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dlrosebyh's review against another edition
emotional
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
Sweet Rose has aspirations of finding love and starting her own tiny coffee business. Being a romantic, Rose marrying the icy Jack is completely out of character, but sometimes you have to make a radical decision because of circumstances. Jack is an absolute perfectionist with a promising future. He never makes errors. And being married to Rose—even solely for business purposes—might be a bad decision. Jack doesn't have emotions, but over time he begins to fall in love with Rose and can't stop thinking about her. As long as she can, Rose clings to the idea that "it's just a contract," but her feelings for Jack also shift.
Given the intriguing idea, I completely did not expect a character-driven narrative like this. The story started out moving pretty slowly. The personalities struck me as dull and shallow. Rose would frequently weep about how jack never smiled and was a miserable asshole.
But as the narrative progressed, I began to feel a connection to the people and the plot. I was unable to put it down. The conflict was the sole reason I gave it 3.75 stars instead of 4 or 5. I felt the conflict was very ridiculous and didn't enjoy it.
Instead of reading a novel, it feels more like reading a journal that has all the tropes blended into one. It had advantages and disadvantages. I wasn't a big fan of the prose, but I wasn't completely against it either. I simply believe it might be better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Stalking
Minor: Death of parent
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
sofiarmz13'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
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
cadeely's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
DNF at Chapter 25. Pretty predictable after that.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
starry's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-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? Yes
2.25
I wanted to like this book, but the pacing was inconsistent to the point of disengaging and the sentences were often distractingly long and unwieldy. The characters were well-written, nuanced, and ultimately likable, but some of the topics tackled (like the severe medical condition!) seemed overly ambitious. The second-act breakup was also tough for me. Usually I don’t mind them, but in this case I felt so betrayed alongside Rose that I was actually angry when they resolved it so quickly. Jack’s behavior felt unjustified and controlling, and him refusing to apologize made me angry enough that it soured the end of the book for me. All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this one :/
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Cancer
constancely's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death of parent
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