Review: Big Chicas Don't Cry by Annette Chavez Macias

When I tell you I loved this book, I truly mean from the bottom of my heart that I loved this book. In the beginning, I got butterflies reminiscing about the friends in the Sisters of the Traveling Pants. With Big Chicas Don’t Cry, instead of friends, we get to fall in love with the Garcia cousins and their family as their journey through forgiveness, loss and the unbreakable bond of family.

We are introduced to the Garcia cousins: Mari, Erica, Selena and Gracie. These girls are not just family but they are best friends. They share their lives together and vow to never leave each other. Besides their unbreakable bond, they share a mutual love for their great grandmother, Welita. When Mari learns that her parents will be getting a divorce and will have to leave them, little did they know that would be the catalyst that would change their lives indefinitely.

As the book transitions to 15 years later, we follow these ladies as they navigate life and ultimately try to find their way. Mari seems to have everything perfect on the outside but her life is anything but. Giving up her dreams, losing herself in the process, the most important people in her life seem out of her reach or forgotten. Unfortunately, it takes a tragedy for her to realize that but will it be too late?

Erica’s boyfriend just dumped her and she’s trying to move on with life. When her news editor boss comes into the picture, they aren’t too fond of each other. As they get to know each other and the walls come down, the headlines of their story change and they find themselves to be the feature story.

Selena is trying to make it out there. She’s super talented and finds it hard standing out. As she tries to find herself in the professional world, her personal life is up in the air. After being hurt in the past, she decided that her current situation suits her just right until feelings were thrown in the air. Will she open herself up to catch them?

Gracie is my favorite. Her innocence is so sweet. She is a school teacher in a Catholic school who got the shock of her life when an old crush became the newest teacher. As they get thrown together on a mutual project, they get to know each other and find themselves drawn to each other. Then an unexpected event changes their lives forever.

As they vowed never to leave each other years before, life happens and sometimes people drift apart. When tragedy happens that breaks the anchor of their family, will this be the catalyst to mend their broken bond?

This is such a beautiful book that will touch your heart and fill you with so many emotions. I love how this book shows the love and beauty of this Mexican American family. The strength and bond of these strong women and the multi generational influences really are what makes me love this book more. I lost my mother and grandmother a couple of years ago, so I found so much comfort reading this book. It reminded me of them and the traditions and lessons that I hope to never forget. I can’t wait to read her next book that’s coming out in the Spring. Make sure you check this book out.

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Review: Fake Love by Jocelyne Soto

I had everything going for me.

Drafted right out of college. Signed a multimillion dollar contract. Slated to become a hall of famer.

All my prospects were looking up… Until a diagnosis caused me to ruin everything.

It took me a season to destroy my career and now I have to work to repair it.

Step 1 : Get clean.

Step 2 : Show my new team that their investment isn’t a waste.

Step 3 : Find a woman and convince her to be my fake girlfriend and make my mom happy.

1 and 2, I got a handle on. Step 3 is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought. Finding a woman was a piece of cake, convincing her is a different story.

Jen Zaragosa is hardheaded, feisty, and a pain in my behind. But even with her being all those things, I start to fall for her

And hard.

This started out as something to make my mom happy and it’s turning into me planning our future together.

Jen is my grand slam and there is nothing fake about it.

Review

The two most important things in Maddox’s life is baseball and his mom. Ever since he was young, he’s been on the field, and his mom has been supporting him. He’s close to her, and when she gets diagnosed with cancer, it sends him spiraling. He turns to drugs to numb himself and ends up almost losing his career. Months later, he’s fresh out of rehab and traded to a new team. And in order to repair his public image, he enlists Jen, a barista that he met, to pretend to be his fake girlfriend. Jen doesn’t really care for his job and really wants to be a social media manager. Thus, why she agrees to date him—to run his accounts.

From the beginning, Jan and Maddox had this attraction and when they had their first interaction, I knew it was going to be good. And I wasn’t disappointed. Although, they have a “fake” relationship, it was clear from the almost the beginning that nothing was fake between them, and they had a great trust with each other.

There was a nice mixture of sweet and angst moments. And I really enjoyed all the characters. Especially Maddox’s relationship with his mother. It was so pure, and it made since with how close they were that he would struggle when he learned she was sick. Everything he did was for her, and it really touched my heart.

Final Thoughts

Fake Love is a near perfect fake dating romance that can pull at your heart strings. 

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Review: Golden Hour of You and Me by K. Jamila

Sheyanne Shaw hates nothing more than she hates her hometown of Flagstaff, Arizona.

Except maybe being forced to return to it. After escaping her estranged relationship with her father, leaving behind her brother and her best friends, she returns after four years away. All to help her father in sorting out the house and the stables she grew up on. But she is not just greeted by him and the demons she tried so hard to leave behind.

Liam Landon never thought he’d step foot in such a small town.

Raised in the city of Vegas, the small town was not what he expected. Hired to help Mr. Shaw manage his finances, he can’t turn down the opportunity to help out his grandparents and start building a life for himself. While traveling for the job isn’t unheard of as a freelancer, it’s a bit different to be expected to stay for three months. Liam is open to it—only to be met with the absolute spitfire of his boss’s daughter.

Sheyanne is forced to confront her demons and her past relationships that have faded into nothing in the years she’s been gone. And she is forced to confront Liam. A man here on limited time, who seems to see straight through her defenses. He is cool, calm, and collected, and there for her every step of the way.

When faced with her worst fear and her own thoughts, will Sheyanne decide to leave like before?

Or will she stay?

 Review

I finished Golden Hour of You and Me and I was left speechless. In a good, emotional way. It’s one of the best books that I’ve read this year. There was something so raw about the journey. In the beginning, Sheynne was rough around the edges and flawed. She had a lot of things she had to work through. She’s forced to come home, after being gone for so long. And now she’s back, and the relationships that she left are still broken. There’s a lot of mixed feelings about her being back. Liam is only there to do his job and help her grandparents buy a house. He’s perfect. That is the best way to describe him.

The two of them start to warm up together and create this beautiful, realistic love story full of trust, support, and of course some banter. They were precious. And as that is going on, we start to see Sheyanne come to terms with a few things and work through her issues with her father.

I really enjoyed how it was stressed within the book that mental health is important, and that love couldn’t solve everything. Sheyanne had one of the best character developments I seen and I’m honored to have witnessed that in this book.

Final Thoughts

Golden Hour of You and Me was a beautiful, touching, unforgettable story about family, self-discovery, and forgiveness. It's one sticks it's landing, and leaves the reading a sobbing mess after reading it. 

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Review: When Gracie Met The Grump by Mariana Zapata

Of all the things that could have landed in her yard… it had to be him.

For most people, finding a half-naked superbeing in their yard might be a dream come true.

Unfortunately for Gracie Castro, it’s the exact opposite.

Especially when he’s grouchy, rude, and shows no signs of leaving anytime soon.

But when a hero of mankind needs you, you do what you have to.

Even if it compromises everything you know.

And totally changes your life.

Review

When Gracie Met the Grump surprised me. Before reading, I was unsure how Mariana Zapata would write a contemporary superhero romance story. I was expecting some alien type invasion conflict or the entire world is at rest and that is how Gracie met the hero. None of that happens. Compared to several other superhero stories, this one is very grounded and low scale.  The premise is that one day, a hero named the Defender lands in Gracie’s yard, and she must nurse him back to health. Considering that she’s been on the run her entire life, this isn’t a good thing. Other things happen along the way, but that’s how the story begins.

I struggled with the romance between Gracie and The Defender. He is the grump in the title. No questions asked, obviously. And in case anyone forgets who the grump is referring to, he would remind them in a matter of pages. He was the worst at times. Especially to Gracie who was just trying to help. I was a little worried in the beginning that there was no way I was going to like this man at the end of the book. The personality besides being a jerk was barely there, and he just didn’t seem redeemable. 

I think once they got out of her house and interacted with other people, I really started to see the connection between them two. And that really heighted my enjoyment. This is clearly a slow burn story, but the first 200 pages of this book could have been condensed, and it still would have told the same story—just better and shorter.

What I loved about their romance were the moments where they had just become friends and started opening up to each other and trusting each other more. It was towards the middle/end of the book, and it made me completely forget about what had happened in the beginning. Unfortunately, The Defender does do something stupid at the end of the book which was eye roll worthy and I guess his excuse/apology was fine.  

Another criticism is that it’s a book about a superhero, but it feels too watered down and his unique world wasn’t really explored. The Defender could have had any other profession and the story would have worked. However, I think the set up and the reveal of his backstory was nice. It’s just there could have been more.

Final Thoughts

When Gracie Met the Grump was entertaining mostly. It does have a hard task of making a believable love story when the love interest is a jerk, and it does suffer from repetition in both dialogue and internal thoughts. I’m not sure how many times I’ve read him telling her not to cry because it smelled funny, but I’m sure it was a lot.

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Review: Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter

Summary

IT STARTED WITH A CUP…

Isabella Shay is usually a very honest person. But when she’s running late for her first day at a dream job and the barista yells for “Amy” 3x with no answer, she does the unthinkable.

Izzy takes that PSL.

It’s the exact drink she ordered and paid for, only waaaay further ahead in the line, so she mutters “I’m Amy” and grabs the cup. But when she turns around and runs directly into the most attractive man she’s ever seen, spilling the drink all over his GQ shirt and tie, she ends up having the ultimate meet-cute. Sparks fly and things feel beyond promising until he says the words, “See you tomorrow, Amy.”

Uh, oh – she’ll definitely have to straighten him out the following day.

Only when she gets to her new office and meets the VP of her department, it is none other than Blake Phillips - the hottie from Starbucks. And the man might’ve been charming to “Amy,” but he is an arrogant grump to Izzy, an arrogant grump who dos not find her explanation funny at all.

MEET CUTE + GRUMPY/SUNSHINE + FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS = ACCIDENTALLY AMY

Review

This was lighthearted fun. From the first page, I was entertained. This is my second book that I’ve read from Lynn Painter, and I’m noticing that she’s really good about writing a great meet cute along with an entertaining fresh story. It’s rom-com perfection. A great meet cute, along with coincidental meetings and the two main characters being like “oh no we have to stay away” but that never works because they just fit so good together. There’s a dash of the miscommunication trope that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome but adds a bit of drama.

Iz is the definition of a walk chaos. Loved her. And Blake is a straight-laced businessman. It’s a great match, which creates one of the best dynamics. Major grumpy/sunshine vibes…sort of.

Final Thoughts

Accidentally Amy was everything I had expected it to be. It was light and fun with a perfect blend of sweet moments and addictive banter. 

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Review: The Rules of Dating by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland

Summary

It all started when I hosted a little party for a bunch of new friends.

Though “friends” might not be the right word since the invitees were all the women I’d found out my boyfriend was talking to behind my back. When the guest of honor walked in—aka my now ex—things took a turn…

Unfortunately, a stranger witnessed the whole blowout. I was in a mood that night and ended up giving this gorgeous guy an attitude, too. As if my night could get any worse, before he stormed off, he informed me he was actually my landlord.

Colby Lennon, along with three of his friends, owned the building where my tattoo shop was located. He and I were total opposites. He wore a tie, oozed confidence that came with years of women falling at his feet, and wasn’t afraid to say what he wanted, which lately—was me.

I hated that I found myself attracted to him. Especially since I was supposed to be on a self-imposed dating hiatus. Yet the two of us couldn’t seem to stay away from each other. We started hanging out, as friends. I even went as far as making rules for what he’d dubbed our “undates.

But eventually, our explosive attraction became too much to bear, and we broke our resolve. I let my guard down and started to really fall for Colby.
Nothing could have prepared me for the ride he took me on. And I certainly wasn't prepared for where I'd wind up when the ride was over.

All good things must come to an end, right?

Except our ending was one I didn't see coming.

Review

I have complicated feelings regarding this book. Did I like Colby and Billie together? I don’t know. Let me explain. Something (most likely chemistry) was missing between them. I really appreciated how Billie was, and I understood how she was hesitant to date after what happened to her. What don’t I get is her attraction to Colby outside of physical? Some of the things he said were awkward and it would have made me run the other way. He wasn’t a sworn level romantic lead for me. Him and Billie did have some cute moments between them but most of the time, I was unassumed and bored.

I think what ultimately saved him was his relationship with his daughter—Saylor. Scratch that Saylor saved the entire book. She was adorable, and everyone rightfully loved her. Colby would do anything for his daughter and showed that multiple times throughout the book. And I especially loved how Saylor and Billie built a relationship. The one time I actually cried was between them at the end of the book. It was such a sweet moment, and I think the book earned that moment.

The book really lost me in the second half. There was a new character introduction, and I had some issues with how she was portrayed, and the outcome of that portrayal. I almost wanted to give up, because it dragged on for so long.

Final Thoughts 

The Rules of Dating features an unexciting couple and an unnecessary plot twist that fails at adding entertaining/emotional angst. 

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