Review: Groupie by Susan Daugherty

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Groupie is the first book in a dual series featuring a rock star romance. I usually don't venture in this area because sometimes this genre tends to veer on the predictable side but I decided to give it a chance. It actually was better than my initial expectation but I will say that I was very disappointed to be left dangling on the cliff. I'm definitely looking forward to see where Muse leads us with Lex and Jack but until then I'll give you my thoughts on Groupie.

One night, Lexi Travis goes out with her best friend, Ashley to see country star Jack Morgan. Ironically, as much as she loves country, she can't stand Jack. She feels he's the stereotypical star that you see these days. You know, the one that completely abandoned real music that is your shallow player type that sings degrading music with no depth. Not just that but the kind of musician that loves and thrives off the lifestyle of being surrounded by “groupies.”

Well, while they were at the concert on their way out, a bunch a fans decided to surround him on stage bringing chaos and a near death experience. Lucky for him it wasn't fatal but in his need of medical treatment, out of all people that get assigned to him, guess who gets the lucky prize of getting to treat him. No other than his biggest fan, Lexi. Not!

So, you know in the course of his getting treatment, he's not exactly scoring brownie points with her pour on his charm, laying it on thick. She's not having it at all. Little does she know, she's making quite the impression on him. Mostly because when you're a rockstar like him, you're surrounded by the same type of woman. For once, there's something different, special about Lexi that grabs his attention but the feeling is definitely not mutual. She was definitely not looking for love, actually just the thought just crippled any possibility of any mutual attraction.

Now if this was any other person, they would've died for the chance to give him one on one treatment but due to obligations to fulfill his tour, Jack is going to need a bit more medical assistance than anticipated. The only way that can happen is if Lexi joins him on tour. She's not exactly jumping for joy but she's the only person he trusts with his care and pressure from her supervisors for the benefits of working with a VIP client. Reluctant, she agrees but doesn't realize how much this journey will shape both their lives.

You know what happens when you are stuck in close quarters with someone. You are going to love them or hate them. The minute she said yes, she opened the door to a world she never expected nor anticipated. When you judge a person and then see they are opposite, whether you like it or not, your walls come down and they grow on you. Trying to stay professional, she found the line slowly blurring and signals becoming stronger to resist.

As they get to know each other personally and professionally, life has a way of bringing people together for a reason. Will she break down her walls of fear to take a chance? Or will she allow outside obstacles to stand in the way of what could be her meant to be? Oh, you will have to read it to find out!

I don't know about you but it's nice to read a book that is slow in the romance area. Not slow boring but slow in a way that made you have something to look forward to. That is what I really appreciate about this book because you got to see the relationship develop between them. Not just them but the other characters naturally complement each other giving the reader such a warm, fun experience. You experience their transformation and go through the ups and downs like a real relationship. I really felt like I was in the moment with them. I can't say to much without venturing into spoiler territory but I'm on the edge with them needing to know which direction this is going to go because where the book ends I'm well, if you read the book you will understand but if not, you'll see. As of this moment, I'm not sure where these two will end up but I know that I'm about to dive into Muse to find out.

Review: The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

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“Never have been asked, “Who do you think you would’ve turned out to be if you weren’t an intergalactic princess?”

I’d be me.

You know, Carrie.

Just me.”

I’ve never seen Star Wars. I can already hear the gasps from all around the world and see pitch forks being picked up. In fact, I have not seen a lot of classic/popular films. But that is a topic to cover on another day. Back to Star Wars- although, I haven’t seen the franchise, I’m aware of what it is about.

I know the characters. I know the actors, and last year I started to understand why everyone loved Carrie Fisher. And like many, I was shocked and deeply impacted by her passing at the end of last year. She was an extremely funny individual. She also was very candid about her struggles and wanted to educate people on mental illnesses.

The Princess Diarist is a collection of many diaries during the filming of Star Wars. Carrie talks about her first film role, how filming was with Star Wars, and even drops a big secret from the set.

“If anyone reads this when I have passed to the big bad beyond I shall be posthumously embarrassed. I shall spend my entire afterlife blushing.”

This book was both funny and heartbreaking. It is something that you don’t want to stop reading, and wish that there were more pages because you don’t want it to be over. Because when it’s over. It’s over.

Carrie’s humor is sprinkled throughout. There are amazing one liners and funny tales. It’s heartbreaking because you feel her pain while reading her diaries. She was deeply affected by something in her life, and after years of keeping it a secret, she finally told the world.

In addition to her big reveal, you also get a sense of what Carrie felt about Hollywood and what parts she struggled with. She didn’t want to be an actress; it was something that sort of just happened.

It was also heartbreaking because she mentions death multiple times and even thanked her mother for not dying in the acknowledgments. Tissues are definitely needed while reading. After reading this, I want to read more of her books because she was a talented writer and that is showcased in her poetry throughout the book.

You can’t help but feel connected to Carrie Fisher after reading this book. She was more than just Princess Leia.

Final Analysis

The Princess Diarist is an autography that centers on Carrie’s life before, during, and after Star Wars. It’s full of humor, secrets, and heartbreak. It feels personal, and it makes you miss Carrie Fisher even more.

Review: After All by Karina Halle

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I have conflicting thoughts about this book. Some things I really enjoyed and others things were completely unnecessary- especially, the climax and the ending. The turning point and the main conflict felt forced. The story didn’t need it. There are other ways to keep the main characters apart- especially since one is famous and the other is not.

The book is in essence a book of tropes. There’s the famous person/normal person dating trope, huge age difference trope, enemies-to-lovers trope, and the fake dating trope. There are more in the book but this these are the most prominent ones. I never felt overwhelmed with the tropes. At times they did feel a little cliché, but never overly annoying.

Characters

I liked Alyssa. She was funny and took absolutely no nonsense. However, Alyssa’s actions were a little unclear. For example, why did she want to be an actress and why did she leave at the end of the book? Also, it was a little sadden that she always commented on her size and put herself down.

I think Alyssa described Emmett best in the book when she said, “…you’re no different from the vapid dirty-talking alphas I read.” I was put off by his “dirty talk”; it made me a little uncomfortable because it always felt random. But, I must say I really enjoyed him and Jimmy’s relationship. I wish that had been explored more because it was emotional and made Emmett likeable. I wish that side of him was shown more.

I found it interesting that he was an actor on Degrassi and that his current acting job is on a CW superhero show. I used to watch Degrassi and current watch superhero shows on that channel.

I genuinely love the enemies to lover stories. The banter is always hilarious and it’s interesting to see two characters who hate each other start to fall for each other.  Emmett and Alyssa did have banter, and you could really see the connection between them. My favorite moments between them is when they would have heart-to-heart conversations. The banter happened a little less than I would have wanted.

Final Analysis

After All attempts to incorporate all of the most popular and interesting tropes into one story. Although interesting and heart wrenching in some parts, in others it begins to feel unnecessary and plain.

Review: It Started with Goodbye by Christina June

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It Started with Goodbye is a modern day retelling of Cinderella. The story centers on Tatum Elsea, who after unfortunate events will spend all of her summer doing community service and being watched over by her Step-Mother. Her best friend, also a victim of unfortunate events, has been shipped away and not talking to her. On the low-key, Tatum opens a graphic design business, meets a boy, and learns some things about her family.

I was immediately drawn to this book because of the fact that the main character was a graphic designer. And I was very pleased that Tatum’s passion was a huge part of the book. However, my overall conclusion is that the book was not for me.

This book felt extremely rushed, predictable, and seemed like the author wanted to solve everything quickly and tie a nice red bow atop. The relationships were lacking depth and believability. For example: how and why did her best friend suddenly have a change of heart? Why did S not return Tatum’s item earlier if he knew who she was?

Tatum was a decent main character. You really get to know her as the story progresses. She responded to situations in ways that a normal teenager would. Again, I loved that she was a graphic designer.

Unfortunately, Tatum never really had that character development moment that everyone in the book claimed had happen. She seemed the same to me; start to finish.

I really enjoyed how her and “S” communicated by email. That was cute. The only issue I have with the romance is that the emails were better than the actual meeting between the two. When they finally met, the relationship was rushed and definitely felt instalove.

It is worth mentioning that calling this book a Cinderella retelling is a stretch. If it was not mentioned by the author at the end, I would have never known.  

Final Analysis

It Started with Goodbye is filled with fluff and isn’t too serious. Although, I wasn’t a big fan, I do think younger audiences would enjoy this book. It’s a quick read and is extremely simple. Everything is resolved at the end, and the main character is likeable. It’s a no-strings-attached kind of book, that doesn’t require much thought.

