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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This had so much potential for me!!! If the entire book was more in line with the character writing and plot of the last 60 pages this would easily be a 3-4 star rating. Main characters name is Olive for going forward:
Cons:
-I just could not get over the implausibility and borderline ridiculousness of the premise of why the fake dating began - as a means to make the female best friend (Anh) more comfortable dating the Olives ex.
-I dislike it when main characters are especially naive as fully fledged adults. Don't get me wrong, I loove a pining/yearning situation because characters internal or external conflict but I get pulled out of the story when the main character is pining but the conflict is because of their naivety. If the conflict had been more like the last act conflict involving more complex situations that had professional and personal implications I would be more immersed in the story.
- Anh is a horrible "best friend". Besides doing what sounds like flirting with the main characters date (while they were currently DATING), she was also the driving force behind the forced proximity compenent of the fake date plot. The increase in intimacy and yearning was driven via Anhs character pressuring Olive to show PDA with her love interest. I hate that, that's uncomfortable. I understand the author wanting to have an external driving force that would require them to become physically closer, but via friends pressing for PDA just is not it for me. There were some other character flaws of Anh, without spoiling anything, and for me to buy into the story line as Anh as the main motivator for the fake dating plot I would need her to be a much more compelling character for such motivation.
- "Ol" is a silly nickname for Olive. Very subjective but it annoyed me.
Pros:
- The love interest does not call her "Ol".
- I enjoy the way the love interest and Olive were written as characters (minus a bit of Olives naivety). One of the only things that kept me reading was the anticipation of getting to the next interaction between the two and became the most compelling part of the narrative for me.
- The grumpy, protective love interest development was 10/10, and would have probably bumped up the experience for me if it had a little more sprinkled through the last half of the book and not just the last two chapters.
- The casual garnishing of science puns/ jokes and the overall scientific setting was delightful. Gave me a few chuckles to hear jokes about error types and p- values in a casual tone.
- The male best friend (Malcolm) and other supporting characters (outside of Anh) were all written well and built a more believable world of these characters and how they exist in each others lives. The ending actually had a wholesome end scene of all the best characters in my opinion that made me want to know more about their lives after the end of the story.
Cons:
-I just could not get over the implausibility and borderline ridiculousness of the premise of why the fake dating began - as a means to make the female best friend (Anh) more comfortable dating the Olives ex.
-I dislike it when main characters are especially naive as fully fledged adults. Don't get me wrong, I loove a pining/yearning situation because characters internal or external conflict but I get pulled out of the story when the main character is pining but the conflict is because of their naivety. If the conflict had been more like the last act conflict involving more complex situations that had professional and personal implications I would be more immersed in the story.
- Anh is a horrible "best friend". Besides doing what sounds like flirting with the main characters date (while they were currently DATING), she was also the driving force behind the forced proximity compenent of the fake date plot. The increase in intimacy and yearning was driven via Anhs character pressuring Olive to show PDA with her love interest. I hate that, that's uncomfortable. I understand the author wanting to have an external driving force that would require them to become physically closer, but via friends pressing for PDA just is not it for me. There were some other character flaws of Anh, without spoiling anything, and for me to buy into the story line as Anh as the main motivator for the fake dating plot I would need her to be a much more compelling character for such motivation.
- "Ol" is a silly nickname for Olive. Very subjective but it annoyed me.
Pros:
- The love interest does not call her "Ol".
- I enjoy the way the love interest and Olive were written as characters (minus a bit of Olives naivety). One of the only things that kept me reading was the anticipation of getting to the next interaction between the two and became the most compelling part of the narrative for me.
- The grumpy, protective love interest development was 10/10, and would have probably bumped up the experience for me if it had a little more sprinkled through the last half of the book and not just the last two chapters.
- The casual garnishing of science puns/ jokes and the overall scientific setting was delightful. Gave me a few chuckles to hear jokes about error types and p- values in a casual tone.
- The male best friend (Malcolm) and other supporting characters (outside of Anh) were all written well and built a more believable world of these characters and how they exist in each others lives. The ending actually had a wholesome end scene of all the best characters in my opinion that made me want to know more about their lives after the end of the story.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was really fun time! I loved all of the characters and loved demisexual representation! :)
The only thing i was not a fan of was the miscommunication trope but other than that I really enjoyed this!
The only thing i was not a fan of was the miscommunication trope but other than that I really enjoyed this!
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It is a cute book to use for escaping reality. A story arch that is used in many stories; however, it is still a loveable read.
emotional
funny
fast-paced
As a STEM undergrad who did work in a neurosurgery lab (a male dominated field), I was surprised to enjoy the academic aspect of the book. Also, as someone who lost their parent to cancer, I really connected to Olive.
Was there silly miscommunication? Yes. Was it a little weird a 30-something pined after a 20-something for like three years? Also yes. Was Olive obsessed with Adam’s height/build? Yep. But I loved the supporting cast and it was cute.
Was there silly miscommunication? Yes. Was it a little weird a 30-something pined after a 20-something for like three years? Also yes. Was Olive obsessed with Adam’s height/build? Yep. But I loved the supporting cast and it was cute.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First of all—THIS was the famous BookTok book??? OH MY GOD. I was SO hyped to read it (my first Ali Hazelwood book), but… wow. Just wow. There were so many irritating things that yanked me out of the story when the whole purpose of fiction is to →immerse← me.
The author weirdly, obsessively tried to show Adam as “DICK / UNAPPROACHABLE / ANTAGONISTIC” but in his actual dialogues? He was SO SWEET. And then Olive, our FMC, who was supposed to be “likeable”… well, she just annoyed me the whole time.
Her inner monologues were →HE IS A DICK / HE IS SUCH A JACKASS / HE IS THE WORST← on repeat, while Adam was literally giving cinnamon-roll energy. Like girl, relax.
Example: that CRINGE moment when she texted him to tell him he was “mistreating his student” (aka her friend). Excuse me?? He’s the PROFESSOR. His “strictness” does not make him the VILLAIN. And the man even explained himself in a long text… only for her to reply: “FUCK YOU ADAM.” SERIOUSLY???
BUT MY GENTLEMAN, CINNAMON-BUN, PUMPKIN-PIE SWEETHEART—Dr. Adam Carlsen—just let her get away with it. No clapback, no drama. Honestly, I gave this book 2 stars only because of Adam. He was supposed to be the “grumpy dick,” but all I saw was pure sunshine.
Now let’s talk about the →HEIGHT←. Halfway through the book I regretted not highlighting every time his height was mentioned, because MY GOD. Every. Single. Page.
“He is so tall.”
“He is so huge.”
“Why does he have to be so tall?”
DAMN, unless this man is literally 16 FEET TALL, DO NOT MENTION IT ON EVERY PAGE.
The lack of Adam’s POV made things worse. If I had actually seen him being mean, then maybe Olive’s rants about him being a “jackass” would’ve made sense. But all I saw was a strict professor doing his job. That’s it.
And don’t even get me started on Olive’s character writing. One page she’s crying about her mom, the next she’s laughing and rolling her eyes. Like… MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. Her emotions jumped so fast I didn’t know if I was supposed to be sad or amused. And the word “→weeping←”? It was EVERYWHERE. That word was itching my brain each time it popped up.
There was zero character depth. Her dialogues were cringe, half the time it felt like filler ranting. And the love story?? Two pages before she’s calling him names, then suddenly →BOOM← she’s in love. WHAT. SHUT UP. SIT DOWN.
Okay, but let me give credit where it’s due: Adam as a flirt? →CHEF’S KISS←. He didn’t blurt, his words didn’t feel cringe, and the whole “scared of needles” scene had me giggling and kicking my feet. The book would’ve been so much better if the author didn’t try so hard to force a fake “he is grumpy x she is sunshine” dynamic—because honestly? Adam was the sunshine.
Seeing Olive as a PhD student with that level of cringe monologue made me side-eye HARD. And my annotations?? FILLED with CAPITAL LETTER SCREAMS. This book frustrated me so much, my fingers are tired just writing this review.
I’m pretty sure I’m done with Ali Hazelwood’s writing. I was so excited… now I’m just exhausted. But at least I’m out of my reading slump—because I NEED to cleanse my brain with something better.
→ The spice, though ← … the spice was AWESOME. Awkward, shy, desperate, hesitant—very realistic. If the book had been written better, those scenes would’ve landed perfectly.
Final verdict:
1.75/5 Stars → story / plot / characters
3/5 Stars → spice
The author weirdly, obsessively tried to show Adam as “DICK / UNAPPROACHABLE / ANTAGONISTIC” but in his actual dialogues? He was SO SWEET. And then Olive, our FMC, who was supposed to be “likeable”… well, she just annoyed me the whole time.
Her inner monologues were →HE IS A DICK / HE IS SUCH A JACKASS / HE IS THE WORST← on repeat, while Adam was literally giving cinnamon-roll energy. Like girl, relax.
Example: that CRINGE moment when she texted him to tell him he was “mistreating his student” (aka her friend). Excuse me?? He’s the PROFESSOR. His “strictness” does not make him the VILLAIN. And the man even explained himself in a long text… only for her to reply: “FUCK YOU ADAM.” SERIOUSLY???
BUT MY GENTLEMAN, CINNAMON-BUN, PUMPKIN-PIE SWEETHEART—Dr. Adam Carlsen—just let her get away with it. No clapback, no drama. Honestly, I gave this book 2 stars only because of Adam. He was supposed to be the “grumpy dick,” but all I saw was pure sunshine.
Now let’s talk about the →HEIGHT←. Halfway through the book I regretted not highlighting every time his height was mentioned, because MY GOD. Every. Single. Page.
“He is so tall.”
