Laurel > Recent Status Updates

Rereading not because I enjoyed it, but because I forgot it so completely that I felt it necessary to reread before reading book 2 😅 Wish me luck

I cannot get over how intriguing the prologue was vs how impressively dull it seems to be after that.

I was so excited to get to know more about this spy situation and what's going on but now we've been following around a stereotypically clueless American in Paris instead??? Talk about a bait and switch!

Omg I started this against my better judgement but forgot Tor Thom is the MMC narrator and tries to use words like "ain't" 😭

There's a StoryGraph version of this audiobook from 2022 with Joe Arden and another from 2024 with Tim Paige so okay hats off for what seems like rerecording this book to get rid of human garbage Joe Arden!

Oh jesus christ, I'm like 2 minutes in and apparently this is a spin off from book 4 of the Montgomery Ink Legacy series???? Ugh fine I'll go read that but I swear if I have to read the Montgomery Ink (not Legacy) series first to feel like I understand what's going on...........

I will finish this book if it kills me.

I'm not even 20% in and these people met like 3 hours but are already SCREAMING at each other about every minor thing... 😬

"After 3 nights, it's a miracle I've managed to stay anonymous." Ya don't say 😒😒😒

Am I in a bad mood, or is book 2 significantly worse so far??? It just seems like every other sentence is contradictory. Pass out from exhaustion and wake up able to easily attack, hiding from the wanted posters everywhere yet trying to join an illegal fighting match... I feel like I'm having a stroke.

Tor Thom is a hilariously bad choice for narrator when the MMC is a motorcycle club guy using words like "ain't" in his internal monologue. Wish me luck enduring this 🫠

I go into books really cold but wtf am I reading???? He's the prince of Christmas and Santa is a jerk????? Whaaaaat is this book??????????

These people are in their 30s and have both just started new jobs as academic researchers and they're "pranking" each other at work in ways that are mean-spirited???? They should both be fired immediately.

The character motivations in this book are so insane and all over the place that it might actually break me.

Plus the FMC's sister is 16 or 17, and the MMC starts talking to his 32yo friend like "yeah but are you SUUURE you don't have a thing for her??? She'll be legal soon ya know!" 🤮

Okay I'm 4 minutes in and have had two "Wait WHAT??!?!!"s.

Wish me luck taking this seriously as the MMC's first name is Dirge.........................

I have literally no idea where tf this book is going........

Halfway through, I've realized I accidentally jumped to book 5 🤦‍♀️

Where could this book POSSIBLY be going???? Most billionaire romances just ignore the ethical dilemma of inherited wealth but the FMC is currently monologuing in her head about the wage gap and how her billionaire fake husband hates labor laws because they "overprotect employees and discourage entrepreneurial initiative"....... Unless this man donates his fortune to charity HOOOOWWWWWW can this resolve positively??

Omg I can't take it anymore!!!

For my "when fan fiction did it better" recommendation, please read "Recluse" by cincoflex on AO3 (Iron Man fandom). Infinitely better than this.

"To keep myself calm, I started humming Debussy's Clair De Lune." You could not have picked a less hummable piece.... This is breaking me. It's like someone googled "popular music to make me sound smart" and just pointed to one. I honestly question if this author has ever hummed literally once in her entire life.

12% in and MMC is referring to himself as "Yeti" in his internal monologue (wtf?), FMC is DMing her celebrity crush daily/nightly like they're dating and she's updating him about her day then verbally responding in a deep voice "goodnight" as if he's actually replying (restraining order), and both MMC and FMC either have major depression disorder or Main Character Syndrome (vulnerable narcissism). Gonna be a DNF.

Nothing says magic like "these paintballs don't hurt or smell bad"

Omg we're on book 5 and she's only been at this school for FIVE MONTHS???!?!??! I swear there are weeks-long time gaps, too. This series is 8 books and it's possibly not even going to cover a single school year 🪦

I'M SORRY, but you can just will your feet to FLOAT and essentially FLY, and this is the first it's been mentioned??!?!?!? Absolutely unacceptable that everyone isn't using this constantly.

Omg it's just occurred to me that the "brush" in the title is referring to a toothbrush and not a paintbrush......... I... I thought the MMC wanted to be an artist instead of a dentist but he longs to be a FINANCE BRO????? 😭😭😭😭 Ugh I don't know if I can finish this book.

Could you *imagine* showing up to someone's house after they asked you to come over only to find their entire family has suddenly invited themselves over, at which point his mother says she's happy you're there. Not because she's happy to see you, no, but because she NEEDS HELP IN THE KITCHEN?? And then you look over and two men are just sitting on the couch watching football???!?!?!!?!!!! WTF???????

Omg am I about to dislike an Ali Hazelwood book for the first time??? 😭

"You have to work things out with your dad before you have a chance of having a healthy [romantic] relationship." I understand that the billionaire romance subgenre is not reality, but if a man tried to tell me this I would have to stop myself from kicking him in the balls.

UMM EXCUSE ME, as a nail polish hobbyist/enthusiast, fingernails are ABSOLUTELY a valid thing to love about yourself!! 💅

I was so excited for this book but......... I think I hate it 🫠 It's SOOOOO overly dramatic and I just want them to get to the point already!