Reviews

Just for Show by Jae

Only show reviews with written explanations

mischievous_monkey's review against another edition

4.0

9/4/21

I enjoyed Jae's story just as much on this re-listen as I did the first time. There is such a nice, slow build to the relationship in this book. I really like how each main character comes to appreciate the other and begins to change themselves for the better as a result of their influence. I love all the pinching and playful touches too. I will definitely be re=listening to this book again.

P.S.
This is one great book cover!

7/1/19

This book features a fauxmance that had me cheering for the couple to develop the real thing. The characters are well written and interesting. Each character has a good level of personal growth while retaining enough of their personal traits to be believable. I will definitely look into more books by this author.
The narrator was very good. She gave each character a distinct voice (hello Scottish radio personality, meow!) that made it easy to follow the dialogue. She also read at a good pace and acted out the emotions well. I will be looking to see what other books she has narrated.

momodesu's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.25

Wasn’t planning on this one, but I was looking for sapphic stories narrated by Angela Dawe because I’ve finally ventured into the realm of audiobooks and I adore her voice. Came across this one available through my library, and since I’ve read books by Jae before and really enjoyed them I decided to check it out. Neither disappointed.

Really nice slow burn with characters who are just lovely, and I was definitely rooting for them. Things did develop quickly over a short timeframe, but hey, it’s one of those forced proximity, obviously fictional romance stories, so not really a big surprise and it didn’t feel overly rushed as the story unfolded.

I will say there was some emphasis on weight and food restriction throughout that I didn’t love, but still, overall a great story.

noitsnotjen's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

elreichle's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

hijinx17's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny lighthearted relaxing 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? Yes

4.0

lezreadalot's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

“Not going anywhere.”
“Good.” Claire’s voice vibrated with emotion. “Because I like you right where you are.”

4.5 stars. I did not think that this book would end up being one of my absolute favourites from Jae, but it surprised me pleasantly in so many ways and made me so emotional. Honestly, the emotional part is probably just 50% because of the mood that I'm in; maybe if I had read this on a different day it wouldn't have had as much of an impact as it did. But whatever it is, I loved this.

We've got a fake dating romance between a buttoned-up, straight-laced psychologist who's recently been dumped, and a down to earth actor/barista who's dealing with some unresolved trauma. I'll get my quibbles out of the way first. Like in so many other fake dating or fake engagement or fake marriage stories, I feel like the characters went about things in a manner that was way too casual. Lana and Claire sign a contract together, but for some reason they fail to have a bunch of really necessary conversations until the very moment when those conversations are needed. And I know some of that is on purpose, so that we can create some hijinks and funny situations. They eventually do have a scene where they thoroughly discuss details of their lives etc. But Claire seems like the exact type of person who would have had all of that sorted out from the very beginning. Also there was that sense of unreality that I often get in contemporary fake dating romances, because would any human being actually do something like this? Probably not. This is an older book and while the writing was good and well-meaning, there was a lot of unintentional awkwardness in some of the discussions, about fatphobia for example.

But otherwise, I love this soooooo much. I fell in love with these women and their deliciously slow burn romance. It's what Jae is known for and what she excels at, and I just love the care that she took with these characters and how detailed their journey is, from reluctant acquaintances and partners to friends to lovers. Claire is a complete sweetheart of an ice queen, though I suppose ice queen isn't the best descriptor for her. She's really serious and has had to come to terms with a lot of her faults in a very abrupt manner. Lana shakes up her life in a way that's needed. There were so many moments that underscore for me why I love opposites attract romances. The cooking scenes were amazing; the tickling scene was incredibly charming; the skating scene had me blushing like mad. Brick by brick they break down each other's walls, and that mutual understanding is so rewarding. I adored the casual domesticity that they cultivated when they grew to be friends, and all of the stolen moments when they had to perform this relationship for friends and family and co-workers. It was so good and slow, so tangible, and I felt like I could actually see the fabric of the relationship being knitted in front of me. I was swooning non-stop. The chemistry just rolled off of the page, and I couldn't tear myself away from this book.

A lot of books tend to fall apart for me (or at least get a little less enjoyable for me) in the third act, when authors often decide to insert some sort of conflict or break up. Lana and Claire did have their rough patches and things that they needed to work out, but without getting into spoilers, I will say that one of the things that really made this work for me is just the trajectory of the ending. There was nothing in it that was forced; I felt like the author took stock of the ways in which the characters had already grown, the things that they had already learned, and used that to cultivate a really great denouement. The gestures at the end made me cry, for real. Again, maybe it's just because I'm in an emotional mood, but it was just one of those moments that really solidified for me that the characters are perfect for one another. And I feel like I have to mention just how good and sensual this was. The author did such a good job of building tension, in the perfect way that slow burns do, and when that tension was released it was sublime.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Angela Dawe, and it's one of my favourites from her. Her voices and style of narration are always really excellent, but I feel like she put in something extra for these characters and really made them special. This is by far my fave contemporary romance from Jae and I'm super excited now to read more of them. I definitely want to try out the Hollywood series, because Jill and Crash seem super cute.