Welcome to Litsy!

Audiobooks and puzzling is a great combination but I will say, this has been one of the hardest puzzles yet!!

this is hands down one of my favorite romances I‘ve read this year. it‘s so freaking good.
Charlie is the new “Bachelor”™️ and Dev is a producer/handler tasked with making this very awkward man into a prince. Dev starts to get Charlie to open up to him so he can open up to the women he‘s dating on the show but also like what women??? positive gay relationship, mental health rep, no gay panic, I can‘t say enough how much I loved this book

Just finished this totally awesome m/m #romantsy rom-com. Dev is a producer on Ever After ( a tv show very reminiscent of The Bachelor) and Charles is the star for this season . Dev is tasked with turning Charles into Prince Charming so he can choose his future Princess. But Charles is so sweet and gawky and lovely…Dev just might be falling for him. This book is so sweet and so positive - all the feels !

As a Bachelor and Bachelorette fan, I was all in for this book. It absolutely delivered. Charlie is utterly adorable and will tug at all your heart strings. Dev will make you want to believe in Disney-like happy endings. Honestly, I could gush about all the characters. The interviews and the extra footage transcripts really sold the behind-the-scenes feel of a reality show. I‘m very glad I treated myself and bought this book.

This quirky queer romcom was a fun bit of escapism during a busy work week. I loved the diverse cast of characters and found family vibe along with the behind the scenes setting of a The Bachelor-type show. #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #awesomeapril @Andrew65

I read a ton of great stuff in March. Alongside the tagged 5-star read, I revisited my favourite romance series (Rachel Reid‘s Game Changers) and found four new-to-me 4.5ers: THE STRANGERS by Katherena Vermette, SOMETHING FABULOUS by Alexis Hall, DRAGON HOOPS by Gene Luen Yang, and MALIBU RISING by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

April #bookspin! Where did March go? I know I lost at least a week adjusting to Daylight Savings, but it really feels like the days are flying by.

I caved this month and made a NetGalley account. Not sure yet if this is a good or bad thing considering how it has distracted me from my original reading list for the month (though, to be fair, it doesn't take much). I'm adding specific spaces to limit my NetGalley requesting to a manageable amount.

Of course I loved this book.The romance is sweet and steamy, it has LGBTQIA+ representation coming from a bunch of places, and it takes on mental health in a respectful way.The author does a great job of making the cast of characters lovable and memorable.The only thing I was disappointed by was a B-plot that went in a different direction than I expected (spoiler below) but I think the author‘s resolution was just as good!

Going to try to finish The Charm Offensive today while I enjoy the good weather (until the temperature drop and rain comes this afternoon ☹️). Still loving the book. The coming out and mental health conversations are so kind.
My crocuses just started blooming in the warmest part of the yard, I hope they pull through!

Having a rough migraine week, so I spent the morning making some chocolate chip banana muffins. This book is a really nice antidote to feeling run down. I am loving the friendships and support, the mental health representation, and there is a certain B plot that I am very excited about. I can‘t wait to see them get into the end-game aspects of the show and see how those add to the chaos!

HOLY CRAP, Y‘ALL. THIS BOOK.

I FELT SO MANY THINGS. I CRIED SO MUCH. IT‘S SO DAMNED GOOD I DON‘T EVEN WANT TO DISSECT IT. I JUST WANT TO SHOUT ABOUT HOW GOOD IT IS, WITH ITS GLORIOUS MIX OF QUEER DISCOVERY AND REALITY TV AND MENTAL HEALTH AND FRIENDSHIP. 😭😭😭😭😭

5 stars

Earlier, I ate sausage and barley soup (it tastes way better than it looks, I swear) and read a nice wee chunk of THE CHARM OFFENSIVE. It feels like a book I could love.

I read a lot of great books in February but this one snuck in at the end and overtook them ALL 😍
#readingbracket

Enjoying this book so far! I love a good trope, but I always come in wondering if the author will lean on it too hard and the characters will end up feeling like cardboard cutouts. That‘s not the case with this book! The characters are likable, the narrator is great and the premise just brings a lot of fun and chaos in.

I‘m working on my first brioche stitch piece while I listen. It‘s tricky, but I love how cushy the fabric is! #audioknitting

Another cute rom com with a good representation for mental health. This revolves around a Bachelor like show where Charlie goes on, not to meet women and get married like the show calls for, but to get back into his tech world. His handler on the show Dev believes in the shows Happily Ever After story. What happens when these two develop feelings for each other? We also get good rep for Charlie who has OCD and anxiety, and Dev who has depression.

As the title promises, this is charming. I loved both of the MCs (Charlie is especially wonderful) and every single one of the side characters. I liked the love story but most of all I liked that nearly all the characters either did, or learned to, take their mental health seriously. Love stories are all well and good but Dev, Charlie, and even Daphne all needed to learn to love themselves first. The "finale" was perfect. ?

I absolutely adored this book! It's a heartwarming romance that also hits on coming to terms with your mental health and sexuality. I loved Charlie and Dev's relationship and how they loved each other's flaws. I seriously stayed up half the night finishing this (on a weeknight!) because I couldn't put it down. I foresee it becoming my newest comfort reread 💗🧡💗

This was adorable queer rom-com about a Bachelor like show‘s prince and his handler. So sweet and cute and another hug of a read. Also lots of representation, LGBTQIA+ and mental health. 4.5⭐️
#ReadHarder - an aromantic character
#romancereadingchallenge - cinnamon roll hero
#bookspinbingo - square
#roaringwolfchallenge - self love
#fabulousfebruary #readathon

@TheSpineView Lisa, thank you so much for this lovely package! You seriously spoiled me, I was not expecting all these goodies 😍 I love it all, thank you ❤️

Some of my favorite romance novels for Valentine's Day ❤

It‘s a beautiful afternoon for a little romance! 💕

I pulled this off my shelf last night after it came in as a Get TBR rec and oh ‘em gee it‘s adorable. I read the first 65 pages grinning ear to ear.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My heart is so full. How fun, how lovely, how queer. I can‘t stop smiling.

There are so many positive things in this book. So many things worked through and a slew of feels along the way. It was so lovely. A great read.

Next up!
#pantonereadingchallenge

Okay, you win. This was cute. I oddly really enjoyed the backstage production parts of this reality dating show—while knowing the verisimilitude may not be high.

Certainly charmed me💖 #romantsy

And that's it for 2021 for me, I'm going to bed.

Happy New Year everyone.

Nice romance with lots of LGBTQ rep. I‘m not a reality TV watcher but the setting helped force situations and contact. I liked the characters and message.

"... you're not obligated to figure it out, or come out, or explain yourself to anyone ever. But also, labels can be nice sometimes. They can give us a language to explain ourselves and our hearts better. And they can help us find community and develope a sense of belonging. I mean, if you didn't have the correct label for your OCD, you wouldn't be able to get the treatment you need, right?"

An absolutely adorable reality TV-style rom-com with big Red, White and Royal Blue vibes (banter + clueless men falling in love and not realizing the other one loves them back). Represents and addresses a whole host of mental illnesses including OCD, anxiety disorders, and depression and does it well. Only small negative is Dev is described as Indian but that rep feels very surface level. Overall so so good, though. Highly recommend this one!

Solid read, super cute and relatable (apart from the whole being on tv thing)

This was a heck of a lot of fun. I‘m not a Bachelor fan, but I‘d watch this.

I am really no good at reviews but.....

This book was so good. SO GOOD. I don't normally like rom-com books so I fully expected to not like this and DNF it. The total opposite happened. I could not put this book down. The foundation of this story...just wow. I'm absolutely here for it.

See, I've told you how much I loved it without actually telling you anything about it.
Not good at reviews 😅. Just read it. Worth it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cannot put this book down 😍!

