MyTiredBrain

Both Grace Hastings and Eric Bancroft work for rival branches of the same dating app company tree. Grace’s focus is on a true-love app called Fate, while Eric is the face of hook-up-focused Ignite. After being dumped by her fiancé, Grace isn’t really feeling the love, and her boss is piling more and more work in her. When both Eric and Grace are both up for a big promotion, it’s (Hating) Game on. It was cute and I liked the voice.  Grace’s fiancé proposed during a large family gathering, with no pre-conversation with Grace. He tells everyone she said yes even though she was too shocked to speak. He then dumps her when she freaks out about it. Eric comes from a rich family and is known as a party boy. They go from friends to adversaries to lovers, and it was a peppy read. (9)

A second-chance love story told in past and present. Roslyn and Liam are separated and on the verge of divorce, but Roslyn hasn’t told her judgmental family yet. She’s reeling from the death of her mom, and after dropping out of med school to become an author, she doesn’t want to admit failure to her grandparents. When her grandparents invite her and Liam on a vow-renewal cruise, Liam agrees to pretend to still be a couple. I liked the writing and Roslyn’s grief was well-written.  Roslyn doesn’t really want to divorce Liam, but he became more and more distant in the marriage, never sharing information about his family. His sister would call him and he’d retreat, pushing Roslyn away. He gave her space when her mom died instead of being there for her. His own family baggage taught him that addressing problems head-on lead to bad outcomes, like when he tried to his mom away from his abusive father. The close proximity of the boat forced them to communicate, and their mutual love shine...

I loved the writing style. Very imaginative language. There were definitely parts where it was difficult to read, because the main characters were so horrible to each other. Naomi Westfield realizes she can’t stand her fiancé, but feels trapped. If she backs out of the engagement then she’d be on the hook for the wedding costs, which are way more than she can pay. Nicholas Rose also seems miserable, but he’s not going to be the one to end it. For him, it’s not just about the money, but about quieting his over-the-top, overbearing mother, who has taken over the wedding planning. He’s a do-gooder dentist who can’t set any boundaries with his mom, which gave me the early ick. Naomi is a bit manic pixie, working at a bizarro shop and acting a bit aimless and helpless throughout the book. Naomi and Nicholas enter into a game of pranks and sabotage, letting down their carefully constructed manners, each trying to get the other to end the relationship and therefore take the fall. In the middl...

Well, part way through reading it I felt a sense of deja vu, but I kept going anyway. I wasn't sure if I’d already read this book before, or just read something very similar. After I finished I looked it up, and apparently I read it in early 2024. Oh well.  Mia and Noah have been best friends forever, and secretly in love with each other for almost as long. Noah feels guilty about the idea of finding happiness after the death of his brother. Mia feels guilty burdening a partner with her chronic medical issues. When she has the opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream and go back to school, Noah proposes she marry him so she can quit her job and get on his benefits.  The writing was fine. Their relationship was cute, albeit slightly codependent. Noah being blackmailed at work felt contrived. Noah’s this smart, driven guy, but he can’t just stand up to a work bully who’s threatening to tell their boss Noah’s marriage to Mia is a scam? I mean, he could have just gone to his boss ...

I’d read another book from this author. Neuroscientist Frances Siberstein is struggling in the competitive world of academia. She needs to get a grant or make connections quick because her funding is running out. Her fear of flying leads to a meet cute with a fellow conference attendee, Louis North. She knows him virtually but they had never met in person, and she’d hoped to keep it that way, since years ago he used her ideas for a publication and then didn’t credit her. Now she had to contend with Louis, plus try to avoid the organizer of the conference: her ex who also put his career aspirations in front of hers.  It’s convoluted, but Frances and Louis end up fake dating to maintain their professional integrity. The why is kind of stupid, but watching them attack the fake dating in a scientific manner was cute. Frances’ thoughtlessness when it comes to her sister was annoying (calling repeatedly during her sister’s honeymoon), so it was good there were some consequences eventuall...

Iris discovers her fiancé is cheating the night before they’re supposed to get married. Her dumping of him goes viral, and she takes off for Hawaii for a solo honeymoon. Unfortunately her ex cancelled the vacation villa, so when she goes to enter the keypad it doesn’t work. She gets let in, only to discover it’s occupied by Roman, who is Tom Brady famous. Iris doesn’t follow football, so she doesn’t know who he is. Their connection is immediate.  He likes that Iris likes him for being himself, not because he’s a famous quarterback. She’s looking for a rebound fling. He catches feelings, but she pulls back when she realizes he isn’t sharing his whole self with her.  The book is fine, but somewhat forgettable. He keeps his son hidden from Iris, which pisses her off. They separate, but he goes to her hometown and convinces her to move in with him in LA. He buys her a horse ranch so she can set up an equine therapy program. His family seems great, and fodder for future books. He’s...

I liked the voice and characters. Eve Hatch gets pregnant from a one-night stand. The father, Ethan is ambivalent, mostly because his girlfriend is a nightmare. Eve’s best friend, Willa, has been struggling with infertility, so this news drives a wedge between them when Eve needs Willa most. It’s Willa’s brother, Shep, who steps in and supports Eve as she navigates the pregnancy. Eve and Shep’s changing relationships was sweet to read. (8)