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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc.
No Judgments is a lighthearted, sweet, romance revolving around Bree, her love of pets, a hurricane and a love interest, Drew Hartwell.
It took me a few days to finish this one – it’s a perfect summer beach read, but for some reason the story didn’t hook me in immediately and I kept putting it down to read something else. I finished it today though and I thought the latter half of the book was better than the first, only because as a romance, I thought it was going too slowly for my taste.
Sabrina Beckham, Bree, as she’s known in the story is from New York City, fleeing her life there to find her her place on an island in Florida called Little Bridge Island. She loves animals, particularly an old cat she’s adopted. Bree and a few of her friends, decide to weather out the hurricane headed their way.
The story follows Bree before the storm and after it, the actual hurricane hitting the island is glossed over, but the romance picks up as the hurricane is about to hit. For awhile I had to ask myself if this was a romance, because I felt like it was more of a hurricane animal rescue story! I wanted more romance.
I thought the story was cute but I wasn’t attached to any of the characters, except maybe the animals featured in the book. This is definitely a beach read kind of book, perfect for a lazy summer day.
No Judgments is a lighthearted, sweet, romance revolving around Bree, her love of pets, a hurricane and a love interest, Drew Hartwell.
It took me a few days to finish this one – it’s a perfect summer beach read, but for some reason the story didn’t hook me in immediately and I kept putting it down to read something else. I finished it today though and I thought the latter half of the book was better than the first, only because as a romance, I thought it was going too slowly for my taste.
Sabrina Beckham, Bree, as she’s known in the story is from New York City, fleeing her life there to find her her place on an island in Florida called Little Bridge Island. She loves animals, particularly an old cat she’s adopted. Bree and a few of her friends, decide to weather out the hurricane headed their way.
The story follows Bree before the storm and after it, the actual hurricane hitting the island is glossed over, but the romance picks up as the hurricane is about to hit. For awhile I had to ask myself if this was a romance, because I felt like it was more of a hurricane animal rescue story! I wanted more romance.
I thought the story was cute but I wasn’t attached to any of the characters, except maybe the animals featured in the book. This is definitely a beach read kind of book, perfect for a lazy summer day.
Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for providing me with an earc in exchange for an honest review. Bree is a Florida Keys transplant who moved to town and is working at a diner to work through the trauma of a sexual assault. After a hurricane rips through the Keys, Bree (who decided not to evacuate) makes it her mission to feed the animals left behind. I love Meg Cabot’s work and was particularly excited to read this romantic comedy. Bree’s character and emotional journey were well fleshed out and the most memorable part of the book. I think the handling of her trauma was done well and the cameo’s from Bree’s mother were particularly memorable. Overall I enjoyed it, but I did not personally feel much of a connection between the two leads, perhaps because they had little interaction until the final third or the book. I was also hoping the book would take more advantage of the tropey plot. So 4 stars for characters/writing-and 3 for the romance from me.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
A quick fun read. Love that the conflict was resolved well and there was no crazy angst between couple and they communicate well together. The conflict for her isn’t the romance but regarding her personal past life and he is just supportive and backed her up. Refreshing read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment
So... here is the thing: while I read this I was convinced this was a contemporary young adult romance. The writing style, the way the story progressed, the fact the main girl was taking a break from college, etc all screamed young adult. And than, towards the end, boom!!! sex!!! "oh... not ya than..."
I never read Meg Cabot, but after finishing the book I found this: “Meg Cabot is best known for her books for younger readers, but her adult fiction is a total delight.”— Popsugar . I didn't know she wrote for younger readers, but I am not one little bit surprised to have found that out.
I am not a fan of contemporary young adult romance so it is no surprise that although I thought this was good, I did not love it. Much of it was immature and silly. And there were some serious problems with it too. For example, she confronts the guy that assaulted her towards the end and although I am neither in favor or against guns I have to say the use of it here was wrong. Another example is how the author downplayed the dangers of a category 5 hurricane. Not cool.
Anyway, although there were quite a few negatives, I won't go through them all. Why? because I still finished the book in one sitting. Drew and Bree's interactions were funny and cute.
If you are an animal lover this will likely make you smile too. The way Bree and Drew's entire family treats animals is rather sweet.
That is it from me today. I really could write more on the negatives but because I actually read it so fast and smiled quite a bit through it I will leave it alone. If you enjoy reading contemporary young adult romance I am sure you will have less issues with it than I did.
I never read Meg Cabot, but after finishing the book I found this: “Meg Cabot is best known for her books for younger readers, but her adult fiction is a total delight.”— Popsugar . I didn't know she wrote for younger readers, but I am not one little bit surprised to have found that out.
I am not a fan of contemporary young adult romance so it is no surprise that although I thought this was good, I did not love it. Much of it was immature and silly. And there were some serious problems with it too. For example, she confronts the guy that assaulted her towards the end and although I am neither in favor or against guns I have to say the use of it here was wrong. Another example is how the author downplayed the dangers of a category 5 hurricane. Not cool.
Anyway, although there were quite a few negatives, I won't go through them all. Why? because I still finished the book in one sitting. Drew and Bree's interactions were funny and cute.
If you are an animal lover this will likely make you smile too. The way Bree and Drew's entire family treats animals is rather sweet.
That is it from me today. I really could write more on the negatives but because I actually read it so fast and smiled quite a bit through it I will leave it alone. If you enjoy reading contemporary young adult romance I am sure you will have less issues with it than I did.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did not think much of this story. There were "cute" aspects to it, but it was much too Hollywood-y for my taste.
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No