#ashlee bree

[austennerdita2533]

We have a president that doesn’t know he’s alive ?????

Trump’s really on track to win that Never Makes A Lick Of Sense trophy, huh?

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (The Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers

I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf, calling out to me with cosmic noise, since at least 2017, and now that I've finally picked it up, I'd like to ask myself: WHAT WERE YOU WAITING FOR, YOU FOOL?

I deserve a swift, jet-fueled kick to the hiney because this was nothing short of a wayfaring space opera delight! So fun! So inventive! It was escapism at its finest, imbuing me with the awed feeling of rushing through the stars with a motley crew of characters from various parts of the galaxy. I couldn't help but love them or their rundown clunker of a spaceship, the Wayfarer, which was giving Millennium Falcon vibes in the best way.

Chambers created a lavish, diverse world that was all about tunneling wormholes through space, found family, and interspecies cooperation. The narrative was more character-driven than action driven, but I preferred that. I think it's what gave the story its richness, its inventiveness. Part of what made it so fun is the detail the author paid to the characters and the species/places they hailed from, giving them all unique appearances, behaviors, relationships, and evolutionary space histories. I particularly loved that she wasn't afraid to play with gender norms or interspecies coupling, either. It added a futuristic otherworldliness to everything as well as underlined how human constructs are just that - constructs.

All of the characters were great, some quirkier and easier to love straight away than others, but even so, I can't declare a favorite because they all (Sissix, Rosemary, Ashby, Dr. Chef, Corbin, Jenks, Lovey, and Ohan) cemented themselves in my heart by the end. They're a crew, a family, and it's impossible to see them any other way.

Needless to say, I am SO looking forward to the rest of the series!

4/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[pupsmailbox]

SCENE︰EMO ID PACK

NAMES ⌇　ac!d.　acid.　adder.　adrian.　aisling.　alex.　alice.　alix.　amethyst.　annabelle.　ash.　ashlee.　ashley.　aspen.　avril.　axe.　ayesha.　bates.　bell.　bella.　belladonna.　bellatrix.　billy.　blade.　blair.　blitz.　bloodie.　bloodscene.　blythe.　bow.　bree.　candi.　celeste.　chase.　checkerz.　clarity.　coraline.　couture.　crow.　cyril.　cyrus.　demi.　demonia.　devin.　dizzy.　dominic.　ebony.　electra.　elliot.　emery.　emmett.　emo.　erin.　evan.　gavin.　gerard.　ghostie.　gloom.　gray.　grayson.　grim.　gutz.　havoc.　hazel.　heyley.　hunter.　hyde.　ink.　iris.　ivory.　ivy.　jade.　jason.　jasper.　jax.　jet.　jett.　julie.　kai　kandi.　kandiz.　kat.　kayden.　killer.　kitt.　kobi.　kyler.　lapis.　lee.　lexie.　luna.　lynx.　lyxzen.　mace.　maddox.　madeline.　mae.　malice.　marceline.　marcie.　mars.　mavis.　midnight.　mika.　neo.　nina.　nora.　nyx.　obscene.　octavia.　onix.　onyx.　opal.　orchid.　pearl.　phantom.　phoenix.　pierce,　pitch.　pixie.　punk.　rain.　raine.　rainer.　rave.　raven.　raver.　razorz.　reaper.　ripley.　river.　rogue.　ronnie.　rose.　rouge.　roux.　rubi.　ruby　ruby.　sable.　salem.　sally.　sapphire.　sash.　sasha.　scythe.　silvi.　silvia.　smoke.　smokey.　snow.　sonya.　soot.　sparrow.　spike.　splatter.　stella.　stripe.　sunny.　suzi.　suzie.　suzy.　taffi.　taffy.　tempest.　travis.　trend.　tyler.　vesper.　vivi.　wentz.　wesley.　willow.　wound.　xander.　z!m.　zach.　zack.　zade.　zaire.　zak.　zander.　zara.　zero.　ziggy.　zim.　zircon.　zoe.　zyair.

