MyTiredBrain

This was a cute, quick read. I liked the voice and I enjoy dual perspectives. Andi is a personal assistant to the prime minister of Canada’s wife, and also a secret romance writer. The fist time Andi meets Nolan, he walks in on her in a public bathroom, and Andi learns that her best friend is now dating her ex. Andi and Nolan almost hook up, but then he has to leave for the service. They meet again three years later, when he becomes the prime minister’s bodyguard.  There is a lot going on in the book, with Andi struggling with people pleasing and hiding her writing. Nolan’s mom has early Alzheimer’s, and they both have childhood scars from family. When a rumor that Andi and the prime minister are having an affair starts to circulate, Andi and Nolan fake date to quell the suspicion. Their friendship and chemistry was solid. There were cute elements, like Nolan’s attachment to a rescue dog, and some deeper issues, like Nolan’s need to move a lot to avoid close connections. I’d read a...

This had a lot of potential. My favorite show is Jeopardy, and I love romance, so this should be great, right? Sigh. The plot was maddening. Charlotte was taught from a young age that honesty was the most important thing in the universe. She holds a grudge against her high school ex, Eli, because he pushed her into a position where she felt she had to lie, and then he ghosted her. Thirteen years later they’re reunited, but it’s on the set of a quiz show, and they have to work together. They both need the money. The producer, Clint, is evil and puts them in a bind that doesn’t really make sense. He wants them to keep winning because the ratings are skyrocketing, so he offers to give them the correct answers. They refuse, but then Clint puts the screws on Eli by threatening his family. Cheat and win or your dad goes to jail. I can ignore reality to some degree, but that just seems stupid. Charlotte and Eli are virally popular, so they could just sell a tell-all for money. It was a second...

I would have happily kept reading. I liked the voice and dual points-of-view. Initially I had some trouble parsing the language, but I soon fell into it and loved the turn of phrases.  Bel is an investigative journalist at a newspaper, and Connor is the new intern. They have to pretend to be a couple for an undercover assignment, and of course develop feelings along the way. The book packs a lot into it, with infidelity, stalkers, Me Too situations, friendships (Side character Shilpa needs her own book.), and the sting operation. Bel and Connor work together to take down a married Mayor, who preys on younger women, sleeping with them and taking secret nudes. They befriend the daughter of one the Mayor’s cronies, who owns the Airbnb where the trysts happen. The plan is to get the Ring footage as proof, but they get busted. The daughter ends up helping them, so that part kind of falls in the laps. Connor and Bel going from enemies to lovers was fun to read. No real spice to the book....

It was good for a light sports-related romance. The beginning sex scene dialogue made me cringe, and it felt choppy with the multiple time jumps, but then I settled into the book.  Katie and Harlan hook up at a wedding, but then Katie moves away to start her yoga empire. Seven years later she discovers her fiancé is hooking up with another woman right before their wedding. She ditches the loser and walks away from her wedding, and runs into Harlan at a bowling alley bar. They hook up again, and plan to go on a date, but then Katie gets a contract to teach yoga for Harlan’s NFL team. She can’t risk the contract by dating a player, so they resign themselves to being friends. The closer they get, the more they can’t deny their growing attraction. Harlan has to decide if he wants to retire or keep playing football, and Katie has to figure out how to not sabotage her yoga business for something that could lead to more heartbreak. Slightly light on plot, but an easy read. Harlan has a da...

I’m a sucker who hates to write bad reviews. I almost quit halfway through but persevered. Both main characters had long periods of being unlikeable, and there was so much internal thoughts throughout the book, it was exhausting at times. Show, don’t tell. Sophie’s a romance writer with writers’ block. She has never been in love, so she’s having trouble giving her main characters a happy-ever-after. She decides to meet up with her exes to find out why she’s never been able to say, “I love you.” Which seems kind of dumb, since there is only one ex who even came close to being love material.  Dash is a former child star, and Sophie’s landlord. He’s also Sophie’s best friend’s brother. He’s a recovering alcoholic and, with his struggles to maintain sobriety, keeps everyone at a distance. All of a sudden they can’t keep their hands off of each other, despite having very few interactions.  She has trust issues. He has a stalker. His family is a mess. She’s unsure what she wants and...

There was nothing groundbreaking or earth shattering here, but it was well done and an easy read. Football player, image-saving fake dating trope, all pretty standard. Siena Pippen runs her adopted father’s bait and tackle shop after his death. It’s a soul-sucking job, but she feels indebted to him for saving her. She meets Brooks Attwood as he’s trying to come back from an injury, and a viral video makes it look like they’re a couple. Brooks needs Siena to fake it until he makes it, but she’s already had one relationship with a pro athlete implode, and doesn’t want another. He initially thinks she’s into money and fame, and he’s already been burned by one vampire girlfriend. Neither trusts the other. But she needs the money, and he needs her to help him appeal to a family-focused team, so they forge a rocky alliance. 

I really loved this book. I loved the voice, the way the friendship grew between the two main characters, and the messy way grief was depicted.  Lenny’s been struggling ever since her best friend from childhood died of cancer. She’s avoiding life, and taking short-term babysitting gigs to stay afloat. She gets hired by Reese, taking care of a cute kid named Ainsley, and the grumpy uncle, Miles, comes with the job. He can tell Lenny’s holding on by a thread, and he becomes her lifeline in exchange for help relating to Reece and Ainsley. Together they work through a live-again list Lenny created with her best friend before she died. The growth of their friendship, and how they both begin to live again through mutual support, was touching and well done. I cried an embarrassing amount of times throughout the book. I would absolutely read another book from this author. (9.5)