Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox

2 reviews

bookcheshirecat's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

2.0

“Life doesn't always play out the way you imagine it will but that doesn't mean that what you do instead isn't worth anything.” 

➽ All I Want for Christmas turned out to be a huge disappointment for me. I liked the author's previous holiday Romance The Holiday Swap, but this one didn't work out for me. The story follows Sadie and Max, two country musicians, who are on a casting show together. Technically, they're supposed to compete with each other, but it'll gain them more media attention if they become a duo and fake date. Sadie's a newcomer who hasn't been able to make it, so she needs the team up, even though she dislikes Max immediately. Max is the son of a famous musician, but he wants to come out of his father's shadow and build something for himself. The show is his opportunity to make an independent career!

➽ This was a mess of miscommunication, angst and drama! The reviews were mixed and they were right about the utter lack of communication between Sadie and Max. They keep withholding information from each other at crucial moments which in turn creates unnecessary drama. It didn't help that there's a one-year time skip in the middle of the book and that the actual casting show is barely utilized. We're often told about the outcome of the votes and don't end up seeing much of the competition. It's clear to me that Max and Sadie aren't well-matched, as they keep misunderstanding each other and withdrawing from each other. Even worse is Max's behavior when it comes to one of the producers of the show. He knows that he's sketchy, but keeps being jealous of his relationship with Sadie. It's so uncomfortable to read about when he's clearly harassing Sadie and taking advantage of her in vulnerable moments.
The end annoyed me so much, as Max sees Sadie and the producer together, but instead of recognizing the forced kiss and attempted assault, he makes sit all about himself. Max is convinced Sadie's actually into it, despite all the evidence against it. So when she ends up shamed and vulnerable, he's whining about how he misjudged her. All of that was so iffy. If you've got a harassment subplot, the least you could do is approach it with care.
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meredith_williams_'s review

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funny lighthearted medium-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

2.75

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