published: 2018
pages: 384
heard: 7/30/2019
book: 49 in 2019
Millie Morris has always been one of the guys. A UC Santa Barbara professor, she’s a female-serial-killer expert who’s quick with a deflection joke and terrible at getting personal. And she, just like her four best guy friends and fellow professors, is perma-single.
So when a routine university function turns into a black tie gala, Millie and her circle make a pact that they’ll join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. There’s only one hitch: after making the pact, Millie and one of the guys, Reid Campbell, secretly spend the sexiest half-night of their lives together, but mutually decide the friendship would be better off strictly platonic.
But online dating isn’t for the faint of heart. While the guys are inundated with quality matches and potential dates, Millie’s first profile attempt garners nothing but dick pics and creepers. Enter “Catherine”—Millie’s fictional profile persona, in whose make-believe shoes she can be more vulnerable than she’s ever been in person. Soon “Catherine” and Reid strike up a digital pen-pal-ship...but Millie can’t resist temptation in real life, either. Soon, Millie will have to face her worst fear—intimacy—or risk losing her best friend, forever
MY THOUGHTS
So when a routine university function turns into a black tie gala, Millie and her circle make a pact that they’ll join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. There’s only one hitch: after making the pact, Millie and one of the guys, Reid Campbell, secretly spend the sexiest half-night of their lives together, but mutually decide the friendship would be better off strictly platonic.
But online dating isn’t for the faint of heart. While the guys are inundated with quality matches and potential dates, Millie’s first profile attempt garners nothing but dick pics and creepers. Enter “Catherine”—Millie’s fictional profile persona, in whose make-believe shoes she can be more vulnerable than she’s ever been in person. Soon “Catherine” and Reid strike up a digital pen-pal-ship...but Millie can’t resist temptation in real life, either. Soon, Millie will have to face her worst fear—intimacy—or risk losing her best friend, forever
MY THOUGHTS
i wouldn't necessarily say that im very interested in back tracking all of their books especially given that i was bit of a fan of their last book that happened to be my first CL read. ....its just that it was available for listen like RIGHT away through my library app and i was looking for something so i was like....why not?
* deep breath *
you wanna know what i loved about this book?
all of the dudes.
and how they were all friends.
i loved their friendships. i loved the idea of a group of guys just being as close as they were. i loved any scene that involved the 4 of them.
i however, did not care for Millie.
its not that i didn't care for her. its just that she proved to be a dick to me for all that she did that i don't care for her at all.
if actions speak louder than words, this bitch be yellin'.
it all started with the need of a date for idk what and it just ballooned into what it turned into.
i personally am a HUGE believer that if you start off with lies, YOU CANNOT get mad when a person opens up and causes you pain because YOU STARTED IT and well, can you guess what Millie did? lie, lie, L I E.
fuck it, ill say it. fuck Millie.
this isn't a one star read because it had its good parts but its definitely a never read again type of deal because i just couldn't handle how whiny she was.
its been 3 months and i still fell this way about it.
its been 3 months and i still fell this way about it.
Millie doing what she did killed it for me.
eh, oh well.
it was a free listen so I'm not mad. it was a good way to pass the day at work quick.
READ this review to get a more in depth overlook of the book and to see why i didn't care for Mills. (no spoilers on my end cause its all on that link above. well not all but like the bigger parts).
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
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pages: 325
read: 7/19-26/2019
book: 48 in 2019
SYNOPSIS
Tiffy and Leon share an apartment. Tiffy and Leon have never met.
After a bad breakup, Tiffy Moore needs a place to live. Fast. And cheap. But the apartments in her budget have her wondering if astonishingly colored mold on the walls counts as art.
Desperation makes her open minded, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon, a night shift worker, will take the apartment during the day, and Tiffy can have it nights and weekends. He’ll only ever be there when she’s at the office. In fact, they’ll never even have to meet.
Tiffy and Leon start writing each other notes – first about what day is garbage day, and politely establishing what leftovers are up for grabs, and the evergreen question of whether the toilet seat should stay up or down. Even though they are opposites, they soon become friends. And then maybe more.
But falling in love with your roommate is probably a terrible idea…especially if you've never met.
MY THOUGHTS
ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ¥°ðŸ¥°ðŸ¥°ðŸ¥°ðŸ¥°I wasn't expecting that.
This was a bit of a slow-ish read for me.
It was good but it wasn't "drop everything and read me RIGHT NOW!" good.
.....and then it was.
It took me a bit to get into.
It wasn't until page 170 that I got super into it and then couldn't read enough!
So, so good.
It gets so gooood!!!!
Maybe I wasn't into it because I wasn't putting in the time but once I got over that slump I couldn't read fast enough and I absolutely loved the crap out of this book.
I do wonder what happen with JW & Prior. It's not really addressed past what happens in that one scene buuuuuuuut whatever. Its fine.
I love the relationship between Leon and Tiffy and how it evolved. Their first meeting was lol and ahhh!!!!!
I love that Tiff had such an amazing support system in the form of Rachael, Mo & Gerty.
I love that Tiff is this vibrant colorful human who looks at life with all this color given what shes been through.
I love what the author did with this story and with the subjects she focuses the story on. I was not expecting Tiffy's thing (don't want to spoil here) to happen at all so it took me for a loop. I thought it'd be just a break up and that's it.
I loved this story and I'm so glad I didn't give up (I wasn't ever...but you know.) Definitely purchasing this book when I come across it.
The one thing I didn't like was that Tiffy's name is Tiffany and instead of going with tiff, she went with tiffy. that irked me for some reason.
That and Leon constantly saying Am instead of I'm (is it a British (or English) thing?). I know, pretty dumb lol but I think that speaks volumes for how good the book is if that's all that bugged me. 😂
Overall, super glad I read this.
Cant wait to own a copy and hopefully re-read in the future soon.
jump over for spoilers.
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
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published: 2017
pages: 65
heard: 7/12/2019
book: 47 in 2019
I am not Death. I am not my Job.
SYNOPSIS
A father and a son are seeing each other for the first time in years. The father has a story to share before it’s too late. He tells his son about a courageous little girl lying in a hospital bed a few miles away. She’s a smart kid—smart enough to know that she won’t beat cancer by drawing with crayons all day, but it seems to make the adults happy, so she keeps doing it.
As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future.
Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer.
As he talks about this plucky little girl, the father also reveals more about himself: his triumphs in business, his failures as a parent, his past regrets, his hopes for the future.
Now, on a cold winter’s night, the father has been given an unexpected chance to do something remarkable that could change the destiny of a little girl he hardly knows. But before he can make the deal of a lifetime, he must find out what his own life has actually been worth, and only his son can reveal that answer.
MY THOUGHTS
i saw this as an audiobook that was only 47 minutes long and i thought "no way" but as a matter of fact, yes way.
quick little novella about a father making life decisions that i gues led to THE ultimate life decision.
i for some reason have a lot of Mr. Backman's books but have yet to read them. 100% it was the covers that called me to them. I am not sure what i am waiting on (sooo many books!) but if what i just heard is any indication, i cannot wait to dive in.
but yes, good quick listen.
and i thought it was a very interesting read.
i guess maybe to show you in a way that having "everything" really doesnt mean anything. material things, possessions, wealth, power....that does not compare to the love you sacrifice to get you there.
....im sure there's another message in there that i missed since i heard this as i was working.
either way, good story.
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
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pages: 449
read: 6/28 to 7/6/2019
book: 46 in 2019
I don't think you'll ever understand how much I loved you both.
When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack.
But then Kate dies. And their story should end there.
Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind.
Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do to save the people he loves.
MY THOUGHTS
of course, i moved on to the next read without first writing my thoughts on this one so this one will be another short one.
ahm, this one was an okay read for me.
i would have been perfectly fine never having read this book.
its not that it was bad because its not at all but it just wasn't my thing.
obviously, this story is about a lot more like the emotions and sacrifices and everything that goes into the decisions that were made but it still didn't do anything for me.
there's also homeboy ignoring his friends, family, changing a timeline to where he dates another friend, to another timeline where the friendship ends to another timeline where all these actions lead to the death of someone else, to all. of. these. other. time.lines. that i didn't care for. how many times did Kate have to die in order for jack to finally be happy? life isn't always getting the happy ending that you "deserve". bit of a spoiler BUT maybe i would have liked it more if Kate never made it and idk, Jack realized that life is life and no matter what you try to do, it's life....i don't know.
according to good reads, it wasn't until i was 70% into the book that Jack finally said something that seemed like it was the right thing to say.
and this book is full of some beautiful quotable moments but even then, even now almost 4 months later....meh. it still doesn't resonate to me.
if anything, i just went into goodreads and changed it from 3 stars to 2. because its true; for me it was just okay.
i don't remember their being an explanation as to why jack kept going back. maybe it just kept happening because the whole point of it was for them to eventually end up together no matter what it took to get there. or maybe....i don't even know.
anyway, yea.
thanks for reading!
published: 2019
pages: 400
read: 6/25-27/2019
book: 45 in 2019
its ridiculously long...so read it here if ya want.
MY THOUGHTS
This was my first book by CL. Since I have nothing to compare it to, I absolutely loved it.
Super cheesy.
Of course, YOU KNOW what's going to happen but it has these other things that happen in between and I think those things happening helped solidify my liking of this book.
It could've been easy to just have them fall in love and then have everyone be happily ever after.
But I like what they did with the story instead.
To be honest, I only bought the book because once it started coming around on ig, I fell in love with the cover. It was also a bonus that the synopsis was also good. So I was just praying that I would like it because I didn't want to lose money on a book I didn't like. I was worried because a lot of other bloggers ended up not being too crazy about it (but they've for the most part been long time readers so they know what to expect.).
I always think that much good luck for one person can be a bad thing. Eventually, its bound to run out or whatever....and what a day for it to happen! Imagine on your wedding night?
Of course there's more to that because well, I don't wanna spoil it here but....what a douche right?
Although, if I'm being 100% honest, i was sorta super glad that that happened to Ami.
It was sorta time for Olive to shine.
....even if it was at the cost of her sister.
(I'm sounding really evil here. Yikes!)
Reading about Olive & Ethan's relationship development was SUPER cheesy. They go from hating each other to falling in love.
And its cheesy in the best way possible.
It had me grinning from ear to ear and laughing out loud a lot.
I'm so happy everything happened the way it did for them to end up together.
I loved that they were just the same as they were opposites and that they knew when to be grown ups about their relationship when it needed it and that Olive, even after a her string of bad luck, was smart and strong enough to stand up for herself and her truth no matter the cost.
I'm happy it all worked out in the end.
I did want to know what ended up happening to their parents in the end.
...and also, that scene at the restaurant at the very end....kinda far fetched ESPECIALLY seeing as how the whole family is super tight knit buuuuuuuut its whatevers. I'm just going to assume that it happened while she was caught up in well, her situation.
It ended up being good enough for me.
They have another book coming out in October and I like that cover too so who knows, I might pre-order that one too.
Overall, it made me giddy to read this. It didn't leave anything open ended for me and I really did like the way the issues were introduced and resolved.
This was a super fun read for me.
Spoilers after the jump!
Super cheesy.
Of course, YOU KNOW what's going to happen but it has these other things that happen in between and I think those things happening helped solidify my liking of this book.
It could've been easy to just have them fall in love and then have everyone be happily ever after.
But I like what they did with the story instead.
To be honest, I only bought the book because once it started coming around on ig, I fell in love with the cover. It was also a bonus that the synopsis was also good. So I was just praying that I would like it because I didn't want to lose money on a book I didn't like. I was worried because a lot of other bloggers ended up not being too crazy about it (but they've for the most part been long time readers so they know what to expect.).
I always think that much good luck for one person can be a bad thing. Eventually, its bound to run out or whatever....and what a day for it to happen! Imagine on your wedding night?
Of course there's more to that because well, I don't wanna spoil it here but....what a douche right?
Although, if I'm being 100% honest, i was sorta super glad that that happened to Ami.
It was sorta time for Olive to shine.
....even if it was at the cost of her sister.
(I'm sounding really evil here. Yikes!)
Reading about Olive & Ethan's relationship development was SUPER cheesy. They go from hating each other to falling in love.
And its cheesy in the best way possible.
It had me grinning from ear to ear and laughing out loud a lot.
I'm so happy everything happened the way it did for them to end up together.
I loved that they were just the same as they were opposites and that they knew when to be grown ups about their relationship when it needed it and that Olive, even after a her string of bad luck, was smart and strong enough to stand up for herself and her truth no matter the cost.
I'm happy it all worked out in the end.
I did want to know what ended up happening to their parents in the end.
...and also, that scene at the restaurant at the very end....kinda far fetched ESPECIALLY seeing as how the whole family is super tight knit buuuuuuuut its whatevers. I'm just going to assume that it happened while she was caught up in well, her situation.
It ended up being good enough for me.
They have another book coming out in October and I like that cover too so who knows, I might pre-order that one too.
Overall, it made me giddy to read this. It didn't leave anything open ended for me and I really did like the way the issues were introduced and resolved.
This was a super fun read for me.
Spoilers after the jump!
thanks for reading!
published: 2019
pages: 302
read: 6/22-24/2019
book: 44 in 2019
sometimes looking to the past helps you find your future.
Abbi Hope Goldstein is like every other teenager, with a few smallish exceptions: her famous alter ego, Baby Hope, is the subject of internet memes, she has asthma, and sometimes people spontaneously burst into tears when they recognize her. Abbi has lived almost her entire life in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of September 11. On that fateful day, she was captured in what became an iconic photograph: in the picture, Abbi (aka "Baby Hope") wears a birthday crown and grasps a red balloon; just behind her, the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.
Now, fifteen years later, Abbi is desperate for anonymity and decides to spend the summer before her seventeenth birthday incognito as a counselor at Knights Day Camp two towns away. She's psyched for eight weeks in the company of four-year-olds, none of whom have ever heard of Baby Hope.
Too bad Noah Stern, whose own world was irrevocably shattered on that terrible day, has a similar summer plan. Noah believes his meeting Baby Hope is fate. Abbi is sure it's a disaster. Soon, though, the two team up to ask difficult questions about the history behind the Baby Hope photo. But is either of them ready to hear the answers?
Abbi Hope Goldstein is like every other teenager, with a few smallish exceptions: her famous alter ego, Baby Hope, is the subject of internet memes, she has asthma, and sometimes people spontaneously burst into tears when they recognize her. Abbi has lived almost her entire life in the shadow of the terrorist attacks of September 11. On that fateful day, she was captured in what became an iconic photograph: in the picture, Abbi (aka "Baby Hope") wears a birthday crown and grasps a red balloon; just behind her, the South Tower of the World Trade Center is collapsing.
Now, fifteen years later, Abbi is desperate for anonymity and decides to spend the summer before her seventeenth birthday incognito as a counselor at Knights Day Camp two towns away. She's psyched for eight weeks in the company of four-year-olds, none of whom have ever heard of Baby Hope.
Too bad Noah Stern, whose own world was irrevocably shattered on that terrible day, has a similar summer plan. Noah believes his meeting Baby Hope is fate. Abbi is sure it's a disaster. Soon, though, the two team up to ask difficult questions about the history behind the Baby Hope photo. But is either of them ready to hear the answers?
MY THOUGHTS
i LOVED this book!!!!!
everything about this book!
OMG!
i don't think I've ever come across this in any other book (remember, i have horrible memory!) where the plots that start end up meeting full circle in such a way that....i don't even know how to finish that.
lets start with the title.
Hope and other Punch Lines.
Hope is Abbi's middle name.
...and other punch lines refers to Noah so well! (at least in my opinion)
Abbi keeps talking about how death always happens twice and she ends up having her own rebirth again which i honestly thought she thought she'd never have so i loved that!
and Noah's mission was to find the first.....and then it turns out that.......(sorry that was very vague but i really loved this part and i don't want to spoil it here) and agh!! L O V E !
i went into this book pretty blind. I've read her other 2 books and i loved them (WTSN & TMTT) so when this one came out i was like okay, ill check it out but like always, i really didn't look into it. so i ordered it at the library thinking id have to wait and luckily i was able to score a copy pretty quick. BUT LIKE ALWAYS.....i waited to read this book til the end of its borrow. ... but with 2 days to spare, i was able to finish it all.
i don't know why i though it was going to take me a bit to get into (but honestly, maybe because my last book kinda dragged and burned me out) but once I did, i couldn't get enough.
