Review: NOVEMBER 9 by Colleen Hoover

 

November 9 by Colleen Hoover
My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

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November 9 is the first book by Colleen Hoover, and it feels very NA to me. Which was a surprise.

But I just couldn’t get behind the relationship ship as I couldn’t relate. Ben just seemed obnoxious and egotistical, and Fallon invited him to help her pack to leave for NY after a day of knowing her. He’s pretty smarmy and makes so many sexual references the first time they meet—and I guess there is sexual tension between them. Fallon seems to like what he says and does, how he behaves. Being ace, I just couldn’t relate and so I found myself not really backing their relationship. It seemed based on sexual attraction and maybe Fallon’s desperation, rather than romantic attraction and kindness.

But I just couldn’t get into this mostly because of Ben’s character—I just didn’t like the guy (hey, that’s strong characterisation!). What really annoyed me is how controlling and manipulative he is, and how it’s presented as a presumably romantic thing (though I couldn’t sense any actual loving romance). He controls what Fallon wears to their first date, lectures her until she sort of agrees/goes along with him undressing her, and he told her that how she feels about her scars is wrong and that he knows the right way to feel about them. I get that maybe this was meant to show him trying to boost her confidence, but wow is he arrogant. Fallon has major burn scars on her body, and Ben even says he knows how she feels because he has had small burns when cooking before. Um, that’s not the same thing at all!

By page 52 I’d already decided this was a toxic relationship, which intrigued me to read on to see if Fallon spotted this. I’d also heard a lot of Hoover’s books are criticised for romanticising toxic relationships, so I wasn’t expecting this to be outed. But still kind of hoped it would be...

The writing itself was okay on a craft-level. A bit clunky in places, kind of simplistic in others. But I kept thinking of other writers who I think are stronger in this genre, both in terms of craft and writing what I consider actual romance.

I was mainly super interested to read this book though as Colleen Hoover is a powerhouse-name and I know so many readers love her. There are such strong opinions about her books, and so I wanted to see why. And I can see how she is doing something a little different, giving us a New Adult romance that's relationship-based, with sex, and also plot twists. Of course, I know many other authors who do this too, but I think Hoover's marketing team (and when she was self-published) are great, and she's clearly pleasing readers.


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Review: THE GIRLS ARE ALL SO NICE HERE by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

 

The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A USA TODAY Best Book of 2021

Two former best friends return to their college reunion to find that they’re being circled by someone who wants revenge for what they did ten years before—and will stop at nothing to get it—in this “propulsive” (Megan Miranda, bestselling author of The Girl from Widow Hills) psychological thriller.

A lot has changed in years since Ambrosia Wellington graduated from college, and she’s worked hard to create a new life for herself. But then an invitation to her ten-year reunion arrives in the mail, along with an anonymous note that reads, “We need to talk about what we did that night.”

It seems that the secrets of Ambrosia’s past—and the people she thought she’d left there—aren’t as buried as she believed. Amb can’t stop fixating on what she did or who she did it with: larger-than-life Sloane “Sully” Sullivan, Amb’s former best friend, who could make anyone do anything.

At the reunion, Amb and Sully receive increasingly menacing messages, and it becomes clear that they’re being pursued by someone who wants more than just the truth of what happened that first semester. This person wants revenge for what they did and the damage they caused—the extent of which Amb is only now fully understanding. And it was all because of the game they played to get a boy who belonged to someone else and the girl who paid the price.

Alternating between the reunion and Amb’s freshman year, The Girls Are All So Nice Here is a “chilling and twisty thriller” (Book Riot) about the brutal lengths girls can go to get what they think they’re owed, and what happens when the games we play in college become matters of life and death. 

— 

Dark, toxic female friendships. A stunning debut adult thriller. I’ve loved L.E. Flynn’s YA thrillers, and her first adult novel did not disappoint. 

Ambrosia Wellington is one hell of a character. Complex, hurting, haunted, and trying to forget her past and her involvement in her roommate’s death.

The twists here were shocking, the voice compelling, and I couldn’t listen to this audiobook fast enough. The storyline deftly weaves between past and present, showing how the effects of toxic female friendship are never really over. This is exactly the type of adult thriller I love.

I wasn’t entirely sure about one of the narrators at first, but she turned out being the perfect choice.

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Review: LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE by Jessica Knoll (audiobook narrated by Madeleine Maby)

 

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

HER PERFECT LIFE IS A PERFECT LIE.

As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ani has a secret.

There’s something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything.

