Mini-reviews: More Than Words, When You Read This & Fame, Fate and the First Kiss

More Than Words by Jill Santopolo
Publisher: G.P Putnam's Sons 
Publication Date: 5th February 2019
My rating: 3 stars  

Nina Gregory has always been a good daughter, a good girlfriend. Raised by her father, owner of New York City's glamorous Gregory Hotels, after her mother's death, Nina was taught that family, reputation, and legacy are what matter most. And her boyfriend Tim, thoughtful, kind, and honest, not to mention her best friend since childhood, feels the same. But after Nina's father passes away, she learns he may not have practiced what he preached. As her world falls apart, Nina begins to question everything she thought she knew and to see the men in her life--her father, her boyfriend, and unexpectedly, her handsome and attentive boss, Rafael--in a new light. Soon Nina finds herself caught between the world she knows and loves, and a passion that could upend everything.

I was the biggest fan of Santopolo’s The Light We Lost, it was a story which had me thinking about it for days after and Santopolo’s world building was majestically done. So, when I first heard about More than Words, I dived right in, going into books with the least amount of impressions works wonders for me, as I like being surprised by the different elements a book may bring. And whilst I loved Santopolo’s writing once again with this story; it really was beautifully done, I felt that More than Words wasn’t able to leave a big of an impact as The Light we Lost did. Don’t get me wrong I did enjoy this book, I liked following Nina on her journey of who she was, with the way her life had been going, things were already expected of her; to take over her father’s firm and she was in a secure relationship with her boyfriend Tim. But then with her father passing away and revelations coming from all over the place, things really weren’t as they seemed, what did Nina really want to do with her life? I liked how Santopolo allowed Nina to really explore her options, yes at times there were difficult decisions to make, but if Nina really wasn’t happy with something then she really shouldn’t have to settle. Despite there being several bumps along the way, I was happy with the character that emerged in Nina at the end of this story.

More than Words, gave us in my eyes a truly different story from Santopolo; but one I really appreciated, she once again gave us a gorgeously written story, and although it was tinged with loss and sorrow, it was still a story I devoured in such a short period of time.

When You Read This by Mary Adkins 
Publisher: Harper 
Publication Date: 5th February 2019
My rating: 3 stars   

Iris Massey is gone. But she’s left something behind. For four years, Iris Massey worked side by side with PR maven Smith Simonyi, helping clients perfect their brands. But Iris has died, taken by terminal illness at only thirty-three. Adrift without his friend and colleague, Smith is surprised to discover that in her last six months, Iris created a blog filled with sharp and often funny musings on the end of a life not quite fulfilled. She also made one final request: for Smith to get her posts published as a book. With the help of his charmingly eager, if overbearingly forthright, new intern Carl, Smith tackles the task of fulfilling Iris’s last wish. Before he can do so, though, he must get the approval of Iris’ big sister Jade, an haute cuisine chef who’s been knocked sideways by her loss. Each carrying their own baggage, Smith and Jade end up on a collision course with their own unresolved pasts and with each other. Told in a series of e-mails, blog posts, online therapy submissions, text messages, legal correspondence, home-rental bookings, and other snippets of our virtual lives, When You Read This is a deft, captivating romantic comedy—funny, tragic, surprising, and bittersweet—that candidly reveals how we find new beginnings after loss.

I went into When You Read This not really sure what I was expecting, and to be honest this book did end up surprising me in a lot of ways. Although the story was given to us from the main character Iris’ blog, I liked how despite Iris not being here anymore, the blog had an effect on all those left behind. Those individuals who were an integral part of her of life were bought together in the most unexpected of ways. I really liked the way the story was given to us in the form of emails and text messages, I’ve read a handful of books where this format has worked before, and I’m pleased to say that Adkins was also able to make it work with this book too. It is typically an unusual format, but once you got to know the characters, the story really begins to flow easily amongst them. Despite the story focusing on loss, I liked how Adkins was able to sprinkle some humour in the story too and gave us some lighter scenes to turn too when things became a little grim. I wish I had more of a connection with certain characters, that definitely would have made this story for me, but overall I did enjoy this book and how Adkins showed people dealing with a loss in their own different way. 

Fame, Fate and the First Kiss
Publisher: Harper Teen 
Publication Date: 5th February 2019
My rating: 3 stars    

Lacey Barnes has dreamed of being an actress for as long as she can remember. So when she gets the opportunity to star in a movie alongside one of Hollywood’s hottest actors, she doesn’t hesitate to accept the part. But Lacey quickly learns that life in the spotlight isn’t as picture perfect as she imagined. She’s having trouble bonding with her costars, her father has hired the definition of a choir boy, Donavan Lake, to tutor her, and somewhere along the way she’s lost her acting mojo. And just when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, it looks like someone on set is deliberately trying to sabotage her. As Lacey’s world spins out of control, it feels like the only person she can count on—whether it’s helping her try to unravel the mystery of who is out to get her or snap her out of her acting funk—is Donavan. But what she doesn’t count on is this straight-laced boy becoming another distraction. With her entire future riding on this movie, Lacey knows she can’t afford to get sidetracked by a crush. But for the first time in her life Lacey wonders if it’s true that the best stories really do happen when you go off script.

Kasie West’s last couple of books hadn’t really worked out for me, I’d struggled getting through them, or the MC’s just appeared too young for my liking. So, I went into Fame, Fate and the First Kiss with mixed assumptions. But I’m glad that I decided to give this book a go, because it started off great, Lacey, had finally got her big chance starring in a zombie movie alongside big time actor Grant. But Lacey had been struggling with her role, her dad was being over-protective and there was always seemed to be a negative press around her. I really was rooting for Lacey, I wanted her to do well in this role, and she was trying her utmost hardest. Then later it seemed like someone was sabotaging her all along, I must admit my interest was piqued here, and of course I had a couple of suspicions of who it could be. This aspect really did have me excited about the book, but then once the person behind it all was finally revealed, it felt like a big build up for no reason. Overall, I did enjoy this book, I was a fan of the cute love interest and the direction the romance went in, but again I felt like some of these characters were just too young for me, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve just moved away from YA books a lot in the last year, or that West’s books are just no longer working for me anymore.