Sariah S. Wilson

I was really intrigued by the title of this book, having always been a “Princess Diaries” fan, and was pleased to discover Sariah Wilson as an author whose works I’ll want to follow in the future. This is a great, light beach-type read that’s perfect for teens and anyone looking for something fun to sit down and relax with. It never gets too heavy or tries to feel too serious, but rather seeks to entertain and tell a lighthearted tale of a second chance at falling in love.

Bellamy is show more a struggling waitress in Ohio who can’t seem to save up enough to pursue her dreams as a fashion designer in New York. So of course she’s surprised when Lemon (a character from another of Wilson’s books I’m going to have to check out) arrives in her diner and announces she’s a princess. And sure, that trope has been done before, but it doesn’t take away from the story. Enzo is assigned as her bodyguard, with a delicious love/hate relationship constantly simmering between them, but where the story really shines is once Bellamy begins going on her series of set-up dates. Wilson has a flair for comedic writing and I was laughing at many of those male candidates… or not so viable candidates. A great light read.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author. show less

Party Favors is surprisingly my first book by Sariah Wilson & I can’t wait to read more! All my friends recommended this book & I can see why. It’s an adorable slow burn romance with a sizzling undercurrent of attraction & so much party planning fun!

Everly Aprile’s one of those easily relatable characters you want to cheer for. As a lover of all things Monterran, she eagerly anticipates anything Queen Kat does or wears & wants her own fairytale romance. After several years working as show more her handsome boss’ right hand at an event planning company, she’s finally given a chance to plan a 16 year old b-day party with a Monterran theme which’ll hopefully earn her the promotion she deserves. She’s also had an unrequited crush on her boss until she finds out he’s engaged.

When her snarky yet endearing roommate suggests she go out & meet someone, she ends up finding a dreamy guy newly relocated from Monterra. He offers to explain Monterran customs if she’ll be his unofficial tour guide. The sparks fly as these two get to know each other. But, can Everly let go of her insecurities & trust that he cares about her too?

I loved this story! Everly has a lot of self doubt mainly because of her father. Though she’s extremely talented, she’s never pushed for recognition. Things change when she meets Max & he encourages her to throw a baby shower for his cousin. I loved all the behind the scenes party planning as well as all the fabulous iconic New York places they visit like the Empire State Building. Max has his own secrets & I have to admit while I had my suspicions, I didn’t see a particular twist coming. It was so well done. I also loved Everly’s roommate Vella. She’s described as a grown up Wednesday Addams. I loved her snarky personality & how she was so fiercely protective of Everly. I’d love to get her story!

Everly’s & Max’s romance was full of sizzling kisses & attraction. I loved all those near kisses & sweet hand kisses too. I also enjoyed the growth these characters go through as they learn to better communicate. I also loved Everly gaining more confidence in herself & her desirability.

Highly recommend to closed door romcom fans! I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley but also purchased through Kindle Unlimited. All opinions are my own & voluntarily provided. show less

I liked Genesis from the previous book so was happy to see that Wilson was going to resolve her and Rafe's story. Is this plot contrived as hell? Yes. Is it still a ridiculously fun read? HELL YES.

Okay. The good. Genesis's backstory made her less of a stereotypical nice girl next door that we saw in Royal Chase. That plot was good and I liked it a lot. Also, I loved and adored Aunt Sylvie. I wish she was in the book more.

The meh. Blake. Mean girl shenanigans; I'm so over the stereotypical show more mean girl as a plot device. That happened in Royal Games, too, and I rolled my eyes at that as well. The mean girl character is such a stereotype in so many romances; she's cardboard and it's also just lazy writing.

Also meh? Rafe. I hate to say it, but he fell on the 'meh' side of the spectrum. Looking at how characters - particularly men - act in stories, I started thinking of their behavior in larger context. Outside of a romance novel, would their behavior be okay? I had to say a big hell no to that. Rafe barges into Genesis's life, forces her to have to deal with him every day, and takes over her life. Some may say that's romantic, but if somebody did that to me in real life, I would be so very creeped the fuck out. Yes, he's a nice guy (a real nice guy, not one of the fake Nice Guys who then complain about being friendzoned), but his behavior is controlling and stalkerish. Rafe only lets Genesis set boundaries after blowing through the ones that are already set there by society. (But hey, he loves her and saves the day at the end, and by the way, he's a prince so it's okay. Don't worry about it.) He's boilerplate romance genre male heroine and that cookie cutter shape is starting to bore me.

In sum: Formulaic but fun.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. show less

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. I had grabbed it as my Kindle lending library pick for the month because I love fairy tale retellings. I had recently finished one of the author's contemporary romances and was interested to see what else she'd written.

This story turns Cinderella on its head. Mattie Lowe's dad took in her stepsister Ella when Ella's mom died, even though he wasn't her biological dad. Ella is stereotypically gorgeous, generous, kind, studious, hard-working, and dating show more the guy Mattie's been in love with since grade school. Yes, the book is fairly predictable and follows the typical YA romance plot, but it was super fun getting there. I also loved how Wilson took elements of the traditional Cinderella story and made it her own for this book. It was also nice to see the other side's POV, and Wilson did that both in having Mattie be the narrator, and to having Mattie see Ella's own insecurities toward the end of the book.

It was also incredibly nice to see a strong and positive depiction of a female friendship between Ella and Mattie. Usually in YA, the guy gets between the two girls, and in Cinderella stories, the relationship is always antagonistic.

It's much less of a Cinderella-retelling than I had assumed, but that's okay. A really fun, sweet YA read. show less