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fatkidatheartreads's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This was originally a 4 star rating but that epilogue got me. It got me good!
"I want you to let me know when I'm acting distant or distracted, because I can already assure you that it's not you. It can't be you. It'll never be you...You won't ever find someone who'll try to as hard as I will to make you happy...I'll always let you steal my French fries whenever you finish the ones on your own plate..."
Jack Hawthorne is a different brand of man you guys. My limbs are shaking! I love him. I know I say this a lot 😂😂 but I love him. He gave so much Alex Volkov (from Ana Huang's Twisted love) simp energy and I love fictional men who simp. This had all the vibes. And I read somewhere that the coffee shop Rose Hawthorne owns is the same coffee shop in The Spanish love Deception. Like what more could I need? This story was fantastic.
Tropes; marriage of convenience, grumpy -sunshine
Jack simultaneously gave 'I will kill anyone who hurts you' and 'I will take care of you when sick' scenes and I was a complete puddle.
My only two issues were:
1. I think the author gave us Jack's secret too early in the book. I wish we were in suspense longer.
2. Why were we robbed of Jack's grovelling? I needed him to grovel. I know he would have killed me with this one.
Either way, fantastic book! I loved every minute of it.
"I want you to let me know when I'm acting distant or distracted, because I can already assure you that it's not you. It can't be you. It'll never be you...You won't ever find someone who'll try to as hard as I will to make you happy...I'll always let you steal my French fries whenever you finish the ones on your own plate..."
Jack Hawthorne is a different brand of man you guys. My limbs are shaking! I love him. I know I say this a lot 😂😂 but I love him. He gave so much Alex Volkov (from Ana Huang's Twisted love) simp energy and I love fictional men who simp. This had all the vibes. And I read somewhere that the coffee shop Rose Hawthorne owns is the same coffee shop in The Spanish love Deception. Like what more could I need? This story was fantastic.
Tropes; marriage of convenience, grumpy -sunshine
Jack simultaneously gave 'I will kill anyone who hurts you' and 'I will take care of you when sick' scenes and I was a complete puddle.
My only two issues were:
1. I think the author gave us Jack's secret too early in the book. I wish we were in suspense longer.
2. Why were we robbed of Jack's grovelling? I needed him to grovel. I know he would have killed me with this one.
Either way, fantastic book! I loved every minute of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
thefatpaperback's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
iamsammie27's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
ranjanireviewsreads's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
*please be warned that this is a negative review and for the first time in my career, I am not holding back on the criticisms. They are constructive, yes, but still overwhelmingly tinted with negativity. I respect anyone who publishes a novel because that in itself is such a huge deal. These are my opinions and I will no apologise for them*
God, I am so disappointed in this book. I was really looking forward to it. The hype, the tropes, the sex? None of it lived up to my expectations.
-- First of all, what the hell was that reason to get fake married? It was so convoluted and underwhelming. Along with the whole "paid ex to break up" which, granted, wasn't for the worst reasons. It was simply creepy - and not in the dark romance with stalker vibes creepy. Just plain unsettling.
-- The characters? Ohh man. Rose was so annoying. I could not stand her constant apologies and thank yous and rambling. Jack was just... a piece of paper with nothing to his name but his desire and love for Rose.
I understand how Rose's past makes it difficult for her accept help or to trust that help; but at least make her behaviour believable. I'm not sure if I missed something here - which is very possible because I skipped a lot of pages - but there was no explicit (or even implicit) connection made between her past and her current behaviour. It's obvious if you think about it but having the character become aware of it, understand it, and work through it is a very different level of satisfaction.
-- And oh my goooood. The writing. I tried reading the Adam and Jason books by this author and I swear to god, I could not stomach the writing. I still can't tell if Marriage For One is better or worse.
There is way too much imbalance between the narration and dialogue. There's always too much of either and it's never the right amount. I often skipped pages of just dialogue bruh, and there was nothing interesting in them (I read this in epub version; pages in this format might just mean one/half a page in printed).
The dialogue was very, very cringeworthy more often than not. I winced every time they said each other's name - a very bad sign in a romance since I want to be looking forward to whenever they say their love interest's name. It's a matter of connecting with the romance and the characters. None of which happened here.
-- Another thing I really hated was how neither Jack or Rose made an effort to understand the other re: their positions in society. Jack never seemed to understand that Rose came from having to literally stay at home to save money and thus never made friends and expected her to just... take his money? He could never relate to her experiences but he also never truly heard them. With Rose, it kinda seemed like she held Jack at fault for his wealth. In a way that blamed him for not having to struggle with money. This was however, only in the beginning but it still created an itch that never went away.
-- God, don't get me started on the whole "Jack" and "Rose" thing. With better writing, a whole lot more character development, and at least a little bit of plot, I would have been so on board with the from-two-different-world, opposites-attract, finding-a-home-in-one-another thing that is so obviously inspired from Titanic. But it was just plain annoying. Along with the fact that I cringed whenever they said each other's names; did I mention that? Hmm.
-- Also where tf did Samatha go? Her introduction, how Jack perceived her with hostility and suspicion; it all seemed to lead up to her development as thecrazy-ex-girlfriend trope but she just vanished? She seemed genuine enough in her intentions. But the author did not deem it necessary to even remember that she existed. It was really unnerving and just plain shit planning.
Anyway. Rant over. I regret reading this book. I do understand why people love it but I've read so many better books. Even The Love Hypothesis was better just because the writing was more mature and at least I was able to read it without skipping pages.
Would not recommend.
God, I am so disappointed in this book. I was really looking forward to it. The hype, the tropes, the sex? None of it lived up to my expectations.
-- First of all, what the hell was that reason to get fake married? It was so convoluted and underwhelming. Along with the whole "paid ex to break up" which, granted, wasn't for the worst reasons. It was simply creepy - and not in the dark romance with stalker vibes creepy. Just plain unsettling.
-- The characters? Ohh man. Rose was so annoying. I could not stand her constant apologies and thank yous and rambling. Jack was just... a piece of paper with nothing to his name but his desire and love for Rose.
I understand how Rose's past makes it difficult for her accept help or to trust that help; but at least make her behaviour believable. I'm not sure if I missed something here - which is very possible because I skipped a lot of pages - but there was no explicit (or even implicit) connection made between her past and her current behaviour. It's obvious if you think about it but having the character become aware of it, understand it, and work through it is a very different level of satisfaction.
-- And oh my goooood. The writing. I tried reading the Adam and Jason books by this author and I swear to god, I could not stomach the writing. I still can't tell if Marriage For One is better or worse.
There is way too much imbalance between the narration and dialogue. There's always too much of either and it's never the right amount. I often skipped pages of just dialogue bruh, and there was nothing interesting in them (I read this in epub version; pages in this format might just mean one/half a page in printed).
The dialogue was very, very cringeworthy more often than not. I winced every time they said each other's name - a very bad sign in a romance since I want to be looking forward to whenever they say their love interest's name. It's a matter of connecting with the romance and the characters. None of which happened here.
-- Another thing I really hated was how neither Jack or Rose made an effort to understand the other re: their positions in society. Jack never seemed to understand that Rose came from having to literally stay at home to save money and thus never made friends and expected her to just... take his money? He could never relate to her experiences but he also never truly heard them. With Rose, it kinda seemed like she held Jack at fault for his wealth. In a way that blamed him for not having to struggle with money. This was however, only in the beginning but it still created an itch that never went away.
-- God, don't get me started on the whole "Jack" and "Rose" thing. With better writing, a whole lot more character development, and at least a little bit of plot, I would have been so on board with the from-two-different-world, opposites-attract, finding-a-home-in-one-another thing that is so obviously inspired from Titanic. But it was just plain annoying. Along with the fact that I cringed whenever they said each other's names; did I mention that? Hmm.
-- Also where tf did Samatha go? Her introduction, how Jack perceived her with hostility and suspicion; it all seemed to lead up to her development as thecrazy-ex-girlfriend trope but she just vanished? She seemed genuine enough in her intentions. But the author did not deem it necessary to even remember that she existed. It was really unnerving and just plain shit planning.
Anyway. Rant over. I regret reading this book. I do understand why people love it but I've read so many better books. Even The Love Hypothesis was better just because the writing was more mature and at least I was able to read it without skipping pages.
Would not recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
- character with claustrophobia (graphic description) -character A waits at the hospital for Character B to get out of surgery - discussion of surgery - Character on bed restsofiarmz13's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, and Cancer
uvsrdg's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual content and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Stalking, Bullying, Violence, and Death
_persephone_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
So the first time i read this i dnfed it, so for the reasons i dnfed it last time- the mild sexism and fatphobia- i gave it a 3 instead of the 4 or 5 i would probably would have given it, however if you can get passed those the book is pretty good. Rose and Jack have an adorable relationship, i loved the side characters, especially Cynthia. Some things felt a little incomplete by the end, like i would've liked to see more of Jodi especially wouldve liked to see more of Jodi and Joshua and how that happened exactly and the whole Sally and Owen thing. But overall it was pretty good especially because the fatphobia and sexism was pretty limited.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Medical content
Minor: Fatphobia and Sexism
frantically's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ughhh, I'm so torn on this.
There were times when I thought I would rate this atleast 4.5 ⭐. The beginning was a bit slow but Rose & Jack were just perfect for the fake-dating trope, I really fell in love with them and their story.
But a plot twist at the end really changed my rating. Of course, every romance has its drama but this one just didn't feel romantic at all, much more stalker-y. There were also some consent issues during the sex scenes which were probably meant to seem sexy but just made it feel too dub-con for me.
Really wish I could've rated this higher!
There were times when I thought I would rate this atleast 4.5 ⭐. The beginning was a bit slow but Rose & Jack were just perfect for the fake-dating trope, I really fell in love with them and their story.
But a plot twist at the end really changed my rating. Of course, every romance has its drama but this one just didn't feel romantic at all, much more stalker-y. There were also some consent issues during the sex scenes which were probably meant to seem sexy but just made it feel too dub-con for me.
Really wish I could've rated this higher!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
Moderate: Stalking, Death of parent, and Death
victorianbsilva's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Bullying, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual content