Review: Fake Skating by Lynn Painter

Title: Fake Skating

Author: Lynn Painter

Genre: YA, contemporary romance

Publication date: September 2025

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies Lynn Painter comes a heartfelt and banter-filled rom-com about childhood sweethearts whose icy reunion in their hockey-loving hometown unexpectedly thaws when they fake a romantic relationship.

Growing up, Dani couldn’t help but follow around the adorable son of her mom’s best friend. Funny, kind of nerdy, and a little soft, Alec was always down to hang with Dani when they were little. From play dates on the playground to sneaking into movie theaters, Dani and Alec were inseparable. Until Dani moved away. Alec promised they’d stay in touch—except, they didn’t.

Flash forward and Dani is back in Minnesota for her senior year, she and her mom living with her grandfather. Dealing with the fallout of her parents’ devastating divorce, Dani wouldn’t mind a nerd-out with the cozy and comforting Alec (and maybe a chance to confront him on his MIA status for all these years). But teenage Alec is nothing like the kid Dani remembers. He’s a hockey star in a town where hockey players are worshiped as gods. Dani’s place as his shadow has been taken up by drooling female fans... and he loves it.

Dani is resolved to ice out her former best friend until an unlikely series of events brings them together—and forces them to fake being a couple. Once forced together, the former childhood sweethearts begin to reconnect, unearth complicated family secrets, and face their true feelings towards each other…including the real reason Alec has been pushing Dani away all these years.

My rating: ★★★★⯪

I don't read many romances, but damn if I don't love a Lynn Painter book! 😍 Over the years, I've come to discover what I like and don't like in a romance, and for me, Lynn Painter just does romance right! They're so cute!

Review: If Looks Could Kill by Julie Berry

Title: If Looks Could Kill

Author: Julie Berry

Genre: YA, historical fantasy, Greek mythology, thriller

Publication date: September 16th 2025

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: From Printz Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author Julie Berry, a true-crime-nail-biter-turned-mythic-odyssey pitting Jack the Ripper against Medusa. A defiant love song to sisterhood, a survivors’ battle cry, and a romantic literary tour de force laced with humor.

It’s autumn 1888, and Jack the Ripper is on the run. As London police close in, he flees England for New York City seeking new victims. But a primal force of female vengeance has had enough. With serpents for hair and a fearsome gaze, an awakened Medusa is hunting for one thing: Jack.

And other dangers lurk in Manhattan’s Bowery. Salvation Army volunteers Tabitha and Pearl discover that a girl they once helped has been forced to work in a local brothel. Tabitha’s an upstate city girl with a wry humor and a thirst for adventure, while farmgirl Pearl takes everything with stone-cold seriousness. Their brittle partnership is tested as they team up with an aspiring girl reporter and a handsome Irish bartender to mount a rescue effort, only to find their fates entwine with Medusa’s and Jack’s.

My rating: ★★★★☆

The moment I discovered this book, I knew I needed to read it because what do you mean this is basically Medusa vs. Jack the Ripper?! Yeah, I needed this in my brain asap. Lol. And I really enjoyed it!

Review: Nothing Like the Movies (Better than the Movies #2) by Lynn Painter

Title: Nothing Like the Movies

Series: Better than the Movies #2

Previous book in this series: Better than the Movies

Author: Lynn Painter

Genre: YA, contemporary romance

Publication date: October 1st, 2024

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: eARC for review from publisher via Netgalley

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Synopsis: In this highly anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestselling Better than the Movies, Wes and Liz struggle to balance their feelings for each other with the growing pains of being a college student.

For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.

Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.

Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.

Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.

My rating: ★★★★★

Better Than The Movies ended with a wonderful Happily Ever After, so going into this I knew something was going to happen with Wes and Liz, but I was not ready for how heartbreaking this book ended up being...

I can't breathe without you, but I have to...

Review: Better Than The Movies by Lynn Painter

Title: Better Than The Movies

Series: Better Than The Movies #1

Author: Lynn Painter

Genre: YA, contemporary romance

Publication date: May 2021

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: Borrowed from library

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Synopsis: Perpetual daydreamer Liz Buxbaum gave her heart to Michael a long time ago. But her cool, aloof forever crush never really saw her before he moved away. Now that he’s back in town, Liz will do whatever it takes to get on his radar - and maybe snag him as a prom date - even befriend Wes Bennet.

The annoyingly attractive next-door neighbor might seem like a prime candidate for romantic-comedy fantasies, but Wes has only been a pain in Liz’s butt since they were kids. Pranks involving frogs and decapitated lawn gnomes do not a potential boyfriend make. Yet, somehow, Wes and Michael are hitting it off, which means Wes is Liz’s in.

But as Liz and Wes scheme to get Liz noticed by Michael so she can have her magical prom moment, she’s shocked to discover that she likes being around Wes. And as they continue to grow closer, she must reexamine everything she thought she knew about love - and rethink her own ideas of what happily ever after should look like.