PRONOUNS ⌇　3rr0r/3rr0r.　666/666.　2000/2000.　3ds/3d.　:3/:3.　?!/!?.　ay/aym.　bark/bark.　bi/bim.　bite/bite.　black/black.　bling/blingee.　blood/blood.　bone/bone.　bow/bow.　brace/bracelet.　bright/colour.　byte/byte.　cat/cat.　cata/catatonic.　ce/cer.　check/checkered.　chem/chem.　cir/circut.　cos/cos.　cry/cry.　cut/cut.　dead/dead.　death/death.　die/die.　dino/dino.　e/e.　emo/emo.　epic/epic.　ev/ev.　exe/exe.　ey/em.　eye/strain.　fang/fang.　fringe/fringe.　ghost/ghost.　gir/gir.　girr/girr.　glit/glitter.　glitter/glitter.　gloom/gloom.　glow/glow.　glow/stick.　gore/gore.　grr/grr.　gun/gun.　gut/gut.　h3/h1m.　hor/horror.　hx/hxm.　it/it.　ix/ix.　kan/kandi.　kand/kandi.　kandi/kandi.　kill/kill.　kit/kit.　knife/knife.　lix/lix.　luv/luv.　mask/mask.　meow/meow.　mew/mew.　mlp/mlp.　mon/monster.　music/music.　neo/neon.　neon/neon.　net/net.　nya/nya.　nya/nyan.　nyan/cat.　pika/pikachu.　pix/pix.　pixel/pixel.　plur/plur.　pony/pony.　pop/pop.　pop/tart.　queen/queen.　quiet/quiet.　rain/rain.　rainbow/rainbow.　rave/rave.　rawr/rawr.　raz/razor.　red/red.　rei/reina.　scene/scene.　scene/scenester.　scream/scream.　sh3/h3r.　si/silent.　skull/skull.　slash/slash.　slice/slice.　spi/spider.　spook/spook.　stab/stab.　stick/sticker.　sticker/sticker.　stud/stud.　thxy/thxm.　tutu/tutu.　txt/txt.　vamp/vamp.　video/game.　x3/x3.　x]/x].　XD/XD.　xe/xem.　xey/xem.　xy/xyr.　ze/zem.　ze/zer.　ze/zero.　zi/zim.　zim/zim.　zom/zombie.　zomb/zomb.

[garglyswoof]

Tagged by @jinxedwood for my favorite comfort movies except I barely rewatch or reread anything, not to mention I rarely see movies so this is more of a list of what movies I think about fondly?

1. P.s. I love you. The best romcom that has little com

2. Girls just wanna have fun

3. That romcom with Sarah Jessica Parker and there's a scene in one.of those restaurants that serves like 3 grapes on a plate? Is also a romcom. edit: Til there was you!!!!! Bless Ashlee bree

4. Lost Boys. The og (for me) oh...vampires are sexy

6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The first one. An unparalleled kids movie that didn't try to shelter kids and is still enjoyable as an adult. I will die on this hill. I saw this 13 times at the movie theater. I wrote a script where I played Michaelangelo. Don't you dare.

A) am I done yet I cannot remember any films right now

5) Billy Madison. Probably not so much these days but I can still quote 90% of this movie so I suppose it qualifies.

Ok! Tagging people who actually watch movies like @morningstargirl666 and maybe @carry-the-sky and maybe @purplesigebert and possibly @i have run out of tagging steam actually tagging @austennerdita2533 bc maybe she will know the sjp movie I'm talking about she lived in an apartment with a really nice courtyard

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

★✩★ .99 PREORDER ALERT ★✩★

The New Boss

A Limited-Edition Romance Collection

Zakrzewski Anthologies

Release Date: September 19

Hosted by DS Book Promotions

Amazon - .99 Preorder

US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFRQHBMY/

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BFRQHBMY/

CA https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BFRQHBMY/

AU https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BFRQHBMY/

Apple, Nook, Kobo

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒐𝒘…In this collection you can expect delectable sexual tension, all the witty banter, and steamy hookup goodness. These men are smart, audacious, and sexy as sin with a body to match. They are in control and know how to take charge. With late nightdeadlines andtrips out of town, working together means facing temptation every day. Business with pleasure… Who says you can't have both?

