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May TBR

On By KaylieIn To Be ReadLeave a comment

Last month was an unusually slow reading month for me, I only finished two books. I am feeling good about this month though, and I have some books I am really looking forward to on deck!

First, Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez. This is the third book in the Part of Your World series, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first two, so I have high hopes for this one.

Second, Funny Story by Emily Henry. I have been waiting for this one to be released for quite some time, and I am so excited to finally read it! Daphne’s Fiance, Peter, leaves her for Miles’ girlfriend, Petra, then Daphne and Miles move in together, and probably fall in love.

Then, Faithful Place by Tana French. This is the third book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, and this one follows Frank Mackey, and the mystery of the disappearance of the girl he was in love with when he was young, which he thought nothing of until now, decades later. These books are so well written; if you like a good slow crime/mystery, this series is definitely for you.

Next, The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren. I actually did not mean to order this as my Book of the Month, but I did, and it doesn’t sound bad. Anna and Liam marry in college for cheaper housing, and she is under the impression they have since divorced. However, in order to inherit a sizable fortune, Liam must show his family he has been happily married for five years. With a vacation coming up, and the two of them still, in fact, married, Liam convinces Anna to come with him to prove he has fulfilled the prerequisite for the money.

Also, The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter. Growing up, I LOVED the Gallagher Girls series, and I was SO excited to hear this book was coming out! I am hoping it will be like Gallagher Girls, but grown up. I finally got my hands on the book, and I plan to wait to read it until I have a whole day free so I can read it through without stopping!

Last, Beach Read by Emily Henry. I ordered this simply because it sounded like a cute little romance, and because I have heard people have loved it. Basically, two writers are on a beach, complete opposites, both with writers block, and they come up with a plan to switch genres.

Leave me a comment if you’ve read any of these!

Yours Truly – Reviewed

On By KaylieIn FIVE STARSLeave a comment

I gave Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez FIVE stars. This is the second book in the Part of Your World series, and I would recommend reading Part of Your World first. It’s not required, but would give you a better understanding of the backgrounds of some of the characters.

I was so upset when this book was over; I wish I could read it again for the first time. If you are considering reading this for the first time, cherish it! You’ll only get to read it for the first time once!

The first few pages of this book I wasn’t so sure how I felt about it, but sure enough, every time I picked it up (three times in total) I didn’t want to put it down.

Briana Ortiz is an ER physician, and also the best friend of Alexis – the main character of Part of Your World. Briana’s brother is in renal failure, and her divorce is almost final when an annoying, and annoyingly handsome and perfect new doctor, Jacob Maddox, transfers to her hospital. His first day, he kills almost every one of his patients and everyone hates him, especially Briana after he barges in on her lunch/secret cry closet. Everything changes though, when Briana gives Jacob a bit of unsolicited advice, and in response he gives her a handwritten letter… and her brother his kidney…

This book made me laugh, it made me tear up, and it made me want to cry. I didn’t cry, but I could have. The development of Briana and Jacob’s relationship starts off as a fake relationship to appease Jacob’s family into thinking he is fine, after Jacob’s ex-girlfriend and his brother announce they’re getting married. Obviously, things don’t go as planned with the fake relationship, and everyone develops some very not-fake feelings. The journey of self-doubt through this book on the part of both Briana and Jacob, relating to their feelings for each other and doubting the other person feels the same way, is so realistic and so relatable, and in turn SO frustrating. There were plenty of times throughout this book I just felt like screaming nothing in particular into the ether because of it. I LOVE a book that can make me feel that way!!

This was another novel where Abby Jimenez wrote about past trauma in relationships and how they show up in current relationships, and I thought she did such a great job conveying this reality. I felt like for the duration of the book the trauma Briana went through in her previous marriage was hinted at and maybe minimized, until it came in like a WRECKING BALL, just as it might present in a real life situation. I don’t like to bring other reviews into mine, but I have seen some other reviews that have suggested this detail wasn’t executed well, because the reader didn’t have all the information prior to the bombshell, and it was surprising to us, therefore we couldn’t understand it well. I disagree with this viewpoint. I think the presentation/initial omission of the extent of Briana’s trauma made her response to the events of her relationship with Jacob SO much more impactful. As the reader, we were left waiting for an explanation, just as Jacob was. And oh my, did my heart just entirely go out to Jacob during that time?? I really don’t think any book has ever made me FEEL as much as this one did.

She also tackled social anxiety HEAD ON, and reading between the lines I believe she intended to portray that Jacob was actually autistic. A constant theme throughout the book, was that Jacob was super duper wicked uncomfy in social situations, and that Briana brought him out of that, and knew how to manage it. I thought this specific dynamic between the two of them was so well-written, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I felt through this aspect of the story, we could really feel the love between them.

I also loved the incorporation of Alexis and Daniel into this storyline. It didn’t feel necessary, per se, but it was definitely an added bonus. A gift, if you will, to be able to get a little update on them throughout this other really incredible love story.

My only neutral observation was that the moments where they were both at work felt very Grey’s Anatomy inspired. I can’t call this a complaint, as a Grey’s Anatomy fan, and I can’t think of any way I’d have liked to see these moments written differently, I just felt like my thinking about a Grey’s Anatomy-esque environment took a little bit away from the story at hand. Maybe that was just a me problem!

