2/3 worth it

The Last Page by Katie Holt

Rating: 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance

Review: I was about 1/3 of the way through this book before I started to feel comfortable with the main characters.  Prior to that, it seemed like they were acting in ways to deliberately set up conflict, even though they were, ostensibly, on the same side.  I get that some tension needed to be established, but it felt excessively clunky to me.

Once Ella and Henry got over themselves a little bit and agreed to work together, the story smoothed out.  There was still plenty of narrative tension (will the bookstore survive? will Henry really go back to Tennessee?) but their actions and motivations made a lot more sense.  Getting to that point is well worth it, though, so the remainder of the book is a sweet love story, with some excellent secondary characters.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

in the eye of the beholder

Barely Even Friends by Mae Bennett

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance

Review: Ok, we've discussed before that plot is not usually the primary element of a romance novel.  But the plot does have to hang together a little bit, or at least a little bit more than it does here.  Bennett certainly leans into her Beauty and the Beast homage, which I support, but I think if I hadn't read the publisher's blurb (and seen the Disney movie more times than I like to think about), I might have been more than a little bit confused about the set-up and the characters' motivations.  Still, it's an enjoyable read, with all the feelings and the Happily Ever After one expects.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.