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆: Ashley Zakrzewski Amy Stephens Cata Ree Marissa Davis Katie Rae Raja Savage Maria Vickers Anne Lange Leanora Cowan Matilda Martel Lane Martin Paula Dombrowiak Renee Pellegrino Karla Doyle Dania Voss Brittany Tarkington Kate McWilliams Bree Weeks Ashlee Shades Keighley Bradford Sutton Bishop Michelle McCraw Darby Fox Melissa Williams Finley BrownDL Gallie Elle Berlin Lexy Timms Willow Sanders Cricket Rohman

Join the Open Event Here - https://forms.gle/UXfa99BwE6Q8Wng46

#preorderalert #comingsoon #preorder #99c #romancecollection #bookish #romance #anthology #thenewboss #preordernow

#dlgallieauthor #dsbookpromotions

@DL Gallie @DS Book Promotions

[cocktailsfairytales]

★✩★ COVER REVEAL & PREORDER ★✩★

The New Boss

A Limited-Edition Romance Collection

Release Date: September 19, 2023

Hosted by DS Book Promotions

Amazon Apple Nook Kobo - Pre Order

https://books2read.com/TheNewBoss

The boss will see you now… In this collection you can expect delectable sexual tension, all the witty banter, and steamy hookup goodness. These men are smart, audacious, and sexy as sin with a body to match. They are in control and know how to take charge.

With late night deadlines and trips out of town, working together means facing temptation every day. Business with pleasure… Who says you can't have both?

Contributing authors are:

Ashley Zakrzewski | Amy Stephens | Cata Ree | Marissa Davis | Katie Rae | Raja Savage | Maria Vickers | Anne Lange | Leanora Cowan | Matilda Martel | Lane Martin |Paula Dombrowiak | Renee Pellegrino | Karla Doyle | Dania Voss | Brittany Tarkington | Kate McWilliams | Bree Weeks | Ashlee Shades | Keighley Bradford | Sutton Bishop | Michelle McCraw | Darby Fox | Melissa Williams | Finley Brown | DL Gallie | Elle Berlin | Lexy Timms | Willow Sanders | Cricket Rohman

Join the Open Event Here - https://forms.gle/UXfa99BwE6Q8Wng46

#coverreveal #preorder #limitededition #romancecollection #bookish #romance #anthology #thenewboss

#dlgallieauthor #dsbookpromotions

@dlgallieauthor @DS_Promotions1

[joyffree]

★✩★ COVER REVEAL & PREORDER ★✩★

The New Boss

A Limited-Edition Romance Collection

Release Date: September 19, 2023

Hosted by DS Book Promotions

Amazon - Pre Order

US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFRQHBMY/

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BFRQHBMY/

CA https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BFRQHBMY/

AU https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BFRQHBMY/

Apple, Nook, Kobo

The boss will see you now… In this collection you can expect delectable sexual tension, all the witty banter, and steamy hookup goodness. These men are smart, audacious, and sexy as sin with a body to match. They are in control and know how to take charge. With late nightdeadlines andtrips out of town, working together means facing temptation every day. Business with pleasure… Who says you can't have both?

Contributing authors are: Ashley Zakrzewski Amy Stephens Cata Ree Marissa Davis Katie Rae Raja Savage Maria Vickers Anne Lange Leanora Cowan Matilda Martel Lane Martin Paula Dombrowiak Renee Pellegrino Karla Doyle Dania Voss Brittany Tarkington Kate McWilliams Bree Weeks Ashlee Shades Keighley Bradford Sutton Bishop Michelle McCraw Darby Fox Melissa Williams Finley BrownDL Gallie Elle Berlin Lexy Timms Willow Sanders Cricket Rohman

Join the Open Event Here - https://forms.gle/UXfa99BwE6Q8Wng46

#coverreveal #preorder #limitededition #romancecollection #bookish #romance #anthology #thenewboss

#dlgallieauthor #dsbookpromotions

@DL Gallie @DS Book Promotions

[gooddame]

Be Nice

Happy Birthday to the lovely @austennerdita2533, sweet Ashlee who has been so beautifully kind to me. She makes my life quite lovely by simply existing so hopefully she enjoys this little trinket of love.

-

-

“I can’t freakin’ believe this,” Caroline groaned kicking the tire of the old beat up station wagon her human mother had passed on to her a few years back.

“I can,” Klaus retorted gruffly as he slammed the passenger door, “Bloody car is a piece of,” he paused interrupted by Caroline’s human pet.

“Be nice,” Stefan warned both powerful fae creatures from the back seat as he crawled out of the car long past annoyed with their sparring.

“Thank you,” Caroline said sharply to her best friend as he shut the door behind him while pointedly looking at Klaus.

“We’d be there by now if she,” Klaus looked directly to Caroline as he mimicked her accent, “Hadn’t said, ‘It’s better if we take the car.’ And you agreed.”

“I don’t sound like that,” Caroline complained as she popped open the boot open looking for the spare, “And we were all too drained from the last spell to just whoosh anywhere.”

“Whoosh,” Klaus and Stefan asked confusedly in unison.

“Yes! Now help me you Jacks,” she grumbled as she pulled the tire from the back getting ready to drop it and roll it to the damaged tire and repair it when it vanished.

“All better,” Klaus grinned as the spare tire reappeared in the boot and the flat repaired itself with a whip and flick of his fingers making Caroline grimace, “You’re welcome, Love.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that,” Caroline protested knowing that with every flick of his delicious fingers Klaus was losing his strength considering the blood loss.

Stefan took the moment to step in like a hen mother as he muttered to each of them, “Be nice,” looking from one distressed face to another.

“I have blood on my favorite shirt, in my hair, on my backseat,” Caroline listed as last nights rather murderous events crossed her mind.

“Not exactly the first time,” he grinned as he pushed the image of them having hate sex last week in the car while they waited for Stefan to get back from vetting an underling to their side.

Caroline shot him a glare as her body heated, “I’m sorry, what,” Stefan’s words sliced through the looks they gave one another.

“I didn’t mean to make it sound so salacious,” Klaus amended with a tilt of his head and a wink in her direction, “It’s the accent.”

“Ugh, it’s about five miles to town,” she sighed trying not to vent her frustration, sexual or otherwise at this precise moment, “After that I’m done with you.”

“Caroline,” Stefan cleared his throat after a long heated pause between Klaus and herself, “About that, Klaus, well he has to come. Your Dad asked to meet him.”

“I’d rather die,” Caroline protested as she tugged her hair into a ponytail throwing him the dirtiest look she could muster as his eyes roamed her body appreciatively.

“And yet, you’re as immortal as I am,” he retorted as he took a step closer as the air changed around them, this time Caroline’s powers surfacing as the wind blew that much harder.

“Care to test that,” she asserted as her arms drew up and Stefan took a giant step backwards and slid into the back of the car.

“I think you remember my endurance,” he teased pushing another thought into her mind, just when she reached her climax on his tongue, before she pushed back.

“Puh-lease,” she groaned despite the effect the memory had on her body forcing the image of her on her knees torturing him in the hotel shower into his thoughts.

Stefan stuck his head out of the window, “You two had sex,” he asked as Klaus growled deep in his throat, his neck growing as red as her cheeks.

“Keep up, Stefan,” Caroline uttered with malevolence as she kept her flaring green eyes on Klaus a duel both of their minds were keen on fighting.

“Yes, Stefan,” Klaus matched her tone as he pushed another dirty thought into her mind, one that had yet to transpire, “Do keep up.”

Caroline gasped as Stefan sat back down after he muttered, “I’ve never been so happy to know that I get to die someday.”

“Was that conjured or a premonition,” Caroline exclaimed crowding Klaus, walking him backwards until his boots hit her tire.

“In five miles you’ll know,” he promised with a wicked smirk before he slid passed her and sat himself on the passenger side waiting for her to get in.

Lightening shot through the sky as Caroline let one little one out, her powers caused sparks over her nails ruining the rest of her manicure. “‘In five miles you’ll know,’” she mimicked in his accent.

[kirythestitchwitch]

Tagged indirectly by @austennerdita2533 bc she said anyone could do it.

last movie i saw // Dirty Dancing

last song i listened to // Stupid Love by Lady Gaga

last book i read // Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

last thing you ate // the leftover chinese food i had in the fridge

if i could be anywhere right now, where would i be? // Redondo Beach on a towel, idly chillaxing until I decide to go get food on the Pier

where would i time travel? // probably like a thousand years into the future I want Healthcare, space travel, and aliens pls

Too lazy to tag so knock yourselves out if you want to partake, lovelies!

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

An endearing and whimsical read about a magical Japanese coffee shop run by astrology-minded talking cats who know precisely what drink to serve each person. No order necessary. No need for directions, either, because it'll find you!

The story is divided into three parts, following three different characters - a screenwriter, a director, and a hairstylist - who are feeling lost, confused, and stagnated in their own lives, with an underlying thread of connection that entwines them all together. There's an emphasis on natal star charts and life lessons that gives this an air of wisdom. Of hope. Of coziness, too. It's the type of story you can curl up with on an oversized armchair and finish in an afternoon, letting it warm you like a steaming cuppa of seasonal tea.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

3/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[austennerdita2533]

Hi Ashlee!!! I hope you're doing well. I'm appealing to your brilliant mind for help with character analysis :) I want to write a japril fic but realize I'm struggling in part because imo Jackson has such an undefined and often inconsistently written personality? Like for seasons he's presented as too detached and remote and retreats whenever things get tough, but then a few seasons ago the writers tell us his problem is that he's too dependent on other people and can't be alone, which is...the exact opposite?! And he's often portrayed as laidback to the point of being not caring and trying hard enough but then suddenly like a week or two later he's all super intense and competitive? And they show him as almost TOO logical and rational to the point of detachment but then he'll be depicted like an episode later as someone who always follows his heart and his instincts?! I'm getting whiplash trying to get a handle on his core traits lol. It's funny with Grey's because their female characters are generally SO vividly, clearly defined and layered yet consistent, while the male characters tend to be either one dimensional or wildly inconsistent. Anyway, any help you can give me is much appreciated!

Hello there, nonnie! I agree with you about how the Grey's writers have written Jackson inconsistently over the course of the show.

I always resonated with his character most when he was depicted as logical/rational and somewhat emotionally detached. That made sense to me, given his background as an Avery and growing up with Catherine as his mother. I'd argue she's not the warmest person. She's focused, intense, and ambitious. A strong personality. A force to be reckoned with. She loves her son, of course, I am not doubting that, but I think it's obvious she raised him to be the sort of person to do what's right, to do what's expected of him, and I feel like that's translated into him having had to brush emotion aside. He was taught that other things were more important. So, in that regard, he would have been brought up to be intense and competitive, right? That's what was expected of him. I feel like Catherine wouldn't have had much patience for emotional-based decision making either, so Jackson would've learned to suppress a lot to survive and be successful. (Which, I'd argue, is something we see over the course of the series already.)

He's always struck me as a more introverted, introspective person, too. Someone who weighs his thoughts and actions. He may be impulsive at times, quick to act in certain scenarios, but only if, logically, he reasons that it's the best course for him in that moment. He's not expressive, either. I feel like he has a difficult time not only identifying his emotions but being able to put them into words until he reaches an epiphany. He intellectualizes long before he allows himself to feel. Ironically, this is why April is such a wonderful complement to him romantically because she ushers him into a state of feeling, into a state of sitting with his emotions. She helps him to confront parts of himself that are uncomfortable, foreign, or scary. She pushes him out of his comfort zone.

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity #1) by Victoria Schwab

One of the most interesting take on monsters that I've come across in some time. I loved the notion that flesh eaters (Corsai), blood drinkers (Malchai), and soul eaters (Sunai) are only able to come into being after some unspeakable - often violent - tragedy. Schwab has a knack for twisting familiar concepts in unforeseen ways that can't help but pull me in by the teeth.

Moreover, I thoroughly enjoyed the dystopian feel of this with the humans being sectioned off from the monsters in safe zones throughout the city...until they weren't. Readers can feel a war brewing with every turn of the page, and I liked how Kate and August were both a catalyst and a juxtaposition for that impending collision course in Verity, with each of them fighting to subdue their inner monster while also trying to safeguard their last shreds of humanity. It was a suspenseful read. Good storytelling.

3.5/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[austennerdita2533]

Welp. I have found my designated couch in the corner at my brother’s. 😅

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1) by Heather Fawcett

Without a doubt one of my favorite reads of the year. And I mean that enthusiastically as well as unapologetically.

I saw somebody else refer to Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries as a cozy fantasy, and do you know what? I agree with gusto. It's an apt descriptor because this book is quaint, it's charming, and it's warmly whimsical in ways that had me wanting to curl up in an oversized chair to lose myself in its enchanting magic whenever I had a free moment.

The light academia vibe this emanated was another big hook for me. Emily's on a research expedition in the far north, studying faerie habits and folklore so that she can comprise it all in an encyclopedia, and she's serious about her work. Singularly focused. Which of course manifests in introversion, social reclusion, oblivion, and blunt logic. Wendell, her work colleague who also happens to be not-quite-so-mortal, shows up unprompted to "aid" in her research and is her opposite in almost every way. He's affable and full of himself, he's gregarious, he's lackadaisical about academic pursuits and participation, and he's deadpan. So. So. Deadpan. And his banter with Emily is an absolute riot! I cannot tell you how many times the two of them had me giggling.

Things do get dark-ish in moments, as Emily's curiosity and field study inclinations get the better of her while she's observing faeries, but there's always light waiting on the other side of them. (And sometimes absurd and fanciful rescues to boot!) There's not a ton of romance, but where it does dust across the plot, it is sweet and adorable enough to leave you craving more...

...Which is where I'm at now, itching to get my hands on the sequel!

4/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[austennerdita2533]

What foreign language did you teach yourself and how?

Portuguese. (To be fair, it's grammatically similar to Spanish, a language I already know pretty well, so that certainly has aided me in picking things up faster.) And I've been using some language-learning websites and tools from the library. I also listen to music and watch videos on social media in the language as well. Anything to immerse my brain, really.

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Forgive me for starting with a physics pun about a physicist romance, but this was Big Bang-ing cute!

While Hazelwood does serve up a couple familiar tropes from her previous STEM works, she subverts them in fresh and entertaining ways, making it so she's able to strike a delicate balance between navigating academic politics, fake dating shenanigans, and rivals falling in love. There's something about that combination - and the manner in which it's applied here - which gives the story moments of real gravity as well as moments of quirky acceleration.

Like I said, it's a good balance. Makes for a fun, tender, science-filled escape which pins a theoretical physicist against an experimental physicist in more ways than one...😏

The premise is simple yet catching: Elsie Hannaway is a woman who's living a double life. To most, she's an adjunct professor hoping to land tenure somewhere so she can finally afford health insurance, which she needs as a Type 1 diabetic. To others, thanks to her people pleasing expertise, she's a freelancing fake girlfriend who chameleons her personality into whatever a client wants or needs, a job she takes to make extra money so she can pay her bills. (Academia ain't paying much, folks!)

Things start to look up when she gets an interview at MIT for her dream job.

However, as to be expected, things don't run smoothly. Elsie faces an obstacle. A big, tall, muscle-y one named Jack Smith, who not only happens to be an experimentalist who has undermined theorists everywhere, but is also the older brother of her favorite client. Ruh-roh!

Lets just say it makes for quite the nuclear fission!

Anyway, what starts out between them as rivalry, as academic sabotage, soon devolves into something more atomic and quantum, with Jack being able to pierce through to the nucleus of who Elsie is and becoming someone who can give her a safe space to be her authentic self. In a similar vein, she helps him to take accountability for some of his past actions and behaviors, which is long overdue. It makes for a lovely give and take. Not to mention lots of dynamism in terms of growth, characterization, and plot.

As a couple, Jack and Elsie were adorable. I liked how they were a grounding influence for one another as well as an impetus for positive change at times. They kept the smiles coming and those electrons firing! My only complaint is I found some of the steamy scenes between them to be awkward. However, that may be more a matter of preference than anything because I had a similar sentiment when I read The Love Hypothesis.

On the whole, though: RADIOACTIVE WITH CUTENESS!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

4/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads