Author: Liz Emerald

WOW, it’s officially September! I feel like I fell behind on my beach reads… August went by in a blur. It’s the last long weekend of the summer so I am not only going to post this quick review I am also going to attempt to read my last beach read this weekend. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous here, giving off last minute summer vibes ( I say that still counts). Let’s not waste more time and jump into this review.

What’s the story?

Everything that Sparkles is about a jilted lover looking to take her no longer needed, pre-booked honeymoon vacation, instead of letting it go to waste. Kylie is thirty and after her fiancee up and decided that ‘he wasn’t in it anymore’ was left to cancel all of the wedding plans, except her pre-booked all inclusive vacation to Aruba, that was a gift from her father.

After looking over her options of going alone, taking her best-friend or doing something so wild and unexpected it might just be what she needs. On a whim, Kylie decides to place an ad looking for a vacation buddy with strict rules, including under no circumstance is there room for any romantic involvement. No hook-ups, no friends with benefits, just an honest guy who is looking to share an all expense paid vacation.

Sounds like a dream come true right? To no surprise Kylie is inundated with every kind of unsolicited DM, including the coveted ‘dick pic’, leaving her to second guess her decision to take a stranger. Although she does manage to make a game out of all the messages she gets. Kylie has all but decided to give up on the idea, and turn it into a girls trip, until she comes across a message from a seemingly normal guy, Hunter.

Hunter is a commercial pilot with his own past. He is not looking for romance or love. A simple vacation in the sunny Caribbean might be something to consider. If the woman who placed the ad isn’t crazy or worse, the rebound tour. 

The good, bad, meh…

The good: Aruba! The author has done an amazing job of captivating the essence of Aruba. As someone who has been there, the author is really spot on with her details. The plot seems far-fetched, but she does a great job of making it plausible. The goal of the book is a beach read so the setting is perfect for it.

The bad: This is supposed to be a high-priced, luxury vacation and the ‘incidents’ that happen make it seem like a terrible place to visit! When the ending of the book came I was like, “oh. as if.” I am not sure I love the ending of the book. Yes, they do get their happy ever after, but I feel like this part was the only part that was rushed.

The meh: The book took a long time for something to happen after the first few chapters. It felt like forever before they actually reached Aruba. I felt like the pace could have moved much quicker. It’s a very long read. In kindle it’s listed as nearly an 8 hour read and my typical is around 5 hours. I would recommend this if you’re looking to kill some time, maybe on a long flight or over a few days.

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Recommendation