Thank you Hachette Audio and Forever Pub for the ALC.
I have some majorly mixed feelings about this one. On the plus side, it’s a fun story about wish Thank you Hachette Audio and Forever Pub for the ALC.
I have some majorly mixed feelings about this one. On the plus side, it’s a fun story about wish fulfillment and what happens when all your dreams come true. On the other hand, the characters are, at times, pretty terrible to each other, and it’s genuinely painful to read. I don’t mind flawed or unlikable characters for the purpose of character growth, but the depth of characterization here just wasn’t enough to make it worth the discomfort.
Just to make sure we fully “sandwich method” this review, I loved the clever interludes between chapters showcasing a relevant YouTube video, blog post, or media interview—such a unique way to give more dimension to the story!
Overall, a quick and mostly enjoyable read. If you love celebrity romances, I highly recommend this one.
Read for: * Celeb/normal * Wish fulfillment * Single parents * Glitzy Hollywood vibes * Books about books
Audio: Andrew Eiden (a.k.a. Teddy Hamilton—one of my all-time favorites!) performs Jason’s POV, bringing him to life as brilliantly as any of his characters. Emma’s POV is performed by Stephanie Willing, a less recognizable name but a similarly talented performer! I loved how you could actually hear her smile when Emma is indulging in a happy memory or just genuinely enjoying a moment. Highly recommend the audiobook!...more
Thank you Forever Books and Hachette Audio for the gifted copies of Lady Charlotte.
What a fun read! Lady Charlotte is not just a historical romance asThank you Forever Books and Hachette Audio for the gifted copies of Lady Charlotte.
What a fun read! Lady Charlotte is not just a historical romance as it might first seem - it’s a genre bending romp that that includes arranged marriage, murder, pirates, found family, and true love. I really had no idea I was in for but enjoyed it so much. Here’s what I liked:
- Lady Charlotte is a badass. The primary storyline focuses on thwarting her betrothal to a homicidal psychopath, which she takes the lead on. She’s fierce but feminine, willing to put her trust in a good man but never rely solely on him. And of course, in the end, she gets her man. - There’s a diverse cast of secondary characters that bring depth to the story. Charlotte’s mixed race cousin is portrayed as an intellectual and savvy businesswoman, despite being shunned by high society for her parentage. There’s a gang of pirates (or pretend pirates?) that offer Charlotte advice. And we can’t forget the talking parrot, whose antics bring the perfect dose of comedic relief. - The author’s note discussing the historical accuracy of the plot and any liberties she took (not many!) was so helpful. I sometimes struggle with historical romances, not knowing how realistic a plot point is or if the author ignored a major anachronism to advance a plot point, so having this author’s note brought the closure and confirmation I needed to enjoy the book.
Audio: I thought the narrator did a fine job bringing the story to life. I especially like her accents/voices for all the different characters - I could tell the difference in two characters’ social classes just by her voice. Given the many voices, I would LOVE to listen to this with a full cast production - it would really elevate the experience - but it’s solid as is....more
Jack and Rooney are as opposite as you can get. She’s an artist living in NYC who puts great stock in the Chinese legend of the red string of fate andJack and Rooney are as opposite as you can get. She’s an artist living in NYC who puts great stock in the Chinese legend of the red string of fate and uses it as inspiration for her experiential art installations. Jack is a NASA scientist living in LA and believes our choices dictate our lives rather than fate. Despite their differences, they hit it off immediately and fit like two peas in a pod. They’re completely enamored with each other, and Rooney believes Jack is her string mate. Jack doesn’t believe in fate, isn’t sure they can make long distance work, and has some general hesitation around Rooney’s calling them fated. Can they find a way to see things from the other’s side and harmonize their worldviews? (This is a HEA, they can!).
3.75 rounded to 4.
Thoughts on the book:
I LOVED the intersection of art and science! The portrayal of art as a vehicle for explaining scientific concepts and generating excitement for NASA projects is genius and so fun. And I loved reading scenes set at NASA centers - KSC, and JSC, and JPL, oh my! Gosh this is a fun one for romance loving space nerds like me (anyone else out there?)
I also loved learning about Chinese traditions, like the lantern release for Lunar New Year, the red thread of fate, and the zhua zhou ceremony for first birthdays (there’s a fun easter egg for readers of the author’s first book at the ceremony!).
The audiobook narration was some of the best I've heard. The book itself is dual POV, flashing between Jack and Rooney. In most audiobooks, the male narrator will read the Jack chapters, and the female narrator will read the Rooney chapters, regardless of the dialogue that happens in those chapters. In this audiobook, the non-dialogue narration was executed as usual, but the female narrator voiced Rooney and the male narrator voiced Jack for ALL dialogue, regardless of which character’s POV the chapter was from. This elevated the dialogue beyond even what I expect from a great audiobook and I got completely swept into the story. Highly recommend the audio for this one!
This is a big one and the reason for my 3.75 stars instead of 4.5: the primary conflict between Rooney and Jack is their differing opinions on fate and choice. These are pretty abstract concepts and TBH it hurts my brain to try to logic my way through their differences in actual application. It was mildly infuriating to deal with so much drama over this and I just wanted them to figure it out sooner.
Thank you to Hachette Audio and Forever for the gifted audiobook. ...more
If you were given the chance to re-do the last year, the worst year of your life, would you do it?
Sadie says yes and starts fresh on January 1st withIf you were given the chance to re-do the last year, the worst year of your life, would you do it?
Sadie says yes and starts fresh on January 1st with her relationship intact and job in hand. We see a few scenes every month for the rest of the year and watch as Sadie tries to work through the challenges life throws at her with the benefit of hindsight. Turns out, it’s not that simple.
I love so much about this book: - I love that it has more going on than just romance — the romance element is important but not necessarily front and center. Sadie deals with major friendship challenges, shake ups at work, and trying to please her perfectionist parents. She ends her do-over year a better version of herself while still being true to who she is. - It’s hard not to relate to Sadie! How tempting it would be to take the do-over if it was offered to us. The deep connection between Sadie and us readers makes the book’s overall message hit even harder: “I thought if only I could tone myself down and smooth out all the rough edges, I'd land the perfect job, the perfect guy, and finally, my parents' acceptance. But it turns out that in pursuit of those things, I twisted myself into someone I don't recognize." - I loved all the baking puns and metaphors. It might be too much for some, but I’m all about the dad jokes and loved how it felt authentic to Sadie as a pastry chef.
Even though this book is pretty similar to The Good Part and This Spells Love, both of which were released within four weeks of The Second Chance Year, I think it’s worth a read. The beauty of the second chance/redo/time loop theme is that you’ll never how they’ll end — I often don’t even know how I want them to end!
Read if you enjoy time loop magical realism, second chances, and rom coms about food. Perfect for fans of Sophie Cousens, Kate Robb, and Ashley Poston. ...more
Elizabeth • LizziePageReads
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