June was Pride Month, and oh did I celebrate! I read many gay romance novels in June, along with some other works. Here are my brief reviews.
‘Dream On, Ramona Riley’ by Ashley Herring Blake🏳️🌈
Just a girl stuck in her ways in her small town and a girl who needs to change her ways on and off set. Could they be more perfect for each other?
First things first, I LOVED Romana. Her description, her personality, her dedication to those she loves. Sign me up and say no more. I also loved the inclusion of the mini moment between Cherry and Lolli (Romana and Dylan) and even as young teenagers, that little moment changed everything for them. I think it added a depth to the story other than just a summer fling/image improver. It really helped you root for them.
The story seemed to set up at the beginning that Romana was going to use Dylan to get her foot in the door of the costume design. I didn’t necessarily like that idea, but it was also never really followed through on. I wish there had been more of a “I am doing this” or a “I am not doing this” rather than the half and half we kind of got.
Picking up this book did scare me a bit as it has many a similarity to the book I’m writing. But there’s enough difference that the fear subsided. But, uh, stay tuned for my book if you liked this one.
🐝words: Sapphic, Small-town, Famous/Unknown, Second-chance
‘Part of Your World’ by Abby Jimenez
Small-town man meets big city girl. Will their love be enough?? (Basically a Hallmark movie.)
My first Abby Jimenez book did not disappoint. As someone who grew up in a small town, I’m always attracted to these cutesy small-town romances. Which is odd considering I couldn’t wait to get out. This book was EXTRA fun as someone who currently lives in the Twin Cities. (The Mad Hatter in Anoka has this green goddess dip-like substance that I swear is like crack.) The relationship was inviting, and I loved how they made each other shine.
However, insta-love isn’t super my thing. Things happened very fast. I got annoyed with how she was constantly comparing Daniel and Neil. And I often felt like shouting at her to just share more about her parents’ ridiculous expectations with Daniel, as it would help explain literally so many things.
All that culminated in a four out of five stars. I’m excited to read her friend Bri’s story next. So grateful it’s not her terrible friends.
🐝words: Opposites Attract, Insta Love, Small-town, Age Gap
Trigger Warning: Mental Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Mention of Death
‘Anywhere You Go’ by Bridget Morrissey🏳️🌈
Always down for a switcheroo story with a who am I and what do I want plot. This book was a lot to take in.
It was a dual POV with two separate romances going on at once. While both journeys were good and enjoyable to read, I definitely preferred Eleanor’s story. The banter that Eleanor and Carson had from the beginning was just so fun to read and be a part of. I also feel like we got to see Eleanor grow with her situationshipness.
Tatum went through growth as well, but I wasn’t as invested in her story. The parts I looked forward to the most from her perspectives were when Dawn entered the picture. And Dawn was just the kind of bitchy old neighbor. This feels extra interesting to me because I feel like Tatum is meant to be our true main character.
I love the representation in this book from sexuality to gender to family dynamics. And no character was perfect. Each person had their own demons they were needing to face, which I liked.
🐝words: LGBTQ, Dual POV, Small-town / Big City
‘My Best Friend’s Honeymoon’ by Meryl Wilsner🏳️🌈
Friends to lovers at an extremely spicy level.
This was a quick, spicy romance between two best friends, which came with a fun relationship dynamic and good conversation. I enjoyed it for this most simple purpose.
Here are things I didn’t like so much. As with every friends-to-lovers romance, you have the “We can’t try to be together because if it doesn’t work, we’ll ruin our friendship”. Yet when the spice began, it came full throttle out of basically nowhere, and there were no immediate objections. Which I found strange because of how much the previous sentiment was pushed.
Then, spoiler-ish…When we hit the third act breakup, Elsie really took a mole hill, but then made it into a canyon and tried to fly from one side to the other. The conclusions she came to still boggle my mind.
I do recommend it for that spice and also nonbinary/plus-size representation though.
🐝words: LGBTQ, Friends to lovers, spice
‘Catching Fire’ by Suzanne Collins
Re-Read 🎧
There was so much in this book that was left out of the movie. So much that I had completely forgotten about. “The Hunger Games” had a few scenes and details, but this felt like almost half of the book. Wild.
‘Mockingjay’ by Suzanne Collins
Re-Read 🎧
Wow. Mockingjay really was as much of a downer as I remember. You don’t leave it feeling good. There’s some added happiness now with the additional information from “Sunrise on the Reaping,” but damn. I can appreciate it more now.
I hated it when I read it the first time. I constantly said “what was even the point.” And that very sentiment is the very point itself. What is the point of all this hate? It leads to misery and despair and changes you for the rest of your life.
