My 2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge: March - April

A Not So Meet Cute by Meghan Quinn

I was trolling a wealthy neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride. You know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me. He was stomping around the block mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it. And that’s when we bumped into each other. There were no sparks. But next thing I knew, I was listening to the man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask. He wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman - minus the frisky behaviour.

This was an interesting take on the fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity and enemies to lovers tropes. But for some reason, I didn't love it as much as some of Meghan's other books. It was pretty frustrating seeing Huxley act like an ass, just because he wants to keep it as a business relationship. Whereas Lottie feels quite childish at times, even though I did want to root for her. There are a lot of steamy scenes, even if I'm starting to notice a pattern with how the romances start. But I did race through it, like I always do with Meghan's books.

The Setup by Lizzy Dent

Mara reads her star-sign every day. So when a fortune teller predicts that true love is about to arrive, she believes it. Almost immediately, fate delivers: a gorgeous cello player called Josef walks into her life. Mara is convinced it's a sign and makes a plan to ensure they meet again. Surely even fate needs a nudge in the right direction sometimes? But while Mara is transforming herself to get ready for 'the one', the universe intervenes. Her new flatmate Ash is sexy, funny, kind. And he just so happens to be a cosmic expert. So will Mara put her destiny in fate's hands - or finally trust herself to reach for the stars?

I absolutely adored this book, for so many different reasons! First of all, I could see a lot of myself in the character of Mara. It was also nice to see the external and internal 'makeover' and her growth as a character. But with the realistic aspects of self doubt, self sabotage and other realities creeping in. I had to highlight quite a few lines as they were so relatable. The whole idea of a love triangle of sorts but with someone who doesn't even know who you are was an interesting one. And I hadn't read anything like that before. I also loved all of the supporting characters and Ash was just such a lovely love interest. Honestly, I cannot recommend The Setup highly enough!

Publication date: 7th June 2022

The Wrong Suitcase by Laura Jane Williams

As she touches down in Italy, Izzy couldn’t be more excited. She’s needed a reason to let her hair down, and she knows that the wedding of the year in a lavish Tuscan castle will be just the ticket. On the morning of his best friend’s wedding, everything is going wrong for Sam. And when he finally reaches the hotel and unzips his luggage, his day goes from bad to worse. Izzy has a case full of men’s shirts and chinos. Sam has a case full of make-up palettes and bikinis. Could a fateful meeting to switch their bags back be the start of something special? Because in losing their luggage, they’re about to find each other.

At around 80 pages, this is really easy to read in one sitting, as I did. And it was a quick, light, fun story that I very much enjoyed. I liked the main characters and even though this is such a short snapshot of the world in which they live, with their friends, families and identical Away suitcases, it was well built. It was that enjoyable that I would have loved to have read more about Izzy and Birdy (Sam) and where their story goes next. But this was the perfect, escapist, romantic short story.

The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

Bree is helplessly (and secretly) in love with her longtime best friend and NFL legend, Nathan. After a car accident ended her chance of becoming a ballerina, Bree now runs her own dance studio. If she can afford the rent to keep it open, that is. When Nathan comes to the rescue and buys the entire building, a stubborn Bree is not happy about it. Rebelling with more than a couple of tequila shots, she spills her secret to a TMZ reporter. One viral video later, the world thinks Nathan and Bree are the perfect couple. And Nathan's publicist has an idea that could mean financial security for Bree. The catch? They have to pretend to be in love. Is now the moment for Bree to finally act on her hidden feelings? And is it possible that Nathan has been hiding some of his own?

I normally really enjoy the fake dating and friends to lovers tropes. But this wasn't the best take on either of them. There is far too much buildup. I mean, there's slow burn and then there's just slow. And then when they do actually act like a couple and eventually get together, it is incredibly tame. All we get are a few kisses. I actually really liked Nathan as a main character and love interest, even if he did seem a little too perfect. But all of the characters act a lot younger than their actual age (early thirties), which almost gives this YA vibes at times. There was also no real tension, even if there was a bit of longing. I just wanted more from this.

Notes On An Execution by Danya Kukafka

He knows what he's done and now awaits the same fate he forced on those girls, years ago. Ansel doesn't want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. But this is not his story. As the clock ticks down, three women uncover the history of a tragedy and the long shadow it casts. Lavender, Ansel's mother, is a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation. Hazel, twin sister to his wife, is forced to watch helplessly as the relationship threatens to devour them all. And Saffy, the detective hot on his trail, is devoted to bringing bad men to justice but struggling to see her own life clearly. This is the story of the women left behind.

This is unlike anything that I've read before. The way in which the story is told over different timelines and from the perspectives of the three women, to Ansel's own, meant that this was a book that I could not put down. It was also incredibly well written. As someone who's always been drawn to true crime and finding out more about American serial killers, the commentary that this has on the hours and minutes until someone on death row counts down was insightful. The impact that one individual and their actions can have on countless lives, is both thought provoking and masterfully done. It doesn't have crazy twists and turns. But the way in which the story unfurls over the years didn't go exactly as I would have expected, which I definitely enjoyed.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Nora is a cut-throat literary agent at the top of her game. Charlie is an editor with a gift for creating bestsellers. And he's Nora's work nemesis. Nora has been through enough break-ups to know she's the woman men date before they find their happy-ever-after. That's why Nora's sister has persuaded her to swap her desk in the city for a month's holiday in Sunshine Falls, North Carolina. It's a small town straight out of a romance novel. But instead of meeting sexy lumberjacks, handsome doctors or cute bartenders, Nora keeps bumping into...Charlie. She's no heroine. He's no hero. So can they take a page out of an entirely different book?

I absolutely loved this book! I adored Charlie as a love interest (what a man!) And the quips/back and forth between the two of them, before they get together, were brilliant. I also liked that it was obvious that they both liked one another and then they almost get together a few times, in rather steamy embraces, giving us a great build up to their eventual pairing. I enjoyed the way that this played with romance tropes in a really self referential way too. I could not put this down or keep the smile off my face for most of it. And I also loved the homage to book lovers everywhere and how pivotal a role books played in this story.

Publication date: 12th May 2022

The Guilty Couple by C.L. Taylor

Five years ago, Olivia was wrongfully convicted of plotting to murder. Now she's finally free, Olivia has three goals: repair her relationship with her daughter, clear her name, and bring down her husband – the man who framed her. Just how far is she willing to go to get what she wants? And how far will her husband go to stop her? Because his lies run deeper than Olivia could ever have imagined – and this time it’s not her freedom that’s in jeopardy, but her life.

Sadly this was a let down for me, especially as a fan of previous C.L. Taylor books. Even when things were happening, the stakes didn't feel as high as they could have. As it goes on and eventually finishes, the only question I could ask was, 'what was the point in any of it?' Why did they even frame Olivia? I didn't really care about any of the characters, even if I did warm a bit to Smithy. Grace, in particular, felt really one dimensional and the others were pretty interchangeable. I did race through this. But somehow it felt a lot shorter than I expected it to be, because I flew through it so quickly. I just expected a bit more.

Publication date: 23rd June 2022

Love On The Brain by Ali Hazelwood

Bee lives by a simple code: what would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project, Marie would accept without hesitation. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward. Sure, Levi is attractive in a tall, dark, and piercing-eyes kind of way. But Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school. Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her. Perhaps it's her occipital cortex playing tricks on her, but Bee could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally, seconding her ideas, devouring her with those eyes. But when it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there's only one question that matters: what will Bee do?

I easily loved Bee and Levi's story even more than The Love Hypothesis (see my review here). Levi was a great male lead and I liked their chemistry, even when they apparently 'hate' each other. I loved the You've Got Mail vibes with their back and forth. And the steamy scenes were *chef's kiss*. The representation of women in STEM and calling out the archaic rules and realities of what it's like for women, was handled well. Some of the science jargon could potentially alienate certain readers. And I wasn't a huge fan of how OTT things turn out with Guy in the end. But I really did adore this book.

Publication date: 23rd August 2022

Part Of Your World by Abby Jimenez

After a wild bet, Alexis has had her world turned upside down. The cause: Daniel, a ridiculously hot carpenter who's ten years younger than her and as casual as they come - the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl and ER doctor Alexis. And yet their chemistry is undeniable. Bringing Daniel into her world is impossible. And yet she can't just give up the joy she's found with him either. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his?

I love that Abby's books blend romance with bigger and slightly heavier issues. Seeing Alexis grow and realise the cycle of mental abuse that she had experienced her whole life and then work to put an end to it, was done well. I also really loved Daniel and the chemistry that they had. I do enjoy a small town romance. But this had the added benefit of showing you Alexis' world and how different it was from Daniel's. This had real warmth and engrossed me fully. I am also so excited to read Bri's story next year.

Publication date: 19th April 2022

Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander

Meredith hasn't left her house in 1,214 days. But she insists she isn't alone. She has her cat Fred. Her friend Sadie visits when she can. There's her online support group. She has her jigsaws, favourite recipes, the internet, the Tesco delivery man and her treacherous memories for company. But something's about to change. Whether Meredith likes it or not, the world is coming to her door. Does she have the courage to overcome what's been keeping her inside all this time?

Almost every single character in this is dealing with some kind of trauma. And even though the subject matter could be quite bleak, ultimately this was a life affirming sort of story. Seeing Meredith's world grow day by day, to it taking us back in time to her childhood and what caused her to withdraw from the world, was done well. Everything came to a close nicely but the ending did still leave me wanting a bit more. However, you're definitely rooting for Meredith. I also think that this is even more relevant post-lockdown. And as someone from Glasgow, I enjoyed seeing the references to so many places that I know well.

Publication date: 9th June 2022

All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair. Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?

I'm starting to think that Colleen Hoover is very much a hit or miss author for me. Maybe I'm just not the target audience as I've never wanted to have children or struggled with any fertility issues. I feel like the issue of infertility has been dealt with in other books that has at least made me feel sorry for the characters or put myself in their shoes. But it was hard to do that with Quinn especially in this. I did like the way that the chapters alternated from when they first met to the current day. The ending was okay but I just found it hard to read chapter after chapter of Quinn repeatedly behaving the way that she did.

The Italian Job by Kathryn Freeman

When Anna’s life implodes, an online search leads her to an ad for the ultimate dream job – managing a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como. The only catch? Anna can’t do it alone. The castle owners will only accept a couple as caretakers. Enter her neighbour, Jake. Though Anna and Jake have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake’s had a rough few years and an escape to Italy sounds ideal. Yet, when they get the job, Anna and Jake face an unexpected challenge. Pretending to be a couple is difficult. But pretending the tension simmering between them doesn’t exist is quickly proving impossible.

This was an 'enemies to lovers' story that actually felt like the two main characters really truly disliked one another. I also liked the opposites attract nature of this and of course, the fake dating. The banter and chemistry between them was nice too. Having it be told from both perspectives worked particularly well and I enjoyed seeing how Jake's life in particular had changed following his time in prison. It was just such a lovely, escapist read.

Publication date: 6th May 2022