Tag: breakups

REVIEW: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

REVIEW: The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Florence Day is a ghostwriter for a best-selling romance novelist. But since her big break up a year ago, she has struggled with the happily-ever-after world of romance. She thought maybe, with a new editor, she could convince her publisher to let “Ann Nichols” try something different. No dice. Benji Andor, the editor, said the book was due on schedule – the day after their meeting.

Later that night, Florence ran into her ex, ran into Benji, KISSED Benji, and then found out her father died. Any thought of finishing the book flew out of her head as she returned to Marimont – to her family, to the family funeral home, and to the ghosts.

Florence and her father were able to see ghosts. And it’s a power that only caused trouble for Florence as a teen. But when Florence sees the ghost of Benji in Mairmont, she can’t ignore her gift any more.

Review

This was delightful! I loved all of it – the characters, the writerly bits, the romance, the family drama. All of it!

Ultimately this feels like Florence’s journey back to herself – after her breakup, after writer’s block, after fleeing her family and her home. And her journey is supremely satisfying! The romance was a happy extra to a great character story.

I have loved Ashley Poston’s YA work since I first read Geekerella. This is a slight departure as it is an adult romance instead of a young adult book, but it is easily as good as her other stories. Contemporary romance fans, paranormal romance fans, and Poston fans should absolutely check this book out! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ – I loved it! Would re-read.

BLOG TOUR: The Mall by Megan McCafferty

BLOG TOUR: The Mall by Megan McCafferty

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Welcome to the BLOG TOUR for The Mall by Megan McCafferty. I am so happy to have you here today! Let’s talk about The Mall.

Summary

Cassie Worthy’s senior year (Go, Class of 1991!) did not finish as she planned. With the worst case of mono her doctor had ever seen, she was down for over a month. No prom. No graduation. But through it all, her boyfriend, Troy, was loyal, caring, and dedicated. They were moving steadily toward their plan for college – different schools, but in the same university system. And they even worked together at the cookie shop at the mall.

All of that fell apart the moment Cassie was well enough to step back into her life.  No job, no boyfriend, and even her big college plan was tainted.

While Cassie is still trying to figure out what just happened to her, she knows she needs another job asap – something at the mall, but far from Troy and the cookie shop. The one she finds leads her to an old friend, a secret stash of Cabbage Patch dolls – and a hunt through the mall for treasure!

Review

This was a delightful walk down memory lane! Stripped down to its core, this is a familiar tale of bouncing back after a break up, rediscovering an old friend, and preparing for the launch to college. And it’s a good version of those common story elements. I loved the characters in this. I cared about Cassie’s break-up recovery, and I thoroughly enjoyed her relationship with Drea. On its own, that made for a solidly good story.

But setting this in the early 90s at the mall made this nostalgia heaven for me. The clothes, the music, the cassette tapes and answering machines. Cassie had to go to the mall book store to research something; there’s no cell phone or Google. Someone in the book got a pre-paid calling card as a gift. It was perfect! While some pieces were nostalgic, others were hilarious! I enjoyed every minute of this.

My only hesitation here is that I’m not sure if the target audience will have the same reaction or appreciation for the 90s pieces of this. The core story will stand on its own, but will the 90s references be a distraction? Or will they make this as magical for other readers as they did for me?  All I can say for sure is that I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I recommend it. Be sure to check out The Mall by Megan McCafferty!

(Language, sex, sexual references, TW: assault reference)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

REVIEW: 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Sophie is happy to let her parents leave town for Christmas to go help her pregnant older sister. She’ll spend the holiday with her grandparents and large extended family. In fact, she’ll be heading there after her parents leave. Although maybe not as quickly as they assume.

Sophie is hoping to spend a few hours with her boyfriend, Griffin, before going to her grandparents. This is a perfect time for them to have quality alone time. If only she can find him! He doesn’t answer his phone when she first calls. Sophie finally finds him at a party. And overhears him say he was glad when he thought she would be gone for Christmas break because he thinks he wants to break up with her.

Sophie is devastated. She cries most of the way to her grandparents’ house. And she tells her Nonna all about it. By the next day, her whole extended family knows. and before the humiliation even sets in, her grandmother has gotten the bright idea to have the family set her up on some blind dates over the holiday to help her shake off this bad break up. The humiliation knows no end!

Review

A delight from start to finish! This is now the book I am telling everyone about. I absolutely adored this. The premise is fantastic and funny. Sophie’s extended family is a hoot with all these blind dates. I loved the four main characters as well as the larger, quirky crew. The family pieces of this – Sophie’s sister’s complicated pregnancy, checking in with her parents who were several hours away during the story, etc. – were a great B-story to complement the blind date/break up part of the book.

I laughed SO MUCH with this! The blind dates, the family betting, the social media sharing and so many other things. I didn’t want the reading experience to end because it was so fun! I will definitely be buying my own copy of this and reading it again. I would personally pair this with Prince in Disguise for two fantastic, funny holiday romcoms.

I can’t recommend this highly enough. Don’t miss this one! (One of the dates may be on the risque side for younger readers.)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