“He is so huge.”
“Why does he have to be so tall?”
DAMN, unless this man is literally 16 FEET TALL, DO NOT MENTION IT ON EVERY PAGE.
The lack of Adam’s POV made things worse. If I had actually seen him being mean, then maybe Olive’s rants about him being a “jackass” would’ve made sense. But all I saw was a strict professor doing his job. That’s it.
And don’t even get me started on Olive’s character writing. One page she’s crying about her mom, the next she’s laughing and rolling her eyes. Like… MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. Her emotions jumped so fast I didn’t know if I was supposed to be sad or amused. And the word “→weeping←”? It was EVERYWHERE. That word was itching my brain each time it popped up.
There was zero character depth. Her dialogues were cringe, half the time it felt like filler ranting. And the love story?? Two pages before she’s calling him names, then suddenly →BOOM← she’s in love. WHAT. SHUT UP. SIT DOWN.
Okay, but let me give credit where it’s due: Adam as a flirt? →CHEF’S KISS←. He didn’t blurt, his words didn’t feel cringe, and the whole “scared of needles” scene had me giggling and kicking my feet. The book would’ve been so much better if the author didn’t try so hard to force a fake “he is grumpy x she is sunshine” dynamic—because honestly? Adam was the sunshine.
Seeing Olive as a PhD student with that level of cringe monologue made me side-eye HARD. And my annotations?? FILLED with CAPITAL LETTER SCREAMS. This book frustrated me so much, my fingers are tired just writing this review.
I’m pretty sure I’m done with Ali Hazelwood’s writing. I was so excited… now I’m just exhausted. But at least I’m out of my reading slump—because I NEED to cleanse my brain with something better.
→ The spice, though ← … the spice was AWESOME. Awkward, shy, desperate, hesitant—very realistic. If the book had been written better, those scenes would’ve landed perfectly.
Final verdict:
1.75/5 Stars → story / plot / characters
3/5 Stars → spice
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
THIS BOOK IS THE UNFINISHED, UNFILTERED FILTH OF MY BOOKSHELF.
Today I looked at it lying on my floor; not with interest but utter distain. Why did I even read it? A little thing going between me and my friend to read our worst rated books.
Now, the disgusting book itself was a difficult read indeed, and that’s not subject to it’s poor choice in grammar or the little attempts it made to be “witty” ,but because of how infuriating and insufferable these characters can be. Olive and Adam ARE the MOST problematic characters I’ve ever crossed, what’s worse is the author herself is a professor, A WOMAN IN STEM, and she produced this THING (I stopped for a while, I had no idea what to call it- I, myself, do not want to epithet IT).
Instead I’ll call it the “IT FACTOR”, even a red flag.
The “IT FACTOR” is the evidence that modern literature is a waste of time, that it has not as much excitement. This is the book that spikes up horrible crowds of mums asking if a book now has ‘SPICE’ to it.
Not just single-handedly ruining literature for me, putting me in a reading slump, BUT also endorsing these unintelligent tropes that mindless slugs follow for SOME reason (-I have yet to know why).
In the end, I did not finish it, but I get a sizeable way through. AND you cannot tell me to ‘read more, give it a chance” BECAUSE I WILL MOST CERTAINLY NOT.
This review goes for any new up and coming TikTok “romcom” (as to quote the book). I do not like it, will not read/ reread these. These TikTok books have instilled a bad , prejudice attitude in me towards any modern book.
Today I looked at it lying on my floor; not with interest but utter distain. Why did I even read it? A little thing going between me and my friend to read our worst rated books.
Now, the disgusting book itself was a difficult read indeed, and that’s not subject to it’s poor choice in grammar or the little attempts it made to be “witty” ,but because of how infuriating and insufferable these characters can be. Olive and Adam ARE the MOST problematic characters I’ve ever crossed, what’s worse is the author herself is a professor, A WOMAN IN STEM, and she produced this THING (I stopped for a while, I had no idea what to call it- I, myself, do not want to epithet IT).
Instead I’ll call it the “IT FACTOR”, even a red flag.
The “IT FACTOR” is the evidence that modern literature is a waste of time, that it has not as much excitement. This is the book that spikes up horrible crowds of mums asking if a book now has ‘SPICE’ to it.
Not just single-handedly ruining literature for me, putting me in a reading slump, BUT also endorsing these unintelligent tropes that mindless slugs follow for SOME reason (-I have yet to know why).
In the end, I did not finish it, but I get a sizeable way through. AND you cannot tell me to ‘read more, give it a chance” BECAUSE I WILL MOST CERTAINLY NOT.
This review goes for any new up and coming TikTok “romcom” (as to quote the book). I do not like it, will not read/ reread these. These TikTok books have instilled a bad , prejudice attitude in me towards any modern book.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I feel like I need to apologise to Ali Hazelwood for being too judgemental about her books because they're popular on TikTok because her books are actually really good!! So my bad