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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
This book has been sitting on my bedside table for two months. It was supposed to be my cruise book but when the cruise got canceled, I was too sad to pick it up. However, I finally did and I’m so mad at myself for waiting this long!! I loved Evie, who is beautiful and kind and a brilliant chef. When she loses her memory and goes back home, she connects with her old flame Zach. There were times I was a little frustrated with his density (boys!) but he was sweet and so in love. This book was amazing and I can’t wait to read more by the author!!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As much as I love cowboys, I really had a hard time getting into this one. I wasn’t into the amnesia theme in this book. And found that kept taking me out of the story. I partially blame this on reading a book with this theme a couple books prior. I’ll definitely be awaiting other books from this author though!!
A Cowboy to Remember is a contemporary romance centered on the trope of amnesia, where Evie, a Black woman and famous chef is injured and loses her memory before reconnecting with her childhood crush (a handsome Black cowboy named Zach) who she hasn't spoken to in 10 years.
Unfortunately, I found this book to be remarkably boring with uninteresting main characters and very little in terms of relationship development. This feels particularly glaring since I just read Rafe by the same author (which I highly recommend!) where the characterization and relationship development was SO good. In this case, most of the book is focused on Evie dealing with her memory loss and re-learning how to cook, and occasionally wanting to kiss Zach despite their relatively minimal interaction. I think it's trying to rely on the fact that they have a history together, but it really did not work for me.
On the other hand, there are some very interesting side characters! There is a sassy grandmother who was a famous actress and broke ground for Black women in the industry. There is an older brother who doesn't talk much and is physically huge, but is a total softie inside. I would totally read books about them, but I couldn't figure out what Evie liked about Zach besides the fact that he's attractive and wears a cowboy hat.
The pacing is weird as well. Much of the book is (like I said) about Evie having amnesia and regaining her cooking skills and that really dragged. Then near the very end she suddenly regains her memories, eye-rolling drama ensues, and we get a very quick ending. I was definitely disappointed with this, but the highlights were the entertaining side characters and the discussions of race and prejudice in the entertainment industry. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Unfortunately, I found this book to be remarkably boring with uninteresting main characters and very little in terms of relationship development. This feels particularly glaring since I just read Rafe by the same author (which I highly recommend!) where the characterization and relationship development was SO good. In this case, most of the book is focused on Evie dealing with her memory loss and re-learning how to cook, and occasionally wanting to kiss Zach despite their relatively minimal interaction. I think it's trying to rely on the fact that they have a history together, but it really did not work for me.
On the other hand, there are some very interesting side characters! There is a sassy grandmother who was a famous actress and broke ground for Black women in the industry. There is an older brother who doesn't talk much and is physically huge, but is a total softie inside. I would totally read books about them, but I couldn't figure out what Evie liked about Zach besides the fact that he's attractive and wears a cowboy hat.
The pacing is weird as well. Much of the book is (like I said) about Evie having amnesia and regaining her cooking skills and that really dragged. Then near the very end she suddenly regains her memories, eye-rolling drama ensues, and we get a very quick ending. I was definitely disappointed with this, but the highlights were the entertaining side characters and the discussions of race and prejudice in the entertainment industry. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I just couldn’t get into this book. I love this author, but amnesia is not my trope. I thought I’d give it a chance in her hands, but it just didn’t connect for me. I loved the female friendships and Miss Leona. But the romance was much lower heat than I’m used to for this author. if you like amnesia, it is well done here. It’s just not for me.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review purposes. This in no way influences my review; all words, thoughts, and opinions are my own.
Content notes:
Content notes:
Rebekah Weatherspoon’s latest—about a celebrity chef getting a second chance with her first love/the titular cowboy after a tumble down the stairs leads to amnesia—is unapologetically trope-tastic. What kind of amnesia? Is this a thing that is scientifically plausible, & is that how you’d treat it? Who cares!
Sometimes you read a lot of intense books in a row and then just need a book with some kissing. I can see some of my dudes out there thinking this doesn’t apply them but Gents, IT DOES. Free your minds. Kiss kiss.
I won’t be shoving this one in people’s faces like I did Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny. But Weatherspoon knows what she’s about, and what she’s about is fiercely feminist joy-giving. I’m so glad someone is paying her to write books.
Thanks to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for giving me access to an early dARC of A Cowboy to Remember in exchange for my honest review!
Sometimes you read a lot of intense books in a row and then just need a book with some kissing. I can see some of my dudes out there thinking this doesn’t apply them but Gents, IT DOES. Free your minds. Kiss kiss.
I won’t be shoving this one in people’s faces like I did Rafe: A Buff Male Nanny. But Weatherspoon knows what she’s about, and what she’s about is fiercely feminist joy-giving. I’m so glad someone is paying her to write books.
Thanks to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for giving me access to an early dARC of A Cowboy to Remember in exchange for my honest review!
Of course I was gonna read this. There is a black cowboy on the cover.
This just wasn't for me. So I am putting it down.
This just wasn't for me. So I am putting it down.
IQ "Yeah, we could hit up a happening hot spot, but nothing gets my butter churning like a man who gives tax-deductible donations to your local PBS station.” (Blaire)
A romance focusing on Black cowboys and the Pleasant family matriarch (a Golden Age of Hollywood grandmother) is a delicious setup and I'm crushed that it didn't deliver but the characters fell flat. There are far too many bit characters to keep track of and everyone was too nice. There's a startlingly lack of conflict in the story, there's a rivalry that arises from a ridiculous villain character but their identity is hardly a surprise and the outcome is laughable and unrealistic. I was also skeptical that I would enjoy this given that I find an amnesia centric plot eye roll inducing but I wanted to give this one a chance because hot Black cowboys. However while Zach and the rest of the cast all fell flat. They're wonderfully earnest and accommodating of Evie and her amnesia but they all lacked defining characteristics. This is especially relevant when it comes to Zach and Evie's relationship. Zach is devoid of quirks or flaws and Evie's amnesia results in her not having a personality. I know absolutely nothing about the medical trauma that results from amnesia so that might be wholly realistic but it makes for a boring romance. You never feel invested in their romance and there's no chemistry. The only characters who came close to capturing my attention were Evie's friends Nicole and Blaire (which is why I included her line as my quote that made me laugh) but even they struggled to hold their own. They kept describing robotic and sweet which is very accurate and doesn't make for a fun or steamy read. Additionally there's confusing POV switches midway through some chapters and the location quickly changes which is disorienting. There's also an extremely rushed ending that was frustrating.
A COWBOY TO REMEMBER is a pleasant, straightforward Western romance with a surprisingly dull amnesia plot and cast of characters. This is a story that wasn't particularly memorable for me aside from the Pleasant family's background. I wish descriptions of Zach had gone beyond his good lucks and that we learned more about Evie beyond her tragic accident and cooking career. There's lots of cooking descriptions though if that's your speed and the ranch setting is nicely rendered, it convinced me to do a long weekend at one (someday). I would wager this book will be a very soothing angst free quarantine read for some especially when it's one centered around such kind-hearted individuals but I personally would pick up a few other titles I've read/seen around before going back to this one. I should also note that while there's nothing awful that happens to the characters here, Evie's family story is incredibly sad so be prepared for that. I'm torn about trying another Weatherspoon romance, I'd heard so many raves and I read an interview with the author where she says this series will be based on fairytales which I find fascinating. As an aside this one is based on Sleeping Beauty which is one I've always found dull so this would appear to be somewhat expected for me. If I continue on with this series they will be definite library books vs buying.
A romance focusing on Black cowboys and the Pleasant family matriarch (a Golden Age of Hollywood grandmother) is a delicious setup and I'm crushed that it didn't deliver but the characters fell flat. There are far too many bit characters to keep track of and everyone was too nice. There's a startlingly lack of conflict in the story, there's a rivalry that arises from a ridiculous villain character but their identity is hardly a surprise and the outcome is laughable and unrealistic. I was also skeptical that I would enjoy this given that I find an amnesia centric plot eye roll inducing but I wanted to give this one a chance because hot Black cowboys. However while Zach and the rest of the cast all fell flat. They're wonderfully earnest and accommodating of Evie and her amnesia but they all lacked defining characteristics. This is especially relevant when it comes to Zach and Evie's relationship. Zach is devoid of quirks or flaws and Evie's amnesia results in her not having a personality. I know absolutely nothing about the medical trauma that results from amnesia so that might be wholly realistic but it makes for a boring romance. You never feel invested in their romance and there's no chemistry. The only characters who came close to capturing my attention were Evie's friends Nicole and Blaire (which is why I included her line as my quote that made me laugh) but even they struggled to hold their own. They kept describing robotic and sweet which is very accurate and doesn't make for a fun or steamy read. Additionally there's confusing POV switches midway through some chapters and the location quickly changes which is disorienting. There's also an extremely rushed ending that was frustrating.
A COWBOY TO REMEMBER is a pleasant, straightforward Western romance with a surprisingly dull amnesia plot and cast of characters. This is a story that wasn't particularly memorable for me aside from the Pleasant family's background. I wish descriptions of Zach had gone beyond his good lucks and that we learned more about Evie beyond her tragic accident and cooking career. There's lots of cooking descriptions though if that's your speed and the ranch setting is nicely rendered, it convinced me to do a long weekend at one (someday). I would wager this book will be a very soothing angst free quarantine read for some especially when it's one centered around such kind-hearted individuals but I personally would pick up a few other titles I've read/seen around before going back to this one. I should also note that while there's nothing awful that happens to the characters here, Evie's family story is incredibly sad so be prepared for that. I'm torn about trying another Weatherspoon romance, I'd heard so many raves and I read an interview with the author where she says this series will be based on fairytales which I find fascinating. As an aside this one is based on Sleeping Beauty which is one I've always found dull so this would appear to be somewhat expected for me. If I continue on with this series they will be definite library books vs buying.
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes