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reading_about_tigerlilies's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-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? No
2.5
falafellaa's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Considering this book is 30 years old it aged… let’s say fine. A lot of things are going on that an author from the 2020s wouldn’t dare to write down but Phoebe is actually an amazing character in a world that is still pushing discriminating narratives.
Still, Phoebe is a saint because i couldn’t have put up with the annoying, childish, aggression-problems-having man-child that is Daniel.
P.S. Chapter 3 is a fucking jump scare and i don’t EVER want to read something like this again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Confinement
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Bullying, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Stalking
Minor: Pregnancy, Body shaming, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, and Domestic abuse
mariskyjy's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-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
4.0
Honestly, I did not expect to like this as much as I did. I went into it with the knowledge that it had been published in the early 90s, so I was expecting A LOT of outdated beliefs and language that would be entirely out of hand today (and for good reason). While that is partially true in some circumstances, it surpassed my expectations there. Definitely picked it up because it sounded a little bit like Ted Lasso, but with a toxic MC.
Phoebe is a wonderful, stubborn heroine, who finds a way to deceive men into thinking she's a "sex bomb" and a "bimbo" - always a good trope in my book! She's not a brat or uptight about it, she's very funny and kind.
Dan is fairly complex as a hero, and while his beliefs about marriage were antiquated, they weren't unexpected. Their banter is great, and I love, love how stubborn Phoebe gets, as well as how sweet Dan can be with her.
I also really enjoyed the side characters - Ron, Molly, and Darnell in particular! Also, the sex scenes (with the except of the first onein which Dan picks up his ex wife while she is roleplaying a teenager) were excellent.
Cons: Everything was tied up very nearly in the last chapter/epilogue, which seemed a little cheesy to me (but again, not unexpected). Also a minor con but as a romance reader, I did NOT understand any of the football talk - I kind of just fumbled through those parts (get it?). Mentions of a certain orange man gave me heartburn.
Regardless, this book definitely exceeded my expectations. I think it'll be sticking with me a while.
Phoebe is a wonderful, stubborn heroine, who finds a way to deceive men into thinking she's a "sex bomb" and a "bimbo" - always a good trope in my book! She's not a brat or uptight about it, she's very funny and kind.
Dan is fairly complex as a hero, and while his beliefs about marriage were antiquated, they weren't unexpected. Their banter is great, and I love, love how stubborn Phoebe gets, as well as how sweet Dan can be with her.
I also really enjoyed the side characters - Ron, Molly, and Darnell in particular! Also, the sex scenes (with the except of the first one
Cons: Everything was tied up very nearly in the last chapter/epilogue, which seemed a little cheesy to me (but again, not unexpected). Also a minor con but as a romance reader, I did NOT understand any of the football talk - I kind of just fumbled through those parts (get it?). Mentions of a certain orange man gave me heartburn.
Regardless, this book definitely exceeded my expectations. I think it'll be sticking with me a while.
Content Warnings
To be added later
maluuuu's review
5.0
Bliss.
Stayed up all night devouring this and had a blast! Don't know what to read from Suzy after this one, so if you have any recs, drop them!
Dan is a true grump character and it was so nice to see it done right!
Okay, he can be a straight up asshole but this is what i want from character like this, not the grumbling giant teddy bear they try to sell as grumps nowadays. Also, queen Phoebe doesn't bend to his will, so their banter is *mwah* delicious.
Phoebe! I love Phoebe, she's everything to me now. So is Ron. I was greatly dissapointed when he ended up with Sharon, would've loved to see him with Viktor...
The last chapters were so outta pocket but honestly? It'd been a while since i legit laughed while reading and it was nice to see an author having fun with their writing nad not taking themselves too seriously like this, so i really didn't mind.
I loved this! Read this!
Some warnings:
- OW sex scene (the first one being.... kinda creepy but turns out it was a kink),
- SA (between kids),
- Rape (not between the main couple),
- Rape trigger (i don't really know how to call this, sry)
it's totally okay to skip those, you'll still get the plot.
There were some heavier scenes i wasnt really expecting going into this. Do they add to the plot? Yes, but i just tought it would be nice to warn anyone starting to read this so they won't get jump scared.
Stayed up all night devouring this and had a blast! Don't know what to read from Suzy after this one, so if you have any recs, drop them!
Dan is a true grump character and it was so nice to see it done right!
Okay, he can be a straight up asshole but this is what i want from character like this, not the grumbling giant teddy bear they try to sell as grumps nowadays. Also, queen Phoebe doesn't bend to his will, so their banter is *mwah* delicious.
Phoebe! I love Phoebe, she's everything to me now. So is Ron. I was greatly dissapointed when he ended up with Sharon, would've loved to see him with Viktor...
The last chapters were so outta pocket but honestly? It'd been a while since i legit laughed while reading and it was nice to see an author having fun with their writing nad not taking themselves too seriously like this, so i really didn't mind.
I loved this! Read this!
Some warnings:
- OW sex scene (the first one being.... kinda creepy but turns out it was a kink),
- SA (between kids),
- Rape (not between the main couple),
- Rape trigger (i don't really know how to call this, sry)
it's totally okay to skip those, you'll still get the plot.
There were some heavier scenes i wasnt really expecting going into this. Do they add to the plot? Yes, but i just tought it would be nice to warn anyone starting to read this so they won't get jump scared.
mvbookreviewer's review
4.0
Phoebe Somerville works hard at projecting the image of the perfect bimbo. With a voluptuous figure that people compare to Marilyn Monroe’s, the sexy simpering idiotic female is a role that Phoebe has perfected over the years since she ran away from her father. Posing for nude art pieces and hanging out with gay men had eventually made her father Bert Somerville, owner of the Chicago Stars football team remove Phoebe from his will. However, it seems Bert once again gets the last laugh from the grave when he wills the ownership of the Stars team to Phoebe till the end of the season thinking to teach his only failure in life a lesson she wouldn’t forget.
