The Right Swipe

This book is a 3.75 for me.

I liked the premise taking on modern dating with an initial ghosting that sparks the interactions between the two main characters Rhi and Samson. In this instance, Samson actually did have a family emergency which made him forget a second date with Rhi, and in retaliation she blocked him, so no further contact could be had. Rhi also is a CEO of her own dating app. She wants to take her dating app Crush to the next level by buying its competitor Matchmaker. By chance, Samson’s aunt is the owner of Matchmaker. Rhi isn’t big on second chances though fate would have her cross paths with Samson once again.

This book was unexpected because I was anticipating a fluffy type of romance book. I go into most books blind and had no idea what to expect with this. I was pleasantly surprised with some serious real life issues that this book covered. Rhi’s narcissistic boyfriend and abuse from a person in a position of power was well written and allowed her to slowly open and face this issue throughout the book. Power to the women who have the strength to do this and find the support they need. It was hard for Rhi and she soon realised she was never alone.

Then Samson’s pursuit of CTE support in NFL. His narrative also strikes up a conversation of head trauma injury in sports. I had to google the acronym to research it myself. In Australia, with the sports I watch, they take concussions seriously and if players get knocked out, they don’t get forced to play without proper approval by the teams doctor. I can’t say I know much about it in the US or other countries and the seriousness each sports take. This story definitely opened my eyes where ongoing research in this area allows how sports can impact the brain. You definitely wouldn’t think that a romance book would have this plot, but it was a change from my normal reads and an impactful one!

The chemistry between Rhi and Samson was there from the start. It was unfortunate circumstances and lack of communication that led to them talking to one another. As they got to know one another better, Samson had so much patience even if Rhi didn’t always let him in. Sometimes we just have to listen, be there for someone and let them open up in their own time. Rhi definitely had her barriers up to protect herself from not being hurt.

I loved Aunt Belle. She was unconventional in how she operated her business which I liked reading. You didn’t really know what to expect from her. Thought Rhi’s friend Katrina was such a great support with some wise advice. And I wish I could have an assistant like Lakshmi who can literally foresee everything in my life and guide me through it!

Overall, I enjoyed this read and would love to check out this author’s other work. Read this as part of a tandem collective and collective voices readalong and it was definitely worth it!

Lessons For Broke Georgia

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This book was eye opening to how we can get ourselves into sticky situations surrounding money. Our MC Georgia is left with a massive debt when her cheating ex-fiancé racks up thousands of charges on her credit card. Her trust was abused and after finding out all these secrets her ex Basil kept from her, Georgia’s left with figuring her life out. The story covers her navigating life, love and relationships whilst she comes up with creative ways to clear this debt.

I found this read funny but also relatable. It does make you think about how you can be wiser with money and how we can easily mismanage our finances. Georgia really stuck to her guns in not borrowing from others and took responsibility to figure it out. I know when I've been in situations like this, I start to figure out how I should manage my money better.

I really enjoyed the subplot with Georgia's mother who seemed sketchy and randomly disappeared. When she was always asking to borrow money from Georgia or her brother and never seeing that money returned, this led to my assumptions. I thought maybe the mum was a con artist or she owed money to loan sharks, but honestly didn't guess the twist at the end. No one could have seen that coming.

I enjoyed the interactions Georgia had with her brothers and friends. Had quite a few laughs through their conversations. Georgia's dating encounters were also hilarious moments - the poop scene especially! Her ex Basil was a complete mooch and he just felt like he was totally not her type to begin with. I also enjoyed her supportive friends throughout the read.

Overall I had fun whilst reading this and it felt like a friend telling me about their life with all the mishaps and triumphs.

Sweethand

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Read this as part of a tandem collective and collective voices readalong. I did enjoy this read and felt engaged from the start.

I thought the whole ensemble of characters were a great set of people. They all had a fun dynamic but also all have each other’s backs. I really had a sense of family within this book and I love how the author brought her culture into it all. I actually learned what soca was because before that, I had no idea! There’s not only BIPOC representation but LGBTQ+! And not just one character, but multiple characters.

I love the enemy to lovers trope, though with this read, I was laughing a lot at what the two main characters Kieran and Cherisse would do to each other, because it was so petty. I was there for it! There was no real reason why they disliked one another since childhood, but with Cherisse’s sister Ava getting married, they were forced together due to being best man and maid of honour. I liked how it all unravelled and how their forced duties to plan a joint hen and bucks night, was either going to end in disaster or reveal sides that the characters didn’t know about one another.

I had lots of fun reading this book. There were so many moments where I laughed or smile. Liked how bossy Cherisse was especially when it came to the bedroom. I find that with so many romances, the men take the lead but Cherisse was just empowered and took control. It was awesome to read that! Also, reading about all the baked good Cherisse made, made me wish I had them in my possession. Sounded so good!

Would recommend to any fan of rom coms.

This Place is Still Beautiful

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I really enjoyed this book as I could personally relate to it. From the racial slurs, to having a passive family that didn’t talk about serious issues, to wanting racism to go away, to feeling shame when I’d fallen to racist remarks, to wanting some form of justice or karma fall onto those that wronged me. It’s great to feel represented and this book highlighted not only a hate crime, but subtle racism or micro aggressions that people are ignorant to, or choose to gloss over, which can be offensive for some.

Didn’t read or watch any reviews on this book, so I was going off the cover, which was beautiful by the way. I wasn’t expecting the love stories for each sister, but I think it adds to the fact that even when falling victim to racism, life still goes on, even all the petty problems that any of us worry about interweaving throughout the day.

I understand the perspective of Annalie and the mum wanting to keep quiet and not deal with the issue - I’m used to this in the past with my own family. It highlighted for me that no matter how much you assimilate into a country, that there are still people out there that won’t like you just for being a particular race. Ignoring it and hoping it will go away, or even hoping it will never happen again, doesn’t really address the issue and discussion should be had. Everyone should feel safe, no matter where they live. With Margaret being a social justice warrior, it’s how I would defend myself these days. I’ve been in too many situations where keeping quiet and bottling these issues just leaves unresolved trauma. I guess I’m used to some Asian families sweeping issues under a rug and never facing a challenging or difficult discussion.

I did find it frustrating that Annalie took a long time to tell her loved ones of who committed the crime when she found out it was her boyfriend’s friends. Pretending everything is okay doesn’t make it okay. The fact that the culprits said because she didn’t look Asian (being half white) that they thought she wouldn’t get offended, touches on the ignorance that we still see today. Because they were targeting her sister who looked more Asian, didn’t make it okay in the slightest, even if a joke. Glad Annalie came to her senses in the end.

If the story continues, would love to know how Margaret and Rajiv go with their relationship, if their mum excepts Rajiv (since she has her own discriminatory tendencies), if we find out more about their dad that abandoned them, see if Annalie explores a relationship with Daniel, how they recover once the culprits are charged and just how life in general goes. I feel this was just a stand alone book so it may not ever happen.

Twisted Love

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3.5 stars

I had a hard time with the first half of the book. I felt like Ava was reading like a high schooler, so I wasn’t really connecting with her as a character. She just seemed so young, like a late teen based on her internal dialogue. I know she’s young and in her early twenties but something about her perspective put me off.

I didn’t see the twists coming about Michael and how the trauma was so much more than what Ava was told as a child. I did end up figuring out Alex’s uncle was controlling him and he would double cross him. Didn’t realise Alex was playing a long game with Josh and Ava’s dad. He could have ended it way early on rather than establishing such a close friendship with Josh.

The last half of the book was more interesting for me. It was sweet that Alex finally woke up and did all that he could to prove his worth to Ava. After their break up, I figured they would end up together, but it was good that he worked for it after lying and stuffing Ava around.

I’ve bought this whole series, so hoping the others deliver!