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youactlikeicare's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
divapitbull's review against another edition
3.0
Hard Feelings is a cute, low angst, relationship focused, Rom-Com. Rylan Williams is a thirty-something Artist, working for a software company. Rylan has a decent amount of anxiety, some of the social variety. He also has a little OCD in that he likes things a certain way, he’s a creature of habit and does not like disrupting his routine. He’s a little cranky and persnickety; and is given to glaring and not responding when in a snit. He’s also apparently tall, dark and GQ-y; but he doesn’t realize that’s how people see him. He’s absolutely horrible at reading a room and has a painful history of getting overly attached to guys that really aren’t that into him. (He seems to realize that his personality “quirks” drive at least some of them away).
The last thing Rylan wants to do is give a conference presentation; however, the occasional gig nets him a nifty bonus. He is less interested in enjoying his work sponsored trip to Hawaii and more fixated on the fact that one of his front row attendees is having a lovely public snoozle instead of hanging on his every word. It really frosts his nuts. When he finds himself stuck in an elevator with the same, now wide awake, loquacious and flirty, sleeping beauty, he does something very un-Rylan like. He has a hot one-night stand of…not quite hate sex. More like Irritated-sex. But it’s not like he will ever see the nosy, annoying, empty-headed Miller again.
Except that a coinki-dink literary plot device delivers Miller to Rylan’s office in the form of the Ziggy S.M. Jones who he actually helped hire as the programmer to co-head the video-editing program he’s been tasked with working on. Turns out Miller is just as hot and even more annoying to Rylan when he sees him on the regular. Miller wears sneakers with dress pants, listens to music so loud that Rylan can hear it through Miller's earbuds, talks with his mouth full and horror of horrors; “hung up a University of Hartford calendar”. (Apparently people who live in Baltimore aren’t fans…).
Rylan and Miller manage to rub each other the wrong way until they decide to let off some steam so they can get some work done by rubbing each other the right way. But no strings attached. Casual, meaningless sex (which neither of them do well, or generally at all). Miller is the more likeable of the two. He’s sweet and genuine and genuinely nice. He’s a romantic overcommiter but Rylan can’t see this because his less than stellar social skills miss a lot of subtext in interpersonal interactions.
Rylan and Miller go on to have a lot of sex and develop a cute relationship with a decent amount of witty, endearing banter. The side characters are well developed and there’s some backstory going on with their families, of the just life stuff variety.
Hard Feelings is a relaxing, but not especially memorable story. I get that Rylan really struggled in social situations, but frankly he created a lot of his own angst, and he felt a little too high maintenance. Laid back Miller was a good fit for him though. Also, Rylan adopted a stray cat that made its home in his apartment – so points for that. However, until Miller came along, he literally called the cat “Cat” – so WTF dude?
The last thing Rylan wants to do is give a conference presentation; however, the occasional gig nets him a nifty bonus. He is less interested in enjoying his work sponsored trip to Hawaii and more fixated on the fact that one of his front row attendees is having a lovely public snoozle instead of hanging on his every word. It really frosts his nuts. When he finds himself stuck in an elevator with the same, now wide awake, loquacious and flirty, sleeping beauty, he does something very un-Rylan like. He has a hot one-night stand of…not quite hate sex. More like Irritated-sex. But it’s not like he will ever see the nosy, annoying, empty-headed Miller again.
Except that a coinki-dink literary plot device delivers Miller to Rylan’s office in the form of the Ziggy S.M. Jones who he actually helped hire as the programmer to co-head the video-editing program he’s been tasked with working on. Turns out Miller is just as hot and even more annoying to Rylan when he sees him on the regular. Miller wears sneakers with dress pants, listens to music so loud that Rylan can hear it through Miller's earbuds, talks with his mouth full and horror of horrors; “hung up a University of Hartford calendar”. (Apparently people who live in Baltimore aren’t fans…).
Rylan and Miller manage to rub each other the wrong way until they decide to let off some steam so they can get some work done by rubbing each other the right way. But no strings attached. Casual, meaningless sex (which neither of them do well, or generally at all). Miller is the more likeable of the two. He’s sweet and genuine and genuinely nice. He’s a romantic overcommiter but Rylan can’t see this because his less than stellar social skills miss a lot of subtext in interpersonal interactions.
Rylan and Miller go on to have a lot of sex and develop a cute relationship with a decent amount of witty, endearing banter. The side characters are well developed and there’s some backstory going on with their families, of the just life stuff variety.
Hard Feelings is a relaxing, but not especially memorable story. I get that Rylan really struggled in social situations, but frankly he created a lot of his own angst, and he felt a little too high maintenance. Laid back Miller was a good fit for him though. Also, Rylan adopted a stray cat that made its home in his apartment – so points for that. However, until Miller came along, he literally called the cat “Cat” – so WTF dude?
a_hooman's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.25
wordsaftermidnight's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.75
amandanan's review
5.0
If there was ever a book for me to scream DON’T JUDGE BY ITS COVER, it’s this one. It’s a good indication of spice level (off the charts, omg), but it’s a terrible indication of just how amazing this book is. I’m not sure I’ve read a better enemies to lovers, EVER. And a seriously bold choice to open the book with a hate fuck in an elevator with a stranger *fans self*.