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sami_leigh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
5.0
I laughed audibly at the sarcasm and wit woven seamlessly throughout this story. Olive is a loveable and relatable MC, representing women in STEM and alternate sexualities/experiences (Demi sexual). A socially awkward grump with a brilliant mind (who is the opposite of vertically challenged) cast as our MC’s fake boyfriend and a loveable cast of supporting characters (#goals) who are integral to the storytelling. All our favourite tropes are included -fake dating, age gap, workplace romance -and even called out by the MC, adding to the humour. Banter betwixt our fake-daters is comparable to that of the MCs in The Hating Game and Red White and Royal Blue. An enjoyable and quick read I highly recommend!
Content warnings ⚠️: There are references to the the death of Olive’s mother due to cancer and how that impacted her life. There is brief description of verbal/psychological abuse in the form of Advisor/Student power imbalance. Sexual harassment and sexism are present in the storyline. There is explicit sexual content.
Content warnings ⚠️: There are references to the the death of Olive’s mother due to cancer and how that impacted her life. There is brief description of verbal/psychological abuse in the form of Advisor/Student power imbalance. Sexual harassment and sexism are present in the storyline. There is explicit sexual content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief
iiamriya_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
The book was absolutely amazing. The plot, the characters, everything top notch. The ONLY reason why I’m not giving it a perfect 5 out of 5 is because the ending felt a LITTLE bit rushed, just a little. But it was a “slow” burn romance and maybe it need to just hurry up lol. But literally it was an amazing experience, finished it all in one day. It keeps you captivated, even in the most “dull” moments. There is one smut scene, so if you don’t quite like that, maybe skip just those pages because ignoring the entire book is unacceptable lol. Overall a solid book and would 10 out of 10 recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Cancer, and Death of parent
jennymer's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent and Terminal illness
franklola's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
tea_rea's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-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
4.5
Cute, funny story. Wish it was a bit more spicy and to hear Adams POV from time to time, even if it would have just been the epilogue. The ending is a bit flat. But its still a great book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Cancer, and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
wisewayfarer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
stupidcat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Emotional abuse
greymalkin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-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
5.0
Adorable! I appreciated that the sexist issues that the main character faced were portrayed so clearly because toxicity in academic and science culture is a real thing and has destroyed many a promising career. While the Ahn character didn't really read as Vietnamese specifically to me, I liked that her character highlighted the additional challenges of the intersection of racism and sexism in science, and I appreciated her "create the world you want" nature. I loved that the main characters actually acted like scientists (which makes sense given the author's background), where the timing of experiments and the demands and exhaustion of running replications are very real.
The chemistry was quite believable and I liked how it was clear how much he adored her from the very start, and her utter obliviousness to it all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Emotional abuse
rebekahg876's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Cancer
Minor: Emotional abuse
coriblake's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
- The sex scenes in this book were so unbelievably bad and cringey that I almost stopped reading the book entirely.
- If you take a shot every time Adam's bigness is mentioned you will die of alcohol poisoning by page 35
- The love interest is named Adam Carlsen because Adam Driver would be too obvious.
- Olive might be in STEM, but she is dumb as hell. By the end of the book I was incredibly frustrated with all her decisions and leaps in logic. Her primary trait of unfathomable self doubt was equally frustrating to read. I know this might be a common character flaw in the real world, but something about it's portrayal in this novel made me want to claw my eyes out.
- Credit where it's due: the Olive and Adam had good chemistry in their dialogue. If only it wasn't sandwiched in everything else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Chronic illness, and Cancer
Minor: Emotional abuse