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writtenontheflyleaves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane đź’Ľ
🌟🌟🌟✨
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🥀 The plot: When Laurie’s boyfriend of 18 years breaks up with her, it feels like her life is over, and to make matters worse, they still have to work together. But when a lift breaks down and traps her with the office lothario, Jamie, the two hatch a plan: fake a relationship to help her get her ex back and him get ahead in the firm. What could go wrong?
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Listen, I LOVE the fake dating trope. It’s a classic for a reason! The most charged moments in any rom com are always those sudden jolts of intimacy that make you question where you stand, and fake dating makes those obligatory from the get-go. However, this one didn’t quiiiite stick the landing for me.
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To start with the stuff I loved: a lot of the relationships and social scenarios in this book felt so real. The breakup in particular was painful because it was so lifelike - I was internally screaming at Laurie’s ex that he was a wanker while also understanding why he was being one. The way sexism played out in a competitive office also felt very well-observed, albeit kicked up to a melodramatic note at points. I didn’t think there was a lot of romantic tension building up as I was reading, but for most of the book I didn’t care because I identified so much with Laurie and was so invested in her life!
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However, as I got closer to the end, it started to nosedive a bit. Jamie’s love for Laurie came a little out of the blue. I couldn’t really feel them FALLING, you know? And that’s half the fun! It felt rushed, with the dialogue doing a lot of heavy lifting to move the narrative along, and the sharp 180 that Jamie does at the end of the novel didn’t make sense to me. Things fall apart so spectacularly and then just rapidly reassemble. It felt messy!
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❤️‍🩹 Read it if you’re not super bothered about a romance, but are looking for a sharp, funny story about healing from heartbreak, that’s set in the UK but not in London!! Huzzah!
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🚫 Avoid it if you’re looking for a sexy romance (whether tension or sex scenes, there’s none of the latter and imo little of the former) - Laurie’s growth is the star of this book, rather than the love story.
Moderate: Racism, Bullying, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Sexism
Minor: Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Car accident, Child death, and Pedophilia
teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, and Racism
zombiezami's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Child death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pregnancy, Sexism, Vomit, Terminal illness, Eating disorder, Confinement, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Cursing, and Pedophilia
Minor: Car accident, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury
samkcs's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Pedophilia, Sexism, and Racism
danajoy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I would recommend prospective readers to go into this expecting finding yourself women's fiction over a romance. It's essentially the story of Laurie, 36-year-old lawyer from Manchester, being left by her partner of 18 years and having to reevaluate everything. She is a very flawed character and is really juvenile in regards to romance. I think I forgave how flippant and critical she was of the novel's love interest because this is about her and her personal hang-ups. She wasn't entirely open to experiencing the feelings that for basically her whole adulthood had been reserved for Dan, so she would just doubt them straight away. The whole fake dating plot is ridiculous and benefits her in only self-sabotaging and petty ways. Its an immature call but she doesn't have any experience of breakups from 18+ (we don't even know if she dated at all as a teenager) so she reverts to the dramatic revenge plots we see in cheesy adolescent films.
I found Jamie wonderful, open and kind although he is pretty absent overall considering his status as the love interest.
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Infidelity, and Sexism
Minor: Car accident and Pedophilia
kates_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, and Sexism
drewlessard's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Infidelity, Cancer, and Child death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
aliceloyallaleon's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
nemaria's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, and Infidelity
Minor: Blood, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Pedophilia
reocalabra's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Sexism