Goodreads: The Love Hypothesis Publisher: Sphere Published: 27 September 2021 Genre: Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating: (5 pandas)
When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive on her way to a happily ever after was always going to be tough, scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting woman, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when he agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire and Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support (and his unyielding abs), their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion.
Olive soon discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
Since last week I’ve managed to finish five books. Most of them were holiday romances but I also finally read The Love Hypothesis and holy wow, I am smitten with this romance! Olive and Adam 4EVER! 🥺❤️
The Naughty, the Nice and the Nanny (Holiday Brothers #1) by Willa Nash ★★★½ This little novella was a fun and quirky holiday romance with characters that had great chemistry and a story with a good dose of touching family moments. While ultimately the romance ended up being very insta-love, it didn’t feel like it initially as our H/h built up a good foundation of trust and respect through their bond with the hero’s “angel” of a daughter, Violet. RTC.
In a Holidaze by Christina Loren ★★★★☆ This was probably one of the more festive holiday romances that I’ve read in a while! It definitely gave me the cosy and happy Love Actually vibes and I wanted to join this mixed family in their yearly holiday festivities because it sounded like so much fun! Mae was a fun heroine and Andrew was a swoonworthy hero and although things got a bit cheesy towards the end, it didn’t fail to warm my heart! RTC.
So, we’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: Books on My Winter 2021 To-read List (or summer if you’re in the southern hemisphere)
As a mood reader, the majority of my “possibility piles” throughout the year remain possibilities, but seeing as it’s already mid-December(👀!) I really hope that I can get more than a few of these books read! Some are ARCs, others are popular titles that I’ve heard so much about this year that I can’t resist wanting to pick them up, and others are holiday romances that I’ve been enjoying a fair bit lately! There might be more than 10 and this pile might be more than a little ambitious, but maybe giving myself more options will also lead to the possibility of some books being read?! 😂
Goodreads: A Not So Meet Cute Published: 02 November 2021 Genre: Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating: (3.5 pandas)
How did you two meet? The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.
My meet cute (well not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me. He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.
And that’s when we bumped into each other. There were no sparks. Not even a hint of blossoming love.
But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask . . . he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman–minus the frisky behavior. We’re talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love . . . and engaged. Can you imagine? The absolute audacity. But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal. My one big mistake, though . . . big . . . HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
Since last week I’ve managed to finish five books. As usual, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag of romances from the romcoms to the paranormal reverse-harem erotica! 😂
Chef’s Kiss by Hank Jones & Jarrett Melendez; Illustrated by Danica Brine ★★★★★ I’ve found a new favourite graphic novel! This was simply too cute, too relatable, and basically, everything I love! We’ve got realistic friendships, a slow burn M/M romance, an awesome restaurant setting with lots of foodie goodness and a really endearing main character. I loved this so much! 😍 RTC closer to pub date!
A Not So Meet Cute by Meghan Quinn ★★★½ This started off really well for me—I liked the rom-com vibe and the cheeky and slightly antagonistic banter between Grace and Noah. Sadly, as the story progressed I found myself getting a little bored and I never felt fully invested in their romance. Though I did like their individual character development! RTC.
I was a little undecided about what to do for this freebie so I went the easy route and decided to share the holiday romances that I want to read this month! I’m not a big seasonal reader but in the last two years my list has (unsurprisingly) grown considerably 😂 I still don’t manage to read many of them each year but I try(!) and this year, these are the themed romances I’m hoping to read.
Wow, why does it feel like I just wrote my September wrap up… Yesterday? Anyone else or is it just me? 😂
I don’t know what happened in November. I feel like it was a pretty weird month as I fell into a bit of a funkier mood and lost motivation when it came to work, which eventually bled into pretty much all other aspects of my life. How dramatic! 🙈 But I honestly didn’t do much and nothing of note happened. I baked a bit, I ate at a restaurant for the first time since the second wave hit Indonesia in mid-2021, got obsessed with playing Zelda BOTW, and of course, obsessed over Taylor’s Version of Red. Better Man is my current favourite track from the vault, mostly cos the lyrics hit so close to home in maybe not the best ways, but as much as I’m an emotional reader, I’m also an emotional listener and this has me wrapped up in my feels!
I think I read 20 books in November! I feel like maybe I read a romance or two and didn’t note them and uh, forgot? 😂 Brain fog was kinda my November… I thought I got a little bit of my reading mojo back at one point but no, my reading mood has still been a little erratic and slump-ish even though I stopped gaming for a week+ thinking it would help (don’t think it did).
