Melina's Book Club | #19
Hey guys, how are you all doing? I hope you're doing well. It's been two months since I've done a book club update. Instead I made a post full of Young Adult Literature books written by Black authors, so definitely check that out.
So let's get into what I'm reading!
Currently Reading:
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So since I've last written a book club post, I actually started a mini book club with some of my friends! Last month, the book was Dear Edward, and it was honestly an amazing book (expect the review in the future). This month's book is Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. A few other books I'm reading on the side is the Year of Yes, and Wasted Words (I got about halfway through, and never ended up finishing it).
With everything going on in the world, I've been super behind on my reading, but hopefully I'll bounce back soon!
what i’m reviewing today:
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The Pact by Karina Halle - ★★★ 1/2
"Life leaves scars. Sometimes you don’t see them until later. Sometimes you don’t know where they’ve come from. Sometimes they fade before your eyes. But the world leaves its mark on us."
The Pact, Karina Halle
This book follows Steph and Linden. When they were in their mid-twenties they made a pact that if they were 30 and weren't married, they would marry each other. Throughout the years they both had quite a few serious and not-so-serious relationships. Neither of them brought up the pact again.
Then Steph's 30th birthday ticks on by, and while the pact briefly crosses Steph's mind, she didn't really take it seriously. Until something happens where it makes them both decide to take a chance on their friendship, and see what could happen to them.
Now this book was a little bit tricky. The book was extremely well written, as are most of Karina Halle's books, but there were definitely plot marks where I was not the biggest fan. I'm a huge fan of the friends to lovers trope, no matter how ridiculous, so I knew I was going to like this one.
I was excited when they were going to start to see where they relationship went when she turned 30, but when I saw that I wasn't even a quarter of the way through the book, I knew there was going to be a lot of drama.
Steph used to have a relationship with another one of their mutual close friends, James. While their relationship didn't end up working out, James still has feelings for Steph, which complicates things throughout the entire story.
I definitely think they all acted like they weren't 30 at times, but I still enjoyed the book nonetheless. I recommend it, if you're looking for a cute, yet sometimes frustrating, friend to lovers romance! You can check out the book here!
Lost and Found by Nicole Williams - ★★★★
"Every morning we get a chance to be different. A chance to change. A chance to be better. Your past is your past. Leave it there. Get on with the future part, honey."
Lost & Found, Nicole Williams
The story follows Rowen, who's spent years acting out with alcohol, drugs and boys in order to get her deadbeat mom's attention. Eventually her mom has had enough of her, and sends her to spend the summer at her friend's ranch. While this is not how she expected to spend her summer, she knows that if she doesn't stay and behave, her mom won't pay for art school in the Fall.
At the Ranch, you meet Jesse, who's sweet, caring, genuine, and honestly hard not to love. They catch each other's attention, and the rest is history!
Things aren't easy for the two of them with Jesse's ex-girlfriend and ex-best friend meddling. Then, when Rowen's mom comes to visit, you realize exactly why Rowen's been acting out back at home. She's the complete opposite of nurturing and caring. Caring about her constant stream of boyfriends more than her own daughter. It definitely has it's own fill of drama, but it's a great read the whole way through.
It's definitely a sweet romance overall, and I completely recommend it! You can check out the book here!
Dare to Fall by Estelle Maskame - ★★★
"I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t, because I thought you would never find those answers. I thought you would be a different person. I thought you would never be happy again, and I couldn’t bear to watch that happen all over again."
Dare to Fall, Estelle Maskame
This story follows Mackenzie. Mackenzie is no stranger to death, and what the grief can do to people. When her crush and almost boyfriend, Jaden's parents get into a fatal car accident, she takes a step back.
She knows it's not the right thing to do, but with having an alcoholic mom and a problematic father, she already has enough on her plate. She chooses self-preservation.
A few months later, they cross each other's paths, and all those walls she put up to stop herself from feeling start crumbling. The real question is if she's willing to put her heart on the line?
This was a super cute read. I have no real complaints about the book, and the reason I don't rate it higher is because the writing & the plot aren't anything out of this world. In the same breath, I would say that this book is super cute, and a realistic view on how different people react to grief. I definitely recommend this book, and you can check out the book here!
Tease by Alexis Anne - ★★★★
"no desire for a relationship, it was actually kind of liberating to live vicariously through a fictional character. Love belonged on the page and as far away from my real life as possible."
Tease, Alexis Anne
Elizabeth is a person who does not easily let people in. Adam is the perfect solution. A two-week no strings attached sex, what could go wrong? Well, a lot can happen in two weeks.
I honestly really like both characters, I liked how Elizabeth owned her own sexuality, which is something that isn't common in fiction. Throughout the story, you can see that Adam was trying to get her to open up in a more emotional way, and she really struggled to do so. It was nice to see Adam so patient, and even though Elizabeth was frustrating at times, I completely related to her.
I think the only thing this book was missing was Adam's perspective. Since Elizabeth was really trying to keep her walls up, I spend a lot of time wondering what Adam was thinking. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book! You can check out this book here.
If There's No Tomorrow by Jennifer L. Armentrout - ★★★★
“I knew I couldn’t go back and start a new beginning. I couldn’t rewrite the middle. All I could do was change tomorrow, as long as I had one.”
If There's No Tomorrow, Jennifer l. Armentrout
Lena is always looking forward for the future. She's ready to spend time with her friends, finish her college applications, and finally tell Sebastian how she feels about him.
And then, she's not excited anymore. She's riddled with guilt about one night that completely changed her life. She knows her only hope is to move on, but how can she do so when she knows that tomorrow isn't guaranteed?
I loved this book. There wasn't really anything to dislike about the book. It was extremely well written, and while I was going crazy wanting to know why Lena was filled with guilt, I loved every page before the grand reveal. Even the romance with her and Sebastian was really great. Out of all the books on this list, THIS is the one you HAVE to read! You can check this book out here.
So these are all the books I’m going to review today! If you haven’t kept up with the other books I’ve reviewed, you can check them out below:
If you guys didn’t know, you can check out all the books I’ve reviewed in 2020 on one page! Check it out. I also have a page full of all the books I’ve ever reviewed.What have you been reading recently? Let me know! I’m always looking for new books to add to my TBR list. Thank you as always for reading. Have a wonderful day/night! Sending you love, strength, and positivity!
Now that I am going to the beach more (yay!) I am looking to get some actual reading done and some of these look so good! Thank you for sharing sweets! <3