Dirty Letters by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward Review!

"We all have light and dark inside us, love. We try to hide the darkness from others because we're afraid it will scare them away. But your dark doesn't scare me, Luca. It only makes me want to hold your hand and be your light until you can find your own again. That's what people do when they're in love. I won't always be able to give you your light back, because sometimes you need to find that within yourself, but I'll stand by your side and hold your hand in the dark so things aren't so scary." Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward, Dirty Letters

Image from Google/Amazon

Overall, I enjoyed this book. For some reason, this review has been a little harder for me to write than some of the others I’ve recently written. I think I've struggled in finding the right to words to use and I'm still not 100% I'm explaining my thoughts/feelings well, but I'm going to give it a go anyway! I gave this book a 4 star rating because I did really enjoy it, but there were a couple of parts I think that I didn’t feel connected to and/or felt dragged on a little. This may just be me for whatever reason so I would definitely still encourage you to go read this! I think different people take different things from books so I would love to hear your thoughts! Please consider reading below to see if it is something that  may be the right fit for you! 

I really liked the concept, especially the pen pal part! I love the idea of still writing handwritten letters  during this crazy, tech forward time. 

I love that the letters had humor and passion and honesty and grit. I love that their relationship developed from their letters, where they shared the truest parts of themselves to a total stranger.

 I love that Luca and Griffin were both flawed in real ways, but both were able to accept all of the parts they hid from the rest of the world. 

This is the part where this gets a little heavy. 

If you are concerned about SPOILERS- PLEASE STOP READING and scroll to the bottom to pick up the book or read more about it at Goodreads ;) 

Luca is an interesting character for me. I may be more critical of the book to an extent because Luca can remind me of myself. I have dealt with Generalized Anxiety Disorder for years, with occasional panic attacks. It’s a horrible disease. It makes you feel insane and exhausted just being. Period. Not being...something. I mean, just being. Anxiety has a way of making you feel so drained from all the thoughts going haywire and fearing the worst in your mind constantly that it's too hard to truly describe. It can be crippling and constant. For the most part, mine has been managed well, to the point that I’m now a therapist myself and have helped others with their own mental health needs. I’ve had some more struggles with it recently due to the pandemic and I can only imagine how this would be for Luca. Her character definitely has a more severe case and a huge traumatic event that has made a huge impact on her. There’s are parts of the book where I found myself frustrated with her because I just wanted her to work harder or take a leap of faith for the man she loves (sooner than she’s willing to), but I also think that’s probably more my own stuff wanting to kick myself out of my comfort zone. Overall, I think Luca is strong and none of us have any idea where we’d be if we’d experienced what her character has and for all of us it would look a little different. I guess I was just so sad for her in parts because she has something so good that she can’t help but to self sabotage somewhat.  One of my favorite quotes is listed below and I think it is something that was thoughtful and something that made me stop and reread: 

"If you stay in the present moment and not go where your mind is trying to lead you, then you will always be safe. There is safety in the now. Right now, you are in your bedroom talking to me. And that is all there really is. Your worries stem from past experiences and fear of the future. Neither the past nor the future is real. Only the present exists. If you stick to this mantra, you will be okay in anything you do." 

I can't talk too much about Luca's anxiety without talking a little about Doc. Doc is the character that everyone loves. He's that person though not family by blood, is family by heart. Clearly, I liked Doc quite a bit, though to call their relationship patient/doctor is probably a bit of a stretch. There’s no therapist I know that would cross that many boundaries with a patient, but I would honestly view their relationship as more family/friends. Technically, she doesn't really "pay" him for their sessions so it's more of a gray area, but still. I guess my concern with this part of the book is I wouldn't want readers to read this who are considering getting help and hope to have a relationship like Luca has with Doc with their mental health professional. That will definitely not be the norm. Regardless, I like the relationship they have and I think it’s sweet how much he cares for her, like a father would and Luca needs that love.

And because I love quotes, especially positive encouraging ones, here's another one from the good Doctor:

"Progress takes time, Luca. Don't feel down. You might not be where you want to be, but you're also not where you were yesterday. Each day is a baby step. You just keep looking forward and taking them, and I promise one day you're going to look back and be surprised how far those tiny little steps have taken you." 

Now, on to some other areas of the book! Speaking of the love Luca has, let's get to Griffin. What a dreamboat. 

I don't know why I chose that gif of a Jonas... I guess I was thinking front man of band, but not covered in tats like my dear Adam Levine? Either way, happy accident? ;)

Griffin is the dream. He has worked hard to build a career for himself in the music industry from the ground up. He moves to the US from the UK on a hope and a prayer to start something and ends up making quite the name for himself and his band. He is the one to reach out to Luca after years of not hearing from each other. She makes the next move by going to surprise him which he seems grateful for, even though he basically specifically asked her not to. To be honest, we all know it's 50/50 if Luca hadn't made that move on her own, how long it would take the man to find the right time to expose his secret, if ever. But the book would've ended sadly and we don't want that! So, we're going to focus on the awesome things about Griffin, like he is constantly pursuing Luca, even when he gets shut down. He tries so hard to make accommodations for her, to make her feel loved, to make her feel understood, to make her feel protected, and to make sure she knows she's not a burden by  having some of the struggles she does. Again, dreamboat. Most men probably would've just been done after the amount of times Luca tried to push him away, but he stood his ground. His faith, his love, was strong enough for the both of them. 

"In case I wasn't clear, love is enough for me, Luca. But you have to let me love you." 

You'll have to read the book to see how his pursual goes, and I say persual because I do feel like most of the book he was chasing Luca, loving Luca, and who doesn't love a romance like that?! 