Surprisingly though I had THREE 5-star reads with a new favourite fantasy and a new favourite small-town romance series to add to my faves list! I think if I had to pick my favourite of the three, it’d be The Hand of the Sun King by J.T. Greathouse, which is an amazing fantasy debut. That said, Brighton Walsh had me wanting to set up in Havenbrook asap, please! 😂 So, I guess I really can’t choose between my 5-star reads? LOL!
My name is Wen Alder. My name is Foolish Cur.
All my life, I have been torn between two legacies: that of my father, whose roots trace back to the right hand of the Emperor. That of my mother’s family, who reject the oppressive Empire and embrace the resistance.
I can choose between them – between protecting my family, or protecting my people – or I can search out a better path . . . a magical path, filled with secrets, unbound by Empire or resistance, which could shake my world to its very foundation.
But my search for freedom will entangle me in a war between the gods themselves…
Also, a quick update on my #NetgalleyNovember BINGO reading: I read 6 out of 9 titles, which is a little sad but also, ngl, I’m pretty chuffed to have managed those six books! 😂 As my super funky reading mood continues I was pretty worried I’d struggle to finish even two books, so this is a win for me!
Special thanks to Algonquin Books for the gifted ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Goodreads: A People’s History of Heaven Publisher: Algonquin Books Published: 19 March 2019 Genre: Literary Fiction
Panda Rating: (4.5 pandas)
Heaven is a thirty-year-old slum hidden between brand-new, high-rise apartment buildings and technology incubators in contemporary Bangalore. In this tight-knit community, five girls on the cusp of womanhood-a politically driven graffiti artist; a transgender Christian convert; a blind girl who loves to dance; and the queer daughter of a hijabi union leader-forge an unbreakable bond.
When the local government threatens to demolish their tin shacks in order to build a shopping mall, the girls and their mothers refuse to be erased. Together they wage war on the bulldozers sent to bury their homes, and, ultimately, on the city that wishes that families like them would remain hidden forever.
Elegant, poetic, and vibrant, A People’s History of Heaven takes a clear-eyed look at adversity and geography and dazzles in its depiction of love and female friendship.
TL;DR:A People’s History of Heaven is a beautifully crafted literary debut full of so much heart! With her lyrical prose and vivid descriptions of everyday life, it was as if Mathangi Subramanian reached through the pages of this novel and pulled me right into Heaven itself. This is a story about the strong and proud women that live in Heaven—the grandmothers, the mothers, and the daughters, who do whatever it takes to survive the hardships of not only living in a slum but being part of an oppressive patriarchal society that was not designed for women and girls to succeed.
Adventure’s in Captain Hudson Miller’s blood. For the past ten years, he’s spent his days in the sky, serving as a pilot for the Army. But where adventure called him away, something—someone—else is calling him home. On post-deployment leave, he escapes to the one place he hasn’t been since he enlisted: Havenbrook, Mississippi. Hometown of his momma’s peach cobbler, enough memories to last a lifetime, and the only girl who ever left an imprint on his heart.
Mackenna Haven thought she’d have her life figured out by now. Instead, she’s a twenty-seven-year-old college dropout who works at her soon-to-be brother-in-law’s bar and lives on her parents’ land. No husband or kids to her name. Not even a consistent weekend booty call. She’s been pretending she’s happy working dead-end jobs in an even deader-end town, but she can’t stop thinking she was meant for more than this.
After a childhood as best friends and a single weekend exploring more, Mackenna and Hudson haven’t seen each other in ten years. But they made a pact that long ago weekend, and Hudson’s coming to make good on his promise. Except she has no interest in it or him. After all, he walked away from her once already, and she’s not interested in opening her heart and allowing him a second chance at destruction.
Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
Since last week I’ve managed to finish six books! I’ve been steamrolling through Brighton Walsh’s Havenbrook series and I’m sad that I’ve finished the series but undoubtedly had a fantastic time with the Haven sisters and their loves! 🥲
Anti-Stepbrother by Tijan ★★½ This was my first Tijan so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I liked how the friendship developed between the H/h but I found the heroine too manic-pixie and she spent way too long vacillating on her feelings over her douchey stepbrother. I also didn’t feel like we got enough of the hero for me to really care about him, plus this was very angsty and I didn’t like the girl-girl hate over idiots! Overall, I don’t think this was for me. Mini RTC!
How to Love Your Neighbor by Sophie Sullivan ★★★☆☆ This started off really well for me—I liked the rom-com vibe and the cheeky and slightly antagonistic banter between Grace and Noah. Sadly, as the story progressed I found myself getting a little bored and I never felt fully invested in their romance. Though I did like their individual character development! RTC closer to pub date in Jan 2022.
dinipandareads 