Tag: Brenna’s Reviews

Review: Funny Story by Emily Henry

Posted October 17, 2025 by Brenna in Reviews | 0 Comments

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Reviewer: Brenna
Main Leads: Daphne Vincent, Miles Nowak
Setting: United States, Michigan, Waning Bay
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Tags: Opposites Attract, Fake Dating, Roommates to Lovers, Small Town Romance, Friends to Lovers
Published On: April 23, 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Format: Audio
Source: Purchased
Pages: 395
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it… right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.

Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned-up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?

But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex… right?

This book is one of my favorite reads of the year because we were able to see and feel all the feels with both Daphne and Miles. I haven’t read a lot of books from the main male lead’s perspective so I loved that we got to know Miles while Daphne was getting to know him. It added so much to my enjoyment of the book as a whole cause I felt like we got a fuller understganding of the romance between Miles and Daphne. The twists were twisting and I loved every second of reading this book.

Daphne was my girl. I connected with her story a lot because I saw a lot of my story in hers. She was raised by a single Mom and she was close with her Mom. I was raised by a single Mom and I’m close with my Mom so it was easy for me to connect with a lot of the things that Daphne took into consideration when making life decisions. I loved that she always made her Mom a priority and was considerate of her Mom in all of her major decisions. I also really loved how supportive her mother was. The most important thing to her Mom was Daphne’s happiness and I really love a supportive Queen.

Seeing the relationship between Miles and Daphne blossom was a good time. They balanced each other out so well and challenged each other to be the very best versions of themselves and I just really dug it. I really liked how they handled whatever was thrown their way like adults and they just made it so easy to root for them and their romance was steamy enough to keep things interesting so all in all, I was a happy camper.

This book was so good that I couldn’t put it down. I was excited to see how everything played out and I liked getting both of the main leads perspectives for the same situations, even if we got Miles through his interactions with Daphne. They were so different from each other but together, they made sense so seeing them both move on from their relationships and come together in to their own was a treat that I’m glad I stuck around for.

I’m very happy that I picked up this book. I loved how everything came together, and obviously, this was a funny story so I definitely recommend.

Final Rating

5 out of 5


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Review: Wild Love by Elsie Silver

Posted October 9, 2025 by Brenna in Reviews | 0 Comments

Wild Love by Elsie Silver

Reviewer: Brenna
Series: Rose Hill #1
Main Leads: Ford Grant, Rosie Belmont
Setting: Canada, British Columbia, Rose Hill
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Tags: Best Friends Little Sister, Billionaire, Long Lost Child
Published On: April 9, 2024
Publisher: Bloom Books
Format: Audio
Source: Purchased
Pages: 455
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

She’s been driving him wild for years.

The good kind of wild. The bad kind of wild.

But mostly, the kind of wild that comes with wanting your best friend’s little sister and knowing you can’t have her.

Forbes may have labeled Ford Grant the World’s Hottest Billionaire, but all he cares about is escaping the press and opening a recording studio in gorgeous small town Rose Hill. Something that comes to a screeching halt when he ends up face-to-face with a young girl who claims he’s her biological father. Now, he spends his days balancing business with parenting a sullen twelve-year-old, all while trying desperately to keep his hands the hell off his best friend’s sister, Rosie Belmont.

After living in the city, Rosie came blasting back into town like a storm. Beautiful, messy, and chaotic. And one wide-eyed, desperate plea for a job is all it takes for Ford to hire her. He vows to keep her at arm’s length. Tries to stick to scowls and grumpy one-liners. But with her, verbal sparring is a type of foreplay―friction that soon turns to blistering heat.

Ford knows damn well he shouldn’t cross this line. But shouldn’t and can’t are two very different things.

And the only thing he truly can’t do is resist her.

Wild Love was that cute and cozy read that I’ve been looking for. From the main characters to the secondary characters, I loved everyone (excerpt for Stan, but you’ll have to read the book to find out why). Ford and Rosie’s love story was great! I loved the build-up and how they seemed to fall into their feelings so naturally. The way that they went from being kids to Ford becoming best friends with Rosie’s brother and then Rosie asking Ford for a job, I felt like I was reading a rom-com movie.

I also really loved how protective Ford was over Rosie. His protection wasn’t a demanding or overbearing kind of protection, it was more of a supportive protection that gave her the space to figure things out for herself while knowing that he was available to step in and help should she need it.

This book was a 5 star read for me because each interaction between Ford and Rosie made me feel all the feels. I really appreciated that Ford didn’t question Rosie and the situations that she found herself in. He just showed up for her when she needed him and did what he could to help her through, and I feel like that’s what you’re supposed to do for the people that you love so yes, I loved it and I loved me some Ford.

One of the things that had me a little worried was when Cora showed up, out of nowhere, expecting to be taken in by Ford. She was this teenage girl with non parental guidance, who ran off to a man she assumed was her father, and just expected to have this stranger of a man take care of her without question, and the crazy part is, Ford did exactly that! LOL.

Overall, thie book was great and I’m glad that I gave it a chance because it propelled me right out of my reading slump. 10 out 10, would definitely recommend and I’m seriously looking forward to book 2.

Final Rating

5 out of 5

Rose Hill Series


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Review: Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Posted June 25, 2025 by Brenna in Reviews | 0 Comments

Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Reviewer: Brenna
Series: Darcy & Rachel #2
Main Leads: Darcy Rhone, Ethan Ainsley
Setting: United Kingdom, London
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Tags: Hate to Love, Unexpected Pairing, Self Discovery
Published On: March 20, 2002
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Format: Tradeback
Source: Gifted
Pages: 338
Purchase It: Amazon

Following the smash-hit Something Borrowed comes story of betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness

Darcy Rhone has always been able to rely on a few things: Her beauty and charm. Her fiance, Dex. Her lifelong best friend, Rachel. She never needed anything else. Or so she thinks until Dex calls off their dream wedding and she uncovers the ultimate betrayal. Blaming everyone but herself, Darcy flees to London and attempts to re-create her glamorous life on a new continent. But to her dismay, she discovers that her tried-and-true tricks no longer apply—and that her luck has finally expired. It is only then that she can begin her journey toward redemption, forgiveness, and true love.

Something Blue was a book that I was excited to read because I watched the movie Something Borrowed. I enjoyed the movie so much (even with the cheating, haha) that I was glad to have gotten this book at my bridal shower because I was interested in seeing how Darcy’s story panned out.

Let me tell you, I was not impressed at all LOL.

After her breakup with Dex, she was so desperate in making things work with Marcus that it was rough to read. She wants to live this fairytale life, but Marcus doesn’t fit that vibe at all and she pushed it so hard that he eventually dumped her. So, I wasn’t too surprised when she tried to win Dex back. Be so freaking for real, Darcy. She is a total pick me girl and I’m just…not a fan. There was a point in the book where she tried having Dex take her back because the idea of being alone was not an option for her and I wanted to give her a swift kick in the butt because WTH? I just felt like 60% of the book was her being so hung up on Dex and Rachel and what they had going on that I wanted to shake some sense into her because, girl move on already LOL. She also compared herself to Rachel a lot and I thought it was annoying.

But the best thing that could have saved her mentally was moving to London with Ethan. Oh Ethan, he was a great friend and even better partner. He called her out on what she needed to be called out on but at the same time, was a huge support to her while she prepared for the babies. Once Darcy started to care about herself and do things that benefited her and her twin boys, thing started looking up. She wasn’t as annoying and you were able to see her character develop into a stronger and more self-assured person, which helped me get through the book.

This book was not my favorite and I’m glad that I finished it but it was rough. I would give Emily Giffin another shot with a different book though. Maybe. Probably.

Final Rating

2 out of 5

Darcy & Rachel


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Review: The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden

Posted June 9, 2025 by Brenna in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden

Reviewer: Brenna
Main Leads: Erika Cass, Olivia
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Boston
Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
Tags: Family Drama, Psychological Thriller, Missing Girl, Mother and Son
Published On: October 18, 2019
Publisher: Hollywood Upstairs Press
Format: Tradeback
Source: Purchased
Pages: 373
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

“Mrs. Cass, we were hoping your son could answer a few questions about the girl who disappeared last night…”

Erika Cass has a perfect family and a perfect life. Until the evening when two detectives show up at her front door.

A high school girl has vanished from Erika’s quiet suburban neighborhood. The police suspect the worst–murder. And Erika’s teenage son, Liam, was the last person to see the girl alive.

Erika has always sensed something dark and disturbed in her seemingly perfect older child. She wants to believe he’s innocent, but as the evidence mounts, she can’t deny the truth–Liam may have done the unthinkable.

Now she must ask herself: How far will she go to protect her son?

The Perfect Son is a story that follows Erika, a mother whose seemingly ideal son becomes the prime suspect in a girl’s disappearance, forcing her to question everything she thought she knew. McFadden explores themes of maternal love, trust, and denial, crafting a chilling portrayal of how far a parent will go to protect their child. It had me side eyeing her but the shifting perspectives and slow unraveling of secrets made for a tension filled read.

I have been a Freida McFadden fan since I started reading and so I was super excited about this book. It started off great by setting up the plot with the backstory on Erika Cass and her family, but gave us a little more detail on her “perfect” son Liam.

The two POVs that we got were interesting because I was curious about why these were the POV’s chosen to tell this story. Getting the story from Erika (Liam’s Mom) and Olivia (Liam’s crush) gave us interesting perspectives and as I continue to read, it was easy to keep up with what was going on.

There were a few instances when I was annoyed with the Mom because she had a lot of inner thoughts that she never shared and to be honest, if she would have spoken up, they probably would have realized that Liam was not a suspect a lot sooner so that dragged the storytelling a bit for me. It was also annoying to hear how much she loved her son, but continued to accuse him of being this psycho boy who preyed on girls. How someone could love their son so much if they thought them capable of really bad stuff didn’t make sense to me but maybe that was the point? When she started to believe all the bad stuff and started going against her son?? I wanted to smack her cause when even is all of this??

The biggest plot twist of this book being who it ended up being? Come on! Insert eye-roll here. So while this book did keep me on my toes, it wasn’t the best thriller that I’ve read and to be honest, that’s okay because the story was still solid.

Final Rating

3 out of 5


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Review: The Charlie Method by Elle Kennedy

Posted May 29, 2025 by Brenna in Reviews | 0 Comments

The Charlie Method by Elle Kennedy

Reviewer: Brenna
Series: The Campus Diaries #3
Also Reviewed in this Series: The Graham Effect, , The Dixon Rule
Main Leads: Charlotte Kingston, Beckett Dunne, Will Larsen
Setting: United States, Massachusetts, Hastings
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Tags: MFM, Sports Romance, STEM Characters
Published On: February 25, 2025
Publisher:
Bloom Books
Format: e-Book
Source: Purchased
Pages: 528
Purchase It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The third in the steamy, hilarious Campus Diaries series by New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy, set in the same world as Off Campus and Briar U.

College senior Charlotte Kingston is living two lives―and she’s nailing both of them. By day, she’s the perfect sorority girl, a STEM student in biomedical engineering, and the adopted daughter of an overachiever family. At night, she’s Charlie: a risk-taking daredevil looking for fun who finds herself chatting on a dating app with two anonymous hotties.

Will Larsen may seem like the breezy boy next door, but his congressman father is a constant thorn in his side. After a scandal hits another Division 1 hockey program, Will’s dad is determined to distance his son from it, hiring a journalist to prove how squeaky-clean Will and his team are. Which means the last thing Will wants is for anyone to find out he and his best friend Beckett Dunne―a laidback Aussie shielding secret heartache―sometimes share girls in the bedroom.

When Charlie finally meets them in person and realizes she’s been chatting with two gorgeous Briar U hockey players, things get steamy―fast. But all their messy secrets are piling up, and real life soon threatens to shatter the fantasy. With Charlie, Will, and Beckett all coming to terms with what they want and what others want for them, difficult decisions will need to be made.

Especially when lust starts to look a lot like love.

This is my very first review here on the blog so please forgive me if this is all rambling nonsense. I’m trying! My Mom introduced me to Elle Kennedy a while ago and if you know me, you know I love me some Elle Kennedy. I have enjoyed every single book that I’ve read by her and while I liked this one, it wasn’t a favorite. But it was still a solid story.

The Charlie Method was the last book that I read for the month of April and I’m kind of not sure how I felt about the romance in it. I didn’t doubt that Charlie loved both Will and Beckett but I did feel like this was more of Charlie and Beckett’s romance with their bestie Will. The whole relationship just felt lopsided and because of that, I was left feeling off about it all. Granted, this is my first “Why Choose” book and I’m not opposed to that kind of relationship, I guess I don’t understand the dynamics of this kind of relationship because I felt that we didn’t get equal time for each person in the romance. I did love both Beckett and Will, I just wanted more Will. Reading this book was like being on a seesaw. There were times where I wanted Charlotte to be with Beckett and then there were times I was rooting for Will. Because of that, I’m not mad about the way it ended. This was my first “Why Choose” book but it won’t be my last. I’m curious enough to read more because…do all of these kinds of romances end happily? I hope so but we’ll see.

Overall, this book was a 4 star read for me. I loved the way that it dipped into every aspect of Charlotte’s life with her family, biological brother, sorority sisters, and her romance life. I liked the way this book introduced romance, based on a dating app. I feel like nowadays that’s how people are finding their “match” or next hookup. I was intrigued the whole time while reading it and I can’t wait to find other books in this genre! Guys whose book is next? There has to be at least one more in this series, right? Fingers crossed!

Campus Diaries Series

4 out of 5


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