Reviews

The Good Ones are Taken by Taj McCoy

kyleethecatlady's review

I am struggling to get through it. It feels too descriptive. Like I don’t know if all of the details are necessary, and they are boring me. 

lololovesthings's review against another edition

funny lighthearted 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

3.75

3.75 stars!

"The Good Ones Are Taken" by Taj McCoy is a cute read and an excellent love story featuring black love, but it's ultimately a little frustrating because the main female character, Mags, can't see what's right in her own face with the main male character, Garrett! I wanted to pull my hair out because they (read: Mags!) just couldn't see that they were meant to be! I am typically not a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope (give me all that sweet, sweet tension and loathing, hahaha), but McCoy does an excellent job handling it! I really, really liked Garrett! What a terrific book boyfriend... the way he remembers Mags' food orders, is there for her when she needs him, how he does so much for her... to me, it's shocking that she couldn't imagine him being in love with her. Like, HELLO!!??! He is SO obsessed with you! Blake never, ever stood a chance against Garrett, even if he was a doctor! I do think that Mags acts a lot younger than she is. She's pretty immature, but it all works out in the end. There is also a lot of funny, witty dialogue and banter that kept me giggling. This book also has a lot to say about discovering oneself after heartbreaking, about getting back out there and being your authentic self to find what you really want in life. It might be a little predictable, but ultimately, this is a solid read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Taj McCoy, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and MIRA for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

readingwithang_'s review

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

tatiana2207's review

adventurous challenging funny medium-paced

4.5

kaleayahl's review

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book is great if you enjoy Friends to Lovers! It’s personally not my cup of tea but I finished it because the MMC (Garret) was kinda likable. Maggie, (FMC) however….was pretty annoying. Though she came around towards the end, her mindset gave immature, I had to go back to where they said she was 38???!!!! She acted 21, and was kinda whiny haha. Buuuuttttt I did enjoy the story and loved that she ended up being with someone that truly loves her as she is. (Though Blake’s time was definitely wasted)

deegee123's review against another edition

2.5

Maggie was unlikeable and incredibly self centered and immature for a 38 year old. I didn’t really like her friends either. I didn’t understand why Blake was even a real option when she clearly didn’t like him.

I also hate proposals at other peoples weddings

ekilburn529's review against another edition

FMC is insufferable

noukv's review against another edition

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

aurorarou's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Very cute! Simple and comfy 💞

ademusoyo's review

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Things I liked about the book: 

• the friends to lovers trope
• The two love interests
• The support and love that the female main character had from friends and family 

Things I didn’t like:

• The female main character 
• How long it took for her to make her “choice”

I felt like Maggie was too self-centered and didn’t really care much about anything else besides herself. The way she acted about her friends getting married in a way that seemed really jealous was really annoying to me and the fact that everyone just let her get away with it just felt really annoying. When it came time to the weddings for her friends she still made it about her and then the fact that

Garrett proposed to her at their joint wedding in Thailand

actually made me annoyed even more. 

Also, despite the fact that both guys, Garrett and Blake, were great, I felt it was very clear and obvious who she should pick from the beginning. She

didn’t even like Blake that much when she went out with him.

and from the beginning she had already said that

she wanted someone just like Garrett. So once they finally got together, I didn’t understand why there was so much back and forth.

it just seemed to drag the story longer than it needed to be. 

I did laugh and found the interactions to be really relatable which is why I’ll give it a little bit above 3 but the story just fell a little flat to me.