Hello Friends! Today I have for you something I’ve done just once before. Over this year I’ve been reading many rom coms, but sometimes there are some that just don’t warrant a full length review/post.
Sometimes you read a book and your thoughts are pretty clear and concise. So when that would happen to me, I started coming here and writing some mini reviews of these books that I still want to have spotlighted on my blog in some way.
Read on to check out the synopsis of each book and what I thought of them!
The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner
ARC provided to me by Forever.
In this unforgettable story full of charm, wit—and just a bit of magic—a woman down on her luck is given a second chance at fixing her life and trying one year all over again. Perfect for readers of Josie Silver and Rebecca Serle.
Sadie Thatcher’s life has fallen apart in spectacular fashion. In one fell swoop, she managed to lose her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend—all thanks to her big mouth. So when a fortune teller offers her one wish, Sadie jumps at the chance to redo her awful year. Deep down, she doesn’t believe magic will fix her life, but taking a leap of faith, Sadie makes her wish, opens her eyes, and . . . nothing has changed. And then, in perhaps her dumbest move yet, she kisses her brother’s best friend, Jacob.
When Sadie wakes up the next morning, she’s in her former apartment with her former boyfriend, and her former boss is expecting her at work. Checking the date, she realizes it’s January 1 . . . of last year. As Sadie navigates her second-chance year, she begins to see the red flags she missed in her relationship and in her career. Plus, she keeps running into Jacob, and she can’t stop thinking about their kiss . . . the one he has no idea ever happened. Suddenly, Sadie begins to wonder if her only mistake was wishing for a second chance.
My Thoughts
While “The Second Chance Year” dealt with heavy themes like sexism, workplace sexual harassment, and bullying, it was very well handled and mixed in with lots of humorous, heartfelt, and powerful moments to balance it out and make this a book I found genuine joy in reading.
I love a redo trope thanks to some magical intervention, but it always has the possibility of falling flat and being cheesy or not very well done. This is one of the better books I’ve read that did this trope well. I found Sadie’s freakout upon realizing she was given the opportunity to redo that past year believable, and the way she went about trying to save her career and love life was realistic. She had trauma from all she lost and did everything in her power to do what she thought would fix it.
I’m glad with how the book ended, the lessons Sadie learned, and the people she befriended and fell in love with along the way. Very satisfying ending.
★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)
When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein
ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press.
A steamy, opposites-attract romance with undeniable chemistry between a grumpy retired footballer and his fabulous and very sunshine-y ghostwriter.
When grumpy ex-footballer Alfie Harding gets badgered into selling his memoirs, he knows he’s never going to be able to write them. He hates revealing a single thing about himself, is allergic to most emotions, and can’t imagine doing a good job of putting pen to paper.
And so in walks curvy, cheery, cute as heck ghostwriter Mabel Willicker, who knows just how to sunshine and sass her way into getting every little detail out of Alfie. They banter and bicker their way to writing his life story, both of them sure they’ll never be anything other than at odds.
But after their business arrangement is mistaken for a budding romance, the pair have to pretend to be an item for a public who’s ravenous for more of this Cinderella story. Or at least, it feels like it’s pretend―until each slow burn step in their fake relationship sparks a heat neither can control. Now they just have to is this sizzling chemistry just for show? Or something so real it might just give them their fairytale ending?
My Thoughts
Swoon. Swoooon. SWOOOON.
First of all, I might always have a soft spot for a romance novel with a plus size heroine. I think Mabel is perfect and sweet and messy and funny and I love her. I found myself relating to her in so many moments. Alfie is also perfect and sweet and messy and funny and I love him. I was surprised to find myself relating to him in so many moments as well.
Something I think was top tier aside from some of my favorite tropes (grumpy/sunshine, fake dating, one bed) was the banter. Oh, the freaking banter. These could go back and forth for hours, and while it was seamless, I so appreciated that at first, we see Alfie struggling to keep up with Mabel. But once he gets his footing, his banter and wit is just as good and quick as hers.
Usually I don’t really mention the spice in my reviews of romance novels aside from a quick “Yeah it was good,” but I do just need to mention. The spice in this was PHENOMENAL. A man whose kink is a woman being turned on? The dirty talk? The slow burn of it all? Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. And just as much as I loved the spice, the sweet moments had me kicking my feet and giggling. From Alfie braiding Mabel’s hair, to the hand holding, and of course to the softening of Mr. Grumpy’s face whenever he looked at Sunshine. It was incredible. I loved this book so much.
★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)
On The Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe
ARC provided to me by St. Martin’s Press.
What Not to Wear and Queer Eye meet All the Feels in this sparkling romantic comedy by Jenny L. Howe, in which the new guest on a popular plus-size makeover show has her style―and her love life―transformed.
Everly Winters is perfectly happy to navigate life like a good neutral paint color: appreciated but unnoticed. That’s why she’s still a receptionist instead of exploring a career in art, why she lurks but never posts on the forums for her favorite makeover show, On the Plus Side, and why she’s crushing so hard on her forever-unattainable co-worker. When no one notices you, they can’t reject you or insist you’re too much.
This plan is working perfectly until someone secretly nominates Everly for the next season of On the Plus Side. Overwhelmed by the show’s extremely extroverted hosts and how much time she’ll have to spend on screen, she finds comfort in a surprising friendship with the grumpy but kind cameraman, Logan. Soon Everly realizes that he’s someone she doesn’t mind being noticed by. In fact, she might even like it.
But when their growing connection is caught on camera, it sends the show’s ratings into a frenzy. Learning to embrace all of herself on national TV is hard enough; can Everly risk heartbreak with the whole world watching?
My Thoughts
Will I ever get enough of romance novels about reality TV? Probably not. (Ironically, I don’t really watch a ton of reality TV. Maybe this is why I love these types of novels so much.) Add in a plus size heroine and I’m sold.
I was fully invested in our main character, Everly’s, entire journey in reclaiming her fearlessness, confidence, and freedom. Despite it being an emotional journey, and Everly having to experience fatphobia amongst other things, I did find most of this book to just feel good. Jenny L. Howe’s mission and reclaiming of the word fat as just another descriptor word without any negative connotation was so refreshing.
I also have to mention our male love interest because swoooooon. Logan is kind and funny and just all around hot. I love that we got to the nitty gritty of his feelings, his passions, and his goals. He was just as much a main character to me as Everly was. Whenever they were together, or whenever Everly was talking about him, I couldn’t help but feel giddy. I loved their relationship and was very happy with the ending.
★★★★☆ (4/5 stars)
Flirty Little Secret by Jessica Lepe
Finished copy provided to me by Forever.
School counselor Lucy Galindo has a secret.
To her coworkers, friends, and even family, she’s shy, sweet, and constantly struggling to hold off disaster (read: manage her anxiety and depression). But online? She’s bold, confident, and always knows what to say—it’s how she’s become the wildly popular @TheMissGuidedCounselor. It’s also why she keeps her identity anonymous. Her followers would never trust the real Lucy with their problems.
History teacher Aldrich Fletcher thought a new job would give him some relief from his drama-filled family. Instead, he’s dodging his ex-girlfriend and pining over his new co-worker—who only ever seems to see him at his worst. Thankfully, he can count on his online confidant for advice . . . until he discovers @TheMissGuidedCounselor is Lucy.
Now Fletcher has a secret too. And while Lucy can’t deny there’s something between them, she’s not sure she can trust him. Can they both find the courage to share the truth and step out from behind their screens?
My Thoughts
I actually read a bit of this from the physical book, but then moved on to the audiobook so I could read it while I was at work. The story itself was good, I was invested in the characters and really loved Lucy, our heroine. I thought the mental health issues were depicted in a real way and handled with care. The family dynamics were some of my favorite things to read.
If you read this one though, I’d definitely recommend the physical book over the audiobook. It was a bit weird at times having narrators jump into each other’s chapters to say their dialogue. Pulled me out of the story. There were also some weird sound effects that were added at certain points, which also pulled me out of the story instead of its intention to immerse me in the environment.
★★★☆☆ (3/5 stars)
Selina Falcon 