My rating: ★★★★★

This was the second Lynn Painter book I read and I freaking loved it! I don’t read a lot of contemporary romances, but when I read two in a row by the same author, that’s how you know it’s good!

Review: Betting on You by Lynn Painter

Title: Betting on You

Author: Lynn Painter

Genre: YA, contemporary romance

Publication date: November 28th 2023

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: When seventeen-year-old Bailey starts a new job at a hotel waterpark, she is less than thrilled to see an old acquaintance is one of her coworkers. Bailey met Charlie a year ago on the long flight to Omaha, where she moved after her parents’ divorce. Charlie’s cynicism didn’t mix well with Bailey’s carefully well-behaved temperament, and his endless commentary was the irritating cherry on top of an already emotionally fraught trip.

Now, Bailey and Charlie are still polar opposites, but instead of everything about him rubbing Bailey the wrong way, she starts to look forward to hanging out and gossiping about the waterpark guests and their coworkers—particularly two who keep flirting with each other. Bailey and Charlie make a bet on whether or not the cozy pair will actually get together. Charlie insists that members of the opposite sex can’t just be friends, and Bailey is determined to prove him wrong.

Bailey and Charlie keep close track of the romantic progress of others while Charlie works to deflect the growing feelings he’s developed for Bailey. Terrified to lose her if his crush becomes known, what doesn’t help his agenda is Bailey and Charlie “fake dating” in order to disrupt the annoying pleasantries between Bailey’s mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Soon, what Charlie was hoping to avoid becomes a reality as Bailey starts to see him as not only a friend she can rely on in the midst of family drama—but someone who makes her hands shake and heart race. But Charlie has a secret—a secret that involves Bailey and another bet Charlie may have made. Can the two make a real go of things…or has Charlie’s secret doomed them before they could start?

My rating: ★★★★☆

I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance, but books like the ones Lynn Painter writes are honestly making me realize that I may enjoy them more than I once thought.

Review: The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

Title: The Do-Over

Author: Lynn Painter

Genre: YA, contemporary romance

Publication date: November 15th 2022

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: eARC from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another nightmare V-Day.

Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into—sometimes literally—in unfortunate ways.

How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the universe stops doling out do-overs?

My rating: ★★★★★

Oh my god, not me requesting an ARC of a contemporary romance, being excited after being approved, and then absolutely loving the book after reading it! Sometimes I don't even recognize myself 😆 But honestly, I'm enjoying diving into and exploring this genre that just years ago I would not touch. And this book is probably one of my favorite contemporary books I have ever read! (To be fair, I haven't read that many, but still 😆)

Review: See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Title: See You Yesterday

Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon

Genre: New Adult, contemporary romance

Publication date: May 17th 2022

Published by: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: eARC from publisher via Netgalley

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Synopsis: Barrett Bloom is hoping college will be a fresh start after a messy high school experience. But when school begins on September 21st, everything goes wrong. She’s humiliated by the know-it-all in her physics class, she botches her interview for the college paper, and at a party that night, she accidentally sets a frat on fire. She panics and flees, and when she realizes her roommate locked her out of their dorm, she falls asleep in the common room.

The next morning, Barrett’s perplexed to find herself back in her dorm room bed, no longer smelling of ashes and crushed dreams. It’s September 21st. Again. And after a confrontation with Miles, the guy from Physics 101, she learns she’s not alone—he’s been trapped for months.

When her attempts to fix her timeline fail, she agrees to work with Miles to find a way out. Soon they’re exploring the mysterious underbelly of the university and going on wild, romantic adventures. As they start falling for each other, they face the universe’s biggest unanswered question yet: what happens to their relationship if they finally make it to tomorrow?

My rating: ★★★★☆

You guys know I’m not much of a contemporary romance reader, but every once in a while, I get in the mood for one. It’s rare—it happens like once or twice a year, but it DOES happen 😆 And this year I came across See You Yesterday and I knew I needed to read it! I love horror movies and slashers, and one of my favorite movies is Happy Death Day which, like this book, is very reminiscent of the movie Groundhog Day, and this book reminded me of those movies. And let me tell you, I really enjoyed this book! Look at me expanding my horizons 😆

Review: Sleepless by Thomas Fahy

Title: Sleepless

Author: Thomas Fahy

Genre: YA, horror, mystery

Publication date: August 2009

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: Own paperback

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Synopsis:

SOMEONE ELSE WILL DIE SOON she tells herself.

SOMEONE ELSE WILL DIE AND I WILL BE RESPONSIBLE.

A few days after the first time you walk in your sleep, you kill someone. That's how the end begins.

Emma Montgomery has been having gruesome nightmares. Even worse, when she wakes up, she isn't where she was when she fell asleep. And she's not the only one. One by one the students of Saint Opportuna High start having nightmares, and sleepwalking. And the next morning one of their classmates turns up dead.

Something is making them kill in their sleep. Emma and her friends need to band together, to keep themselves awake until they can figure out what's behind the murders--before anyone else dies.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
I love horror novels, and I thought this one was a pretty okay one. In my opinion, however, it was not as frightening as I thought it would be.