Dan Calebo, the head coach of Stars is everything Phoebe abhors in a man. Too masculine and aggressive for comfort, Phoebe finds herself unable to pull off the blonde bimbo facade that has saved her from becoming intimate with men for the past sixteen years. Likewise, Dan cannot stand the idea of someone as scatterbrained as Phoebe managing his football team.
From the moment these two opposites butt their heads together, the inevitable sparks fly. Though Dan has plans to find a nice homely woman and settle down with 2.5 kids, he never factored into the equation how he might start to feel for Phoebe once he gets to know the story of the woman behind all the glitter and makeup. Its inevitable that these two would crash headlong into love with each other, if they could just trust each other just a little and learn to look behind appearances that these two try real hard to keep up.
An enjoyable story of how two strong willed people from polar opposite backgrounds come together, this is a story true romantics would deeply relish, whose characters would stay with the reader for a long time afterwards.
Dan Calebo, the head coach of Stars is everything Phoebe abhors in a man. Too masculine and aggressive for comfort, Phoebe finds herself unable to pull off the blonde bimbo facade that has saved her from becoming intimate with men for the past sixteen years. Likewise, Dan cannot stand the idea of someone as scatterbrained as Phoebe managing his football team.
From the moment these two opposites butt their heads together, the inevitable sparks fly. Though Dan has plans to find a nice homely woman and settle down with 2.5 kids, he never factored into the equation how he might start to feel for Phoebe once he gets to know the story of the woman behind all the glitter and makeup. Its inevitable that these two would crash headlong into love with each other, if they could just trust each other just a little and learn to look behind appearances that these two try real hard to keep up.
An enjoyable story of how two strong willed people from polar opposite backgrounds come together, this is a story true romantics would deeply relish, whose characters would stay with the reader for a long time afterwards.
lzzzzzz's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
3.75
lilinly's review against another edition
4.0
3.5☆ [Eng below] [E-book]
รู้สึกว่าช่วงแรกๆ ค่อนข้างน่าเบื่อนิดหน่อย แต่พอเข้าตอนไคลแม็กก็สนุกเลย ชอบเคมีของแดน กับฟีบี้ เป็นน้ำกับไฟที่เข้ากันได้แปลกๆ 555
ตอนที่แดนทำบางอย่างพยายามแทนที่อดีตของฟีบี้คือหยุดกรี้ดไม่ได้ ดีไม่ไหว
felt that at first Quite a bit boring But when it comes to the climax, it's really fun. I like the chemistry of Dan and Phoebe. It's a weird combination of water and fire, lol
When Dan does something to try to replace Phoebe's past, make me can't stop screaming. Goddam it's was too good.
รู้สึกว่าช่วงแรกๆ ค่อนข้างน่าเบื่อนิดหน่อย แต่พอเข้าตอนไคลแม็กก็สนุกเลย ชอบเคมีของแดน กับฟีบี้ เป็นน้ำกับไฟที่เข้ากันได้แปลกๆ 555
ตอนที่แดนทำบางอย่างพยายามแทนที่อดีตของฟีบี้คือหยุดกรี้ดไม่ได้ ดีไม่ไหว
felt that at first Quite a bit boring But when it comes to the climax, it's really fun. I like the chemistry of Dan and Phoebe. It's a weird combination of water and fire, lol
When Dan does something to try to replace Phoebe's past, make me can't stop screaming. Goddam it's was too good.
julie2525's review against another edition
3.0
Very early 90s in every way (Pub in 1994. Yes, that’s how people acted.) You could read this as a history lesson. Telephones and other references were fun, but some of the language was offensive and uncomfortable. The story was cute though, growing on me as I listened. I loved the audiobook narrator. She was great!
gracereadsforlove's review against another edition
5.0
Reread 2022:
Nth reread and still enjoyed it so much!
Phoebe was given temporary ownership of the Chicago Stars after her father died as a last attempt by her father to manipulate her into doing his will. Everyone had such a low opinion on this because she had a reputation as a brainless bimbo (not true) and she knows nothing about football (very true). The truth is she's actually quite smart and she dislikes football and athletes because she secretly has trauma about men because of something that was done to her when she was eighteen.
Dan is the former quarterback head coach of Chicago Stars who has a fierce temper. I really loved how Phoebe stood up to him and even intentionally riled him up. But when Phoebe showed him her vulnerability, he treated her well. He was actively looking for a certain type of woman to settle down with but he just couldn't help falling for Phoebe.
I'm not used to books being told from a third person POV but that didn't affect how much I loved this story. Perfect blend of fun, spice, and a little bit of suspense. Five star read all the time.
Nth reread and still enjoyed it so much!
Phoebe was given temporary ownership of the Chicago Stars after her father died as a last attempt by her father to manipulate her into doing his will. Everyone had such a low opinion on this because she had a reputation as a brainless bimbo (not true) and she knows nothing about football (very true). The truth is she's actually quite smart and she dislikes football and athletes because she secretly has trauma about men because of something that was done to her when she was eighteen.
Dan is the former quarterback head coach of Chicago Stars who has a fierce temper. I really loved how Phoebe stood up to him and even intentionally riled him up. But when Phoebe showed him her vulnerability, he treated her well. He was actively looking for a certain type of woman to settle down with but he just couldn't help falling for Phoebe.
I'm not used to books being told from a third person POV but that didn't affect how much I loved this story. Perfect blend of fun, spice, and a little bit of suspense. Five star read all the time.