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levilore_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5
I would highly recommend the audio book because the narrator was so incredible that I actually liked the book more than the last time I read it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Classism, Fatphobia, Cancer, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, and Eating disorder
Minor: Death of parent, Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Pregnancy, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, and Vomit
johns6ka's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Eating disorder
Minor: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Addiction, and Panic attacks/disorders
_bobatea_'s review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Cancer, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Classism, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
_bobatea_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Cancer, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual harassment, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Addiction, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Kidnapping
melthebeloved's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
amorhedera7's review
This book has a cute premise, and it’s been on my tbr for years now. I was gifted this book for Christmas this year and was so excited that I started it before any other book I got. But the writing style immediately gave me an ick. This happens for me a lot when reading new adult romances, because I get the vibe that they were very “millenial” in nature, but some of my favorites gave me this ick too, so I persisted. Luc quickly became unlikeable and then utterly intolerable as I did. From complaining about the pointlessness of his job at an ecological charity to being rude to his group of friends (who all seemed like characters I could’ve enjoyed through someone else’s lense), until we get to the first date. Not only does Luc show up late, but he continues to be rude and annoying throughtout. I read the trigger warnings ahead, so I know that Oliver has an eating disorder but even without that, it’s weird and rude to continually call attention to someone’s eating habits, let alone on a first date. Then, Luc knowingly kisses him without consent, not for any romantic feelings (which wouldn’t have made it okay, but still) but so he wouldn’t lave because Luc needed to keep his job. He knowingly refers to it as a sexual assault, feels no remorse, and continues to be rude to Oliver. Also, the footsie being compared to making peace in the Middle East was such an odd line. Overall, Luc was annoying and whiny, Oliver deserves better, and there is never any justification for assault between the two major love interests in your romance novel. Hall needs to sort himself out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
taelights's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I had previously dnf this book but I decided to go back and give it another chance seeing as the audiobook was available through the library and I wanted to listen to something lgbt+ because I had mostly been listening to thrillers a lot recently. While I started off enjoying it more this time by the end I found myself wishing i hadn't given the book a second chance.
First of all the book dragged. It was so long and for what? Plus there is apparently a sequel too? Unnecessary in my opinion and I definitely won't be reading it.
While I did find some of the jokes funny I felt most of them fell flat and the author was trying too hard to be funny. I felt like I was reading a "crack" fic that was trying too hard rather than an actua published book. Plus some of the "jokes" were a bit of problematic - including rape/sexual assult ones, biphobic ones, etc. Plus I thought the book did play into some harmful stereotypes of both lesbians and bi/pan people. And as a vegetarian I did not like the way vegetarian and vegans were portrayed in this book and it felt like the author really likes forcing vegetarians to eat meat which is gross of them.
The negatives:
1) Both of the main characters need some major therapy; both individual and couples. Yet after after a whole book dealing with their flaws and trauma and incompatibility and trust issues these things just seem to go away at the end in an unsatisfying way. I hate the whole "love will fix all your problems" thing. Like damn I hope these two characters went to therapy next book but I doubt it lol.
2) While Oliver and Luc had chemistry at the beginning of the book I thought they lost all their chemistry. I was no longer believing in their relationship and routing for them towards the end. Plus THREE breakups in one book is a bit extreme. By the third I kind of didn't even want them to get back together.
3) I thought the side lesbian relationship was problematic like they play into both the lesbian age difference trope and while I personally love age gaps in general it's annoying when it's like 90% of lesbian media. Also it played into the whole gross lesbian married to man and cheats on him with a woman trope. Also the lesbian friend felt like the angry lesbian trope.
4) I also felt that there was harmful bi/pan stereotypes in this. Like having one of Luc's ex boyfriends being a bi man who leaves a gay man for a straight woman.... It kind of plays into the harmful belief that bi people will always leave their same sex partners for a straight relationship.
5) The characters were all extremely one dimensional. The side characters especially but so were Luc and Oliver honestly.
6) As a vegetarian I was extremely disappointed in how the author handled a vegetarian character. Between making the vegetarian character eat meat not once but twice, the love interest who convinced him to eat meat basically commenting that it's sexy he's going against his morals and eating meat, characters acting like being vegetarian is so strange and different and such an inconvenience, and being like yeah he's obviously only vegetarian because he has an eating disorder. Honestly I between the jokes about vegans/vegetarians and the whole forcing one to eat meat just made me so uncomfortable and I honestly believe this author has something against people who don't eat meat which is weird of them.
7) The whole reason for the fake dating plot line didn't make sense in the first place.
8) The whole plotline with Luc's dad didn't make sense and didn't have a satisfying conclusion at all and just made the whole element of the book seem needless.
