bookreviews – Page 25 – Sincerely Karen Jo

bookreview

thirsty

aboutthebook2

Published March 13th 2018 by Loveswept

Genre(s): Romance, Contemporary

Ebook 254 Pages

My name is Salvador Rosas. Back in the barrio, my past is written on the walls: ESHB. Short for East Side Hollenbeck, my father’s gang—my gang. Hell, it’s a family tradition, one that sent both my brothers away. They used to call me “Ghost” because I haunted people’s dreams. Now I’ve got nothing going for me except a hipster gringo mentoring me in a new career. An ex-con making craft beer? No mames.

Still, people in this neighborhood look out for one another. That’s how I became Vanessa Velasco’s unwelcome tenant. Chiquita pero picosa. She’s little, but with curves so sweet they’re dangerous. I remember Vanessa from the old days, the straight-A student with big plans. Plans that were derailed by another kid stupid enough to think he was bulletproof. Now Vanessa knows better than to believe in empty promises. There’s fire in her . . . and if I touch her, I might get burned.

I’m trying everything I can to go straight. But when East Side Hollenbeck comes calling, I might have to risk it all to find out if there’s a future for Vanessa and me. Because she’s the only one who can quench my thirst for something real.

purchaselinks

AMAZON – BOOK DEPOSITORY

You guys.. this really bums me out. 3 not so great books in one month and one of those is a DNF. I don’t know if I’m just reading too many books that are similar, too many romance novels, or maybe I’m just not in the mood for sexy steamy romances, but 3 books… That’s a lot for me. I’m usually pretty good at choosing books I know I’ll enjoy. Even if I don’t end up LOVING them, I still have fun and enjoy the stories.. but the last three books I read was just so Blahhhhh . Anyway, sorry for that little rant… Let’s get into my review.

reviewrating

1halfhearts

Too Dull and Dry for My Taste

reviewthoughts

Thirsty by Mia Hopkins left me feeling bored and unsated. I had such high hopes for this book. The premise sounded really amazing, but the storyline just did not hold my interest.

The blurb for this book seemed very promising, but the story dragged and there were too many descriptions of this and that. Sal’s POV wasn’t horrible– he had some genuinely affecting moments sprinkled throughout the book, but sadly, his voice did nothing for me and was just too dry for my taste. The writing was okay-ish and easy to read, but didn’t pull any emotion out of me. I honestly couldn’t connect with the story or the characters… I really wanted to though. The romance was subpar and I didn’t swoon or root for Sal and Vanessa. I hate to admit this, but in the end, the plot was too tedious and dull for me.

I really DO NOT LIKE TO DNF books, and I almost did that on two other books before this, but for some reason, I didn’t. Maybe reading two forgettable stories and then this… made me reach my limit…I don’t know… but mannnn, I just didn’t feel any sparks. I had to DNF and just let this go.

The book’s premise immediately intrigued me, but as I found out, the storyline was lackluster and too bland for me. Thirsty could have been really amazing though, it just wasn’t executed that well for me. That being said, I unfortunately will not be continuing with the series.

If you happen to pick up this book, I hope you have a better reading experience than me. It really did have potential… so sad that it just didn’t meet my expectations.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have you read this book? Did you like it or not? Let me know in the comments.

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!

bookreview

justfriends

aboutthebook2

Published September 3rd 2015 by Walker (first published August 20th 2015)

Genre(s): Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Paperback, 288 pages

From the writer of Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen and My Worst Best Friend comes this hugely entertaining teen read about falling for the wrong person. The first time Josh sets eyes on Jena he’s hooked. He can’t stop thinking about her; looking for her wherever he is; hoping to turn a corner and find her there. The problem is she’s completely out of his league as his friends never tire of telling him, so Josh decides he will settle on simply being Jena’s friend. But the more time he spends with her the more infatuated he becomes, despite the fact Jena only turns to him when she’s had a fight with her on-again off-again boyfriend. Finally realizing he can’t go on pretending he only wants to be her friend, Josh vows to tell Jena how he feels on Valentine’s Day.

purchaselinks

AMAZON – BOOK DEPOSITORY

reviewrating

1halfhearts

Light and Easy to Read, but Disappointingly Lackluster

reviewthoughts

I love cutesy rom-coms and Just Friends by Dyan Sheldon seemed like something I would enjoy. Unfortunately, it was a disappointingly lackluster read. The concept seemed really intriguing, but it just didn’t work for me.

I took such a long time to read this cause I didn’t expect to get approved for so many books on Netgalley. Well, I hate to say this but maybe I should have just left it unread. I wasn’t really a fan of the writing style. It was easy to read, but just felt like it kept going and going and never getting anywhere. While some parts were kind of amusing and witty, the plot just wasn’t that interesting to me. The characters were also annoyingly stereotypical and unlikable. Josh and his friends were somewhat okay sometimes, but Jena and her clique – totally did not like them. I couldn’t figure out what Josh saw in Jena, but she was a big NOPE for me. The ending for me was just mehhh. I didn’t hate it, but it was rushed and just not that believable. I guess it could happen, but it needed more build-up and to play out.

This book was sadly not for me. I actually speed read through about 75% of the book and I rarely do that. There were so just many things I didn’t like and maybe that distracted me. At least I didn’t DNF and still gave it a chance.

I really hate writing bad reviews, but just because I didn’t like this book, doesn’t mean it was horrible. There were a few fun moments and I liked some of the friendships. Ramona was pretty awesome and the one part about this book I did enjoy.

I can’t say I recommend this book, but if you feel like reading a light, easy, and somewhat fun unrequited love story, then give it a go.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Have you read this book? Did you like it or not? Let me know in the comments. Love to hear what you think.

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading. Have a fantastic day everyone!!!