Spiral by Bal Khabra | Book Review

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Title & Author: Spiral by Bal Khabra 

My rating: 4/5

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication date: 28th January 2025

Blurb:

Elias Westbrook, a newly drafted hockey player for the Toronto Thunder, is facing the challenges of fame and media scrutiny. The tabloids are reporting on his every move, including which woman he was last seen with, but all he wants to do is escape the spotlight.

Enter from stage left Sage Beaumont, an aspiring ballerina whose lack of popularity online has put her at a major disadvantage for securing the roles she dreams of. When Sage finds herself with the chance to change her luck by fake-dating Elias, she takes her shot.

Soon enough, the flimsy rules they set in place fall away. But before things can spiral out of control, Sage and Elias will have to decide if they're willing to take the leap together or if they'll have to call it quits.

Review:

There are so many things I love about this book!

Spiral is the second novel in the Off The Ice series, featuring Elias Westbrook who has recently joined ice hockey team Toronto Thunder. Although great with the assists, he has yet to score a career goal. He is under the microscope with the boss and the media scrutiny he gets isn't helping either. 

Sage Beaumont is a ballerina trying to land her dream role. When her uncle, the general manager of Toronto Thunder, asks her to perform at an event, she meets Elias. She could use his status to gain popularity for her ballet auditions and he could use a steady girlfriend to keep the tabloids away. What can go wrong with fake dating?

I absolutely adored Sage's character. She has had a troubled childhood, has worked so hard for herself while also being her brother's guardian (who is also diabetic so props for that representation!). Elias's character arc was one of my favourites and I loved how he slowly let Sage in, something he has struggled to do.

The two really come together to help each other out but also push each other to be the best they can be. I really enjoyed Sage's ballet scenes, despite not knowing a lot about ballet myself, but what ties this book all together is the found family aspect between the main characters and the supporting ones.

The Ending Is The Best Part by Lamia Zain | Book Review

[ad/gifted - I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.]

Title & Author: The Ending Is The Best Part by Lamia Zain

My rating: 4/5

Publisher: Corvus

Publication date: 2nd October 2025

Blurb:

Yara and Xander are both writers on a major TV series. But that's where the similarities end.

Yara loves romance, but Xander doesn't see the point. He is only interested in the greats: Kubrick, Scorsese, Tarantino. He doesn't have Instagram, hasn't read a book published this century.

When they're tasked with writing the season finale together, they know the episode needs them both - romance and drama, head and heart.

Can they put aside their differences to create something remarkable?

Review:

This book was written as part of 'BookTok Made Me Write It', where TikTok users got to vote on key aspects of the book. You can really tell because it just screams that it was written for the BookTok community - and I ATE it up.

Yara Aslan is a junior screenwriter working on a popular television show. Her parents haven't really been supportive of her job, thinking it is just something she will do for a while and they have hopes of her becoming a lawyer. When tasked with the opportunity of writing the season finale of the show and to have her name proudly displayed as the writer, she thinks this could just be the opportunity to show them that her career is serious.

When her boss Meagan pairs her up with her office nemesis Xander Woods, stating that both of their ideas will gel well together, Yara is less than enthused and doesn't want his name being listed first.

This book has everything you would want in a romance novel. It is closed door for those who don't like spice, it is enemies-to-lovers with the forced proximity and "only one bed" tropes but it also has heart. Although just a short novel - I read it in one sitting - there is a lot of depth to the characters. Something that I really enjoy. It shows that you don't need lots of words to make someone feel. Each has their problems, it shows that relationships take trust and time and I especially loved the parallels with Yara and Xander and the characters they were writing about.

A very enjoyable read!