~ Goodreads TBR Cleanup #13 ~

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: 552

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1. The Warrior Within

The Order of the Soul has been disbanded for years, the sisterhood of the Warriors scattered to the winds. But when Makena wished to learn the Warrior’s Way, Jhyssa took the young neophyte under her tutelage. Now the impossible has happened — war has broken out in the land, and the battlecry sounds once more. Will Makena heed the Warrior’s teachings or seek her own way?

THOUGHTS:

This novel is very short and sounded interesting. I am apprehensive to have too many novellas on my TBR as it is very difficult for the author to pull of a complete and satisfying story. There are a lot of side characters contained in the chapters and I lost hope that this story would be worth keeping on my TBR when I can dedicate the time with more full-length novels.

2. Virtually Yours

Modern love plus online anonymity is a recipe for romantic disaster in this lighthearted new romance from the author of The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love.

How bad can one little virtual lie be?

NYU freshman Mariam Vakilian hasn’t dated anyone in five months, not since her high school sweetheart Caleb broke up with her. So, when she decides to take advantage of an expiring coupon and try out a new virtual reality dating service, it’s sort of a big deal.

It’s an even bigger deal when it chooses as one of her three matches none other than Caleb himself. That has to be a sign, right?

Except that her other match, Jeremy, just happens to be her new best friend IRL.

Mariam’s heart is telling her one thing, but the app is telling her another. So, which should she trust? Is all fair in modern love?

THOUGHTS:

This novel was added to my TBR over a year ago and officially put on my Goodreads list when I made my account last August. Based on the description, it sounds like a novel that I would enjoy. Without even reading the story, the potential negatives most likely will fall on too much on the virtual side and not enough on the characters in reality. “Virtually” is in the title, so it seems expected, but I fear it may go too far. Some reviewers stated this actually happened, so I guess my instincts were correct. Usually, I would try and see if my instincts are correct, but I am afraid this book is a toss since it has been a long time and I have not attempted to pick it up.

3. Bridal Boot Camp (Little Bridge Island #0.5)

Looking for a tropical escape?

Welcome to Little Bridge, one of the smallest—and most beautiful—islands in the Florida Keys, home to sandy white beaches, salt-rimmed margaritas, stunning sunsets, and some of the quirkiest—but also kindest and most resourceful—people you’ll ever meet.

Physical trainer Roberta “Rob” James moved to Little Bridge hoping she’d found paradise, but things haven’t turned out quite as she’d hoped. The closest Rob has come to her “happily ever after” is happy hour at the Mermaid Café with her buddy Bree, the bartender slash waitress who’s got romance problems of her own.

But Rob’s situation suddenly changes when sheriff’s deputy Ryan Martinez accidentally enrolls in her bridal boot camp class. Turning mush into metal in time for the big day is Rob’s passion (because even the happiest bride could use a little toning).

But what happens when a guy who’s all mush meets a girl who’s all metal?

They discover they have a lot to learn . . . about each other, themselves, and the island paradise they’ve come to call home.

THOUGHTS:

I greatly enjoy Meg Cabot’s works, so this one was a difficult decision. I am interested in the Little Bridge Island series, but there are others, including some others from the author, that I want to read more. Therefore, I am temporarily tossed the series, including this prequel novella, and maybe one day I will circle back to this one.

4. A Taste of Sage

Lumi Santana is a chef with a gift: she can perceive a person’s emotions by tasting their cooking. Despite being raised by a mother who taught her that dreams and true love were silly fairy tales, she puts her heart and savings into opening her own fusion restaurant in Upper Manhattan. The restaurant offers a mix of the Dominican cuisine she grew up with and other world cuisines she is inspired by.

When her eclectic venture fails, she is forced to take a position as sous chef at a staid, traditional French restaurant owned by Julien Dax, a celebrated chef known for his acid tongue as well as his brilliant smile. After he goes out of his way to bake a tart to prove her wrong in a dispute, she is so irritated by his smug attitude that she vows to herself never to taste his cooking.

But after she succumbs to the temptation and takes a bite one day and is overcome with shocking emotion, she finds herself beginning to crave his cooking and struggling to stay on task with her plan to save up and move on as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Julien’s obsessed secretary watches with gnashed teeth as they grow closer and becomes determined to get Lumi out of her way permanently. 

THOUGHTS:

I remember this book was highly anticipated with a lot of people that I know, but I just never got around to reading it or even requesting the ARC when it was available. There is still a part of me that is intrigued to try this novel out, but, similarly to a lot of others that I toss, there just are more that are higher on my TBR. Therefore, this novel still sounds great to me, but it could be years until I actually get a chance to read it (haha – maybe more).

5. The Ivy Chronicles

When turbocharged Park Avenue mom Ivy Ames finds that she’s been downsized from her platinum-card corporate job and her marriage, she swiftly realizes that she’s going to need a whole new way to support herself and her two private-school daughters. So she dreams up a new business–helping upscale New Yorkers get their little darlings into the most exclusive kindergartens in the city. What begins as one woman’s bid to earn a living becomes an everywoman’s tale of midlife reinvention and unexpected romance, set in a looking-glass world where even tots have résumés. 

THOUGHTS:

I have no clue how this ended up on my TBR as I do not remember adding it. It sounds like it could be a good read, so I looked at some reviews for a second opinion. There seemed to be a general consensus that the main character is not great. The synopsis sounds good, but not fantastic, so when you add in some of the reviews, this book is a toss for me.

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Clean-up number 13 is now complete! For the first time since I started these posts, all five novels have been tossed from my TBR! Like I’ve stated previously, I do not like tossing novels, but these novels all do not draw me in enough to keep them. Despite my high number of reading this past week, I found myself having a slightly easier time tossing novels. Not all of my recent reads were perfect, but they all had something about them that made me want to read them and I did not get the same feeling reading the synopsis for the five novels above. I am hopeful that I will continue to have successful clean-ups, but we shall see how it actually goes! Happy Clean-ups to those that are doing these every week and good luck to those who are giving it a shot!