Verdict: A sweet, feel-good YA time-loop romance: Phoebe Mendel has lived August 6th for nearly a month, desperate to reach the doctor who might take her IBS seriously, when a very mundane car crash sends her childhood crush Jess into the loop with her. Readers celebrate its disability, fat and queer Jewish representation; some wanted … Read more
Verdict: A funny, heartfelt second-chance romance: teenage sweethearts Poppy, a musician, and Norah, an artist, split when Poppy left without explanation for pop stardom; twenty years later, both parents, they meet at the school gates and discover their kids are best friends. Readers love West’s humour, the everyday realism and a truly hateful villain; some … Read more
Verdict: An emotional friends-to-lovers debut: Sam, who grew up in foster care, has quietly loved her best friend Brooke since college — and has helped raise Brooke’s son since her husband died. Readers praise the found-family warmth and Sam’s neurodivergent rep; many found the first half slow, repetitive and heavy on miscommunication. Best for: Readers … Read more
Verdict: An emotional, angst-rich second chance: five years after leaving for stardom, pop star Bridget Callahan comes home after a broken engagement and faces Alex, the bar owner she left behind. Readers praise the heartache, consistent characters and the slow understanding of why Bridget left; others found Alex maddeningly stubborn and the then/now structure choppy. … Read more
Verdict: A hidden Kindle Unlimited gem: Ali, guitarist in her brother’s Chicago indie band, spends a summer opening for pop-country megastar Kristen Nichols — and falls for her. Readers love the slow burn, the real music-making detail and the characters; the main complaints are clunky sentences and too much uncommunicated pining. Best for: Readers who … Read more
Verdict: A sweet, food-filled new adult debut: an aspiring chef lands a job cooking for her favourite pop star on a European tour, and a friendship turns into more. Readers love the travel, the food writing and the surprising emotional depth around grief; critics found the characters immature, the chemistry thin and too much told … Read more
Verdict: A short, sweet opener to a ten-part serial: TV actress Emma Bronson literally bumps into aspiring writer Addison Blake, spills coffee on her, and a string of coffee dates turns into something more. Readers love the warmth and the coffee-date banter; the main complaints are its brevity, speed and rough editing. Best for: Kindle … Read more
Verdict: A steamy, talky holiday second-chance romance between an A-list actress and the best friend she left behind in Wisconsin, now internet-famous for kissing strangers. Fans call it a gold standard of healthy communication and chemistry; detractors say nobody talks like these people and the stakes never bite. Best for: Readers who love emotionally literate, … Read more
Verdict: A messy, divisive queer Hollywood coming-of-age story: newly out bisexual PA Luna schemes to land a job on A-list actress Valeria Sullivan’s directorial debut — and lose her virginity along the way. Some readers found it raw, funny and relatable; many more were frustrated by a misleading blurb (the endgame isn’t the actress), internalised … Read more
Verdict: A big-hearted, very low-angst holiday romcom: Miami lawyer Grace and LA hairstylist Alix meet on an anonymous heartbreak app, and their texts turn into holiday meet-ups and something more. Readers adore the text banter, the yearning and the seamless co-writing; the only common complaint is that almost nothing goes wrong. Best for: Readers who … Read more