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@pageosaurus

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25 | handwritten notes & ARC reviews
romantasy & romance reader • multicultural stories
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Watch me survive Threshing and bond a dragon😭😍🐉 by @pageosaurus

74

0

17 days ago

ARC REVIEW:
About the book:
After a failed engagement, Penny Darling, proud owner of Bonfire and Bliss Books, is done with love. When her old high school best friend, author Jake “Monty” Montgomery, tells the town busybodies that he’s her new boyfriend, she is more than hesitant. Until Monty admits the real reason he returned: his latest book release failed and if he doesn’t turn in something amazing soon, his career as an author is over. Convinced that Penny’s obsession with romance novels makes her an expert on the subject, Monty begs Penny to teach him how to be the perfect romantic hero so he can finally write one.
In return, Penny’s “boyfriend” will put a stop to neighbors’ pitying looks and matchmaking. But as pretend kisses turn into searing ones, Penny begins to wonder if Monty could really love her...

My thoughts:
Between the cosy bookstore setting, the small-town atmosphere, the bonfires and the matchmaking town chat, this book gave me exactly the kind of autumnal comfort read I wanted.

First of all, the MMC is Brazilian. I loved that representation, alongside having a curvy FMC. Penny and Monty were so much fun together, and their chemistry was there from the beginning. Monty has definitely become one of my new book boyfriends. His little dating “lessons” with Penny were such a cute way to bring them closer, but I especially loved the quieter moments that showed who he was. Penny’s journey was just as important as the romance. I liked watching her work out what she genuinely enjoyed and what she wanted from a relationship, rather than shaping herself around somebody else’s expectations.

As in „Darling Daffodil Farm“, the wider Hope Harbor community was another highlight. The town chat was hilarious, and I loved how invested everyone was in Penny and Monty’s relationship. I also need a spin-off about the Oakley brothers, and Rosie and Fletcher need their own book because their tension is already killing me!!!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

❓What is something cozy you‘re looking forward to this fall?

@lasengagement @mysocalledengagementpage by @pageosaurus

73

9

a month ago

ARC REVIEW:
About the book:
Formula 1 driver Zaid Yousef is back. After a crash last season left the seven-time world champion with two broken wrists and a hesitance to get back behind the wheel, his future in the sport is nothing short of uncertain. Saddled with an unfinished contract and expectations to win a record-shattering title, the only choice is for him to return . . . right?
The press turned Ava Farahani’s life upside down in the last few years, forcing her to leave her job in marketing and the world of F1 she grew up in. She knows she should stay far away from the track, but the draw of the sport she loves is too strong to resist.
A preseason event brings the two together for one hot, reckless night, and weeks later, results in a positive pregnancy test. Ava desperately wants to be a mother, and the baby gives Zaid a newfound drive to survive the season and break the world record.
There’s just one little problem: Ava is a team principal’s daughter . . . and Zaid is their biggest rival.

My thoughts:
I was a little nervous about the pregnancy trope because it’s usually not my favourite, but this one completely won me over. There was something so tender about watching Ava, who has been taking care of herself for so long, slowly realise that she doesn’t have to do everything alone anymore. Zaid showing up for her again and again had my heart. 🥺

But one of my favourite things about this book was seeing Middle Eastern characters at the centre of a romance. Ava is Iranian, Zaid is Iraqi, and I loved seeing their cultures and families woven into their story. This kind of representation means so much to me, especially in a genre where we still don’t get to see it nearly enough. Seeing characters who feel familiar get to be messy, successful, loved, desired and have their own sweeping romance will always be special. 🤍

Tender, emotional, ridiculously hot and full of so much love. Simone, thank you for giving us these characters and this representation. I adored Ava and Zaid. 🤍 And now I’m very curious about Axel… 👀🏎️

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

❓What’s your favourite sports romance? by @pageosaurus

89

13

2 months ago

ARC REVIEW:
About the book:
All Scarlett Kilner wants for her senior year is to overcome her bad reputation and make her father proud. But when Kian Ishida – one of her dad’s star hockey players – joins her study group, things get complicated.
Kian is all about parties, hockey and living in the moment. But when he realises he’s headed to the National Hockey League without his degree – his late dad’s one wish for him – he’s determined to turn things around.
As Scarlett helps Kian, their study sessions turn into a connection neither of them expected.

My thoughts:
I’ve been excited for Kian’s book ever since Collide, and it did not disappoint. I already loved him as the funny, playful one in the group, but Embrace allowed us to see a completely different side of him. There was so much more beneath his humour than I had expected, and learning what he had been carrying made me love him even more.

Kian and Scarlett’s friendship was one of my favourite parts of the book. They were so good together, and I loved how naturally they supported one another. Both of them were carrying so much grief, but they were always there for each other, even when they struggled to talk about their own pain. The angst and tension between them were everything!

The way grief was explored really affected me. “Grief is like glitter” felt painfully accurate as it gets everywhere, lingers in unexpected places and never completely disappears🖤

Embrace was emotional, romantic and full of the friendship and found-family moments that made me love this series. It gave Kian the depth he deserved while telling a moving story about grief, healing and allowing someone else to share the weight you have been carrying.

I’m super sad that the series is complete now but also beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to read the whole series as ARCs and to have met these incredible and diverse characters!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

❓What’s something about you that you’d like to embrace more?
I’d like to trust my instincts more and embrace the parts of myself that don’t always need to be carefully thought through. by @pageosaurus

104

17

2 months ago

A little behind the scenes of how I take my reading notes:
1. Whenever I start a new NetGalley ARC, I send it to my Kindle.
2. I read on my Kindle and have my notebook ready to capture my real-time reactions.
3. I finish the book, write a full review on NetGalley and Goodreads (sometimes Amazon and Waterstones, too).
4. I post a picture of the book and notes with the review in the caption on IG.

‼️This is my original idea. If you decide to start posting handwritten notes, please tag me as the creator who inspired your post☺️

❓Are you reading any ARCs at the moment?
#bookstagram #bookreel #arcreader #netgalley by @pageosaurus

91

8

2 months ago

ARC REVIEW:
About the book:
Some love stories are bigger than just two people. This one is told through the eyes of friends, flatmates, exes and strangers who see all the sides of Seb and Clara, from their first date to the moment they fell apart.
Everyone has their version of events. But only Clara and Seb can decide how their story ends...

My thoughts:
I’ve genuinely never read anything quite like this before.
I loved the shifting perspectives and the way the story of its “main characters” is told through the people around them. Even the narrators who appear briefly feel so real that it’s almost as if you’ve shared an entire lifetime with them.
At its heart, this is a painfully honest story about love and the unsettling truth that loving someone doesn’t always mean you should be together. Clara and Seb want different things and keep hurting one another even as they try to make their relationship work. There were moments when I felt deeply for Seb, but I also couldn’t ignore how little support he sometimes showed Clara. Their relationship is complicated, flawed and achingly human.
Nora’s perspective was my favourite, and the second half hit me much harder than I expected. The writing is beautiful, the structure feels completely original, and the ending is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. By the final pages, I couldn’t stop crying. What a heartbreaking, clever and unforgettable book. 💔

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

❓Have you ever read a story told by the side characters? / What’s your favourite narrative perspective? by @pageosaurus

101

13

2 months ago

ARC REVIEW: (sorry for the delay😩)
About the book:
When romance-novel obsessed ghost writer Katie Caruso waits in a New York City café to meet her next writing partner, the last person in the world she expects to see is her own ex-childhood sweetheart, Tyler McNally.
The pair haven’t seen each other since the tragic death of Katie’s older brother. Tyler was her brother’s best friend, and Katie - naturally - was the girl next door.
But despite both their bitter complaints at the reunion, the agent who hired them won’t let them off the job.
Soon, they’re working on their co-written romance novel in forced proximity, and realising that’s not the only written trope that’s coming to life . . .

My thoughts:
I loved Katie and Tyler’s connection. There was enough tension to keep me invested without it feeling unnecessarily drawn out, and their first kiss might genuinely be one of the best I’ve ever read.

Katie was a character I immediately liked. Her relationship with her parents made me incredibly sad, especially as more of her past was revealed. Tyler frustrated me at times because he clearly needed to open up about what had happened eleven years earlier, but I could also understand why he found it so difficult. Both characters were carrying far more pain than they initially allowed the other to see, which gave their relationship much more depth than I had expected from the playful, trope-filled premise.

The supernatural element and magical realism came as a complete surprise. I do wish I had known about it before starting the book, as it changes the kind of story you think you are reading. However, once I adjusted my expectations, I thought it worked really well and added something distinctive to the story.

I wasn’t prepared for the emotional roller coaster it took me on, but I loved the balance between the humour, the heavier subjects and the slow-burn romance.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
⚠️check content warnings: substance abuse, addiction, death of a loved one

❓What are your favourite and least favourite tropes? by @pageosaurus

97

2

2 months ago

Starting a new series of oddly specific book recommendations because sometimes “romance” just isn’t specific enough😌

Today’s niche: books with a spicy mirror scene 👀

Featuring:
🪞 Bonfire & Bliss Bookstore (out August 27th)
🪞 The Striker
🪞 Training the Heart
🪞 This Summer Will Be Different
🪞 Revolve
🪞 Enchantra

No spoilers—just trust me😜

❓ Have you read any of these? And what oddly specific recommendation should I do next?

#bookstagram #bookrecommendations #romancebooks #spicybooks #bookrecs by @pageosaurus

109

12

2 months ago

ARC REVIEW: (sorry I’m super late😅)
About the book:
15 year-old Mina‘s whole world is her two best friends, but after an unexpected kiss, the established dynamics of their trio quickly unravel. Loyalties shift and tensions simmer across long days of this pivotal summer where the girls have nowhere new to go and everything new to feel.

My thoughts:
Huge thanks to Random House/The Dial Press for inviting me to read this arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

Although Girl’s Girl is set in modern times, it definitely gave me a sense of nostalgia for summers spent with friends. The portrayal of the girls’ friendship was multifaceted and captured the complex dynamics that can come with a trio.
I couldn’t personally relate to the characters in many ways, as they were white, privileged, middle-class girls, but the writing still held my attention and kept me reading. The way the girls got ready and tried to look as pretty as possible for pictures and social media felt like a very real depiction of modern girlhood and, in many ways, of peer pressure too.
All of the girls are deeply flawed, and there were many moments when I felt frustrated by them and their lack of communication. Still, that’s exactly what made the story feel so real. These teenage girls were trying to figure out who they are. I really appreciated the exploration of sexuality and queerness, the tension and angst, and how accepting everyone was.

Also, can we talk about how this is a debut novel? Wow!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🏳️‍🌈

❓What do you like most about women/girlhood? by @pageosaurus

80

7

2 months ago

A bookish day in Antwerp, Belgium 🇧🇪

I love travelling to different places and discovering new bookstores and cafes🥰

❓How was your week? What are your weekend plans? taken in Antwerp, Belgium by @pageosaurus

49

15

3 months ago

ARC review
About the book:
Gertie Bickerstaff writes happily-ever-afters for a living… or she did, until her own love life fell apart. Now her ex is thriving, her deadline is looming, and she can’t write a single word.
The last thing she needs is more drama-like waking up to find a confused and rugged cowboy on her sofa. And not just any cowboy, but River Oakley, the villain from her unfinished novel. Somehow very real… and very shirtless.
River wants to go home. Gertie wants her life back. So they strike a deal: he’ll use his cunning ways to help her win back her ex, she’ll finish the novel, and surely, he’ll return to whatever world he rode in from.
But as River Oakley proves to be so much more than just the bad guy, Gertie has to choose: the ending she thought she wanted… or the plot twist she never saw coming.

My thoughts:
Romantic Hero was everything I hoped for from Kirsty Greenwood: funny, heartwarming, and full of lovable chaos. Gertie’s journey is filled with emotional growth, unexpected romance, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. I adored the quirky humor, the bookish references, and the chemistry between the characters. While one character definitely tested my patience, it made the payoff even more satisfying. The final chapters had me in tears, and I couldn’t put it down. If you’re looking for a rom-com with heart, humor, and memorable characters, this one is absolutely worth picking up!!!

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5

❓Do you believe in manifestation? by @pageosaurus

60

4

3 months ago

59

12

3 months ago