Recent Reads Mini Reviews

More mini reviews from books I’ve enjoyed to varying degrees over the last few weeks!

---

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Rating: ★★★★☆
Release Date: July 9, 2013

I’ve now read all of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s backlist and I can happily say that, without a doubt, she is an autobuy author for me. All of her contemporary romances have such a perfect blend of realism and fantasy. You get couples working through real difficult relationships and dealing with their emotions on a micro level in sometimes exaggerated and unreal situations. Forever, Interrupted is the perfect combination of bittersweet and heartfelt with moving growth and acceptance about unexpected loss and the validity of love no matter how long the relationship lasted.

 

---

Redemption Prep by Samuel Miller

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
Release Date: April 14, 2020

DNF @8%

It’s a no from me.

I know I didn’t get very far into this book, but there wasn’t anything I liked it even remotely interested me enough to keep going. Which is a travesty because boarding school books are always a draw for me. I did not like the writing – it was stilted and repetitive. The characters all seem very flat (but I didn’t see much past their introduction so I cant say much for growth). I never like religious tones in my stories so that disappointed me too. I did go to the bad and try to read the last few chapters to see if it was worth it for me and I had to skim that too. This was basically a miss on every level and I couldn’t be more frustrated.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

---

 Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Rating: ★★★★☆
Release Date: December 10, 2019

“I wonder if humans are the only living creatures that ever feel hollow inside.
I don’t understand how my body can be full of everything bodies are full of – bones and muscles and blood and organs – yet my chest sometimes feels vacant, as if someone could scream into my mouth and it would echo inside of me.”

That quote is probably going to be longer than my review, but I couldn’t help it. It was just too perfect for the book – and it’s just a beautiful quote.

I really enjoyed this story. It was all about family, loss, grief, and trying to find happiness in impossible times. I loved following both Morgan and Clara’s individual journeys and seeing how their relationship evolved. I thought the romances in the story were swoony and adorable. They captivated me even in the midst of the heartache and it brought some much needed levity. This was a perfect romance that offered a bit more depth because at its core it’s a family story.

---

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Release Date: April 19, 2019

This was cute. I know I’ll forget everything in 2 months, but that’s okay because it was a fun reading experience. There was a lot of adorable and hilarious moments. I loved Leon’s relationship with his brother and how Tiffy got to know Richie. The post-it notes between Leon and Tiffy were fantastic and just cute. I wasn’t expecting the underlying plot of Tiffy’s emotionally abusive ex, but it was well done and integrated in the story.

---

What are some of the book you’ve read recently? Are you currently fighting a slump also?