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chanlo1994's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I think my main reason for rating it so low was because of the narration. It was... not my favorite. Debated several times dnf-ing this book mainly for the narrator, but I got through it lol. The story was kinda cute. I think the dialogue was too robotic sometimes. I get the author was trying to depict corporate and professional lifestyle, or maybe it was with the combination of the narrator? Not sure. I have a feeling j would have liked this book a little better if I read the physical book. The last thing is disliked was the heavy trope of lying. It was like too obvious how this book was going to turn out by chapter 2. I think I'm personally at the age where I'm over this kind of trope.
What I did appreciate about the book is that the author used her own experiences as a native American trying to navigate the job market in corporate America. It's unfair what minorities are forced to go through. I never realized it was such a problem, especially since I work for a company whose goal is to hire and promote and X amount of minorities and am surrounded by these coworkers, but also it was based on a legal ruling, soo.........
What I did appreciate about the book is that the author used her own experiences as a native American trying to navigate the job market in corporate America. It's unfair what minorities are forced to go through. I never realized it was such a problem, especially since I work for a company whose goal is to hire and promote and X amount of minorities and am surrounded by these coworkers, but also it was based on a legal ruling, soo.........
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Abandonment
Toxic workplacecasserole_cg's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
themes:
- forbidden romance
- work romance
- forced proximity (one bed)
- third act breakup
- racism and interconnectedness of poverty
vibe of the book:
cute, cozy, easy read. high drama. these white men are racist af but ember gets them back. good fluffy romance.
- forbidden romance
- work romance
- forced proximity (one bed)
- third act breakup
- racism and interconnectedness of poverty
vibe of the book:
cute, cozy, easy read. high drama. these white men are racist af but ember gets them back. good fluffy romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism
kylieqrada's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.5
I could feel the heart of this book and I really loved that. The execution was hit or miss for me and the sex scenes were a big no. I’m excited to see what else this author comes out with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This was so funny. I enjoyed the author's voice and look forward to more from her. I've never read any romance novels with non-stereotypical depictions of native romantic leads, and I've only heard of a few others, so I'm glad this exists.
Ember was a little annoying as a character because of all her lies, many of which were completely unnecessary, but I understand that part of her character growth was realizing how unnecessary those lies were. Donoa on the other hand seems to have absolutely no flaws, which is fun to fantasize about, but obviously stretches credulity. Unlike some other romance novels, this book only tells the story from the point of view of one of the romantic leads. I wonder if there would be more character development if the chapters alternated between perspectives.
Ember was a little annoying as a character because of all her lies, many of which were completely unnecessary, but I understand that part of her character growth was realizing how unnecessary those lies were. Donoa on the other hand seems to have absolutely no flaws, which is fun to fantasize about, but obviously stretches credulity. Unlike some other romance novels, this book only tells the story from the point of view of one of the romantic leads. I wonder if there would be more character development if the chapters alternated between perspectives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
Minor: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Rape, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
annalisaely's review
3.0
Lying about petty shit is really annoying to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism
binevolentbookworm's review against another edition
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
if you don't mind messy, mostly unlikeable women who are just trying to make it in the world (think '01 Bridget Jones in all her glory) then you might just gobble this one up, however if the entire premise of a book relies on bending and breaking truths is not for you, just go ahead and skip this one.
Ember states her lies are not pathological in the beginning of the story, but lemme tell ya, the sheer number of tall tales by 60% is giving pathological! compulsive! and raised my blood pressure, making it extremely difficult to enjoy this book as much as i thought i would.
Ember's personality often reads more like a YA lead than an adult in a contemporary romance. she is supposed to be the one (out of all her family and friends) who is getting her life together, though her immaturity in almost all situations, makes that a hard sell.
that said, why is it that men written by women are just so... *shakes fist* much better! i mostly loved the sexy, hot IT man, Danuwoa, and the fact that he from the get seemed to have caught a whiff of Ember’s bullshit, and still makes an effort to move past the barriers (lies) she's built to get to the real her had me swooning. his compassion mixed with incessant teasing is exactly what was needed to find balance in their story.
finally, i am flabbergasted that there was not a single scene in which D asks “have you tried turning it off and back on again?” followed by E: “no, but you can turn me on” - a true missed opportunity!!!!!!!!
Nava does include a lot of truths in this book (despite Ember’s defining characteristic being deceitful) about Native people, especially women, and their experiences in the U.S. her authors note at the end really sold me on the importance of this story, even if the premise wasn’t entirely for me. i think Nava has established herself as a bright new voice in romance, and i’m excited to read her next release and see how she’s grown.
p.s. biphobia:
i did struggle with the depiction of Ember’s best friend, whose main character traits were being an artist who is overly loud when she’s drunk and overly sexual, having a constant rotation of partners. though not malicious in intent, the delivery was still harmful in its representation of bi characters.
Ember states her lies are not pathological in the beginning of the story, but lemme tell ya, the sheer number of tall tales by 60% is giving pathological! compulsive! and raised my blood pressure, making it extremely difficult to enjoy this book as much as i thought i would.
Ember's personality often reads more like a YA lead than an adult in a contemporary romance. she is supposed to be the one (out of all her family and friends) who is getting her life together, though her immaturity in almost all situations, makes that a hard sell.
that said, why is it that men written by women are just so... *shakes fist* much better! i mostly loved the sexy, hot IT man, Danuwoa, and the fact that he from the get seemed to have caught a whiff of Ember’s bullshit, and still makes an effort to move past the barriers (lies) she's built to get to the real her had me swooning. his compassion mixed with incessant teasing is exactly what was needed to find balance in their story.
finally, i am flabbergasted that there was not a single scene in which D asks “have you tried turning it off and back on again?” followed by E: “no, but you can turn me on” - a true missed opportunity!!!!!!!!
