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Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated The Secret Bridesmaid in Books
Jan 21, 2022
Sometimes you just need a feel good, light read and that is exactly what this is. I read this book in one sitting and I hardly realised that I’d been sat reading for hours until I had finally finished it. I would definitely give it a 4.5 stars overall.
We follow Sophie Breeze, a professional bridesmaid which is like a wedding planner but doesn’t take over and instead makes sure the bride is completely involved with all of the decisions but has a supportive bridesmaid to lean on. Sophie set this up as a business after her and her ex-boyfriend broke up after 8 years together, completely surprising Sophie.
Sophie is extremely likeable, and I found that I had so much in common with her - she is my age, has different things in common with me and looks at life the same way. Which made it a delight to read. She was also very down to earth and very funny, meaning that sometimes I actually properly laughed at some of the situations that she was in (running down the street in a Chewbacca outfit was my personal favourite!) and I think that’s what made it so enjoyable.
I find Katy Birchall’s writing very similar to Beth O’Leary’s, so if you’re a fan of her I would definitely give this book a try! I can’t believe that this is her first adult novel, it’s not obvious at all from the writing. I will be on the lookout for her future work.
We follow Sophie Breeze, a professional bridesmaid which is like a wedding planner but doesn’t take over and instead makes sure the bride is completely involved with all of the decisions but has a supportive bridesmaid to lean on. Sophie set this up as a business after her and her ex-boyfriend broke up after 8 years together, completely surprising Sophie.
Sophie is extremely likeable, and I found that I had so much in common with her - she is my age, has different things in common with me and looks at life the same way. Which made it a delight to read. She was also very down to earth and very funny, meaning that sometimes I actually properly laughed at some of the situations that she was in (running down the street in a Chewbacca outfit was my personal favourite!) and I think that’s what made it so enjoyable.
I find Katy Birchall’s writing very similar to Beth O’Leary’s, so if you’re a fan of her I would definitely give this book a try! I can’t believe that this is her first adult novel, it’s not obvious at all from the writing. I will be on the lookout for her future work.
Debbiereadsbook (1681 KP) rated Stag Weekend: Island Confidential Novella in Books
Aug 2, 2025
Tate really SAW Simon!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Simon wanted to keep his head down, and out of the family gossip, since his engagement was called off. It's his sister's turn, given as no one likes Wyatt, the groom. But then Simon wakes up in Tate's bed, Wyatt's stepbrother. The ame stepbrother who Angie warned Wyatt to tell his brother to keep away from.
This book, right, is a catalogue of errors on Wyatt's part, saved by Tate and Simon, with a backdrop of gate-crashing cousins (who I really REALLY wanted to punch in the face!) missing rings, stolen wine, and some special moments between Simon and Tate that really were the best!
It's a lot, though. I found myself just waiting for the next drama, and it did get a weeny bit too much.
I loved Simon and Tate, both together and apart. Simon clearly hadn't met the right man to really SEE him like Tate does and I loved that Tate wouldn't let Simon talk himself out of whatever Tate had in mind at any given moment.
It's steamy in places and flipping hilarious in others. Not too much emotion, but there are moments that let you into Simon's mind. He has a lot more to say than Tate I think.
I really enjoyed all these books, they have been a lot of fun to read and sometimes, just sometimes, you really do need to laugh out while reading!
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Simon wanted to keep his head down, and out of the family gossip, since his engagement was called off. It's his sister's turn, given as no one likes Wyatt, the groom. But then Simon wakes up in Tate's bed, Wyatt's stepbrother. The ame stepbrother who Angie warned Wyatt to tell his brother to keep away from.
This book, right, is a catalogue of errors on Wyatt's part, saved by Tate and Simon, with a backdrop of gate-crashing cousins (who I really REALLY wanted to punch in the face!) missing rings, stolen wine, and some special moments between Simon and Tate that really were the best!
It's a lot, though. I found myself just waiting for the next drama, and it did get a weeny bit too much.
I loved Simon and Tate, both together and apart. Simon clearly hadn't met the right man to really SEE him like Tate does and I loved that Tate wouldn't let Simon talk himself out of whatever Tate had in mind at any given moment.
It's steamy in places and flipping hilarious in others. Not too much emotion, but there are moments that let you into Simon's mind. He has a lot more to say than Tate I think.
I really enjoyed all these books, they have been a lot of fun to read and sometimes, just sometimes, you really do need to laugh out while reading!
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Maddie (37 KP) rated The Mortal Instruments 2: City of Ashes in Books
Dec 5, 2017
Relatable Characters (1 more)
Colorful Prose
Slower Pace (1 more)
Obvious Love Triangles
Second Installment of Solid YA Series
I just recently re-read the entire Mortal Instruments series and thoroughly enjoyed it (maybe even more so than the first time around). This book is a solid sequel to the first one, and continues to develop Claire's creative world and characters.
The action is fun, the romance is hot (although sometimes a little too distracting from the plot), and the writing is good. Claire does a great job mixing in humor and emotion with her story, so the characters are engaging - even when they are unreasonable, selfish, and childish.
Give the series a chance if you like YA. It's a fantastic source of entertainment.
The action is fun, the romance is hot (although sometimes a little too distracting from the plot), and the writing is good. Claire does a great job mixing in humor and emotion with her story, so the characters are engaging - even when they are unreasonable, selfish, and childish.
Give the series a chance if you like YA. It's a fantastic source of entertainment.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Poisonwood Bible in Books
Jul 24, 2017
Detailed look into colonialism in Congo
Barbara Kingsolver's epic novel about missionaries and colonialism in the Congo through the eyes of the women in a Christian American family is decadent and detailed. While many will complain about the hard hitting truths of complicity of western nations in destroying the country, it is extremely important and brings to light many historically overlooked issues.
Keeping in mind that this is fictional, the various narratives are well researched to the point where at times it seems plausible and factual. The four main voices are completely different from one another and sometimes the anti-communist voice seemed like a mockery of that type of rhetoric. Leah's voice seemed more realistic than the others. Overall, a well written piece of literary fiction.
Keeping in mind that this is fictional, the various narratives are well researched to the point where at times it seems plausible and factual. The four main voices are completely different from one another and sometimes the anti-communist voice seemed like a mockery of that type of rhetoric. Leah's voice seemed more realistic than the others. Overall, a well written piece of literary fiction.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Thief (The Gameshouse, #2) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
The second novella, The Thief, shows us a more detailed and in-depth look at the Gameshouse and how it works, and how sometimes, not all games are fair. Remy plays hide and seek with a highly skilled player whose record of finding someone is 11 days. If Remy wins, he gains 20 years of the other man’s life. If he loses, he forfeits all of his memories. All of them. A hungover older player against a highly skilled young man who only plays when he knows he can win leaves us with a thrilling and unexpected end to an unbalanced match. But it ends, and the world goes on.
Read my review of the whole series here: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-gameshouse.html
Read my review of the whole series here: http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-gameshouse.html
Jennifer Daniell (108 KP) rated Wish - Shopping Made Fun in Apps
Apr 17, 2018
Cheap and Easy
Wish is an app where you buy goods directly from China, thus allowing for super cheap pricing and sometimes questionable quality. I have bought countless items from them in nearly every category and have rarely been burned. One the couple of occasions I have had an issue (a hole in a pair of pants, an item that never showed up) the customer service was apologetic and quickly refunded me for the items. My favorite things to get from wish are sunglasses and jewelry items, but you can get pretty much ANYTHING - just be prepared to wait for it, as most things will take around a month to arrive.
E Riley (6 KP) rated Angels and Demons in Books
Feb 12, 2019 (Updated Feb 12, 2019)
Sometimes I think I must be missing something.. This is a book adored by many and yet I can't see quite see why. There were moments of brilliance and fascination, mostly involving religious history and the search for faith. The pace was fast and I wanted to keep reading to the end but had I not already mastered the eye roll due to raising teenagers, I would have learnt fast with this. The unassumingly handsome but excessively fit academics professor thrown into worldwide adventures with beautiful women seems a little stale for some reason... Can't think why. Despite this déjà vu, I expect to read another at some point, if only for the history.
A book to borrow from the library.
A book to borrow from the library.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Diva (Breathing Underwater, #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. Realistic, with a very likeable protagonist. It touched on deep subjects without being over-the-top and melancholy, yet it could be amusing and you really got a sense for the characters and how they would act/react/relate/talk. Other than that I can't really describe why I liked this book so much, except that it was enjoyable and I would definitely love to read more with Caitlin!
I did notice a lot of quotation marks where there shouldn't be and none where there should be. Sometimes I was a little confused about what the author was trying to say because of misspellings or left out words or letters, especially during the "blog speak" where it had internet spelling.
I did notice a lot of quotation marks where there shouldn't be and none where there should be. Sometimes I was a little confused about what the author was trying to say because of misspellings or left out words or letters, especially during the "blog speak" where it had internet spelling.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Unbecoming Behavior in Books
Feb 15, 2019
I really enjoyed this book, probably because I found Shannon so relatable. To me she seemed like a real person who I could be friends with. So she was self-absorbed sometimes and all woe is me, aren't a lot people, especially when they're 24/25? Although I did think Emma was wrong to want Blaine to be with them if they went out for a girls' night, which to her turned into a double date thing (this was said in passing btw). I know I wouldn't want my boyfriend with me if I wanted to hang out with my best friend. I thought Stephanie Rowe did a perfect job at balancing every element in the book and was very entertained throughout.
(4.5 stars)
(4.5 stars)