![]() 5/5 “I was mad about you Vivienne. Utterly mad.” Another 5-star rom com. I absolutely adored The Ex Hex, even though I read it out of season. Honestly though, are witches ever out of season? Practical Magic is probably my favourite Halloween movie of all time, and this definitely gave me Practical Magic vibes (I haven’t read the book though, don’t @ me). Rhys had the potential to be a bit of a tool or as Gwyn would say, a Dickbag, but instead he was charming, funny, sweet, and just the right amount of arrogant. I loved that this was dual POV and we got to hear his perspective and how completely enamored he is by Vivi. I’ve said it before, but second-chance romances aren’t usually my thing because I often find them more sad (sometimes maddening) than heartwarming. That wasn’t the case with The Ex Hex, probably because they don’t linger too much on their past. That’s going to sound stupid to anyone who has read it because the relationship they had when they were 19 and 20 is discussed constantly, but I stand by it. It definitely infuses every interaction they have with each other now, but neither character is particularly torn up/angsty about their history to the point that it impedes their present. Vivi calls Rhys out and he’s aware that he was a bit of a dumbass, but they’re both very willing to move on and discover who they are together in the present. I found that I was enjoying the fact that they had a history and were learning about each other as adults rather than feeling sad about everything they missed out on. I was happily surprised by the magic system/fantasy elements of the novel. I wasn’t really sure what to expect because it’s a rom-com, but magic is a fundamental part of the novel and contributed to the overall atmosphere of the town and the story. It’s not Lord of the Rings, but I thought the magic system was very well-developed. I NEED a movie version. And if they’re looking for a Vivi, I volunteer as tribute.
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![]() 2.5-3/5 A new romance from Nicole Dykes! Thank you to Nicole and the team at Wildfire Marketing Solutions for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. This is my third Nicole Dykes, and the first m/m romance from the author (as far as I know). Totally Schooled is a single father/teacher romance that follows Rafe and Nolan as they navigate their intense romantic connection. The main conflict in the novel stems from both of the characters’ rather disastrous romantic pasts. Rafe wants to keep things casual in an effort to protect himself while Nolan is ready to settle down and wants more commitment than Rafe thinks he’s ready for. I found it a touch repetitive because they were constantly coming up against the same issue, but I understood where both characters were coming from. Compared to the other Dykes books I’ve read this one felt pretty low stakes considering their literal survival wasn’t on the line, but I enjoyed the light-hearted tone of this book. The secondary characters are where this book really shines. I don’t typically like books with kids, mostly because they’re often used as a source of conflict or are written somewhat unrealistically for their age but that wasn’t the case for Totally Schooled. Hailey is definitely an important character in the story but her actual on page appearances are mostly relegated to being cute and unknowingly pushing her father and favourite teacher together. Rafe being a single father is pretty important to the plot so obviously a child needed to be around, and thankfully I found her an asset rather than an annoyance (I’m a scrooge, whatever). Rafe’s aunt and Nolan’s parents are the kind of family we all need, and I’d like to whisk Gavin away to be my own best friend. I know that straight cis authors writing LGBTQ+ romance is a hot-button issue, but I don’t feel that I have enough knowledge to really comment very decisively for this review. I will say, it never felt like Dykes was fetishizing gay men and I think she handled everything respectfully. In terms of being a straight female reader, I never understood why people would criticize heterosexual readers for reading LGBTQ+ stories (romance or otherwise). Of course, fetishization is a very real and serious thing, but I don’t think there is anything fundamentally wrong with cis-het people reading well-written stories about non-cis-het people – particularly when they’ve been written by LGBTQ+ authors. Shouldn’t we be encouraging that? I think we can all agree that the last thing the world needs is people who only consume stories about people who are exactly like them. Overall, I thought this was a quick, fun, steamy read! I wish Nolan and Rafe had had a stronger connection and chemistry, hence my rating, but it’s still a sweet romance and I loved how they helped each other heal from their past relationships. All in all, not a bad way to spend an evening! Totally Schooled is available for download now! ![]() 5/5 Hypothesis: When given the choice between A: a moody, floppy-haired, socially inept love interest, or B: a well-adjusted, communicative, and rational book boyfriend, I will inevitably choose A. I LOVED this. I have found that viral TikTok books can honestly go either way, but if you have been hesitating at all in reading The Love Hypothesis, consider this your sign to GO. Even if you don’t typically read romance, I would still highly recommend putting this on your list. A wickedly smart, funny, inspiring and heartwarming read all around. I absolutely adored the women in STEM and academia setting. I’m not personally a woman in STEM, but I am a person who is currently in university and absolutely loves academia - not to mention my best friend is a woman in STEM who constantly astounds me with her giant brain and disinclination for tolerating stupidity (i.e. a lot of men in STEM). I mentioned this in my stories, but Hazelwood throws in A LOT of scientific language and references, only about half of which I understood. This was such a smart strategy for character and world-building that very few authors would have been able to pull off, considering Hazelwood’s own scientific background. Not to mention I fully believe this is how a bunch of nerd biologists would talk. I loved the fact that Hazelwood didn’t bother explaining a lot of the concepts/words - the book was still a breeze to read and I don’t think I ever lost the meaning, but the fact that it refused to pander to the majority of readers who wouldn’t be familiar with this language is both somewhat hysterical and made it more realistic. Olive knows what she’s talking about and that’s what matters. This is definitely a romance-driven book, but the STEM academia setting enabled the book to address a host of important topics in a very thoughtful, well-developed way. Ahn’s character mentions a whole host of programs and issues that women, particularly women of colour, face in both STEM industry and academia. While the specific ones she mentions are fictional, they’re modeled after real organizations doing incredibly important work. Without giving away too much, the book also delves into issues of sexual harassment, discrimination, and intellectual property, all with the specific context of the fiercely competitive and heirarchal structure of academia. Yes, the romance is the main focus, but all of these issues are integral to the plot and to Olive and Adam’s characters, and so it both feels organic to the storyline and allows Hazelwood to make a larger point. I found the vibes of this very similar to The Hating Game, one of my all-time favourite romances. They’re very different books but I was frequently reminded of Josh and Lucy while I was reading this, so if The Hating Game was your jam then I would definitely recommend picking this up. It’s more of a slow-burn than TikTok and bookstagram might imply (which I don’t really have an issue with), but you can’t fault the character development. I’m typically frustrated by miscommunication, particularly in situations like this book where it’s just SO OBVIOUS that they’re both gone for each other but refuse to even entertain the possibility that the other could like them. In the case of Olive, I think her uncertainty and insecurity was developed so well and handled so compassionately that I never got frustrated with her. I would still describe this as a pretty light-hearted read, but her and Adam’s issues are certainly not trivial. Bless you Ali Hazelwood, I can’t wait for Love on the Brain. |
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