Honestly, this audiobook just didn’t capture my interest. It was very monotone, and the narrator just wasn’t my favorite. I think I’d have enjoyed the actual book more!

This is the second book in the Paper Cuts Series, a contemporary romance. I loved Alec and Stassi's story. They are both enigmatic characters. The storyline is filled with secrets, angst, and twists and turns. This is a great enemies to lovers romance. Fiona Aarington and Nick Mondelli did a great job bringing this story to life. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to listening to Dear Stranger, the next book in the series. #NetGalley

ALC review
Stassi and Alec
Stassi is back in her childhood town after a break up from her fiance cheating. She's still trying to find herself. She has been online dating and it's has been a disaster until she been match with someone from her past. He is her brother best friend and her bully. So she decide to take a chance go on a date with him. And one turn to several date and not knowing they are neighbors.
Alec is a doctor and he has felt he was good enough to be with Stassi and he could never tell her how he felt.
There a surprise pregnancy also the story felt a little rush.

I'm updating my previous review as I was able to download and listen to the audiobook. I absolutely loved this story enemies to lover's romance story and thought the narrators did a fantastic job with the characters. Stassi has always thought Alec hated her, after all, she had the emails to prove it. However, years later and a match on a dating site gives her the chance to get the apology she has always needed but never received. Over time Stassi learns just how much that hate Alec showed her came from a place of love and protection in the only ways he thought to show it. I loved the chemistry between Stassi and Alec no matter how hard she tried to fight it, and that chemistry led to a lot of truths, love and greatness between the two. I love that this is a standalone story and I'm looking forward to reading more audiobooks and books from this author. This story was steamy, exciting, romantic, funny and a story worth reading. It's one I will definitely be recommending to family, friends, co-workers and my book loving friends.

Your’s Cruelly is a second chance, brothers’ best friend “frenemies” to lovers romance. Stassi and Alec grew up together, as he was her brothers’ best friend. He began tormenting her anonymously in high school to get her attention, and never knew that she figured out it was him the whole time. They’re both adults now, him an MIT graduate working as a doctor in the local ER, and her a high powered PR executive on the run from a failed engagement and heartbreak moving back to her hometown to work at the local pizza shop and nurse her emotional wounds. They swipe right on each other in a dating app, and at the encouragement of her best friends Stassi agrees to meet up with him believing she will get an apology for his treatment of her in high school-and thus, the romance was born.

Stassi and Alec have great chemistry, the attraction between the two has always existed but neither acted on it-him afraid of crossing her brothers’ boundaries as their best friend, her being too shy and awkward in high school and then disliking him because of his “anonymous” notes and overall treatment of her. Now that they are adults he believes she should be over it, and she very obviously is not. Can she get past it to pursue something more with him? I sure hope so because after a hot and heavy (what she assumes is a) one night stand ends in pregnancy, she’s stuck with him in her life! (Not a spoiler-this event is in the book description)

This book has quite a bit of the classic miscommunication trope-both characters failing to clearly communicate needs and desires, wants and explanations of past events with each other that eventually leads to issues-this is one of my least favorite ‘tropes’ and this was no exception. As mature, successful, educated adults why can they not simply have a conversation with each other? I don’t get it. While the notes Alec sent Stassi in high school were certainly hurtful, and so was the homecoming event, none of what he did was truly cruel and her inability to talk about it is very immature (but so was his belief that it was “funny” and “water under the bridge”).

The audio of this book was wonderful-I have no complaints about it. Both narrators were pleasant to listen to, consistent with character tones, voices, and nuances, and the voices sounded great together. As an audio book, I would give this a 4/5 stars. Overall, simply because of the miscommunication and immaturity of the two main characters, I give it a 3.5/5 {and don’t get me start on her older brothers and their very clear overstepping of boundaries}.

I enjoy a good second chance romance. I especially enjoy one that also involves enemies to lovers. The chemistry between Stassi and Alec is fully charged and exciting. They both are in denial but it's so obvious that they have feelings for one another. Then when Stassi become pregnant, bang....the plot got even juicier.

I enjoyed seeing their relationship smooth out and develop. Alec wanted to make up for past mistakes but Stassi had a great deal of difficulty putting those memories in the past. The story has solid ups and downs and kept me completely hooked.

In addition, I listened to the audiobook. It was a wonderful narration and performance.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to listen to it and my opinions contained within are my own.

Overall, I liked this book. I’d say like 3.75 stars.
The spice was spicing, the romance was romancing. I think the twist with Jonathan was a little anti climactic but that was also kind of a good thing since it was something i could easily get over and still be behind them as a couple. I also felt like the pregnancy being a surprise would have been fun since it didn’t happen until more than halfway through the book. Having it in the description made me thing it would happen way earlier.

Will secrets from the past bring them together or keep them apart? Good story and character development. Quick listen with a good narrator.

This was a cute romance book! I enjoyed the push/pull of their relationship and how everything wasn't always what it seemed. I feel like the characters each had growth and I liked watching them grow together as well. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

“Yours Cruelly” by Winter Renshaw is the second book of the Paper Cuts series. Stassi was bullied by her brother’s friend, Alec, in high school. Now she has grown up and she moves back to her hometown reeling from her failed relationship and life. Alec, struggled with his absent family in high school, has grown up and moves back to town to work in the hospital there. Two people who have tried to forget each other all these years are now forced by living in the same apartment complex to interact and mend the past.

I thought the book was decent. It was a little boring throughout the whole thing for the lack of a lot of conflict in my opinion. The miscommunication ended up being too repetitive for me. If you like a realistic heart warming second chance romance with a pregnancy trope with minimal conflict, then this is perfect. 2 out of 5 stars.
-Second Chance
-Pregnancy
-Miscommunication

ARC REVIEW - yours Cruelly 

Yours Cruelly is a story of two people who have known each other for a lifetime yet mixed signals and a failure to communicate effectively cause them to misunderstand the feelings they have for each other. 

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrators. It was an easy listen and cast perfectly. 

The story was good, but it was typical. It felt like the book was missing something. It almost felt like it needed a more significant conflict, as the conflict that existed was resolved quickly. 

My rating: 3⭐️
Spice: 1🌶️

Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available December 28, 2023.

Yours Cruelly is the second installment in the Paper Cuts series, however it reads very well as a stand-alone novel. From the very start of the book, we are given the premise of the ensuing chapters. Stassi and Alec are past enemies that have one glorious night of provocative interludes resulting in a very life changing outcome. After this night both characters narrate their feelings for each other and the past that led them here.

I genuinely like Alec and could relate to the growing pains he exhibited for liking Stassi throughout high school, but playing it too cool to let her know. I had a hard time relating to Stassi. At times she was incredibly immature, in denial, and outright annoying. I get the need to create a dramatic atmosphere of sexual chemistry that could develop into a love story; but I was too annoyed with her character to feel it. This is also very much a romance with PLENTY of bam chicka wow wow moments that might be enough for readers to stay involved in the plot. Not really my cup of tea, so unfortunately, I seriously began losing interest three-quarters of the way in.

Ultimately, I am glad that I stuck it out for Stassi and Alec’s version of happily ever after. I appreciated the host of sub characters in the story such as Stassi’s family and friends. I also enjoyed listening to both characters view points on the audio production.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape publishing for an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Yours cruelly is a book about 2 people who had crushes on each other their whole lives yet both despised each other because they each thought the other hated them. They reunite as adults and find themselves in a situation where they cannot avoid each other and are forced to confront their past.
The story was well executed but very typical, nothing out of the ordinary.
A solid audio for passing the time. A little spicy but not too much.
The audio was well done, however I'm not a fan of people doing the dialogue of the opposite sex and in this case it wasn't too great.

Im normally not a fan of the pregnancy trope, but this book pleasantly surprised me! The pregnancy was more of a background part than front and centre which i appreciated.

Not my favorite. I loved the first one in the series but this one felt completely different. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fine. Nothing about it was bad, it just wasn’t for me.

Rating: 4/5 Star
Yours Cruelly is the second installment of the Paper Cuts series, but you can totally read Hate Mail and Yours Cruelly separately.

Stassi was tormented by her older brother's friend, Alec. He would always send her cryptic, anonymous messages that always were signed as "yours cruelly." All the tormenting messages went away once he left town over 10 years ago. But now he is back and now a freaking ER doctor! Stassi just has fate laughing at her because she totally matched with him on a dating app. She would rather not go on a date with him since she knows he was behind the yours cruelly messages, but reluctantly she ends up meeting up with him. One thing leads to another and weeks later Stassi finds out she is pregnant. Definitely a curveball she did not see coming and she is not sure if she can even trust Alec to be in her life.

I for one really enjoyed Hate Mail and when I saw Yours Cruelly on NetGalley as an audiobook to request, I hopped on it and was excited to get approved for the ALC.

The Paper Cuts books are very addicting and are super-fast reads. For me, I am instantly hooked within a few pages since I get so invested on what is happening, the characters, and the drama that enshrouds them.

Stassie at times was a little annoying, but I think that really plays apart into Alec's messages she got when she was in high school. Overall, the chemistry between Stassie and Alec was sizzling and sweet. I could not get enough of the two and I think I may like them as a character a smidge more than the couple from Hate Mail.

If you are not a fan of the surprise pregnancy trope or a pregnancy/baby bringing a couple together, then this might not be the book for you. I do feel like everything in this book with the pregnancy and everything that goes down was done well with the characters being mature with their decision making, so if you are on the fence about the surprise pregnancy trope, then that tidbit may help.

Also, to expand on the maturity of the characters with how they take some news and making choices, they definitely were very mature when it came to a miscommunication and that helped not have the miscommunication trope from happening. There was still a tad of miscommunication but is seriously a small blip and feels like it was not really there.

Definitely pick this book up if you are a fan of enemies to lovers and best friend's brother.

I really look forward to getting my hands on book three in the future!

This was a tough one to review - I enjoyed Book 1 but struggled with Book 2.

Though I liked that it wasn't a billionaire romance and that both characters had real lives, Alec's treatment of Stassie as teens was hard to move past. He constantly tried to down play his treatment of Stassie when they were kids but it was properly traumatic treatment!

I liked the glimmers of romance and it's organic growth. I also liked the growth between both characters.

READ FOR:
Enemies to lovers
Accidental pregnancy
Brother's best friend
Spicy
3 stars

#rochellereadsit

Yours Cruelly
By: Winter Renshaw
Narrated by: Fiona Aarington & Nick Mondelli

Book ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5/5 stars
Narration ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

Alec was Stassi’s twin brothers best friend. He was always in love with her but never expressed it, unless you count the letters he wrote to her and signed cruelly yours when they were teenagers. Alec moved away became a dr and moved back home. They met back up on a dating app.
I didn’t get the chemistry from these two, it was hard for me to root for them and their HEA. I did like that Alec seems like a good guy who truly wants to be with Stassi. Stassi was just stuck on the past, all the past…

This book was okay, I didn’t love it and I definitely didn’t hate it. I just had a really difficult time connecting with the book and characters. If you like brothers best friend, surprise pregnancy, enemies to lovers tropes then give it a shot.

The Narrators Fiona and Nick did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and telling their story. I enjoyed their performance during this story.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this audiobook so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must listen for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Book 2 in the Paper Cuts series. Completely works as a stand alone.
Audiobook listening speed- 1.75

I tried to write a synopsis, but it was awful. Read the blurb, lol.

I liked this better than book 1, but I am still not sold on the whole letter writing thing. We didn't have to read as many of Alec's Yours Cruelly letters, and they were also less cringy than the letters in book one. (The couple of present day letters were fine.)

I feel like you didn't really get Alec and Stassi together in present day until the end. You had them existing separately and remembering past encounters, but not a whole lot of them together. I think that is what kept me from enjoying this more.

This book is dual POV. Like book one, the audiobook is narrated by Nick Mondelli and Fiona Aarington. While there is an improvement in the pauses I complained about in book one, their pacing still doesn't match. Fiona reads faster than Nick.

I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.