This book was painful to read and cringy from the start. The writing distances readers from the characters, dodging the actual subject of each sentence as if to build anticipation (only to come off as vague and confusing). Instead of strong character development, everything is juvenile--from the narration to the story itself). I hate writing negative reviews like this, but this story wasn't ready for an ARC release, let alone an actual release. It read like a middle schooler's first attempt at a novel.

This is a great book! It's thrilling, funny, spicy and sweet all at the same time. And having plus size representation is the cherry on top! The story flows well and keeps you captivated from page one. You'll fall in love with Cassie and Seth, they have the best banter! This book is the perfect mash up of paranormal romance and romcom. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins for allowing me to read this book ahead of release in exchange for my honest opinion.

This’ll teach me to read a book just because I thought the guy on the cover looks like Chace Crawford.

I genuinely hate writing negative reviews, I want to love every book I read and even if a book isn’t a new fave I can normally point out some positives but couldn’t find any here.

The writing felt childish, I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt that maybe this was the author's debut but it’s not even close, she has a lot of books.

The dialogue was choppy and hard to follow. I’ve read a ton of PNR so I have a good understanding of lore in general but I had trouble following what was happening in multiple places because of how disjointed everything is.

Cassie was hard for me to stomach. Her former best friend was mean to her once in high school so he is now her “mortal enemy” that she spends a lot of time and energy pouting over even though they’ve been out of contact for a decade. PLEASE get therapy if you’re in your late twenties and you are consumed by things that happened to you in high school.

Seth was kind of a weenie, he says things like what the heck and hoo boy and is afraid to talk about what’s really going on. But then he was a total dirty talker which felt incongruous to his personality.

These two dummies seemed like they were allergic to communication. There were so many easy and open times they could have communicated their real feelings but they talked in circles instead. They even have sex (consensually) and she pretends she didn’t come because she doesn’t want him to know she enjoyed it. They don’t admit feelings until the very end of the book.

A lot of things were just mentioned in passing with no development. He sells goblin poop for a living? But no explanation of why goblin poop is a hot commodity. But then later apparently he is a thief? Not really explained. They’re trapped in a wardrobe with the door jammed shut, then all of a sudden she’s at home, no explanation for how they got it open.

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf is a quirky and cozy paranormal romance with a fun mix of small-town charm and supernatural shenanigans. The chemistry between Cassandra and Seth is engaging, and the blend of magic and humor keeps things lighthearted. However, the pacing feels a bit uneven at times, and I didn't totally vibe with the writing. While the witty banter and playful moments are enjoyable, the story could have used more depth to the characters and their romance. Overall, it’s a charming read with plenty of cute moments but not quite a standout.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffith for this advanced copy. You can pick up How to Help a Hungry Werewolf on October 1, 2024.

I went into this book expecting a cute, witchy/werewolf romance about second chances and harmless shenanigans. I did read the author's note at the beginning, so I even knew to expect instances of fatphobia and fat-shaming. What I did not expect was a romance between her and the guy who inflicted said fatphobia. And even then, I kept reading, wondering how we'd see the "growth" exhibited by the main characters, and curious how the paranormal elements factored into it.

But the last straw for me was goblin poop marbles and the werewolf being tempted to chase a stick like a dog.

I love a humorous romance, but these scenes were just so ridiculous and didn't contribute anything to the story. For the entire first 30% that I listened to, almost NOTHING happened besides constant conversations about nothing. They have, quite literally, done nothing but talk for the entirety of this book so far. And he changed into a werewolf once (mid conversation).

I could not bring myself to read any more, and I'm honestly disappointed that I wasted as much time as I did reading the beginning.

This book felt very much like an ode to a genre the author wasn't quite sure how to write. I really wanted to love it but it felt very scattered. I enjoyed the friendship and the slow burn but there were elements that felt like they were tied up at the end quickly because there was no time to wrap them up correctly. I loved the golden retriever energy of the MMC buy his excuse for his original behavior was lame and not thought out or explained very well. All in all I would give this book 3 stars.

Cassandra is forced to return to her childhood hometown after her grandmother dies unexpectedly. Returning to Hollow Brook is not something she wants to do - she left Hollow Brook in high school after her supposed best friend humiliated her in front of the whole school. But Cassandra is back, and wouldn't you know it, her ex-BFF Seth Brubaker shows up on her grandma's front porch. He's being weird, and over the course of a few days, gets progressively weirder. Then it comes to light that one: Seth is a werewolf and two: Cassandra is a witch. Seth and Cassandra strike a deal that he will help her navigate all the new-found supernatural wonders and she'll keep making the potion that seems to keep his wolf at bay.

I enjoyed the idea of this book so much, but unfortunately, I struggled with the reality of it. Cassandra and Seth's bantering was cute at first, but it seems to be the only way they communicate and came off as try-hard. The writing style was not my jam - there were SO. MANY. WORDs. and we barely got anywhere plot-wise: I DNF at 39%. Apparently, this book gets pretty spicy, but I didn't even make it to that.

This was a paranormal romance that was perfect to read as the fall season is starting. Cassie and Seth were childhood best friends turned enemies. I felt for Cassie who was fat shamed by Seth when he started to be a part of the popular crowd. Fast forward, Cassie comes back to clean out her grandma's house after she passed and finds out Seth has been befriending her. The writing was quick with short sentences and a lot of spice. It was not my favorite read, but I do think it was fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

Publication: October 1, 2024

Rating: Not for me

I struggled with the writing style. This is my second attempt with Stein’s work and the common theme for me is how she writes. I found it overly descriptive and wondered if this book is for a younger group? It read like a middle grade book unfortunately.

Shifter romance fun with a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers trope spicing up the story. Charlotte Stein has become a go-to for rom-com fun and plus-size heroines loving their curves.

This is not the story for me. It's very cheesy. I couldn't ever forgive a man that publicly called me a fatass, no matter his reason. And she used his first and last name so much that it was distracting.

First of all, I read some of the other reviews of this book (which I very rarely do), and I sort of agree with them: someone who fat shames you in HS especially in front of an audience, is not exactly a go-to partner for romance. However, I kept reading, and I got it for the most part. I think that maybe there shouldn’t have been an epilogue in the beginning. They are actually a cute couple in the end, and I’m glad I kept reading because he really did seem like he regretted his actions. People do grow up. Cassie is a pretty strong character, and she can handle herself. I like how she dealt with the paranormal: no instant acceptance but no not accepting it either. A nice balance. Anyway, this is a cute, silly, steamy paranormal romance with a little bit of a rocky beginning. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

This is a fun, entertaining, spicy story. Seth and Cassie are intriguing, complex, wounded, smart, strong, relatable, interesting, entertaining characters. The story is multi-layered that kept my interesting until the very end. I loved the second chance plot and how it played out. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf is a paranormal romance with a plus-size FMC, a frenetic friends to enemies to lovers story with a slow burn into a dirty-talking inferno. To be honest, I don’t think I am the target audience for this book. I read it because I like Charlotte Stein and because I am trying to read romances with plus-size characters.

While I was reading , I was reminded of Stein’s book “Never Sweeter” more than once. This was not a bad thing. “Never Sweeter” was one of the only bully romances I enjoyed (probably because it was more of a post-bully redemption story.) There is fat phobia and fat shaming on-page and historical.

While this will never be a favorite of Stein’s books for me personally, I feel people who are shifter aficionados will enjoy it quite a bit.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for an advance review copy. All opinions are solely my own.

I was drawn to this book because I have really enjoyed Charlotte Stein's books in the past. When we add in a paranormal element, I could not say no. That being said, the same things I enjoyed about her previous books (great banter and the spiciest of sex scenes) were there. And they were enough to overshadow many of the things I didn't particularly like.

I don't like bullying storylines—I have a hard time with the bully's redemption. My main issue with this story is that there seems to be an attempt to explain Seth's actions, but it gets so muddled that it's hard to follow.
Most of the conversation between Seth and Cassie in the first portion of the story is just a dump of information. I can see that by having Cassie be largely ignorant, the author is creating a surrogate for the reader in the world—but it's just not done as well as it could have been. There was so much information in such a small section of the story that I still feel like I missed something.

In general, I enjoyed the story. If you've liked Charlotte Stein's books in the past, you'll like this as well.

How to Help a Hungry Werewolf is a paranormal romance that took me on a wild ride. At first, it felt like a lighthearted, fun tale, but as the story unfolded, it delved into unexpected territory. Cassie’s return to her hometown, only to rediscover her childhood friend Seth’s transformation into a werewolf, paves the way for a unique and crazy love story.

The book initially captivated me with its witty dialogue and intriguing supernatural elements. The banter between the characters and the twist on Cassie and Seth’s reunion drew me in. However, the narrative took an abrupt shift, plunging into explicit werewolf erotica leaving me feeling disoriented, as if the story had taken a drastic detour from its promising beginning.

While the book had the potential to offer a fresh take on the concept of fated mates, the execution fell short for me. Seth and Cassie’s immaturity and frustrating denial of their connection was tedious for me. I found myself willing them to confront their feelings already and just do the deed and move on.

I am conflicted about this book. On one hand, the story presented an unconventional and thought-provoking perspective on paranormal romance. On the other hand, the inconsistent pacing and the characters’ inability to evolve lost my interest half way through. While I applaud the author’s creativity, I hope to see more consistent and thoughtful storytelling in future books in the series.

I finished this but I didn’t really like it. I found the plot to be okay nothing super interesting or exciting about it. Heavy on th smut for the last half of the book. I love a good smut read but this one was just a bit odd. It felt like once the smut happened the plot disappears and the only focus is all of that type of action. The author attempts to get the main conflicts to take center stage again but they still get lost in the mix.

This is a witchy small-town romance with friends to lovers and mating bonds. It really had the set up to be a cute story, but I really couldn't get into it. The characters were meant to be almost 30 but communicated like teenagers. Also, the author continually started sentences with and/or which was frustrating. It made whole sections seem like they were starting and stopping. Just stuttering along, it was awful.

The plot would have been great for just the enemies-friends-lovers plot, but adding in the confrontation of Cassie and Seth's high school bullies just felt bloated. I think the story would have been way more interesting if it was about Cassie and Seth forgiving each other and discovering the magical world together. Instead, it just felt like a bad improv where the author kept yes anding the plot.

I did enjoy Cassie's foray into becoming a witch and discovering herself. I thought her enthusiasm and wonder were well done and fleshed her character. I also liked the dirty talk in the book. It was definitely spicy. But a lot of the actual communication between Cassie and Seth seemed like they were still in high school. The story would have worked a lot better if the characters were in their early 20s instead of late 20s.

Look, I didn't like this book. I thought it was messy and overall, it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. All opinions are mine.

I love anything paranormal and was so excited to start this book. Unfortunately, I DNF’d it in the first 10%. It fell extremely flat for me. I felt like it was very repetitive. The writing style wasn’t for me. And the info dumping didn’t seem necessary to me for the type of book it is. And I also couldn’t get behind the MMC calling the FMC names in the beginning of the book.

Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for the ARC!

While October is Kate’s month with her yearly “Horrorpalooza,” if the right options present themselves, I like to get in on the themed action and read some Halloween books myself! Of course, these often skew towards the fantastical and the romantic rather than, you know, all the actual horror. That being the case, I was excited when the publisher contacted me about a potential review for this book. Judging by the title and the adorable cover alone, I thought this would perfectly fit my more laid back Halloween vibes during the month of October!

This book was a bit of a strange read, in that I really enjoyed the first half of the story, but then as it moved into the second part, I found myself beginning to struggle more. But to start with the positives, the story starts out on a strong foot. This is very much a cozy fantasy story in that there is a distinct tone to the storytelling. Nothing is ever discussed in too serious of a manner and much of the dialogue is quite quippy and silly. There is a very stylistic approach to the storytelling, and it’s the kind of thing that will either work for readers right from the start or it will annoy them. For the most part, I was happy to go with it and did find much of it humorous. I made the wise decision early in the story to firmly slot the romantic interest into the “himbo/golden-retriever-esque” character archetype, which helped with my expectations throughout.

That being the case, however, I do wish the book had balanced some of the more light-hearted moments out with some seriousness. While the Seth was funny, I also wished we had some more sincere moments from him. And, as the story progressed, I increasingly began to struggle with the dialogue/character decisions we were getting as contrasted with the actual age of these characters.

We are meant to believe these two are adults well into their twenties. But too often the manner of their speech and the quality of their observations fell firmly into the teenage category. Towards the middle, the romantic conflict began to take an incredibly silly turn, with Cassie misinterpreting Seth’s actions and reactions to a truly ridiculous degree. I get that this was meant to delay their reconciliation, but it began to become silly to the point of frustrating very quickly. Her thought process (and his as well, from what we could see) fell firmly within the juvenile category and was simply not believable as coming from a mature woman.

I also understand that this is the type of cozy fantasy story where the magic system, such as it is, is very broad and undefined. Which is fine, that’s not the point of this type of story. However, Cassie also began to feel incredibly over-powered fairly early on which did take out some of the conflict in the last act of the story.

All of this said, I believe this is the beginning of a series, and I’m fairly certain we meet the next two main characters in this book, both of whom I’m definitely interested in following. So while I felt a bit let down by the end of this book, I’m definitely interested in checking out the next one. Fans of cozy fantasy romance should probably give this one a shot, though the overall quippy tone may be hit and miss for some readers.

Rating 7: A bit bogged down by the quippy tone and immature main characters, but still a fun enough read for the most part.

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