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justintime2989's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
turnthepages_nl's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
I need more show and less tell.
Most of the character growth happens off page and that really saddens me. I like it when I see the emotional growth, thoughts, feelings and process on page. And this book skipped over those parts real fast. (Except for the lust, there were plenty of lusty, horny thoughts)
They also keep mentioning how small and little (in height) Rayah (the FMC) is and that got annoying reallll quick. Like, we get it, she is not as tall as the others.
I missed emotional depth and growth. I would have liked to see less sexual inuendos and remarks, and more emotional vulnerability and connection.
I have POTS myself and I can say the POTS rep was okay! It was fun to see it in a guy for a change. Sadly there was no mention of it when it came to the spicy stuff. It didn't seem to impact their sex life. And it doesn't have to. But I would have liked to see at least a conversation about it. Because there were no precautions and no repercussions and that felt a little bit unrealistic to me 🤷🏼‍♀️. Seeing as exercise has to be severly modified for him, it seems weird that sex would be flawless as that also hugely gets the heartrate going! But I might be taking this too serious as someone who has the condition themselves.
I also did not love how the sexual abuse was handled. Again didn't see the emotional growth on page. There was a yucky scene where the FMC sort of lashed out at other survivors and almost played the blame game and next thing I know she is super mature about it. Apparently she talked it through with her therapist (Yay therapy!!). But that all happened off page. So it felt like a really stark contrast. It would have added so much for me if those conversations were in the actual book!! The abuse rep felt overgeneralized and she seemed to recover and reclaime her sexuality fairly quickly once she met the MMC and that left me feeling real weird. It feels insensitive... how one boy can make you confidently want to give head OVERNIGHT. One day she was having a panic attack over it, the next she wanted to give him the best blowjob of his life?! This would be something to discuss and work through in therapy, not something that just magically fixes overnigt?! It feels really insensitive to me! And definetely knocked a star off for me in the rating.
TL;DR an okay ish book with okay POTS rep. But the chemistry was off and there was too much telling and not enough showing. Not loving how the grooming and sexual abuse was portrayed tho!!
Most of the character growth happens off page and that really saddens me. I like it when I see the emotional growth, thoughts, feelings and process on page. And this book skipped over those parts real fast. (Except for the lust, there were plenty of lusty, horny thoughts)
They also keep mentioning how small and little (in height) Rayah (the FMC) is and that got annoying reallll quick. Like, we get it, she is not as tall as the others.
I missed emotional depth and growth. I would have liked to see less sexual inuendos and remarks, and more emotional vulnerability and connection.
I have POTS myself and I can say the POTS rep was okay! It was fun to see it in a guy for a change. Sadly there was no mention of it when it came to the spicy stuff. It didn't seem to impact their sex life. And it doesn't have to. But I would have liked to see at least a conversation about it. Because there were no precautions and no repercussions and that felt a little bit unrealistic to me 🤷🏼‍♀️. Seeing as exercise has to be severly modified for him, it seems weird that sex would be flawless as that also hugely gets the heartrate going! But I might be taking this too serious as someone who has the condition themselves.
I also did not love how the sexual abuse was handled. Again didn't see the emotional growth on page. There was a yucky scene where the FMC sort of lashed out at other survivors and almost played the blame game and next thing I know she is super mature about it. Apparently she talked it through with her therapist (Yay therapy!!). But that all happened off page. So it felt like a really stark contrast. It would have added so much for me if those conversations were in the actual book!! The abuse rep felt overgeneralized and she seemed to recover and reclaime her sexuality fairly quickly once she met the MMC and that left me feeling real weird. It feels insensitive... how one boy can make you confidently want to give head OVERNIGHT. One day she was having a panic attack over it, the next she wanted to give him the best blowjob of his life?! This would be something to discuss and work through in therapy, not something that just magically fixes overnigt?! It feels really insensitive to me! And definetely knocked a star off for me in the rating.
TL;DR an okay ish book with okay POTS rep. But the chemistry was off and there was too much telling and not enough showing. Not loving how the grooming and sexual abuse was portrayed tho!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Sexual content, Medical trauma, and Pedophilia
Minor: Cancer, Body shaming, Death of parent, Cursing, Terminal illness, Vomit, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
Someone in the sportsworld was grooming and then sexually abusing young girls. This happens off page but is discussed on page.slinker10's review
0.25
I loved Amy Lea’s Set On You & was excited to see another romance novel with a gym setting. I was rooting for this book (as I am with all works of creativity), so it’s disappointing to say that I am angry after reading it.
I was all in first half of this book! I love reading about women with agency & found family is my jam.
But eventually Jake/Chris’ flirting felt juvenile and made me uncomfortable.
And much worse, the trauma that Rayah faced before the novel (but was referenced on page in detail) was not handled well at all.
To begin, the content warning is not part of the book - you have to go to a website (also I think the way this trauma is “labeled” is incorrect & downplays what actually occurred). I know the conversation about trigger warnings is being debated right now & that not all will agree this should have been stated upfront…but I think the way this particular trauma was handled suggests a lack of misunderstanding and, as a result, insensitivity to the trauma. Maybe the author (or someone she knows) has experienced something similar & the way the main FMC healed (literally overnight) is based on real world experience - but it’s hard for me to buy that.
Additionally - Rayah’s trauma feels plucked from real world events that I’m not sure the author represented well. Does she have permission to share this story? Of course, many people have gone through this trauma, but these specific athletes? It doesn’t seem right that she’s using their story as a plot driver in Work It Out.
I do think this topic could have been handled much more delicately and with more depth of understanding… and that could have been a really beautiful thing. But, it wasn’t and I’m angry on behalf of those whose story I feel she appropriated.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.
I was all in first half of this book! I love reading about women with agency & found family is my jam.
But eventually Jake/Chris’ flirting felt juvenile and made me uncomfortable.
And much worse, the trauma that Rayah faced before the novel (but was referenced on page in detail) was not handled well at all.
To begin, the content warning is not part of the book - you have to go to a website (also I think the way this trauma is “labeled” is incorrect & downplays what actually occurred). I know the conversation about trigger warnings is being debated right now & that not all will agree this should have been stated upfront…but I think the way this particular trauma was handled suggests a lack of misunderstanding and, as a result, insensitivity to the trauma. Maybe the author (or someone she knows) has experienced something similar & the way the main FMC healed (literally overnight) is based on real world experience - but it’s hard for me to buy that.
Additionally - Rayah’s trauma feels plucked from real world events that I’m not sure the author represented well. Does she have permission to share this story? Of course, many people have gone through this trauma, but these specific athletes? It doesn’t seem right that she’s using their story as a plot driver in Work It Out.
I do think this topic could have been handled much more delicately and with more depth of understanding… and that could have been a really beautiful thing. But, it wasn’t and I’m angry on behalf of those whose story I feel she appropriated.
Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
lethaltea's review
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book started off really strong - the first 25% was witty, cute, and definitely had rom-com potential.
Then it all started to fall apart. There were so many side characters and side plots that it was hard to understand what was happening in the story. I got the vibe that the author was going for a Gilmore Girls style town - with all these cooky neighbours and a festival devoted to hunting aliens. However, it just bloated and it was hard to follow the narrative or really invest in the main characters.
I did really like the disability representation of a MMC with POTS but it kind of got buried beneath all the other things happening in the book. Similar to the FMCs plot line about gymnastics - it didn’t have the resonance it really deserved because so much other kept happening.
Overall, I would be willing to read other books by this author. The humour was great and i think this sort really had potential - it just needed some thinning.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Entangled for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Bullying, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content
chelsss_ann's review
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
TLDR: Recommend! But check TW.
The cover and title gives off easy going vibes, but this book packs a punch with some heavy topics. The author easily takes you from battling with the limitations of a disability when you expect more of yourself to steamy scenes to PTSD from sexual abuse with ease. Not to mention that there were definitely times I was laughing out loud.
Sometimes this book felt a bit long, but I think you really needed the extra pages to give these characters the development they deserved. There are a lot of characters, but they all play an important part in the story and in Jake and Rayah's lives. And the little sidekick that shows up later on - I can just picture it when it's first introduced! So freaking cute!
If you're looking for a lighthearted romance, I'd say save this book for another day so you can give it the attention it deserves.
TW: There are scenes of sexual and physical abuse.
The cover and title gives off easy going vibes, but this book packs a punch with some heavy topics. The author easily takes you from battling with the limitations of a disability when you expect more of yourself to steamy scenes to PTSD from sexual abuse with ease. Not to mention that there were definitely times I was laughing out loud.
Sometimes this book felt a bit long, but I think you really needed the extra pages to give these characters the development they deserved. There are a lot of characters, but they all play an important part in the story and in Jake and Rayah's lives. And the little sidekick that shows up later on - I can just picture it when it's first introduced! So freaking cute!
If you're looking for a lighthearted romance, I'd say save this book for another day so you can give it the attention it deserves.
TW: There are scenes of sexual and physical abuse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Physical abuse
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
what_courtreads's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Sexual assault
nakita's review
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I read this as a NetGalley arc and this review is my own:
So I was instantly drawn to this story because of the gym/workout theme behind it. Our FMC, Rayha, is the owner and trainer of a beautiful gym in Bigbone, small town where her employees are her found family. I really enjoyed each of the characters, the bantering was great and the health/workout aspects were spot on (I’ve been in the fitness industry for 7 years now).
Our MMC, Jake, is an actor who wants to score a role as a super hero but needs to build the body to get it. However he has POTS (a secret he doesn’t want out in fear he won’t get any action roles) and only trusts his friend Pierce to help him achieve his goals without ratting him out. Jake shows up to Explosion ready to work but his POTS and other challenges prove this won’t be easy for him.
This story is lighthearted and funny but also deeply emotional as well. Both the MCs have their own past struggles that directly impact their current relationships and behavior. It definitely has an “insta-lust/love” vibe…I had hoped for more tension before they were all over each other. I also don’t really like third person POV and some of the writing felt a little clunky but all in all I enjoyed it.
Some of my favorite moments definitely belonged to the townspeople and the supporting characters.
So I was instantly drawn to this story because of the gym/workout theme behind it. Our FMC, Rayha, is the owner and trainer of a beautiful gym in Bigbone, small town where her employees are her found family. I really enjoyed each of the characters, the bantering was great and the health/workout aspects were spot on (I’ve been in the fitness industry for 7 years now).
Our MMC, Jake, is an actor who wants to score a role as a super hero but needs to build the body to get it. However he has POTS (a secret he doesn’t want out in fear he won’t get any action roles) and only trusts his friend Pierce to help him achieve his goals without ratting him out. Jake shows up to Explosion ready to work but his POTS and other challenges prove this won’t be easy for him.
This story is lighthearted and funny but also deeply emotional as well. Both the MCs have their own past struggles that directly impact their current relationships and behavior. It definitely has an “insta-lust/love” vibe…I had hoped for more tension before they were all over each other. I also don’t really like third person POV and some of the writing felt a little clunky but all in all I enjoyed it.
Some of my favorite moments definitely belonged to the townspeople and the supporting characters.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
christinareadsontheroad's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I wanted to like this, and there were portions of this book that had me super invested. However, I think that there were just too many things happening in this one and it went off the rails a bit. Possibly to set up future spin offs, but it came at the cost of the pacing/flow. Had one or two pieces of the story been omitted, this could have been a really great book with POTS representation.
Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.
Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Ableism
drops_everything_and_reads's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
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