Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Love Redesigned

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher

37 reviews

britbrit29's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

5.0

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cielosiluminado's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

rent. was. due. and lauren delivered.

the moment i started this book, i couldn't put it down. i really didn't want it to end. one of my favorite reads this year.

julian lopez junior, el hombre que tu eres. julian literally had me blushing and swooning at so many times. seeing his pure love and adoration for dahlia made me so emotional. he'd do anything for her. adding him to my top tier book boyfriends.

dahlia isabella muñoz, mi niña preciosa. after everything dahlia endured, she came out stronger and braver on the other side and that made me love her so much more. she truly is a queen, talented, smart, funny, and she deserves the whole world.

“You made my wish come true without me realizing it.”

dahlia and julian have a beautiful, yet tragic history together. these two going from childhood rivals to lovers seemed inevitable. in the end though, it's obvious that they were made to not only challenge, but, love each other as well.

i also really enjoyed the nosey, meddling family and it often felt like i was reading my own family at times. pleasantly surprised.

usually i'm not a big fan of books where there's dialogue in other languages because it can be cringey or not translated well. but as someone who also comes from a mexican background like the main characters, i was delighted that the sociocultural norms and traditions the characters and their families partook in were written well. also very glad the (mexican) spanish, specifically the dialogue, in the book wasn't cringey.

the (free) extended epilogue from lauren's website had me swooning even more! i cannot wait for the second book to be released summer 2024.

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danicam's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

3.0

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bribreez's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

5.0

5⭐️/ 3-4🌶️

The Queen, Ms. Lauren Asher has graced us with another new release! Lauren Asher can do no wrong! Anything she writes is pure magic and an absolute treasure! We’re back in the lovely small town of Lake Wistera! If you’ve read, “The Final Offer”, which was part of Lauren Asher’s Dreamland Billionaire series, then you’ll remember this place. If not, that’s totally fine as you’ll fall in love with it! This story was all about, Dahlia Muñoz and Julian Lopez. Childhood rivals, always competing to beat the other, and always been in close proximity since their moms were best friends. A highly anticipated story that I was more than excited to jump into and feel all the good vibes that Lauren always manages to bring each and every time!

Right away I was loving this book! Getting to meet both Dahlia and Julian made me see just how their dynamic was which was, them constantly at odds with one another, snarky banter, and tension. I also loved seeing the Mexican representation! WOO! LETS GO! I’m also Mexican (or I identify as Latina) so just getting to read the things Julian, Dahlia, or their family members speaking in Spanish or doing certain things I recognized from my culture was amazing. Plus, that moment in the beginning with Dahlia’s mom coming through with the rosary and holy water totally made me think back to Lauren’s dedication to her mom in, “Throttled” HAHA! IYKYK! Needless to say, I was on cloud nine already enjoying the first few chapters and loving the characters!

I’m sorry, but like…WHY WAS THE BANTER AND TENSION SO DELICIOUSLY WRITTEN?! I’m a fan of banter, but the way Dahlia and Julian went at each other with their snark and attitude was just hilarious and great! Yes, I realize that for most of their conversations it was a bit of a battle since, Dahlia and Julian still had that childhood rivalry going on, as well as the tension lingering from their college days. That being said, the way I could FEEL THE TENSION emanating from Dahlia and Julian was just perfection! As much as those two were constantly at odds with one another and dishing back insults, they definitely had great chemistry underneath the surface. Plus, something about the snarky banter was entertaining for me. I was equally squealing and dropping my jaw with the way Julian and Dahlia said things to one another ESPECIALLY ONCE IT BORDERED ON THE LINES OF POTENTIALLY CROSSING SPICY TERRITORY! OMG!

So you remember how I mentioned there was tension bubbling between Dahlia and Julian? Well… IT PAID OFF! All those moments of arguing, insulting each other, and trying to one up the other paid off for some steamy moments between Dahlia and Julian! So much for remaining rivals because, the way that Julian and Dahlia couldn’t resist the temptation to touch one another was HOT! Also, for all those jokes and judgements of Julian being such a, “stoic, quiet, man”, he definitely wasn’t quiet when it came to his spicy scenes with Dahlia! I also loved how even in those moments there was a bit of that same snarky teasing that they usually reverted back to, but it was done in a more playful way that definitely made me blush and a bit heated! Julian was a man of many talents from carpentry, maintaining his business, and of course BEING AN ATTENTIVE MAN BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE BEDROOM! WOO! Also, shout out to my girl, Dahlia for legit bringing down a powerful man like Julian down to his knees for her! Both Julian and Dahlia had DYNAMITE CHEMISTRY!

