Unromance by Erin Connor - Book Review

Publication Date: 14th Jan 2025

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Has rom and com! 

Sawyer Greene is a bestselling romance writer and knows the genre. If only she could get over the writer’s block to create another story for the fast-approaching deadline. She hadn’t been able to write after her girlfriend Sadie broke up with her. 

Mason West might be a great actor but he doesn’t seem to be lucky with relationships. After yet another breakup that sends the tabloids into a TRP tizzy, he needs to stop himself from falling in love. 

A not-meet-cute between Sawyer and Mason ends up in an unexpected second meeting elsewhere. Maybe they can help each other? Mason wants Sawyer to ruin romance for him while he inspires her to write the next bestseller. If only life was that easy! 

The story comes in Sawyer and Mason’s third-person POVs. 

My Thoughts: 

Well, a book about romance tropes but to ruin them for one character. Who can resist the premise? 

The plotline is certainly cute and there’s a lot of humor in this rom-com. There is rom too and the spicy kind. Not all jokes appealed to me but taste is subjective, so you might them more (or less). 

Sawyer would be the grump with Mason being a cinnamon roll sweetheart. TBH, he was too good and too sweet. That meant I felt sad for him more than I felt for the FMC. 

Of course, as a fellow writer, I could connect with her stress about writer’s block, the frenzy of wanting to work on an idea before it vanishes, and the inherent talent of writing myself into a corner. The only difference is that I am not a bestseller (yet) or have an agent and editor rooting for me (got my darling friends, though). 

While the book deals with a few themes (lightly), the central plot is rather loose and thin. The characters also acknowledge this, so I can’t say much. It’s more like they feel attracted to each other and go with a crazy plan. 

The spice is close to 4. There’s a scene early in the book, which surprised me. The next one takes some time (small mercies). We get some sexy banter as well. 

The FMC is bi (with chaotic bi energy). I confess I’m not familiar with that tag but she is a mess. Sometimes, it gets a bit annoying as well. Still, I feel the bi part was done well instead of being an item on the checklist. 

I had to wait a long time to read about the dress on the cover. At least, it is in there, though the MMC’s suit colors are not the same. 

I wish the themes like parental interference and lack of family support were explored a little more. These have an important role in developing the character arcs and need some extra time. 

The pacing is on the slower side, something I didn’t expect. A few scenes were extended for no reason. The third-act breakup was expected. Still, I wish it was better handled. Necessary, yes; but not that way. 

To summarize, Unromance is an entertaining debut with a bunch of romance tropes mashed into a series of dates. It is fun but a one-time read. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing (Forever), for eARC. 

#NetGalley #Unromance

Planning 2025 Reads - Short Post

 Hello and Namaste, 

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year 2025. It's time to make an official post declaring my intentions about books and reading plans. 

PC: Generated on Bing 

This year, I plan to stay on schedule and try not to overdo requests or grab too many books at once (ha ha ha). Also, I want to read more Indic books. Hence, I started the year with Parva (Mahabharata retelling) by SL Bhyrappa. It's a big book of 950 pages and slow-paced but fascinating so far! I'm not rushing through it, so this could also be my longest-read book of the year. 

2024 didn't have many memorable reads, so here's hoping for a better reading year. 

What are your bookish plans? Let me know in the comments. 

And oh... I'm participating in the #TBRChallenge by Blogchatter. (This was the reason I made the post). 

Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams - Book Review

Series: When in Rome #3 (Standalone) 

Publication Date: 07th Jan 2025

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

3.8 Stars 

One Liner: This was fun! 

Emily Walker doesn’t like disruptions or changes. She also doesn’t like her nemesis, Jackson Bennett, her fellow second-grade teacher in the local school. 

When Jack left Rome, Kentucky, to live with his fiancée, Emily was delighted. Her loving hometown was free of him at last. She could focus on completing her secret romance novel. 

Jack returns to Rome after breaking off his engagement. He is happy to be back in the small town that charmed him even if Emily doesn’t want him around. He has his own secrets to keep and would do what he could to make Rome his home. 

When Emily mistakenly sends her manuscript to their school principal instead of a literary agent, she needs Jack’s help to steal back her manuscript. Their interactions soon show that they may not have hated each other for so long! 

The story comes in the first-person POVs of Emily and Jack. 

My Thoughts: 

This is my first book by the author. It is the third in the series and works as a standalone. One day, I’ll read the previous two. 

The book starts with a short note about triggers and the chapter numbers for those who want to skip spicy scenes. A clear idea indeed! 

We get the story from both POVs, though Emily’s is more than Jack’s. That’s fine since they cover the base pretty well. The first-person voices are distinct enough to not create confusion about who narrates the chapter (there are clear headers too). 

The little email and SMS interactions placed between the chapters not only add to the fun but also give more insight into the characters and their past. I enjoyed reading these. 

It took a while to warm to Emily but I liked her as I got to know her. Jack was easier to like (everyone in the book likes him too!). Emily’s family and her relationship with them were heartwarming and bittersweet. There’s some joint trauma there but much love too. 

The book deals with some heavy themes like parental loss, parentification of a child, toxic family, narcissistic parent, etc. These influence the main characters in many ways. There are some intense moments but the book stays true to the genre and keeps things from becoming too overwhelming. I prefer it this way. 

Writing is another part of the plotline. Some good insights are provided. I related to some of the emotions the characters feel when they write. 

One aspect I wanted more was the teaching part. They talk a lot about teaching, students, school, etc. but we don’t get to see them in the classroom or with their students. Yeah, it’s set during the holidays. Still, I needed at least one scene. After all, they take their professions seriously! 

The second half is slower than the first half, probably coz it packs more stuff. There’s a teeny epilogue but I admit I wanted more. Also, one important element has not been detailed, and I needed to see it after having to deal with such an annoying character. It should have been included in the epilogue. 

To summarize, Beg, Borrow, or Steal is an entertaining enemies-to-lovers story with good banter and interesting supporting characters. 

The next book will belong to Madison (the only unmarried Walker sibling). I hope she impresses me coz I’m already rooting for the guy (Team James). Excited to read it! 

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House (Dell), for eARC. 

#NetGalley #BegBorrowOrSteal