Scan barcode
bookobsessedmommy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism
ziggyreadz's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
i really liked charlie, it was so nice to see someone neurodivergent and anxious (like myself) grow into himself and become more comfortable with time. i wish he had stayed a bit truer to the beginning of the book — when he had more strict boundaries around overstimulating things — because i feel like that would have honed in on the themes of the book better.
dev i was a little more unsure about. in the first half of the book he was great, but his denial of his feelings/charlie and his’ relationship got old after a while. i have complicated feelings about him (and by extension the ending) because on one hand, i feel he should have been punished more by the narrative for being kind of shitty (and that would have made a more realistic and interesting ending), but on the other, i couldn’t tell what was him vs. his mental illness, and i also found his arc to reinforce the core message of the book.
i thought the premise was really fun and i enjoyed learning about the girls on the show (i definitely cared less about the other producers, but that may be because i listened to the audio book and dev’s reader would do incredibly obnoxious voices for those characters).
the ending made me very emotional, though exactly what emotion, i’m not sure. it was a mix of frustration, excitement, relief, anger, happiness — i consider it a win.
i know this is sort of par for the course for these kind of modern rom-coms, but some of the quippy dialogue was grating, though i felt it was kept at a minimum (comparatively).
the way the book talked about mental health was definitely better than the standard, but not the best it could have been — it was a little simplistic. still, i felt it was subversive and interesting.
would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a good lgbtq rom-com!
Graphic: Mental illness and Cursing
Moderate: Biphobia, Vomit, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual content
micaelacccc's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Vomit, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Alcoholism
alikazam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment and Mental illness
Moderate: Vomit and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Ableism, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Biphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Acephobia/Arophobia
kuroshiro_35's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism, Homophobia, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism
mel_j's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Toxic friendship, Body shaming, and Sexual harassment
joensign's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content, Biphobia, Vomit, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault and Alcoholism
axel_p's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Mental illness, Misogyny, Vomit, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Bullying, Drug use, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
takarakei's review against another edition
- 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
- MLM
- dual POV
- Reality tv (Bachelor-like) setting
- amazing LGBTQIA+ rep
- phenomenal mental health rep
THIS WAS SO STINKIN' CUTE!!! I'm honestly obsessed! Charlie and Dev have my heart forever. A MUST for anyone who watches reality tv shows it was such a fun take on that setting. (I don't watch them, and still loved this, so really it's for any queer romcom fans!). I really enjoyed both Dev and Charlie's journey through self-discovery, finding their identities and mental well-being.
Ok one caveat with the audiobook is that the narrator *kinda* makes it sounds like Dev's name is Dave (Dev is just pronounced D-ay-v) - so I just had to mentally picture 'Dev' every time.
3/5🌶️
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Homophobia
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Sexual content, Vomit, and Ableism
Minor: Racism