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zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Cursing
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Infidelity, Islamophobia, Chronic illness, and Car accident
cheye13's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was decent, but couldn't pull me out of my reading slump. For some reason, so far I like every book in this series a bit less than the previous one.
This plot was a bit excessive for me, snowballing pretty fast – to the point that it seemed like a very convoluted way to get from a meetcute to a sex scene without exactly compromising the characters' principles. Eventually, it just started feeling contrived. I also never felt like the characters really got to know each other – relying a lot on Dev's pre-story catfishing and Jia's online persona, even when directly addressing that those aren't exactly them. The internal conflicts also felt like the suffered under the weight of the plot, and they were underserved compared to the other books of the series.
Still, I liked the characters. Their unique experiences and the depth and nuance in their relationships make them feel like my friendly neighbors. There were some allusions to COVID-19 which i wasn't super into, but they were subtle enough not to really affect my experience.
This plot was a bit excessive for me, snowballing pretty fast – to the point that it seemed like a very convoluted way to get from a meetcute to a sex scene without exactly compromising the characters' principles. Eventually, it just started feeling contrived. I also never felt like the characters really got to know each other – relying a lot on Dev's pre-story catfishing and Jia's online persona, even when directly addressing that those aren't exactly them. The internal conflicts also felt like the suffered under the weight of the plot, and they were underserved compared to the other books of the series.
Still, I liked the characters. Their unique experiences and the depth and nuance in their relationships make them feel like my friendly neighbors. There were some allusions to COVID-19 which i wasn't super into, but they were subtle enough not to really affect my experience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug abuse and Medical content
naika's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was really enjoying First Comes Like until about halfway through, where it felt like it was losing momentum. (It also didn't help that the audiobook narration was meh at best).
The set up to the romance was interesting: a Muslim youtube influencer who is catfished by someone impersonating an actor from a well-known Indian family. Not knowing she is being catfished, Jia makes a move to meet Dev in person. Well of course, things ensue. But everything that followed the set up continued to feel like a set up for the relationship. Nothing truly convinced me that they were IN love. Feelings were brewing, but anything other than that felt a bit forced. The story went from a slow-burn vibe to "let's do everything now!" and it was startling. Even her family at one point was questioning how quickly things were moving.
I think what disappointed me the most is that this was not as dynamic, or as charming, as the previous books in the series. But the potential was there!
I am not Muslim, so I cannot speak to how accurate or sensitive the representation was. I defer to own-voice readers for that and have been scrolling through some of their reviews to get a better understanding.
The set up to the romance was interesting: a Muslim youtube influencer who is catfished by someone impersonating an actor from a well-known Indian family. Not knowing she is being catfished, Jia makes a move to meet Dev in person. Well of course, things ensue. But everything that followed the set up continued to feel like a set up for the relationship. Nothing truly convinced me that they were IN love. Feelings were brewing, but anything other than that felt a bit forced. The story went from a slow-burn vibe to "let's do everything now!" and it was startling. Even her family at one point was questioning how quickly things were moving.
I think what disappointed me the most is that this was not as dynamic, or as charming, as the previous books in the series. But the potential was there!
I am not Muslim, so I cannot speak to how accurate or sensitive the representation was. I defer to own-voice readers for that and have been scrolling through some of their reviews to get a better understanding.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
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