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molly31's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Terminal illness, and Medical content
koistyfishy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 Pin Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
I feel like I'm a newborn discovering the world for the first time as reading this was an extravagant, extraordinary and completely magical experience. I have somehow discovered this new world of cutesy sweet rom-com romance books that I LOVE (as most of the cutesy sweet ones I have read before this were appalling), and it just makes my heart burst and melt at how sweet and adorable this book was. It played into every cutesy stereotype I adore in movies and I guess now adore in books.
This book is the first book in the Dreamland Billionaires series each following one of the Dreamland Heirs (think Walt Disney's Grandsons) and, to claim their inheritance, they first have to complete a task that their grandfather had set for them. In this book Rowen, the youngest brother has been tasked with becoming the Director of the Dreamland resort for 6 Months and needs to make a significant impactful change that a board of mysterious members will vote on at the end of the period. Things turn complicated when his polar opposite, the "insufferable and irritating" (his thoughts) Zahra enters the scene and has a whole bunch of ideas on how Dreamland should be run to make it better. After a drunken night and unedited application to the Imagineers, she soon finds herself working very closely with Rowan and the story unfolds from there...
I know this is highly inspired by Disney, and that magical vibe can literally be felt bleeding off the page. As someone who still has her Autograph book, had a bachelorette-themed after Disney princesses, and has watched every Disney movie at least 4 times, it is safe to say I am obsessed...and this book did the comparison such justice that it was perfect for me.
Zahra basically lived my dream of finding a partner who not only happens to be rich, but OWNS A THEME PARK where you can just skip the rides and ride them as many times as you want without needing to pay $100 for a FastPass to skip the enormously long queue...
Rohan is a little bit plain and boring and in the beginning, he is cold and a jerk. He does come across as selfish, but the thing is this book is his self-discovery that sometimes he does need to trust and be vulnerable. He went on a journey, an emotional one, learning that things are not always black and white and not the way that they seem to be. He has to learn how to trust again and it was a humbling experience for him to see how the other "side" lived.
He was really sweet with Zahra, and I liked that he owned up to his mistakes. While some of them were idiotic (no one is perfect) the fact that he took accountability for the decisions and actions and tried to rectify them was so sweet. He didn't just make excuses but was rational and willing to listen to a different perspective. It humanized him and made him very mature in my mind. So while he wasn't always the perfect man, I appreciated that he can communicate with his little bubble of sunshine, happiness and rainbows.
Zahra is what it means when you say "Just because someone smiles, doesn't mean they don't have tragic trauma and trust issues based on a previous relationship". I liked how she had to learn to love herself again and how Rowan helped her do this. She did take time to open up to him and there was a little back and forth but it was just overall sweet. It was also adorable that all her loved ones and support network work at the park too!
Your Tropes:
▶ Billionaire Romance
▶ Kinda Forbidden Romance
▶ GrumpyXSunshine
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Who did this to you
▶ Dual POV
Overall the book made me swoon and was the exact light and fluffy escape that I needed!! Highly recommend to anyone that loves romance 🖤
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
I feel like I'm a newborn discovering the world for the first time as reading this was an extravagant, extraordinary and completely magical experience. I have somehow discovered this new world of cutesy sweet rom-com romance books that I LOVE (as most of the cutesy sweet ones I have read before this were appalling), and it just makes my heart burst and melt at how sweet and adorable this book was. It played into every cutesy stereotype I adore in movies and I guess now adore in books.
This book is the first book in the Dreamland Billionaires series each following one of the Dreamland Heirs (think Walt Disney's Grandsons) and, to claim their inheritance, they first have to complete a task that their grandfather had set for them. In this book Rowen, the youngest brother has been tasked with becoming the Director of the Dreamland resort for 6 Months and needs to make a significant impactful change that a board of mysterious members will vote on at the end of the period. Things turn complicated when his polar opposite, the "insufferable and irritating" (his thoughts) Zahra enters the scene and has a whole bunch of ideas on how Dreamland should be run to make it better. After a drunken night and unedited application to the Imagineers, she soon finds herself working very closely with Rowan and the story unfolds from there...
