Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Much Ado About You by Samantha Young

14 reviews

fivecatsinacoat's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is a sweet Hallmark-esque romance with serious small-town charm. I've seen listings for vacation properties where you also work in a shop or something attached to the rental and none have ever tempted me but the one I saw that was attached to a bookstore. As a book lover, I'd love to run a bookstore, and know that I would really love to stay in a rental like this! 

The town is sweet and charming, without being twee, and the townspeople really felt three-dimensional with a lot of backstory and character.  The romance was believable and the tension built without being insta-love, which I appreciated. My only gripe

is how the whole town kept Roane's secrets and how easily she forgave him and the town. It felt too perfect. Those are huge secrets to keep and honestly I'm not sure I'd be able to forgive like that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Confinement, Child abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Minor: Animal death and Grief

chelle22's review

funny 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Racism, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

lacrimaeignis's review

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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? No

4.5

I absolutely adored this story! Is it cliched? Yes. Is it predictable? Most definitely. Is the development of the plot  unbelievable? Yes but that's kind of the point as this is intended to be a comfort read. Was it still a fun read? For me, yes.

While the book is a Contemporary Romance/Rom Com, it is probably more accurate to call it a Slice of Life book. Which is to say if you're expecting a book with a lot of plot or exciting events, you'll likely be disappointed. Character development is also focused more on the side characters rather than the main couple.

I very much identified with our protagonist Evie - and not just because she decides to rent out and run a bookstore in England to escape her everyday life (which is totally something I would do and frankly would love to do right now). I really enjoyed taking this relaxing trip to England with Evie. It was nice to see her interactions with the various villagers and how even in a seemingly perfect village everyone still has to deal with their own issues (some way worse then others). But what I loved most was how supportive the majority of the characters were to each other.

I do wish that Roane had been given more flaws because the "flaws" he had weren't even really flaws especially because it had nothing to do with his personality but were based on arbitrary circumstances. I loved Roane but he was too perfect and therefore felt very unrealistic. And while it wouldn't have changed much about the story I wish the "spice" had been a bit more... well spicy. Not to say a romance story can't be good without it. But the tension that had built up between the characters and their chemistry was great but then when they finally got together, it felt like they had completely lost that spark.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Racism

Minor: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Classism, and Lesbophobia

lizzieb29's review

adventurous inspiring lighthearted relaxing 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Homophobia, Addiction, and Racism

Minor: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Death of parent

imds's review

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Racism, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Minor: Miscarriage and Homophobia

marthabethanreads's review against another edition

emotional 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Domestic abuse

readerpal656's review

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I really liked the story but the writing style was definitely not for me. It felt too simplistic or casual or something. Also, the main/end conflict seemed silly and unrealistic. I liked the main characters and side stories though. And the romance felt believable and fun. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Racism, and Homophobia

lcwdreamer's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Racism

chloewakham's review against another edition

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Emotional abuse, and Cursing

Moderate: Alcoholism

coacklebee's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I really enjoyed this book at the outset, but it ended up falling short of what I had been hoping it would be. I'm not a huge fan of the lying because you think the other person won't like you trope, and by the time I realized exactly where it was going, I was just frustrated, waiting for the eventual reveal of

how old (or should I say, young?) and how rich Roane was. The lying about the age difference in particular felt really immature and soured what had otherwise been a cute, fluffy romance.

There were some genuinely fun moments, but also some really cringe-worthy moments too, especially when it came to issues of race. All in all, a little disappointed.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent