Review: The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

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There was an overwhelming amount of praise for this book. And unfortunately, I didn’t finish this book completely enchanted by the story or the characters. Overall, it was enjoyable. But not something that I loved.

The Allure of Dean Harper tells the story of Lily Black and Dean Harper. Lily has recently moved to New York and in need of a job. By the help of her best friend, she gets a job at one of New York’s trendiest restaurant. Unfortunately, for her the owner, Dean Harper, is not very kind.

Like mentioned prior, I didn’t love The Allure of Dean Harper but it did keep me interested. It was a hard book to put down.  However, I did have a problem with the pacing. Especially in terms of Lily and Dean’s relationship. It felt as if the relationship was purely attraction. There was not any heartbreaking moments nor were there any moments where I could pinpoint that these two particular people should be together.

Their relationship went in hyper speed and I do not necessarily think that it was fleshed out fully. There is not really a clear path to how these characters ended up how they were at the end of the book.

This was a relatively short book, and the pacing issue could have been solved if it had around one hundred more pages. I think that would have been enough to fully explore these two character’s relationship. Separately, they were okay. Dean had a little more backstory than Lily. But nevertheless, I understood where she was coming from. And they both were extremely witty characters.

Final Analysis

The Allure of Dean Harper feels like a first half of a larger book. It feels like a beginning that has not quite earned the ending that it got.

Review: The Chase by Elle Kennedy

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This is not necessarily a bad book. However, I would not classify it as a great book. It is somewhere in-between. The Chase did enough to keep me interested; but it was missing something and I am not sure what.

The Chase centers on Summer and Fritz.  After being kicked out of her college, Summer transfers to Briar U. And because of the circumstances of her expulsion, she is forced to live with a few of her older brother’s friends. And one of her new roommates happens to be Colin Fitzgerald- someone she has had a crush on for a while.

Like mentioned prior, this book felt a little flat. It checked all of the boxes, but still after reading it, it feels a little unforgettable. It is hard to describe it, but it also felt as if it was going through the motions and trying to cross the finish line.

Characters

The book is told in both Summer and Fitz’s POV. Both likeable characters. I didn’t feel a strong connection to either characters, but I appreciate the depth that Kennedy attempted to create with both. Although Summer had this seemingly perfect lifestyle, she was internally struggling and felt a little lost.  

Summer and Fitz did have chemistry. But I found myself much more interested in the relationships of side characters then I was in their relationship.

Final Analysis

The Chase is the definition of having all the right ingredients but still missing a little extra something.

Review: Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners by Gretchen Anthony

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Summary

A formidable matriarch learns the hard way that no family is perfect in this witty, sparkling debut novel

Dearest loved ones, far and near—evergreen tidings from the Baumgartners!

Violet Baumgartner has opened her annual holiday letter the same way for the past three decades. And this year she’s going to throw her husband, Ed, a truly perfect retirement party, one worthy of memorializing in her upcoming letter. But the event becomes a disaster when, in front of two hundred guests, Violet learns her daughter Cerise has been keeping a shocking secret from her, shattering Violet’s carefully constructed world.

In an epic battle of wills, Violet goes to increasing lengths to wrest back control of her family, infuriating Cerise and snaring their family and friends in a very un-Midwestern, un-Baumgartner gyre of dramatics. And there will be no explaining away the consequences in this year’s Baumgartner holiday letter…

Full of humor, emotion and surprises at every turn, Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners brings to life a remarkable cast of quirky, deeply human characters who must learn to adapt to the unconventional, or else risk losing one another. This is the story of a family falling to pieces—and the unexpected way they put it all back together.

Review

Where do I start with this book. Oh goodness, the family drama. So glad Violet isn’t my mother. Violet Baumgartner, the matriarch and control freak of the family, seems to want to control everyone and everything. Every year she writes these letters meant to be given to family and friends to share updates about the family for the year. Anticipating this year’s upcoming letter, her husband Ed is retiring from his job which she is more than excited for him to have this moment all to himself. When a huge secret get dropped at the party, Violet’s perfect world gets shattered sending her on a journey that leads to many consequences but unexpected resolutions.

This was an interesting one to read before the holidays. I’m on the fence about a few things with the book. When I first started the book, once the first holiday letter started, I set myself up with some expectations for what I anticipated the book to go like but then we were introduced to Violet. I found myself slightly irritated throughout the book by her controlling personality. It took away from my experience with the book but despite my irritation with her, once the book got going, it turned out to be a nice read. The characters and their moments throughout were funny but I don’t think I’d want to be a part of any of the families in the book. Such drama made an interesting read but had some life lesson takeways were nice to see and the characters evolve through their dysfunction. Overall, the holiday letters, the familial relationships, the secrets and full circle moments give the reader a glimpse into characters that found the an unconventional way to the meaning of family.

Review: Not So Nice Guy by R.S. Grey

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This was a fun, entertaining book. Was it a little unrealistic at times? Absolutely. But nevertheless, a good time. 

Not So Nice Guy revolves around Sam & Ian. Two best friends who literally do everything today. Dinner? Check. Sharing food? Check. West Wing Wednesday? Check. Like the two are inseparable. They even teach at the same high school. However, unbeknownst to each other they both have massive crush on each other. 

There were many times that I laughed or had a smile on my face while reading. This is book isn't heavy on the angst, instead it is like a fun Rom-com. 

Although the best friend to lovers tropes has been done millions of times, Not So Nice Guy manages to stay somewhat unpredictable and fresh.  

I did enjoy this book, but the pacing was a tad inconsistent. In the beginning, I didn't have a problem with the pacing. But around the 75% mark, everything went a little hyperspeed. I would have liked it it had slowed down, because almost everything felt a little rushed. 


Characters
Sam & Ian had amazing chemistry. These two characters needed to be together. And although, the story does not chronicle they beginning of their friend, it is undeniable that have this great friendship. It was believable that they were that close. 
In addition to a satisfying romance, both main characters were extremely likeable. There are so many books where the romance over shadows the individual characters, but this book is not one. Yes, the romance was exciting and great, but so were Sam & Ian as people. 

Final Analysis Not So Nice Guy is a refreshing and fun rom-com with great characters and a great romance. It does feel a little rushed at the end, but nevertheless, a good read. 

Review: Bess and Frima by Alice Rosenthal

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Summary

When Bess and Frima—best friends, both nineteen and from the same Jewish background in the Bronx—get summer jobs in upstate hotels near Monticello, NY, in June 1940, they have visions of romance . . . but very different expectations and needs. Frima, who seeks safety in love, finds it with the “boy next door,” who is also Bess’s brother. Meanwhile, rebellious Bess renames herself Beth and plunges into a new life with Vinny, an Italian American, former Catholic, left-wing labor leader from San Francisco. Her actions are totally unacceptable to her family—which is fine with Beth. Will their young loves have happy endings? Yes and no, for the shadow of world war is growing, and Beth and Frima must grow up fast. As their love lives entangle with war, ambitions, religion, family, and politics—all kinds of conventional expectations—they face challenges they never dreamed of in their struggles for personal and creative growth.

Review

Beth and Frima, a novel that takes place in the 40s, featues two best friends from the Bronx. A common bond of their Jewish heritage, we follow their evolution as young women through love, friendship, loss, family and cultural challenges.

Overall, the heart of the book was the friendship and Bess and Frima. It was a refreshing contrast seeing these women as they were through the influences of their time and the challenges they faced. Bess, being such a progessive and rebellious woman to not only the societal norms but her cultural ones, was such a great character to see break free to be in her own shell. Frima, who embodied conventional and traditional expectations found her way in the confines of who she was expected to be, found her way to be the best version of herself.Despite the challenges they faced, they always were their for each other no matter what which is so lovely to read novels featuring beautiful friendships.

There were other parts of the storylines that caught my interest such as the familial relationships and the supporting friendships which brought some nice elements to the book. I will say there were moments that I felt a bit drifted only because it feels like there was more to tell but had no affect on the interest of the main characters. I saw in the conclusion of the book this story continues which I found this book interesting enough to continue. I'm curious to see what happens next and experience the next chapter with them. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book and look forward to what's to come.

Review: Milk and Vine by Adam Gasiewski and Emily Beck

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I missed the Vine craze a couple of years ago. I never downloaded the app, however, I was fully aware that people were obsessed with the short form video hosting app. I didn’t know how obsessed until Vine announced that it was shutting down. People went insane; and it was hard to even scroll through Twitter without seeing a list of someone’s favorite vines.

Vine eventually shut down in January of 2017. And like those do in mourning, people had thousands of compilations of the most popular vines. A couple of months ago, I finally got around to watching some. And I finally was able to get some references that those around me kept mentioning.

Milk and Vine is a parody of the popular poetry book Milk and Honey. Whereas Milk and Honey deals with dark and empowering tones, Milk and Vine is light and aims to be humorous.

It is a tribute to the short lived app. It features several of the most popular vines. There were a few references that I did get and chuckled because it was funny. But there were a few that I didn’t get, and I had a confused look on my face.

This is not anything serious, and there is not any underlying meaning to this book.  But it is a book that any vine level could potentially enjoy.  I will admit that the Youtube tributes are a little better. Actually seeing the material play out, is much better than reading it in modern poetic form.