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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
listen, i read a lot of rom coms. it's a guilty pleasure, sue me. and usually i'm just rolling my eyes the whole time at the same tired cliches and boring miscommunication plots.
but this one? this one was different. it was actually silly and funny in a way that felt real, not forced. the whole premise of an engaged couple who already hate each other and are too petty to call it off? lowkey genius. it felt fresh and creative, not just the same thing repackaged.
it was heartwarming without being cheesy, and the characters were messy and relatable. this is how a rom com should be. took off half a star because some of the antics were a little too ridiculous, but honestly? i’m not even mad. so good.
but this one? this one was different. it was actually silly and funny in a way that felt real, not forced. the whole premise of an engaged couple who already hate each other and are too petty to call it off? lowkey genius. it felt fresh and creative, not just the same thing repackaged.
it was heartwarming without being cheesy, and the characters were messy and relatable. this is how a rom com should be. took off half a star because some of the antics were a little too ridiculous, but honestly? i’m not even mad. so good.
**I changed my review to five stars because I can't stop thinking about this book, the crave to re-read is strong with this one.**
You Deserve Each Other is a romantic comedy that made me laugh continuously and the amount of pages I dog eared because of how amazing they were is sinful (dog earring pages is also sinful, please forgive me bookworms for this treacherous act, but I couldn't help myself and ran out of stickies). It is how romance novels should be done in my opinion, with suspense, characters whom have chemistry and are downright amazing in slightly terrible ways (I may have loved Naomi's evilness, and Nicholas is on a whole other level of book boyfriends).
I loved this. It's that simple. I haven't read a good enemies to lovers book in quite awhile so this was an absolute delight.
I want to staple this cover on my forehead because this book is beautiful and the world must not ignore its beauty. The characters were amazing and I could relate to a lot of what they felt or thought. As I mentioned earlier, Nicholas is on a whole other level of book boyfriend and may or may not be my new fictional hubby. Naomi may have been childish at times, but I still managed to like her.
I will literally never stop recommending this book. I'm going to be honest with you guys, I read a lot of romance novels but half the time I don't like them because of the writing, characters, tropes...etc. But this, this was amazing. I finished reading it earlier today (*cough* 3 am *cough*) and I'm contemplating whether I should read it again.
I didn't like the second half as much as the first, but that's just cause I'm a cynic at heart and must have at least one character die in each book to feel happy (I know, I'm messed up, send help). Nonetheless, this was AMAZING.
The only reason why this is a four star rating (if you've seen my other reviews then you know that this is quite a high rating since I'm a critic and like to pick each aspect apart when I read) is because I didn't enjoy all of the aspects of this story. There were just a few things I thought wrapped up too quickly and felt rushed, but I still loved this book and will probably profusely talk about it for the next 5 years.
And if you like this book and are wallowing in the depths of utter sadness because you think that nothing may ever compare, then I reccomend reading these beauties: To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters and Beach Read by Emily Henry which are both romantic comedies that feature enemies to lovers.
Anyways, I have one last message for you:
You Deserve Each Other is a romantic comedy that made me laugh continuously and the amount of pages I dog eared because of how amazing they were is sinful (dog earring pages is also sinful, please forgive me bookworms for this treacherous act, but I couldn't help myself and ran out of stickies). It is how romance novels should be done in my opinion, with suspense, characters whom have chemistry and are downright amazing in slightly terrible ways (I may have loved Naomi's evilness, and Nicholas is on a whole other level of book boyfriends).
I loved this. It's that simple. I haven't read a good enemies to lovers book in quite awhile so this was an absolute delight.
I want to staple this cover on my forehead because this book is beautiful and the world must not ignore its beauty. The characters were amazing and I could relate to a lot of what they felt or thought. As I mentioned earlier, Nicholas is on a whole other level of book boyfriend and may or may not be my new fictional hubby. Naomi may have been childish at times, but I still managed to like her.
I will literally never stop recommending this book. I'm going to be honest with you guys, I read a lot of romance novels but half the time I don't like them because of the writing, characters, tropes...etc. But this, this was amazing. I finished reading it earlier today (*cough* 3 am *cough*) and I'm contemplating whether I should read it again.
I didn't like the second half as much as the first, but that's just cause I'm a cynic at heart and must have at least one character die in each book to feel happy (I know, I'm messed up, send help). Nonetheless, this was AMAZING.
The only reason why this is a four star rating (if you've seen my other reviews then you know that this is quite a high rating since I'm a critic and like to pick each aspect apart when I read) is because I didn't enjoy all of the aspects of this story. There were just a few things I thought wrapped up too quickly and felt rushed, but I still loved this book and will probably profusely talk about it for the next 5 years.
And if you like this book and are wallowing in the depths of utter sadness because you think that nothing may ever compare, then I reccomend reading these beauties: To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters and Beach Read by Emily Henry which are both romantic comedies that feature enemies to lovers.
Anyways, I have one last message for you:
funny
medium-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
Is it bad that I liked them better when they were mean to each other?
This was true romance. It didn’t try too hard to fit itself in the mold of what romance books typically are. It’s just pure romance.
And you know I love a hard-headed, irreverent FMC.
This was true romance. It didn’t try too hard to fit itself in the mold of what romance books typically are. It’s just pure romance.
And you know I love a hard-headed, irreverent FMC.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I LAUGHED SO MUCH.
such beauty and so adorable
I wish there was an epilogue
This is almost on the same level as The Hating Game
such beauty and so adorable
I wish there was an epilogue
This is almost on the same level as The Hating Game
I REALLY wanted to like this book. The last ~30% was cute, but it was overshadowed by my mind being stuck on the premise and what reality should be for an engaged couple planning their wedding. It was clear (although clearly deluded for the FMC) that he was fighting for them and she was just ready to end things without actually doing it or even fighting for them. Communication between them was obviously the problem yet the lack of any attempt by the FMC was infuriating.
Second half / towards the end portion was very delightful HOWEVER I was so annoyed by the first half and Naomi herself that I can’t bring myself give more than 4 stars and that’s me being generous..
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
THE STRAW PAPER BRACELET IN HIS NIGHTSTAND IM KILLING MYSELF IN SIX MINUTES
wow, i’m really surprised by this book and how its kind of comedy resonated with me. it had been a while since i genuinely laughed at some book’s passage, even though other romcom books have made me happy. this one was actually funny to me precisely because naomi (the main character) and nicholas (the love interest) are messed up in the head, seriously. i am and always will be an advocate for flawed characters, because to me they appeal so much more to my empathy and my sense of justice than characters who are too good to be true. i think complexity is born from well written flaws, and good romance stories are born from acknowledging them.
i must say, though, that i felt the pacing was a little inconsistent. many internal monologues that cracked me up at the beginning started to feel heavier by the end, when things were already pretty much resolved and there wasn’t much left to do except wrap up the story, but it ended up dragging on a little—a tiny bit—more than it should have. i also appreciate the message, but at times i felt it was excessive and that i wanted more apologies from nicholas than from naomi (since, well, we’re reading from her pov, so hers is more constant). it’s a beautiful message, though.
however, something that really bothered me is that the two most villainized characters in the story are women: nicholas’s mother, and melissa; and while i understand it’s perfectly possible for women like that to exist (especially since i know some in real life), i would’ve appreciated it more if the book had tried to balance the gender of these hostile characters. the impression it leaves isn’t that great.
finally, i totally understand now why this book is going to be made into a movie so soon—it was made to be adapted! not that it’s written like a script (far from it, actually, as we have a lot of internal monologues), but because it’s impossible not to picture how some scenes would play out on the big screen and how easily it would earn a place on the shelf of excellent romantic comedy films, right there next to ‘how to lose a guy in 10 days’ and other romcoms/screwball comedies. i loved it!
i must say, though, that i felt the pacing was a little inconsistent. many internal monologues that cracked me up at the beginning started to feel heavier by the end, when things were already pretty much resolved and there wasn’t much left to do except wrap up the story, but it ended up dragging on a little—a tiny bit—more than it should have. i also appreciate the message, but at times i felt it was excessive and that i wanted more apologies from nicholas than from naomi (since, well, we’re reading from her pov, so hers is more constant). it’s a beautiful message, though.
however, something that really bothered me is that the two most villainized characters in the story are women: nicholas’s mother, and melissa; and while i understand it’s perfectly possible for women like that to exist (especially since i know some in real life), i would’ve appreciated it more if the book had tried to balance the gender of these hostile characters. the impression it leaves isn’t that great.
finally, i totally understand now why this book is going to be made into a movie so soon—it was made to be adapted! not that it’s written like a script (far from it, actually, as we have a lot of internal monologues), but because it’s impossible not to picture how some scenes would play out on the big screen and how easily it would earn a place on the shelf of excellent romantic comedy films, right there next to ‘how to lose a guy in 10 days’ and other romcoms/screwball comedies. i loved it!