Hola readers!
It's time for a day of book reviews (I'm falling a bit behind in that department). These two brand new books are some of my favorite spring reads and so much fun.
Enjoy!

Before I Called You Mine Nicole Deese FOUR STARS

A B O U T Lauren Bailey may be a romantic at heart, but after a decade of matchmaking schemes gone wrong, there's only one match she's committed to now. Lauren is a dedicated first grade teacher in Idaho, and her love for children has led her to the path of international adoption. To satisfy her adoption agency's requirements, she gladly agreed to remain single for the foreseeable future.
Joshua may be a substitute teacher by day, but Lauren finds his passion for creating educational technology as fascinating as his antics in the classroom. Though she does her best to downplay the undeniable connection between them, his relentless pursuit of her heart puts her commitment to stay unattached to the test and causes her once-firm conviction to waver.

Cuteness? Check
Snappy dialogue? Check
Romance? Of course ;)
Unique plot? Double check check

Me wailing to my mom upon reading the few few pages of this book: Why do I always get myself into reading the cheesy romances with the pink flowers on the cover? Why am I always swayed by the "about" when I know I'll probably not like it?

Me a few days later upon reading the book: WOW. OK then. I actually....like it

I have not been one for rom-com genre books in awhile, but this one slowly swept me off my feet.

Yes there was a lot of cheesy romance that had me rolling my eyes in the beginning, and yes, Laurel flat out annoyed me in the end with being deceptive and rude to her family (WHY WOULDN'T SHE JUST TELL THEM ALREADY???)....but it got better and that I think was kinda the point (hello character development).
I grew to love Lauren and her relationship with Joshua, the nerdy, handsome, quirky sub teacher down the hall.
But what made me read this book in the first place: adoption.
Adoption has always held a special place in my heart and this was a beautiful fiction book circling around the complications and heart ache, as well as the joy, of adoption. Laurel is single and signs the paperwork promising to remain single at the time of the adoption.... *cough cough* and of course Joshua has to step in -- just when she's supposed to be single pringle.
I was really annoyed that she didn't tell him right off why she couldn't date him, or why she thought she had to be so secretive. Also the whole idea that of course she'd meet the man of her dreams after signing a contract...of course.....but.....

later (like I said) character development happened and we saw it all the better. I had my ups and downs with this novel but in the end I was surprised by how the author rounded it up, and it stole my heart.
Four shiny stars.

Note: I received a complimentary book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own 

Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel

A B O U T We've all been there: stuck in a cycle of what-ifs, plagued by indecision, paralyzed by the fear of getting it wrong. Nobody wants to live a life of constant overthinking, but it doesn't feel like something we can choose to stop doing. It feels like something we're wired to do, something we just can't escape. 
But is it?




If anyone knows anything about me, they know I overthink everything possible. I have the annoying habit of replaying conversations from days before in my mind, turning them around and around to see if I should have said something differently.

 I tend to let me finger hover hover the "send" button before I send a text. I play out days in advance whether or not I should call someone. And don't get me started when people actually misunderstand what I was saying or my actions!

Yeah, it's bad.
When I chose this book, it was because of the to the point title, which is exactly what the book is: frank and too the point and snappy enough to put a smile on your face. I loved some of Anne's stories of overthinking in her own life, and the points she makes about why overthinking is damaging in our lives + how to move beyond second guessing everything we do.
At first I was a little wary: like could this pink book with flowers in a shopping cart really get me anywhere? (I'm not exactly the pink-cover girl)
Ummm
YESSS!!!!
Anne reminds us we need to get our priorities straight, that we need to figure out what's important in our lives so we can better make choices in our lives and know what we should do....not matter how much on a whim it may be. Like with sending a text to check on friends, I found myself referring back to her book when overthinking.
Highly recommend to anyone who relates!

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a copy. All review thoughts are my own