There is so much I am missing in this review, but I really don’t want to ruin the thrill of the read for anyone.

I would recommend this book to anybody and everybody. I LOVED this book with all my heart, and again, I wish I could have the experience of reading it for the first time.

Yours Truly,

Kaylie 😉

Part of Your World – Reviewed

On By KaylieIn Four StarsLeave a comment

I gave Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez four stars! This is the first in the Part of Your World series, and I vow to include zero spoilers in this review.

Part of Your World follows Doctor Alexis Montgomery, as she navigates life, post-divorce, and bearing the weight of a family legacy of world-renowned surgeons. She is expected to continue the family legacy at Royaume Northwestern Hospital, where her family has performed as prominent surgeons for decades, but will that plan be derailed when she attends a funeral out of town? She ends up putting her car into a ditch on the way home, and then along comes Daniel, who tows her out, and also happens to be a carpenter and the town Mayor, and maybe the love of her life?

This book felt like I was reading a Hallmark movie, and I can’t lie, I love a good Hallmark movie. Big city girl goes to small town, falls in love with small town boy, but her rich pretentious family would never accept small town boy as their own, so what is she to do?? This book includes some sensitive topics, such as emotional and physical abuse, and Abby Jimenez tackles then perfectly in my opinion.

In the beginning, Alexis thinks she and Daniel are polar opposites, and their lifestyles certainly serve to say so, but as the story goes on and Alexis learns more about Daniel, she learns more about herself as well. I thought the character development in this story was so well-done and relatable, and I loved that Alexis shared everything with Briana from the start. I also just read Yours Truly, the next book in this series, and knowing all of the details from Alexis and Daniel’s story just made Briana’s story that much more interesting.

The conflict in this story comes from Alexis being a big-shot doctor in Minneapolis, Daniel being an all-around, do everything guy from a small town outside of the city, and Alexis not wanting to admit to herself, or WORSE, her family, that she is in love with him. I loved the back and forth, both literally and figuratively, on Alexis’s part, of hiding this relationship, and then coming to terms with it.

This book was written in such an honest, real, and candid tone, and I found myself giggling throughout it. With that being said, I was also deeply concerned the entire time that the ending I thought NEEDED to happen, was somehow not going to, and I could not put this book down in the interest of finding out how everything played out. I was seriously invested in this book. The reason I gave four stars, and not five, is because I was slightly underwhelmed by the ending. I felt like it was a bit rushed, and the predictability of it for literally half of the entire book preceding the ending made it even more underwhelming. Overall though, a great read.

I have said it before, I am not a huge romance novel girlie, but after this I think I might be turning into one. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute, easy to read, relatable rom-com that they can get through in a weekend!

Annie Bot – Reviewed

On By KaylieIn Four Stars, Three StarsLeave a comment

I gave this book three and a half out of five stars…though I did battle with giving it a four star review. I’ve categorized this in both three and four star reviews, because after writing this review, I still am torn.

This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read. Throughout this novel, we follow Annie, who is essentially a sex bot who is trying her best to be as human as she can possibly be. Annie analyzes everything, from what the humans around her are doing to how they are feeling to help her figure out how to act just like them. Even though Annie is literally a robot and I am pretty sure I’m not, I felt like this was so relatable.

Annie belongs to Doug, who created her to satisfy his needs, and to not create any more issues. As time goes on, however, Annie learns more about what it means to be human, and about self worth, and she starts wanting to feel loved and valued. Which are human emotions, not emotions robots should have. She also learns about lies, cheating and deceit, all in an effort to ultimately please Doug…

I don’t feel like I can write a great review of this book without giving too much away, but we follow as Annie is faced with challenged she feels like taking on will make her more human, and the consequences that comes with each of these challenges. The book took turns I didn’t expect it to take, but that I also can’t share in the interest of not giving key information away. Over time, Annie starts to learn about her own self worth, and essentially what she wants from a partner. More importantly, what she DOESN’T want in a partner.

This book was a journey of self-love for Annie, which was found through many mistakes, and there’s nothing more human than that.

This book was entirely different than I expected it to be. At times it was steamy, but mostly it was raw, emotional, and honest. Maybe it was personal, but this book had be bordering on emotional a couple of times. When you pick up a book about a robot to read, I feel like naturally the character you think you’ll be drawn to is the human, but I felt most connected to Annie and her struggles. Throughout the book, I found that Sierra Greer’s writing made me feel tuned into Annie’s feelings, and I really cared about what happened to her in the end. Overall, even though I really wasn’t sure it would be, this book was so empowering.

Additionally, if there is one thing I look for in a book, it is often the ease of the read. I have enough going on in my real life, I don’t want the book I’m reading to be work. Greer’s style of writing was so easy to read, and was intriguing. Sometimes, even with books I am enjoying, I am dreaded picking them up because the writing is just too much, and this wasn’t the case. Every time I picked this up it was EASY to get back into. This book was so different than anything I’d ever read, to the point that one or two times I wondered why I was reading it, but I never considered not finishing it. Greer had me invested in the ending from the first page.

There is a big part of me that wants Sierra Greer to make this a series and write about the lives of some of the other characters in this book…. I’d read them in a heartbeat.