Review: Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not by Julie Soto
RATING: 2.5 STARS
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Four months into the year, a novel has finally given me some hope that maybe just maybe I can overcome the reading slump I haven’t been able to shake in the last year.

Nonetheless… “Forget Me Not” was a grumpy/sunshine opposites attract second chance romance that will inspire readers to find their own version of Elliot.

The author's writing style was better than what I expected and it’s easy to get a gist of who the characters (minus one) are, even the step-siblings that partake in the wedding shenanigans. I loved the concept of a wedding planner and florist falling in love, and the meaning behind the flowers and the tattoos.

Notwithstanding, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Elliot and Amas barely had any interaction during the ‘Present’ time and it was mostly filled with inner dialogue, scenes with the engaged couple, and the less than a handful of times they were in a room together—conversation was centered only on the flower arrangements. Boo!

In the novel, the ‘Past’ was more heavily focused which I recognize is for the readers to get a better understanding as to why the relationship ended but I was really looking forward to the tension and heart-to-heart talks that simply didn’t happen. The romance and romantic gestures between the former couple were non-existent in the ‘Present’ time.

Besides the ‘Past/Present’ debacle—maybe it’s just me but the relationship just seemed very superficial and minus the minimal discussion about his father, degree and him being a grump—we know absolutely nothing else about Elliot.

All in all, “Forget Me Not” wasn’t terrible, I just wanted more and I am looking forward to seeing what the author has in store for readers in future releases.

Review: Ship Wrecked

Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
RATING: 1.5 STARS
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Sighs.

2022 has become a very lackluster reading year for me and after selecting “Ship Wrecked” among the numerous ARCs I failed to complete this year (a story for another time), I was really hoping for a win. Ha! Why do I always get my hopes up to only watch it crash and burn?

All in all, I didn’t like “Ship Wrecked” as much as I thought I would. The body positivity and plus size representation, yes. Everything else, no. The first few chapters were barely decent but it slowly started spiraling before I’ve even reached the 10-20% mark. The only chapter that is worth the read is chapter one. That’s all folks!

One of the noticeable issues of the book I had was the pacing. It was horrendous. As a reader, it's a vital part of any story and it was pretty much non-existent. One moment we’re with the main characters, Peter and Maria’s, one night stand scene then the next we’re transported a number of years later where their relationship betters for the worse all within the same sentences. Half the time I didn’t know where I was at with the out-of-whack jumps throughout and essentially found myself less and less enthused in finishing this read.

Additionally, readers were left out the loop on Peter’s and Maria’s relationship building and development, and it felt like we just had to trust the author’s word on it. Ugh no. That is typically my favorite aspect of a romance novel. Seeing how the characters interact and grow after pinning and finally getting together.

Despite the author being new to me—the likelihood of me reading from Olivia Dade is zero to none. Don’t waste your time in picking this up. You’re welcome.

Review: To Swoon and to Spar

To Swoon and to Spar by Martha Waters
RATING: 2 STARS
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Martha Waters has always been a hit or miss for me and surprise surprise! I unsurprisingly got nothing from this.

The storyline was dull with an ill paced plot that was essentially non-existent. Perhaps it was just me but I felt like I was reading the same paragraph over and over again—making it quite obvious the writing style left much to be desired. Then the biggest issue I came across were the main characters, Jane (intolerable) and Penvale (tolerable). They were terribly boring and poorly written. The lack of character traits that typically can draw readers in the storyline and the world that the author created were MIA. With that being said, I can't fail to mention the romance. Absolutely lackluster. Where was the chemistry? Where was the tension? Why were they such a boring AF couple?

Ugh. To put it bluntly—"To Swoon and to Spar" was an uneventful romance with one dimensional characters that would put you to sleep. I was really hoping for the swooning enemies to lovers banterful romance the synopsis made it out to be. But like I said—I got a whole lotta nada. 10/10 won't recommend it.

Review: The Haunting of Alejandra

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
RATING: 3 STARS
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“The Haunting of Alejandra” touched on heavy topics such as mental health, toxic and unhealthy relationships, abuse, myths/legends, hauntings and more. Most importantly: La Llorona. 

If you weren’t already aware—"The Weeping Woman" or "The Wailer" is a Hispanic-American mythical vengeful ghost—better known as La Llorona—who is said to roam waterfront areas mourning her children whom she drowned. Growing up in a Hispanic household, my brothers and I were told of the folktale when we were young and being firm believers that she is real—I was immediately drawn to this story and was anticipating the author's take on this infamous being.

Was I disappointed by this take? Yes and no. From page one, I was immersed by the eerie atmosphere, realistic and broken down characters (Alejandra for obvious reasons), the story and the background of “The Weeping Woman ''.

The slow build up for the first 80% of the novel was absolute perfection. The author had a unique writing style that fit perfectly with the novel’s themes and despite it being hard to frighten someone with the written word—there were moments where I felt like something was about to jump through the pages. And I think if the author continued this momentum in the remaining 20% of the novel, this would have received a 5/5 star rating.

What dropped the initial high rating I was going to provide this new to me author? The climax. Once we reached the climax, the story took a 180 and lost its momentum as the build up and suspense was often scarier and more fun than the payoff. I was not satisfied with the rushed ending and wished the author took the time to really flesh it out even if it meant adding additional chapters.

Nonetheless, with some revisions and reworkings—“The Haunting of Alejandra” has the potential to be one of the best reads of 2023.  

Review: A House With Good Bones

A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
RATING: 1.5 STARS
DNF: 63%
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Based on the ratings, I may be one of the few that had a terrible time reading this. “A House With Good Bones” was a bore and once I reached the halfway mark, I just couldn’t find it in myself to finish the remainder.

The synopsis checked off everything I enjoy in a suspense/horror novel. Like who doesn’t like to read about haunted houses, possible ghosts/demons and with creepy vultures thrown in? Nonetheless, the pacing was too slow and the passages seemed drawn out. Maybe it was just me but a whole lot of nothing happened beside the small photo capture of a hand after the 60% that literally did nothing for me. I quickly dropped the novel after that.

Additionally the characters were bland AF. Sam, the main character, of the novel had a very interesting background, but personality-wise, very one-dimensional. The grandmother, mother, and gardener had more depth and caught my interest.

I can’t pinpoint if I am being affected by the reading slump or I am being picky, but this doesn’t live up to the hype but considering how the author is a fan favorite, I may go back to read other works to see if it’s really me or this novel in general.