It's been raining a lot, not that I'm complaining or anything—I actually love it. The past few months have been somewhat a bit of a struggle for me in all areas of my life. I have been challenged like a boxer going through all twelve rounds with no breaks. Quite literally, I'm exhausted. Life can be really tough which is why I always try to look for things to keep me distracted.
I've been meaning to get back to reading for months now—years, tbh. I tried a couple of times but to no luck, I still drop the books I try to read. Some things just aren't right or should I say the feeling isn't right. Fortunately for me, though, I think my drive for reading is slowly coming back... it must be the weather, I guess. Nothing beats reading on rainy days—with the soft pitter-patter of rain outside your window and the cozy blanket that keeps you warm and maybe a hot chocolate drink to top it off. Ah, it is heaven.
Right now, while writing this first blog post draft, I'm actually sitting in a van with my family and relatives on our way home from Baguio. I'm writing this on my iPad and pencil and you can just imagine how legible my writing will be. It's not. It's currently raining at 4pm on a Saturday, I wish I could take a photo but my phone just died which sucks. But I just finished a book, which is one of the reasons why I had the motivation to write this post.
yo give me some spicy (or not) romance book recs. #booktwt
— bibi.exe (@_b1b1mbap) June 11, 2022https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Bro, ngl, I have been on a roll. I think the last time I actually read a book in one sitting was in 2014 when I still had the drive and ended up finishing 80 books in a year. Good times. This year, I planned on finishing at least 25 books on my GoodReads challenge which as a matter of fact, I have been neglecting for the past 5 months or so.. but now I just finished 4 books in 4 days which is cool! And maybe—just maybe—I might actually complete this challenge successfully before the year ends.
OK, so enough of the rambling, I guess. Let me lay out what I have been reading so far. You might want to check them out.
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune
My rating: ★★★★☆
Plot: Six summers to fall in love. One moment to fall apart. A weekend to get it right.
They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.
Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry’s Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek—the man she never thought she’d have to live without..
My thoughts: I loved 80% of the book, totally loved it! It got me hooked for real. It wasn't insta-love which is great. What I really liked about it is the fact that their struggles are realistic and I can somehow relate to some parts of the story. For me the ending was really rushed but still a good book!
If you liked this book you should also read... Swear on This Life by Renee Carlino
Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan
My rating: ★★★★☆
Plot: When Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy, lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, she hopes against hope that this is the place where she will finally find the peace she so desperately seeks. On her first day there, her life collides with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own. A man no one else sees.
My thoughts: I was so sure I haven't read this one before but when I started reading it on my iBook app, I saw that I had highlighted some quotes and bookmarked pages! That only means I have read it before but completely forgotten about it. I probably read it in 2014 because I remember reading some of Sheridan's work before. Anyways, I totally sobbed while reading this. It is really a tear-jerker! Ahhh, so much feels!
If you liked this book you should also read... Making Faces by Amy Harmon
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
My rating: ★★★★★
Plot: Catalina Martín desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. Especially since her little white lie about her American boyfriend has spiralled out of control. Now everyone she knows—including her ex and his fiancée—will be there and eager to meet him.
She only has four weeks to find someone willing to cross the Atlantic and aid in her deception. New York to Spain is no short flight and her raucous family won’t be easy to fool.
Enter Aaron Blackford—her tall, handsome, condescending colleague—who surprisingly offers to step in. She’d rather refuse; never has there been a more aggravating, blood-boiling, and insufferable man.
But Catalina is desperate, and as the wedding draws nearer, Aaron looks like her best option. And she begins to realize he might not be as terrible in the real world as he is at the office.
My thoughts: I literally posted this on GoodReads as a review..
Because OH MY GOD AARON. I haven't added people from the book boyfriend list in a while because *ehem* reading slump.. but damn, Aaron probably is at my top 5 swoon-worthy men now. I have never read anything from Elena Armas before so it was surprising that I fell in love with the way she writes right away. Though I can't help but compare this book with The Hating Game (which is one of my favourite books, btw) because they have a lot of similarities.
If you liked this book you should also read... The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
My rating: ★★★★★
Plot: As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding... six-pack abs.
Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
My thoughts: I recently finished this book and I loved it so much. Like The Spanish Love Deception, this is the first book I've read from Ali Hazelwood and I think this is the first romance book I've read about women in STEM! Although the tropes this book has isn't new, I still loved the way how Ali unfolded Olive and Adam's story. Damn, intelligent ppl are hot. ;A;
That's it so far from me. How about you, what have you been reading lately?
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