Angel Reads

28 Mar

Romance Tropes That I Love | Part 1

Posted by angelreads Discussions, Recommendations 1 Comment

I was talking with Ely from Of Wonderland, about some of the romance tropes that I love. And I thought that today I should share some of them with you. I realised while getting this post together that I like a lot of different tropes. So breaking it in up in parts was the best option.

Over the past couple of years, I have been reading romance more and more. It was rare that I read a book without some sort of romance even before.

Friends to Lovers: This has to be one of my favourite romance tropes ever. There is something about it that just makes me all warm inside. I love that there is already a relationship that the romance is built on. And how the reader is able to see feelings change both characters becoming aware of the changes. Some of my recent favourite friends to lovers romances are Emma and Julian from The Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare and Maggie and Levi from Coming up For Air by Miranda Kenneally.

These two and very different books, but they still share the same essence. The romance is between two characters that have been friends with for a long. So, it looks at them finally coming to terms with their feelings.

Enemies to lovers: This one hasn’t always been one I loved. But over the years I’ve come to love it even more. Sometimes if it isn’t done right it doesn’t work. If the extent of them being enemies is too harsh – I struggle to like it. But if it’s done in a way where no one really gets hurt physically or mentally because of the other – I am all for it. A recent favourite of mine that includes enemies to lovers are; Prince Rhen and Harper from A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer and Lily and Rowan from Worldwalker Series by Josephine Angelini.

The romance in this A Curse So Dark and Lonely is so good! I love that it takes some time before they are even friends, but the reader is able to see them turning into something more. While Lily and Rowan from the Worldwalker series aren’t so much as enemies, as people who didn’t particularly like each other at first.

Siblings Friend/Best Friends Siblings: This one has always been one of my favourite romance tropes. I don’t know what it is, but when I hear about this in a book – I am always happy. I really like the tension that causes and how everything is put on the line. And I like that it shows that the characters would do anything for one another, even if it means upsetting some people that they love. Some of my recent favourites are Ella and Beckett from The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros and Jess and Blake from Good Boy (WAGs #1) by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy.

Again these two and totally different but they work so well. But I just love them both so much. Ella and Beckett’s relationship is quite different, but I love how it works. While Jess and Blake are crazy and daring, but again it works.

Second Chance Romances: One of the most popular romance tropes I think that is out there – but it’s also one that I adore. It’s something about them already knowing each other well that makes this trope stand out for me. I love how both characters have to work through things before they can fall for each other again and it makes for a story that is whole. Some of my recent favourites are Zorie and Lennon from Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett as well as Jamie and Ryan from Him and Us by Sarina Bowen

These two again show the diverse nature of the second chance romance trope. While Zroie and Lennon have a much more best friends, to enemies, to lovers story. Jamie and Ryan have a much more emotional story that looks into sexuality and finding out who you are.

And that is it for this post! What are some of your favourite romance tropes? Why are they your favourite? Do we share any that is the same? I can’t wait to share some more of my favourites. Let’s Chat!

24 Mar

Book Review: Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally

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Coming Up for Air (Hundred Oaks) by Miranda Kenneally

Pages: 293
Publish date: July 4th 2017
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
ISBN: 9781492630111
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swin. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.

All of Maggie’s focus and free time is spent swimming. She’s not only striving to earn scholarships—she’s training to qualify for the Olympics. It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team and cheers her on. But Levi’s already earned an Olympic tryout, so Maggie feels even more pressure to succeed. And it’s not until Maggie’s away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the “typical” high school experience she’s missed by being in the pool.

Not one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year. First up? Making out with a guy. And Levi could be the perfect candidate. After all, they already spend a lot of time together. But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to sacrifice in the water to win at love?

Coming Up For Air:

I have been reading Miranda Kenneally books for years now. When I first picked up her books I fell in love with the sports romance and now I read it all the time. Miranda Kenneally books are much harder to find here in Australia and that’s mostly why I kept putting off reading it. But I thought it was due time for me to pick it up.

Coming up For Air by Miranda Kenneally follows Maggie as she tries to navigate her final year of high school, and more importantly her competitive swimming. Swimming has always been a part of Maggie’s life. Most of the day when she isn’t swimming she is thinking about swimming. And now she is training more than ever, because not only is Maggie striving to earn scholarships, but also to earn her spot at the Olympics. But after her best friend Levi earns a tryout, Maggie feels the pressure to get a place at the trails even more. But after a college visit, Maggie realises that she has missed a lot of the high school experience. And she thinks Levi might be the one to help her.

I just loved this book so much. I loved the characters, the plot and just everything in between. I’ve always finish Miranda Kenneally books with a smile on my face and it was no different for Coming up For Air.

Hao Sun

Maggie was a fantastic protagonist in Coming up For Air. She was honest, real, and had her faults – and that is why I enjoyed reading about her so much. Maggie has been training to get to the Olympics most of her swimming life, it’s what she gets up each does and thinks about. But by doing this, she also forgets how to be a teen. It was a really interesting way of looking up the ‘normal’ teen life, and I really enjoyed seeing Maggie experience some new things for the very first time. And while I loved seeing such a young driven character, it was great to see her let loose and kind of go with the flow.

One of the things that Miranda Kenneally does so well, is that she represents honest female characters that have their faults. Sometimes in YA, I have a hard time connecting with the protagonist because I feel like they can’t go wrong. But Kenneally does the opposite. This makes for not only a really good read but a protagonist with a fantastic character arc.

Levi was a really interesting character and for the most part, I really enjoyed him. Like Maggie, he is focused on his swimming and becoming the best that he can be. But he is naturally talented so things do come a little easier for him. Because of this, he likes to get this frustrating out a little differently. It was an interesting contrast to Maggie. Throughout Coming up For Air the reader gets to see many different sides to Levi, and I really enjoyed that.

Quino Al

I know I have spoken about this before many times. But I love sports romances books. I don’t really know why but they always put a smile on my face. Sometimes it is a little harder when I don’t know the sport so well, but I like learning about new things. And I think that Miranda Kenneally knows how to writes sports romances so well. You aren’t really thrown into the deep end with it all, but the reader learns along the way. I also like that Keneally didn’t just look at one type of sports in her Hundred Oaks series – it centres around all different types which is really cool.

The romance in Coming up For Air was adorable. It melted my hear and I just couldn’t stop smiling. And not only that it looks at one of my favourite romances tropes – best friends to lovers. Maggie and Levi have been friends since forever. They rarely spend a day apart, so Maggie knows that asking him to experience more of ‘normal’ teen life is going to be hard. But she does it. I really enjoyed that Levi didn’t give in right away – he showed that he respected their friendship – which was really nice. I loved that the heat between these two slowly builds and they both start falling for one another.

Alejandra Quiroz

Friendship and coming of age was also a massive theme throughout Coming up For Air. One of my favourite things about young adult novels is the exploration of friendships and I really think it was done well here. It explores some really fantastic friendships, as well as one that has turned a little nasty. Maggie has a really strong friendship group surrounding her that not only encourages her with swimming, but also other things in life.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Coming up For Air by Miranda Kenneally. It was a little bittersweet reading the final book in this series as I have been reading it for some time now. But Coming up For Air was a great way to finish it all off. It explores coming of age, being a teen and looking into the future. You will laugh, you will smile and you might even cry. Maggie and Levi are adorable together, but also have fantastic character arcs of their own. If you are looking for a cute, quick read, then this one if for you.

Have you read Coming up For Air by Miranda Kenneally? What did you think? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read any other books by Miranda Kenneally? Let’s Chat!

19 Mar

Book Review: Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris

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Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris

Pages: 310
Publish date: March 26th 2019
Publisher: Entangled Teen
ISBN: 9781640635265
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Look up the word “nerd” and you’ll find Lily Bailey’s picture. She’s got one goal: first stop valedictorian, next stop Harvard. Until a stint in the hospital from too much stress lands her in the last place a klutz like her ever expected to be: salsa dance lessons.

Look up the word “popular” and you’ll find Stone Torres’s picture. His life seems perfect—star of the football team, small-town hero, lots of friends. But his family is struggling to make ends meet, so if pitching in at his mom’s dance studio helps, he’ll do it.

When Lily’s dad offers Stone extra cash to volunteer as Lily’s permanent dance partner, he can’t refuse. But with each dip and turn, each moment her hand is in his, his side job starts to feel all too real. Lily shows Stone he’s more than his impressive football stats, and he introduces her to a world outside of studying. But with the lines blurred, can their relationship survive the secret he’s been hiding?

Eyes on Me:

I received an e-arc of Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris from Entangled Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I haven’t read a new Rachel Harris is nearly 2 years – what on earth. I can’t believe that it’s been that long. But as soon as I started Eyes on Me, I remembered why I fell in love with her romances, with her stories.

Eyes on Me follows Lily as she tries to navigate her last year at high school. She is so close to becoming valedictorian, but Lily knows that it can slip through her fingers at any time. But after an intense hospital visit, Lily’s father needs her to do something other than studying. So when her Dad signs her up for dancing lessons, Lily isn’t having it. She can’t walk straight, let alone dance. But she knows that it will make him happy.

Stone has a lot going for him, as the star quarterback, and popular kid, you think he was living a teenage dream. But his mother’s dance studio is struggling. So when Lily’s dad offers him extra cash for being Lily’s dance partner as well as keeping her entertained – he really can’t say no. But we all know that this is going to end up a disaster.

Taylor Ann Wright

I have always loved reading Rachel Harris novels, I don’t know what it is. But whenever I pick up one of her books I just fall in love. And I felt the same with Eyes on Me. While it does have a very cliché premise, it still had its unique twist that made me want to keep on reading. Most of the time I really don’t like books that feature dancing, I don’t know what it is. However, it really worked here.

I really enjoyed Lily as a protagonist, she was easy to get along with and I loved getting to know her. At the start of the novel, Lily is very quiet and draw back from others. Focused on becoming valedictorian there is nothing else matters too much. She wants to make her mother proud. I think that is what drove her a lot through Eyes on Me. The reader is able to see that Lily is still grieving her mother’s death and not only that, she misses her.

Lily’s character arc and growth is something that I loved throughout Eyes on Me. The reader is able to see that she not only gains confidence in herself but those around her. She is able to form more friendships and let herself be free in a way. And it wasn’t just through meeting Stone, but through the dancing as well.

Daniel von Appen

Stone was an interesting character as well. While I didn’t like him as much as Lily, I still enjoyed getting to know him. One of the things that I admired about him was the love that he had for his family. Not only for his parents but his sister as well. From the get-go, the reader is able to see who much Stone cares for them all, and he will do anything for them. While Stone had the usual quarterback persona, he was also very sensitive and he danced.

Stone and Lily together were totally adorable. The reader is able to see from the start that they have a connection. This connection becomes stronger as the novel goes on. Through them dancing together and simply having out. I loved that the romance wasn’t too fast, but then again it wasn’t slow. It was kind of the perfect rate for me. What I didn’t like about the romance was how it started. It’s a trope that I don’t particularly like, but I pushed through it. I understand why Stone took the money, but I wish he stopped taking it. Because, in the end, everyone gets hurt.

Grief is something is looked at in YA a lot, but I thought that Rachel Harris did an excellent job at it in Eyes on Me. As I said before dancing in novels aren’t usually something that I like reading about. But I think it really helped the reader understand Lily’s grief.

Simon Maage

In saying all this there were times throughout the novel that I felt like I had read them before. Eyes on Me is very cliché at sometimes that did turn me off. But I was invested in Lily’s story and I wanted to see where it went. I think that sometimes YA contemporary romance can be like that. you kind of know what’s going to happen but you want to read on.

Another thing that I did love about the novel as it looks on female friendship. I think that is something that YA lacks still, but Rachel Harris explored it in such a nice way in Eyes on Me. I liked that the reader is not only able to see old friendships stay strong but, when another girl is added to the mix, it doesn’t break apart. The friendships were very warm and welcoming.

Overall, Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris as a fantastic read. It’s a lighthearted romance novel that explores friendship, new romances, but also looks at grief and learning to overcome it. The writing was easy to read and the romance was just adorable. Rachel Harris has a knack for writing very real characters and she does it yet again in Eyes on Me.