#ireadalot

This is what I wanted Reputation to be TBH.

The oldest daughter of her family, sandwiched between three older brothers, two younger sisters, and a younger brother, Daphne Bridgerton is no stranger to chaos and cunning. Her mother has made it her primary mission to aid Daphne in finding a suitor. Daphne, while popular in town, has been unable to secure a proposal from anyone worthwhile. Things get shaken up when Daphne meets Simon, a Duke that unlike Daphne has no desire for marriage or children. They form an unusual if not wildly entertaining agreement to fake a courtship to get would be suitors and their mothers off Simon’s back and to attract attention to Daphne to help her attract a qualified suitor. Things take an unexpected twist when Daphne and Simon fall for one another. Will Daphne be able to convince Simon to seek happiness?

This is very much Gossip Girl set in Regency London and I quite enjoyed it. There were a few things that bothered me including: Daphne deciding to go against Simon’s wishes and really take it to the level of r@pe when she had otherwise been so understanding of his hangups with his speech impediment and wanting to help him heal. These things do not track. Also, Daphne being so knowledgeable of things from her : older brothers but then being hopefully uneducated about “marital duties” and conception when it came time for her to marry. Overall, I found this charming and was glad to see that Simon was able to move past the issues with his father and be happy in his own right and that he and Daphne were genuinely happy together. The second epilogue was also entertaining.

This did not go at all like I expected but it was delightful!

This opens on what would have been Dani’s wedding night. She’s fresh off a break up and looking to bounce back. Plotting to get revenge on her ex and make some cash along the way, she and her cousin devise a plan to buy the lot next to her would be/former house that her ex still lives in and use it as a rental property. Things get serious when her new landlady offers to partner with them. A series of awkward events ends with Dani asking if the stuffy and arrogant hot shot architect at her firm will serve as architect on the project. One thing leads to another and their working relationship gets a steamy upgrade. After a big fight, the two are forced to accept that they’ve been projecting bad behavior from their exes onto one another and jumping to toxic conclusions. Will these two find a way to untangle the mess they’ve created and find happiness once more?

I thought this was going to be a bit more like enemies to lovers but it really ended up being lovers to enemies and the realization that the person you judged a certain way is actually pretty rad type trope. There were a few things that were a tad bit cliché like the way Wyatt and Dani originally ran into one another in the bar. I was so very happy when Dani and her cousin have the very real conversation about projection versus reality and that it leads to some introspection and quality communication. You love to see it! Growth plus a cute love story is a win for me.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a lovers to enemies with revenge plot!

This was a fast paced mystery turned thriller.

The Home Group is a collection of who is who in Hollywood ranging from up and coming celebrities, to musicians, to household Hollywood names. Known for their highbrow, even higher dollar club houses, The Home Group is celebrating the opening of their most ambitious launch yet – a private island. Things in this supposed sanctuary are about to get wild when the food chain of the group is thrown into disarray and those who normally place nice are out for revenge. Once you’re on the list of this exclusive club, there is no getting out.

This book combines the best aspects of The Guest List (one of my faves from 2021!), Savages, and Rock Paper Scissors. I love a good revenge plot and this had quite the twisty turn string of connections and revelations at play. Simply because there were so many characters, it did get a tad hard to keep straight but this was great. TW: drug and alcohol use, cheating, manipulation, murder, and car crash.

I’d recommend for anyone looking for a good follow up to Good Rich People or The Guest List.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ - 4/5 Summary: ☠️🎭💔

I’ve started really enjoying these short stories when I’m not sure what to jump into next.

A Toronto native reflects on her childhood being raised as the child of a single mother claiming to be a witch.

This was a fun and yet also deep story. It’s reminded me some of Magic Lessons. I recommend for fans who enjoy mother/daughter chaos with a sprinkle of magic.

This was delightful!

Meddy is a successful wedding photographer who joined the family wedding business after college. Her Ma and Aunties are desperate to get her married off. There is just one problem: no one Meddy meets measures up her college sweetheart, Nathan, the guy she ended things with so he could guilt-free pursue his dreams in NY and she could stay home and help her family. Things go a bit haywire when Meddy is forced to go on a date with a guy Meddy’s mom catfished into thinking was her. The fiascos keep brewing but can Meddy brew up some courage to save her love life before he slips away again?

This absolutely kept me on my heels all the way through. A great blend of humor, self discovery and growth, suspense, and a sprinkle of romance. I’ve rarely pulled for a fictional couple as hard as I was pulling for Meddy and Nathan (and pulling AGAINST Jacqueline and Tom!). I highly recommend for those who enjoy a good suspense-filled comedy.

An important message about confidence and fighting for what you want and deserve: “you is kind, you is smart, you is important.” Seriously don’t let others tell you that you’re not.

Savannah enjoys her job as an editor at an established publishing house. She also has a passion project on the side she’s been nursing along for a few years - a romance novel. There is just one problem, her current editor-in-chief doesn’t care for or entertain fiction. The pages of her life all go up the in the air literally and figuratively when a new staff member comes on board and shakes things up. Will Savannah have the courage and inspiration to follow her dreams?

I really enjoyed this book. I love reading/ writing and editing is my abandoned passion. I enjoyed the raw emotion of Savannah’s passion to bring her book to publication and the admitted blind spots of editing your own works. I would have welcomed some spice, and a dash more humor. I’d like to see a sequel with the new structure of the company and some more hi-jinx and an ARC room scene or two. I’d recommend to those who enjoy a feel good book about going after what you want.