Ella's Bookshelf

Inspired By A True Story

Revisado: 11-16-22

I loved this story about Lara and her high school boyfriend. It's not a HEA but it was still a great listen!

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I'm going to London with Mallory James!

Revisado: 10-20-21

London Prep is my FAVORITE series and I love it even more with each re-read and each new book.

This is a dynamic series so if you haven't met Mal and the boys yet, start with "The Exchange" (London Prep Book 1).
NOTE: This review contains spoilers for other books in the series.

After Mallory realizes that she is staying in London, she has to repair her relationships with each of her three boys.

"The Party" picks up on the Thursday morning of Mal's fourth week in London (the day after her birthday) and finishes early afternoon on Saturday. It ends with more of a "To Be Continued..." vibe than the epic cliffhangers that the other books have. My heart is so full after finishing this book. Mal's story continues to unfold beautifully and I'm falling more and more in love with each of the main characters.

"The Party" was not quite as anxiety-inducing as "The Key" but still has all of the emotions we've come to expect from Mal, Harry, Noah, and Mohammad. I can't wait to see what happens at "The Country House" (London Prep, #6)!

As a self-proclaimed member of the Noah Williams Fan Club, I am honored to have received an ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review. I also purchased Kindle and Audible copies of this book and all of the other books in this series.

I'm an audiobook lover and really enjoyed this series in audio. Moriah Martel is the perfect voice for Mallory.

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"Poppy and Rune for infinity"

Revisado: 10-18-21

Heartbreaking.
Beautiful.
Must Read.

Rune is a Norwegian "Viking" who moved to Georgia when he was five. He is sullen and broody but oh so pretty. The day he moved into his house in Blossom Grove he met and fell in love with the girl next door.

Poppy is a sweet southern girl with an unwaveringly sunny disposition. She instantly befriends Rune and their connection grows from best friends to more as the two get older.

When they are eight, Poppy's mamaw gives her a jar of paper hearts to collect boy-kisses. Rune and Poppy vow to fill the jar and never kiss anyone else.

At fifteen, life seems perfect for Poppy and Rune but they quickly learn that like cherry blossoms and shooting stars, truly beautiful things don't last forever.

"Kiss eight hundred and nineteen was the kiss that changed it all. The kiss that proved that a long-haired brooding boy from Norway and a quirky girl from the Deep South could find a love to rival the greats."

Tillie Cole portrays a kind of connection between these characters that is epic and beautiful. Their challenges are equally monumental. This is a modern romantic tragedy that should not be missed.

I didn't know if this was going to end with an HEA so I put off reading it until I had a whole day to dedicate to reading. I usually listen to audiobooks at work and while cleaning and exercising. Do NOT try to read/listen to this book while multitasking! I was sobbing. My eight-year-old son caught me and stayed with me in bed for over an hour while I cried and read and cried some more.
Spoiler Alert [I explained to my son, "When an author writes a really good book you fall in love with the characters and they become your friends. When something bad happens to them you feel sad for them. When they die it is like losing a friend."]



The narration of the audiobook was excellent. P.J. Ochlan and did a great job of Rune's emotions and the various accents he did were impressive. Katie Schorr was perfect as the sweet southern Poppy.

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Mallory, Harry, Noah & Mohammad

Revisado: 10-08-21

I LOVED IT! I am obsessed with this story and can't wait to see where it leads.

Mallory is sent to London on a super short school exchange. You would think three weeks would fly by, right? At first, she doesn't want to be there and can't wait to get back to New York but then she meets best friends - Harry, Noah, and Mohammad - and soon she can't imagine returning home.

I am editing my review after listening to this book for the second time. Originally I read books 1 and 2 and was sucked into the world of London Prep, devouring both books within 24 hours (overnight with zero sleep) because I couldn't bring myself to put them down. I then "re-read" them by listening to the audiobook when each subsequent book was released. I am now preparing for Book 5: The Party and honestly, I fall in love with this series even more each time... I've read books 1 and 2 five times and this book three times (read once + audiobook twice).

The way Mallory's relationships with each of the three boys unfold is so beautiful. And I adore Helen (her host mom).

Moriah Martel IS Mallory James. She has the perfect youthful (and whiney) voice for Mal. I do wish she did the London accents and I hope that one day they will re-record with a British male narrator reading for the guys but Mal is perfect.

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Mallory, Harry, Noah & Mohammad

Revisado: 10-08-21

I LOVED IT! I am obsessed with this story and can't wait to see where it leads.

Mallory is sent to London on a super short school exchange. You would think three weeks would fly by, right? At first, she doesn't want to be there and can't wait to get back to New York but then she meets best friends - Harry, Noah, and Mohammad - and soon she can't imagine returning home.

