ARC Review: Tropesick by Lauren Okie

 

In this lush, slow-burning romance, two childhood neighbors, connected by a shared tragedy, unexpectedly reunite to ghostwrite a love story for a reclusive author. Spending the summer at her secluded Hamptons estate, they soon discover that dozens of classic romance tropes, including the ones they’re crafting on page, are mysteriously playing out in real life.

Katie Caruso is a completely normal twenty-five-year-old girl. At least, for the past eight years, she’s tried to be. She likes glitter and sequins and flirting with cute boys at New York City bars. She’s also a ghostwriter for Meredith Bradford, the bestselling romance novelist of all time. But then Tyler McNally walks back into Katie’s life, and that bedazzled facade crumbles at her platform-sneakered feet.

Katie and Tyler haven’t seen or spoken to each other since the overdose death of Katie’s older brother, a standout MLB pitching prospect. Tyler was her brother’s best friend, and Katie—naturally—was the girl next door. But now, Tyler is a sleeve-tattooed, Ivy League-educated aspiring literary fiction novelist, nine years sober . . . and Katie’s writing partner for the summer.

As genre conventions require, Katie and Tyler soon find themselves removed from Manhattan and instead writing their love story in “forced proximity” at Meredith’s isolated Southampton home. As the summer unfolds, the tropes Katie and Tyler have written into their novel begin to play out in their own lives. Call it destiny, fate, or magic It’s clear their love story is unfinished. This time, though, they’ll fight for their happy ending.

Heart-wrenching and tender, Tropesick is a love letter to the romance genre. With a wink and a nod, Okie has packed the novel with listeners’ favorite

Grumpy/Sunshine Brother’s best friend Girl next door Forced proximity Forbidden love Kissing in the rain Groveling hero Second-chance romance Slow burn Only one bed

Title: Tropesick

Author: Lauren Okie

Publisher: Avon Harper Voyager

Expected Publication Date: June 16, 2026

Review:

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

What romance book lover wouldn't love a book that touches on all the romance tropes? None that I know of so the blurb for this book drew me right in and I needed to see how the author would incorporate them all and play them out. The concept is really great: two writers, with a history, thrown together to ghost right a story for a mega popular author. One writer who truly believes in romance stories and the other who does not. A story that includes all the romance tropes.

Before I go further, know there are some heavy topics addressed in this book including death of a loved one, unresolved grief, and addiction. If you have triggers for any of these topics, especially that of addiction, I'd proceed with caution. The blurb doesn't mention much on this point but the author's note at the beginning gives you a glimpse into it's depth in the book, which I very much appreciated. Having grown up surrounded by addiction, I was quite curious to see how the author handled this aspect of the book. Okie does a good job touching on the nuances of this topic with reference to rehab as well as meetings and sponsors. Plus she incorporates the ideas behind AA and sponsorship, which was done with great care.

The characters in this book were well done if not frustrating for me. Katie Caruso is broken for sure. She has lived her life in the shadow of her dead brother and even lived in his shadow before that. Never feeling she was loved or good enough to be loved by her family. Tyler McNally is her childhood crush and great love lost. She has spent years recovering from the heartbreak he dealt her only to be thrown back into his presence through her career choice. Considering all Katie has been through, I actually see she has a fairly good head on her shoulders. She does have hang ups with giving herself over to someone and keeps her relationships superficial to avoid the heartbreak that could possibly come along with getting attached to someone. You can see she loves what she does, though, and can put romance on a page easily. I will say her clothing and make up are referred to often in the book, attempting to make her more unique. But I didn't quite feel that uniqueness in her personality. Tyler is just a mess. He's closed off and wounded from so much trauma in his past: his dad leaving, his best friend's death, his inability to stop loving the girl from his childhood, his addiction and recovery: a classically tortured soul for sure. I was waiting the whole book to see him relapse, to be honest. His inability to communicate with Katie and his penchant for running drove me nuts throughout the entire book. If he had only opened his mouth to have a conversation with her about the things that happened in the past, rather than holding on to them for fear she would never want to be with him, then so much of the heart ache he was enduring could have been avoided. 

