Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Finding Gene Kelly by Torie Jean

4 reviews

kphmitten's review against another edition

Go to review page

  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.25

Meh. Too many side characters that were confusing to keep track of and really had no importance. A best friend probably shouldn't refer to you regularly as "a little shit." That was weird to me.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kbairbooks's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

5.0

Thank you Netgalley, and the publisher, for giving me an ARC of this book and allowing me to experience it in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author for being so incredibly vulnerable and sharing this piece of you with us. 

This book has me speechless. I normally don’t rate books that have no magic/fantasy elements with five stars but this… THIS. Is beyond five stars. The humor had me genuinely laughing out loud. Multiple times. Genuinely the funniest book I’ve read in a long time if ever. There was so much personality and soul this book felt like a hug. The own voice chronic illness representation was incredibly honest, vulnerable, and raw. I want to put myself in financial distress to buy a copy for every single person I love so they can experience this magic for themselves. Beautiful. Brava!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bottleblondebookworm's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

I loved this Parisian inspired romance novel! I found myself transported to Paris, walking along the banks of the Seine right next to Liam and Evie. I loved the nods to old Hollywood and Gene Kelly. It made me want to watch An American in Paris and Singing in the Rain again! 

Now, let’s get into the romance. Fake dating is always a good idea, right? To be honest, it’s one of my favorite tropes, and I felt like it was done well here. Liam surprises Evie in Paris and she is not pleased to see her high school tormenter in her favorite place. However, her brother’s wedding is coming up and she needs a date before her mom completely steamrolls her. Enter Liam Kelly. From the get go you know Liam is head over heels for Evie, but she absolutely refuses to see it!! While I found myself frustrated with Evie and her constant self doubt and insecurities, I did understand why she felt that way. When she finally set aside some of that doubt and started trusting Liam, oh it was so cute!! Liam Kelly is such a sweetheart!!! He takes care of Evie when she needs him, but doesn’t ever try to fix her illness like everyone else in her life, he’s just there to support her in whatever way she needs. It was really beautiful to see Evie lean into that trust and let herself fall in love. 

I did take off one star due to the
third act breakup. I understand why the author made that decision, but I felt she could have resolved the issue without Evie and Liam breaking up.
The epilogue was cute and provided some closure I felt was needed, but I would have loved to have seen a bit more of Evie and Liam’s life after the final resolution. 

This book does cover some heavy topics, but the author put a wonderful note and content/trigger warning at the beginning of the book that lays it all out without giving away any of the story. Why don’t more authors do this?? It’s brilliant! 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!! All opinions are my own. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

britreadsbooks_'s review

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful medium-paced
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

CWs pinned on the author’s Instagram & on storygraph.

HEART ON FLOOR. HEART ON FLOOR. Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’m just gonna tell you how much I adored this. Torie Jean has delivered a total emotional gut punch that also lends itself to humour and chaos. Let me just say if you’re looking for a story with unrequited love and pining, this will be right up your alley. Did I mention Liam’s love language is taking care of Evie? Any man who would drop everything to bring a woman in need bread is a total keeper. Would I have appreciated this more if I had an attachment to Gene Kelly and Audrey Hepburn? Probably. But that didn’t stop me from absolutely swooning into oblivion. Especially every time Liam blushed. I was also weak in the knees every time a pun was delivered. Word play is my soul food. I also love that Evie’s character gives insight into life with endometriosis. Torie doesn’t paint a pretty picture either; she gives a raw, uncensored look into life with chronic illness. We need more of that in romance. If you enjoyed books like Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, and Always Only You by Chloe Liese then you might want this on your tbr.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings