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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
This book was ok although it seriously needed more editing, especially the ending. Both the gun scene and the two mothers scene was so far fetched and unnecessary. I liked the animal aspect, I think that was an added benefit.
*audiobook* This was a super quick read! Almost finished it in a day. I loved Meg Cabot growing up so I figured I'd give a whirl to a book of hers I hadn't heard of. I was not disappointed. 😊
First, before I go any further with this review, if you are ordered to evacuate, for goodness sake, EVACUATE. Doing anything else is putting not just your life at risk, but those of the emergency responders as well. It’s just not ok.
Alrighty then, I’m going to hop off my soapbox now!
After the death of her father, an assault, and a bad breakup, Bree has decided to flee New York in search of warmer, more gentle climes…and people. As a current resident of Little Bridge Island (a small key in FL), she’s not excited when the first hurricane she experiences is a Category 5. She decides to stick it out in Little Bridge with her employers, the Hartwells and their hot-if-unavailable playboy son, Drew. No Judgements follows Bree’s exploits before, during and after the hurricane.
Meg Cabot’s books are always hit-or-miss for me, and unfortunately, this one was the latter. There were a few things that were approached in a completely inappropriate way. For example, our heroine deciding not to leave Little Bridge even though literally everyone she knows is begging her to evacuate, she has no experience with hurricanes, and she lives in an apartment that’s only eight feet above sea level. There’s also some insane gun usage later in the book, and a grown adult solves an issue with his fists and is lionized for it. No no no no no. The book, being a romantic comedy, has some fun romantic moments, but a lot of the comedy felt, again, borderline inappropriate to me. Hopefully some of those jokes are removed before the book is published.
Why is the protagonist 25? This book would’ve been much more interesting if it were about an older protagonist, and this woman, to me, did not act like most 25 year olds that I know. She acted like she was a teenager, and not a very smart or mature one at that (see above examples). Romantic comedies featuring twenty-somethings are a dime-a-dozen. I wish Cabot had taken a risk here. The male lead is not any better. He likes animals and is hot, and we don’t learn much else about him. They do fall in love instantly, though, so…yay?
As someone who grew up in a hurricane affected area, I think the idea of a romantic comedy centered around a hurricane is a fabulous idea. I just wish the execution had been less offensive. I did like the pet-rescue sub-plot, though.
Even though I didn’t enjoy this book, I’ll still check out Meg Cabot’s next one and keep recommending those books of hers that I do like (for instance, Insatiable or Queen of Babble). I mean, I read this book in a day, so that says something, right? I think plenty of readers will enjoy it. For me, though, it was a 1 star read: I didn’t like it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the electronic advance copy, which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. No Judgements will be released on 24 September, but you can put your copy of the book on hold today!
Alrighty then, I’m going to hop off my soapbox now!
After the death of her father, an assault, and a bad breakup, Bree has decided to flee New York in search of warmer, more gentle climes…and people. As a current resident of Little Bridge Island (a small key in FL), she’s not excited when the first hurricane she experiences is a Category 5. She decides to stick it out in Little Bridge with her employers, the Hartwells and their hot-if-unavailable playboy son, Drew. No Judgements follows Bree’s exploits before, during and after the hurricane.
Meg Cabot’s books are always hit-or-miss for me, and unfortunately, this one was the latter. There were a few things that were approached in a completely inappropriate way. For example, our heroine deciding not to leave Little Bridge even though literally everyone she knows is begging her to evacuate, she has no experience with hurricanes, and she lives in an apartment that’s only eight feet above sea level. There’s also some insane gun usage later in the book, and a grown adult solves an issue with his fists and is lionized for it. No no no no no. The book, being a romantic comedy, has some fun romantic moments, but a lot of the comedy felt, again, borderline inappropriate to me. Hopefully some of those jokes are removed before the book is published.
Why is the protagonist 25? This book would’ve been much more interesting if it were about an older protagonist, and this woman, to me, did not act like most 25 year olds that I know. She acted like she was a teenager, and not a very smart or mature one at that (see above examples). Romantic comedies featuring twenty-somethings are a dime-a-dozen. I wish Cabot had taken a risk here. The male lead is not any better. He likes animals and is hot, and we don’t learn much else about him. They do fall in love instantly, though, so…yay?
As someone who grew up in a hurricane affected area, I think the idea of a romantic comedy centered around a hurricane is a fabulous idea. I just wish the execution had been less offensive. I did like the pet-rescue sub-plot, though.
Even though I didn’t enjoy this book, I’ll still check out Meg Cabot’s next one and keep recommending those books of hers that I do like (for instance, Insatiable or Queen of Babble). I mean, I read this book in a day, so that says something, right? I think plenty of readers will enjoy it. For me, though, it was a 1 star read: I didn’t like it.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the electronic advance copy, which I received in exchange for an unbiased review. No Judgements will be released on 24 September, but you can put your copy of the book on hold today!
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
If there was a "cozy hurricane" genre, I'd read little else. I grew up on the Atlantic coast and went through a lot of tropical storms, and there can be a lot of excitement in the little bubble a storm can create. There is so much I love about this book, including the details of island life and Bree's devotion to animals and community. I loved the vivid descriptions of the sunsets, the debris, the rooms, and the well-researched details of the Keys and hurricanes. I appreciated that Cabot repeatedly explains the wisdom of leaving and deals with serious threats before, during, and after major storms. The focus on Bree's relationship with her mother felt quintessentially Meg Cabot in the best way. A few things did bother me, including Drew's repeated mansplaining (which is directly addressed but not meaningfully resolved) and the many times he manipulated Bree into being in his company (in particular, **SPOILERS** a time when she told him to let go of her bike so she could leave and he refused, and a time when he encouraged her to stay for a beer and got her stuck there overnight with him, and that's the first time they have sex! **END SPOILERS**). I also disliked his tendency toward physical violence in dealing with other male characters who threatened animals or Bree. None of these things got substantially better over the course of the book, so they weren't areas in which Drew grew. Also, near the end the book plays into stereotypes about pitbulls, as Drew uses them to intimidate someone. The resolution also leaves me unsettled because of the threat of violence, and the type of violence, used. The feelings behind it, however, did feel realistic. But without that threat of violence, Bree wouldn't have gotten her resolution and wouldn't have been taken seriously, and that felt kind of weird.
I enjoyed the story overall, but I'm not sure if I'll read the next one.
I enjoyed the story overall, but I'm not sure if I'll read the next one.
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced