Fall Reading Wrap Up

I read some of my favorite and least favorite books this September and October so I thought I would share some of my thoughts on them in real time here.

I really really REALLY wanted to like this book more than I did because I love f1 and I had heard such great things about it, but I also really didn’t like it. I had a hard time with the writing style because at times I liked it and other times it seemed like a fan fiction.

In terms of the F1 information I think the author tried her best but the fact that the races were not in correct order as they traveled drove me nuts! I thought the explanations about F1 things seemed done in a clunky way where as a fan I didn’t need them and maybe if I didn’t know about f1 I’d want them but I may have preferred footnotes instead.

I found the relationship between the main couple really childish and unrealistic these two barely know each other and he takes her on this date, she says no, he hooks up with someone, goes to therapy for a month and comes and kisses her neck the first time he sees her?!?! That’s not how a normal person would try and win someone back!!!

I also kind of wish she had a different job then just vlogging her brother. There are a lot of really cool women in the social media scene for formula one and I think it would have been cool for her to do something like that. I also had a hard time connecting with the female lead in general.

Spoiler: Maya would never be allowed near the drivers radio! Neither would the owner of the team also would not speak over the radio that would be the team principal and the rest of the logistics team. This was something small but as a fan of the sport drove me nuts

This is the second book in this series and I adored the first book and read it in a day, so if you haven’t read the first book than maybe don’t read this review because of spoilers for that.

Now that we know she’s a siren and the daughter of the pirate king, we see a lot more of Alosa’s abilities. Riden being her prisoner with his brother made me sad at the start, but I saw the vision. A different vibe from the first book but I can’t put my finger on it.

I wish the author had included more with Riden and Alosa because their interacts have been my favorite part of the books. I missed that a bit and their relationship felt a little bit rushed at the end because they had been avoiding their feelings

I know it’s the point but I hated her dad and that guy who kissed up to him and thought he had a chance with Alosa. Overall I really loved this series and would highly recommend it to everyone.

I picked this book up on a whim when I bought a different book because they were buy one 50% and I was so surprised this was a 4.75 star book for me! The characters were so lovable and really easy to connect with. Wanda is my favorite character of them all, she’s the main characters best friend and is 80 years old. She’s hilarious and has so much sass but also amazing wisdom to offer. I also love the main male character Aiden’s daughter Sophie. She is so sassy and an oblivious little angel, but also a really good plot directing character.

I was so surprised by how much I loved the writing style of this book. It was so beautifully written and all of the intimate scenes were also well written. It was a nice surprise to pick this up and have the whole thing be really really well written and well paced.

Spoilers: I hated how she pushed herself away and pushed Aiden away in order to protect him and Sophie from Iris even though she was so miserable. I hated Iris as a character, which I knew was the point, but god there was very little sympathy I had for her behavior.

First of all this cover is so so beautiful! Second, this book has magical traditional tea ceremonies, a poison tea and assassin, court politics in the palace, and a banished prince! The descriptions of the magical tea and the ceremonies are so beautiful. I also really loved Ning, the female character, I thought she was really brave and a strong female character. I will say you will want to buy the second book with the first, cause the cliff hanger is too much for me.

I also really liked Ruyi, but the crown Princess took some time to grow on me because I felt like there were times that I couldn’t trust her. I wish we had learned more about Ruyi, because I found her character and relationship with Zhen really interesting.

I do really like that there is romance in this book, with really good banter between the two leads, but that it isn’t the main focus. The female character is determined to save her little sister from the poison tea and win the competition. I also love how she grows into her magical abilities all on her own.

Spoilers: I feel like they threw the assassin thing in and didn’t loop it around too much, but I hope the second book brings them in more with the poisonous tea bricks. I’m so mad at Kang right now!! I really hope the second book he gets a redemption arch.

This is also a second book in a series, and I knew I was going to like it, but I didn’t know I was going to like it this much! This is definitely a 6/5 comfort book for me! I adore Russ and Aurora. I love how the entire team is involved still and we get to see everyone so much. I was a little worried about it being set at a kids summer camp, but it was done really well. I thought it was random, but not that random cause the author is a fan, that her dad owned a formula one team. Overall it was such a heartwarming book and I could honestly talk about it and all of the characters so much.

I already know, because Henry’s book is next, that Russ and this book will be my favorite in the series. I love how he is so awkward but also really flirty. He’s definitely my type and probably my number one book boyfriend at the moment.

I really loved how Russ and Aurora both grow together individually and as a couple. They had such healthy communication in this book, which I really appreciated! Spoiler: I love how Aurora calls Russ out when they’re leaving the camp for the summer and refuses to leave until they speak like adults and communicate properly even though that is something hard for her to do.

So I’m reading this series because I want to read Once Upon a Broken Heart Series, but i had heard great things. In the end I really enjoyed this book, but it took me a little while to get into it and really get hooked on it. I felt like there was so much going on while still being a little bored and not hooked. It took me until I got to the second half of the book to really hook myself in. There were so many twists and turns and I did really enjoy that because I was constantly on my toes while reading this book.

I hate their dad with a burning passion and I don’t love Tella, but I hope since the second book is hers that I’ll learn to like her more. I thought Scarlet was a really interesting character to follow as the main character, but I absolutely loved Julian!

Spoilers: The fact that Julian gave up a day of his life for her without a second thought and then got slashed in the face by Scarlet’s father was everything!! I had so many questions and thoughts once I got to the party scene and we learn more about how Julian is connected to Legend. I feel like I still have a million more questions, but I am waiting for the second book before I try and ask them all!

I have had this book saved for months! I decided at one point over the summer to save it for the fall and around halloween to have a fantasy fall reading list. And I’m so glad that I did because it was the perfect intro to the halloween season. This was described to me as Pride and Prejudice meets Howl’s moving castle and I would say that is so spot on accurate. Elias is basically Howl and I adore Howl so I’m not complaining.

I thought the entire plot of this book following Theodora struggling to have half of her soul taken by a Fae who takes it back to a magical realm. She manages to protect herself with a pair of iron scissors, but she can’t feel emotions the way others do and her eyes have one that is drained of color. I also love that Elias has golden eyes!

Overall this is a quick read and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes either series, but I’d give it a 4 because it wasn’t my favorite book I read but I did enjoy it a lot.

Spoilers: I’m a little sad that they didn’t get into more detail about why her mother sold her to the fae, except for the fact that she needed money to marry her father. I just wish we had gotten a little more information about that.

This was the only Halloween book that I had on my list that I got to and I really enjoyed it! It is a short and easy book to read. This follows Vivi and Rhys, an ex fling who she accidentally cursed when she was drunk in college. Through a series of events Rhys ends up coming back to the town they met in from Whales and his curse goes not only into full swing for him, but also the town. This book follows their rekindling romance as well as how they have to solve the curse.

I really liked how the magic was written and described in this book. It felt a lot like Halloween town or practical magic and I really enjoyed it. I thought that Rhys and Vivi were both also enjoyable characters so it wasn’t hard to follow along with their story. There were many moments where I was laughing out loud either from their banter or the way the magic was behaving in certain scenes. However, I did find this book at times a little too predictable, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it at all.

Overall I don’t have too many thoughts on this book. It wasn’t my favorite book I read in the last two months, but it was definitely still a really good book to read. I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the second book which follows Rhys’s brother and Vivi’s cousin, but who knows.