as I wanted to be angry with him for some of those things, it was so realistic that it fit into the story perfectly.
I love the way the author ended the story. Got them back together, but also was realistic in them continuing this long distance relationship. I loved the epilogue, even with it being in third person instead of the first person POV for the rest of the book. A great story and definitely one to share with my students!
So it makes sense to get a sequel, even if the author says she didn’t really know she was going to write one. I mean the whole actual relationship, getting together for the original story kind of happened in just a day or two. And we don’t get a lot of time to see what happens after as it is the end of the school year. This sequel gives us a short look at that summer before they go off to their separate schools on the East Coast. They are sure they can both handle the long distance relationship. And honestly, they do have what it takes.
Unfortunately there are other things at work that keep things from going just perfectly. First is one thing I know I experienced when I went to college. When you are in the top of your class in high school, college can be a bit of a shock, because often you are now competing with all the people who were top of their class in their schools. And the teachers are also expecting more. It isn’t easy. In fact I soon realized that those students who had struggled and had to learn how to study to do well in high school had a bit of an advantage over someone like me who never really had to study or do much to get good grades. I wasn’t at all prepared for putting more effort besides the actual things the teachers talked about. I was used to having assignments/homework that helped me learn. Many classes were just lecture and then studying on your own.
Rowan and Neil have their own issues. Some similar to what I had. For Rowan it is feeling like all of a sudden she can’t write anything. I felt a similarity with her here too, although for the exact opposite reason. She wondered if she was having trouble writing her romances because now she was happy in her own. Whereas I’ve always struggled with finishing the romances I try to write because I haven’t ever been in love. She got great advice from her Creative Writing professor, advice I need to take myself. But even as she was so sure she was going to be told she didn’t belong, the lessons she learned about taking that criticism and suggestions from her teacher were so good.
Neil on the other hand had some of his personal history affecting him. Dealing with his father’s influence through letters he was sending even though he didn’t want him to. As many kids do, they get to an age when they begin to wonder if they are or will be like their parents. And in Neil’s case, with a father in prison, he did not want to be. It doesn’t help that he’s taking a psychology class his first semester and he is starting to see so many things that make him question his connection to his father as well. Neil’s side of the story was really sad at times as he definitely was becoming depressed and seeing him not know how to deal with it, and pushing friends and Rowan away. As much as I wanted to be angry with him for some of those things, it was so realistic that it fit into the story perfectly.
I love the way the author ended the story. Got them back together, but also was realistic in them continuing this long distance relationship. I loved the epilogue, even with it being in third person instead of the first person POV for the rest of the book. A great story and definitely one to share with my students!
All's Fair in Love and War by Virginia Heath
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
I’ve wanted to read this author for a bit now, and when the publisher sent me a widget to read an advance copy I immediately grabbed it! It took me a little longer to read than it should have, but that is by no fault of the story itself. I just had too many things going on and not enough reading time. Not to mention being tired from said things.
I don’t read a ton of historical romance, but have been picking up a few here and there as they grab my attention. For one thing of course is enjoying Bridgerton, another is that these are rom-coms as well and I really do like a rom-com more than a series romance almost every single time. I think that I just need more fun in my life and don’t want to read too serious of stories most of the time.
The characters were really enjoyable in this too. I loved Georgie’s fun teaching methods as I feel like some of them were similar to how I liked to teach back when I was in the classroom. Henry’s issues with not falling in love made sense from what he’d experienced, and I like the way the break up at the end happened. Georgie was much smarter than I might have been in that situation, realizing what his asking her to “ask him” would end up becoming in the end. And his nephew and nieces were adorable! I loved all of their little quirks and they made such a fun story.
As this is going to be a series, I think following the other governesses from the school that Georgie went to, I will be very excited to see how their stories go, especially Lottie who was close friends with Georgie.
I don’t read a ton of historical romance, but have been picking up a few here and there as they grab my attention. For one thing of course is enjoying Bridgerton, another is that these are rom-coms as well and I really do like a rom-com more than a series romance almost every single time. I think that I just need more fun in my life and don’t want to read too serious of stories most of the time.
The characters were really enjoyable in this too. I loved Georgie’s fun teaching methods as I feel like some of them were similar to how I liked to teach back when I was in the classroom. Henry’s issues with not falling in love made sense from what he’d experienced, and I like the way the break up at the end happened. Georgie was much smarter than I might have been in that situation, realizing what his asking her to “ask him” would end up becoming in the end. And his nephew and nieces were adorable! I loved all of their little quirks and they made such a fun story.
As this is going to be a series, I think following the other governesses from the school that Georgie went to, I will be very excited to see how their stories go, especially Lottie who was close friends with Georgie.
Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one I was excited to read, I had wanted to read another book by this author, and this was perfect with some of the other “survivor” type of books I’d been reading at this same time. When I started, at first I was unsure if I would be able to connect to Natalie as she talked about bringing all her makeup with her. However her insecurities and the way she kind of babbled when she was nervous at times did remind me so much of myself that I quickly connected with the rest of her. Also Finn at first seemed like someone I might not be able to get to like as his dislike of her seemed a little over the top at first.
The author turned it all around though as the two of them had such hilarious banter and we were soon given a new enemy named Alli, or Enemi as Natalie called her in her head. As the adventure progressed along the Appalachian Trail, we got to know more and more about both Natalie and Finn, and the enemies to lovers romance trope was completely perfectly done. The different tasks they had to compete in were so much fun, so original at times, and some so hard I know I could not have done them! The other contestants also either grew on me as I read, or the enemy status was cemented again and again.
I love how the author showed the growth of Natalie through the trip, and how her growth not only affected Finn, but how he was a big part of her learning more about herself and being able to accept things she’d panicked over before. The relationship between the two and how it developed was so realistic in my opinion. Not just perfect all of a sudden everything is okay. So many more awkward moments, I mean they’re hiking in the wilderness for goodness sake. But also a lot of sweet moments that totally won me completely over to Finn by the end. I mean at one point he had one of the best lines: “I accept your lack of apology.” He knew how to deal with Natalie’s dramatic personality, and give the sarcasm and snark right back, in a good way!
The ending of the competition was so satisfying, even with its ups and downs. And I like that while some problems may have been solved or at least figured out how to deal with, it wasn’t like all of a sudden Natalie’s whole life was perfect. Her anxiety was still there, she’d just learned that she had to deal with it and ask for help. She still didn’t have the perfect parents. And she had to figure out a long distance relationship. But hey, she did figure out how to handle a black bear, and oh my gosh, that was one of my favorite parts of the story!
I hope to read more by this author in the future, and really hope I get a chance to go back and at least read the one I wanted to before, Love From Scratch.
The author turned it all around though as the two of them had such hilarious banter and we were soon given a new enemy named Alli, or Enemi as Natalie called her in her head. As the adventure progressed along the Appalachian Trail, we got to know more and more about both Natalie and Finn, and the enemies to lovers romance trope was completely perfectly done. The different tasks they had to compete in were so much fun, so original at times, and some so hard I know I could not have done them! The other contestants also either grew on me as I read, or the enemy status was cemented again and again.
I love how the author showed the growth of Natalie through the trip, and how her growth not only affected Finn, but how he was a big part of her learning more about herself and being able to accept things she’d panicked over before. The relationship between the two and how it developed was so realistic in my opinion. Not just perfect all of a sudden everything is okay. So many more awkward moments, I mean they’re hiking in the wilderness for goodness sake. But also a lot of sweet moments that totally won me completely over to Finn by the end. I mean at one point he had one of the best lines: “I accept your lack of apology.” He knew how to deal with Natalie’s dramatic personality, and give the sarcasm and snark right back, in a good way!
The ending of the competition was so satisfying, even with its ups and downs. And I like that while some problems may have been solved or at least figured out how to deal with, it wasn’t like all of a sudden Natalie’s whole life was perfect. Her anxiety was still there, she’d just learned that she had to deal with it and ask for help. She still didn’t have the perfect parents. And she had to figure out a long distance relationship. But hey, she did figure out how to handle a black bear, and oh my gosh, that was one of my favorite parts of the story!
I hope to read more by this author in the future, and really hope I get a chance to go back and at least read the one I wanted to before, Love From Scratch.
Attached At The Hip by Christine Riccio
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book came out at the perfect time. Right at the end of the latest season of Survivor, one of my favorite reality shows! And I was hooked on this book! Now it is billed as a YA/Teen story, but it’s more new adult, as the characters are mostly college grads. Yes there are one or two high school age, but I still am classifying it as new adult. Not that it was crazy steamy or anything like that, I’m just going on age of characters and that it’s not a YA story. I saw some reviews saying it was totally YA in how the characters acted, but then I want to know if those people watch Surivor? Because the behavior and alliances were just like those people.
So much of the story had me laughing out loud, but also totally understanding some of the things and ways that Orie was feeling. The challenges of the game were totally over the top for some of the comparisons to the real tv show. But of course you’d need that for a fictional story! The story had me wondering who to really like and feel like Orie could trust. I loved the shipping and all the alliances as I said as well. Even having the romantic interests fall out the way they did was perfect.
I’ll just say if you like Survivor and a bit of romance, you will enjoy this book in my opinion. My only complaint is not knowing what exactly the final “villain” meant when they said they got what they came for at the end. But anyway, loved this, and can’t wait to read more from this author! (As well as for the next season of Survivor after the crazy season we just finished where I finally was thrilled with the winner!)
So much of the story had me laughing out loud, but also totally understanding some of the things and ways that Orie was feeling. The challenges of the game were totally over the top for some of the comparisons to the real tv show. But of course you’d need that for a fictional story! The story had me wondering who to really like and feel like Orie could trust. I loved the shipping and all the alliances as I said as well. Even having the romantic interests fall out the way they did was perfect.
I’ll just say if you like Survivor and a bit of romance, you will enjoy this book in my opinion. My only complaint is not knowing what exactly the final “villain” meant when they said they got what they came for at the end. But anyway, loved this, and can’t wait to read more from this author! (As well as for the next season of Survivor after the crazy season we just finished where I finally was thrilled with the winner!)
Pity Parade by Whitney Dineen
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have wanted to read something by this author for a long time and I was excited when I was able to fit this one into my review schedule. And I am pleased to say this one did not disappoint at all! I was trying to fit it in after a rough week for my family, and it was one I couldn’t put down, which was perfect. The characters were second chance, but also a tiny bit of enemies to lovers at times, based on how their first date had ended.
Poor Trina was dealing with some crazy issues with her job, but she was also going to try some pretty extreme lengths in figuring out a way out of the upcoming possible disaster. And then there is Heath who has a past marriage/loss of his wife and child that is understandable in making him so reluctant and unwilling to ever let himself get that hurt again. However both definitely were still interested in the other, even if they didn’t want to admit it or admit that it was more than just a casual thing. And while it seems as if Trina is a bit mean to him at first, when he starts scaring these possible dates away, I kind of felt like he deserved it at times.
The story also had a bunch of great characters, from earlier books in the series which I have yet to read, but now need to! And the town of Elk Lake has a lot of great settings and characters too. I’m not always a fan of billionaire stories, but the way this was done with Heath was perfect and he didn’t seem like your usual billionaire other than the occasional mention of how his money affected his life and world. It was a sweet romance as well, pretty much just kissing, nothing more. But it worked for this story, and it wasn’t anything that seemed to be avoided, it just wasn’t needed for the plot.
Again, I really enjoyed this and will be doing my best to fit more by this author into my reading schedule in the future!
Poor Trina was dealing with some crazy issues with her job, but she was also going to try some pretty extreme lengths in figuring out a way out of the upcoming possible disaster. And then there is Heath who has a past marriage/loss of his wife and child that is understandable in making him so reluctant and unwilling to ever let himself get that hurt again. However both definitely were still interested in the other, even if they didn’t want to admit it or admit that it was more than just a casual thing. And while it seems as if Trina is a bit mean to him at first, when he starts scaring these possible dates away, I kind of felt like he deserved it at times.
The story also had a bunch of great characters, from earlier books in the series which I have yet to read, but now need to! And the town of Elk Lake has a lot of great settings and characters too. I’m not always a fan of billionaire stories, but the way this was done with Heath was perfect and he didn’t seem like your usual billionaire other than the occasional mention of how his money affected his life and world. It was a sweet romance as well, pretty much just kissing, nothing more. But it worked for this story, and it wasn’t anything that seemed to be avoided, it just wasn’t needed for the plot.
Again, I really enjoyed this and will be doing my best to fit more by this author into my reading schedule in the future!
Maybe This Time by Cara Bastone
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 10%.
It wasn’t bad. Just the egalley format was too difficult to keep my attention.
Truth Or Wolf by Anne Marsh
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
I guess I didn’t read the synopsis close enough because I didn’t realize this was going to be a kind of paranormal/werewolf Winston Brothers series retelling! And let me tell you that I am HERE for this! I loved this book so much! It’s been a while since I read through the whole Winston Brothers series, and so it was fun kind of rereading the whole Truth or Beard story but told with werewolves, and the Iron Wolves instead of the Iron Wraiths. It was fun realizing which characters would fill in for the characters for the other story. And funnily enough, they even mentioned Green Valley in this new Moonlight Valley, Tennessee world.
So our heroine in this boo, Alice Aymes, (Jessica James anyone?) only reminds me a little of the character she is a retelling of. Alice is so much more awkward to me, but that’s not bad, I enjoyed it for sure! And the back stories and families of all the characters aren’t exactly the same, but each have their own similarities that it is recognizable if you’ve read the original series. However even with those same parts, there are changes to the story and so many things I look forward to seeing how they will change if we get more books in this series!
Next we have Ford Boone, twin brother to Atticus Boone who Alice has always had a crush on. However Ford has always had a bit of a crush on Alice, and is the perfect example of that old adage (which I know that it is no longer considered PC) that boys pick on the girls they like. Turns out that when he comes to Alice’s rescue, she thinks it is Atticus and ends up kissing him. Then she finds out it isn’t him, at the same time she finds out he is a werewolf when his brother shifts from wolf to human basically right in front of her!
Now she’s in on a secret that of course can’t be spread around. Because even though there is the Iron Wolves, it isn’t a commonly known to everyone fact that there are really werewolves. Atticus and Ford also have the same amount of brothers and sisters as the original series. My favorite Cletus reimagining is Ranger, and he also enjoys talking about his sausage and sharing it with others. IYKYK.
As I mentioned the story basically follows the original series book but with its own paranormal aspects and differently imagined situations that would come along with those differences. I loved how the author used a quote from a paranormal/werewolf romance at the beginning of each chapter, including Twilight and even my favorite author Maggie Stiefvater! I am going to keep gushing and hoping that this book gets enough love that the author will write the next reimagined book in the series, just as I continue to hope for more of the historical romance reimagining by Lainey Hatcher of the Knitting in the City series by Penny Reid.
The new saying may no longer be “Get thee a Winston stat”, but “Get thee a Boone (Wolf brother), stat!”
Bite Me, Royce Taslim by Lauren Ho
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
Did not finish book. Stopped at 34%.
I just don't get her animosity towards him, I mean I get the competitive part, but then her "friends" on her team? Who aren't really friends?
White Trash Zombie Gone Wild by Diana Rowland
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Oh my gosh, the ending of this one! Whoa! I am so ready to start the next one, but I won’t let myself until the beginning of June, but just whoa! Now, if you haven’t read these yet, there will be a TON of SPOILERS in this review, so you should probably stop now if you don’t want to be spoiled for those! I’ll try not to spoil this one though if you’re all caught up to this point for the most part.
Now, I know that these probably didn’t come out one a month as I’m listening to them, but the beginning of this one was a tiny bit info-dumpish for me. We knew from the end of the last one that Angel was going to have some issues with the V-12 that they’d given her to help get extra strength when she’d been trying to help save people from Sabreton. But we begin the story with her basically in this state. Now she’s learned that it does have at least one good effect, it helps with her dyslexia so she can read for her college classes. Unfortunately it is also causing her to act like a bit of a junkie in some ways, her paranoia, feeling like she needs it and things aren’t right without it.
It turns out there are other issues, ones that she is causing problems for Phillip for how she is getting it. She is sneaking it out of the lab, taking it from his doses. Turns out it has some bad side effects too. She loses impulse control. She sees fireflies and possibly other hallucinations. Her paranoia causes her to think other people are judging her and not trusting when they say they want to help her. Even her father notices her change in behavior.
Along with this, there is a big zombie fest going on in the town, coinciding with the release of the zombie movie that was being filmed there in an earlier book. So now you have not only Sabreton people, but someone with a cadaver sniffing dog, and people out “hunting” zombies. There was a little bit of Andrew Sabreton’s new zombie life mixed into the story and I wonder if that will really fill out the last book. Not to mention a faux documentary film that threatens the zombies being discovered, with actual zombie footage. So much going on!
Pietro at first is talking about taking the zombies underground, disappearing till it blows over. But he soon will realize that might not work in this world wide web connection society. Along with that we find that a character we didn’t know actually knows what Angel is. I’d kind of wondered if that person had some knowledge. The FBI is sniffing around funeral homes. Dr. Cherish is back causing problems, there is so much going on!
I can’t even go into a lot of what happens because there is just a lot going on in this book. It was so good though, and I liked how Angel’s problem was handled. I could say there was also some crazy major stuff that happened to Angel at the end of the book, and I can’t WAIT to start the next book in June to find out just what comes from that.
Now, I know that these probably didn’t come out one a month as I’m listening to them, but the beginning of this one was a tiny bit info-dumpish for me. We knew from the end of the last one that Angel was going to have some issues with the V-12 that they’d given her to help get extra strength when she’d been trying to help save people from Sabreton. But we begin the story with her basically in this state. Now she’s learned that it does have at least one good effect, it helps with her dyslexia so she can read for her college classes. Unfortunately it is also causing her to act like a bit of a junkie in some ways, her paranoia, feeling like she needs it and things aren’t right without it.
It turns out there are other issues, ones that she is causing problems for Phillip for how she is getting it. She is sneaking it out of the lab, taking it from his doses. Turns out it has some bad side effects too. She loses impulse control. She sees fireflies and possibly other hallucinations. Her paranoia causes her to think other people are judging her and not trusting when they say they want to help her. Even her father notices her change in behavior.
Along with this, there is a big zombie fest going on in the town, coinciding with the release of the zombie movie that was being filmed there in an earlier book. So now you have not only Sabreton people, but someone with a cadaver sniffing dog, and people out “hunting” zombies. There was a little bit of Andrew Sabreton’s new zombie life mixed into the story and I wonder if that will really fill out the last book. Not to mention a faux documentary film that threatens the zombies being discovered, with actual zombie footage. So much going on!
Pietro at first is talking about taking the zombies underground, disappearing till it blows over. But he soon will realize that might not work in this world wide web connection society. Along with that we find that a character we didn’t know actually knows what Angel is. I’d kind of wondered if that person had some knowledge. The FBI is sniffing around funeral homes. Dr. Cherish is back causing problems, there is so much going on!
I can’t even go into a lot of what happens because there is just a lot going on in this book. It was so good though, and I liked how Angel’s problem was handled. I could say there was also some crazy major stuff that happened to Angel at the end of the book, and I can’t WAIT to start the next book in June to find out just what comes from that.