teatimelit

Review: All the Right Reasons by Bethany Mangle

Cara Hawn’s life fell apart after her father cheated on her mother and got remarried to a woman Cara can’t stand. When Cara accidentally posts a rant about her father online, it goes viral—and catches the attention of the TV producers behind a new reality dating show for single parent families.

The next thing Cara and her mother know, they’ve been cast as leads on the show and are whisked away to sunny Key West where they’re asked to narrow a field of suitors and their kids down to one winning pair. All of this is outside of Cara’s comfort zone, from the meddling producers to the camera-hungry contestants, especially as Cara and her mother begin to clash on which suitors are worth keeping around. And then comes Connor.

As the son of a contestant, Connor is decidedly off-limits. Except that he doesn’t fit in with the cutthroat atmosphere in all the same ways as Cara, and she can’t get him out of her head. Now Cara must juggle her growing feelings while dodging the cameras and helping her mom pick a bachelor they both love, or else risk fracturing their family even more for the sake of ratings. Maybe there’s a reason most people don’t date on TV. 

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Review: Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.

When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?

Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his… um, thighs.

Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?

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ANNOUNCEMENT: ANIMAL CROSSING READATHON!

Happy Friday! If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you might’ve already seen a little teaser for today’s announcement! Just in case you haven’t though, here’s the teaser: 

A photo of a Nintendo Switch OLED with "Animal Crossing Readathon ... loading" on the screen. The Switch is stacked on top of some notebooks and books.

As you may have concluded from the photo, I’m hosting an Animal Crossing themed readathon with one of my best friends, Saima! Saima is one of my favorite people, and I’m so excited that we’re collaborating on this. Both of us love Animal Crossing dearly, and we’ve got so many fun things planned for this readathon. The Animal Crossing Readathon will run from March 1st to April 15th. You can find official prompts below! 

To keep up the excitement, we’ll be hosting reading sprints throughout the read-a-thon through our twitter page and Discord server, to keep everyone inspired and motivated. We hope you enjoy this readathon, and have as much fun participating as we did creating and hosting it!

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Let’s Talk: My Favourite Tropes

I don’t know about you, but I love tropes and cliches. There’s something so comforting about knowing you’re going to read something that’s slightly familiar, but with an original spin on it. Every author approaches tropes differently, and I love seeing how they incorporate them into their writing. Despite having the same core fundamentals, no two authors write tropes the same way, which is why I love seeing them in the books I read! I thought it would be fun to talk about five of my favourites, so let’s get into it! 

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ARC Review: Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho

What would you do if the world’s biggest K-pop star asked you to prom? Perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Sandhya Menon, this hilarious and heartfelt novel brings the glamour and drama of the K-pop world straight to high school.

Elena Soo has always felt overshadowed. Whether by her more successful older sisters, her more popular twin brother, or her more outgoing best friend, everyone except Elena seems to know exactly who they are and what they want. But she is certain about one thing – she has no interest in going to prom. While the rest of the school is giddy over corsages and dresses, Elena would rather spend her time working to save the local community center, the one place that’s always made her feel like she belonged.

So when international K-pop superstar Robbie Choi shows up at her house to ask her to prom, Elena is more confused than ever. Because the one person who always accepted Elena as she is? Her childhood best friend, Robbie Choi. And the one thing she maybe, possibly, secretly wants more than anything? For the two of them to keep the promise they made each other as kids: to go to prom together. But that was seven years ago, and with this new K-pop persona, pink hair, and stylish clothes, Robbie is nothing like the sweet, goofy boy she remembers. The boy she shared all her secrets with. The boy she used to love.

Besides, prom with a guy who comes with hordes of screaming fans, online haters, and relentless paparazzi is the last thing Elena wants – even if she can’t stop thinking about Robbie’s smile…right?

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Let’s Talk: My Auto Buy Authors

Hi, hello friends! This week I thought it would be fun to talk about some of my auto buy authors. I have a lot of favourite books, and I have a lot of favourite authors, so why not highlight some of them! There’s nothing more exciting than getting a new book from an author you love, and I love clicking “buy now” on the Kindle store for these author’s next releases. Without anything further, let’s get into the list!

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ARC Review: A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft

When Margaret Welty spots the legendary hala, the last living mythical creature, she knows the Halfmoon Hunt will soon follow. Whoever is able to kill the hala will earn fame and riches, and unlock an ancient magical secret. If Margaret wins the hunt, it may finally bring her mother home. While Margaret is the best sharpshooter in town, only teams of two can register, and she needs an alchemist.

Weston Winters isn’t an alchemist–yet. Fired from every apprenticeship he’s landed, his last chance hinges on Master Welty taking him in. But when Wes arrives at Welty Manor, he finds only Margaret and her bloodhound Trouble. Margaret begrudgingly allows him to stay, but on one condition: he must join the hunt with her.

Although they make an unlikely team, Wes is in awe of the girl who has endured alone on the outskirts of a town that doesn’t want her, in this creaking house of ghosts and sorrow. And even though Wes disrupts every aspect of her life, Margaret is drawn to him. He, too, knows what it’s like to be an outsider. As the hunt looms closer and tensions rise, Margaret and Wes uncover dark magic that could be the key to winning the hunt – if they survive that long. 

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Let’s Talk: The Goodreads Reading Challenge

I love the Goodreads reading challenge. Every year I look forward to seeing the new colour and setting my goal to a high number just so I have something to look forward to. And every year, I get stressed. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am a major mood reader. I find monthly TBRs to be too restricting, and it often leaves me in a reading slump. For that reason, I have a love-hate relationship with the Goodreads reading challenge.

It’s only 24 days into the year, and I am already behind. Like any ambitious Type 3 enneagram would, I set my challenge number to 100 books in the hopes of having another solid reading year. So far this year, I have read an impressive number of books, and that number is three. One of which was a re-read, so it’s not like I challenged myself to consume something new. No, I chose to read something I knew I would enjoy in fear of slumping too early in the year. I bet you’re thinking, Mary, what is the point of this post? And you’re right – what is the point of this post? I just wanted to share some positivity and some insight into how hard it can be to motivate yourself to read. So, I thought, why not share some of my favourite things to do to make the Goodreads challenge slightly easier so you don’t get overwhelmed (like yours truly) and quit!

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ARC Review: Ophelia After All by Racquel Marie

Ophelia Rojas knows what she likes: her best friends, Cuban food, rose-gardening, and boys – way too many boys. Her friends and parents make fun of her endless stream of crushes, but Ophelia is a romantic at heart. She couldn’t change, even if she wanted to.

So when she finds herself thinking more about cute, quiet Talia Sanchez than the loss of a perfect prom with her ex-boyfriend, seeds of doubt take root in Ophelia’s firm image of herself. Add to that the impending end of high school and the fracturing of her once-solid friend group, and things are spiraling a little out of control. But the course of love–and sexuality–never did run smooth. As her secrets begin to unravel, Ophelia must make a choice between clinging to the fantasy version of herself she’s always imagined or upending everyone’s expectations to rediscover who she really is, after all. 

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Let’s Talk: Book to Screen Adaptations I’d Love to See

Hi, hello friends and welcome back to teatimelit! I love book to screen adaptations, and I think there are a lot of books out there that have serious potential to make good tv shows or movies. While I know that not everything can be made into the next blockbuster hit, I thought it would be super fun today to talk about some of the books I think would make good adaptations. Let’s get into the list! 

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