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sarahjaye89's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
2.5
rachelkollar's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.75
destinedreads's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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
2.0
nathaliagoncalves's review against another edition
4.0
Aí sério, essa série é demais, do mesmo jeito que tô ansiosa pra ler o próximo tô triste que é o último kkkkkk
Eu não me conectei tanto com esse quanto o primeiro, mas mesmo assim me apaixonei pelos personagens e a forma como a ansiedade e depressão foram representadas, senti um quentinho no coração por isso
Eu não me conectei tanto com esse quanto o primeiro, mas mesmo assim me apaixonei pelos personagens e a forma como a ansiedade e depressão foram representadas, senti um quentinho no coração por isso
gracieknowles's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
seekerxr's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was fun, it was quick, and the romance was fairly cute. I always appreciate the romance novels that kinda break out of the established characters that most romance novels have and I think this one does to some extent. Normally, it is the guy who's the cynical, only-one-night type and the girl is the hopeless romantic, so it was nice to see that dynamic switched.
I will say this book was pretty cringe at points. Not to the point of making me want to stop reading, but it was definitely noticeable. There are only so many times you can read a 27-year-old PHD student refer to sex as 'boinking' before you kinda sigh and roll your eyes at it.
I would've rated this book higher, but some of the choices the author made in the end definitely tanked the rating for me, so I'll put this next bit under spoilers.I don't like third-act breakups. I ESPECIALLY don't like third-act breakups when they literally occur in the last 2-3 chapters, when we had been led to believe that whatever reason the couple had to break up has already been resolved. And I gotta be honest, Dani was kinda annoying me by the end of the book. It's totally understandable for her to have some hangups about relationships after what she's been through, but at a certain point I feel like you need to deal with insecurities you might have in yourself before you open yourself up to a relationship. Not to say that insecure people CAN'T be in relationships, but sometimes you need to realize there are things that you need to work on so you don't unintentionally take them out on the people you care about, and Dani didn't do that.
I WILL say in the book's defense that both the characters and the author made it clear that Danika was in the wrong and they didn't try to play off her hurting Zaf as "well she has trust issues because of her past relationships!!". I would've rated it even lower if she hadn't taken responsibility, but she did, so I'm happy with that.
Overall, this wasn't the best romance I've ever read, but I had fun.
I will say this book was pretty cringe at points. Not to the point of making me want to stop reading, but it was definitely noticeable. There are only so many times you can read a 27-year-old PHD student refer to sex as 'boinking' before you kinda sigh and roll your eyes at it.
I would've rated this book higher, but some of the choices the author made in the end definitely tanked the rating for me, so I'll put this next bit under spoilers.
Overall, this wasn't the best romance I've ever read, but I had fun.
mackenziegregg'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
3.75
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
1.0
I am not a big romance reader. This series has been my first real foray into the genre. I enjoyed Get A Life, Chloe Brown so I expected this to be another cute jaunt into the Sisters Brown!verse.
Quite unexpectedly, I did not like this book at all.
While I initially disliked Chloe due to her attitude towards Red as time went on I was provided context that made me able to better understand her which in turn made me like her. In this case, despite further context I found Dani supremely unlikeable.
First off, I inherently did not like her character. She is intended to be a confident, take charge woman, however, more often than not it read to me as arrogant and superior. This is a facet of her fixation on Zaf - she believes she’s so wonderful and fantastic and sexy, that of course he’ll throw away all his beliefs for the honor of sleeping with her. The worst part is; she’s correct.
This book is marketed as the ultimate opposites attract. Zaf is a super romantic while Dani is super casual. Obviously, this means this will take some convincing on both sides. What I didn’t like was that this involved Dani pointedly eroding Zaf’s limits. I found it really gross that Dani is actively planning to violate Zaf's boundaries just so she can have her ‘perfect fuckbuddy’ rather than letting the dream go like a mature adult. She's decided to 'seduce' him which is little more than thinly veiled coercive behaviors.
For example, she purposely says provocative, sexual stuff around him so she can make flirty overtures toward him under the guise of friendly banter. Sex jokes in general are one thing - the two are friends after all - but because underneath it all she’s actually launching a long term bid to get into his pants it feels skeevy. Like she views him as merely a vessel for her sexual proclivities. Her whole perspective is very on the line of being a Nice Guy. I don’t like to do the whole swap the genders thing because I feel that the situation can stand on its merits, but for the sake of hammering home my point because people often find it easier to conceptualize it the other way around: Imagine if a man was low-key trying to find a way to subtly manipulate a girl into breaking her values, instead of pursuing a girl who already shares them, just because he felt that this girl specifically was ‘the one’. Yeah, sounds pretty predatory doesn’t it?
And again, I get that the point of the book is that the two characters are trying to bring the other over to their side. My problem is that for Dani to succeed at her goal it requires her to act in a way that ignores Zaf’s agency. Zaf trying to show Dani she’s not too broken for relationships does mean he has to push her outside of her comfort zone. However, this could easily be showcased via maintaining the friendship the two already have because, at least to me, romantic relationships start from a foundation of friendship anyways. Dani’s plan needs her to challenge strongly held convictions for her own gain versus Zaf’s plan only challenging Dani’s misplaced insecurities.
I also felt that the whole premise was invalidated by how fast the two got together. It was much too easy for Dani to convince Zaf to buy into the casual sex thing. The two begin their casual relationship a little over 30% into the book and it is totally skewed in Dani’s favor. I viewed this as way too much of a compromise of how Zaf was introduced as a character to give in so quickly. To me it betrays the entire concept of the book being about these two diametrically opposed characters becoming a couple if there is so little chase on either ones’ part. The majority of this was Zaf having to woo Dani and I felt it would have been better if it were more balanced and a slower burn.
There aren't many solidly staunch pro romance guys out there in fiction, in my experience, and it was disappointing to see Zaf capitulating so soon. It also flew in the face of the underlying subversion that men don't only want sex and women aren't pure delicate flowers. I liked that Zaf wanted to be romanced. I didn't like that it became almost solely about Dani's intimacy issues because then Zaf didn't get what he deserved as he was so focused on Dani. I didn’t fully feel like Dani was a good partner for Zaf based on his needs in a relationship. I understand that part of the point was that Zaf and Dani both had to reassess their expectations for a potential relationship. I just felt like Zaf was constantly working at breaking down Dani’s walls while she barely had to meaningfully reciprocate due to her mental hang-ups. Her emotional issues are an explanation not an excuse.
Following that train of thought, I also felt like Dani wasn’t actually a good girlfriend which contributed to my disdain for the character. Hibbert clearly wanted you to side with Dani the entire time. And to a point I did - her first long term boyfriend was when she was relatively young and inexperienced and blamed her for him cheating. That sort of thing can really do a number on your self esteem. Originally I thought that this bad experience was the sole reason for her avoiding serious romantic relationships. But, apparently she did have a few after Mateo that similarly didn’t go well though not much detail is given on these experiences.
My problem is that the explanation for why these relationships didn’t go well is treated as if it’s not Dani’s fault when there is a lot of evidence to the contrary being ignored to push this narrative. I agree that Dani is not inherently bad at relationships or undeserving of love. No one (whose a decent person) is. She was definitely done dirty in the past. However, that doesn't automatically absolve her of bad behaviors she is perpetuating in her relationships. Her inflicting pain on others due to her trauma is still fundamentally her responsibility, not other peoples’ for refusing to put up with it.
For most of the book it’s presented as a charming quirk that Dani doesn't keep track of time when she gets into her work so she’s constantly running late, not eating properly, and staying up into the wee hours of the morning. All of which are things that have the potential to be dealbreakers for a significant other - people do not often like to be left waiting, forgotten about, and/or feel like they have to mother you. I know it can be difficult to keep track of time for a variety of reasons especially if you’re neurodivergent. That being said there are ways to mitigate that even if it will take time and/or will be hard to implement. Dani cites one of the reasons that she doesn’t do the whole serious relationship biz is because people accuse her of being too work-focused. It’s not right to date a busy career-oriented woman and judge her for her work ethic, that’s true. Plus, there’s no need to be cruel about it like it’s alluded some of her past paramours were. However, I couldn’t help but think that Dani wasn’t being honest enough about her part in that.
If a romantic partner is consistently unwilling to compromise then they’re a bad romantic partner. That would be true if Dani was working like she does or if she was playing video games all day. Dani says that people didn’t respect how much work she would have to do. Nevertheless, I’m expected to assume that the other people were being unreasonable despite literally bearing witness to her lack of consideration firsthand in how she lives her life.
Dani is being totally unfair to think so poorly of previous partners who were upset she prioritized her job over them when it’s totally normal to want to be first in a romantic relationship. I don’t blame Dani for thinking her job is important - she loves it, she’s good at it, and she’s ambitious. Simultaneously without more detail I can’t necessarily blame the other party either. Additionally, if Dani couldn’t spare the time to properly pay attention to the relationship I feel that she shouldn’t have been dating in the first place so it’s kind of her fault - note: this benefit of the doubt only extends to her partners who were not awful people - for doing so when she already knew what took precedence in her life. She then projected this flawed idea that people expect too much of her onto everybody when she either wasn’t choosing the right partners or was just arguably not in the best place to pursue a relationship at the time.
I don’t mind all of this as part of her arc. I did find it annoying to read sometimes, but that’s because it’s always so much simpler to diagnose other peoples’ problems from the outside. It’s not so easy to ‘act logically’ when you’re the one in the thick of it. I just hated that Dani clearly was not perfect in her relationships yet it was totally glossed over. Instead of having her recognize it, Hibbert decided to act as if Dani was correct to think of her previous partners barring Jo - her last fwb that she dumped because Jo caught feelings - as bad people rather than merely incompatible. If Talia Hibbert wanted me to view Dani as the only victim then why not go more in depth as to what the breakdown of these relationships were so that I could better see why it was the other persons’ fault?
Eventually Dani does come to the conclusion that she shouldn’t throw herself into work to such an unhealthy degree except it’s framed as part of Dani’s arc of self-care rather than addressed as part of a larger conversation of how Dani has potentially mistreated others as a means of protecting herself. Basically, Dani only learns half the lesson at the end - she learns that she is worthy of romantic love if she wants it when she should have also taken more accountability for her failings in her previous relationships. It wasn’t all just other people not valuing her.
This book makes a point of discussing the significance of mental health via Zaf’s struggles with depression and anxiety. Contrariwise, it totally drops the ball when it comes to Dani who would have majorly benefitted from therapy as well. As it stands, I feel like the reason Dani x Zaf worked was because Zaf was willing to bend entirely to Dani’s will. To be fair, part of a relationship is supporting your partner in times of strife. That means filling in the spaces when they can’t do so on their own even if it means you’re doing more at the time because you care for them and they will do the same for you if/when you fall down. It’s a trade-off. Relationships also require compromise so Zaf is satisfying that. But, the book is so emotionally Dani-centric I never felt that Zaf was ever going to get the same level of effort from Dani seeing as barely ever did anything for him.
The whole concept of fake dating was inconsequential. Like in a typical fake dating story there are usually things that the couple has to do that makes the situation complicated. There is absolutely none of that here. The two are trying to maintain hype in order to help Zaf’s non-profit prosper. ‘Maintaining hype’ is so ill-defined though. It mostly amounts to being seen eating lunch everyday? And they go to one interview together. Zaf wasn’t even going to make her go to the interview - she had to cajole him into going. But there shouldn’t have been any question as to her going. That’s literally the whole point of fake dating - you are supposed to attend events for appearance sake.
There should be tons of interviews, people feeling entitled to ask invasive questions, professions at risk, their families should be breathing down their necks. Maybe there is a specific deadline that Zaf needs to get money by so that he can keep the program open. Y’know things that would up the stakes and create conflict? But there is no conflict. The university doesn’t care, their lives aren’t inconvenienced, they each tell their families immediately - where are the comical misunderstandings or the thinking on their feet or using the guise of the fakery to take liberties?
