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jayybear's review against another edition
3.25
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, and Misogyny
cryptofauna's review against another edition
- 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
i came looking for a simple romance and that’s what i got so not really any huge complaints.
secondhand embarrassment was strong but i guess that means i was invested? characterization was a little weak but overall it was pretty nice time
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship and Sexism
stormeno's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent and Acephobia/Arophobia
lou_loo's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I'm super glad I did.
I agree that this is not groundbreaking or revolutionary in any way, but I got exactly what I was promised.
This is a fun romance, the FMC is quirky and cute, and the MMC is tall and handsome. Elsie is a people pleaser who was relatable in some ways and fun to read about; I'd also like to point out that the STEM and physics part of the story felt real and I could see that AH knew what she was writing about and didn't invent some unrealistic stuff.
And even if it's not the best book ever, it made me laugh, it made me happy and the vibes deserve a good rating.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship and Acephobia/Arophobia
jaynovara's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Chronic illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Medical content
alexxmichelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Chronic illness, Cursing, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Death of parent and Medical content
Minor: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Outing, and Alcohol
samreynard's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Lots of twists and reveals to be had. Ali crammed a lot of great plot into this book, and still kept it well paced and believable.
Moderate: Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexism
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Death of parent, Medical content, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
tyras_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love all the science references, and I could mostly follow until it got into hard physics stuff but that’s not central to understanding the book.
I don’t have a whole lot to say since the plot was fairly simple. Fake dating trope, “enemies” (aka annoyances) to lovers, and of course some general woman-in-stem badass-ness. I liked that this one was longer too from her previous novellas. I got to sit in the cuteness a little longer and enjoy the characters together so that was nice.
Hazelwood walks a fine line between writing strong female characters and damsels.
What I mean by that is to say all her FMC are science geniuses yet they all have an uncanny ability to fall into goofy hijenks, silly situations or have the emotional intelligence of a peanut. And maybe that’s her leaning into the duality of womanhood. Her characters are flawed and have multitudes within them. But maybe also, she’s setting up a really easy slam dunk for the MCM to do some white knight nonsense and rescue the genius science lady from herself.
This isn’t to say that the boys don’t grow and learn a little too but I wonder if the recipe would hit the same if the character flaws were centered on the men but still from the woman POV? Food for thought I guess.
Still…every book is an unapologetic must-read!
*spoilers*
Maybe I do the person switching thing too because at first I was definitely on Elsie’s side. It makes total sense that each person you hang with gets a cultivated piece of you. The difference is, of course, Elsie was lying to literally everyone about herself so gross. She came to her senses in the end though.
That switch from Dr. L being the gentle, older father figure to the wicked manipular once he was caught was spine chilling. We see it coming and by mid-book I kinda already knew it was related to Jack’s article scandal but his condescending behavior and abuse gave me a visceral reaction.
The mom was annoying and felt like a one-dimensional character so I would have loved to see more from that plot point to drive home Elsie’s compulsive need to please her. It was established that she felt like a burden as a child and J.J.’s rejection of her showed why she felt the need to be someone else all the time but still, the family thread could have been flushed out more.
Yes, there is spice. It’s quick, around mid-book. Moving on.
Jack: intense, brooding, tall. The hot slab of background with which to paste the very interesting FMC upon. For better or worse.
We do get some backstory to liven him up but I didn’t find him particularly intriguing. He’s also a feminist, good brother and doting grandson so maybe I take it back. But, ask me if he’s book boyfriend goals and that’s a whole other story. (The answer is yes)
Him nearly being a freaking mind reader was both precious because finally, finally, someone is loving Elsie the way she deserves to be but also slightly unbelievable that he’s so attuned to her thoughts. It boarders on fantasy— as if the boy’s got powers—a little too closely for me.
I think it was an Edward nod since Twilight was mentioned so much. Not opposed—-those movies are the cringy treasure of my heart.
Glad Elsie got back to therapy and she didn’t let that terrible advisor keep her in abject poverty (really he’s the worst lol). She grew some confidence and self-esteem and gets to science to her hearts content with her mountain of a boyfriend. Not much else to ask for.
Graphic: Toxic relationship