Review: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

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I’ve been seeing this book everywhere. And on a whim, I decided to pick it up without having any knowledge of what it was about. And surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. Milk and Honey is a collection of poems that are both heartbreaking and inspiring.

The book is broken down into four chapters- The Hurting, The Loving, The Breaking, & The Healing. Each chapter emotes a different type of emotion out of the reader. The book is somewhat of a journey through life.

The book teaches you that life is filled with terrible and heartbreaking moments but within those moments you can find great things. Great things that you might have missed if you were not looking.

After reading one poem readers cannot help but want to stop and analyze the simple words that pack such a powerful punch. These poems can be read several times without ever getting old.

There is so much meaning and emotion behind every word, and it is even relatable. Several of the poems deal with situations that many face today. For example, there are poems about being trapped in a relationship and having an abusive parent.

In addition to being heartbreaking and inspiring, the author manages to showcase body positivity, women supporting other women, and other important topics that should be taught. This is definitely a book that everyone should read at least once.

Review: Always & Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

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I read the first two books in the series a while ago, and I remember that I didn’t enjoy them as much as I had hoped. I’m not sure what aspects about the books that I didn’t like, but I knew it didn’t live up to the hype that surrounded it.

I was a little hesitant to read this; however, because of the glowing reviews and constant online chatter, I decided to give it a chance. As I sit here, only an hour after finishing the third, I realize that maybe I judged them a little too harshly.

I highly enjoyed this book. It was fun and cute. And you can’t help but feel good while reading. There’s so much rainbows and happiness packed into it. But don’t get me wrong, there are a few dark clouds and rain. This book will hit you hard in the emotions.

There were a couple of times where I felt tears building in my eyes. The book portrayed the emotions impacted by graduating and also getting a new step-parent. All the character’s actions felt real and relatable. There was never a moment when a character’s motive or feelings felt odd to the reader. For example, when Margot returns home from college and notices that some things have changed at home, I could really picture myself acting like that if I was in that situation. And I think a lot of readers could picture themselves too.

It was hard to get attached to the supporting characters because I could barely remember the first two installments. It was also hard to know certain details of character’s lives and what happened in the past. There were a lot of times where the book mentioned something and I had no idea what it was. It felt very much like a tribute/goodbye book.

It didn’t slow down to give you a recap of what had happened last time. That was fine because I enjoyed this book so much; I’m willing to go back and reread the others. Maybe they were the right book, however, they were in the wrong time in my life. I could see myself enjoying them now.

A random tidbit that I enjoyed about this book is that this feels very much like a Jenny Han book. I follow Jenny Han on Twitter and she really lets her personality shine on there. You really get a sense of what type of person she is. And throughout the book there are tiny sprinkles of her personality and interests throughout. For example, the Broadway musical Hamilton was mentioned several of times, and that is something that Jenny talked about a lot.

Characters

Prior to this book, I believe that I was impartial to Lara Jean. Maybe perhaps, a little annoyed by her? I can’t exactly remember. Again- right book, wrong place. However, in this book, I really enjoyed her. She is what the fandom world calls a precious cinnamon roll. She is so sweet and relatable. And if she was a real person, I believe that we would get along well. We have so much in common besides the cooking thing.

I related very much to her feelings. Especially the feeling of rejection. It hurts when you want something so much but life doesn’t go your way and you don’t get it. However, maybe it wasn’t something that you truly needed. This relates to Lara Jean. Where she ended up, is where she belonged.

Peter was everything. He was such a good boyfriend; and that was really shown throughout the book. At first I was worried that he was going to be portrayed as being “too perfect”. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. He made some mistakes; he said a couple of things he should not have said. But those moments were important to show because it really showed that he was only human.

Peter and Lara were adorable. Everyone knew that they belonged together. Of course, they face challenges in this book, but none of the drama felt odd or excessive. It was always grounded and real problems that people face in that time in their lives.

Family was a huge part of this book. Lara Jean has a great relationship with her sisters and her dad. Lara’s youngest sister, Kitty, was amazing. She had the best dialogue and was hilarious. I wouldn’t mind reading in her POV one day.

Final Analysis

Always and Forever, Lara Jean was great and like coming up for fresh air. Everything was well done. The main character and romance were amazing. It was a nice farewell to the series.