endless_tbr_list's reviews
480 reviews

Emmy Ellison is finally living her dream. She's a published author, her book is being turned into a movie, and her celebrity crush who inspired the whole thing knows who she is! What began as a social media stunt is now rocketing Emmy towards a #1 Bestseller and she's determined to do all she can to ride that wave to the top. Yet when she somehow manages to pull Jason Connor into the chaos with her, Emmy starts to see that maybe life in the spotlight isn't as golden as she'd hoped it would be. 
 
 This one was tough for me, I'm a lover of celebrity romances and the writing was entertaining, but something just didn't quick click. Emmy was wonderfully witty, and I adored her relationship with her daughter, but I wasn't really invested in her romance with Jason. They both felt like they needed to do a bit more growing and I think I would have loved to see a time jump that gave them that space to figure things out, but overall this was a quick and largely enjoyable read. 
 
 Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Gemma Evans loses a promotion to her workplace nemesis, she sees her perfect future start to crumble. The cherry on top of this whole disaster is an invitation to her half-sister Lulu's four-day Italian wedding, to which her boyfriend can't make it, meaning Gemma has less than two weeks to find *someone* to act as a stand in. When a co-worker sets her up with a blind date to fill said role, Gemma is horrified to find that the man who came to her rescue is the very same one who essentially stole her job - Ben McDonald. 

Enemies-to-lovers with a side of destination wedding sounded like such a fun adventure, and while this was mostly an enjoyable read, there were a few things that just didn't sit right with me. Ben comes across as downright cruel at the start, and Gemma's family isn't much better, but by the end the story was able to polish everyone up a bit and give us the expected happily ever after. Overall if you're a fan of workplace romance and fake-dating with a sprinkle of spice, this might just be the book for you! 

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hana has grown up knowing that her life is tied to her family's pawnshop, tasked with dealing not in wares, but in regrets and in choices, and with her father's retirement, Hana will wake up tomorrow as it's new owner. Yet when morning comes, not all is as it should be. The pawnshop has been ransacked and both her father and one of the choices they are tasked with gathering and protecting are missing. The sudden and inopportune appearance of a handsome stranger offering assistance has left Hana in a tricky position - Kei is not from her world, but unwilling to take no for an answer, and Hana desperately needs to find her father before it's too late...
 
At first I struggled a bit to really fall into this one, it just felt a bit slow, but as it progressed I realized it was slow in the way that a stroll through a park can be - leisurely with the intent of enjoying the beauty around you. This novel flowed gorgeously through an array of worlds, each touched with their own types of magic, that I can't think of a better comparison than a Ghibli movie. As much as this is an fantastical mystery, I think what I adored most was the strong undercurrent of love that wove throughout the pages. The relationship between not only the main characters, but even the moments of kindness and care that came from side characters gave this story such a warm glow. If you're looking for a not-quite-low-stakes but arguably cozy and dream-like fantasy, I recommend giving this one a try!
 
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Del Ray, and NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.