With a singular voice and twists you won’t see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that's bigger than it first appears.

The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?

--

This is the first audiobook I've ever listened to, and it was a great one to start with. LUCKIEST GIRL ALIVE is a complex story of lies, trust, and one woman's desperation to be 'perfect'. We meet Ani when she's in her late twenties, and she seems to have it all: a great job, a great boyfriend, an impending marriage, great prospects in life. But right from the start, there's something disturbing about our narrating character. It becomes clear very quickly that Ani has a dark side. And I just LOVE dark narrators. She's also pretty unlikeable and not your typical female narrator--and that I just loved.

(Spoilers ahead:)

Ani is a disturbed woman with lots of secrets--least of all that she murdered someone. I hesitate to call her a murderer because as the book reveals it was in self-defence and happened when she was 14. And wow, this girl's past is just phenomenal. The book alternates between present-day action where Ani is preparing to take part in a documentary to 'set the record straight' about what happened when she was school, and gives us real-time chapters of that time.

We follow Ani as she joins the Bradley school, as she becomes mixed up in toxic friendship groups, as she becomes victim of sexual assault and rape, as she suddenly finds herself in a school shooting. This book is POWERFUL. That, I can't stress this enough. And the characterisation is so phenomenal. In the present-day, Ani comes across as an entitled and arrogant woman who cares wholly about perceptions and what others think when they see her. Yet, from reading everything that's happened to her, it becomes understandable. This new identity is one she's actually constructed to protect herself.

And it's not just her characterisation which is amazing. Every single character in this book has amazing characterisation--and this makes it quite complicated in some respects, as Ani's rapists are shown to have good traits. It makes it realistic, but it also makes for such a disturbing read. Jessica Knoll is an expert.

I particularly liked as, the more we read, the more layers of the main characters were revealed. This was especially the case with Luke, the 'perfect' fiance. By about the halfway point, his true character had been revealed, and I desperately wanted Ani to do better than him. So, I was really satisfied with the ending, where she leaves him.

There's also a big emphasis on names and identity in this book. Throughout it, Ani has multiple names referring to the various different identities she has been through--she reinvented herself after leaving the Bradley school, going by Ani then (whereas before she was Tiffany). And this just seemed really realistic and added to the idea that 'Ani' (the successful and rich magazine editor) is a construction. Ani is a cage around Tiffany, one to protect her--and that final line of the book, where Ani reclaims her identity as Tiffany FaNelli, is just so powerful because of this.

There are some difficult scenes in this book, as can be expected. At 14, Tiffany is invited to a party by her male classmates. She is the only girl there, and she's raped by three of them. She later attends Planned Parenthood to get the Morning After pill. When her mother finds out about this, we get a victim-blaming narrative from her (which is challenged by other characters). We're also dealing with content about suicide and mass-shootings in schools. Children do die in this book and it is heart-wrenching. The shooters are both children too--one of whom is Tiffany's friend.

Madeleine Maby is a terrific narrator. That has to be said too. I was apprehensive about audiobooks, thinking I wouldn't be sucked in in the way I am when reading a paperback or ebook, and although the experience of listening to an audiobook is different, this really was excellent.

I highly recommend this story of identity, revenge, loss, lies, and secrets.

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Review: ALL I ASK by Tamara Lush

All I Ask by Tamara Lush
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Princess Isabella of Montignac has never been angrier. She’s supposed to marry a prince that she doesn't love from a neighboring European principality — but he was caught on a viral video snorting coke off a stripper’s butt in Las Vegas.

All Isabella wants is to be left alone to do her environmental charity work. If she refuses to marry the prince, she’ll lose her title and royal allowance. So she flees to a Florida island to think about her future.

When she checks into the Paradise Beach Resort, a fat pug takes a whizz on her travel pillow. Then the dog’s owner, an extremely sexy man named Tate, asks her to dinner. But just when things are looking up, an unpredictable turn of events happens.

Isabella’s arrested for harassing an alligator and an island cop suggests she call a local lawyer. Turns out it’s a familiar face: Tate, the hot man candy from the day before. And since she has to stick around on the island to clear up her legal troubles, she and Tate have a hard time keeping their hands off each other.

Will Isabella forsake everything she knows — a royal title, palaces and riches — for Tate’s love?

ALL I ASK is part of Tamara Lush’s Paradise Beach series. It can be read as a stand-alone. 

---

I had quite a gap between reading this book compared to when I read the prequel and book one. In fact, after finishing those, I did start this one right away--but then I left it for a few months. I'm not really sure why. But it was easy to get back into the story and returning to the Paradise Beach world was easy and familiar.

