Tag Archive for: 5 Stars

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Here One Moment

Here One MomentTitle: Here One Moment
Author(s): Liane Moriarty
Genre(s): Contemporary
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 512
Length: 15h 53m
Narrator(s): Caroline Lee, Geraldine Hakewill
Source: Owned
Reason(s): Book Club
Rating:
Spice: 1 Flames

My Thoughts

I adored HERE ONE MOMENT. I loved the premise of the story and all the characters. I laughed, cried, and stayed up way past my bedtime finishing it. I loved the message of using our one life to love, learn, live, and overcome our fears and anxieties.

I loved the way Moriarty portrayed how personal, all-consuming, and physical grief can be. I loved the serious look at and discussion surrounding mental health. I loved the advocacy of therapy and not suffering alone, that reaching out for help doesn’t mean you’re weak. I also loved the use of math and statistics to show the probability of how life and death sometimes feels cold and calculating, and unfair, how it can be sudden or expected.

Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the ReapingTitle: Sunrise on the Reaping
Author(s): Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hungers Games #5
Genre(s): Dystopian
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 387
Length: 12h 48m
Narrator(s): Jefferson White
Source: Owned
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice: 1 Flames

My Thoughts

I knew Haymitch had to have had a rough life, especially in and after the games. I just had no idea how awful it really was. Poor, Haymitch! Despite how gruesome his story was, it was a fantastic edition to the series. I really loved learning more about him. I also loved how Collins interspersed “The Rave” by Edgar Allan Poe throughout the book and especially during the last chapter. It added a lot of feeling and atmosphere to what happened to Haymitch and the other characters.

It was really fun to see all the character cameos from the original trilogy as well as a few from THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES. The characters endeared the book to me more than anything else.

As of the end SUNRISE ON THE REAPING, I still want to know how Snow became president of Panem and what led to that happening between the tenth and 50th Hunger Games. I also still want to know why he and Tigris had a falling out. I also want to know how both Lucy Gray and Maude Ivory died because of something Clerk Carmine or Tam Amber said near the end of this story. I’d love to read Finnick’s story or what happened during the first quarter quell next. And, I think it would be fun to get Mags’, Beatty’s, and Johanna’s stories at some point as well.

One Golden Summer

One Golden SummerTitle: One Golden Summer
Author(s): Carley Fortune
Series: Florek Brothers #2
Genre(s): Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 400
Length: 11h 49m
Narrator(s): AJ Bridel
Source: Borrowed
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice: 3 Flames

My Thoughts

I discovered Carley Fortune when her debut came out in 2021. I instantly fell in love with EVERY SUMMER AFTER and each subsequent book since then. 

ONE GOLDEN SUMMER is my favorite of Fortune’s novels. I adored Alice and Charlie. I loved their interactions and all the fun they had together at the lake during the summer. I loved that this story is a companion to EVERY SUMMER AFTER and that we get to finally see Charlie’s happily ever after. I loved revisiting the same lake and getting to see Percy, Sam, and Charlie again. It made this story that much more special.

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First-Time Caller

First-Time CallerTitle: First-Time Caller
Author(s): BK Borison
Genre(s): Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 420
Length: 11h 55m
Narrator(s): EJ Bingham
Source: Owned
Reason(s): Book of the Month
Rating:
Spice: 3 Flames

My Thoughts

FIRST-TIME CALLER was such a cute Sleepless in Seattle type romance. I adored everything about it. I loved both Lucie and Aiden, and Lucie’s make-shift family. I loved the banter, the spice, and even the parts where I cried. I’m so glad I chose this as my February Book of the Month pick.

I listened to the audiobook, even though I have the physical book. I loved the audio! EJ Bingham, who voices Aiden, sounds so much like Neil Patrick Harris.

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Phantasma

PhantasmaTitle: Phantasma
Author(s): Kaylie Smith
Series: Wicked Games #1
Genre(s): Romantasy
Format(s): Audio, Hard Cover
Pages: 497
Length: 13h 12m
Narrator(s): Laura Horowitz
Source: Owned
Reason(s): Book of the Month
Rating:
Spice: 4 Flames

My Thoughts

I absolutely adored this dark, gothic, romantasy. I thought the levels of Phantasma were a creative nod to Dante’s Inferno and the nine circles of Hell.

I loved the characters, especially Blackwell and Poe (even though Poe’s just a cat). I thought Smith’s depiction of Ophelia’s struggle with OCD was very realistic and enlightening of how true OCD affects its victims.

While some of the spicier scenes made me roll my eyes, I really adored the banter and tension between Ophelia and Blackwell. (I’m sorry but no guy’s penis is so big around that a 5’9” woman can’t grab it without encircling it completely. Well, unless she has such small hands that that’s all people would notice about her.)

Anyway, I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment.