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taylorc19's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This is such a great concept for a book but I found myself rolling my eyes at many different parts. I've compiled a list of pros and cons because I don't want to come off as too negative in my review. I did enjoy bits and pieces of this book, however I feel very...passionate about the parts I disliked.
Pros:
Pros:
- I like the premise. A comedy writer who chooses to write a sketch about the phenomenon of wildly attractive female celebrities dating (for lack of better terms) mid-tier men is a really great idea.
- The characters felt fully developed and like they could have been real people.
- The so-called "third act break-up" was based on insecurities that were totally valid for the female main character to have, and I think I would have done the exact same thing she did if I were in her situation.
Cons:
- There is absolutely no warning that this is going to be a pandemic fiction novel. I don't want to read about the COVID-19 pandemic. Like, ever. Maybe in fifty years when I forget the enormous toll it took on our lives, or maybe when I want to reminisce on my high school experience and remember how I never had a senior year, I can come back to pandemic novels. But right now? No thank you.
- A subsection of this: I'm sure there are people who want to read about the pandemic and enjoy that as a setting for a novel, but for God's sake at least mention that the pandemic is a part of the book in the blurb.
- I don't think either of the main characters were supposed to be overly political, yet this book was inherently a political book. For example, when Danny Horst and his girlfriend break up he says something along the lines of "Remember in the 2016 election when we thought the worst thing would never happen and then it did?" or when talking about her friendship with Danny, Sally remarks that they bonded while sobbing in each other's arms on election night 2016. Is that really necessary in a romance book? Parts of this book felt like it was straight from a "How to Be a Social Justice Warrior in 2020 for Beginners" guide. Which maybe some people like, but again, give some indication in the blurb PLEASE.
- Another example of this is during the emails section of the book, Sally and whatever the main boy's name is (literally can't remember for the life of me) talk about masks and going to BLM protests. Sally also talks about systemic racism and racism in healthcare, which fair enough but also maybe we don't have a straight white woman protagonist preaching about it? Also I read the acknowledgements section and the author cites an article as her one source for racism in healthcare. It almost feels like she was just collecting woke Infinity Stones and sprinkling them throughout the book. Pick something you care about and develop that; otherwise, your commentary on these topics feels disingenuous and under-researched.
- Sally is supposed to be funny and she simply isn't. She's a long-term writer for an SNL-type show and is supposed to be insanely witty and funny, yet none of her pitched skits or jokes landed for me. Sorry I don't find fart jokes funny.
Overall, this book missed the mark for me. If I had known it was set during the 2020 pandemic, I never would have picked it up. If you're into political pandemic novels this might be a great book for you, however I'm not and will probably never be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
daniofthewood's review against another edition
lighthearted
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: Body shaming, Cursing, Alcoholism, Confinement, Fatphobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexism, Excrement, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Police brutality, Classism, Alcohol, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Suicide, Death, and Racism
miahenry's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The general premise of this book is not new although the setting/circumstance was original (to me.) I’ve read a few rom coms now about famous people/celebrities dating normal folks. There is a little more nuance here since both characters are in the entertainment industry with agents and managers, so it is a bit different. Love between a front of the camera person and a behind the camera person was new to me.
The main character, Sally, is the narrator (which I like more than third person but less than dual POVs). Since she is VERY imperfect, her telling of the story did endear me to her a little bit. Her insecurities were relatable, I liked her politics (unapologetically liberal), and I liked how she treated her friends and loved ones. It was clear she was a badass at work and a mess otherwise and I get that.
The love interest, Noah, was not very memorable for me when he first appeared, but boy does he turn it around later. I loved his character as it was revealed - the sweetness and maturity never got old. He was so good at being honest and vulnerable with Sally while maintaining respect for himself. He really was the full package and I was here for it. I liked Noah more than Sally which negatively affected my overall rating of the book because I like to like both main characters about the same.
This book is divided into three very distinct parts marked by dates that precede then happen during the Covid-19 pandemic: 1) meeting 2) reconnecting 3) conflict + resolution
The first third of this book was tedious. It was interesting to learn about the schedule of people working on the SNL-like show, the dynamics between folks given their roles, and just generally learning how the sausage is made. However, there were too many characters and details which made it hard to follow the budding romance. It helped when I started reading it like a behind-the-scenes account instead of a rom com.
However, the second part of the book (all email exchanges) was adorable and the third part really paid off. The dialogue in the last third was fantastic. I liked how Sally thought one thing, but (wisely) said another. She started facing her fears and becoming a better person. However, I do believe she could use some therapy sessions like my main man Noah. I would have liked to have seen therapy for Sally in the epilogue.
Also, the descriptions of life during the pandemic were well done. Things happened quickly at the end, but I believed in the connection, primarily because of their ages. I loved the fact that they were both almost 40 and were so open with one another about past relationships.
It’s 3.5 stars for me. It was almost 2 stars, but then I liked the end so much I bumped it to almost 4 stars. I grew to love this book, but will likely put it in the neighborhood’s little library.
The main character, Sally, is the narrator (which I like more than third person but less than dual POVs). Since she is VERY imperfect, her telling of the story did endear me to her a little bit. Her insecurities were relatable, I liked her politics (unapologetically liberal), and I liked how she treated her friends and loved ones. It was clear she was a badass at work and a mess otherwise and I get that.
The love interest, Noah, was not very memorable for me when he first appeared, but boy does he turn it around later. I loved his character as it was revealed - the sweetness and maturity never got old. He was so good at being honest and vulnerable with Sally while maintaining respect for himself. He really was the full package and I was here for it. I liked Noah more than Sally which negatively affected my overall rating of the book because I like to like both main characters about the same.
This book is divided into three very distinct parts marked by dates that precede then happen during the Covid-19 pandemic: 1) meeting 2) reconnecting 3) conflict + resolution
The first third of this book was tedious. It was interesting to learn about the schedule of people working on the SNL-like show, the dynamics between folks given their roles, and just generally learning how the sausage is made. However, there were too many characters and details which made it hard to follow the budding romance. It helped when I started reading it like a behind-the-scenes account instead of a rom com.
However, the second part of the book (all email exchanges) was adorable and the third part really paid off. The dialogue in the last third was fantastic. I liked how Sally thought one thing, but (wisely) said another. She started facing her fears and becoming a better person. However, I do believe she could use some therapy sessions like my main man Noah. I would have liked to have seen therapy for Sally in the epilogue.
Also, the descriptions of life during the pandemic were well done. Things happened quickly at the end, but I believed in the connection, primarily because of their ages. I loved the fact that they were both almost 40 and were so open with one another about past relationships.
It’s 3.5 stars for me. It was almost 2 stars, but then I liked the end so much I bumped it to almost 4 stars. I grew to love this book, but will likely put it in the neighborhood’s little library.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Body shaming, Racism, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
viy's review against another edition
The start is good, but once the story shifted to being over the pandemic, it got way more difficult to enjoy. The romance starts being told over email, which prevents us from getting Sally's narration and thoughts, as well as makes the romance seem weaker and less engaging overall. I didn't mind the political interjections for the most part, but it started getting annoying after a while, since some of them didn't seem to add anything to the story or characters, and instead served to show us that the characters are "good people" who go to protests, which felt off to me considering they're discussing real tragedies that happened like, 4 years ago.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Racism, Police brutality, and Misogyny
dizzymisslizzy'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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction and Racism
crystalleighwrites's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Medical content
Moderate: Body shaming, Suicide, and Addiction
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Racism, and Eating disorder
danajoy's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
3.0
I wanted to love this one but it was pretty mediocre.
Sally was pretty bland and I feel like I don't really know her. She is painfully insecure and not conversationally funny or witty. There wasn't really charming banter which you might expect from a book with this title and a character that works for their version of SNL.
Noah was ok.
This story did also really strongly feature the Covid19 pandemic in the second half.
Sally was pretty bland and I feel like I don't really know her. She is painfully insecure and not conversationally funny or witty. There wasn't really charming banter which you might expect from a book with this title and a character that works for their version of SNL.
Noah was ok.
This story did also really strongly feature the Covid19 pandemic in the second half.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Alcohol, Mental illness, Excrement, Pregnancy, Racism, and Terminal illness
Minor: Cancer
shannonnrosss's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
There was too much telling rather than showing, especially when it comes to Sally’s internal dialogue and character development. The romance was fun but not incredibly convincing, both Sally and Noah are kind of lukewarm. The political commentary felt one dimensional and performative while the pandemic plot took me out of the story. The epilogue felt like reading the conclusion paragraph to that college essay you wrote at 11:58 PM before it was due.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent, Sexism, Racism, and Addiction
gretchenplz'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
5.0
I have had my quarrels with COVID-era novels before, but I think this one was done in a tasteful (i.e., liberal) way that not only enhanced the development of the characters, but actually benefitted the story. I appreciated that the author didn't shy away from the "elephants in the room" during the period of 2016-2020 and freely discusses race, class, sex, gender, and more so openly and in a supportive way.
I admit I am a sucker for celeb romances, and I found this one to be particularly charming and unique. I am also a sucker for books that feature alternative forms of communication (emails, texts, etc.), so I found part two of the book to be so refreshing and fun. The themes of imposter syndrome, self-sabotage, and insecurity, both on a personal and professional level, really hit home with me, and I could not put this book down.
I also appreciated the lack of a third-act breakup, in place of a real couple facing a real issue and needing to take the time to learn from each other, communicate, and grow together.
I remember reading (and loving) Prep as a wee freshman in high school and I am delighted that Curtis continues to be an exceptional writer with incredible stories to tell.
I admit I am a sucker for celeb romances, and I found this one to be particularly charming and unique. I am also a sucker for books that feature alternative forms of communication (emails, texts, etc.), so I found part two of the book to be so refreshing and fun. The themes of imposter syndrome, self-sabotage, and insecurity, both on a personal and professional level, really hit home with me, and I could not put this book down.
I also appreciated the lack of a third-act breakup, in place of a real couple facing a real issue and needing to take the time to learn from each other, communicate, and grow together.
I remember reading (and loving) Prep as a wee freshman in high school and I am delighted that Curtis continues to be an exceptional writer with incredible stories to tell.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Hate crime, Racism, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Police brutality
lauramparis's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Racism, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Cancer