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sometimes_samantha_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
I will admit. When I first started this book, it was begrudgingly. Many friends told me to read it, but I put myself in a box claiming contemporary romances aren't "my thing". With that narrow lens, I thought the characters and premise of the show were annoying. But, as I read I saw myself in the characters and I do have a guilty love of trashy reality TV so it came together. It was actually pretty darn cute and held some mirrors up to hard truths when I wasn't expecting it. Only reason, for me, it gets 4 instead of 5 is the miscommunication was just almost unbearable and I felt a but over used. But not bad at all!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Bullying, and Biphobia
nicolinebl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
3.75
Oh my goodness. I have so much love for this book. So many topics are brought up in such a nice way. It didn't feel like too much. It didn't feel like a list of representation points they were checking off of a list. It was done tastefully and it felt natural. OCD, anxiety and depression. Heavy topics but dealt with so well. And the representation of not only non-binary characters but also asexuality, characters finding out they're gay & lesbian.
The story itself: I loved that it was basically like the bachelor but with a very great, very gay twist. Very engaging for most of the book, but got a little boring around 65% in. Got interesting again very quickly though :) And to be honest, I love when it takes a bit more time before they actually get together. I love the pining for each other without daring to make a move because "no way they like me". So I was a bit sad they got together so quickly lol. But that's definitely not a big issue to most people, probably!
The story itself: I loved that it was basically like the bachelor but with a very great, very gay twist. Very engaging for most of the book, but got a little boring around 65% in. Got interesting again very quickly though :) And to be honest, I love when it takes a bit more time before they actually get together. I love the pining for each other without daring to make a move because "no way they like me". So I was a bit sad they got together so quickly lol. But that's definitely not a big issue to most people, probably!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Biphobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Sexual harassment, and Vomit
Minor: Racism and Bullying
devynsbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Minor: Bullying and Alcoholism
jenny_librarian's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
This is what One to Watch tried to achieve, with way more diversity at every level, and so much better done!
I loved absolutely everything about this book except one thing: the miscommunication. I know this is how this kind of book is supposed to go, but I just hate when conflict stems from the fact that the main characters won't just sit down and talk. And that's saying a lot, considering a lot of the time Charlie and Dev spend together is them talking...
But apart from that, the sheer amount of diversity in this book was so refreshing for this kind of romcom. We got multiple queer identities (including a whooping TWO characters under the asexual umbrella!!!), neurodivergence and mental health issues being discussed, characters of colour in the forefront of the story... It just felt so good to read!
I have to say, however, that the trigger warnings for OCD, anxiety/panic attacks and depression are major in this book. If this is triggering, better skip it altogether. They hit quick and they hit hard. One of Charlie's panic attack almost caused me to have one. Good writing, but very much triggering.
Everyone else, though: READ. THIS. BOOK!
I loved absolutely everything about this book except one thing: the miscommunication. I know this is how this kind of book is supposed to go, but I just hate when conflict stems from the fact that the main characters won't just sit down and talk. And that's saying a lot, considering a lot of the time Charlie and Dev spend together is them talking...
But apart from that, the sheer amount of diversity in this book was so refreshing for this kind of romcom. We got multiple queer identities (including a whooping TWO characters under the asexual umbrella!!!), neurodivergence and mental health issues being discussed, characters of colour in the forefront of the story... It just felt so good to read!
I have to say, however, that the trigger warnings for OCD, anxiety/panic attacks and depression are major in this book. If this is triggering, better skip it altogether. They hit quick and they hit hard. One of Charlie's panic attack almost caused me to have one. Good writing, but very much triggering.
Everyone else, though: READ. THIS. BOOK!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Vomit, Outing, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Acephobia/Arophobia, Biphobia, and Bullying
Minor: Cursing, Dysphoria, Sexual content, Body shaming, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
readandfindout's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Style/writing: 3 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 2.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 2.5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Ableism
Moderate: Vomit, Acephobia/Arophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, Biphobia, Outing, and Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Alcoholism, and Sexual harassment
dineisnotdrowning's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
4.75
This book surprised me in so many ways. I was expecting cringe, but am excited that (aside from a few lines) this book is not nearly as cringey as is found in it's predecessors and creators of the genre; it was a fun book, with interesting commentary that ended in some wishfullfilment that wasn't really annoying.
I do have to say, though, that I am not apart of the main minority groups presented, so regarding certain aspects and the representation of certain mental illnesses, I am not one to judge or even be capable of determining the quality. So I am not capable of saying anything regarding those parts. To my understanding, at least, nothing jumped out to me.
I do have to say, though, that I am not apart of the main minority groups presented, so regarding certain aspects and the representation of certain mental illnesses, I am not one to judge or even be capable of determining the quality. So I am not capable of saying anything regarding those parts. To my understanding, at least, nothing jumped out to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism and Homophobia
Minor: Bullying and Lesbophobia
readerette's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really wanted to like this, with its diverse cast and mental health focus. But to me, it felt like the author was including "one of every kind" in terms of diversity just to make a point (the characters' gender, ethnic and sexual identities came up way too much, and sometimes that was the only thing you knew about a character). Way too much of the book was just about the childish antics of contestants on a reality show, and how a reality show is filmed. The mental health and self-discovery storylines took a hit in service of the reality show details, which really did nothing for me as a reader.
The best part for me was probably between 80% and 90% when the reality show stopped coming up so much and the characters could have some real conversations and real reflections on themselves.
I neither enjoyed nor hated this one. Perhaps the author's future work will be more balanced and focused.
The best part for me was probably between 80% and 90% when the reality show stopped coming up so much and the characters could have some real conversations and real reflections on themselves.
I neither enjoyed nor hated this one. Perhaps the author's future work will be more balanced and focused.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit, Cursing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Biphobia
Minor: Bullying
dalmavatai's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
I'M OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK!!! I probably can't even properly articulate how much I love this book but here's what I'll say - Dev and Charlie's relationship is amazing and beautiful and such a joy to read about. The mental illness representation is so nuanced and complex and heartbreaking at times, but overall the tone is pretty lighthearted. I ADORED that this book could've easily fallen into being casually misogynistic and sexist towards the women in the show (portraying them as superficial b*tches), but it didn't do that AT ALL, they were fully fleshed out and layered characters, and I appreciated it so much (and that ENDING!!!!) I also liked the representation of a variety of sexualities and the commentary on the toxicity of reality TV. Also Dev and Charlie grew so much throughout the book and their journey was very deeply psychologically explored which I loved.
Basically I adored everything about this book and it's exactly what I needed in exam term and it's my favorite book of the year so far 😭
Basically I adored everything about this book and it's exactly what I needed in exam term and it's my favorite book of the year so far 😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Mental illness
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, and Sexism
ariam's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
I really liked Charlie and Dev as main characters and their production cast of the show. I liked the twist at the end and how the show was revamped. I liked how the characters separated and that Dev got help for his depression before they got back together. I definitely thought this could have been 100 pages shorter because some of the reality show plot definitely could have been skipped over. And for the amount of "sex" scenes there were, can't believe they were so PG-13.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcohol and Bullying
lennie_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Omg all the stars. 1million/10. A new favourite.
I loved this book SO MUCH. I can't...How am i supposed to review this?! I can't form coherent sentences about all of my emotions.
Just. Wow.
I loved this book SO MUCH. I can't...How am i supposed to review this?! I can't form coherent sentences about all of my emotions.
Just. Wow.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Homophobia, Alcohol, Biphobia, and Bullying