dryerlindt's review
3.0
Was it cute, yes. We’re the characters predictable, absolutely. Was the plot over done, yes coming from me who loves romantic anything, yes. But I would still recommend it to someone if they were interested in a slow burn cute romance with no spice.
bpilon623's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sheridan_powell's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
invisiblejulie's review
4.0
Cute, wholesome Romance story with a small peek behind the curtains of book publishing.
lexsven's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Wanted another cutsie romance and this was cutsie but I wasn't in love with it and there felt like too much going on and lots of tropes. It was good to listen to at a slow day at work.
ellahooper's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
olivialoverderheinheimer's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Kind of your typical rom-com book very predictable but cute. I do kind of wish we got more of Will and Savanah together to see their relationship really form
zarahzoe's review
1.0
TW: disordered eating
I listened to this on audio solely because I wanted a fluffy story and this was available in my library's digital selection. I knew it wouldn't be a total hit but I didn't think it would be this problematic.
Savannah works in a high brow publishing house, and is a romance writer on the side. The main conflict is that her workplace is snobbish towards romantic fiction. And I must admit - I like romance, but I'm also very snobbish about it. There is just so much to get wrong; see Example A, this whole entire book. Savannah is boring. Her love interest has no personality and no back story. Aside from a romance that didn't have any spark to it, except in the notes they exchange over Savannah's manuscript, which take up surprisingly litte page time despite being the whole premise of the book, here are some of the things that irked me:
- The heroine of Savannah's novel is an "average girl", and she draws comparisons to herself all the time. All the while bodyshaming herself, never standing up to her neglectful family, her ex-now-sister's-fiance. She is a thin, healthy, straight white woman, so i guess she's average after all. But to have a heroine with absulutley nothing setting her apart? She isn't even funny or anything, she is just a plain cardboard cutout, wailing that there are not enough stories about people like her (spoiler: there are. Thin, white, straight women are everywhere, and if they aren't the main characters, it's specifically pointed out and marketed accordingly. Privilege much?) All in all a very woe-is-me storyline which was almost comical in it's obliviousness
-The alleged family loyalty. For being a point so agressivle put across, there is nothing to it. This whole family sucks, and Savannah never has a moment adressing her parent's maltreatment of her. Also, Savannah being paited as the only one really being loyal, treats her sister's pain with accusations of her own instead of .
-Olivia. She clearly has very low self esteem. She tracks her eating meticolously, is always, always working out, is rigid and body-obsessed in an unhealthy way, while also being a complete over-archiever. This whole thing is resolved in a single night of indulging in ice cream. Sure. Also, I would never do to my sibling what she does to hers - a point never adressed. getting engaged to a sibling's partner of eight years after three months of dating - seems to be the done thing. Sure.
- Which leads directly to Ferris, the shithead ex. Why was his behaviour never adressed? Why does neither Olivia not Savannah reflect in how he has wronged them, if not with him, then at least with each other?
- last, but not least, the author (and editor) of this book seem to know what makes or breaks a romance story - it's all there discussed in the margins. Have strong opening scene, it's important! Have an original meet-cute! Heartfelt kissing scene! - yet, where are those things in this story? Non-existant, that's where!
While there is nothing wrong with "average girls", there is somthinhg wrong with bad books.
So overall this was a total flop for me. It's uninspired, indiscriminating, highly problematic and badly written. 1/10 would not recommend.
I listened to this on audio solely because I wanted a fluffy story and this was available in my library's digital selection. I knew it wouldn't be a total hit but I didn't think it would be this problematic.
Savannah works in a high brow publishing house, and is a romance writer on the side. The main conflict is that her workplace is snobbish towards romantic fiction. And I must admit - I like romance, but I'm also very snobbish about it. There is just so much to get wrong; see Example A, this whole entire book. Savannah is boring. Her love interest has no personality and no back story. Aside from a romance that didn't have any spark to it, except in the notes they exchange over Savannah's manuscript, which take up surprisingly litte page time despite being the whole premise of the book, here are some of the things that irked me:
- The heroine of Savannah's novel is an "average girl", and she draws comparisons to herself all the time. All the while bodyshaming herself, never standing up to her neglectful family, her ex-now-sister's-fiance. She is a thin, healthy, straight white woman, so i guess she's average after all. But to have a heroine with absulutley nothing setting her apart? She isn't even funny or anything, she is just a plain cardboard cutout, wailing that there are not enough stories about people like her (spoiler: there are. Thin, white, straight women are everywhere, and if they aren't the main characters, it's specifically pointed out and marketed accordingly. Privilege much?) All in all a very woe-is-me storyline which was almost comical in it's obliviousness
-The alleged family loyalty. For being a point so agressivle put across, there is nothing to it. This whole family sucks, and Savannah never has a moment adressing her parent's maltreatment of her. Also, Savannah being paited as the only one really being loyal, treats her sister's pain with accusations of her own instead of
Spoiler
pointing out how very obviously shitty their shared ex is behaving-Olivia. She clearly has very low self esteem. She tracks her eating meticolously, is always, always working out, is rigid and body-obsessed in an unhealthy way, while also being a complete over-archiever. This whole thing is resolved in a single night of indulging in ice cream. Sure. Also, I would never do to my sibling what she does to hers - a point never adressed. getting engaged to a sibling's partner of eight years after three months of dating - seems to be the done thing. Sure.
- Which leads directly to Ferris, the shithead ex. Why was his behaviour never adressed? Why does neither Olivia not Savannah reflect in how he has wronged them, if not with him, then at least with each other?
- last, but not least, the author (and editor) of this book seem to know what makes or breaks a romance story - it's all there discussed in the margins. Have strong opening scene, it's important! Have an original meet-cute! Heartfelt kissing scene! - yet, where are those things in this story? Non-existant, that's where!
While there is nothing wrong with "average girls", there is somthinhg wrong with bad books.
So overall this was a total flop for me. It's uninspired, indiscriminating, highly problematic and badly written. 1/10 would not recommend.