Tag: family

Book Review | The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa

Posted December 11, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa

The USA Today bestselling author of The Worst Best Man is back with another hilarious rom-com about two strangers who get trapped in a lie and have to fake date their way out of it…

Just weeks away from ditching DC for greener pastures, Solange Pereira is roped into helping her wedding planner cousin on a random couple’s big day. It’s an easy gig… until she stumbles upon a situation that convinces her the pair isn’t meant to be. What’s a true-blue romantic to do? Crash the wedding, of course. And ensure the unsuspecting groom doesn’t make the biggest mistake of his life.

Dean Chapman had his future all mapped out. He was about to check off “start a family” and on track to “make partner” when his modern day marriage of convenience went up in smoke. Then he learns he might not land an assignment that could be his ticket to a promotion unless he has a significant other and, in a moment of panic, Dean claims to be in love with the woman who crashed his wedding. Oops.

Now Dean has a whole new item on his to-do list: beg Solange to be his pretend girlfriend. Solange feels a tiny bit bad about ruining Dean’s wedding, so she agrees to play along. Yet as they fake-date their way around town, what started as a performance for Dean’s colleagues turns into a connection that neither he nor Solange can deny. Their entire romance is a sham… there’s no way these polar opposites could fall in love for real, right?

For the Reading Challenge(s):
N/A

The Reason

I desperately needed some romance after reading so many dark and heavy books.

The Quotes

“You know, I think the more something’s important to us, the more we feel we’ll lose if it doesn’t work out. So we convince ourselves not to want the thing.”

“One thing’s clear: Not being in a relationship is better than being in a bad one. Because one bad relationship can change your life forever.”

“Like maybe I don’t deserve you but I want to try to earn a place in your heart.”

“Sometimes we feel things we know aren’t rational, but we still feel them.”

My Thoughts

I picked up this book because I had been reading a lot of horror and hard-hitting books lately and I needed a nice, light-hearted romance. There were a lot of cliches, tropes, and hijinks, but all in good fun and mostly delivered well. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two MCs, and I love the relationships they have with the other supporting characters as well. I think the family aspect of the book is one of my favorite things about it, though I normally don’t like family being too involved in personal stuff. It feels like there was a nice balance between nosiness and respect for privacy with the relationships here. There was some graphic sex on the page which I wasn’t expecting but I thought was done pretty tastefully, considering. It was a really quick read and I enjoyed it very much!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

Tags: , , , , ,

Sunday Post | 27 July 2025

Posted July 26, 2025 by Haze in Sunday Post, Weekly Book Memes / 17 Comments

Welcome to the Sunday Post, a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer to share weekly news and updates on what we’ve been up to on our blog, with our books, and book-related happenings. 

Some of My Favorite People

I managed to get some things done this past week that I had been putting off, including buying new pillows and a duvet to replace some really old ones that sorely needed replacing. They were probably the reason I didn’t sleep so well the week before because I slept just fine with the new bedding.

My cousin also came to visit from Vancouver with her family. It has been years since we saw each other but she’s one of my favorite people in the world and I love her to death! I love her family too, they are such a sweet family and so great to be around. We had a great time catching up and I really hope I get to see them again soon, and more often!

I also had my in-person bookclub meeting this weekend, so I got to see more of my favorite people! We don’t see each other often outside of our monthly meetings, but they are amazing people and I always love seeing them! Our BOTM is If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino, which was one of our member’s favorite books that they recommended, and we had an interesting discussion about it. I plan to write a review soon (once I catch up on the other reviews I gotta write!) but if you’ve read it, I’d be curious for your thoughts!

On my watchlist:
We finished watching Building the Band on Netflix and I won’t say anything else because of spoilers, but I still love the bands I talked about last week and I truly believe they’re all going to do well as artists!

We also watched The Gorge, which was so fun and thrilling at the same time. I was so delighted with it and kept saying how it has everything; romance, horror, mystery, fantasy, scifi! I particularly loved their meet-cute “Covid-romance” story, because of the whole long-distance thing.

Lone and I are also huge fans of Adam Sandler’s works and we’re always happy when a new movie drops. I know a lot of people think that Adam Sandler’s movies are low effort and formulaic, but that’s exactly what we’re looking for sometimes when we seek out his movies. Something funny, entertaining, and low-stress, with a feel-good ending. His movies are like comfort shows for me, and I got all of that with Happy Gilmore 2! I also love that he invites his friends to act with him, and I loved that there were so many people doing cameos in this one!

The Books

Books I read last week:

  1. A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost – Jost narrates the audiobook himself and I really like how personable he is. It’s also really interesting to find out more about his background and family.
  2. The Love Haters by Katherine Center – This one was just what I needed for a fun, lighthearted romance that I didn’t get from the last one I read! I loved it!
  3. If On A Winter’s Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino – I listened to this for the first time on audio and apparently it was the wrong move because I got so confused! I did enjoy my bookclub’s discussion about it though!

Books I’m reading:

  1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas – Reading this for the nth time and still loving it as much as ever! I’m about 60% in now. At this point, it’s just another comfort read, which is funny to think about because of how intense it is, but it’s just how I feel about it!

Last Week on The Blog

I meant to catch up on my book reviews but I only managed one post.

This Week

I just got a couple of my holds from the library; Stephen King’s Revival, and Madeline Martin’s The Keeper of Hidden Books! I’m excited for both of these! I still have to finish The Count of Monte Cristo but I’m looking forward to these two as well.

How was your week? I hope you had a great week last week, and I hope you have a great one again this week!

