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krobus's review against another edition
4.0
yep, it's official, talia hibbert is officially one of my favorite authors!
this book, although not dripping in plot or conflict, hit so many good marks.
talia did such a good job writing brad's POV, not only because it felt like i was genuinely inside the head of a teenage boy, but because i felt like i was inside the head of a teenage boy that suffers from OCD/mental health issues.
i don't think NEARLY enough writers are able to accurately capture the enigma that is anxiety, but talia hibbert did an amazing job!
this book, although not dripping in plot or conflict, hit so many good marks.
talia did such a good job writing brad's POV, not only because it felt like i was genuinely inside the head of a teenage boy, but because i felt like i was inside the head of a teenage boy that suffers from OCD/mental health issues.
i don't think NEARLY enough writers are able to accurately capture the enigma that is anxiety, but talia hibbert did an amazing job!
rosiebp's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5
jensullivan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
death_by_cliffhanger's review against another edition
4.0
Talia Hibbert is one of my faves and this is a delightful spin to YA from her contemporary ones I fell in love with. I liked the story, I thought the characters were cute and relatable, and love reading everything from her.
santaliago's review against another edition
3.0
A simple story. Very cute read.
It did, however, take me a long time to read. Sometimes I kind of just fell off and decided to read an entire book in between my breaks.
The synopsis gave off that this would be an enemies to lovers type of feel (which it sort of was, though it was more so friends to enemies to friends/lovers) but I was hoping for more witty banter. Regardless, this was a great read.
It did, however, take me a long time to read. Sometimes I kind of just fell off and decided to read an entire book in between my breaks.
The synopsis gave off that this would be an enemies to lovers type of feel (which it sort of was, though it was more so friends to enemies to friends/lovers) but I was hoping for more witty banter. Regardless, this was a great read.
sara_2103'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
4.0
amberoxide'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? Yes
4.5
akookieforyou's review against another edition
2.0
*2.5*
I wanted to fall in love with this book so bad, because not only is everyone else obsessed with Talia Hibbert and her romances (and I prefer to be apart of the fan clubs!), but this specific book is YA, my preferred demographic, has a black plus-sized female protagonist, and a vulnerable, bisexual male lead, who has OCD, this should've been my perfect romcom!!
Sadly things just don't go the way we want or expect.
Now I want to get into why my rating is so middling, and honestly quite shakey (I could be tempted to rate slightly lower or higher, depending).
The beginning was quite a struggle, and if it weren't for my book club, I would have DNFed outright. The characters were immediately insufferable, and in such a way that it was almost painful to hear them complain constantly about nothing. They were just so overly negative about each other initially, and it doesn't even make much sense when we learn why they used to be friends, but now hate each other. It's essentially just some very basic miscommunication and stubborn rudeness.
Thankfully they put that nonsense behind them quite quick (never thought I'd be happy for a supposed enemies-to-lovers book barely have follow through lmao), and they are no longer nagging, and actually try to be understanding of each other's perspectives a bit. And when that happened, their banter was a bit cute (one of the only praises I had towards Get a Life Chloe Brown was the decent banter), and I could actually start to have fun for a bit.
Celine and Brad really did have some sweet, almost swoon worthy moments in the second half. The smile on my face was so wide every time he'd be chivalrous and kind towards her naturally grouchy disposition. It warmed my soul a lot, because I know that I can come across like that from time to time, and usually women are degraded for not always being sunshiney.
I also quite appreciated how both Celine and Brad had ambitions and passions, things they were actively working towards that had nothing to do with their relationship (even though I would've liked to see them actually do those things, like write or make a TikTok, but semantics).
And the book made it a point to discuss mental health, boundaries, therapy, and so much more, in great ways. It's especially beneficial for easily influenced readers, and for people who want good depictions of healthy relationships.
... But despite all of that, some major issues would still find themselves cropping up.