Nava does include a lot of truths in this book (despite Ember’s defining characteristic being deceitful) about Native people, especially women, and their experiences in the U.S. her authors note at the end really sold me on the importance of this story, even if the premise wasn’t entirely for me. i think Nava has established herself as a bright new voice in romance, and i’m excited to read her next release and see how she’s grown.
p.s. biphobia:
i did struggle with the depiction of Ember’s best friend, whose main character traits were being an artist who is overly loud when she’s drunk and overly sexual, having a constant rotation of partners. though not malicious in intent, the delivery was still harmful in its representation of bi characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting
Minor: Biphobia and Death of parent
missladysky's review
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Classism
maregred's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, and Classism
Moderate: Cultural appropriation and Alcohol
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Cultural appropriation
just_one_more_paige's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
I always have a romance or two on hand for traveling - they are just great for escapist reading that also doesn't take a lot of concentration (perfect for plane rides and airports and quick pick-up/put-down situations). This was my most recent choice for that exact situation, courtesy of NetGalley.
Ember has been turned down from a lot of jobs, so...she decides to get a little creative with her experience and race/ethnicity. And it works - she lands a perfect job. But after a meet cute with the hot IT guy, Danuwoa, she realizes that maintaining those "lies," while also trying to develop a real relationship, is a bit fraught. And then...between a coworker catching the two in a compromising position and using that to blackmail Ember, family problems (her troublesome brother is back and just can't seem to get his life together), and trying to figure out how to compromise her own life/personal goals with some of the "untruth" pickles she's gotten herself into, things are really about to come to a head for Ember. Can she handle all that and manage to save her relationship with Danuwoa (the one very true thing she's got right now)?
Ok, let me just get this out of the way first. If I'm being honest, lying as a plot point stresses me. Like, a lot. To the point where I usually steer clear of it. However, I had seen good reviews and wanted to give this a go. So, it's a tough sell for me from that start, just to set expectations here at the beginning. That being said, the stress of this plot, the corporate blackmail and lying, truly is soooo stressful. And it's not just the external stuff. The author parallels it (nicely, as far as writing and character development), with Ember lying to herself too. It applies to her interactions with both her brother and what the actuality is of the feelings between her and Danuwoa. And it extends, deeply, into her work thinking too. She keeps saying “just this one more thing and it’ll go away” to herself and I just...how does she not see that eventually she’s crossed so many work legal/ethic lines that being fired for dating a coworker would actually be the better outcome?? Like some of the stuff she's doing has legit legal consequences, not just a workplace HR issue. I know she felt like she was between a rock and a hard place, but it was just difficult to swallow. On that note, I just don’t love the extremity of her “I don’t need to ask for help” - not just in her, but really in any characters that have this trait to an extreme - because there were multiple people she could have gone to for help, not even all with power imbalances to overcome either, and she chose to just dig herself deeper and hope it would go away. Overall, not my favorite type of character.
And yet...I didn't dislike Ember herself. I actually found her "hot and cold" on Danuwoa, her (low key deserved) grudge holding her back from forgiving her brother, the general direction and situation of her life/job, etc. was all super relatable. She’s prickly and unsure, but her heart is in the right place and her frustrations are all based in very real unfair life situations, and that’s so real. Ember's entire storyline was a really unique coming of age. One that highlights taking life one step at a time, making (and being proud of) achievable goals, and remembering you have a community around you (even if that hurts/has tough memories sometimes too), so you don’t have to do everything alone. It's accessible and, again, super relatable, in a way that not all romcom leads' stories are. For real, the 'learning to ask for help' piece alone was really impactful, and an important lesson for many to learn. I thought her general arc was fantastic. On the other hand, our male MC, Danuwoa, was a bit flat. Maybe too easy? He's a cinnamon roll, which I love, but he could have used maybe just a bit more depth? There wasn't anything wrong, necessarily, I just felt like, for how good Ember's character development was (and really, her brother Sage's as well), his was lacking something.
Last couple thoughts. There was an absolutely hilarious poking at corporate and professional culture BS. Like, how degrees and connections are required for basic level jobs that with reasonable training, literally anyone can competently do (even without the degrees and definitely without the connections). Lolz. Also, the authors note at the end is stunning. Seeing where Nava pulled from her own experiences to craft this story, and seeing where the fire and heart and fight for a happy ending that Ember had was crafted out of, adds such power to the messages in the narrative you just finished. The messages were already strong and necessary, so the added emphasis and strength was extra in the best, intense, way.
I'm coming away from this a fan of Nava's writing and definitely interested in more! While some tropes/plot devices weren't my personal favorite, the effect of the whole overcame that (which possibly makes it even more impressive).
"I was just Ember Lee Cardinal, a sometimes liar, but mostly an overall good person."
"I wanted to feel bad about the lying, but really, I was more worried about getting caught in the lies. It was hard to feel bad about gaming a system that was designed to put people like me down."
"That was the problem with hope. It created expectations, and when they weren't met, you were left feeling crushed."
"That's the way it was for women. We had to suck it up and accept misogyny and sexism so we could get through our business."
"I want you to have all my ugly truths."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment