~ Goodreads TBR Cleanup #10 ~

To aid my efforts to clean up my endless TBR, I decided to go with the Goodreads TBR Cleanup (created by @ Mega Bunny Reads). This challenge can be done bi-weekly or weekly (or any other timeframe that suits you). If you’re interest in the other Down the TBR Hole meme, then you can check it out following the links. The meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story — she has a new blog though called Sunflowers and Wonder!

How It Works:

• Go to your Goodreads want-to-read shelf.
• Ask Siri (or any other generator) to pick a number between 1 and however many books are on the list.
• Go to that book and look at it and the 4 after it, for a total of 5.
• Read the synopses of the books.
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

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For the number selection, I used an online random number generator.

TODAY’S RANDOM NUMBER: 296

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1. We Were on a Break

Is it a break? Or is it a blip? ‘You’ve just had a holiday,’ I pointed out, trying not to yawn. ‘Wasn’t that enough of a break?’ ‘I don’t mean that kind of break.’ There’s nothing worse than the last day of holiday. Oh wait, there is. When what should have been a proposal turns into a break, Liv and Adam find themselves on opposite sides of the life they had mapped out. Friends and family all think they’re crazy; Liv throws herself into work – animals are so much simpler than humans – and Adam tries to get himself out of the hole he’s dug. But as the short break becomes a chasm, can they find a way back to each other? Most importantly, do they want to?

THOUGHTS:

One of the many reasons this novel ended up on my TBR was it’s title relating to the infamous break vs break-up from Ross and Rachel on Friends. The concept sounded like a fun read, but one negative from reviews did not sit as well. This novel has been said to suddenly change points of view. One paragraph will be one character and another will be the other without a clear indication of whose mind we are following. Although I am a fan of multiple points of view, I do not believe I want to endure a novel where there is a lot of guessing involved.

2. A Rose Petal Summer

Caro Swanson has taken a job in a remote part of Scotland.

She’s answered an ad in The Lady: being a companion to an elderly gentleman who lives in a country estate could be perfect! Surely it’s time to make a change and do something different for a while?

The fact that she may also see Alec, the young man who she met some years previously and who she has always thought of as her ‘one who got away’, is of course purely incidental.

Soon Caro is falling in love – not only with Alec but with the stunning country house she’s now living in. But the estate is in financial difficulties, and Caro soon realises there’s only one way to rescue it.

So begins a magical romantic summer, one that will take Caro from Scotland to London and the south of France, in search of a classic lost perfume that might just restore all their fortunes.

THOUGHTS:

This novel ended up on my TBR as it is a contemporary novel set in the Scottish Highlands. The synopsis sounds like a fun read, so I read some reviews on this to help me decide to keep or toss this novel. Some reviewers say there is a lack of chemistry and build-up between the two characters. Although I might not think the same way, there are a lot of other novels that I want to read first. Therefore, this novel would just end up sitting on the backburner for a long time as I am not sure how much time I want to dedicate to this potential disappoint when it is stands at 400 pages long.

3. Sing Me Forgotten

Isda does not exist. At least not beyond the opulent walls of the opera house.

Cast into a well at birth for being one of the magical few who can manipulate memories when people sing, she was saved by Cyril, the opera house’s owner. Since that day, he has given her sanctuary from the murderous world outside. All he asks in return is that she use her power to keep ticket sales high—and that she stay out of sight. For if anyone discovers she survived, Isda and Cyril would pay with their lives.

But Isda breaks Cyril’s cardinal rule when she meets Emeric Rodin, a charming boy who throws her quiet, solitary life out of balance. His voice is unlike any she’s ever heard, but the real shock comes when she finds in his memories hints of a way to finally break free of her gilded prison.

Haunted by this possibility, Isda spends more and more time with Emeric, searching for answers in his music and his past. But the price of freedom is steeper than Isda could ever know. For even as she struggles with her growing feelings for Emeric, she learns that in order to take charge of her own destiny, she must become the monster the world tried to drown in the first place. 

THOUGHTS:

This is a gender-bent retelling of Phantom of the Opera. The original novel and musical are amazing and one of the reasons this novel went straight to my TBR without a second thought. I meant to request an ARC for this novel, but unfortunately time got away from me and it was published before I knew it. This one is a definite keep for me.

4. Love at First Like

Eliza Roth and her sister Sophie co-own a jewelry shop in Brooklyn. One night, after learning of an ex’s engagement, Eliza accidentally posts a photo of herself wearing a diamond ring on that finger to her Instagram account beloved by 100,000 followers. Sales skyrocket, press rolls in, and Eliza learns that her personal life is good for business. So she has a choice: continue the ruse or clear up the misunderstanding. With mounting financial pressure, Eliza sets off to find a fake fiancé.

Fellow entrepreneur Blake seems like the perfect match on paper. And in real life he shows promise, too. He would be perfect, if only Eliza didn’t feel also drawn to someone else. But Blake doesn’t know Eliza is “engaged”; Sophie asks Eliza for an impossible sum of money; and Eliza’s lies start to spiral out of control. She can either stay engaged online or fall in love in real life.

THOUGHTS:

The book has a promising synopsis as there is some deception where the character fakes an engagement to boost her business, but there is a real man that also becomes a love interest. On paper, this sounds like an entertaining story, but it seems that multiple reviews said the execution was not there and it just is not worth the time to even attempt to read. Deception can be an interesting concept in a story, but full manipulation can overshadow any good in the story and just make it come across as negative.

5. The Crown (The Selection #5)

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined. 

THOUGHTS:

I loved the series The Selection and the semi-follow-up series ended up on my TBR. I have heard many mixed reviews about this part of the series with America’s daughter. I figure that this has been on my list for over a year and I have not even attempted to pick-up this part of the series, so, for now, it is a toss.

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My tenth Clean-up! I had another good week tossing books as I managed to, again, toss four novels. I still do not like tossing books from my TBR as I want to give them all a chance, but I am trying to become more picky with those that stay on the list. I keep adding a lot of books, almost daily, to my TBR, so I am trying to force myself to be more picky when I take the time to think about if they should stay on the list or not. Hopefully, I can keep up this mentality, but we shall see what five novels come up for next week’s clean-up. Happy Clean-ups to those that are doing these every week!