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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I think I would give this book a 2.5 but as that's impossible, here we are.
As I mentioned in my unprecedented mid-book review this book was not the cutesy meet-cute I expected and wanted out of this rom-com. In fact I think it fell short on a number of rom-rom requirements but in saying that she did write a very lovely end... and I did feel that she dealt with loss and particularly significant loss and trauma really well. I felt that at her times her writing style and her choice to jump around in time a bit didn't always lend well to the story world she was creating and in fact besides the school and the house and the office I didn't really feel I was inside much of a world, it was a general life world sure but in the everyday world there are more things to it that I also found a bit lacking in this book. I also wasn't that fond of being almost mansplained to for parts of the book rather -- rather than for instance using descriptive language to explain the situation it was more conversational than that and therefore was a bit jarring at times -- at other times however that same voice led to funny little quips and made for an interesting character but because there wasn't enough of a shift of voice between Dax and Kailyn's chapters it therefore was just Ms Hunting's voice in each and again pulled me out of really enjoying the characters as well.
Emme who didn't get her own chapters on the other hand - I felt was fledged out nicely and seemed like a genuine teenage girl. But I wasn't so sure I believed that Kailyn or Dax could be real people that you'd meet, or even an amalgamation of a few seemed a far stretch.
All in all I'd say I liked it well enough because of Emme and the simplistic and yet complicated way she dealt with loss, but that I will most likely never read it again.
As I mentioned in my unprecedented mid-book review this book was not the cutesy meet-cute I expected and wanted out of this rom-com. In fact I think it fell short on a number of rom-rom requirements but in saying that she did write a very lovely end... and I did feel that she dealt with loss and particularly significant loss and trauma really well. I felt that at her times her writing style and her choice to jump around in time a bit didn't always lend well to the story world she was creating and in fact besides the school and the house and the office I didn't really feel I was inside much of a world, it was a general life world sure but in the everyday world there are more things to it that I also found a bit lacking in this book. I also wasn't that fond of being almost mansplained to for parts of the book rather -- rather than for instance using descriptive language to explain the situation it was more conversational than that and therefore was a bit jarring at times -- at other times however that same voice led to funny little quips and made for an interesting character but because there wasn't enough of a shift of voice between Dax and Kailyn's chapters it therefore was just Ms Hunting's voice in each and again pulled me out of really enjoying the characters as well.
Emme who didn't get her own chapters on the other hand - I felt was fledged out nicely and seemed like a genuine teenage girl. But I wasn't so sure I believed that Kailyn or Dax could be real people that you'd meet, or even an amalgamation of a few seemed a far stretch.
All in all I'd say I liked it well enough because of Emme and the simplistic and yet complicated way she dealt with loss, but that I will most likely never read it again.
agh i didn’t like this book at all. bad writing, predictable, and not realistic
** updated review **
I bought a copy of the book once it got released and finished it last night. Kailyn definitely matures from the girl at the beginning of the book. This book isn’t necessarily a “fluffy” romance as there are some hard, difficult situations that are prevalent and makes this book way more than just a regular sweet romance book.
** I received an ARC sample from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. **
This was a great sneak peek for this book. I think I'll enjoy both of the main characters. However, the female MC Kailyn doesn't feel super mature for someone who's supposed to be 30 years old. She still obsessed with a tv show from when she was a teenager (and even drinks from a coffee mug with the tv character's face on it) while trying to become a parter at the law firm she works at. I definitely see the potential and think I will really enjoy reading this book when it comes out on April 9th!
I bought a copy of the book once it got released and finished it last night. Kailyn definitely matures from the girl at the beginning of the book. This book isn’t necessarily a “fluffy” romance as there are some hard, difficult situations that are prevalent and makes this book way more than just a regular sweet romance book.
** I received an ARC sample from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. **
This was a great sneak peek for this book. I think I'll enjoy both of the main characters. However, the female MC Kailyn doesn't feel super mature for someone who's supposed to be 30 years old. She still obsessed with a tv show from when she was a teenager (and even drinks from a coffee mug with the tv character's face on it) while trying to become a parter at the law firm she works at. I definitely see the potential and think I will really enjoy reading this book when it comes out on April 9th!
A second chance romance (I think we can classify this as one) that was not only fun and flirty, but also an emotional one as well with depth and gravity.
The two main characters first meet in law school where former child star Dax and his biggest fan Kailyn are both attending. They literally run into each other on the first day and she fan girls hard. Although their first meeting is a meet-cute, they turn into friendly rivals throughout law school but when Dax screws her over before graduation they part ways on not great terms.
Years later, he walks back into her office to help set up a trust for his little sister Emmy. When their parents unexpectedly pass away he’s thrust into the main caregiver role. When his moms sister, Linda, sues for custody of Emmy, things get dicey and Kailyn’s thrown into the role of mediator for Emmy’s trust. The more time Dax and Kailyn spend together, the more they seem to let old grudges die and find the chemistry they once had in law school.
I loved how this wasn’t a typical meet cute romance and involved the plot of guardianship of Emmy. Dax was trying to figure out how to modify his lifestyle at 30 to care for his 13 year old sister and all the drama that comes with raising a teenager while also fighting off an onslaught of his supposedly “questionable parenting” from Aunt Linda. Emmy was sweet but emotional which I liked since she had just lost her parents. Kailyn was smart and protective of Emmy but also showed off her soft spot for the situation they were both going through. With Aunt Linda working at Emmy’s school I found it to be such a huge conflict of interest and I wanted to throw Aunt Linda out the winda.
Who is your biggest child star you would fangirl over?
Notes:
This book was listened to on the libby app through my local library
Author notes- First time reading Helena Hunting and cant wait to read more from her!
Genre notes- Romance
Troupe Notes- enemies to lovers, second chance romance
The two main characters first meet in law school where former child star Dax and his biggest fan Kailyn are both attending. They literally run into each other on the first day and she fan girls hard. Although their first meeting is a meet-cute, they turn into friendly rivals throughout law school but when Dax screws her over before graduation they part ways on not great terms.
Years later, he walks back into her office to help set up a trust for his little sister Emmy. When their parents unexpectedly pass away he’s thrust into the main caregiver role. When his moms sister, Linda, sues for custody of Emmy, things get dicey and Kailyn’s thrown into the role of mediator for Emmy’s trust. The more time Dax and Kailyn spend together, the more they seem to let old grudges die and find the chemistry they once had in law school.
I loved how this wasn’t a typical meet cute romance and involved the plot of guardianship of Emmy. Dax was trying to figure out how to modify his lifestyle at 30 to care for his 13 year old sister and all the drama that comes with raising a teenager while also fighting off an onslaught of his supposedly “questionable parenting” from Aunt Linda. Emmy was sweet but emotional which I liked since she had just lost her parents. Kailyn was smart and protective of Emmy but also showed off her soft spot for the situation they were both going through. With Aunt Linda working at Emmy’s school I found it to be such a huge conflict of interest and I wanted to throw Aunt Linda out the winda.
Who is your biggest child star you would fangirl over?
Notes:
This book was listened to on the libby app through my local library
Author notes- First time reading Helena Hunting and cant wait to read more from her!
Genre notes- Romance
Troupe Notes- enemies to lovers, second chance romance
Okay. Didn't see it coming. The beginning is cute - fangirl, actor, meet cute. The follow-up is great: she's a badass, he's a tortured hottie, and there's a teenager in the middle who is grieving and lovable. But then the other shoe drops and DRAMA happens and it never truly recovers, until the sweetener ending. A shame.
2.5. Held my attention and was entertaining, but just didn't quite all add up and is pretty surface level/trope-y. The writing style was fairly jarring at times- just lacked flow and had too much obvious reveal in the sentences.
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked this book! It dealt with real life difficulties and it was great to see how the characters dealt with grief. The characters truly cared for each other and it was funny and heartfelt.
As far as beach reads go, this is a pretty good one. Is it 100% predictable? Yes. Are the characters slightly over the top and unrealistic? Yes. Are the “meet cute” and subsequent plot points things that I’ve read or seen before in a romcom? Yep. But somehow I still really ended up enjoying this. It reads quick which is nice, and I rooted the the main character team the whole time.