Hello and welcome to Mini Review Mondays! In my June Wrap Up post, I talked about how I wasn’t writing reviews lately. Instead of writing full reviews for all the books I read, I decided to write mini reviews for some books and put it all in one post. Check it out!
I received To Be Your Last as an ARC via Netgalley last month. This is a series by Rae Kennedy and TBYL was the third book in the series. I like that each book can be read as a stand alone. When reading Gracie’s story, I didn’t feel like I missed anything from the previous books; this was solely her journey. TBYL was a quick read. We follow goody two shoes Gracie as she runs away from home with a band on their tour. She lives a summer full of adventure, love, and heartbreak. This book was enjoyable. It started off slow in the beginning, I found the writing to be cheesy sometimes. But towards the middle and end, the writing got a lot better. I was hooked with Gracie and Colin’s love story. I wished there was more of them. TBYL ended abruptly; I would’ve loved an epilogue with the two of them. All in all, I found this to be a great s ummer read and I wouldn’t mind reading the other books in the series.
RATING: 3.5/5 STARS
I stumbled upon Kennedy Ryan’s new release, Queen Move, on bookstagram. I was happy to discover a black author and I was not disappointed! Queen Move is my favorite read for June and has made Kennedy Ryan one of my favorite authors. Her writing is amazing. She hooked me onto Kimba and Ezra’s love story from the beginning. We follow the two main characters from childhood into adulthood and witness their journey from friends to lovers. After almost two decades of separation, the fire that was lit in Kimba and Ezra’s preteens has grown to a full flame now as adults. With secrets, lies, and life changing events, it looks like being together is not in the cards for them. I LOVED Queen Move. I loved Kimba and Ezra. I loved the raw passion and real emotion that they exuded. Kennedy Ryan made me fall in love with these two characters; I was rooting for them SO HARD! I loved everything about this book and that’s why it’s my first five star read for 2020.
RATING: 5/5 STARS
I wrote a post a few months back about books I wanted to reread this year. For some reason, Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan was not on the list. I reread it anyways…for the fourth time. I honestly read Archer’s Voice at least once a year. This is one of my favorite romance books and Mia is one of my favorite authors. Set in the small town of Pelion, it’s a love story about Bree, a girl running away from home after tragedy hits, and Archer, a mute recluse, who also has gone through tragedy. This story is so well written and beautiful, I couldn’t help all the feels that slammed into me. The way that Bree and Archer’s feelings grow for each other is slow and steady, which is just they way I like it. There’s nothing I disliked or would change about Archer’s Voice. Funny enough, I’ve actually never wrote a review about this book. Actually, now that I’m realizing it, I don’t usually write reviews for my favorite books. Huh.
RATING: 5/5 STARS
Sex and Vanity was another ARC that I received from Doubleday Books via Netgalley. After reading the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy in 2018, I found Kevin Kwan’s writing to be something I never experienced before. Reading his books are like watching a guilty pleasure soap opera, and I don’t mind that one bit. Sex and Vanity is a retelling of A Room With A View by E.M. Forster, which I’ve never read. While reading, I couldn’t help but compare it to CRA. It’s very similar in writing style. The plot follows Lucie Churchill, a girl torn between two heritages. She’s half-Asian and half-white and finds herself suppressing her Asian side in favor of her Caucasian side. Because of this, she tries so hard not to fall in love with George Zao, a Chinese-Australian guest at her friend’s wedding in Italy. Five years after the tumultuous ending to that week in Italy, a newly engaged Lucie faces George again, much to her disdain, but her heart’s desire. Sex and Vanity was entertaining enough. There were funny moments here and there. The side characters were over-dramatized. Lucie and George lacked depth, and there wasn’t much of them two together so I really didn’t buy the romance. If there was less brand name dropping and more Lucie and George, I would’ve enjoyed this book more.
RATING: 3/5 STARS
I just realized that these were all romance books. I really enjoyed writing this! More Mini Review Mondays to come!
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