Jazmine Marie

i had high hopes for this book because i love the original story of peter pan, but i'm always up for a retelling. unfortunately, i felt like it fell flat for me because it seemed very rushed. i think it's only a little over 200 pages, and i feel like in order to really do the storyline justice, it needed to have been way more flushed out than it was. there were definitely good moments about the story, but in the end, it felt very incomplete.

the first two books of the series had a good balance of plot and smut that it felt like the story was moving along well. they were interesting with a bit of mystery and intrigue; they moved quickly while still giving enough detail to build a story. this one did not feel like that. i stopped in chapter 29, and it didn't feel like anything had happened other than the main character being sexed up, which i can appreciate, but this storyline is interesting and i wanted more.

Rebecca Carvalho's Salt and Sugar seems to be a modern retelling of Shakespeare's famous Romeo and Juliet, set against the backdrop of Olina, a small, tight-knit community in Brazil. The story focuses on Lari Ramirez, Pedro Molina, and their families' decades-old feud between their family-owned bakeries, Salt and Sugar, respectively. When Lari costs herself and her classmates extra credit in math class, she asks her teacher if she can do anything to reverse what she's done. Lari's teacher says that if she joins a particular club—one about to lose a member—for the rest of the semester, she'll give the class extra credit. Little does Lari know that the club is the Cooking Club, and the president is Pedro Molina. Besides deciding if she can work side by side with her worst enemy, her neighborhood is dealing with the impending arrival of a large chain grocery store, Deals Deals, which is wiping out all the family-owned businesses. Eventually, Salt and Sugar will also come under pressure from Deals Deals. Will Lari and Pedro be able to put aside the feud and come together to help their families' bakeries? And will Lari ever be able to grieve her grandmother's passing and convince her mother that she could be great inside Salt's kitchen instead of as an accountant? Carvalho's debut novel encompasses spectacular elements: excellent writing, well-developed and well-rounded characters, an enemies-to-lovers trope, and a strong message that any reader can take something away from. Not to mention, the novel's incorporation of Northeastern Brazil's cultural bond elevates this modern retelling from good to great. Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho is an absolute must-read for teens and young adults.

duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude this series had me fucked up. like, in the best possible way. shit! it was good. not gonna lie, some books were definitely slower than others including this one, but this series truly had be on my toes and constantly wanting more. this book, like i said, was a bit slower than some of the other ones in the series, but was by far the best one. yeah, of course, we love a happy ending, but i certainly loved the journey to getting there especially in this book. we see bernie and the boys' relationships heat up, both emotionally and physically (chapter 20...hot fucking damn!) which was really nice. finally, all of them opening up to one another. and the end had me all kinds of sobbing...C.M Stunich really had me going, and i was about to pissed like no other. it all worked out in the end though, and i felt content with their happily ever after. although, i want more of their little family.

i really did enjoy this book. i was surprised though by how low-stakes it was for a mafia romance novel. the main character really only has two major moments that could've been make or break for her, and she comes out unscathed. i'm obviously happy that nothing happens to her or the guys, but i was certainly surprised, and almost a little bored. there wasn't a lot of suspense or plot twists which i usually expect in books like these. without them, the book felt a little slow in places while in others, it felt like the author was incredibly vague with what was happening. i felt like it could have been longer just for detail alone. also, i could've used a looooooooot more spice. chica has three dudes, and they don't get it on a whole bunch??? overall, it was fine, and i'm at least intrigued enough to read part two.

this book was rough. i really wanted to give it a chance, but it was so incredibly cheesy, didn't read as realistic, and jumped all over the place. the author constanly went back to describing the guys as if she'd never described them before–i understand emphasizing their attractiveness, but it felt so repetitive. it also didn't seem to have a good sense of organization to it. i constantly felt like new information was being given at the oddest of times instead of in places where it made sense. the dialogue and word choice was incredibly cheesy–it never felt realistic to how anyone talks, let alone these types of characters. it wasn't great.

as someone who used to be in a boyband fandom, i both disliked and liked the way fangirls were portrayed in this book. i loved that the idea was to show how powerful fangirls, girls in general, are. we can do so much when we put our mind to it, but why do it in a “stalkery” kind of way. i have seen girls exactly like this in the fandom, but why point it out if the point is to showcase fangirls in a good light. overall, i liked the book and the point it was making. there was some really good comedic lines throughout which genuinely made me laugh. would i read it again? probably not, but it was worth the read.

main character: ayla
the guys: marcus, ryland, and theo

summary:
ayla goes to a club and makes a brief connection with a guy from across the room (this guys turns out to be marcus constantine). ayla decides that she's done with the club, heads outside, sees marcus and two others waiting on the curb. as she's deciding how to proceed, ayla sees a car pull up with a gun pointed directly at marcus' back. for some inexplicable reason, ayla decides to jump in front of the shot, thereby saving their lives. when we flash forward to the present, we find out that ayla has lost a part of her arm because of that night. after leaving the bar she works at, ayla is almost mugged, but marcus and the two other mystery dudes save her. this leads to them deciding to step out of hiding to actually be in her life after having been in it without her knowledge since the night of the shooting. what she doesn't know is that having them in her life is not necessarily going to be the easiest thing.

my thoughts:
overall, i liked it. it had a different take for a reverse harem storyline. but, as much as i realize reading is about suspending disbelief, some of the plot didn't quite make sense to me. first off, ayla didn't even know marcus and the guys...why did she feel so pressed to save him? like, i get glancing at someone from across the room and feeling something, but like enough to potentially die for that person...? also, realistically, any girl that found out she'd been stalked for two years (cause that's what marcus and the guys did) would run for the hills screaming, not fall into their arms. but, i get it's just a story. i'm not gonna lie– it's a nice idea thinking that you have these three dudes just trying to keep you safe. and like, their hot or whatever. i did really like that ayla had something that she had to grapple with after the shooting, but that she was doing a good job of handling it. she's a good heroine for sure. the guys were the usual combo of: one that is the leader and has the first/strongest connection to the heroine, another that is the comedic relief at times and quickly connects with the girl, and lastly, the one who tries to stay away for the sake of the girl, but comes off as hating her. all in all a classic reverse harem that i really enjoyed.