Priateľstvo, láska a vzťahy | Niekedy je pekné, že ma miluješ

Autor: Marie Vareille
Názov: Niekedy je pekné, že ma miluješ (orig. Je peux très bien me passer de toi)
Špecifikácia: román o priateľstve, láske a vzťahoch 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: Metafora, 2023 (SR); Metafora, 2019 (ČR)
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.04

 

„To musí byť paráda byť Sophia, mať tri roky a Charlottu za maminu. Nevedieť, čo je to smartfón, tampón, kondóm, frťan, život, ktorý beží deň za dňom rýchlejšie a uniká nám pomedzi prsty.“

 

Minirecenzie #22: 4x romantika

V poslednom čase sa počasie skutočne činí a pre vysoké teploty skrátka nemám bunky na čítanie niečoho rozsiahlejšieho alebo náročnejšieho. Takže som vo väčšej miere čítala oddychovú romantiku. A o pár kúskoch som sa rozhodla napísať...

 

Nájsť svoje miesto | Cukráreň v Paríži

Autor: Julie Caplin
Názov: Cukráreň v Paríži (orig. The Little Paris Patisserie)
Séria: Romantické úteky (orig. Romantic Escapes)
Diel: tretí
Špecifikácia: svieža romantika o hľadaní svojho miesta vo svete
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: Grada – Cosmopolis, 2019 a 2021 (ČR a SR)
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.04

 

„Myslela som si, že chcem uniknúť pred svojou rodinou, ale uvedomila som si, že ich potrebujem.“

 

Plány sa menia a život sa žije | The Kiss Thief

Autor: L. J. Shen

Názov: The Kiss Thief (slov. Ukradnutý bozk; čes. Ukradený polibek)

Špecifikácia: romantická kniha o dohodnutom manželstve

Slovenské alebo české vydanie: Tatran, 2019 (SR); Baronet, 2020 (ČR)

Hodnotenie na GR: 4.07

“Falling in love was so tragic. No wonder it made people so sad.”

Lepšie neskoro ako nikdy | The Simple Wild

Autor: K. A. Tucker

Názov: The Simple Wild

Séria: Wild

Diel: prvý

Špecifikácia: romantická kniha o odpúšťaní a vytváraní vzťahov

Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je  

Hodnotenie na GR: 4.44

“I might take risks, but they’re always worth it.”

Krasokorčuliarska romantika | From Lukov With Love

Autor: Mariana Zapata

Názov: From Lukov With Love
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.5

If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one. 
After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close. 
But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything. 
Including Ivan Lukov. 

“Challenges were only hard if you went into them expecting not to succeed.” 

Rodina plná podivínov | Without Merit

Autor: Colleen Hoover 
Názov: Without Merit 
České alebo slovenské vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.12

The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.
Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.
Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.

“Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.”

Cirkus je rodina | Infini

Autor: Krista & Becca Ritchie 
Názov: Infini 
Séria: Aerial Ethereal 
Diel: druhý 
České alebo slovenské vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.24

"Don’t have a best friend that’s a girl" — this was the advice from my older cousin. I didn’t take it. Because he followed with, "friends don’t f*ck friends. And you’ll want to f*ck her." 
It was terrible advice.
My cousin should’ve told me that being best friends with Baylee Wright — since she was twelve — would be the best and worst decision of my life.
He should have told me to protect her from what was coming.
He should have told me that when a darkness crawled towards us, there’d be no safety net.
Now I’ve signed back on to the same Vegas acrobatic show as Baylee, working together for the first time in years. And she tells me that she’s having trouble in a certain “area” of her life — because of our past.
“You can help me fix it,” she says. And then she hands me a list.

“Circus is family.”

Geekovia sveta, spojte sa! | Geekerella

Autor: Ashley Poston 
Názov: Geekerella 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.13

Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win… unless her stepsisters get there first.
Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

“When you can't win the fight, you get bigger guns."

Raz to musí skončiť... | It Ends With Us

Autor: Colleen Hoover 
Názov: It Ends With Us 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.68

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

“There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.”

Začarovaný kruh lásky | F*ck Love

Autor: Tarryn Fisher 
Názov: F*ck Love 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.18

Helena Conway has fallen in love.
Unwillingly. Unwittingly.
But not unprovoked.
Kit Isley is everything she’s not—unstructured, untethered, and not even a little bit careful.
It could all be so beautiful … if he wasn’t dating her best friend.
Helena must defy her heart, do the right thing, and think of others.
Until she doesn’t.

“Art is the war against what we do not choose to feel. It’s the battle of color, words, sound, and shape, and it rages for or against love.”

Náhody neexistujú | November 9

Autor: Colleen Hoover 
Názov: November 9 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.51

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. 
Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

“Whoever said the truth hurts was being an optimist. The truth is an excruciatingly painful son of a bitch.”

Beznádejné klišé | The Score

Autor: Elle Kennedy 
Názov: The Score 
Séria: Off-Campus 
Diel: tretí 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: prvé dva diely vydá Baronet 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.36

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she's going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di-Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands...

“I think it takes a certain level of trust to sit next to someone and not feel the pressing urge to babble away.”

Navrátenie spomienok? | Naver Never: Part Three

Autor: Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher 
Názov: Never Never: Part Three 
Séria: Never Never 
Diel: tretí 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 3.71

Together, Silas Nash and Charlize Wynwood must look deeper into the past to find out who they were and who they want to be. 
With time ticking down, the couple are in a race to find the answers they need before they lose everything. Can they regain what they once had? And will it restore who they once were?

“Fate is the magnetic pull of our souls toward the people, places, and things we belong with.”

Opäť bez spomienok | Never Never Part Two

Autor: Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher 
Názov: Never Never: Part Two 
Séria: Never Never 
Diel: druhý 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.23

Silas races against time as more truths unravel, while others twist tighter together. And now, the stakes are higher as Silas’ control slips and others begin to point fingers. Charlie is in trouble and he must be the one to bridge the chasm between their past and their present. Because somewhere between I love yous and Never Nevers and Never Agains, a truth they can't imagine, beckons to be found.

“I may not remember her, but I sure as hell still feel her.”

Táto kniha nadviazala tam, kde nás zanechal prvý diel. Hoci príbeh je rozsahovo veľmi útly, jeho obsah sa tomu ani zďaleka nepodobá. Silas s Charlie opäť na všetko zabudli, avšak tentoraz je všetko ešte vyhrotenejšie, pretože Charlie sa stratila a nikto nevie, kde je. Dokonca ani ona sama. Podľa opisu to nevyzerá najsvetlejšie a tak sa k pátraniu po minulosti pridáva aj boj s časom a nedostatkom informácií.

Autorky opäť ponúkanú veľmi dynamické dobrodružstvo, v ktorom sa stále niečo deje. Nikde nekončiace otázky bez vysvetlení sa len kopia. Tentokrát síce prídu aj nejaké odpovede, ale veľmi málo.

Príbeh sa nesie v rovnakom duchu ako predošlý diel. Emóciami pretkaný dej vzbudzuje záujem svojou tajomnosťou, hoci sa je viac zameraný na minulosť. Či už k náznakom udalostí, ktoré všetkému prechádzali, tak aj vývoj vzťahu hlavných postáv. Rôzne videá, listy či odkazy určené pre Silasa alebo Charlie tvoria kúsky skladačky, ktoré pomaly začínajú tvoriť celistvý obraz.

Postavy sa viac-menej ani nevyvíjajú, len sa viac profilujú tie vedľajšie. Okrem ústredného páru sa viac dozvedáme o Loganovi a aj tajomnom dievčati s tarotovými kartami. Obaja začnú trochu viac ovplyvňovať dianie v príbehu. Predstavujú mierne oživenie príbehu a naznačujú vývin.

“Never forget that I was your first real kiss. Never forget that you'll be my last. And never stop loving me between all of them.”

Prostredie i zápletka sa síce nejako výrazne nevyvíjali, ale to sa dá pripísať aj krátkemu rozsahu. A potom ešte faktu, že sériu čaká ešte posledné pokračovanie. Kniha, v ktorej sa v podstate nestihne ani nič stať, napriek tomu sklame len v minimálnom rozsahu.

Celkovo ide o veľmi dobre vymyslený a podaný príbeh. Číta sa veľmi rýchlo a plynule. Štýl a emocionalita dokážu prekryť aj prípadné nedostatky. A mystickosť zabezpečí, že sa čitatelia veľmi radi a ochotne pustia do pokračovania.

Korenené klišé | The Mistake

Autor: Elle Kennedy

Názov: The Mistake 
Séria: Off-Campus 
Diel: druhý 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: Baronet, 2016 (ČR; 25. 5. 2016) 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.19

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation.
A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

“Don't waste your time obsessing over stupid actions of stupid people”

Klišé sem, klišé tam | The Deal

Autor: Elle Kennedy 
Názov: The Deal 
Séria: Off-Campus 
Diel: prvý 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: Baronet, 2016 (ČR; 24. 2. 2016) 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.36

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice… even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.
All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he’s all for it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

“Sometimes people sneak up on you and suddenly you don’t know how you ever lived without them.”

Až príliš temná romantika | Corrupt

Autor: Penelope Douglas 
Názov: Corrupt 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.19

Erika. My boyfriend's older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He's handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college's basketball team and now gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me. 
Michael. My brother's girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven't had her body, I know that I have her mind. That's all I really want anyway.
Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone at college.
The opportunity is too good to be true, as well as the timing. Because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they're out.
We've waited. We've been patient. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true.

“Beware the fury of a patient man. Those who are patient, plan. And beware the man with a plan.”

(Ne)správny muž | Price of a Kiss

Autor: Linda Kage 
Názov: Price of a Kiss 
Séria: Forbidden Men 
Diel: prvý 
Slovenské alebo české vydanie: zatiaľ nie je 
Hodnotenie na GR: 4.12

I don’t care what my cousin says; I am not the queen of impossible relationships. I mean, just because my last boyfriend tried to kill me and left a bit of a scar on my neck, then forced me to move across the country and legally change my name to Reese Randall to escape him, does not mean—
Oh, who am I kidding? For a freshman in college, I have to have the worst dating track record ever.
It’s no wonder love is the last thing on my mind when Mason Lowe enters my life. But the chemistry between us is like bam! Our connection defies logic. And he’s just so freaking hot. Being around him makes me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt before. I even like bickering with him. He could be my soul mate...except for one teeny tiny glitch.
He's a gigolo.
Boy, do I know how to pick them.

“If you love someone enough, you can make them invincible. Like your feelings for them are so strong they work as a magical shield, protecting them from all harm and pain.”

Na túto knihu som narazila úplnou náhodou, pretože ju čítal niekto z mojich priateľov na GR. Bola som zvedavá, tak som si prečítala, o čom je, a dosť ma to zaujalo. Už len z tých pár neutrálnych viet bolo jasné, že sa asi dosť nasmejem a takisto na rad prídu aj emócie. Navyše to ešte pôsobilo trošku netradične. Takže je jasné, že som dlho neodolala a do knihy sa pustila.

V podstate ide o jednoduchú „newadultku“ s veľmi ohraným príbehom, ale úžasnými postavami, ktoré ma totálne dostali. Reese je neuveriteľne vtipná a na to, čo sa jej všetko stalo, bola neskonale silná a dolná. Som rada, že nebola ďalšia z tých, čo vie len fňukať. Iste, mala svoje momenty, ale boli ojedinelé. Proste išla vpred a snažila aa nejako pokračovať ďalej.

Mason bol dokonalý chlap, ktorého by som okamžite brala všetkými dvadsiatimi. Možno bol gigolo, ale aj tak bol neuveriteľne sladký a mal ťažký osud, ktorý ho proste dostal do zložitej situácie. Ale chlap, ktorý sa takto dokáže obetovať kvôli tým, ktorých miluje...

Ako pár sa k sebe skvele hodili. Majú bonusové body za to, že sa na seba hneď nevrhli. Ich rozhovory ma bavili, boli také skutočné a precítené. Veľa som sa nasmiala a hoci tam nebola žiadna akcia, čítanie ma veľmi bavilo. Autorke som dokázala zožrať všetko.

Nesnažila sa mi hrať na city, proste išlo o príbeh ľudí, ktorí sa svojským spôsobom so všetkým vyrovnali. V istej miere. Čím sa to odlišovalo od iných kníh z tohto žánru. Nerevala som síce pri nej akoby mi za to platili, ale to vôbec nevadí. Niekedy je potrebná aj romantika bez romantiky. Hoci tie klišé typu „nemôžeme byť spolu, nie som pre teba dobrý“, sú niečím, pri čom som neuveriteľne prevracala očami. Ale autorka to vážne urobila.

On vlastne ten príbeh nebol ničím svetoborným. Typický príbeh o ľuďoch s ťažkou minulosťou, ktorí sa snažia tešiť na budúcnosť, hoci nevedia, čo im prinesie. Reese mala na krku toho šialenca s nožnom a naozaj som čakala, či to nejako zamieša kartami, ale nestalo sa tak. Čo mi je trochu ľúto, malo to potenciál, ktorý bol zadupaný v zárodku.

Trištvrte knihy som sa veľmi dobre bavila, prežívala som to, čo som čítala a stránky ubiehali jedna radosť. A potom prišla tá zinscenovaná dráma a ja som sa pristihla pri tom, že sa nudím a som rozčarovaná, pretože sa tam všetko zomlelo príliš rýchlo. Kým som stihla žmurknúť, bol koniec. Zaslúžilo by si to viac.

Ale bez ohľadu na odfláknutý koniec to bolo príjemné čítanie. Myslím, že kniha splnila moje očakávania. Skutočne bola takým nenáročným čítaním s vtipnými hláškami a postavami, ktoré som dokázala milovať, ale i nenávidieť. Niektoré som dokonca chcela kompletne vyškrtnúť z príbehu ako omyl prírody. Len škoda toho vyvrcholenia. Podľa mňa by si príbeh zaslúžil trochu viac. Možno v niektorých prípadoch aj trošku serióznejší prístup k téme a menej príliš rýchlych zmien v správaní postáv (Schizofrénia v akcii!).

“You’re the warm sun that shines when everything else is dark,” he went on, lifting his hands to rest them on the wall on either side of my face. “A smile and a hug in a roomful of disapproval. You’re…” Wincing, he pressed his forehead against mine. “You’re everything.”