Bebe Rachel's Whimsy and Reviews

Funny Story by Emily Henry My rating: 5 of 5 stars Okay, usually Rom Com means the occasional chuckle. This book had me laughing so hard more than once. But what a rollercoaster. I mean there is some serious drama and some parts were at a tear-jerker level. I also really appreciated the coverage of how the friends sometimes break up when a romantic relationship ends and how that can be just as traumatic. I loved this. It more than made up for (Un)Happy Place which I am still bitter about, not going to lie. This was Book Lovers level — and that is in my top 5 in the genre. One triggering thing for me was Daphne’s relationship with her father. Oof — that hit close to home.  Loved Daphne, Miles, the little sister, the librarians, the town — this is such a great book. Daphne has so many layers that are unpacked — her character arc is such a rich storyline.  Julia Whelan is the voice actor for this — amazing narration. She transports, as usual, and

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey My rating: 5 of 5 stars Loved this! Georgie, our main character, grows and develops in part because of the work she puts in on herself and the chances she takes — not just because she may (or may not) fall in love.  The fact that she was a clown was a bit off-putting to me, but only on the surface and actually, it truly worked for the story, so I let it go. What I did not like at all was her brother Stephen and his weird relationship with his wife. It was like I missed a book/back story on them — they felt underdeveloped and at least two times their behavior was so odd — I did not get it. (If I did miss a prequel let me know — that would be so me). But I loved the rest of it so much, I still gave all the stars.  On a big Tessa Bailey binge right now and this was not a disappointment at all. ⏰ I read it in a few days. 🌶️ it is Tessa Bailey — 5 alarm spice — do not read if you do not enjoy explicit intimacy  🏷️ trigg

Miracles and Menorahs by Stacey Agdern My rating: 4  of 5 stars A girl that loves Hanukkah and a boy who loves it too, what could go wrong? She loves the small town she grew up in and its annual Hanukkah festival, but some of the town wants to change it to a holiday festival. Meanwhile the boy does not like the commercialization of holidays, hence the conflict between them. I love a Jewish themed romcom as much as the next person — this was a sweet story and for the most part I really enjoyed it. I loved the main character and the grandmother of the male MC - they were my favorite parts of the story.  Another thing I did love was the idea of a small town with a Hanukkah festival. That was a really fresh idea - build the world you want to see, even if it is for a novel One problem I had was that the main female lead had a best friend who was horrible. She was whiny, demanding and self centered. The whole book I wanted a reveal on how Sarah, our MC, was going

My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey My rating: 4 of 5 stars A second grade teacher takes a vacation at the beach with her brother and there is a dead body in their rental. Enter a bounty hunter who is ex-police and some fairly primal chemistry between teacher and hunter and a mystery to be solved in the background… I really enjoyed this. Read it in a day and a half. It was funny, very very spicy - as expected from Tessa Bailey.  Okay so this book seems to have Bailey’s fans divided. I was actually surprised by some of the negative reviews. To me it was just a Tessa Bailey with some Ali Hazelwood elements thrown in - without the STEM. Some people found the age gap and class difference “cringe.” Whatever - it was fun to read a romcom mystery. I enjoyed it. So I guess if you don’t want your goodie-two-shoes teacher attracted to danger and you want your male lead clean cut and not 9 years older than your female lead - don’t read this book. Or be prepared to be t

Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey My rating: 5 of 5 stars When a broken down has-been pro golfer teams with his biggest (and only) fan whose life is a total disaster, true love may be on the horizon. While it sounds like such a far-fetched concept — it really works. Fan Girl Down was a super fun read. Tessa Bailey truly is a master at what she does. If you are not familiar with her work, she is so talented at creating characters that I am absolutely cheering for. There are a bunch of classic romcom tropes here including grumpy-cheerful, edgy-innocent, forced proximity.  It is importantly to note that her books are definitely for readers comfortable with explicit material. This particular book also works in some really heavy themes such chronic illness, lack of health insurance, childhood neglect, alcohol abuse, medication rationing. And yet the book was entertaining and engaging. I really loved this book. If you do not mind extra spicy intimacy - I

Sweetest in the Gale by Olivia Dade My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love all three short stories included in this book. My only complaint is that I wanted each story to be longer. As always, I love the characters, their development and the diversity rep in Dade’s books! Another winner! ⏰ I read it in a few days. 🌶️ very spicy/mature/adult #ShortStoryCollection #ContemporaryRomance #RomCom #BodyDiversity #spicy🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ #womenwhowerentbornyesterday #iFeelSeen

Frisky Collections Volume 1: Frisky and Queer: A steamy romcom short story queer collection. by Michelle Mars My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fun collection of short stories that are centered around the Frisky Bean Cafe, the three stories were about three different couples that are patrons there. Each couple has different back stories, different tastes and predilections. In short, there is something for everyone here. This is very spicy, so be prepared for it to be rather explicit. Each rom com of the three also centered around a different time in a a relationship - one being at the beginning, one being at the level of commitment and one being about to change. The stories were cute and it was a fun read. Of note, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you BookSirens and to the author. ⏰ I read it in a few days. 🌶️ very spicy/mature/adult 🏷️ no triggers to report #ShortStoryCollection #contempora