Books – May/June 2023

Coming at you with some more book reviews!

He Said He Would Be Late by Justine Sullivan

I went into this one thinking it was going to be suspenseful, but it was more of a domestic drama of sorts? Did Arno cheat or did he not? Liz focuses on this basically the entire book based off of one text and maybe a few other little things throughout. The book is very heavy on the little aspects of her daily life. At times, that sort of dragged for me. I can’t decide how I feel about Liz. I didn’t really care for her, she clearly has an alcohol problem and she wasn’t a very good mother. She had narcissistic tendencies and was selfish in every relationship she was in except maybe the one with Arno. But you can’t help but feel sorry for her. And some of her inner dialogue was funny/entertaining. My main issue with the book was the ending. I wanted more, it sort of ended abruptly.

I consumed this book as an audio book and quite enjoyed the narration. It really added to the book for me, and I believe the narration actually made me like the book more than had I read it on my own.

Bottom Line: It is worth the read.

**I received a copy of He Said He Would Be Late from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

The Suite Spot by Trisha Doller

This was such a fun read. I absolutely loved Rachel’s enthusiasm for her job in hospitality. It sucked how she was fired in the beginning, but obviously, it was for the best. I enjoyed her and her daughter’s adventure to Ohio and meeting Mason and watching his dream of the brewery hotel come together. The side characters from the island were so great and overall it was just such an enjoyable read. I loved that Rachel grew and started standing up for herself to get what she deserved and made her happy. Such a good slow burn. I am just sad, because now the book is over. It could have been a tad longer. I wasn’t ready to let it go.

Bottom Line: Read it!

Seven Rules For Breaking Hearts by Kristyn

This is an enemies to lovers, second chance trope. When Margo’s podcast cohost gets married it is a big deal. Why? Because their podcast is advice for single girls. Throw in someone from Margo’s past in the wedding party…and you know it is going to be interesting.

To be honest, I thought the reason that Margo didn’t like Declan was kind of weak. It was something stupid he did in high school. I never really felt the true chemistry between them. There were many moments throughout the book that I eye rolled through, as I felt like Margo was kind of immature. She was so focused on the rules and what she was and wasn’t supposed to be doing. Grow up and live your life. I didn’t DNF the book, so there is that. I am not one to hesitate to quit something. I love a good enemies to lovers trope. I wanted more from this one, but it also wasn’t the worst book I read lately. Maybe if I were a bitter 20 something I would have liked it better? But I felt a little old reading this.

Bottom Line: This passed the time just fine, but it wasn’t my favorite.

**I received a copy of Seven Rules for Breaking Hearts from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

I have become quite the fan of Abby Jimenez’s books, so I was really excited to dive into this one. This is sort of enemies to lovers, fake relationship, forced proximity, co-worker romance all rolled into one. While the fake relationship trope seems to be popular lately, I don’t mind, I quite enjoy it. Briana is a very strong female lead, and this time we have a male with anxiety problems. Usually it is the other way around. This made for an interesting dynamic.

I loved Briana and how fiercely she loved and protected the people around her. Jacob was such a sweet soul. Both had issues they had to work through. There was a lot of miscommunication and misunderstanding throughout this book. It caused a lot of angst, and a very slow burn. I do love a slow burn though! I will say, the heated scene happened so abruptly, I was a little let down by that after allllll the build up! I loved both of their family dynamics, all the delicious food, and Lieutenant Dan. Oh, Lieutenant Dan! I could not put this one down and it reached five star territory for me.

Bottom Line: Read it!