My Emily Henry Binge

4.25/5 Stars

I am not usually a romance book girl, but a lot of people have been recommending Emily Henry to me. I know she doesn't write modern/traditional romance novels. There is romance, but there is also a well-thought-out plot, and I would even say her books could be classified as women's fiction.

I am not much of a smut person either, and I think Emily Henry is for the people who want a romance but don't want the whole story to just be sex.

I really enjoyed these characters, and I am glad I started with this book of hers. The plot was good, and the real world problems and actually making sound decisions for a relationship. All of this just made it feel more realistic. I was rooting for these two to succeed!

A nice heartfelt romance, especially if romance is not usually a genre you lean towards.

3.75/5 Stars

Another cute little romance with real people and realistic problems.

A quick read with a good plot.

I liked her characters in Happy Place more than these, but the main couple's banter is very cute.

The romance was cute and I was rooting for them. At the end they have a little hiccup and it felt very high school drama. They are supposed to be in their 30s, grown adults, but they are acting like children ith the way they handled that argument. Better communication would have solved all their issues.

I work at a library, so some of the aspects of this book took me out. Why are we having a summer program at the end of August when the kids are already back in school?

2.5/5 Stars

Going strong in my Emily Henry read-through, and this has to be my least favorite of hers.

Out of all of her books, I am not sure why this one got picked for a movie. It just seems like a pain to film with all the different locations and a 12-year time span.

Henry is usually pretty good at making some interesting characters, but these main characters fell flat for me.

This book takes place over 12 years. The main characters have known each other since college and have sort of a brother/sister relationship. They go on a trip together every year until they have a fallout. I was looking forward to figuring out what made them completely drop contact when they used to be best buds. The reveal is a letdown and honestly stupid. The main couple decide to attempt their once a year trip but it is so awkward and nothing seems to go right.

The characters and their decisions are what put this book down for me. These characters are supposed to be in their 30s yet they acted like children with their problems. Emotionally, they were teenagers that don't know how to communicate their feelings. The whole reason these two didn't get together years ago was because their personalities are polar opposites. The lack of communication bugged me. I expected it from teenagers, but not grown adults.

I was not rooting for this couple to get together, and I wish they hadn't. The ending scenes were agitating.

4.25/5 Stars

This was my second-to-last book on my Emily Henry binge. After reading her books back to back, I had started to catch on to her writing structure. Most of her books started to become monotonous. In most of her books, miscommunication became a repeating theme. Including this boo,k but it wasn't the love interest it was a family member and the main character just having bad communication skills.

I enjoyed the characters in the book, and I love how most of the book takes a jab at popular romance tropes or Hallmark in general.

As I mentioned, the sister really irked me with her communication skills. This book could have been wrapped up much sooner if she had just talked to her sister.

It is a cute book with a pleasant ending.

4.75/5 Stars

This was my last Emily Henry book through my binge of hers. I was not expecting much because I caught on to her repeated book structure. Although this is my favorite out of hers. I am glad I ended on this book.

Emily Henry's characters are always enjoyable, but I really did love the chemistry between the main couple. I loved that they had history and were sort of academic rivals.

The challenge plot of this book really helped develop their relationship. I am glad it wasn't rushed and had months to sort of develop. The tension is what made this book.

There are some good topics this book discusses, like grief and cults. I know those are very different, but she managed to include the topic of cults, all while having a romance blossom.

Review of The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle

4.75/5 Stars

I knew I was either going to really love or hate this book because it was enemies-to-lovers. I like my enemies-to-lovers where the stakes are high, they physically are trying to kill each other, and it takes most of the book or series for feelings to develop. This book did a good job on the enemies-to-lovers aspect. I do wish their pivotal point in their relationship could have been pushed back just a smidge bit, but I was giggling, kicking my feet at these two.

This world was cool and unique. The magic system was not something that had been oversaturated, and it seemed like a new idea. The magic and world were explained and there were not any plot holes that I could see.

This was going to be a 5-star read, but the end was a cliffhanger/ continuation when this book could have been wrapped up nicely. I was not aware this would be a series, but when the ending fight scene got silly and unbelievable, I could see it was made that way for a second book.

Also, to all my Six of Crow girlies. This audiobook has Freddy Carter, the Kaz Brekker, reading another broody character.

Review of Mammoth by Brian McBride

3/5 Stars

I got this recommended to me for being something for fans of Outer Banks. I am always down for a found family adventure, and I did have a fun time reading this.

This was originally published on Wattpad, from what I can see, and now the author is publishing on his own, which I love and support!

Some things I really enjoyed about the book were the characters, setting, and treasure aspect. Although some of the adventure moments would get a little silly or unbelievable at points. The writing was good, and I was invested in the story. The treasure/adventure part is what kept me reading.

The only issue I had with this book was how obvious most of the inspiration came from Outer Banks. In the book's description, it says the characters "hold their own against ensembles like 'pogues'." To me, that is because the characters are almost literally the same exact characters. It was giving OBX fanfiction. Anyone who hasn't seen the show would read this book just fine, but it was so hard not to compare and make references. For instance, there is a cool drawing of the characters at the beginning of the book, and they are almost exact replicas of the Pogues. I thought that was weird, but I was still excited to read the book. Then the characters got introduced, and their names, personalities, and families are again almost identical to the OBX characters. Even some scenes are verbatim to the show.

That being said, I know that there are more books in this series, and I do want to read them because I did love these characters and had a great time reading the book. I am a sucker for found family. I just hope that these characters can grow into their own, and the plot becomes less like fanfiction.