Tags: , , , , , ,

Book Review | Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Posted April 16, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have. Who was it? Let’s get started.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #24: Title is a spoiler)

The Reason

There’d been a lot of hype for this book and I’ve been hearing about this book for a while. I thought it sounded really interesting.

The Quotes

“Family is not whose blood runs in your veins, it’s who you’d spill it for.”

“You can tell a lot about someone from whether they can handle an uncomfortable silence. If they ride it out or snap it off.”

“Anger is as much an heirloom as any Rolex.”

“Every basic task starts to feel like a decision, and that becomes so draining that you end up unable to make any of them.”

The Narrator(s)

Barton Welch. He was very pleasant to listen to.

My Thoughts

I must admit I didn’t love this book. I had high expectations coming into it and had been anticipating reading it and the other books in the series, but I’m not sure that I’ll continue with it. It’s not horrible, but I didn’t enjoy the writing style. It felt gimmicky, and the constant breaking of the fourth wall annoyed me and took me out of the story.

The story itself wasn’t incredible either and I didn’t connect very much with the characters. In fact, I would say that the book as a whole was quite forgettable to me. Perhaps the most memorable thing about it for me is the title of the book. I just finished it and I couldn’t tell you anything about the characters or significant things that happened because nothing and no one really stood out to me.

However, it is well-written and -crafted despite my dislike of the writing style, and there are some great quotes I really liked in the book. I can understand why people would enjoy this book, but it just didn’t connect for me unfortunately.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

Tags: , , , , ,

Book Review | The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

Posted October 11, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

A twisty, compelling novel about one woman’s complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in murder…

From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana was exquisitely polite, and properly friendly, but Lucy knew that she was not what Diana envisioned. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice who helped female refugees assimilate to their new country. Diana was happily married to Tom, and lived in wedded bliss for decades. Lucy wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was five years ago.

Now, Diana has been found dead, a suicide note near her body. Diana claims that she no longer wanted to live because of a battle with cancer.

But the autopsy finds no cancer.
The autopsy does find traces of poison and suffocation.
Who could possibly want Diana dead?
Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her adult children and their spouses?

With Lucy’s secrets getting deeper and her relationship with her mother-in-law growing more complex as the pages turn, this new novel from Sally Hepworth is sure to add to her growing legion of fans.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 Audiobook Challenge

The Reason

I was in the mood for a mystery thriller and I’ve previously enjoyed another one of the author’s books.

The Quotes

“I worked hard for everything I ever cared about, & nothing I ever cared about cost a single cent.”

“Some people jumped in and tried to save someone who was in trouble; others did anything they could to save themselves.”

“Why bother having a child, if you’re not going to stick around and enjoy her?”

“Being poor and having to survive without my parents was the single most defining thing I’ve ever done. It showed me what I am capable of. As a mother, I think this is the most important gift you can give to your children. Unlike money, it can’t be taken away or lost.”

The Narrator(s)

Barrie Kreinik. I enjoyed her narration very much, I got very engrossed in the story.

My Thoughts

I’ve only read one other book by the author, The Soulmate, but I feel like she’s got an amazing grasp of the dynamics in familial relationships and the potential miscommunications that can arise between family. There’s nothing quite like family drama from having to interact with people who you don’t get along with but can’t avoid because family.

As with The Soulmate, nothing is quite as it seems, and I very much enjoyed the journey towards discovery. I feel that the beauty of this story isn’t in the mystery though, but in the family relationships. I loved reading about Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diana. I loved reading from their different POVs and looking at things from each of their perspectives. I don’t think either of them, or the other characters in the book, are necessarily people I would like, but it was interesting to read about them anyway.

I didn’t like this book as much as The Soulmate for satisfying my mystery craving, but it was still an enjoyable read.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

Tags: , , , , ,

Book Review | After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Posted September 6, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.

Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?

This is a love story about what happens when the love fades. It’s about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything you’ve got. And above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game—and searching for a new road to happily ever after.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Reading Challenge

The Reason

It’s Taylor Jenkins Reid! And it’s Julia Whelan narrating! I don’t need any other reasons.

The Quotes

“Isn’t it nice … once you’ve outgrown the ideas of what life should be and you just enjoy what it is.”

“Here is what I can tell you. All that matters in this life is that you try. All that matters is that you open your heart, give everything you have, and keep trying.”

“I know it will be OK because everything is OK in the end. And if it’s not OK, it’s not the end.”

“I’ve come to realize that resentment is malignant. That it starts small and festers. That it grows wild and unfettered inside of you until it’s so expansive that it has worked its way into the furthest, deepest parts of you and holds on for dear life.”

The Narrator(s)

Julia Whelan. She’s the GOAT!

My Thoughts

TJR is so good at writing about relationships and family. While reading this book, I kept thinking that she really knew how to capture the essence of relationships, the everyday things that make up a life together, and it’s just so relatable. I don’t necessarily agree with some of her take on relationships, but I do feel that she definitely captures them well.

This book isn’t my favorite from TJR, but I did like it and it made me appreciate my own relationship with my husband very much. We’ve got our own ups and downs, but I think the one thing we do right is that we are always interested in each other. We talk all the time and it never gets boring, we play together, we listen to each other and never take the other for granted. Don’t get me wrong, we have disagreements and bad days too, but it’s always us against the problem.

One of the things I love most about reading is that it make me think and reflect on my own life, and I think this one did a great job of it. I’m not the biggest fan of the story and the MCs themselves, but it was fascinating to see how their marriage worked.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

Tags: , , , , , , , ,