Lisa

This was the PERFECT book to get me out of a long slump. It was just so different than anything I've ever read, not a formulaic thriller in the slightest. I'm so happy that the synopsis is as vague as it is, because the main big twist was completely unexpected. SO SO happy I did not get spoiled, I would have been so upset. I would have loved this had I known the reality show aspect, it's one of my favorite tropes! It was executed flawlessly. Very much like The Hunger Games/Escape Room. The last twist of the plane I saw coming, and was really like Escape Room. I thought it was super thrilling, I loved the challenges, and there were times when it went super dark. Daniel's “death” was super scary to me, and just the visuals of being alone at sea were terrifying. I loved the pacing of this book. The chapters were incredibly short and most ended on a little twist to keep you reading. I was super tense the whole way through because the wildness never stopped. I read this on kindle and I cannot believe it was nearly 500 pages. So fun, so original, so GOOD! 

Had heard this was more of a cozy mystery than a thriller, and it was, but much better than the cozies I've read. It's more like a mysterious contemporary. I loved the setup of a cooking show, how everyone got their own perspective, the setting, and the short chapters. The little sprinkles of sabotage were great. It was very slow, but honestly I liked the slow parts even more! The ending I found nicely wrapped up, but very quick and predictable. This is a read more for the vibes than anything else!

Can't believe I read something like this. I loved the world building, the tasks, and the powers and dragon pairing. It reminded me of Harry Potter and Divergent mixed together. The romance was just enough and didn't overpower the book. I am very proud of myself for finishing this (and liking it!!) it's so out of my comfort zone. Will be continuing the series!!!

Finally, a cozy mystery that I enjoyed! I loved the set of characters, but my only drawback was that there were a lot of them, and sometimes I got them mixed up. Loved the small time vibes and the fun candy/bookstore with “poison” chocolates as a concept. While some of the dialogue was unnatural (what tends to make me put down cozies) it wasn't unbearable. I think this is a promising series, and while I won't rush for the next one, I probably would continue! The characters would be much easier to keep track of in future books, I assume. 

I loved the beginning of this book and the epilogue. I loved poking fun at the retail world and the setting of Orsk. It felt so real and close to home, like it was written for me. Once the horror parts started I did not like it. I felt very confused as to what was happening and even though it was all in Orsk, I was taken out of the setting i loved at the beginning. 

The beginning was great but I feel like the last 1/4 of the book I was just being strung around. I loved the dual perspective, but it really went downhill when we just got one. I was super interested in what happened to Lee, and it feels like it was just tied up too perfectly. I am grateful to get some insight with the epilogueI thought this was on track to a 5 star, but the drawn out last chuck of the book docked it. The twists to me were predictable, but I still had fun

Loved Justin so much! He was a perfect love interest. I loved his story and reading about his siblings. I liked the setting of this one and the different dates Justin and Emma go on, and even the time spent together just shows a different type of love. The book even refers to everyday love; small things instead of cheesy romantic over-the-top scenarios, which I really appreciated. While it can be read as a stand alone, I really loved seeing Easter eggs of previous books in the series. Some connections really took me by surprise and I'm thankful I could understand their significance. My only negative is some scenes were too drawn out. 

This was fine, but there were a couple things that really bothered me. I hated the instalove, and how different the two love interests felt each “new” Valentine's Day. Their personalities shifted so much they felt like new characters. Also I thought the whole premise of repeating a day was great. But it ended halfway through?? That's really where my interest ended.I did love the Taylor Swift references throughout!!

I just don't think this author is for me. This is a reread from when it first came out because I wanted to give it another try. I found all of the characters unlikeable and one-dimensional. I didn't like the writing style, and the ending and big reveal was just meh to me. Many of the characters also read the same to me, and multiple times I had to go back to remind myself who I was reading about. The best part of the book was the gossip blog, and there wasn't nearly enough snippets to keep me interested. I think I wanted (and expected) it to be more like Pretty Little Liars, and if more secrets were revealed, or even some flashback chapters were incorporated, I think I would have liked it better. 

I had put off reading this for so long and finally gave it a chance and am so happy I did. This was so good. Elliott is perfect and so sweet and tender to Macy and I loved watching them grow up together. Friends to lovers is my favorite trope and this was so great, with the alternating then and now chapters. I loved the mentions of familial love sprinkled throughout and I lost my mind reading how her dad died all those years agoI can very very rarely get through a romance book, and it's even more rare to give a perfect rating. This book felt like a hug and I'm so glad I finally read it.