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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
The 'odd couple' of marriages of conveniences, Marriage For One is the story of Jack and Rose (no, not that Jack and Rose). Jack is a silent, sometimes sullen, uptight attorney and Rose is a chatty, smiling, coffeehouse owner. To help her keep the not-yet-opened coffeehouse after her uncle's death, Jack proposes marriage. The will says her husband will own the Madison Ave building that houses the coffeehouse and if she's not married, she'll lose it to her cousin who is not interested in maintaining the lease agreement set up between Rose and her uncle.
Of course the couple come to move beyond disliking each other. And there's a secret Jack doesn't want to disclose to Rose (or the readers). I'm definitely not a fan of that sort of trope, but it moves along quickly and I can almost forgive the author for it.
Cover: Well, the cover of the actual book is strange and mildly scary. The audiobook cover is just a bit boring, but at least not scary. But let's also talk about the title. Also boring. Honestly this book was better than I expected from the title. Just saying.
Narrator: Stella Bloom was excellent as Rose. Her performance enhanced the character for me. I'm not a big fan of Lance Greenfield - he always sounds like an insincere DJ to me - but he wasn't quite as bad as usual. Maybe because of his portrayal of the somewhat silent Jack?
Hogwarts Sorting Hat: This is the traditional Slytherin-Hufflepuff couple - he is a S, she is a H.
Themes: NYC, coffeehouse, marriage of convenience, illness, family (and lack thereof), attorney, opposites attract
Of course the couple come to move beyond disliking each other. And there's a secret Jack doesn't want to disclose to Rose (or the readers). I'm definitely not a fan of that sort of trope, but it moves along quickly and I can almost forgive the author for it.
Cover: Well, the cover of the actual book is strange and mildly scary. The audiobook cover is just a bit boring, but at least not scary. But let's also talk about the title. Also boring. Honestly this book was better than I expected from the title. Just saying.
Narrator: Stella Bloom was excellent as Rose. Her performance enhanced the character for me. I'm not a big fan of Lance Greenfield - he always sounds like an insincere DJ to me - but he wasn't quite as bad as usual. Maybe because of his portrayal of the somewhat silent Jack?
Hogwarts Sorting Hat: This is the traditional Slytherin-Hufflepuff couple - he is a S, she is a H.
Themes: NYC, coffeehouse, marriage of convenience, illness, family (and lack thereof), attorney, opposites attract
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5 out of 5 Stars!
I can't believe my first (re)read of this year turned out being 5 stars!
I finished this book at midnight, needless to say no one has the energy to write a review at that time, so I decided to write my (2nd) review of this book first thing in the morning, so voilá! :D
Reading this book for a second time has been such a delightful experience for me (as predicted). I was surprised at myself for remembering too much of the story, I gave 3.5 stars by my first read and even I gave much higher ratings to other romance books and may have loved them more by that time I can't say I remember every details as much as I did with this book.
I don't know exactly what it is with this book that I feel so drawn to. It has your typical tropes you'd expect from romance novels, aka grumpy meets sunshine with lots of other clichés, but I really loved it.
This book has stayed in my mind for such a long time and I knew I had to read it again, because I felt like my first rating of this book didn't feel right, I had to rate it higher.
I will round this book up to 5 stars and will also add it to my favorites, because as I already explained it above there's something within the story that is so charming and alluring.
The only reason I won't give this book a total 5 stars is because Jack (the main character/love interest) was being a bit possessive-ish toward Rose (Yes, I know, their names are Jack and Rose exactly like the Titanic. That was one of the reasons I wanted to read this book in the first place). Meaning, he gets jealous when she speaks to other men and etc, but that won't be coming as surprising since this is a romance novel and he is the typical romance novel hero you'd anticipate.
One last thing I wanted to add: Very very recently I discovered that the author added an extra short story/epilogue to Jack and Rose's love story and I was naturally over the moon.
Their short story was very cute and adorable, but it felt like the author wrote something fast and without going through her draft again on her way to the grocery store just to make fans of this book happy. Not gonna lie I was happy that I get to read about them and how their marriage was (and the fact they became parents *heart eyes*), but it also felt ridiculous at times, but in a cheesy and sweet sort of way.
**************************
Rereading a book is something I rarely do, but starting the year with a reread is something I've never done before.
I wanted to reread this book for some time now, because my guts are telling me that I'm going to like it more by my second read.
And I'll be listening to the audiobook this time, while reading the e-book too, of course.
****************************************************
3.5 Stars.
When I first came across this book over a month ago the first thing I noticed was the massive ratings. I looked up to the author's other books and a lot of her books were well rated so I thought to myself: ''Maybe I should give this book a shot, although this is the first time I'm introduced to a book by this author whose previous books are popular plus it's a romance novel so it should be fun!''
The second main thing I noticed while reading the synopsis was when I saw the names of the main characters which are Jack and Ross I immediately thought of Titanic, naturally. Now, one would think that this will be a reimagining of the film, but the weird thing was it wasn't. So, why would the author do something like that if it will be nothing like Titanic (I'm not saying ships sinking or anything), maybe she's a fan of it (I'm assuming)? Like, what was the point of that?
Pros:
-Enjoyable
-Funny
-Fast paced despite the books being thousands of pages long
-Fake marriage/fake dating is always a fun trope
-The plot wasn't heavy to follow
Cons:
-Unnecessarily long (it was more than 400 pages, which is A LOT for a romance novel)
-The whole execution of the (fake) marriage was weird
-The characters were annoying
Overall, I think giving this book a 3 star was the most reasonable option. I did enjoy it, it had cute moments. However, the ''plot twists'' were so obvious, I saw it coming early in the book, so nothing shocked me.
I can't believe my first (re)read of this year turned out being 5 stars!
I finished this book at midnight, needless to say no one has the energy to write a review at that time, so I decided to write my (2nd) review of this book first thing in the morning, so voilá! :D
Reading this book for a second time has been such a delightful experience for me (as predicted). I was surprised at myself for remembering too much of the story, I gave 3.5 stars by my first read and even I gave much higher ratings to other romance books and may have loved them more by that time I can't say I remember every details as much as I did with this book.
I don't know exactly what it is with this book that I feel so drawn to. It has your typical tropes you'd expect from romance novels, aka grumpy meets sunshine with lots of other clichés, but I really loved it.
This book has stayed in my mind for such a long time and I knew I had to read it again, because I felt like my first rating of this book didn't feel right, I had to rate it higher.
I will round this book up to 5 stars and will also add it to my favorites, because as I already explained it above there's something within the story that is so charming and alluring.
The only reason I won't give this book a total 5 stars is because Jack (the main character/love interest) was being a bit possessive-ish toward Rose (Yes, I know, their names are Jack and Rose exactly like the Titanic. That was one of the reasons I wanted to read this book in the first place). Meaning, he gets jealous when she speaks to other men and etc, but that won't be coming as surprising since this is a romance novel and he is the typical romance novel hero you'd anticipate.
One last thing I wanted to add: Very very recently I discovered that the author added an extra short story/epilogue to Jack and Rose's love story and I was naturally over the moon.
Their short story was very cute and adorable, but it felt like the author wrote something fast and without going through her draft again on her way to the grocery store just to make fans of this book happy. Not gonna lie I was happy that I get to read about them and how their marriage was (and the fact they became parents *heart eyes*), but it also felt ridiculous at times, but in a cheesy and sweet sort of way.
**************************
Rereading a book is something I rarely do, but starting the year with a reread is something I've never done before.
I wanted to reread this book for some time now, because my guts are telling me that I'm going to like it more by my second read.
And I'll be listening to the audiobook this time, while reading the e-book too, of course.
****************************************************
3.5 Stars.
When I first came across this book over a month ago the first thing I noticed was the massive ratings. I looked up to the author's other books and a lot of her books were well rated so I thought to myself: ''Maybe I should give this book a shot, although this is the first time I'm introduced to a book by this author whose previous books are popular plus it's a romance novel so it should be fun!''
The second main thing I noticed while reading the synopsis was when I saw the names of the main characters which are Jack and Ross I immediately thought of Titanic, naturally. Now, one would think that this will be a reimagining of the film, but the weird thing was it wasn't. So, why would the author do something like that if it will be nothing like Titanic (I'm not saying ships sinking or anything), maybe she's a fan of it (I'm assuming)? Like, what was the point of that?
Pros:
-Enjoyable
-Funny
-Fast paced despite the books being thousands of pages long
-Fake marriage/fake dating is always a fun trope
-The plot wasn't heavy to follow
Cons:
-Unnecessarily long (it was more than 400 pages, which is A LOT for a romance novel)
-The whole execution of the (fake) marriage was weird
-The characters were annoying
Overall, I think giving this book a 3 star was the most reasonable option. I did enjoy it, it had cute moments. However, the ''plot twists'' were so obvious, I saw it coming early in the book, so nothing shocked me.
re-read and this book still has me in a chokehold.
OMFG, this book, people, it's just beautiful, it has everything in it, comedy, romance, fight, fake marriage trope, and those points where your heart will just melt.
I loved it a lot. It's a perfect new adult book.
I loved it a lot. It's a perfect new adult book.
This is so hyped on Booktube but I'm disappointed to report that I fucking hated this.
The heroine was just INSUFFERABLE. She was so annoying, scatterbrained, and her avoidance behaviour/lack of communication really pissed me off. She had all these problems with Jack that she exaggerated in her own head, and instead of hanging around for 5 minutes to figure it out, she'd sneak out at 4am to her cafe so she didn't have to see him. I know it's a weird situation you're in but literally grow up?
There's a huge trigger warning here for a medical episode, and the way she handles it pissed me the fuck off. The heroine experiences worrying symptoms and dismisses them for weeks, and I honestly found it so infuriating I wanted to cry. Even when she's she's worried about her coffee shop instead of herself, and it drove me up the wall. It seemed her only personality trait was her coffee shop?!
Jack was also deeply mediocre. I enjoyed his pining and broodiness for the first few hours of the audiobook, but it rapidly wore thin. His only personality traits were being rude as fuck to service workers, and potentially having undiagnosed autism (which is not addressed).
The conflict and third act breakup were lowkey dumb and predictable.
There's a whole epilogue where this couple lay their cards on the table about the other person's flaws, how to move forward, and what they want the relationship to look like. This would've been great if it had come as part of the reunion following the third-act breakup, but it was awkwardly shoe-horned in the end. I would have bought into it more if I'd been able to see them both make good on their deal; I needed to see the behaviour in action. Not just one night of being cutesy and loved up.
The heroine was just INSUFFERABLE. She was so annoying, scatterbrained, and her avoidance behaviour/lack of communication really pissed me off. She had all these problems with Jack that she exaggerated in her own head, and instead of hanging around for 5 minutes to figure it out, she'd sneak out at 4am to her cafe so she didn't have to see him. I know it's a weird situation you're in but literally grow up?
There's a huge trigger warning here for a medical episode, and the way she handles it pissed me the fuck off. The heroine experiences worrying symptoms and dismisses them for weeks, and I honestly found it so infuriating I wanted to cry. Even when she's
Spoiler
recovering from surgeryJack was also deeply mediocre. I enjoyed his pining and broodiness for the first few hours of the audiobook, but it rapidly wore thin. His only personality traits were being rude as fuck to service workers, and potentially having undiagnosed autism (which is not addressed).
The conflict and third act breakup were lowkey dumb and predictable.
There's a whole epilogue where this couple lay their cards on the table about the other person's flaws, how to move forward, and what they want the relationship to look like. This would've been great if it had come as part of the reunion following the third-act breakup, but it was awkwardly shoe-horned in the end. I would have bought into it more if I'd been able to see them both make good on their deal; I needed to see the behaviour in action. Not just one night of being cutesy and loved up.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3/5
Okay. It wasn't that good but honestly the third break up act was something. I literally got up and paced in my room because of the anger bubbling in me. Just, the pace was slow and he didn't grovel at all. Plus one for the names. I LOVE TITANIC.
"I don't have a home to go back to anymore, Rose"
"You're my home."
Okay. It wasn't that good but honestly the third break up act was something. I literally got up and paced in my room because of the anger bubbling in me. Just, the pace was slow and he didn't grovel at all. Plus one for the names. I LOVE TITANIC.
"I don't have a home to go back to anymore, Rose"
"You're my home."