The author does a good job with the pacing in this book. It was fast and the plot kept me interested. This is firmly a romance novel. While I understood the characters had a past, and this was truly a second chance romance, I was frustrated with how easily they fell back into each other. Given their past and the heart break Tyler cause, I felt Katie too easily forgave him and was quick to reform their friendship and have feelings for somene who hurt her so badly. I liked the use of the flashbacks so we got to know the characters and saw why they developed the way they did. Plus the snippets from the book Katie and Tyler were writing were spot on aligned with their own story.

My issues with this book were two fold. First, I feel like the grief from the loss Katie and her family endured was to drawn out. While I understood Katie was wont to confront her mother, I just feel like 8 years is a long time to carry that heaviness around without completely breaking. It seemed a bit unrealistic to me. My second issue was the magical aspect, which was thrown in at the end. I loved magical realism, it's a genre I often gravitate towards. While the blurb does mention some kind of magic, I didn't think it would be a literal part of the book given how the first 3/4 of the story progresses. It just pops up in the last 20% of the book, seemingly out of nowhere and take the meaning of ghostwriting to a whole new level. The weird twist take sthis romance and turns it into something more speculative with a paranormal aspect that just didn't fit the entire story line. To be fair, there were strange instances in the book where you could potentially see this magic at play, but they were never truly incorporated enough into the story to make me wonder. In the end, it just made zero sense for it to be thrown at the reader and took me right out of the story. I wish there was more in the body of the book that made you question things as the final twist would have made much more sense when it happened. The shock factor this twist was supposed elicit did not hit for me. The ending of the book quickly dropped my rating from 5 stars to 4.

But the writing is truly great. I didn't read Okie's first book but I've already added it to my TBR. And I'm definitely keeping her on my list of most anticipated author's for the future. Readers who love all the romance tropes will eat this one up. Just be ready to throw your beliefs out the window at the end and suspend any type of disbelief you might have.

Author:

Hi, I’m Lauren Okie, and I write messy, hard-fought love stories. My debut, THE BEST WORST THING, is out now. Look out for TROPESICK, coming summer 2026, and follow me on IG (@laurenokieauthor) to keep up with my nonsense.

ARC Review: Queen of the Night (Starkeepers #2) Sky by Amalie Howard

 

The sequel to The Starlight Heir and the epic conclusion to the romantasy duology that Rebecca Yarros calls, “a breathtaking, sexy romantasy full of twists and adventure.”

The Kingdom of Oryndhr has been saved by the will of the Royal Stars. But King Roshan, once Sura’s best friend and chosen love, has changed. She can sense corruption growing in him, and her own magic is being twisted by his command to dangerous ends. As dreams of her strange shadow guardian return in force, she is left unsure of her path—and of her heart.

When an attempt on her life leads to her rescue on the back of an azdaha, the dragon-like creature she once thought a myth, Sura truly finds herself in uncharted territory—in a land far beyond Oryndhyr’s borders. Everlea is full of magic, ruled by the deadly and enigmatic Night King, Darrius. And to Sura’s shock, Darrius is none other than the man in her dreams…and possibly her soul fated mate.

As a prophecy unfolds, the old gods awaken, and a war between kingdoms looms, Sura has no she must fully embrace her destiny as Starkeeper and the entirety of her power before it’s too late. But all power comes at a cost…and darkness has a way of slithering into the smallest spaces.

Queen of the Night Sky is a lush, fast-paced romantasy inspired by Indian and Persian mythology,

Open door spice “Why choose” trope Yearning and heartache Magic system inspired by Vedic astrology

Title: Queen of the Night Sky (Starkeepers #2)

Author: Amalie Howard

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: March 17, 2025

Review:

Thank you to HarperAudio Adult, Avon Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I've long been a fan of Amalie Howard and her ability to cultivate stories that are diverse and interesting. I was super excited for this second installment in the Starkeeper series. The ending of book 1 definitely left me wanting more so I could see where the story goes. This one picks up right after that one ends. If you have not read book 1, you need to go back and do that before you approach this one or you will not understand a thing that is happening, although there is somewhat of a recap in the first chapter.

Warning here, there are some spoilers ahead that I just had to include in order to appropriately review this title. I tried to keep them light so you'd still want to possibly dive in and see how they progress. But you have been forewarned.

I had both a kindle copy and audio copy of this book. The narrators were all new to me and in all honesty, I listened less than reading the Kindle version because I just didn't like how the narrators presented the characters. I did enjoy the male more than the female, but overall their narration grated on me and took me out of the story.

I remember having a bit of a hard time getting into the first book in this series but once I was surrounded by the story it took off and I loved it. This book started off similarly for me. I wasn't sure where it was going or if I would like the direction. But then I got to part 2 and started to see how the story was taking shape. I will be honest and say why choose is not one of my favorite tropes. I tend to pass on the books that have this theme. But since I was already invested from book 1, and I'm usually a fan of how Howard writes her stories, I figured she would nail it correctly and make me enjoy the trope. Unfortunately, I was wrong. 

I really liked Suraya's character. in book 1. She had a lot of growth and I wanted to see more of her badness come out in this book. But all that is stilted in part 1 when she is more or less abused and taken advantage of. Now, I did have my suspicions of why and how this was going on (which were confirmed later in the book) but I still didn't like it. She was belittled and had zero way to defend herself. It diminished her so much. But in part 2, she has a what I consider a personality change. Is this because of her memory loss? Of course it is, but also the changes were so abrupt from book 1 to book 2 it really turned me off to her character. She does have some growth by the end of part two as she slowly relearns who she is and this was a nice touch.

I loved Roshan in book 1, in this book, not so much. Even after the big reveal, I needed him to be gone. Once the truth came out, it was like nothing he did in part 1 mattered. I hated this. Suddenly Suraya just forgave him and, oh, still had feelings for him. HUH? She didn't even have a chance to process her anger towards Roshan and then maybe slowly forgive him. There was not emotional work, no growth in this area, at all. And of course we are introduced to the second love interest, Darrius, Suraya's soul-fated, which I figured we'd see sooner or later given her dreams. I really liked his character so much more than Roshan. His struggle with his monster and how to keep Suraya safe was very genuine and endeared me to him. And, in all honesty, I don't feel like Howard did the why choose justice with how Roshan was presented. To me, there was a clear line as to who Suraya should choose considering how poorly Roshan treated her. This book would have been much better presented as a love triangle rather than a why choose. The why choose felt forced for me and I did not feel Suraya's struggle when trying to figure out who she wanted to be with. I could not be invested in her relationship with Roshan at all.

The world building continues in this book. Now we see a bit more of the magic outside of Suraya's home and how it is used. I enjoyed this part for sure and think Howard did a nice job incorporating it into what we already knew of this world. I loved the dragon type characters. And, while their introduction absolutely reminded me of Yarros's Fourth Wing, I was able to overlook this so I could see how they fit into the story. This story is filled with political intrigue and, or course, a villain who you probably do not see coming.

I will say, part two of this book felt like a completely different story from part 1. While part 1 is a continuation of book 1, party two introduces all new elements and characters. I almost felt like part 1 could have been a novella and then part 2 could have been the actual sequel. It all just felt rushed at the end, like Howard was squeezing in the why choose because it was what she thought people might want and then trying to wrap up the duology. I would have loved to see another book that explored the why choose and the potential throuple as opposed to just ending it. The whole story felt a bit unresolved.

And I have to mention there was one line in the book that completely took me out of the story and pretty much had me not even want to continue. At one point during a love scene, the MMC talks about the FMC's private parts as "glistening alter of worship" and this totally turned me off. It was not sexy. It was not an amazing way to decribe his thoughts. It was just gross for me.

This series had lots of potential but this second book killed it for me. The pacing was inconsistent and the turn it took was not in line with the first book at all. As much as I wanted to like this book, I just didn't. The book felt full of too many things as it tried it's hardest to end the dulology. I really think it would have been better with a third book. Despite my rating, there seemed to be lots of people who loved this installment and I think it will appeal to most of Howard's audience, for sure.

Author:

ARC Review: Last Night Was Fun by Holly MIchelle

You’ve Got Mail meets The Hating Game! Vying for a promotion against a bitter rival as the only female data analyst for a professional baseball team, Emmy finds solace in the text-flirting relationship that started as a wrong number exchange—unaware that the man she’s texting is the one she’s fighting for the promotion.

Emmy Jameson lives by three no dating, no sharing personal news at work, and baseball above everything. As the only female data analyst for a professional baseball team, Emmy is constantly trying to prove herself.

Especially when she’s put up for a senior analyst position against her arrogant, infuriating coworker Gabe Olson. Sure, he’s gorgeous and smart and he was a baseball star in college who knows the sport inside and out, but so does Emmy. She is not going to lose to him again. There will be no distractions this summer. Not even her sister’s pending destination wedding in Mexico for which she needs to find a plus one.

But then she receives a text from an unknown number with a simple  “Last night was fun.” When she strikes up a conversation with the mystery texter, they realize that he was given a fake phone number after a bad date that just so happened to be Emmy’s. Despite her rules, Emmy can’t deny the instant connection she feels and soon finds herself falling for the stranger on the other side of the screen…and inviting him to her sister’s wedding.

Emmy’s world turns upside down when her mystery man turns out to be none other than Gabe Olson. They are left having to travel to the wedding together while trying to sort out which version of their relationship is their in-person rivalry or the deep connection they found in their messages.

Title: Last Night Was Fun

Author: Holly Michelle

Publisher: Avon

Expected Publication Date: June 10, 2025

Review:

Thank you to Avon Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinion expressed here are my own.

You had me at You've Got Mail. One of my favorite movies. I just love a mistaken identity trope!

Emmy Jameson has rules: no dating, no personal interactions at work, and baseball above all else. At work, she's competing or a promotion against her nemesis, Gabe Olsen. They are like oil and vinegar and she's determined to beat him for the title.. When she receives a random text and strikes up communication with the sender, she finds herself opening up about things she never thought she would. Little does she know the sender is none other than her nemesis.

Emmy is a great character. But boy does she have some unsolved trauma. She definitely works through a lot throughout the book. And a woman in a man's world made her life even harder. She had to fight for everything to show she was worthy of her job. I hated that for her but it wasn't unrelatable. I enjoyed her development and her relationships with her coworkers, best friend, and parents.

Gabe is a tight lipped character. His outside facade is not what he feels inside at all. He presents himself as what he thinks everyone wants to see him while he's secretly so not the way that everyone sees him. I loved his connection to Emmy. I was routing for him the whole time.

The pacing of the book was good. While it took a turn about 50% through, that didn't stop me from wanting to continue to read to see where the story was going. I really enjoyed the slow build romance. Plus there was so much banter I found myself laughing more often than not. And then there's the swoon the author makes you go through. The build up is tense and the culmination worth the wait.

This book was a lot of fun. I was enamored with the text exchanges between Emmy and Gabe. There was some serious flirting and moments of raw honesty that were refreshing. There is a ton of baggage for both characters which of course forces them to look deeply at themselves and how they view relationships. My only complaint with this book was the drop off in that connection at about halfway through the book. While I understand why it happened, it changed the feel of the relationship and tone of the book very quickly and I found myself missing it. 

Overall this one was fun. It's my first book by this author, who I understand has more than one pen name. I would love to read  more from her in the future. A solid swoon worthy beach read!

Author:

Holly James (Holly Michelle) is the author of adult romance and commercial fiction. She holds a PhD in psychology and has worked in both academia and the tech industry. When she’s not reading or writing a book, she can be found on the beach or hiking in the woods. Born and raised in Northern California, she currently lives at the southern end of the state with her husband and their dog. Find her at hollyjamesbooks.com and on Instagram at @hellohollyjames.

 

ARC Review: Dream Girl Drama (Big Shots #3) by Tessa Bailey

A steamy chance encounter between a professional hockey player and the manic pixie dream girl he just can’t seem to forget takes a turn when the pair realize that their parents are engaged—in an all-new rom-com by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey.

When professional hockey player Sig Gauthier’s car breaks down and his phone dies, he treks into a posh private country club to call a tow truck, where he encounters the alluring Chloe Clifford, the manic pixie dream girl who captivates him immediately with her sense of adventure and penchant for stealing champagne.

Sparks fly during a moonlight kiss and the enamored pair can’t wait to see each other again, but when Sig finally arrives to meet his dad’s new girlfriend over dinner, Chloe is confusingly also there. Turns out the girlfriend is Chloe’s mother. Oh, and they’re engaged.

Sig’s dream girl is his future stepsister.

Though the pair is now wary of being involved romantically, Chloe, a sheltered harp prodigy, yearns to escape her controlling mother. Sig promises to teach her the ins and outs of independence in Boston—but not inside his bedroom. They both know there can never be more than friendship between a famous hockey player and his high-society, soon-to-be stepsister. But keeping their relationship platonic grows harder amid the developing family drama, especially knowing they were meant for so much more…

Title: Dream Girl Drama (Big Shots #3)

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Avon/Harper Voyager

Expected Publication Date: February 4, 2025

Review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for providing me with an egalley of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Do I love insta-love? No, not really. Does Tessa Bailey write it so I just cannot help but love her characters, their story, and where they are going to end up? You betcha! Every time I think I'll hate when characters are immediately attracted to each other, Bailey does their story justice and makes me love insta-love love just a little bit more. Throw in there me enjoying the other books in this series, and I know I'm jumping into something I won't be able to put down.

Sig Gauthier is a hockey player with no plans to be romantically involved with anyone, until his chance encounter with Chloe Clifford. Their connection is instant and he can't get enough of her. When he's faced with the reality that his father is marrying Chloe's mother, he knows he has to stay away. But he just can't. Chloe wants more than her sheltered life and Sig give her to opportunity to take it. I love how much of a care taker Sig is. He is oath bound to keep Chloe safe and help her fulfill her dreams in any way he can. He knows he cannot have her, but he craves her and if being her supporter is what he must do to be in her life, then he takes it. Of course he cannot seem to stay way from her, from wanting to touch her and be with her in more than a brotherly way. Sig is probably one of my most favorite MMC's that Bailey has written. He's sweet and undemanding. He loves with his whole heart.

Chloe Clifford is the most sheltered character I've ever read. She has had her whole life handed to her being the daughter of a wealthy mother and not having had to want for anything her entire life. But Chloe feels stunted and her need to become her own person overwhelms her need to remain in the cushy life her mother has built. Her growth in this book is really great. She learns so many life lessons about being on your own. taking care of yourself, standing up for yourself, and most of being loved for yourself.

Bailey has a very particular writing style. I enjoy how she writes in third person. And I especially likes that she does a dual POV. I really feel like this helps her characters grow and develop. Her pacing is pretty fast paced and she always gets to the heart of the story immediately. I love when this happens and then you can spend the rest of the book watching the characters work out their story,

This was a great addition to the Big Shots series. Spice, drama, tension, and so much banter kept me turning the pages to see what happened. I cannot wait for Robbie's story!

Author:

New York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of books.

 

ARC Review: The Starlight Heir (The Starlight Heir #1) by Amalie Howard

 

A bladesmith with the power of the stars in her blood and a prince with a dangerous secret will fight to save their kingdom in this spicy and spellbinding romantasy inspired by Persian and Indian mythology—perfect for readers of Sarah J. Maas and Thea Guanzon.

To save the realm from eternal darkness, she’ll have to choose between the truth and the lie—stand and fight or kneel and die.

“His Imperial Majesty, King Zarek requests your presence as his esteemed guest.”

When the gold-dusted court invitation arrives at Suraya Saab’s forge, she believes it’s a joke. Nobles might seek her skills as a bladesmith—one of few who can imbue her work with precious jadu, the last source of magic in the realm—but she has no qualifications as a potential bride for the crown prince. Still, the invitation is the chance at adventure, and the means to finally visit the capital city her late mother loved.