I know this is highly inspired by Disney, and that magical vibe can literally be felt bleeding off the page. As someone who still has her Autograph book, had a bachelorette-themed after Disney princesses, and has watched every Disney movie at least 4 times, it is safe to say I am obsessed...and this book did the comparison such justice that it was perfect for me.
Zahra basically lived my dream of finding a partner who not only happens to be rich, but OWNS A THEME PARK where you can just skip the rides and ride them as many times as you want without needing to pay $100 for a FastPass to skip the enormously long queue...
Rohan is a little bit plain and boring and in the beginning, he is cold and a jerk. He does come across as selfish, but the thing is this book is his self-discovery that sometimes he does need to trust and be vulnerable. He went on a journey, an emotional one, learning that things are not always black and white and not the way that they seem to be. He has to learn how to trust again and it was a humbling experience for him to see how the other "side" lived.
He was really sweet with Zahra, and I liked that he owned up to his mistakes. While some of them were idiotic (no one is perfect) the fact that he took accountability for the decisions and actions and tried to rectify them was so sweet. He didn't just make excuses but was rational and willing to listen to a different perspective. It humanized him and made him very mature in my mind. So while he wasn't always the perfect man, I appreciated that he can communicate with his little bubble of sunshine, happiness and rainbows.
Zahra is what it means when you say "Just because someone smiles, doesn't mean they don't have tragic trauma and trust issues based on a previous relationship". I liked how she had to learn to love herself again and how Rowan helped her do this. She did take time to open up to him and there was a little back and forth but it was just overall sweet. It was also adorable that all her loved ones and support network work at the park too!
Your Tropes:
▶ Billionaire Romance
▶ Kinda Forbidden Romance
▶ GrumpyXSunshine
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Who did this to you
▶ Dual POV
Overall the book made me swoon and was the exact light and fluffy escape that I needed!! Highly recommend to anyone that loves romance 🖤
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Pregnancy
bbygirl21's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was a little disappointed in this book. Don't get me wrong I still quite enjoyed reading this book. I liked the Disneyland type aspect of the story and I loved how it talked about inclusivity and diversity in all ways. It's just the pacing of the whole story was too slow in my opinion.
And I didn't like that there were two major conflicts/break up scenes in this book and I think it could've only done with one at most. I can't tell you which one I would get rid of, because quite frankly I didn't like either of them, but I do know having two portions of the book focused on that was unnecessary when they're could've only been one section focusing on a conflict/breakup period.
I also have mixed feelings on both MC's. Rowan (MMC) was an asshole through and through for a giant portion of this book. And while I'm understanding of Zahra's feelings on the things Rowan said and did to her, I felt a bit frustrated with her. The way she didn't let Rowan explain anything and the way she jumped to conclusions a lot made me very anxious and frustrated. Like I said, I'm not excusing Rowan's actions/behavior, because it was quite unforgivable even coming from a place of understanding of his past, but I just felt like they should've talked things out like adults and that's what Rowan was trying to do, whereas Zahra wasn't. In my opinion it seemed she just wanted to avoid things until they're unavoidable.
There are things I liked about both characters, like I loved that Zahra had a very sunshine outlook on life. Yes it is sometimes just a way to cover up her true feelings, but for the most part, she tries to exude positive energy especially around others so she doesn't negatively affect others. And I love how deep down Rowan has this sweet caring nature for others. Despite the way he presents himself to the general public, he has this deep seeded care for people in less fortunate situations. You can clearly see that with how he is with Ani and how he immediately helped Martha when he found out she has to work to jobs with a hurt foot/leg. But for the most part Rowan and Zahra were a big letdown to what I was expecting going into this. And how much I like the MC's plays a big part into my overall enjoyment of book.
I think my favorite part of this book were the side characters and the theme park storyline. I loved seeing the progression toward making the park more inclusive and diverse. I loved Ani, she's such a little sweetheart, wanting to help her sister be happy. And she's so adorable with her boyfriend JP. I also really liked Martha as well.
So would I recommend this, maybe, I'd like to say yes but I'm not entirely sure. I'll let the other two books decide for whether it's worth it to read this one or not. I'll most likely say yes, but will see. I thought it was an enjoyable for the most part. Enough for me to keep going until I finished it. It had a great plotline and some great character development in the long run. I loved the ending seeing how Rowan's final plans for Dreamland start to come into effect and I loved seeing him and Zahra together despite their toxic and rocky beginning.
And I didn't like that there were two major conflicts/break up scenes in this book and I think it could've only done with one at most. I can't tell you which one I would get rid of, because quite frankly I didn't like either of them, but I do know having two portions of the book focused on that was unnecessary when they're could've only been one section focusing on a conflict/breakup period.
I also have mixed feelings on both MC's. Rowan (MMC) was an asshole through and through for a giant portion of this book. And while I'm understanding of Zahra's feelings on the things Rowan said and did to her, I felt a bit frustrated with her. The way she didn't let Rowan explain anything and the way she jumped to conclusions a lot made me very anxious and frustrated. Like I said, I'm not excusing Rowan's actions/behavior, because it was quite unforgivable even coming from a place of understanding of his past, but I just felt like they should've talked things out like adults and that's what Rowan was trying to do, whereas Zahra wasn't. In my opinion it seemed she just wanted to avoid things until they're unavoidable.
There are things I liked about both characters, like I loved that Zahra had a very sunshine outlook on life. Yes it is sometimes just a way to cover up her true feelings, but for the most part, she tries to exude positive energy especially around others so she doesn't negatively affect others. And I love how deep down Rowan has this sweet caring nature for others. Despite the way he presents himself to the general public, he has this deep seeded care for people in less fortunate situations. You can clearly see that with how he is with Ani and how he immediately helped Martha when he found out she has to work to jobs with a hurt foot/leg. But for the most part Rowan and Zahra were a big letdown to what I was expecting going into this. And how much I like the MC's plays a big part into my overall enjoyment of book.
I think my favorite part of this book were the side characters and the theme park storyline. I loved seeing the progression toward making the park more inclusive and diverse. I loved Ani, she's such a little sweetheart, wanting to help her sister be happy. And she's so adorable with her boyfriend JP. I also really liked Martha as well.
So would I recommend this, maybe, I'd like to say yes but I'm not entirely sure. I'll let the other two books decide for whether it's worth it to read this one or not. I'll most likely say yes, but will see. I thought it was an enjoyable for the most part. Enough for me to keep going until I finished it. It had a great plotline and some great character development in the long run. I loved the ending seeing how Rowan's final plans for Dreamland start to come into effect and I loved seeing him and Zahra together despite their toxic and rocky beginning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
qdbibliophile's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Classism
Open door sexual content, heat level 3 out of 5; mention of mental illness, death of a parent, and infidelityaurooratanninen's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
neverlandpages4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of the best grumpy x sunshine books I’ve read, it’s fast-paced, and I immediately fell in love with Lauren Asher’s writing.
I loved Zahra, even though she’s a bit annoying, she’s the typical sunshine-y character who’s always laughing at everything, but by halfway through I felt for her and was hoping she’d get the happy ending she deserves
Rowan is the typical grumpy billionaire he was a jerk for the majority of the book and loved seeing Zahra humble him and how he had a change of heart by the end.
I loved everything about this book except for how much it dragged on. Rowan is a commitment-phobe so despite them knowing that they’re 100% in love, they don’t “officially” get together till the end. And the third act breakup dragged on quite a bit but the rest of the book was entertaining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, and Classism
Minor: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
starfish9991's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I love love love the Downs Syndrome representation in this book. I liked how the author made Ani more dimensional than just her diagnosis. Love the growth and development of Rowan. Great book. Probably going to read the rest of the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
nutmegvotour's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wasn’t sure I was going to like this but I ended up finishing it quicker than I normally finish audiobooks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Pregnancy
chelle22's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
kiwij96's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I literally sat and read this in like 12 hours. I completely fell in love with the story and the characters. Granted Rowan is a teensy bit on the manipulative side, and I don't excuse his actions at times but his history is enough to understand why he is that way. And praise to the author for writing Zahra as someone who knows her worth.
I am not usually someone who reads contempory romance, but I fell in love with this book and will happily read more as a result.
I am not usually someone who reads contempory romance, but I fell in love with this book and will happily read more as a result.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Death, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism