Romance Reading Round Up | Pt. 3 // Feeling like a Single Pringle

Greetings readers!

Friends, it’s hit. I was calmly reading my cheesy rom-coms and BANG I felt an overwhelming sense of longing.

I felt like a single-pringle.

HOW DARE YOU EMOTIONS? HOW DARE YOU!

I AM IN QUARANTINE! WHERE THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND A SIGNIFICANT OTHER!?!?!

Emotions: Rendz…you literally just turned down a guy in my DMs…

I AM IN QUARANTINE.

Well anyways, I didn’t really know what to do with those feelings so I just continued on with my life and kept on reading my cheesy romcoms XD

New Discoveries

New Orleans Rush by Kelly Siskind

via Goodreads

Format: e-book
Rating: 3 / 5 Stars
Review: Okay I have a love/wtf relationship with this book.
On the one hand it was cute and sweet and the characters were a lot of fun. I mean Huxley is dumb and his name is something else, but you know what? He adores her and I like that.
Beatrice was fun and loving and so compassionate which I liked to.
Of course I fell for the stupid, playboy brother because I am who I am and clearly need help.
On the other hand this book was absolutely bonkers and half the time I was like “What in the actual flying cheeseballs is going on???”
Yet, it was a really charming read and it’s ridiculousness added to the fun!

Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher

via Goodreads

Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
Review: I liked it and at the same time this whole problem could have bee avoided if y’all actually talked to each other. But hehhhhh people aren’t always so easy to talk to I guess.
It was pretty darn funny though, and while I am definitely a Sasha-kind of person I did love reading about Hannah! Also I did get the How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days vibez so I appreciate it.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

via Goodreads

Format: e-book
Rating: 3 / 5 stars
Review: *I would like to start off by saying that before I read this book I read another romance novel that was all sex! Sex! SEX! and this was like fade to black! Innuendo here and there! Sweet kissing!  Two very very very different reading experiences*

ANYWAYS.
This book was delightful at the same time as it was “okay then…”
Nina was…a character. Bookish to a tee and very specific about the way she is. I’d like to think we’d be friends even though she’d judge on the books I read 💯 but yes she was delightful. Sarcastic and brilliant but stubborn too
The whole family dynamic thing….was some next level white people nonsense. Don’t get offended, it is what it is. But it made a really big statement on family and what it means to be related, although I can’t say I quite agree on how hereditary the personality traits of this family are.
The romance as I mentioned before was more sweet than spicy. I would have liked a little more of them getting to know each other…. Idk. It just felt very surface level for me.
The writing was not my absolute favourite. I usually don’t mind the narrator talking to the reader but I did mind that this narrator was semi-omniscient at the most sporadic times.

My favourite thing?
It threw so much shade at Harry Potter. I mean it still praised it, but as a reader who will most likely never read HP, I delighted in it.
IT ALSO MENTIONED THE PENDERWICKS so it gets all my votes.
It threw 2 seconds of shade to Canada, but I’ll let it slide.
Overall. though it was fun and quirky. It’s a tale about a book lover and those are always fun to read about. It’s funny and outrageous sometimes but in a calm way that’ll give you some peace in the end.

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

via Goodreads

Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4 / 5 stars
Review: This was lovely!!! I loved the characters and the DRAMA! I mean this is some tricky waters we’re swimming in but I loved that she didn’t gloss over the uncomfortable bits.
This was also freaking hilarious. I laughed soooo many times. Especially that poem he made up, omg I died.
The family dynamic was also amazing. This Brazilian family was close-knit and full of personality! I related hard to the child of an immigrant pressures that Lina was struggling with herself.
The narrators were alright. I mean I liked their voices but sometimes they gave different accents to the same people so I was confusion.
Regardless, this was super fun!

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

via Goodreads

Format: Audiobook
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Review: Wow I’ve said it before and I shall say it again I have never read a book with characters that overthink everything and jump to conclusions to quickly.
It was very entertaining for me and I’m usually so quick to roll my eyes.
I thought the characters were lovely. Alexa was fun and sassy. Drew was kind of a dumbass, but I liked him too.
Carlos…I love him. Can’t wait to read his book.
The meet cute was a meet cute. Lord knows if I was trapped in an elevator with a hot doctor I would have been 100% more awkward but 100% on board with fake dating.
Also, fake dating. Wonderful.
The drama was mostly due to their over thinking so don’t be expecting such a scandal although there was one point where I was like “He did not just say that. Break up with him, honey!” and that was a good part.
I honestly didn’t expect to like this as much as I do and it is a pleasant surprise!

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The Lowlie Ones

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

via Goodreads

Format: e-ARC
Rating: 2.8 / 3 Stars
Review: Okay that was that. Uhhhh. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. I’m feeling that neutral feeling where I’m just glad I finished it.
It was lacking a lot in the romance area for me.
And the whole situation with the bosses took over most of the plot and it was resolved very unsatisfactorily.
Idk it just wasn’t what I wanted from CLo.

The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai

via Goodreads

Format: Audiobook
Rating: 2 / 5 Stars
Review: Oh my. Okay. Um. Well. I didn’t love this or like it much. If I’m being honest it was boring. Things got more interesting towards the end with all the revelations, but even that felt a little flat.
The characters were meh at best. She was a lot to take in and at the same time not at all. He was boring af.
None of the side characters stood out either.
I was just bored the whole way through.
It wasn’t out right horrible, just dull.

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Sequelz

Undercover Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

via Goodreads

Format: e-book
Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars
Review: So I liked it because hi yes hello Braden Mack was my favourite thing about the previous book.
Liv is questionable. I know lots of ppl have qualms with her and she is very much flawed in this book still.

Given the #MeToo context of the story, I really like how this book tackled talking about survivors and what it means to support them in helpful ways, especially since lots of peoples “good intentions” turn out to be victim blaming and shaming

Now the reason they break up is just…. *face palm* so bullshit. More specifically why he lied to her and yada yada she gets mad is just……….. Come on. We could have had some serious drama but all we got were petty “you lied to me!” but at least they recognized they were both being dumb at the end so there’s that.

Can’t say I liked this one more than book one but I am looking forward to the next one!

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey

via Goodreads

Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3 / 5 Stars
Review: Okay. Where do I even begin?
I wasn’t in love with Rosie and Dominic in book 1 so I wasn’t that excited for this one, but I kept an open mind.
I ended really liking Rosie and uh I was alright with Dom (didn’t hate him but he’s more than just okay? 🙃 )
This one was a lot more 🔥 🔥 🔥 than book one so you best be thinking I was tomato faced the whole way through. Yup. (it’s just that I’m not into the possessive territorial “you’re mine” kind of love and this book tried to like play with that and I just don’t know how I feel about it)
Once we got past the 75% mark I felt like it was dragging we kept going back to the same thing and I just wanted to be done already.
Overall though. It was nice. The ending was sweet and I liked how we got to see these characters grow as individuals and not just a couple. Definitely more angsty than romcom-y so mind that.

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

via Goodreads

Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3 / 5 Stars
Review: This was alright.
I’m a little disappointed because Carlos was such a star in the last book, but I felt him lack luster in this one! Which is actually about him!!! (even tho I didn’t like that he was just ambiguously Latino until in one of the last chapters it’s revealed he’s Mexican–I think)
Nic was also just alright. Didn’t love her, but didn’t hate her.
I kind of just have this mellow feeling overall. I wanted to love this more but it was simply alright. Definitely has its entertaining and heartfelt moments, but I think it lacked in drama.
It needed an extra oomph.

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This round up seemed to be pretty mellow. I’ve been falling out of love with my romances. I think it’s time I shake things up somehow. Maybe switch genres. I don’t know. But if you have any recommendations to liven up the party I am open to hearing about them!

Let me know what you think! What genres have you been gravitating towards lately? Have you read any of these books? What romance stories do you enjoy? 

Happy reading!

~ Rendz