I could go on. I just really did not like this book by the end.
First of all the book dragged. It was so long and for what? Plus there is apparently a sequel too? Unnecessary in my opinion and I definitely won't be reading it.
While I did find some of the jokes funny I felt most of them fell flat and the author was trying too hard to be funny. I felt like I was reading a "crack" fic that was trying too hard rather than an actua published book. Plus some of the "jokes" were a bit of problematic - including rape/sexual assult ones, biphobic ones, etc. Plus I thought the book did play into some harmful stereotypes of both lesbians and bi/pan people. And as a vegetarian I did not like the way vegetarian and vegans were portrayed in this book and it felt like the author really likes forcing vegetarians to eat meat which is gross of them.
The negatives:
1) Both of the main characters need some major therapy; both individual and couples. Yet after after a whole book dealing with their flaws and trauma and incompatibility and trust issues these things just seem to go away at the end in an unsatisfying way. I hate the whole "love will fix all your problems" thing. Like damn I hope these two characters went to therapy next book but I doubt it lol.
2) While Oliver and Luc had chemistry at the beginning of the book I thought they lost all their chemistry. I was no longer believing in their relationship and routing for them towards the end. Plus THREE breakups in one book is a bit extreme. By the third I kind of didn't even want them to get back together.
3) I thought the side lesbian relationship was problematic like they play into both the lesbian age difference trope and while I personally love age gaps in general it's annoying when it's like 90% of lesbian media. Also it played into the whole gross lesbian married to man and cheats on him with a woman trope. Also the lesbian friend felt like the angry lesbian trope.
4) I also felt that there was harmful bi/pan stereotypes in this. Like having one of Luc's ex boyfriends being a bi man who leaves a gay man for a straight woman.... It kind of plays into the harmful belief that bi people will always leave their same sex partners for a straight relationship.
5) The characters were all extremely one dimensional. The side characters especially but so were Luc and Oliver honestly.
6) As a vegetarian I was extremely disappointed in how the author handled a vegetarian character. Between making the vegetarian character eat meat not once but twice, the love interest who convinced him to eat meat basically commenting that it's sexy he's going against his morals and eating meat, characters acting like being vegetarian is so strange and different and such an inconvenience, and being like yeah he's obviously only vegetarian because he has an eating disorder. Honestly I between the jokes about vegans/vegetarians and the whole forcing one to eat meat just made me so uncomfortable and I honestly believe this author has something against people who don't eat meat which is weird of them.
7) The whole reason for the fake dating plot line didn't make sense in the first place.
8) The whole plotline with Luc's dad didn't make sense and didn't have a satisfying conclusion at all and just made the whole element of the book seem needless.
I could go on. I just really did not like this book by the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cursing, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, and Sexual assault
Biphobiaaverysockoo's review
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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
dlrosebyh's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault, Cancer, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Eating disorder
sabrinaelisabeth's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Tw: sexual assault joke.
It honestly wasn’t a good book, which is sad. I loved the premise of the book, it had so much potential, but the execution was terrible.
First of all, the coworkers. I honestly don’t understand why the author thought it was a good idea to make multiple people in this book so incredibly stupid, that they don’t understand the simplest jokes. It was rather annoying.
Secondly, them being happy af and then suddenly Oliver decides to just go up and leave and break of the relationship with some bullshit excuse? Annoying. Luc running after him? Predictable. Oliver not taking him back but then on the last page there’s a happy ending bc Luc has such low standards? Predictable and a terrible way for the author to end the book.
Also, Oliver being stressed out and just eating bacon, even tho he’s been vegetarian for years? Terrible. He was an ethical vegetarian and I hardly believe any such would just give that up because they had a fight with their parents.
Also the scene were Oliver and Luc went on a double date with Alex and his (gf? I don’t remember) was terrible. The over the top British expressions made it hard for me to get through and it was just so long. The chapter could've been halved and it still would have been too long in my opinion.
It honestly wasn’t a good book, which is sad. I loved the premise of the book, it had so much potential, but the execution was terrible.
Secondly, them being happy af and then suddenly Oliver decides to just go up and leave and break of the relationship with some bullshit excuse? Annoying. Luc running after him? Predictable. Oliver not taking him back but then on the last page there’s a happy ending bc Luc has such low standards? Predictable and a terrible way for the author to end the book.
Also, Oliver being stressed out and just eating bacon, even tho he’s been vegetarian for years? Terrible. He was an ethical vegetarian and I hardly believe any such would just give that up because they had a fight with their parents.
Also the scene were Oliver and Luc went on a double date with Alex and his (gf? I don’t remember) was terrible. The over the top British expressions made it hard for me to get through and it was just so long. The chapter could've been halved and it still would have been too long in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault
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