 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. This blog post includes affiliate links.I will be thinking about Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti for a while. This book has everything! Romantic tension, face-melting chemistry, sooo much romance (in letters, what the characters are thinking, & gestures), & standout leads that I want everything for. Lydia has social anxiety but she’s also a badass who isn’t afraid to take the reins into her own hands, so to speak. She is so smart & full of verve & watching her with the Earl is my idea of a fantastic time. The Earl. Oh Arthur, je t’adore. This brawny Earl is perfection. He is a gentle giant who wants to do the right thing & is stunned by Lydia, who so many other people have overlooked. The way Arthur & Lydia reveal their mutual vulnerabilities with each other is wonderful, & the way that he sees & appreciates her will have your heart thumping extra. 5⭐️. Out 01/21.Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.
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 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I’ve found one of my new fave ways for the brother’s best friend trope to develop: basically the siblings just wait & watch the slow burn happening before their faces & by the end THEY are the ones trying to move things forward. Spoiler alert: that’s what happens in Chloe Liese’s If Only You. This contemporary sports romance featuring two pro athletes, both of whom want &/or need an image overhaul, is a lovely slow burn with a round of secondary characters who also had me feeling the love. If Only You is about people deciding to be something else & the decisions they choose to make to do it. It’s also a story about true friendship, great hugs, patience, & unconditional love (of the friend & partner variety). There’s a lot of pining, the hero Sebastian gives off lots of “I don’t deserve her” energy, & a heroine, Ziggy Bergman, who’s tired of sitting at the kiddie end of the table, literally, & wants to be acknowledged for the person she currently is. I love that message & that idea. If you’re looking for a book where the feelings are on the table (even if the pining itself is hidden from the other lead), where the characters make space for others’ authenticity, check this one out. I will admit, that same earnestness doesn’t always come across as natural to me in the dialogue, but for the most part, I love how openly this book shares its feelings. This is a really sweet, lovely book with a reforming bad boy & a reforming ultra good girl, & just lots of love all around. 4.5⭐️. Out now!CWs: Sebastian’s dad left him & he has trauma surrounding his ultra-critical stepfather & emotionally negligent mom. Ziggy is autistic & describes how she experiences social interactions. Sebastian experiences pain & is diagnosed as having Celiac’s Disease in the book.
 Thanks to the author & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own. I can’t even imagine how awkward I would be on a reality tv show (let’s just say very awkward) but it’s something the drama- & spectacle-loving part of me loves from a tv or book distance. Courtney Kae’s In the Case of Heartbreak has a relatively peripheral reality tv situation with bakery owner Ben Parrish on a baking show trying to win the prize with his family’s cinnamon roll recipe. But on the initial reality tv filming day, the man he’s had feelings for forever, his friend Adam, seems to firmly establish them as “just friends” in front of thousands of viewers. Visiting family & planning his beloved grandma’s bday bash seems like a good way to get away, & then Adam shows up there, Ben learns things in his family aren’t quite what he thought, & he’s dealing with his narcissistic dad. This small town romance has leads who are open & vulnerable with each other, slowly looking toward each other as confidants for their greatest fears & insecurities. There’s a lot of beauty in the kind of vulnerability that Ben in particular offers, in the relatable fears he shares about failure & being the person someone gives up their career aspirations for & the responsibilities he feels weighing him down. Therapy & meds are part of the storyline & though the starts & stops in the initial part of their storyline annoyed me a bit, on the whole the leads’ open-ish communication is something I love to see represented in romance. This romance is for all the lovers of soft stories, lots of emotion, loving families (as well as some family baggage), & positive mental health rep. 4⭐️. Out 07/25.CWs: Ben was a former missing child & has trauma surrounding media attention regarding that incident. His dad left the family. Narcissism & emotional abuse exhibited by dad. Financial stresses. Adam has a recovering alcoholic father; he was abandoned by his mom.
 Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.I’m on the decidedly wimpy side of the angst-meter but when my book bestie Kim @bookbruin said the magic words about Abby Jimenez’s upcoming release, Yours Truly—EPISTOLARY ELEMENTS—I decided to snap it up. What did I think? Per my usual experience reading this author, I thought the book was exceptionally written & funny but the angst goes a *smidge* too far. There’s pretty much always a moment with this author’s work where I think: this additional bit of angst isn’t necessary . But with that being said, this story is adorable & sweet & I so enjoyed watching too lonely ER doctors who have been burned by love & start off with big dislike on the heroine’s part turn to friendship via letters & emails & calls & then to a fake dating sitch & then to love. The overall story is lovely, not to mention how funny some of the lines are. One of them in particular really cracked me up. I also love the anxiety rep, the care they take with each other, how hero Jacob consistently puts himself out there for Briana & how much she tries to protect his peace of mind & comfort. Jacob running to the cafe toward the beginning of his relationship with Briana just so he’ll have phone service for her call is stunning & Briana is a powerhouse of a lead. So in the end, this is quite a book. I think there could have easily been less angst & that would have been preferred by me personally. But this is a wonderful story of two people falling in love & choosing to be together. 4.5⭐️. Out 04/11.CWs: Cheating ex. Brother & ex. Brother on dialysis. Kidney failure. Anxiety. Former miscarriage. Reference to postpartum depression.
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