Kristin
SPOILERS I don't know what it was, but I was hooked on this story by chapter 3. The tension is so good. You clearly see both character's feelings for each other because of the dual point of view but they obviously don't know each other's perspective. I think if the book were any longer, it would have been too much build up. I enjoyed the character development within Kate and her figuring out what is best for her and realizations from her past. One thing I did not like however was the portrayal in the initial chapters of Kate - that she was just stringing Brody along for their entire friendship when they were in school. It was more from secondary characters than Brody; however, it gave the vibe that she “owed” him something when men and women can just be friends. I also did not like at the end when Brody was so upset about her going on the trip to London. Should she have spoken with Brody about what transpired between them? Yes. However, he KNEW about the trip. This wasn't her fleeing the morning after for no reason. He was well aware of this trip and yet he still used that as an excuse to write her off.
This book was cute. I did enjoy reading it; however, it felt like it lacked depth. Which is fine but I didn't feel engaged with the characters. Some of the character development felt extremely rushed.
Thank you yo A.R Schilling for providing an early copy!
I very much enjoyed this book. The story has so much potential. I adore these characters. If you enjoy dystopian/fantasy with a found family trope, I feel like you will enjoy this.
The thing that kept me from giving this 5 stars is that it felt like it lacked cohesion at times. Every once in a while, I'll read a book that, for whatever reason, will not mesh with my brain. I know that I enjoyed this book; however, it felt disjointed, and it made the story confusing at times. I think this has really good bones. And it may just need a bit of a polish since it's a debut novel. OR maybe i just need to reread it.
I will say the tension in this book is chefs kiss. The author really kept me guessing and on my toes a bit.
First of all - thank you so much @JulieOliviaAuthor for allowing me to read an arc of this absolute masterpiece.
Julie Olivia describes this book as her “love letter to both the autumn months and the late 90s” and she sure does deliver.
I have been on the hunt for a cozy fall read for weeks. When I saw the teasers for this book, I just had a feeling it would be exactly what I was looking for. I can not describe my adoration for this book. Julie Olivia transports you to a simpler time - a time with no cell phones, no social media, and all the nostalgic fall elements a lot of us grew up with. This is the grungy, cozy, small town fall we all dream about.
I absolutely loved that this was a grumpy FMC and a sunshine MMC. The character development alone is incredible (including the dog... HOW do you create character development for a DOG??). If all of that doesn't sell you on this book, her prose is amazing. I had so many highlights it's bananas. Also, the epilogue made me sob (in a good way - don't worry)
I absolutely cannot recommend this book enough in general but ESPECIALLY during these upcoming months. Do yourselves a favor and move it to the top of your TBR. This is hands down going to be my favorite read this fall and bare minimum in my top 5 reads of the year.
I love everything about this series!!! I have a love hate relationship with the fact that it's a slow burn but I'm so so invested. I need book 3 ASAP!
I believe this is my first time reading a romantic suspense novel and to be honest it through me off. The cutesy romantic moments juxtaposed with the mystery/suspense was odd. To me it felt like while the story was complete, I was craving a more rounded out romance or a more true suspense/mystery. The resolution of the novel felt cliche. I do not mean this is a bad way, more so that it was a bit underwhelming because of the clichés. Overall, I just felt like I kept wanting more from the mystery, from the characters. I will say the chronic pain representation was incredibly thought out and detailed. You can very clearly tell it is something that is very close to the author's heart.
I have so many thoughts on this book. I want to start by saying I had such high hopes for this book. I wanted this book to be amazing so badly. What drew me into this book initially was it was marketed as Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls. And quite literally every single post the author made stated this. That is essentially all that was given to us unless you read the synopsis on Goodreads or a retail website. To this point, the book missed the mark. The book encompasses magic in a small town, which seems to be the only necessary criteria for this categorization.
The story itself was messy. The writing felt all over the place and at times I had a hard time following. There was simply far too much detail for things that didn't serve a purpose. I don't need to know what every herbs magical property in in every baked good in the cafe. There were things that took me out of the story. At one point the main character says she feels like Elsa. Also, I doubt witches would use young living thieves essential oils... are we promoting an MLM or reading a fall witchy novel?
The plot lines felt extremely under developed. The romance plot was hard to get invested in. There wasn't a lot of interaction between the main characters. We're told there was a falling out of sorts a decade ago but never given detail. Some of the plot points felt very cliche - grandma has cancer and the heroine does whatever she can to cure it, love interest's fiancé faked a pregnancy. I also did not like the religious elements but that may just be a me preference.
Onto the main character Sadie... overall she was just extremely unlikable. She came across as thinking she can do no wrong and is better than everyone else. Also she steals a dog and never gives it back? I'm sorry what?
Overall this book felt poorly edited (ex. “...being normal is an oxymoron.”) and structured (I.e. incomplete sentences). The concept of a witchy small town book is great but this completely missed the mark and should have gone back to the plotting stage.
If you have not read The Umbra King, go read it NOW so you can read this when it releases on 3/28. If you like morally grey characters you will love these characters (there's not just one). It's spicy fantasy but has a plot that keeps you hooked. This book broke me and healed me and then broke me again... and then healed me again... and then the teaser for the spin off broke me again. Sam
I adored Garrett and Jennie. I identified with Jennie because I don't have many friends and making friends as an adult is sooooo hard. Plus I'm a sucker for a brother's friend romance.
ARC Review - I have no words. This book was AMAZING. The story, the characters, just everything. Even down to details that can sometimes get annoying if they aren't explained. For example does anyone know what Sunball is in Crescent City? It's never explained. But the sport in this is explained. It may seem minor but I just mention it to emphasize how I was not confused about one thing in this book. And man oh many when she says it ends on a cliffhanger she does mean it.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I could only give it 4 stars. I am very much a mood reader and my reviews tend to be based on how books made me feel and how much I wanted to keep reading. Did I ever want to DNF this book? No. But could I not put it down? Also no. But that's not to say it's a bad thing. This book felt like a vacation. I read is leisurely and didn't feel that panicked ‘I need to know what happens but don't want this to end' feeling. I enjoyed the journey. If you liked Good Girl Complex or any of the Off Campus/Briars U books, I think you'll enjoy this.
All of the stars!!! I borrowed this from Libby and my library doesn't yet have book 2 so I am immediately purchasing to jump right into it. I ADORE this book. It definitely was a slow burn for me (not referencing romance here). I was intrigued in the beginning but it just get pulling me in more and more and I NEED to know what happens. Off to read book 2!
I cannot say enough about this book. The prose is beautifully written. It very much gives me a dreamy, magical, dreary PNW vibe which is everything to me TBH. The twists and turns in this book will keep you guessing until the very end. This murder mystery is laced with magic and tension and heartbreak. I still cannot stop thinking about this story.
Thank you to netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book!
There is quite literally nothing i love more than a brother's best friend romance. I very much enjoyed the character development and appreciate that there was no miscommunication trope. I adore Nash Carter. Cowboys, hockey, AND brother's best friend? SIGN ME UP!
This book had me hooked. First of all, I would love nothing more than to be a librarian. I identified with Marcela in her love for books, how she related to books from the time she was a kid, how she felt about her body at times, and just kind of that feeling of being a backup or second choice. Maybe that makes me biased. Maybe that bias also carries over into fantasizing about the football star sweeping you off your feet. Either way, I loved this book. Theo and Marcela's chemistry was amazing. I kept rooting for them the whole way through. While I'm not typically a fan of the miscommunication trope, the way the author tackled this trope was refreshing and I found myself really enjoying it. It gave the book just the right amount of angst. I highly recommend this book.
I'm DNF-ing this book. I'm usually on board for a hockey romance. However, this needs to be heavily edited. The concept could be successful but I couldn't even make it to the actual plot because the grammar and word usage was so terrible. The tense the author was writing in was constantly changing, even from one sentence to the next. If you do want to go into this book for the plot, just be prepared. I'm sure the story itself is great. I wish I could have made it through.
I very much enjoyed this book. However, I could not give it 5 stars as the pacing seemed a bit off. As the story progressed, it seemed as if the climax would be happening quite quickly. Some of the events that progressed the story felt gratuitous at times and a bit much. I quite liked the progression of the story after what felt to be the initial climax. I enjoyed the resolution as well. The characters were well written and quirky.
I adored this book. I was hooked from the second to last sentence of the first chapter - “Please remember me, Gemma”. We've seen time loop stories again and again. But I loved this take because typically in time loops, we see the moment of realization from the only person who knows they're in a time loop. The story progresses by the main character needing to convince everyone around them and/or stop the loop themselves. I love that this inverts this. At the end of chapter 1 we are set up with the understanding that someone else knows they're in a loop but the main character whose perspective we're seeing isn't that person. I also loved the element of familial struggles. The way out of this glitch is not just one event or one person or one choice. Jack has my heart.
Wow... I have no words... this book picked up so much from book 1. There was so much more action and adventure and romance. And you learn so much more to the back story. AND THAT ENDING. I can't believe that ending. This book isn't even out until May and I need book 3 NOW. I need to know if Kane finds Amelia and seeks his revenge. I need to know if he's too late in rescuing Arwen from being father's wife. I NEED TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS. Also Ryder sucks. and Griffin and Mari need to get together already.
4.5 stars!
Wow... I have no words... this book picked up so much from book 1. There was so much more action and adventure and romance. And you learn so much more to the back story. AND THAT ENDING. I can't believe that ending. This book isn't even out until May and I need book 3 NOW. I need to know if Kane finds Amelia and seeks his revenge. I need to know if he's too late in rescuing Arwen from being father's wife. I NEED TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS. Also Ryder sucks. and Griffin and Mari need to get together already.