Anyway, I think that's all for now! I hope you'll check this book out! See the links below if you're interested! 

Amazon

Goodreads

Fashion Jungle by Kathy Ireland and Rachel Van Dyken Book Review!

"Sometimes, men have no choice but to become monsters to protect those they love from the darkness in this world. Monster fighting monster is better than monster fighting man." Kathy Ireland and Rachel Van Dyken, Fashion Jungle

This book was a 5 star read for me! If I had to describe Fashion Jungle in one way for some reason it made me feel like it was a mix of Project Runway and Sex and the City in the very best way (plus those are 2 of my favorite shows so if it makes me think of them, that's a great thing)!  It made me excited about the clothes and the behind the scenes perspectives of the designers and models. I used to love when Project Runway really followed both the designer and the models and both would end up winning prizes. 

The Sex and the City reference is for many things. Of course there's the hot and steamy parts of this book, the romance relationships, but even more than that, what I loved about Sex and the City and what I adored about Fashion Jungle was the friendships, the sisterhood created by the four main lead female characters. 

Side note- also LOVE that the main characters in this book are mostly FEMALE! Of course I loved their relationships and there's one guy in particular that fascinated me (looking at you, Dane), but overall... the girls were just kick ass to me! 

I wanted to be their friend. I wanted to be a part of the group. Maybe not some of the things they all went through early on in their careers and we didn't really get to know one of the girls too much for reasons you'll find out in the book, but the bond they've created through their experiences is amazing. 

While the female characters definitely stood out, I'd be remiss to not mention Dane or Oliver. I adored both for two very reasons. Dane is the type of guy that you strive to stay on his good side. Being in his orbit can be a really good thing or a really bad one. I love the love he has for Zoe. He is so fiercely in love and dedicated to her. I know he's described as a monster as the quote above mentions, but he's the type of monster I'd want by my side. It's clear, if he loves you- he will fight to the death for you. Swoon.

Speaking of swooning...enter Oliver. Hot, dreamy doctor... Sound familiar anyone??

Truth be told, he sounds like the dream male character. He is smart, he is gracious, he is forgiving, and he is loving. He's the type of guy that makes you believe in love and continue to hope for it, even when your heart has been broken. I loved both he and Dane's characters and thought they were incredibly well written.

I love the real life experience that I know Kathy Ireland had to bring to this book. I love that what she brought to the table mixed SO well with Rachel Van Dyken's incredible writing story. There's nothing Rachel has written that I haven't absorbed within days of starting. She's excellent at her craft and this book was on par with all of her others for me. 

Overall, I really encourage you to check this book out. Again, it was a 5 star read for me! It was something different than a lot of the current romance books out on the market right now that I also know and love. This brought a new, fresh element and I really enjoyed it! 

Until next time,

Happy Reading! 

Amazon

Goodreads

Half Truths by Claire Contreras Book Review!

"Oh, Mae." He sighed into the phone. "How could you be a footnote when you're the whole damn textbook?" - Claire Contreras, Half Truths

Image from Google/Amazon

Claire Contreras has done it again with her most recent novel, Half Truths. I have been a fan of her for years, have read several of her books, and this book was no exception. I picked up this book blindly after seeing who the author was and reading about it on a newly released list. I am so glad I did! 

 This story follows a college senior who transferred in to a new college to her, old college to several members of her lineage, a college with a suspicious past (and present) and secret societies that may be up to no good. There is so much suspense in this story, but not too much angst. While I have loved angst in the past and still do to an extent, I think I'm in a phase of reading where I prefer a little less because life can be stressful enough. Don't hear me say I don't love some good angst, I was just ready for a little break from some of the YA books that can be all angst all the time.

SPOILER ALERT! 

If you prefer to be completely surprised in a book,

don't read any further- I don't want to be 

responsible for ruining the story for you! 

 The character development of the two main characters, Logan and Mae (Amelia but she goes by Mae) was incredible.

 Logan has got to be one of my new favorite book beaus, hands down! He's just so... passionate, loving, charismatic, devoted, loyal, etc. etc. etc. All the makings of a great man! 

"If you were mine, I'd make it so that you never have any doubts." "You can't promise that." "I won't promise that. I'll just show you." 

There were parts of Mae’s story where I wanted to shake her and tell her to open her eyes, but overall and by the end she showed how strong of a character she is, especially when she had to overcome a pretty scary and intense situation. One of the most heartbreaking quotes I've attached below. I removed the name of the character and changed a couple of words just in case you haven't read the book and want to be surprised.

"******* hadn't killed me, but had managed to break me, and sometimes being broken felt like a heavier burden than the idea of not being here at all."

I can't imagine going through what she did, but it's so incredible to see her go through the struggle and come out strong on the other end! 

Continuing on...

I loved the romance of this story.

 I loved the feeling of getting into a book again and not wanting to stop reading.

 I love the other characters in this story and while they may not have had huge roles, I think the author was really successful in creating these support characters because that’s exactly what they turn out to be. 

There were definitely points in the story where I was on pins and needles waiting to see what was going to happen next and one or two times where I felt like there was a neon sign flashing danger, danger about a certain person or situation, but overall this book absolutely kept me entranced and reading to the end. The only down side is waiting until July for book 2 in this series, though I am SO glad this book didn’t end on a cliffhanger!! Can’t wait to read what’s next!

If I peaked your curiosity and I hope I did, check Half Truths out! 

Amazon
(If you subscribe Kindle Unlimited, it's free right now!)
If you don't have Kindle Unlimited and have questions about it, feel free to comment below and I'll happily answer as soon as possible!

Goodreads


Until then, happy reading, my friends!