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karina_dreamsinwords's reviews
1052 reviews
Hostile Takeover by Christina C. Jones
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
CCJ is quickly becoming a favorite author. I ate this up!
More thoughts to come.
✨Tropes✨
-Billionaire romance
-Marriage of convenience
-Angst
-Secrets and betrayal
-A Badass FMC x Alpha Hero
-“My wife”
-Protective & Possessive MMC
-Touch her & die
More thoughts to come.
✨Tropes✨
-Billionaire romance
-Marriage of convenience
-Angst
-Secrets and betrayal
-A Badass FMC x Alpha Hero
-“My wife”
-Protective & Possessive MMC
-Touch her & die
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage and Terminal illness
Lady of Darkness by Melissa K. Roehrich
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
This couldn’t end fast enough!!! There was no reason this needed to be over 500 pages. The lack of world building, knowledge of the magic system, and blatantly obvious similarities to other fantasy stories made this a terrible reading experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Police brutality
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual content
Treble by Rilzy Adams
3.0
Rilzy can write the SPICE🔥 and she doesn’t waste any time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Again by J.L. Seegars
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
This was a quick & spicy second chance romance novella. Heavy conversations on infertility so keep that in mind, but I enjoyed this story about two ex spouses finding their way back to each with the help of their (soon to be married) siblings.
What a Match by Mimi Grace
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
This was a cute & quick read that had some spiiiice. I loved the pumpkin investigation scene and the laughs had while reading this one.
Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young
This book!! There’s something special about a marriage in crisis where we get to see the couple actively working to mend their relationship that just does something to my heart. I knew HBY would deliver the feels and she did NOT disappoint.
I absolutely adored Caleb & Sarah’s love story. From high school sweethearts, well into adulthood, and even some years beyond. Their journey together, watching them prevail over the trials life threw at them, and forming a stronger bond along the way was just so beautiful.
This story felt a little personal at times, which probably aided the overt emotional impact. How amazing it is to empathize with a fictional character, and heal a little bit at the same time.
I recommend reading Out on a Limb to get the history of Win & Bo’s love because as the best friends of Sarah and Caleb, they do appear in this story quite often. Plus it was just as amazing so read that and come back! You won’t regret it ❤️
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
“If you give me the space to grow, I’ll plant myself next to you. Always.”
This book!! There’s something special about a marriage in crisis where we get to see the couple actively working to mend their relationship that just does something to my heart. I knew HBY would deliver the feels and she did NOT disappoint.
I absolutely adored Caleb & Sarah’s love story. From high school sweethearts, well into adulthood, and even some years beyond. Their journey together, watching them prevail over the trials life threw at them, and forming a stronger bond along the way was just so beautiful.
This story felt a little personal at times, which probably aided the overt emotional impact. How amazing it is to empathize with a fictional character, and heal a little bit at the same time.
I recommend reading Out on a Limb to get the history of Win & Bo’s love because as the best friends of Sarah and Caleb, they do appear in this story quite often. Plus it was just as amazing so read that and come back! You won’t regret it ❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
When I Think of You by Myah Ariel
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This story follows film students Kaliya and Danny, college friends turned to lovers in which their relationship ended much too soon. Years later, their paths cross as Danny is gearing up to bring his parent’s love story to life with the help of the film studio Kaliya works for. When presented with the opportunity to work closely on his film, Kaliya is faced with a choice that could boost her movie making dreams in the right direction, even when the person asking is her ex boyfriend. Will the pressures of Hollywood allow them to grow together, or tear their hopes of a future apart?
"𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒕. 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖."
The fact that this was a debut is impressive because the storytelling that Ariel weaves together was beautifully done. The dual timelines provided a glimpse at the young love shared between Kaliya and Danny, while also showing their individual growth over the years apart. Watching them gravitate back to each other and rekindle the flame once again was ultra sweet to witness.
The authors note makes readers aware that grief plays a big part of the book, both in the fictional sense and the authors personal experience while writing. I thought that was clearly felt on the pages and played a big role in Kaliya and Danny’s story. I cried a lot while reading this for a multitude of reasons but also felt healed along the way. To evoke such emotions while reading will never fail to amaze me.
I appreciated how Ariel was to provide an inside look of inner workings of movie making, the good & bad, because that’s not something I’ll ever get to experience. She also doesn’t shy away from heavier themes such as the politics, sexism, racism and privilege within the film industry. The well rounded crafting of this book as a whole is something to admire!
Not only did this have a second chance romance to root for but also featured strong female friendships. I loved seeing Kaliya and her friends empower & uplift one another. They were so funny together and had some stand out moments of self love that I enjoyed.
If you love the emotional depth of the romance powerhouse Kennedy Ryan, then you’re going to want to pick this up!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Classism
Minor: Sexual harassment
The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
It would absolutely be a TDJ book to be my first fresh five star read of the year! The visceral rage I felt while reading this was crazyyy. Her ability to craft such a timely tale rooted in reality is something so powerful in today’s day and age.
I didn’t know that there was a podcast element woven in which made listening to the audiobook a special treat!
I don’t have the adequate words to express how masterful TDJ’s storytelling is. Told in multiple POV, it was interesting to see the character motivations for certain things within this story and it all came together brilliantly. I especially loved the ending and the character development for a certain someone that I lost hope in along the way.
Just read it. Listen to the audiobook to fully immerse yourself. You’re welcome!
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Genius. Grueling. Emotional. This book demands to be read!
“People need to want to see the truth. Comprehension is key, and that hasn’t exactly been mastered by the citizens of this country.”
It would absolutely be a TDJ book to be my first fresh five star read of the year! The visceral rage I felt while reading this was crazyyy. Her ability to craft such a timely tale rooted in reality is something so powerful in today’s day and age.
I didn’t know that there was a podcast element woven in which made listening to the audiobook a special treat!
I don’t have the adequate words to express how masterful TDJ’s storytelling is. Told in multiple POV, it was interesting to see the character motivations for certain things within this story and it all came together brilliantly. I especially loved the ending and the character development for a certain someone that I lost hope in along the way.
Just read it. Listen to the audiobook to fully immerse yourself. You’re welcome!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gore and Police brutality