I've seen so many 4 and 5 star reviews, but for me this was like a 2.5. I liked the attention to mental health, the message that everyone is deserving of love, the LBGTQ+ rep, and Charlie. Things I didn't like: the fact that Dev is Indian American, but that plays absolutely no factor in his personality. Dev is also very blind/naive about the reality show which he's worked on for 6 years. Lots of drama at the end that was unnecessary and avoidable

I thoroughly enjoyed this romcom. I could not put it down. I loved the attention to mental illness and the acceptance that the right partner will provide. I also loved the parallels to a real life reality show and how it humanized the behind the scenes talent. I loved Dev‘s quirkiness and Charlie‘s awkwardness. It felt genuine and sweet. Highly recommend.

An Indian American producer of a Bachelor-type reality dating show falls for its star and vice versa in this LGBTA+ queer based rom-com.

This is probably the most inclusive and diverse LGBTQ+ book that I have read in years! It‘s ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for that alone, but it was also just a cute, fun read. It‘s handling about mental health and self-care was also overwhelmingly mature.

Having just come out as asexual, I truly appreciated the author‘s inclusivity and maturity, while still having fun!

It‘s a good vacation when you‘ve read the 3 graphic novels, and 2 out of the 3 books you brought! Picking up the last one!! #currentlyreading

This was a sweet, funny, gay romance featuring a “The Bachelor' type reality show. I really enjoyed it. I do not read a lot of romantic comedies but a good one can be a wonderful form of entertainment and this one certainly was.

This rom com features a diverse & inclusive cast along the drama of a reality TV show called Ever After- a Bachleor-esque program with a fairy tale slant. Dev grew up loving the show, & as a producer on it believes that the magic & romance of the show is real. Charlie, the season‘s latest Prince Charming, comes with his own agenda for the show- complicated further by his mental health. While the romance is predictable, it‘s an entertaining read!

I spent a lot of years refusing to read anything even remotely romantic, first because I was freaked out by the harlequin covers, and then because they never seemed to be about the types of relationships I was in. I'm a pansexual white person, so I'm sure that disconnect was probably a lot worse for many other people.

Now, I know we've got a LONG way to go, but this was a really nice surprise when I sat down to read & review this ARC.

#romantsy

5 STARS - This debut knocked my socks off! It's an LGBTQIA+ romance set in a Bachelor-type reality TV show. The characters were wonderful but its focus on mental health & gender identity was my fav part. Look for it Sept 7 from Atria Books.

REVIEW: https://bit.ly/CharmOffensiveReview

So much to like! It‘s fun, cute, and well done. I loved how things unfolded and Dev and Charlie were absolutely adorable together.

Could have done without the long chapters though.

@Eggbeater @midnightbookgirl awyr

I‘m really enjoying The Charm Offensive but OMG these chapters are long AF and it‘s driving me bananas. I hate long chapters with a burning passion

I loved this. I wanted to rush to the happily ever after while also never wanting it to end. Charlie signs up to be on a dating show to revamp his image not expecting to find love. Then he meets Dev the producer who seems to understand him in ways no one else ever has. A m/m romance with an emphasis on diversity and mental health that also delivers on the swoon. Definitely a book all lovers of Red White and Royal Blue should add to their TBRs.

I'm on vacation for the next 6 days! I'm headed today to the Twin Cities where all my family lives. It's been a year since I've seen them. Yay vaccinations!
I'm starting the tagged book and bringing these #botm books that I've already read to see if my mom wants to read any of them.😁☀️

And finally, my May 2021 reads! On a rom-com kick right now and loving it.

So, so, so, so good! I don‘t think I‘ve ever read a novel that‘s made me laugh out loud, made me cry, and taught me all about LGBTQ+; asexual, pansexual, I romantic....I learned so much new stuff! All the feels from how she handled the mental health issues, showing that it‘s totally normal and totally ok. Our author really covers a lot in such a short time, but she does it so well. I‘ve already preorder this to give as gifts to so many people!