Isabella quickly became my favourite of the narrators so far. I warmed to her a lot more than Kate and Lauren. Her character just felt a lot more realistic and intriguing (though Lauren's characterisation is really good too in the first book!) and her goals were relatable. Bella's big on animal rights and this is something I'm really interested in, and it was good to read.

As a narrating character, Tate was great. I much preferred him to Damian. One worry I often have when reading series that have multiple narrators is that some are going to seem like copies of the others, but this has so far not been the case with Tamara Lush's Paradise Beach series.

This book also has a lot more comical moments than the last two, and I enjoyed the mix of lightheartedness and seriousness that this offered.

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Review: ALL I KNOW by Tamara Lush

All I Know by Tamara Lush
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the author of Constant Craving comes a hilarious story about a woman who feels obligated to care for everyone, a sexy Marine who wants to make his first love his forever bride, and a fake wedding proposal that changes everything.

Kate Cooper has come home to Paradise Beach to help her mom recover from surgery. After all, who else is going to run the family's tiki bar? A few months on a Florida island won't hurt, even if her memories might.

Then Damien Hastings, her high school crush, walks into the bar one night. He's stunning. Intense. Way more muscular than when they were in high school. And can't take his eyes off Kate.

When Damien finds out Kate needs health insurance, he does what any gentleman would: ask her to marry him. He's going to Syria for a year as a military contractor, and he's loved her for years. It's the least he can do.

They didn't return to fall in love. They didn't expect to have the best sex of their lives. They didn't plan on a farting dog or a fake engagement. But strange and wonderful things happen on Paradise Beach...

Content warning: medical conditions, parent with cancer, heroine experienced bullying in high school.

ALL I KNOW is the prequel to Tamara Lush's Paradise Beach Series. They are all standalone romantic comedies and can be read in any order. If you adore hilarious banter, second chances, and steamy sexytimes, this is the book for you!

--

As a fan of the first book in this series, I decided to give the prequel a go after finishing it. I already knew the details of Kate and Damien’s relationship from book 1, but I was pleasantly surprised by just how much extra this novella provides the reader with. Kate and Damien become even more developed, with their love seeming more believable in this novella.

There was also a lot more sex in this novella—with it being more explicitly described than book 1–but it works, given that Kate and Damien certainly seem more sex-orientated in this novella than Lauren and Max. This is something that surprised me as from reading book 1, I hadn’t thought they had the more physical relationship.

This book does have chronic illness rep in it, which really excited me (as someone who's chronically ill) but I'd have liked to see this explored a little more on the page. One of Kate's hospital appointments is simply skipped over and we don't see a lot of the day-to-day life of being chronically ill, which I was hoping for. Especially in a romance.

I liked how the end of the novella overlapped with book 1, however as soon as we got to the overlapping parts, the writing and pacing seemed very rushed. There was less characterisation for Damien and Kate in this section, and I didn’t feel like we got much “extra” in this part. Also, I noticed that Max and Lauren (The main characters of Book 1) seemed very 2D in this book compared to Kate and Damien, so I’m not sure whether completely new readers would warm to them and want to read their book quite as much.

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Review: ALL I WANT by Tamara Lush

All I Want by Tamara Lush
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Welcome to Paradise Beach. Land of sugar sand, shirtless men, and endless sunshine. Strange and wonderful things often happen here. And island life is even hotter after dark...

Social media influencer Lauren Spencer is determined to find out why her best friend is getting married on a whim. When she travels to Paradise Beach to stop the wedding, she's the one who comes to a screeching halt when greeted with the sight of a gorgeous naked guy in her hotel room.

He just happens to be the groom's adorably uptight brother -- and the best man in the wedding. Oops. Too bad she's sworn off relationships.

As a successful real estate broker in New York City, Max Hastings has taken his workaholic ways back to his hometown of Paradise Beach, trying to ready his family's resort for sale and attend his youngest brother's shotgun wedding. Complicating matters: the maid of honor is the sexiest woman he's seen in years, and he wants her in his bed.

After some hot and heavy flirtation, Lauren and Max come to an agreement: a weekend wedding fling is just the thing both of them need.

But when Lauren suffers an accident and can't leave the island, Max finds himself more than willing to take care of her for more than a weekend. Will Lauren set aside her doubts about relationships to explore something real with Max?

ALL I WANT is Book One in Tamara Lush's Paradise Beach Series. They are all standalone romantic comedies and can be read in any order. If you adore beach romances, irresistible alpha men, and hilarious wedding hookups, this is the book for you!

--

This is the first book I’ve ready by Tamara Lush and I found it addictive. All the characters are well-rounded and believable, and the chemistry between Lauren and Max was palpable and so, so believable. I could not stop reading!

The sex was tastefully written and woven skilfully into the story. This is always a worry I have when reading steamy romance, but it was well done.

This is a fast-paced romance, and the only part I didn’t quite like as much was the ending. It did feel rather rushed, and I’d have liked to see more of Lauren and Max in their HEA—though I guess they’ll also be in the rest of the series.


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Blog Tour: STARBOUND by S.E. Anderson - Exclusive Interview!

Hey everyone!

I am so excited today to be taking part in the blog tour for S.E. Anderson's next book! Starbound is the fifth book in the Starstruck Saga, and honestly, I can't wait to read this one! (Especially after the cliffhanger Celestial left us on!)

I'm lucky enough to be great friends with S.E. Anderson, and she's agreed to do an exclusive interview with me, all about Starbound!

But first, let's look at this gorgeous promo image!

Aren't the colours just stunning?

This book is published by Bolide Publishing, and S.E. Anderson also designs her own covers for this series (aside from being an amazing writer and scientist, she also works as a cover designer!). I just love looking at her work, and I can only imagine how much more special it makes her books for her, knowing she also designed the covers and truly captured her vision.

Anyway, onto the interview!

What’s your favourite scene in Starbound?

Not to give any spoilers, but the villain of the novel gives Sally an impossible choice to make; I cried when writing the scene. It’s the strongest Sally has ever been and I wish I could have that strength myself. What can we expect to see from Sally and Zander in this book?

Sally and Zander’s relationship is the ultimate long distance- when you have light years between you, it’s going to be tough to know what’s going on. Both need to grow a little on their own before we can reach the moment readers have been begging me for since book one.
I heard it’s the first book of the series with multiple narrators. Why did you decide to do this and how did you find writing different perspectives?

Since Sally and Zander are separated so dramatically, I thought it was essential we still see his side of the story. For our perspective, Zander fell into Sally’s life; but Zander has led a full, mildly-infinite life on his end before the two of them met. Through his perspective, I could finally explore the mysteries of his past... and have a little fun showing Blayde and Zander’s usual dynamic without Sally in the picture!
What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome in writing the next instalment of the Starstruck Saga?

Starbound was by far the hardest book I ever had to write. Mostly I had to overcome myself; I didn’t think would be able to write it. It scared me. There was so much I wanted to say but I didn’t know if I had the words to say them. But Sally’s growth was already there, and she, at least, was ready for this adventure. So all I had to do was follow her!

Starbound releases on August 20th! I've already got my pre-order in and can't wait to read book 5 of this amazing sci-fi comedy series!

Blog Tour: An Excerpt from CELESTIAL by S.E. Anderson

Hi everyone!

I'm so excited to be taking part in the blog tour for CELESTIAL by S.E. Anderson! I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, and I can't believe that it releases next week. If you haven't already, please check out my review here. 

S.E. Anderson kindly gave me the chance of choosing the excerpt for today's stop on her blog tour, and immediately, I knew which scene I wanted to excerpt. This is one of the lighter moments of the book, and it provides a great contrast with the life-and-death decisions that main character Sally has to make in this book.

The other reason I love this scene is because it reveals SO MUCH about the main characters, Sally, Blayde, and Zander. I love their interactions with one another.

Anyway, onto the excerpt:

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Answers to Prayers Aren’t Always That Good

This morning, I woke up with spoons.

Maybe I should clarify: I was the small spoon. There were arms around me, holding me close against a perfect chest, and as I awoke, the most perfect sense of well-being flowed through me. I wanted to curl in away from the bright light that shone directly in my eyes and just lie here, fully content, fully happy.

Then I remember there wasn't anyone I should have been spooning and, poof, good feeling gone.

I rolled away from the arms, out from under the blankets, and into the cold of the morning. Instantly, I pulled back the blanket as the chill brought goosebumps to the surface. There was no memory of where I was, who was with me, or who was supposed to be with me. I tried to open my eyes, but the light burned, making everything look fuzzy. I reached out a hand, thwacking something soft. I had the dreadful feeling that it might have been a face.

"Stop that," came a mutter of muffled annoyance next to me.

