MyTiredBrain

Emma is 365 days sober, which means she has the green light to start dating again (according to the program she’s been following). But socializing sober is unfamiliar and petrifying, and Emma has to overcome anxiety and self doubt. She feels a connection to Ben, who works in IT at her company, but she’s not sure he can put up with her crazy. Her relationship with her granola-crunchy alcoholic father is especially touching, as were some moments with her mom. Her sobriety program and alcoholism play a big part in the book, and sometimes it felt a little heavy handed to me how all-encompassing/repetitive it was, but all in all, this was a good read. (8)

I’m surprised this book isn’t rated higher on Goodreads - I liked it. It had more depth and character development than the last couple books I’ve read. The title doesn’t really capture the spirit or major theme of the book. Sure, Mackenzie (Mac) is initially playing it safe and conforming to the ideals of her family and boyfriend, but that changes quickly when she meets “local bad boy” Cooper Hartley. He meets her with less-than-noble intentions, but as they get to know each other real feelings emerge, and the pairing felt believable to me. His family drama was touching and gives the reader some insight into his personality and choices. I liked his interactions with his twin brother, Evan, which makes me interested in reading the next book in the series. (8)  

This was sort of a strange read. The premise was hard to believe. Two ex-lovers must go on a scavenger hunt to pick up items tossed out by their siblings’ angry landlord. The siblings are a couple who fight loud enough to disturb the landlord. They are away on a cruise, so Lola and Lucas must step in to save their stuff after the landlord puts their belongings in spots that are significant to their siblings. Like a llama/alpaca sanctuary. I felt a little dumb reading it. Lola and Lucas’ chemistry was meh for me. It was just ok, and nothing I’d ever recommend to anyone else. (6.5) 

This was such a boring read. I hate not finishing a book, but I couldn’t wait to be done with this one, so I just powered through it. Natalie Parker is recently divorced and just finding her way professionally. Her focus is on her two kids and she doesn’t want to jump into a relationship. Eugene is almost five years younger than her, although from Natalie’s reaction to him you’d think the age gap was much larger. He’s her sister’s boyfriend’s brother, super hot, great with kids, generous, thoughtful, etc. The book contains a lot of descriptions of meals and minutiae. Nothing really happens except dates and lots of sex. Should Natalie allow herself to love this perfect guy? Decisions, decisions. (5)

This book was so much better than Catching Feelings, which I mostly hated. Lauren Fox is the bookkeeper at Cold World, and she’s big on keeping her work life and private life separate. Asa Williamson is a free spirit who thinks nothing of befriending everyone at work. The two have a bit of a Hating Game relationship to start, but when tasked to find a way to improve Cold World, they eventually discover working together isn’t so bad. The work project and end result was a little unsatisfying, but I enjoyed the development of the their relationship. There was some depth in the book that I liked too, with both main characters having a heavy backstory that made their conflicts and fit more believable. (8)

After being injured by a rival hockey player (it was his brother - it’s complicated) Bastian Durand is back on the ice after being out for almost a year. Until he’s injured again, but this time by the mascot, Pepper Calhoun. She has a reputation for breaking hockey players’ hearts. And he’s got a reputation for always being nice. She helps him release his anger (wink wink), and he helps her stand up for herself. I was distracted by travel but it was a light read. (7)