I am editing my review after listening to this book for the FOURTH time. Originally I read books 1 and 2 and was sucked into the world of London Prep, devouring both books within 24 hours (overnight with zero sleep) because I couldn't bring myself to put them down. I then "re-read" them by listening to the audiobook when each subsequent book was released. I am now preparing for Book 5: The Party and honestly, I fall in love with this series even more each time.

The way Mallory's relationships with each of the three boys unfold is so beautiful. And I adore Helen (her host mom).

Moriah Martel IS Mallory James. She has the perfect youthful (and whiney) voice for Mal. I do wish she did the London accents and I hope that one day they will re-record with a British male narrator reading for the guys but Mal is perfect.

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Off-Campus. Three Years Later...

Revisado: 09-25-21

A wedding.
A proposal.
An elopement.
A surprise pregnancy.

I couldn't guess which couple would match!
Garrett & Hannah (The Deal)
Logan & Grace (The Mistake)
Dean & Allie (The Score)
Tucker & Sabrina (The Goal)

This was the perfect follow up to my favorite series. I laughed and cried. Each couple faces challenges and they grow even closer.

The friendship between the guys ties everything together, like it has throughout the series. Many of the Briar U guys and girls also make appearances!

While I kind of wish they'd stuck with the original narrators for each character, Stella Bloom and Zachary Webber did a great job doing voices for all of the characters.

I highly recommend this series but please don't read this book as a standalone. Because of the character overlap, I suggest reading Off-Campus Books 1-4 and Briar U Books 1-4 first. The story will make sense without reading the other books but you're seriously missing out if you skip any of these books! 📚 📖 Happy Reading... or Listening.

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Tucker & Sabrina

Revisado: 09-24-21

I don't know which one of the Off Campus boys I love most!

This book is one of my favorites because it pulls in so much from the other books.
The timeline overlaps with a lot of Dean and Allie's story (book 3) and it is funny to hear that Tucker knew about Dean and Allie from the very start.

The Epilogue is the same scene as Book 2: Logan's debut game for the Bruins.

There is also a lot of foreshadowing for Fitzy and Summer (The Chase: Briar U Book 1).

I just finished reading this series or the fourth time and can't wait to start The Legacy!

I highly recommend reading the books in order. There is so much character overlap and the each story is too good to miss. Also, don't miss the spin-off series, Briar U.


This series is fantastic in audio with an amazing cast of narrators. Susannah Jones was the perfect choice for Sabrina.

College Romance
Sports Romance
Surprise Baby

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Dean & Ally

Revisado: 09-22-21

This series has you falling in love with the characters. They are the perfect mix of sexy, sweet, and funny.

This is my fourth time reading this series. I'm re-reading before starting "The Legacy" which is an extended Epilogue for each couple in the series.

I recommend reading the books in order because the characters overlap and you get to know them throughout the series.

My favorite scene:
At Malone's, Dean keeps sexting Allie while they're sitting at the table with their friends. Then he plays Cheap Tricks "I Want You To Want Me" on the jukebox. Then Allie plays Pink's "U and Ur Hand" and goes to dance with her friends, giving Dean a little wave from the dance floor.

Chapter 11

College Romance
Sports Romance (Hockey)

Great in Audio! Every Savanah Peachwood (narrated) book I hear reminds me of Allie.

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Logan & Grace

Revisado: 09-18-21

I looooove this series! I am currently re-reading these books for the fourth/fifth time because "The Legacy" (the extended Epilogue for each couple) is coming out this week.

This is Book 2 of the "Off Campus" series.
Logan and Grace start with a random hook-up and after lots of stupid mistakes their dreams come true.

This book (and the other book in the series) have epic one-liners that make me laugh out loud, sweet moments that make me cry, and sexy scenes that leave little to the imagination.

The friendship between the four Hockey House boys from the series ties everything together perfectly. We get to know each of the guys through their friends eyes.

This book is amazing in audio! I loved Lee Samuels and Lorelei Avalon for Logan and Grace.

College Romance
Sports Romance (Hockey)

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Axel & Cax

Revisado: 05-03-21

Axel has just graduated college and is considering moving to Masacheusits for a new job. When researching the college he will be working at he sees a familiar face, Cax, his childhood best friend/first crush. Axel has been "out" since he was caught with Cax back in high school and his family and friends are nothing but supportive of him.

Cax is shocked to see Axel after all these years. He is still drawn to Axel and wants to be with him but he is afraid of admitting he is gay, even to himself. Cax's family situation is the opposite of Axel's and he feels like he needs to choose between Axel and his family.

I loved the crossover with Goodbye Paradise (Hello Goodbye, #1). Josh and Caleb are Axel's landlords so we get to see a little of them.

I recently found a bunch of Sarina Bowen's books on Audible Plus so I'm listening to them all. Teddy Hamilton is one of my favorite narrators so I really loved "AxelDental" but Dake Bliss was awesome as "Cax-tastrophe" too.

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