In this video, I’m taking you along while I read the ACOTAR series for the first time as a 34-year-old mom—because it’s been so hyped for so long, and I finally caved. I talk through my spoiler-free thoughts on book one (A Court of Thorns and Roses) and how it felt like an obvious Beauty and the Beast retelling for most of it… until the very end, when I suddenly couldn’t put it down. For me it landed around a 3–3.5 star read: not a five-star favorite, but worth finishing. Then I jump into book two (A Court of Mist and Fury) and give updates as I go—yes, including a heads-up that the “spice” shows up way earlier than I expected (I was genuinely shocked at first). I share what I liked: more immersion, better world-building, learning about the different courts, and how these books can be a fun escape when real life feels stressful. I also get real about what didn’t work for me—some romance feels like “okay… where’s the mystery?” and later in the series I hit major boredom and eye-roll “cheesy” moments, especially once I switched to Audible while I was cleaning. In the end, I finished book two (about 4 stars), started book three, and decided I’m DNF’ing for now—unless you convince me it gets better.