Reviews

🌶🌶🫑🫑

This was an adorable book! I'm reading this series backwards on accident. I loved seeing Oscar's story, and it was honestly more spicy sexy than Mason's! This had some fade to black scenes but their first was actually described. It was good stuff!

I love when one MC is grumpy, but two grumpy MCs is also very fun! Glad to see POC, gay, and anxiety representation.

alley_cat's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

lezreadalot's review

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4.0

He thinks he knows everything, I definitely know everything, and even though for the most part we would arrive at the same point from different angles, we spent most of our fights poking at each other’s angles to prove they were incorrect.

This was so so much fun! A really witty, bantery, emotionally real and tonally perfect enemies to lovers romance.

Though enemies to lovers isn't the best way to describe it; they aren't ENEMIES. Hate to love? Bickering to love? Fuckbuddies to love? Oscar and Jack are part of the same friend group, Jack having been roped in at some point during the course of the last book, and unlike the rest of their friends, they're both pretty grouchy and pessimistic and bitchy. Put together, they're combative, messy, and will bicker about pretty much anything. They end up having no-strings-attached sex at the beginning of the book, and when Oscar loses his job, Jack offers him one, helping clear out his grandparents' house in preparation for a sale.

I don't always have success with hate to love, because a lot of excessive arguing and animosity can just get really exhausting to me, and it's really not fun to read. I think the reason why this worked so well for me is that Oscar and Jack never really hated each other. There was sniping and bickering galore, but it never really got mean or cruel, and from the beginning, their chemistry was so strong, and the potential for a relationship was really obvious to the reader, even if not to the characters. I never thought that it got to be too much, because the underlying attraction was so good. All of their interactions and snarking at each other were light and funny, and their synergy was amazing.

There's really great anxiety and depression rep in this. I really loved the note at the beginning that notifies the readers that Oscar still has his anxiety issues at the end of the book, and that's okay, because having anxiety and experiencing depression doesn't bar you from having a happily ever after. I recognised myself and a lot of my coping mechanisms in Oscar, and I loved the frank ways the author talked about dealing with meds, the social aspects of anxiety (that crop up even with close friends), and some of the misunderstandings that can crop up. The conflict in this book was kind of frustrating, but totally understandable in the circumstances. The book doesn't pull punches when it comes to describing Oscar's conditions, but it never becomes hopeless.

I also really liked the tone and the writing. It was light and humorous, and still deftly handled all of the tougher subjects with skill and care. I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Love Study, but I did think it read a little young in terms of the attitudes and behaviours of some of the characters, even though they're in their late twenties for the most part. This, thankfully, didn't have that problem. It's funny, but not immature. I also appreciated the fat rep, and representations of different types of anxiety, and the diversity of the friend group, and all the themes that were explored through cleaning out a house that belonged to a hoarder; something that wasn't treated with derision at all, which I was thankful for.

All in all this was a really solid romance that I enjoyed a lot, and I'm more and more becoming a fan of Ripper's writing. <3

Content warnings:

Spoiler

anxiety, depression, internalised fatphobia, disordered eating, mentions of suicidal ideation

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☆ Review copy provided via NetGalley.

rillaarcania's review

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

endemictoearth's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book kind of surprised me! It leans a little more on the character study side of things, with a romance subplot, but I really enjoyed it. Warning for those who deal with depression and/or anxiety: this book is a pretty unflinching portrait of someone having a tough time with these. But it is a really honest portrayal, with a great friend group, and some low-key lessons that are good for anyone to be reminded of.

readingwithstardust's review against another edition

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4.0

Really good anxiety rep, much smuttier than The Love Study which I wasn't expecting but found delightful. Altogether didn't always completely understand their dynamic, and it really would've benefited from Jack's perspective, but despite that I'll round up from 3.5 stars.

zellm's review

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5.0

I've never really liked enemies-to-lovers. But make it queer and I am SO HERE FOR IT. Also a fantastic portrayal of anxiety and depression. So basically, everything one could want in a book.

trashpigeon's review against another edition

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lighthearted relaxing 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

3.25

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