Accelerated Reader: Volume 9
“Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop” by Roselle Lim (Bookshop | Kindle) - 4.25/5
I adored this book — it was charming, and I don’t use that descriptor often. Vanessa was an adorable protagonist, and I loved the magical realism that permeated the book. Vanessa’s unique abilities — and her unwilingness to accept them for so much of her life — added such a fun element to this multi-generational romance. Vanessa, and her Aunt Evelyn, are able to tell fortunes, and in order to get Vanessa to accept her gift, there’s a whirlwind trip to Paris. It made me miss travel, it made me miss my nutty family, and it really (really) made me miss French food. I’ve also read Roselle Lim’s first book, and again, she does such a wonderful job creating a slightly-more-magical-than-normal world and some amazing supporting characters — everyone in this book was a treat.
“You Had Me at Hola” by Alexis Daria (Bookshop | Kindle) - 4/5
This soapy — and super steamy! — book got me through a sick day last week; it was like watching a telenovela, and I mean that in the absolute best way. Jasmine, an aspiring leading lady, has the opportunity of her career: starring as Carmen, a PR professional with a complicated romantic history, on a Netflix-esque show. Enter her romantic foil, Ashton — her co-star, her crush, her lover, and her biggest source of frustration. They immediately have chemistry, which of course they act on; I want to warn you, I was blushing a little bit at how explicit some of these written scenes were. However, the book isn’t just about their whirlwind romance: there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes of filming a TV show (which I enjoyed), and we get to watch Jasmine grow up and come into herself as a leading lady. It was funny, it was snarky, it was sexy, and it had a lot of heart. Plus, I’d love to watch “Carmen in Charge” — hear that, Neflix?
“Well Played” by Jen DeLuca (Bookshop | Kindle) - 4/5
I read and reviewed “Well Met” last summer, and I was excited to get another summer with my Willow Creek Renaissance Faire friends. While I loved Emily and Simon’s love story, I may have liked Stacey and Dex/Duncan’s even more! Stacey, everyone’s favorite friendly tavern wench, feels stuck in her life, and one night (after one too many glasses of wine), she sends a Facebook message that changes her life. Some people use “cute” as a pejorative term, or a while to make a book seem little, but when I say that this book was “cute", I mean it as the highest praise. The romance was cute, the Renaissance Faire setting is cute, and Stacey is a cute protaganist — all in all, a feel good romance with a fun setting and some real characters.
“Loathe at First Sight” by Suzanne Park (Bookshop | Kindle) - 3.5/5
What do you get when you combine video game design, cute interns, and an up-and-coming talented woman? “Loathe at First Sight,” a workplace romance set at an incredibly toxic video game company. Ultimately, it was fun, but it wasn’t memorable. I do remember the ending, and it was definitely swoony, but a lot of the details escape me. Admittedly, I’ve never been a gamer, so some of those details weren’t quite as interesting to me, but I did appreciate the in-depth look at this stereotypical tech-bro-y work environment. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of the toxic masculinity was exaggerated, and it was infuriating. I did love Melody and her journey of self-discovery in the book, but at times, the culture, toxic men, and the video-game-language distracted me from what I was looking for from this book: pure fluff.
“The Right Swipe” by Alisha Rai (Bookshop | Kindle) - 3.75/5
When I posted about my desire to diversify my reading earlier this year, several friends mentioned that I would love Alisha Rai’s romances, and honestly, they weren’t wrong. This was my first of her books, but I can definitively say that it won’t be the last (I have the sequel on my Kindle, just waiting for a train ride north this weekend). As someone who has unsuccessfully used dating apps during the pandemic, this dive into a fictional world about rival dating app companies was a fun escape, and I adored Rhi and Samson’s story. Their chemistry was compelling, but their emotional connection really was the best part of the book for me. Rhi’s growth and Samson’s support was just so refreshing and realistic, and I would definitely love to use Rhi’s app, tbh.
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