Furbaby Friday 6/9/2023

Posted on by AmandaKay

Happy Friday, book friends! I am completely exhausted today, because I spent last night in line for a book signing with David Sedaris. The reading was sold out within 2 minutes, but thankfully we did end up getting invited inside (standing room only) so we got to hear him read. Then we spent three hours in line.

I haven’t been up that late in ages. I’m awkward when fully awake and caffeinated, so by the time I made my way up to the signing table I was ready to have a fully uncomfortable interaction with the writer, which I did. He signed my book and doodled on it (inexplicably, he drew a single boob), so mission accomplished (I think?).

Azula was very excited and confused when I got home past midnight and came downstairs to cautiously investigate if I was an intruder. We slept in until after 6:30am today, and I suspect there’s a nap in my future as well since I don’t do very well with missing my bedtime.

Azula and Mr. Your Book Friend looking out for groundhogs from my office window

Today, we drive out to Cincinnati for the weekend for my grandma’s birthday. I’m sure Azula will be thrilled to see her Ohio grandparents and great grandma.

That’s about all I’ve got in me in terms of updates from the week since I’m still hoping the coffee will be powerful enough to revive me.

In Case You Missed It

This week on the blog…

Hope you’ve had a good week, and a great weekend ahead!

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“Just Like That” Doles Out Enemies to Lovers with a Side of Cute Animals

Posted on by AmandaKay

When I read the synopsis for Nina Kaye’s Just Like That, I knew I had to give it a go. The story follows driven events coordinator Jess as she struggles to balance a sudden life event with her career. Re-assigned to smaller projects due to her split attention, she is tasked with helping save a wildlife park from closure by helping them create money-making events. I am a sucker for a story about saving a small business or nonprofit, and if you add in a grumpy male love interest, it’s catnip.

Many thanks to Love Book Tours and Canelo publishing for the digital review copy and the chance to read and review this book! Let’s get into what worked for me and what didn’t.

What I Liked

I love to see a woman who is driven and passionate about her work at the center of a story where that doesn’t make her the villain.

The wildlife park is such a cute setting, and I loved the characters we meet there, including the adorable sun bear cub.

The grumpy/pretend sunshine dynamic we get between Nick and Jess is super fun, with some great banter and good chemistry. They make a cute couple and I definitely found myself rooting for them.

I also loved the brother/sister dynamic between Jess and her brother, Seth.

What I Didn’t Like

This book felt slow to start for me, and the writing style at times kept things feeling slower than I would have liked due to a bit of excess description. For instance, every single time Jess chats with her long distance best friend, she has to mention that said friend is quirky. This began to feel repetitive to me in a way that took me out of the story.

I felt pretty frustrated by Jess’ choices throughout the story, struggling to understand why she thought concealing so much and refusing to accept her circumstances was a good idea.

In all, Just Like That is a cute love story with a fun setting and some interesting plot elements that make it feel unique. I think readers of contemporary romance will enjoy this one, particularly those who like the grumpy/sunshine dynamic and quality banter. It came out on June 6th, so you can grab a copy now!