I would have liked to see more of Zaf’s program. The whole purpose of the grift was for him to secure funding. I would have liked for Dani to attend a game or practice or something to see more about Zaf’s passions. Speaking of Zaf’s passions, Zaf’s love for romance novels disappears until the very end. I wish that he had talked about his favorite books or tropes more. This would have made Dani’s big final gesture feel more personal if it was based on groundwork laid throughout. I would have liked to see more of Zaf and Dani’s families. I get wanting this to be able to stand on its own two feet as to why the Brown sisters might not have showed up more. Still, there was no excuse for Zaf’s niece who was literally a student in Dani’s class to be absent for the bulk of the novel.
I will say the third act break-up was more natural in this book opposed to Get A Life, Chloe Brown. I also appreciated the consideration paid to Zaf’s mental health. I felt the presence of his anxiety all the time not just when it was convenient for plot progression which made it feel more genuine. I love seeing men, especially men of color, allowed to express their feelings unabashedly.
Anyways, I do plan on reading the next book because I feel like Eve is more up my alley in terms of characters so even if the plot is meh, at the very least, I won’t spend the entire time annoyed at a main character. If you hadn’t guessed it by now, I don’t recommend this book. I can admit that it does have its sweet moments - I’m not heartless - so I do understand why people enjoyed this overall. I’m simply not one of them.
Quite unexpectedly, I did not like this book at all.
While I initially disliked Chloe due to her attitude towards Red as time went on I was provided context that made me able to better understand her which in turn made me like her. In this case, despite further context I found Dani supremely unlikeable.
First off, I inherently did not like her character. She is intended to be a confident, take charge woman, however, more often than not it read to me as arrogant and superior. This is a facet of her fixation on Zaf - she believes she’s so wonderful and fantastic and sexy, that of course he’ll throw away all his beliefs for the honor of sleeping with her. The worst part is; she’s correct.
This book is marketed as the ultimate opposites attract. Zaf is a super romantic while Dani is super casual. Obviously, this means this will take some convincing on both sides. What I didn’t like was that this involved Dani pointedly eroding Zaf’s limits. I found it really gross that Dani is actively planning to violate Zaf's boundaries just so she can have her ‘perfect fuckbuddy’ rather than letting the dream go like a mature adult. She's decided to 'seduce' him which is little more than thinly veiled coercive behaviors.
For example, she purposely says provocative, sexual stuff around him so she can make flirty overtures toward him under the guise of friendly banter. Sex jokes in general are one thing - the two are friends after all - but because underneath it all she’s actually launching a long term bid to get into his pants it feels skeevy. Like she views him as merely a vessel for her sexual proclivities. Her whole perspective is very on the line of being a Nice Guy. I don’t like to do the whole swap the genders thing because I feel that the situation can stand on its merits, but for the sake of hammering home my point because people often find it easier to conceptualize it the other way around: Imagine if a man was low-key trying to find a way to subtly manipulate a girl into breaking her values, instead of pursuing a girl who already shares them, just because he felt that this girl specifically was ‘the one’. Yeah, sounds pretty predatory doesn’t it?
And again, I get that the point of the book is that the two characters are trying to bring the other over to their side. My problem is that for Dani to succeed at her goal it requires her to act in a way that ignores Zaf’s agency. Zaf trying to show Dani she’s not too broken for relationships does mean he has to push her outside of her comfort zone. However, this could easily be showcased via maintaining the friendship the two already have because, at least to me, romantic relationships start from a foundation of friendship anyways. Dani’s plan needs her to challenge strongly held convictions for her own gain versus Zaf’s plan only challenging Dani’s misplaced insecurities.
I also felt that the whole premise was invalidated by how fast the two got together. It was much too easy for Dani to convince Zaf to buy into the casual sex thing. The two begin their casual relationship a little over 30% into the book and it is totally skewed in Dani’s favor. I viewed this as way too much of a compromise of how Zaf was introduced as a character to give in so quickly. To me it betrays the entire concept of the book being about these two diametrically opposed characters becoming a couple if there is so little chase on either ones’ part. The majority of this was Zaf having to woo Dani and I felt it would have been better if it were more balanced and a slower burn.
There aren't many solidly staunch pro romance guys out there in fiction, in my experience, and it was disappointing to see Zaf capitulating so soon. It also flew in the face of the underlying subversion that men don't only want sex and women aren't pure delicate flowers. I liked that Zaf wanted to be romanced. I didn't like that it became almost solely about Dani's intimacy issues because then Zaf didn't get what he deserved as he was so focused on Dani. I didn’t fully feel like Dani was a good partner for Zaf based on his needs in a relationship. I understand that part of the point was that Zaf and Dani both had to reassess their expectations for a potential relationship. I just felt like Zaf was constantly working at breaking down Dani’s walls while she barely had to meaningfully reciprocate due to her mental hang-ups. Her emotional issues are an explanation not an excuse.
Following that train of thought, I also felt like Dani wasn’t actually a good girlfriend which contributed to my disdain for the character. Hibbert clearly wanted you to side with Dani the entire time. And to a point I did - her first long term boyfriend was when she was relatively young and inexperienced and blamed her for him cheating. That sort of thing can really do a number on your self esteem. Originally I thought that this bad experience was the sole reason for her avoiding serious romantic relationships. But, apparently she did have a few after Mateo that similarly didn’t go well though not much detail is given on these experiences.
My problem is that the explanation for why these relationships didn’t go well is treated as if it’s not Dani’s fault when there is a lot of evidence to the contrary being ignored to push this narrative. I agree that Dani is not inherently bad at relationships or undeserving of love. No one (whose a decent person) is. She was definitely done dirty in the past. However, that doesn't automatically absolve her of bad behaviors she is perpetuating in her relationships. Her inflicting pain on others due to her trauma is still fundamentally her responsibility, not other peoples’ for refusing to put up with it.
For most of the book it’s presented as a charming quirk that Dani doesn't keep track of time when she gets into her work so she’s constantly running late, not eating properly, and staying up into the wee hours of the morning. All of which are things that have the potential to be dealbreakers for a significant other - people do not often like to be left waiting, forgotten about, and/or feel like they have to mother you. I know it can be difficult to keep track of time for a variety of reasons especially if you’re neurodivergent. That being said there are ways to mitigate that even if it will take time and/or will be hard to implement. Dani cites one of the reasons that she doesn’t do the whole serious relationship biz is because people accuse her of being too work-focused. It’s not right to date a busy career-oriented woman and judge her for her work ethic, that’s true. Plus, there’s no need to be cruel about it like it’s alluded some of her past paramours were. However, I couldn’t help but think that Dani wasn’t being honest enough about her part in that.
If a romantic partner is consistently unwilling to compromise then they’re a bad romantic partner. That would be true if Dani was working like she does or if she was playing video games all day. Dani says that people didn’t respect how much work she would have to do. Nevertheless, I’m expected to assume that the other people were being unreasonable despite literally bearing witness to her lack of consideration firsthand in how she lives her life.
Dani is being totally unfair to think so poorly of previous partners who were upset she prioritized her job over them when it’s totally normal to want to be first in a romantic relationship. I don’t blame Dani for thinking her job is important - she loves it, she’s good at it, and she’s ambitious. Simultaneously without more detail I can’t necessarily blame the other party either. Additionally, if Dani couldn’t spare the time to properly pay attention to the relationship I feel that she shouldn’t have been dating in the first place so it’s kind of her fault - note: this benefit of the doubt only extends to her partners who were not awful people - for doing so when she already knew what took precedence in her life. She then projected this flawed idea that people expect too much of her onto everybody when she either wasn’t choosing the right partners or was just arguably not in the best place to pursue a relationship at the time.
I don’t mind all of this as part of her arc. I did find it annoying to read sometimes, but that’s because it’s always so much simpler to diagnose other peoples’ problems from the outside. It’s not so easy to ‘act logically’ when you’re the one in the thick of it. I just hated that Dani clearly was not perfect in her relationships yet it was totally glossed over. Instead of having her recognize it, Hibbert decided to act as if Dani was correct to think of her previous partners barring Jo - her last fwb that she dumped because Jo caught feelings - as bad people rather than merely incompatible. If Talia Hibbert wanted me to view Dani as the only victim then why not go more in depth as to what the breakdown of these relationships were so that I could better see why it was the other persons’ fault?
Eventually Dani does come to the conclusion that she shouldn’t throw herself into work to such an unhealthy degree except it’s framed as part of Dani’s arc of self-care rather than addressed as part of a larger conversation of how Dani has potentially mistreated others as a means of protecting herself. Basically, Dani only learns half the lesson at the end - she learns that she is worthy of romantic love if she wants it when she should have also taken more accountability for her failings in her previous relationships. It wasn’t all just other people not valuing her.
This book makes a point of discussing the significance of mental health via Zaf’s struggles with depression and anxiety. Contrariwise, it totally drops the ball when it comes to Dani who would have majorly benefitted from therapy as well. As it stands, I feel like the reason Dani x Zaf worked was because Zaf was willing to bend entirely to Dani’s will. To be fair, part of a relationship is supporting your partner in times of strife. That means filling in the spaces when they can’t do so on their own even if it means you’re doing more at the time because you care for them and they will do the same for you if/when you fall down. It’s a trade-off. Relationships also require compromise so Zaf is satisfying that. But, the book is so emotionally Dani-centric I never felt that Zaf was ever going to get the same level of effort from Dani seeing as barely ever did anything for him.
The whole concept of fake dating was inconsequential. Like in a typical fake dating story there are usually things that the couple has to do that makes the situation complicated. There is absolutely none of that here. The two are trying to maintain hype in order to help Zaf’s non-profit prosper. ‘Maintaining hype’ is so ill-defined though. It mostly amounts to being seen eating lunch everyday? And they go to one interview together. Zaf wasn’t even going to make her go to the interview - she had to cajole him into going. But there shouldn’t have been any question as to her going. That’s literally the whole point of fake dating - you are supposed to attend events for appearance sake.
There should be tons of interviews, people feeling entitled to ask invasive questions, professions at risk, their families should be breathing down their necks. Maybe there is a specific deadline that Zaf needs to get money by so that he can keep the program open. Y’know things that would up the stakes and create conflict? But there is no conflict. The university doesn’t care, their lives aren’t inconvenienced, they each tell their families immediately - where are the comical misunderstandings or the thinking on their feet or using the guise of the fakery to take liberties?
I would have liked to see more of Zaf’s program. The whole purpose of the grift was for him to secure funding. I would have liked for Dani to attend a game or practice or something to see more about Zaf’s passions. Speaking of Zaf’s passions, Zaf’s love for romance novels disappears until the very end. I wish that he had talked about his favorite books or tropes more. This would have made Dani’s big final gesture feel more personal if it was based on groundwork laid throughout. I would have liked to see more of Zaf and Dani’s families. I get wanting this to be able to stand on its own two feet as to why the Brown sisters might not have showed up more. Still, there was no excuse for Zaf’s niece who was literally a student in Dani’s class to be absent for the bulk of the novel.
I will say the third act break-up was more natural in this book opposed to Get A Life, Chloe Brown. I also appreciated the consideration paid to Zaf’s mental health. I felt the presence of his anxiety all the time not just when it was convenient for plot progression which made it feel more genuine. I love seeing men, especially men of color, allowed to express their feelings unabashedly.
Anyways, I do plan on reading the next book because I feel like Eve is more up my alley in terms of characters so even if the plot is meh, at the very least, I won’t spend the entire time annoyed at a main character. If you hadn’t guessed it by now, I don’t recommend this book. I can admit that it does have its sweet moments - I’m not heartless - so I do understand why people enjoyed this overall. I’m simply not one of them.
kayjayes's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0