garbage_mcsmutly's reviews
1571 reviews

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a delightful mystery with a heavy dose of rom-com. I wish it wasn't closed door but that's honestly my only complaint. The mystery was solid, the chemistry and history of the MCs was great, it was fun and funny at times.

🌢️ 1/5

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A Kilt For Christmas by Tricia O'Malley

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lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

Boring. Should've DNFed but it was so short I figured I'd power through. The romance didn't grab me, I didn't buy the chemistry, the one 🌢️ scene was uninspired. It felt like nothing really happened all through the book, even though there were actually a bunch of plot points. That said, it was a decent plot and the writing was technically proficient. I think this author is just really not my style.

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My Present This Year by Sierra Simone

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lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

It was 40 pages long. I liked it but you can't fit much character depth or background into 40 pages. But the spice was 🌢️🌢️🌢️ with a tease, but no delivery of, kink 

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The FiancΓ© Dilemma by Elena Armas

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

πŸ“ A good fake engagement romance with heart and spice and some trauma to resolve.

🎧 This book was tagged as having two narrators so I thought it would be dual narration with both POVs (my fave). But it's actually all from the FMC's POV, with only the final chapter from MMC's POV. I was disappointed because I like Zachary Webber and would've liked more of the MMC's POV.

🌢️ 3.5/5 There were a few steamy scenes.

πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆβœŠ Not a lot in terms of representation. There was diversity (ethnicity, sexuality) in the side characters but we barely see those people.

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Sips of Her by Karmen Lee

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Did not finish book. Stopped at 62%.
Apparently none of the issues that come up get resolved so why bother
Desperate Measures by Katee Robert

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This was a fun read with plenty of spice. I feel like the pacing was a bit off, like the ending wrapped up super quickly compared to the majority of the book's pace. But the story was enjoyable and fun and a bit action-y.

🌢️ 4.5/5 The spice was spicing for sure. There was kink and power play, there was dubcon, there was a 3some. Chapters 2 and 17 stuck out as particularly exciting. (Only reason 🌢️ isn't a 5/5 is because there was still a lot of plot (not a bad thing). 5/5 would be like, this is all smut no plot.)

πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆβœŠ Representation: both MCs are brown skinned but ethnicity isn't named. FMC is not straight. Kink well-repped.

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Home for the Holidays by Lee Jacquot

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.25

This was a cute lil Thanksgiving step sibling novella with a bit of angst and a steamy resolution. 

🌢️ 4.5/5 two explicit scenes plus a teaser,
somno
k!nk in first scene.

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Four Weekends and a Funeral by Ellie Palmer

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emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

πŸ“– This was a genuinely funny book, it had me laughing at multiple points. I bought the romance/chemistry. The MCs seemed like real people with real flaws.

🎧 Single POV, female narrator. I liked her. 

🌢️ 1.5/5, mostly closed door. This was disappointing for me; FMC spends a lot of mental energy thinking about her breast reconstruction and lack of nipples, and to have most of that fulfillment she finds with MMC just skipped over was a missed opportunity, I think. There is a little bit shown on page but it's like, looking and light touching, not the real passionate stuff.

πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆβœŠ BRCA survivor FMC, her mom survived cancer, one of FMC's two bffs dates women, and mental health rep kinda more generally.

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The Worst Duke in London by Amalie Howard

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emotional funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

πŸ“– This was a cute story with a strong willed woman and a man who's not afraid to let her be her best. FMC knows her mind, wants to take care of abandoned animals, doesn't want to get married. MMC is smitten almost right away and he admires her bravery and intellect. I love this dynamic.  It was also genuinely funny at multiple points.

🎧 Mary Jane Wells narrated. The story was dual POV but MJW was the only narrator. As always, she did a lovely job with the voices and acting. 

🌢️ 4/5 for a handful of explicit scenes

πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆβœŠ Not much diversity in the story... There's a bit of class diversity in her one friend who's a veterinarian. Nothing I heard indicated diversity in color or queerness or ability.

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Just For the Summer by Abby Jimenez

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emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

πŸ“– Honestly if there had just been more explicit spice I would probably 5 star this, it's a really compelling story about someone who's had a very traumatic upbringing and who has to reckon with all of that in order to become the person she's meant to be. I don't have personal experience with the mental illness or trauma that appear in the book but it seemed like the author treated these issues with great care and respect. 

🎧 This was dual POV, and dual narration. Both narrators were skilled. I'm a fan of the male narrator more generally, I always enjoy his delivery. When they were texting each other, the voices were duet style, but in the majority of the text it was just each narrator reading all the parts in their chapter. So I was a little disappointed it wasn't full duet.

🌢️ 2/5 There's really only one sex scene and it's depicted rather circumspectly. One of the few things I think this book could do better on.

πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆβœŠ I think the book is great at depicting a variety of life circumstances (traumatic/neglectful childhood, loss of a parent, someone incarcerated) but there wasn't much traditional (POC, lgbtqia+) diversity. FMC's foster parents are both women? We never see them on page though, just referenced as background.

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