March would have been a really bad reading month based on the quantity of books read, if not for the blessed week of spring break where I got to read a couple books. Interestingly, I read a very disappointing book from my favorite romance author and an outstanding book from a romance author I had never read from before!
Stats:
- Read: 3 books
- One 2 star read, one 3 star, one 5 star
- Favorite book of March: The Heartbreak Hotel
The Heartbreak Hotel by Ellen O’Clover
It took me almost a month to finish this book because life was so busy, but the fact that this barely detracted from my enjoyment of the story is a testament to how amazing it was. Ellen O’Clover is a burgeoning romance author star and I can’t wait to read more from her! She has such strong emotional intelligence and a handle on how to navigate the rougher feelings of her characters like grief, guilt, and loss; these strengths were perfect for a book surrounding heartbreak and healing. The angst and will-they-won’t they between Henry and Louisa as well as the emotional weight of the story reminded me a lot of Emily Henry’s writing. Every message about the balance between taking care of someone and being taken care of in return was crafted thoughtfully, and watching two brokenhearted people fall in love was genuinely beautiful. (Unrelated, but Henry is a veterinarian! If that will convince you to pick this up!) Rating: 5 stars
No Matter What by Cara Bastone
Despite Bastone being one of my favorite romance authors of all time, this book did not work super well for me personally. In fact, I’m currently wrecked that I wasn’t more wrecked over this story. For one, miscommunication was a central part of the conflict– which I guess was understandable, given the MMC’s self-proclaimed inability to put thoughts to speech, but still frankly unforgivable to me. I also thought that way too much time was spent on other side characters, such as the MMC’s brother and the FMC’s art class friend. I was completely disconnected from the stuff about drawing, but I know that it’s very personal and special to Bastone, so I respect it.
The romance was sweet but disjointed and nonlinear; I was definitely not mature enough to appreciate the realness and mundaneness of the marriage in crisis storyline in this case. Other typical things about Bastone’s writing, such as her FMC’s quirkiness, chaotic inner monologues, and penchant for overusing of ellipses stood out to me a lot more and were even slightly irritating. But a lot of this hinges on my personal tastes, so I could completely see how someone could be entranced by the romance, art, and discussion of healing from trauma. I’m seething with jealousy if you loved this book. Rating: 3 stars
Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose
This was so silly (derogatory). The premise sounds great: a book combining apocalypse with romance. It had so much potential, but the author’s terrible writing had me skimming through this to finish it as soon as possible. It was like a train wreck that I couldn’t look away from. There are too many issues to count, but let me just provide a rapid-fire grocery list of a few: insta-love, bully-to-lover, corny dialogue, one dimensional and infuriatingly annoying characters, 30-year-olds acting like middle schoolers, etc. Did I mention corny dialogue? The story might have worked better if it was set up as a campy, satirical parody of a romance during the apocalypse, but unfortunately I don’t think the author had enough skill for that. Rating: 2 stars