Like how pointless the dual POV felt. Now typically I don't enjoy multiple perspectives, BUT it can be very good in certain types of books or with certain writing styles, however, a contemporary romcom is NOT the place for them, because in amount of suspense and intrigue is obliterated. We just know too much at any given moment about how both leads are feeling, and nothing they're experiencing gives way for actual drama or stakes. For instance, if this were a historical forbidden romance, ala Romeo and Juliet , where there are serious consequences to their feelings, and there's plausible reason the leads might hold out on their inner feelings.
Rant about POVs aside, I also had an issue with how absolutely lackluster the program (competition?) the leads were participating in. It's a major part of the story technically speaking, because it's the literal reason the leads became friends again, and it's discussed constantly, but it's so heavily glossed over. We barely even know what they're doing on their group excursions, and it doesn't really feel as important to their lives weirdly, considering we're told that it is, but they would both be 100% fine without it.
Overall the experience was just very lukewarm, with some genuinely cute and funny moments, but some boring and frustrating ones as well.
I wanted to fall in love with this book so bad, because not only is everyone else obsessed with Talia Hibbert and her romances (and I prefer to be apart of the fan clubs!), but this specific book is YA, my preferred demographic, has a black plus-sized female protagonist, and a vulnerable, bisexual male lead, who has OCD, this should've been my perfect romcom!!
Sadly things just don't go the way we want or expect.
Now I want to get into why my rating is so middling, and honestly quite shakey (I could be tempted to rate slightly lower or higher, depending).
The beginning was quite a struggle, and if it weren't for my book club, I would have DNFed outright. The characters were immediately insufferable, and in such a way that it was almost painful to hear them complain constantly about nothing. They were just so overly negative about each other initially, and it doesn't even make much sense when we learn why they used to be friends, but now hate each other. It's essentially just some very basic miscommunication and stubborn rudeness.
Thankfully they put that nonsense behind them quite quick (never thought I'd be happy for a supposed enemies-to-lovers book barely have follow through lmao), and they are no longer nagging, and actually try to be understanding of each other's perspectives a bit. And when that happened, their banter was a bit cute (one of the only praises I had towards Get a Life Chloe Brown was the decent banter), and I could actually start to have fun for a bit.
Celine and Brad really did have some sweet, almost swoon worthy moments in the second half. The smile on my face was so wide every time he'd be chivalrous and kind towards her naturally grouchy disposition. It warmed my soul a lot, because I know that I can come across like that from time to time, and usually women are degraded for not always being sunshiney.
I also quite appreciated how both Celine and Brad had ambitions and passions, things they were actively working towards that had nothing to do with their relationship (even though I would've liked to see them actually do those things, like write or make a TikTok, but semantics).
And the book made it a point to discuss mental health, boundaries, therapy, and so much more, in great ways. It's especially beneficial for easily influenced readers, and for people who want good depictions of healthy relationships.
... But despite all of that, some major issues would still find themselves cropping up.
Like how pointless the dual POV felt. Now typically I don't enjoy multiple perspectives, BUT it can be very good in certain types of books or with certain writing styles, however, a contemporary romcom is NOT the place for them, because in amount of suspense and intrigue is obliterated. We just know too much at any given moment about how both leads are feeling, and nothing they're experiencing gives way for actual drama or stakes. For instance, if this were a historical forbidden romance, ala Romeo and Juliet , where there are serious consequences to their feelings, and there's plausible reason the leads might hold out on their inner feelings.
Rant about POVs aside, I also had an issue with how absolutely lackluster the program (competition?) the leads were participating in. It's a major part of the story technically speaking, because it's the literal reason the leads became friends again, and it's discussed constantly, but it's so heavily glossed over. We barely even know what they're doing on their group excursions, and it doesn't really feel as important to their lives weirdly, considering we're told that it is, but they would both be 100% fine without it.
Overall the experience was just very lukewarm, with some genuinely cute and funny moments, but some boring and frustrating ones as well.
cayeman's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
5.0