If I had to describe my ideal man, Julian Lopez would be that man! Out of the many wonderful things that I absolutely loved about Julian, it was his attentiveness. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Julian was a billionaire who could spend his money however he wanted in order to make Dahlia happy. Seeing Julian being so attentive to Dahlia was endearing and swoon worthy! Julian was a fixer and a bit of a perfectionist, but I feel like aspects of that actually played well into him being thoughtful and detailed oriented when it came to expressing himself to Dahlia.

MY QUEEN LAUREN ASHER HAS DONE IT AGAIN! This story was absolutely incredible, phenomenal, and fantastic! Dahlia and Julian instantly had me smiling, laughing, and loving them! I loved the Mexican representation, felt like I was part of the family alongside the Muñoz’s and Lopez’s! Just made me happy to see the heartwarming yet also hilarious moments Dahlia and Julian shared within their families and how everyone was so close with each other! The romance was perfect! I also loved seeing the vulnerabilities both Dahlia and Julian experienced, but communicated them despite some bumps in the road. Lauren Asher can honestly do no wrong! The way Lauren is able to tackle heavy topics, and write them in a way that explores the realities of it such as, what Dahlia experienced and even Julian’s mom was done in a way that was respectful and eye opening. There was also plenty of humor that had me cackling and again nonstop laughing! I almost didn’t want to finish this book because I was having so much fun reading it! That being said, having read this book, I would give it infinity stars because it was that amazing! Plus, with those epilogues that I love oh so much that Lauren writes, it was even more heartfelt and joyful to see Dahlia and Julian having their happy ending! I’m SUPER EXCITED FOR THE NEXT BOOK! The little crumbs sprinkled in this book perfectly sets up the ideas I have for a specific someone’s book *wink, wink. READ THIS BOOK AND EVERY BOOK BY LAUREN ASHER BECAUSE SHE’S A MAGICAL PERSON AND AUTHOR!

Content Warnings

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted sad 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

4.5

I saw this book at Barnes & Noble, and immediately added it to my TBR.
"Love Redesigned" follows two childhood friends, Julian and Dahlia. Julian's mom and Dahlia's mom have been best friends for most of their lives, and because of that, Julian and Dahlia have grown up with each other. They were the best of friends, friends who prank each other constantly, until an incident in college left them enemies who barely speak. Now, the pair find themselves back in their hometown together, and their meddling moms want them to finally work out their differences.
From the first chapter I was sucked into the story. Julian and Dahlia, in spite of hating each other, have so much history and chemistry together that you cannot help but root for them. I loved that this was a semi second chance romance, because it was all the sweeter.
Dahlia has moved back home after her ex-fiancé calls of their engagement and she also loses her job because of it. She is dealing with severe mental health issues and has to do a lot of work to find herself again. I loved seeing a main character deal with depression and anxiety in such a realistic way, and I loved even more that we got to see her work through her difficulties and become the best version of herself. Julian is very supportive of Dahlia always, but he does not allow her to be complacent. He continually pushes her, which is a very fine line to walk, but he does so amazingly.
Julian is the cliche billionaire workaholic who does not have time for love, but he certainly makes time for Dahlia. I loved seeing his character grow and see there are so many more important things in life, and it is okay to take time for the things that make you happy.
The spice was great and very hot.
I loved every second of this book, and I did not want it to end. I am also very much looking forward to the next book in this series!

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sdupont's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.0

If you are into a childhood rivals to lovers you’ll enjoy this one. The book starts off with the two MCs being very antagonistic with each other. Honestly for me it was a little much at times I needed them to stop metaphorically poking at each other. Over time you get to see them rebuild their friendship and then evolve into more. I like Julian and Dahlia. For much of the book Dahlia misunderstands him but eventually she sees him for who he is. I felt her trust issues were valid and handled well. I enjoyed this one but I am so ready for book 2 with Rafa (I am sensing a single dad nanny trope!)

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ga_bby4's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

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carla20's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

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one_more_chapter96's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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

A bittersweet story that touched on mental health and toxic relationships, as well as regrets. Overall though it was so sweet and funny and there so much love between all the characters - a great easy read with a happy ending and a touch of spice.

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dianaschmidty's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-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

4.75

I think this is Lauren Asher’s most romantic book. Dahlia and Julian truly felt made for each other. I think that’s true for most academic rivals to lovers stories, but few make the transition from adversaries to partners as well as these two did.

This book was also truly funny! Their pranks on each other made me laugh so much, but nothing was better than Julian’s masterful prank on Oliver!

This is also the perfect time to read it since it heavily features Thanksgiving and Christmas and really got me ready to read more Christmas books!

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