Anna > Recent Status Updates

HP count: 2. 🙄

There is almost no reason for a book published in 2024 to mention JKR. I mean really. It wasn't needed to explain the variety of a bookshelf.

I'm officially a Jasmine hater.

I'm gonna give this another shot but I don't understand the "strike that" that's happening in the audiobook. I went back and looked at the ebook, which doesn't have that written so it must've been either a narrator choice or a directive given by the author to the narrator. Unless I look at a finished copy I guess I'll never know. There's also just quite a few differences in the ARC and the finished audiobook.

Only 10 minutes in and I have a feeling this will be a read vs listen book based solely on the "scratch that" that is making me lose my mind already.

Who chose this lettering?! It's so difficult to read that I'm not sure I'm gonna actually finish

Do people actually say "ye gods!"?

My biggest takeaway so far from this is that this author is way too damn lenient with cops. I have no patience for books that sugarcoat the brutality of the police by painting it as a few bad apples or a respectable career where they "sometimes get it wrong"

I'm having quite an existential crisis for someone who's been out as aroace for literal years.

A Harry Potter reference? Really? 😩😩

I don't know if I like this 😬 being uncomfortable for the entirety of this book so far is not my idea of a good time.

Oh my god why is this book 319 pages 😩

I swear I'm not normally an updater but I'm suffering

Last update was page 137 not 157. Anyway, now Braithe is outright LYING to Colson about telling Hamish and the other guys about them saying they they "guessed" when in reality, Braithe told them all from the fucking beginning.

Colson says "do they all know about us?" Despite it being implied that Colson was aware Braithe told Hamish two pages ago.

I think I'll be done with NR Walker after this one, which is sad.

So now the closested love interest knows you told your best friend about your sex arrangement and is fine with it? When did that happen? I literally had to go back and reread parts bc the MC, Braithe, assured the other MC, Colson, that he wouldn't tell anyone and that "no one had to know". Where in there was the convo about telling the entire group of queer men in town?

If I told someone in confidence that I was queer but not out and they assured me they'd keep it a secret but then told their entire friend group about it, I'd be fucking livid. You don't out someone. Ever. Not to cishet people and not to other queer people. I'm barely 25% done and already pissed as hell.

Also, they're talking about this closeted person in a DINER. A PUBLIC SPACE. IN A SMALL TOWN.

Not sure how I'm feeling about STILL romanticizing police officers (sheriff in this particular case). Idk my expectations are pretty damn low after the hot mess that the previous book was.

Why is this so aggressively cishet? 😭 Also fat acceptance doesn't need and shouldn't be so damn focused on how and which men find you attractive.

Really? There's a gay sex scene that includes not a single second of prep. Okay. Sure.

Not even 5 minutes into this book and we already have some blatant fatphobia. Calling someone "Tubs" after describing them "fat ass" and knowing that they are a bad guy in the story is not a good look. Not all of your villains need to be fat. Fatness is not inherently bad and only making your unlikable and villainous characters fat says a lot about how you view fatness.

Pretty sure Tesla autopilot doesn't mean you can give and recieve blowjobs while driving. Also pretty sure you're not suppose to sleep at the wheel, even with autopilot.

I read this a few years ago before my ace awakening and totally missed that it has a secondary character who is on page biromantic ace! that was fun. the harry potter references are a bit much but I know they're not in Here's to Us so I'm letting it go.

Also, this narrator is exhausting. You know when a kid is telling you a story and they think every single little thing is the most exciting ever and they over exaggerate EVERYTHING? that's what this narrator sounds like.

So far we've got a wealth of queer rep. A bi/pan or maybe even grayace MC, a Black trans bisexual, multiple characters who use either they/them or no pronouns, gay and sapphic secondary

Thinking I may need to take a break from this and try again later because I kinda strongly dislike the MC right now and find him incredibly spoiled, annoying, and idealistic

PUT CONTENT WARNINGS ON BOOKS. For fuck's sake. At the very least the summary could've included a mention that one of the MCs has relatively severe OCD and anxiety and that panic attacks and OCD episodes and compulsions are frequently on page.

Story #11 by Nora Phoenix: I had a strong suspicion I would enjoy this one since I've loved her other books, and I definitely wasn't wrong. It couldn't been longer and I would've loved to see more of the soft and cuddly sides of Jack and George, but it was still a good story. I'd also have loved a little more emotional vulnerability on page vs just telling us after the fact. 4⭐

Story #10 by Jamie Merrick: this is a MMF and it was way better than I expected. They need to ditch Pepper North and have Jamie Merrick write the MMF stories because damn it was good and made me want to read the other books she's written. It's got two daddies and a little girl, which I didn't know if I could handle, but it was actually super super good. Definitely recommend. 5⭐

Story #9 by Pepper North: OH MY GOD THIS IS AWFUL. HORRENDOUS. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. literally the worst age play/bdsm rep ever. There's zero communication or discussion just jumping into a poly relationship. The mommy/daddy convince the boy to quit his job and move in with them on the first day. They don't talk about limits or safewords or experience. Absolutely awful. Seriously this is dangerous rep.

Story #8 by PD Carter: DNF. After some massive biphobia and then the use of the term "gold star gay" I had to get the fuck outta there. This is not the story for me and it's extremely disappointing to see it at all but especially in a Pride collection. Dear gay men in relationships with bi men, women are not your enemy and women aren't banshees or whores etc. Bi men are valid and not less than. Get over yourselves.

Story #7 by Morticia Knight: this was very sweet and fluffy and everything just slotted into place. There no drama or trauma so if you're looking for a light read this is the one. It's got age gap and age play. 4⭐