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kekepania's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I've read and really liked most of Tessa Bailey's books, so although kind of put off by the cover art (man in business suit, woman in cut off short shorts), I assumed this would be good. It is...not. He has a serious mental health issue/trauma that's SUPER not addresses properly (in the plot or by the author), and she's incredibly personally wreckless and immature. Early in the book she gets mad and steals hundreds of dollars worth of food from a restaurant....and he defends her...and she's so attracted to him for that...? It's baffling. It gets fairly sexy at a few points, but cringey? "You like that, don't you sweetheart?" energy. Just icky. The ending was rushed and just made no sense. What about his actual job? His mental health? (Like seriously, he needs help.)
Updating to add: also...what was with her dogs?? Like yes please write dogs into plots! Absolutely! But there was so much "and her dogs came tumbling after her." We got their names. Uhh. Anything to add? It was such a weird and shallow gesture of "give the main character some animals."
Updating to add: also...what was with her dogs?? Like yes please write dogs into plots! Absolutely! But there was so much "and her dogs came tumbling after her." We got their names. Uhh. Anything to add? It was such a weird and shallow gesture of "give the main character some animals."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Alcohol
Minor: Death
kat7794's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
gracescanlon's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
3.75
I loved Julian — he was so well-fleshed-out, believable, and lovable. Hallie, however…annoyed and frustrated me. I know she’s supposed to be “chaotic,” but honestly, her various forms of “chaos,” like her chronic and egregious tardiness, are unbelievably rude, inconsiderate, and unprofessional. She’s also one of the most inconsistent characters I’ve ever read — and not in a realistic, true-to-form, or story-enriching way. Hallie is roughly thirty years old, but she’s so immature that if the author hadn’t disclosed her age early in the novel, I’d have been shocked she was old enough to legally drink.
Compared to a character like Julian, who though he had wrong ideas about himself and needed therapy (nothing to be ashamed of), functioned as a respectful, professional adult, Hallie looked even more immature, rude, and inconsiderate. The disparity in their maturity levels also made their non-physical attraction and compatibility improbable.
Hallie’s friend and her friend’s husband were lovely, funny, and interesting. I wish they’d gotten more “screen time” — the two of them and Natalie (Julian’s sister) were the most intriguing characters besides Julian!
I did greatly appreciate the mid- to plus-sized representation in the book. Specifically, I loved that multiple other characters besides Julian found Hallie attractive. I think my favorite part of this was that although Hallie wasn’t a thin woman, her desirability was a matter of fact to the people around her. Additionally, they never mentioned her weight in relation to her looks, which was delightful and a breath of fresh air. (An aside: Julian saying that the parts of her body she’s insecure about are what turn him on was, to me, sweet as well as sexy.)
Julian’s dirty talk did seem to begin out of nowhere, but I didn’t find it unbelievable for a character like him. After all, he can’t be straight-laced in every way. A person’s got to have some method of blowing off steam — especially one as uptight as Julian! So I thought his using dirty talk in bed was definitely within the realm of possibility. However, his transition from Mr. schedules-jerking-time to filthy-mouthed lover could’ve been more natural and gradual.
Also, I found the whole dirt thing incredibly off-putting. I don’t mean to shame — honestly, it just confused me.
Compared to a character like Julian, who though he had wrong ideas about himself and needed therapy (nothing to be ashamed of), functioned as a respectful, professional adult, Hallie looked even more immature, rude, and inconsiderate. The disparity in their maturity levels also made their non-physical attraction and compatibility improbable.
Hallie’s friend and her friend’s husband were lovely, funny, and interesting. I wish they’d gotten more “screen time” — the two of them and Natalie (Julian’s sister) were the most intriguing characters besides Julian!
I did greatly appreciate the mid- to plus-sized representation in the book. Specifically, I loved that multiple other characters besides Julian found Hallie attractive. I think my favorite part of this was that although Hallie wasn’t a thin woman, her desirability was a matter of fact to the people around her. Additionally, they never mentioned her weight in relation to her looks, which was delightful and a breath of fresh air. (An aside: Julian saying that the parts of her body she’s insecure about are what turn him on was, to me, sweet as well as sexy.)
Julian’s dirty talk did seem to begin out of nowhere, but I didn’t find it unbelievable for a character like him. After all, he can’t be straight-laced in every way. A person’s got to have some method of blowing off steam — especially one as uptight as Julian! So I thought his using dirty talk in bed was definitely within the realm of possibility. However, his transition from Mr. schedules-jerking-time to filthy-mouthed lover could’ve been more natural and gradual.
Also, I found the whole dirt thing incredibly off-putting. I don’t mean to shame — honestly, it just confused me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death
hapalyn'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Cursing
Moderate: Grief and Death
nickoliver's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Are all of Tessa Bailey's books like this? Because if so, I'm judging all of you right now. This was fucking horrible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Grief, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcoholism
shaemaguffee's review against another edition
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Mental illness, Cursing, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
smithrachaelynn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
4.0
I didn’t love this as much as I was expecting to. Something about the secret admirer stuff felt really frustrating to me. I liked JulianMs character a lot and it was interesting to see him work through his anxiety. I like a lot of parts of this, but as a whole I felt disappointed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
danajoy's review
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Minor: Death
callenmecait's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
Absolutely devoured this book in 3 days as a buddy read. Tessa Vailey has outdone herself again. It is hot, romantic, introspective, inspiring, funny, and downright lovable. Chapter 18 will be revisited many, many times. Read it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Fire/Fire injury
one_more_chapter96's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Super cute but had depth as well & I loved the characters so much. Tension, spice and realness all in one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Death