But what awaits her in Kaldari is nothing she could have imagined—and fraught with danger. It’s not the crown prince, but his impossibly handsome, illegitimate half-brother, Roshan, who draws her interest…and her ire. The invitation isn’t a quest to find a suitable bride, but a veiled hunt for the starbringer—a girl rumored to hold the magic of the stars in her blood. And across the city, unrest is brewing between the noble houses and the rebel militia.

When the rebels carry out a brutal strike, Suraya and Roshan find themselves on the run, trying to deny their simmering attraction and the knowledge that Suraya herself might be the starbringer. But Roshan is hiding secrets of his own. And with no control of the power that seems to be stirring within her, Suraya has drawn the attention of the old gods themselves…and the interest of one dark god in particular might be the biggest threat of all.

Title: The Starlight Heir (The Starlight Heir #1)

Author: Amalie Howard

Publisher: Avon

Expected Publication Date: January 7, 2025

Review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Harper Voyager for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I've been a lover of Howard's work for a long time. I especially love when she delves into the fantasy world. So to say I was excited to read this one when given a chance is an understatement.

I'll start with the cover because how cay you not? Even if I didn't know Amalie's work, I would pick this book up and buy just based on the gorgeous cover. 

Amalie continues to impress by building a unique magical world within her book. I'm always excited to be introduced to new folklore and this one definitely fit that bill. I don't know much of Persian or Indian mythology but Howard does a nice job of creating a world where we understand the background and what it means to the characters and their development within the story. So many different concepts to explore and enjoy.

The pacing was well done with this book. I didn't feel bored when reading it and I definitely wanted to know what was next every time I had to put it down to do something else.

The FMC, Suraya Saab, is well done. She's funny and interesting and easily relatable for the reader. I liked her view on life and also loved her loyalty to family and close friends. I loved her profession but, being a bladesmith seems like it would come with a bit more "badassery" than I felt from the actual character. She wasn't strong in that respect, kind of keeping to herself when I felt like such a character would be a bit more brash and loud mouthed. The MMC, Roshan, was most of all funny. I loved that he could easily get Suraya to laugh. I will say the romance seemed just a bit forced for me. I wanted a bit more development and conflict with the characters but it wasn't truly there. He fell for her a little faster than I would have liked but at the same time his knowledge of who she was and what she could possibly do for him were floating about. It seems his intentions were not all on the up and up from the get go. But their banter is really quite fun and it's what made me feel the relationship was true.

I really enjoyed the secondary characters. Some I was sad to see go and others I wanted to see GONE! There's definitely villainy in this story. There's even a bit of a Hunger Games feel to how the book begins with the girls needing to prove their worth to the crown prince in order to become his selected wife.

So why not 5 stars, you say? I know the book is marketed as an adult romantasy and in all honesty, I just didn't get that vibe with it, despite the characters being in their 20s. It really did had a younger feel to me even with the spice infused into the story. If that spice was not there, I would not have thought of it as anything but a YA fantasy. I would definitely tell people this felt more like an older YA or even NA book with adult themes. This part of the execution fell a little flat for me. I'm hoping the second book leans more towards that adult theme the author was going for. I also found some parts of the story to be rushed. While Howard does a good job showing us the world, I needed to spend more time in some of the spaces to really understand the mythology behind what she was presenting.

Overall, I'd recommend this one and I'm excited to see where Howard is going to take the second book in the series.

Author:

AMALIE HOWARD is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author, most notably of The Beast of Beswick, “a smart, sexy, deliciously feminist romance,” and one of O-The Oprah Magazine’s Top 24 Best Historicals to Read. She is the co-author of the #1 bestsellers in regency romance and Scottish historical romance, My Rogue, My Ruin and What A Scot Wants, and has also penned several young adult novels, critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, School Library Journal, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Kid’s INDIE NEXT selection. Of Indo-Caribbean descent, she has written articles on multicultural fiction for The Portland Book Review and Ravishly magazine. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. Visit her at amaliehoward.com.