"What the?" I stammered as I watched Blayde slowly wake up beside me. She opened her eyes and smiled at me, one of her twisted grins that showed too many teeth.

"Morning sunshine." She grinned, and I had a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Oh damn, Blayde," I said, "did we ...?"

"Did we what?" She pushed herself up on her elbows. "I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep with you. Why? If that something you see happening?"

"It's just, well, you were spooning me?"

"Because you asked me to."

"When?"

"Last night."

"When, last night?"

She dropped her elbows and collapsed back on the bed. "When you got back, all sandy and gross, from wherever you and my brother were off to," she said, shuffling her shoulders in what I guess could have been a shrug. "A few harsh words were exchanged a propos of this bed. Mainly, me not wanting to move or share. I got here first, why should I move?"

"So … what happened last night?"

"You mean after the two of you stumbled in, you threatened to kill me again, and told me that if I wasn't going to move, the least I could do was spoon you?"

"Yeah?"

"Nothing." Blayde grinned. "You just slept."

"And why is Zander in the bed?" I asked, glancing one person over and seeing Zander sprawled beside his sister. His gravity-defying hair must have been as exhausted as he was because it fell on his face, shading his eyes from sunlight. His face twitched; our voices must have woken him.

"He was tired?"

"And why is Nim here?" I asked, seeing the teen down the lineup. Somehow, the four of us had managed to squeeze into the only bed. Exhaustion does silly things to people.

"He was here first." Blayde shrugged again.

"I thought you said you were here first?"

"No, I was first compared to you. And you felt bad about kicking the kid out."

"Don't call me that," grumbled Nim, proving once and for all that he was awake.

"You're fifteen, and I've lost track. You're all kids to me."

"Sally's not that much older than me," he mumbled. "I think?"

"Stop it, please." Zander sat up, taking the blankets with him. "We're supposed to be putting a plan in place today to save thousands of people ... I think. I'm not quite awake yet. I need coffee."

About CELESTIAL:

She wanted a holiday. They needed a chosen one.

Sally, Zander, and Blayde, accompanied by their new friend Nim, have only one request: no more bizarre distractions on their hunt for Earth.

But before their cells can complete a single jump, the team is shoved off course and crash into a dreary old temple. Worse yet, there seems to be some confusion over Sally’s face, as it looks exactly like that the local deity, Selena, goddess of the moon and omniscient absentee. Sally’s ticking every box on the ancient prophecies checklist.

Fresh off of her meds and riding the withdrawal, and Sally must choose between embracing the role of Goddess so as to protect the planet from mysterious Sky People, or being thrown in a Volcano. Not the best way to start a tropical vacation. It’s not going to be easy uniting warring factions, dealing with excitable whispering forests, or fighting both literal and figurative demons. Not to mention keeping up the appearance of divinity when all Sally wants is a nap.

Armed only with some high school improv’ classes and a basic knowledge of foreign pop songs, Sally must save the planet – before everything goes up in flames. 

Don't forget to pre-order CELESTIAL now!

Review: CELESTIAL by S.E. Anderson

Celestial by S.E. Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ever since I read S.E. Anderson's debut, STARSTRUCK, I've been hooked on her books. These are fun sci-fi adventures like no others I've read, and I was lucky enough to get an advance reader copy of the fourth in the series, CELESTIAL.

And let me tell you this: With phenomenal character development, huge plot twists, and worldbuilding that gives us something new in the Starstruck world, CELESTIAL is an entertaining adventure and an emotional story that really makes you think about what's right and wrong.

The main thing about this book is it's so different to the others. We see a whole new side to Sally as her mental health is explored further, and as she jumps into the role of Goddess for a group of people she's only just meant. She becomes almost harder-faced and harsher, and some of her decisions surprised me, but I really liked how we saw her confidence grow. She felt like she'd grown into her role within the space-traveling-trio and she owned it--she's far from a tag-along now. She spoke her own mind, and although at times I didn't agree with her or her actions, I appreciated that she felt strong.

The other thing that's really different is the worldbuiling. There's less science-fiction in this book compared to the others in the series, and it's more fantasy-based, more spiritual. I really liked that and the new setting allowed us to see new sides to all the characters (not just Sally). I especially liked how we see much more of Blayde and understand her more.

The plot itself reminded me a lot of The Road to El Dorado, but it had a serious tone underlying it too.
The tension's high in this book, and there are many twists. Sort of a spoiler: there was also one death that made me cry.

And the ending...! Wow. I did not see that coming and evoked some VERY strong emotions. I can't wait for book five now.