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chellesofbooks's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2 stars
TW; mentioning of domestic violence to a side character, death of loved ones (off page), complex trauma from sexual assault as a minor (happened off page, but discussed), life after injury, toxic family trauma, chronic illness symptoms leading to fainting, vomiting, and exhaustion.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC to review. All thoughts are my own.
What is up with the cute cartoon-covered romances lately having such an extensive trigger warnings list and not being properly warned? Entangled Publishing did have a content warning for the main female character's sexual assault being mentioned (you have to go to their website to read it) but as an ARC reader, this isn't divulged when applying so reviewers can protect themselves from reading the wrong book and wasting the publisher's time.
At the start of this book, it was really fun. Jake, an acclaimed TV show actor has been given the offer of a lifetime to become a superhero - and has to bulk himself to make sure he gets the gig. However, he suffers from a chronic illness that makes it almost impossible for his body to physically meet the criteria he's pushing for. He goes back home to an exclusive sports and gym complex and omits his condition from the owner and ex-gymnast Rayah. I found the initial banter between Rayah and Jake, whilst a little on the instalove spectrum, really enjoyable. Until about 20% where things Jake started to say didn't quite match up with the time spent in each other's company. It then goes from 0-100 pretty darn quickly and is somewhat unbelievable. Rayah, who is described as a prickly woman and not to cross also loses her personality trait and quickly becomes a simpering female for Jake's charms.
This is set in a small township, and the gym is run by a group of people who have become Rayah's found family, which again, was cute to begin with. It then got super dramatic and everyone was causing trouble everywhere. Add in a side character turning up with evidence of domestic violence and reeling from a death, the unravelling of Jake's lies, and then talk about Rayah's sexual assault as a minor, and I was confused why all of this had been thrust into what had seemed like a cute little small-town romance. I have no idea why it was necessary to throw in all the drama, at every step of the way. It made the storyline too amped up and the characters fell flat. There was always too much to resolve and by 60% in, I was more than done with how soap-opera dramatic this was. The shock factor was just cringe at this point, and the romance was no longer interesting in the slightest. The humour, which had been fun at the start was trying to keep things funny and light, but became on the nose. I admit to skimming the last 40% of the book because I had lost complete interest. For full transparency, I would have DNF'd this around 30% had I not been obligated to read and review this arc.
Overall, I'm really disappointed in Work It Out, because it did sound like a cute story in the premise, and the cover is gorgeous. Just goes to show that you cannot judge a book by its cover.
TW; mentioning of domestic violence to a side character, death of loved ones (off page), complex trauma from sexual assault as a minor (happened off page, but discussed), life after injury, toxic family trauma, chronic illness symptoms leading to fainting, vomiting, and exhaustion.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC to review. All thoughts are my own.
What is up with the cute cartoon-covered romances lately having such an extensive trigger warnings list and not being properly warned? Entangled Publishing did have a content warning for the main female character's sexual assault being mentioned (you have to go to their website to read it) but as an ARC reader, this isn't divulged when applying so reviewers can protect themselves from reading the wrong book and wasting the publisher's time.
At the start of this book, it was really fun. Jake, an acclaimed TV show actor has been given the offer of a lifetime to become a superhero - and has to bulk himself to make sure he gets the gig. However, he suffers from a chronic illness that makes it almost impossible for his body to physically meet the criteria he's pushing for. He goes back home to an exclusive sports and gym complex and omits his condition from the owner and ex-gymnast Rayah. I found the initial banter between Rayah and Jake, whilst a little on the instalove spectrum, really enjoyable. Until about 20% where things Jake started to say didn't quite match up with the time spent in each other's company. It then goes from 0-100 pretty darn quickly and is somewhat unbelievable. Rayah, who is described as a prickly woman and not to cross also loses her personality trait and quickly becomes a simpering female for Jake's charms.
This is set in a small township, and the gym is run by a group of people who have become Rayah's found family, which again, was cute to begin with. It then got super dramatic and everyone was causing trouble everywhere. Add in a side character turning up with evidence of domestic violence and reeling from a death, the unravelling of Jake's lies, and then talk about Rayah's sexual assault as a minor, and I was confused why all of this had been thrust into what had seemed like a cute little small-town romance. I have no idea why it was necessary to throw in all the drama, at every step of the way. It made the storyline too amped up and the characters fell flat. There was always too much to resolve and by 60% in, I was more than done with how soap-opera dramatic this was. The shock factor was just cringe at this point, and the romance was no longer interesting in the slightest. The humour, which had been fun at the start was trying to keep things funny and light, but became on the nose. I admit to skimming the last 40% of the book because I had lost complete interest. For full transparency, I would have DNF'd this around 30% had I not been obligated to read and review this arc.
Overall, I'm really disappointed in Work It Out, because it did sound like a cute story in the premise, and the cover is gorgeous. Just goes to show that you cannot judge a book by its cover.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Death
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