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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was not the book for me. That's not to say that there weren't good parts that I did enjoy, it was just a lot.
I feel like there were three parts to this book: the experience of working in trade/finance; the romance; and the politics.
The work that the characters did at Goldman Sachs, and then later at a more independent firm, was over my head. It wasn't something I was interested in, though I did feel the struggle Jess dealt with to be taken seriously. Not only was she a woman, but a black woman, and the way she was treated was downright disgusting at times. From treating her as a secretary, not an analyst, not giving her work, or giving her work with no direction as to how to do it. Then, when she was able to take part with the "team", not getting credit for her work.
To an extent, Josh did help her and stand up for her. Not nearly enough though, and I found myself disappointed in all the times and ways he didn't say something, or step up. I was hoping for a "Hating Game" situation, and that wasn't what we got at all
The romance. When it was just them, I did like Josh and Jess together. They had cute moments, some of their banter was fun and funny. They truly do love each other, though there were so many times I wanted to be there clapping and shouting "COMMUNICATION!" There were so many times one or the other held back, not explaining the small things that were coming between them or upsetting them. Then small things turned to big things.
When they were apart, you could feel the way they missed each other. Jess shutting out Josh broke me a little, especially when he tried to be there for her. The way he didn't give up, even when she shut down and shut him out. It's hard enough to figure out what you want in life, let alone the added pressure of your parent dying. Jess found herself asking the question: was being in love and loved worth more than being right?
The politics. This was where the book really lost me. Their different stances, and the arguments it brought on reminded me of the movie "The Way We Once Were". If this is a movie you loved, then this book would be right up your alley! For me, it made me question why they were even trying. If they were so different, if they couldn't agree about their fundamental beliefs. If they couldn't see eye to eye; and didn't even seem to want to try.
I've seen a lot of bad reviews, and I think this book deserves more benefit of the doubt. It may not be for everyone, like it wasn't for me, but it deserves to be given a chance instead of judged before even being read.
I feel like there were three parts to this book: the experience of working in trade/finance; the romance; and the politics.
The work that the characters did at Goldman Sachs, and then later at a more independent firm, was over my head. It wasn't something I was interested in, though I did feel the struggle Jess dealt with to be taken seriously. Not only was she a woman, but a black woman, and the way she was treated was downright disgusting at times. From treating her as a secretary, not an analyst, not giving her work, or giving her work with no direction as to how to do it. Then, when she was able to take part with the "team", not getting credit for her work.
To an extent, Josh did help her and stand up for her. Not nearly enough though, and I found myself disappointed in all the times and ways he didn't say something, or step up. I was hoping for a "Hating Game" situation, and that wasn't what we got at all
The romance. When it was just them, I did like Josh and Jess together. They had cute moments, some of their banter was fun and funny. They truly do love each other, though there were so many times I wanted to be there clapping and shouting "COMMUNICATION!" There were so many times one or the other held back, not explaining the small things that were coming between them or upsetting them. Then small things turned to big things.
When they were apart, you could feel the way they missed each other. Jess shutting out Josh broke me a little, especially when he tried to be there for her. The way he didn't give up, even when she shut down and shut him out. It's hard enough to figure out what you want in life, let alone the added pressure of your parent dying. Jess found herself asking the question: was being in love and loved worth more than being right?
The politics. This was where the book really lost me. Their different stances, and the arguments it brought on reminded me of the movie "The Way We Once Were". If this is a movie you loved, then this book would be right up your alley! For me, it made me question why they were even trying. If they were so different, if they couldn't agree about their fundamental beliefs. If they couldn't see eye to eye; and didn't even seem to want to try.
I've seen a lot of bad reviews, and I think this book deserves more benefit of the doubt. It may not be for everyone, like it wasn't for me, but it deserves to be given a chance instead of judged before even being read.
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Que horrible cosa, un muy buen libro, pero horrible final…
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
For the most part, this was just a typical rom-com, which is fine. I expected it to be an enemies-to-lovers thing, but it really wasn’t. In fact, Josh was pretty amazing the whole time. The main character, Jess, was the one being kind of annoying—she just kept pushing him away and never really wanted to have an actual conversation.
What I liked:
- Josh isn’t some straight-up conservative monster or an easy target. He’s pretty fucking amazing.
- The wine girls were actually pretty good friends to her, even though it gave me very much White Lotus Sydney Sweeney vibes.
- The book does have a few moments where it could dig into something deeper, but…
Where it goes off the rails:
- It never actually paints a clear enough picture about racism or systemic racism. I get the point is that you never really know who’s the racist, but it completely avoids naming the problem, which is exactly why people push back when you call them racist.
- Jess doesn’t want to have an actual conversation. Josh tries to bring in his perspective, but all he gets is pushback. The character never really asks him to grow; she just resents him for not already being where she wants him to be.
Then there’s the part where they fight and she ghosts him for weeks while dealing with her dad, but when he shows up, she still doesn’t answer. To me, ignoring someone like that is the biggest deal-breaker in a relationship, and I can’t believe he would even take her back. I get her dad was dying, but bad communication transcends politics.
Even though I have to admit, I don’t think I could date someone who had a MAGA hat and didn’t find it problematic. That’s just me. But that’s not really what the book is about. The story takes place during the 2016 Trump election, but we’re reading it knowing the Trump post first term. So again, maybe I misread the ending, but to me the ending is basically: Trump gets into office, Josh says, “See, everything’s fine,” but obviously, everything wasn’t fine. Ironic as we survived Trump’s first term. (Jury’s still out on if we’ll survive a second one.)
Honestly, the relationship between them just felt too bland. It could have been way more nuanced. Most of the book was just them saying “I love you” and accepting each other, not two people really reckoning with opposing worldviews. In a lot of ways, they’re meant for each other, but not for the reasons the author seems to think.
Bottom line:
I don’t think Jess is that virtuous; she just thinks she is. I got excited when the book kind of went in that direction, but the character never learns from it. I wanted a lot more bite and a lot less hand-wringing.