September 2023 Mini Reviews - part 2

The Love Plot by Samantha Young

Published: 29th August 2023 by Piatkus

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.

I had such a goofy little smile on my face when I was reading this! I had no idea what this would be like when I went into it, but I loved the New York setting and how Star and Race came from very clearly different worlds, and families, and yet still respected each other's differences without trying to change them, or let anyone else do so. I always love a good grumpy guy, but the way that Rafe became such a sweetheart once he started falling for Star was very endearing, and I really liked how much his protective nature came out around her, even against his family, when he felt her being judged at all. Star's found family were very sweet, and I think it felt authentic to see how she inadvertently distanced herself from them while building her relationship, and for them to feel neglected before finding a balance between them all, and especially when considering how sad her situation with her parents was, this was a really nice aspect.

4 stars

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Published: 1st June 2021 by Bloomsbury

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.

I had been meaning to read this ever since it came out, but after finding out it had been turned into a TV show and was coming out really soon I knew I needed to get to it now, and I'm glad I did! I thought the concept of this sounded so unique, a really fresh take on the type of race-based thrillers that Get Out introduced so well, and I did really appreciate the length that Harris went to in trying to make it a wholly original story. However, I do think I enjoyed the first half of this more than the latter half, as the excitement I felt towards the tension and intrigue being built up ended up with me feeling more confused than anything else towards the end as all the double identities and false names all seemed to merge into one a bit. I'm not sure if the plot was overly ambitious, or if the eventual execution just fell a bit flat for me, but the grand reveal didn't satisfy me like I hoped it would.

3 stars

Thank You For Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz

Published: 14th September 2023 by Hera

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.

This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me - I thought the premise of an old summer camp teenage romance coming full circle sounded so sweet, and I normally really enjoy an enemies-to-lovers, but this one didn't really excite me, and I never fully connected to Daniel and Aliyah, or particularly rooted for them to be together. I found Aliyah's 'snarkiness' to be outright rude most of the time, especially when Daniel had already apologised multiple times for what happened when they were younger (and it wasn't even really his fault!), and while I understand she clearly had a lot of trauma, her lack of communicating with him honestly grated me, and I don't think enough importance was placed on how Daniel's dad had died and yet he had much more healthy coping mechanisms. 

2.5 stars

In the Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros

Published: 1st August 2023 by Montlake

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affects my review.

I feel like I've been hearing Rebecca Yarros' name non-stop at the moment, and while I'm not likely to be picking up Fourth Wing anytime soon, I was intrigued by the fact that she has also written tons of contemporary books too, so I thought I'd give this one a go. The army setting and the whole 'lost loves who have gone years without communicating' really reminded me of Elvis and Georgie from Our Girl, which is one of my favourite TV shows and so I loved that element! However, I did find this book to be quite a slow read for me, which is odd considering its short length and its action-packed plot, and I would've liked to see more from Izzy and Nate's romance in the present-day, instead of leaving it all until the very end, as I feel like so much time was spent on the two of them refusing to communicate with each other, or on every single one of their previous meetings without any resolution being met.

3 stars