Review: Best Friends For Never

 

Title: Best Friends For Never 

Author: Teagan Hunter 

Release Date: February 25

The movie star and the small-town girl he left behind. They have a lot of catching up to do in an emotional and rousing romantic comedy about fame, second chances, and making dreams come true.

Parker Pruitt’s dream is to restore her small town’s long-shuttered theater—one to be named in honor of Noel Carter, the boy who followed his dream from Emerald Grove, Washington, to Hollywood…and broke Parker’s heart. Now he’s back to attend the kickoff ceremony, and for Parker, that means smiling through a swell of mixed emotions at seeing her former best friend for the first time in a decade.

Noel may be one of the hottest actors in the world, but he’s still touched by the tribute. And a little nervous about seeing Parker again. But when his weekend jaunt extends into a six-week stay, long-repressed memories and feelings come rushing back. As the simmering attraction between them builds, Noel is determined not to ruin this second chance even if his return to LA is hanging over them.

They’re making the best of the time they have left, but is there any chance of a Hollywood ending?

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So I have been in a little bit of a slump recently - between wanting to continue series but the library currently not having the books in, to my emotions being all over the place and a filling breaking causing me pain for days - not to mention my daughter having to get braces that fell off two days later during the holidays when the dentist office isn't even open, I've just been dealing with a lot. So it was nice being able to get an arc of this book I have been looking forward to for months, to get lost in. 

Noel is a movie star. A dream he has been working towards for a long time. He left town, and his best friend Parker who he was in love with ten years ago, not once returning to the town he grew up in. Not until an anonymous donor dontates funds to renovate the theater that closed down when Noel & Parker were teens. Parker just happens to be head of the renovation committee. What happens when Noel returns to the town, and best friend he left behind? 

This was such a a cute contemporary romance. I loved Noel & Parker's story & it was exactly what I needed to get through a crazy few days. And I loved the references to her other books & characters as well. If your looking for a cute friends to lovers romance then I definitely recommend this book. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐

2🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

Tropes: 

- childhood friends to lovers

- second chance

- small town romance 

- movie star MMC 

Trigger Warnings: 

- mention of parents death (car accident) 

- abandonment (father leaving; best friend leaving) 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Teagan Hunter is the author of The DM Diaries and other steamy romantic comedies written with lots of sarcasm and a side of heart. She loves pizza, hockey, and romance novels, though not in that order. When she’s not writing, you can find her watching entirely too many hours of Supernatural, One Tree Hill, or New Girl. Teagan is also mildly obsessed with Halloween and prefers cooler weather. She married her high school sweetheart, and they currently live in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit www.teaganhunterwrites.com .

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Review: Destroy Me

 

Title: Destroy Me

Series: Shatter Me series

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Release Date: October 2012

Juliette escaped from The Reestablishment by seducing Warner—and then putting a bullet in his shoulder. But as she’ll learn in Destroy Me, Warner is not that easy to get rid of...

Back at the base and recovering from his near-fatal wound, Warner must do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in check and suppress any mention of a rebellion in the sector. Still as obsessed with Juliette as ever, his first priority is to find her, bring her back, and dispose of Adam and Kenji, the two traitors who helped her escape. But when Warner’s father, The Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment, arrives to correct his son’s mistakes, it’s clear that he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner simply cannot allow.

Set after Shatter Me and before its forthcoming sequel, Unravel Me, Destroy Me is a novella told from the perspective of Warner, the ruthless leader of Sector 45.

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So Destroy Me is a novella that is in Warner's POV & Shatter Me must be read first. 

Back at the base, Warner is recovering from the wound Juliette inflicted upon him. He must now do everything in his power to keep his soldiers in line, and surpress any mention of a rebellion in his sector. He is still obsessed with Juliette, and plans on finding her and bringing her back, and disposing of both Adam and Kenji the two traitors who helped her escape. But when his father the Supreme Commander arrives to correct Warner's mistakes, it is clear that he has much different plans if he finds Juliette, plans Warner cannot let happen.  

So I loved getting a peak into Warner's head. Of seeing things from his point of view, his obsession, and what makes him the way that he is. This novella was great in seeing a side of Warner we didn't get to see in Shatter Me- so if you like Shatter Me this is a must read to get Warner's POV. 

4⭐ out of 5⭐. 

1🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tahereh Mafi is the #1 New York Times bestselling, #1 international bestselling, and National Book Award-nominated author of over a dozen novels. Best known for the Shatter Me series, her books have sold millions of copies, and have been translated into over thirty languages. Her first contemporary novel, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, was named by Time magazine as one of “the best YA books of all time”, and is in development for film with Levantine Films. She currently resides in Southern California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs, and their daughter. Her most recent novel, the second book in a new fantasy series, These Infinite Threads, is on shelves now.

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Review: Shatter Me

 

Title: Shatter Me 

Series: Shatter Me series

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Release Date: November 2011

I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war—and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

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Why did I wait so long to read this book? 

Shatter Me followes Juliette - who has always viewed herself as a monster, with a curse. She has the power to harm others with just her touch alone. After an accident when she was fourteen, she was cast away. For years she was tested, until they put her away in an asylum. 

Until one day she gets a roommate. Then her life is flipped upside down. From the bleak nothingness, to being taken. She has to make a choice, if she will become a warrior or a weapon. 

So, this is a YA dystopian novel that I have had sitting on my shelf for ten years now. It was recommended to me, so I grabbed the first book, without knowing any info about it. I have been hesitant to read it, bc the FMC character shares the same name as my daughter. But I finally decided to pick it up, and I'm glad I did. 

I love YA & dystopian novels - so this was no different. It follows Juliette in a world that is dying. People can't afford to live, to eat, to survive. The reestablishment was supposed to help save the world, but they haven't. And Juliette ends up in the middle of having to make a choice- with multiple powerful people who have heard of her powers wanting her for their causes she has to decide what she will do. 

Overall it was a good intro to the books, and world and I am looking forward to reading more about Juliette and the other characters. I definitely recommend if you like YA dystopian books. 

4⭐ out of 5 ⭐. 

1🌶️ out of 5🌶️. 

Tropes: 

- YA

- dystopian 

- love triangle

- friends to lovers 

- second chance 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tahereh Mafi is the #1 New York Times bestselling, #1 international bestselling, and National Book Award-nominated author of over a dozen novels. Best known for the Shatter Me series, her books have sold millions of copies, and have been translated into over thirty languages. Her first contemporary novel, A Very Large Expanse of Sea, was named by Time magazine as one of “the best YA books of all time”, and is in development for film with Levantine Films. She currently resides in Southern California with her husband, fellow author Ransom Riggs, and their daughter. Her most recent novel, the second book in a new fantasy series, These Infinite Threads, is on shelves now.

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Review: Rook & Rebel

 

Title: Rook & Rebel

Series: The Mavericks 

Author: Kate Crew 

Release Date: October 1, 2024

A dark revenge romance filled with tattooed bikers, hilarious banter, heat, and high speeds.

Regan Fletcher

I used to have big dreams: finish college, make beautiful art, all while taking over my dad’s business. He wanted a legacy, and I wanted to give it to him. But his illness wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was his sudden need to keep me locked up in our mansion, safe and isolated. I want more from life, but could only spend my days waiting. Until one night, I came face-to-face with a street biker from a world far different from mine. What starts as him stalking me, quickly spirals into something deeper, and more deadly. I’m falling for a man who’s everything I should fear, yet he’s the only one who’s ever made me feel truly alive. But loving him means risking everything—my heart, my future, and my father.

Rook Emberson

Revenge has been my driving force for as long as I can remember. Cameron Fletcher stole everything from me, and I’ve spent years plotting the perfect way to take it all back. When fate puts his daughter in my sights, I know I’ve found the key to his destruction. But from the moment I meet her, my plans begin to unravel. Regan is everything I didn’t expect and I can’t help but be drawn to her. What starts as a twisted game of vengeance turns into an obsession. I need her, but I also need to destroy her father.

The lines between love and vengeance blur, and I’m not sure where one ends and the other begins.

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Rook & Rebel follows Regan - a rich girl who seems like she has it all, but is a prisoner in her own home. She came back from college to help with her sick father, and hopefully take over the business- but he hasn't let her in with anything in his life yet. 

But one day she comes face to face with a biker. He was dangerous, the gun he had pointed at her when they met proved that. The stalking he did solidified it. She should fear him, but she didn't. And falling for him would risk everything - her heart, future, & father. 

Rook's one driving force for the past decade was revenge. He wanted to destroy the man who ruined his life. And when the daughter of that man landed in his lap, he took the chance to get close to her,and use her anyway he could. But what he didn't expect was caring for her, the lines of vengeance and obsession blurring. Would Rook's plans of revenge unravel, or would he go through with taking down the man who destroyed his life, and risk losing the girl in the process? 

So, I have been in a bit of a slump recently and was looking for something dark - but still have a lightness to it too. & This book for that - yes it's a dark romance so check TW before going in, but it isn't too dark. And while it wasn't perfect, it was cute with the banter between the characters. I enjoyed the book for what it was. It was cute, and some parts had me laughing, but I didn't love it. I didn't fall in love with the characters. 

I love books that make me fall in love with the characters, that make me care what happens to them, and makes me want to read more. Books that make me think about them when I'm not reading them, wondering what will happen next. And while I can appreciate this book was entertaining, I just wasn't as invested into the story or characters as I would have liked. Overall, it was a all right read, I didn't love it. 

If you are looking for a more lighthearted MC romance, you may enjoy this book. It gave similar vibes to Butcher & Blackbird and Lights Out, but not quite hitting the mark for me. 

3.5 ⭐ out of 5⭐. 

2🌶️ out of 5 🌶️. 

Tropes: 

• MC/biker romance

• dark romance 

• found family 

• morally gray MMC

• Posessive MMC 

• rich good girl FMC

• touch him & ☠️ 

• stalking

• revenge 

• banter 

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