"sometimes it feels like those towers are still falling and will never stop." -Abbi I think its everyone's responsibility to continue to bear witness until they do. -Julie Buxbaum.
its been a while since I've read it so i can't really say much more on it but i did love this book and i ended up buying it right away.
i have read reviews that go both ways for this one. some people (like me) are all for it while others have dnf'd it hard core so...I'm not sure....i don't even know how to finish that sentence. i guess its either a hit or miss.
i loved the friendships that were made.
i loved Jack, Noah's best friend. ( i think that's his name. eeek!)
i loved that there were more people than just Abbi & Noah and that the story is more than just Abbi trying to shed Baby Hope.
i loved Abbi's parents!
i loved that i learned more about 9/11 and the aftermath with this book than i have elsewhere (i think that says more about me because i havent looked it up but hey!, im just being honest.)
i loved that everyone gets their sort of closure.
i loved that abbi was always driving around in her Prius and how Noah was co-pilot.
...see i loved all of it!
...see i loved all of it!
im doing a bad job of hyping this up which is 100% my fault cause I've been into reading back to back lately instead of taking my time to blog what i read so yeah....but i will say it again, i love what Buxbaum did with this story and how she connected it all.
and yes, i cant really remember the entirety of this story but i still remember how it made me feel so this is a super win for me.
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
pages: 288
read: 9/1/2017 to 6/22/2019
book: 43 in 2019
“Schex” Schexnaydre was a failure as a lawyer. Until three weeks ago, he had no clients and no money—no clients except for infamous toxic waste entrepreneur G.G. Guidry, who’s just been murdered, and no money, except for the $4,452.737 in cash that Guidry had left with him for safekeeping.
When Schex’s estranged ex-wife, Taylor, is accused of Guidry’s murder, she pleads with Schex to defend her. He refuses, but the more he says no to Taylor, the deeper Schex gets dragged into the fallout from Guidry’s nefarious schemes, ending up as the target of all those vying to claim Guidry’s millions for themselves.
When Schex’s estranged ex-wife, Taylor, is accused of Guidry’s murder, she pleads with Schex to defend her. He refuses, but the more he says no to Taylor, the deeper Schex gets dragged into the fallout from Guidry’s nefarious schemes, ending up as the target of all those vying to claim Guidry’s millions for themselves.
MY THOUGHTS
talk about a long read!
i was sent a copy by the author back in 2017, when for some reason i was starting to get ARC's. unfortunately, it was also around the time my reading funk kicked in and no matter what i read, i couldn't get out of it.
so i picked this up and it was interesting but...i put it back down.
I've had it sitting on my shelf for a while (obvs) but it wasn't until i started cleaning it out that i came across it again and since i didn't have much more to go, i decided i'd finish it.
knowing myself, i was surprised i remembered as much as i did of this book.
unfortunately.......i have no idea what it was about. no, i don't know how to describe it to you. i know what its about but i dont even know how to word what i read because i had trouble fully understanding this.
but here goes a little bit: GG needs to hide money, he goes to Schex, people start missing/dying, people start looking for the money, there's some legal advice mumbo jumbo - and just overall legal stuff - thrown around
.....and all in all, i'm not the best to describe this book to you.
not because i waited so long but because i remember clearly not knowing what i was reading even when i was reading it.
either way, if you're a fan of (i'm horrible at calling them as they are) mystery, whodunit, legal drama kinda deal, then this is your book!
100 years later, but thanks to Rubin for reaching out to me and sorry for taking forever (and not doing the proper job of) getting this out there.
(no spoilers for this one cause i definitely couldn't if i tried)
so i picked this up and it was interesting but...i put it back down.
I've had it sitting on my shelf for a while (obvs) but it wasn't until i started cleaning it out that i came across it again and since i didn't have much more to go, i decided i'd finish it.
knowing myself, i was surprised i remembered as much as i did of this book.
unfortunately.......i have no idea what it was about. no, i don't know how to describe it to you. i know what its about but i dont even know how to word what i read because i had trouble fully understanding this.
but here goes a little bit: GG needs to hide money, he goes to Schex, people start missing/dying, people start looking for the money, there's some legal advice mumbo jumbo - and just overall legal stuff - thrown around
.....and all in all, i'm not the best to describe this book to you.
not because i waited so long but because i remember clearly not knowing what i was reading even when i was reading it.
either way, if you're a fan of (i'm horrible at calling them as they are) mystery, whodunit, legal drama kinda deal, then this is your book!
100 years later, but thanks to Rubin for reaching out to me and sorry for taking forever (and not doing the proper job of) getting this out there.
(no spoilers for this one cause i definitely couldn't if i tried)
thanks for reading!
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