Weekly Wrap-Up June 13th-19th

So I've managed to finish seven books this week. Four of them were e-books. Two physical books. And one audio book.

We'll Always Have Summer(The Summer I Turned Pretty #3) by Jenny Han ***

This book made me crazy. From the second page I knew where it was going and left me feeling frustrated already. This trilogy is centered around a love triangle, but from the first book you know which guy is going to be the chosen one. I never liked that guy. Hell, I don't even like Belly. For this book though Han did something I absolutely despise, she intentionally made the other guy unlikable. Even though he hasn't been up till that point. He did something that should be unforgivable in his relationship with Belly and than his personality just kept becoming too fun and not like previous him. Belly should never have forgiven him. I felt like she did everything to prove a point. Which, UGH! But funnily enough, even knowing I wasn't going to like the outcome, this is actually my most liked book of the trilogy. I think Han did a good job with all the emotional confusion. And for a few small seconds she did make me feel sorry for that one guy.  

Sweet by Emmy Laybourne ***

Okay let's start with the positive and say that Sweet has a really good message to it. Yes, it is about a cruise to specially introduce the world to this miracle weight lost product. But Sweet is very body positive. The MC is not 90lbs. She has curves and loves her body. She also tells her BFF how beautiful she is. Sweet also shows how there is never a quick fix. Good old diet and exercise is the key to being healthy. That being said, Sweet was just fucking weird. It turned horrifying and messed up. Laybourne is a really good story teller. I just think this one missed the mark. I liked the beginning, but by the middle I was just skimming more than not. The ending was also kind of an open ending. I get it. Doesn't mean I like it.

The Offer by Karina Halle ****

Firstly, I wish I'd known that this is technically part of a series. The author says it's a stand alone. Which yes, companion books are. BUT I didn't know that this follows characters introduced in an earlier book, which means I was spoiled for that previous book. Not totally a big deal. But I would have read The Pact first. Anyhow, The Offer is a pretty good romance. I really don't have much to say except it was quick and engaging. I liked Nicola and how she was dealing with being a single mother at a younger age. And how she's trying to learn to accept help without seeing herself as a failure. Bram was funny and manly. I loved seeing him with Ava(Nicola's daughter). He just was a little too crude and alpha male for me to actually fall for him. I've recently discovered Halle's books and I've found her to be a pretty solid romance writer. I'll definitely continue to pick up more of her work.

The Wrath and the Dawn(The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh *****
All the stars. Take all the stars! This is gorgeous. Beautiful. Wonderful. Brilliant. The Wrath and the Dawn is everything. It's one of those books where I love it so much but don't have the words to convey that love properly. Everyone needs to read it and discover how uniquely beautiful everything in this book is. Writing, story, characters are on point. And the romance, HOLY! Can I use breathtaking? I'm going to use breathtaking. I really can't form the proper words here. Just the development of Shazi and Khalid's relationship gave me every feel. Bad decisions were made but those bad decisions made Brittany very very happy. Because they lead to one of the best romances I've read.

"What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?" he whispered.
"If I'm a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed." The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
"No." His hands dropped to her waist. "Destroy me." pg.166/167

Shopaholic to the Stars(Shopaholic #7) by Sophie Kinsella **

This is just getting absurd. Becky was funny the first few books. But now I can't deal with her antics. She's also always been super selfish, self involved and superficial and it's just getting worse and worse. She's not growing with age or even after becoming a mum. Which totally shows in her extremely bratty kid. I don't know how Luke continues to put up with her. He's such a calm and patient person towards her. Becky doesn't deserve it. I know this series is humorous chic-lit, and it's supposed to be more on the absurd side, but it's not funny anymore. I realized that in the last book. Which should have stopped me from continuing on with this unnecessary continuation of too long series. It clearly didn't because I'm a sucker. A sucker who will more than likely read the next book too. I still enjoy a lot of the supporting cast. It's just Becky. She needs to grow the eff up.

Heart & Soul(Lost & Found #5) by Nicole Williams ****
First off, this is a fantastic NA series that flies under the radar. Very little sex. More centered around the characters and romantic relationship development. Both along with the writing are done extremely well. After the little tidbit we found out about in the previous book, I was anxious to get back to and get a close on Jesse and Rowan's story. It was definitely a pretty emotional finish. But still wonderful. Now I'm really hoping Lily and a certain boy get their own book. Fingers crossed!


Hard Knocks(Ultimate #0.5) by Lori Foster ***
I've had this novella for a while. Having just get the second book off Netgalley I figured now was a good time to actually read it. It's definitely a good introduction into Foster's writing and story structure. You get a quick intro to the male leads for the forthcoming books. Plus get to see how Harper and Cage got together. Which I'm assuming(based on my romance reading experience) will be the go to couple for structure and relationship advice for guys in their books as they try to win over their ladies. I'm definitely not into MMA, boxing, etc... But as soon as you add a sport into a romance novel I'm not going to care if I like said sport or not. Romance sports books are pretty much my biggest weakness. Anyhow, I'm excited to see how Foster's Ultimate series plays out.

What did you guys read this week?

Happy reading!

Brittany