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emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Sexual assault, Alcohol
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Infertility, Sexual assault, War
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content
challenging
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Sexual assault
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
Cute contemporary romance, I didn’t realize that feminism and misogyny would have such big roles in the story but I honestly enjoyed how the author handled both subjects. I thought the parents’ marriages were very realistic and I liked the representation. Overall cute, made me think and I loved the fluff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny
Moderate: Genocide, Xenophobia, Vomit
Minor: Sexual assault
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
this book is advertised as an academic rivals to lovers slow burn story, so that’s what i expected going in this book— and not here to be liked was definitely not that book.
i do understand why it’s marketed as an academic rivals to lovers. eliza, our protagonist, and len, our love interest, were competing against each other for the better editor. though it seems like an academic rivals to lovers trope, it’s more of an enemies to lovers trope as eliza was pretty much the only one exerting effort to prove herself worthy for that spot.
for the slow burn trope, this book was pretty much instalove. did they get together at around 85% of the book? yes. but only because they barely had interactions. i could barely sense their chemistry, and that sucked because this book was supposed to be a romance book.
i didn’t necessarily like eliza. she was very intolerable, especially her pride. her idea of feminism is not feminism at all, which threw me off.
the only thing i liked about this book was each characters’ development, and that basically was the only element i stayed for.
i do understand why it’s marketed as an academic rivals to lovers. eliza, our protagonist, and len, our love interest, were competing against each other for the better editor. though it seems like an academic rivals to lovers trope, it’s more of an enemies to lovers trope as eliza was pretty much the only one exerting effort to prove herself worthy for that spot.
for the slow burn trope, this book was pretty much instalove. did they get together at around 85% of the book? yes. but only because they barely had interactions. i could barely sense their chemistry, and that sucked because this book was supposed to be a romance book.
i didn’t necessarily like eliza. she was very intolerable, especially her pride. her idea of feminism is not feminism at all, which threw me off.
the only thing i liked about this book was each characters’ development, and that basically was the only element i stayed for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Alcohol
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Personally i found this book to be very intriguing. I read it during a field trip performance and had a hard time putting it down. Usually I don’t read, but this really got me out of my block. Despite it being very intriguing, there was a lot of frustrating moments. during about the hookup/relationship between Len and Eliza, I felt like it could’ve been elaborated more. A lot of moments I’m at points where I’m like, “is he playing her?” “should they really be together?”. There is a decent amount of chemistry between them, but I feel like there should be a second book or separate chapters with Len’s point of view. If there was moments of Len acting nervous towards Eliza, then I would’ve rooted for their relationship more. I really appreciate the realistically of the book. Although there are moments where Eliza frustrated me, like, “why are you falling for him?” “why are you doing this” I know that I would also be doing the same thing (I’d fall for Len too if i were in her situation). This goes to Len as well. In my perfect world Len would stick up for her in the midst of all the humiliation in the beginning, and although he didn’t it’s a part of his character, and thats what’s realistic. Same with the other characters, subjects, and plot line. The Asian-American struggles and the family culture. The public reaction of Eliza’s situation, the use of modern technology and terms. The characters and their personalities; especially Serena. I also feel like there should've been another chapter between Len and Eliza, after she got out of detention. I wanted to see more of their relationship develop that lead to their hook-up. When finishing it, during the end I couldn’t but squeal and get butterflies. I’m glad they patched up their relationship and I’m glad Eliza had a happy ending.</spoiler/> Overall, the book was a good read. I’m glad I read it and it’s realistically was great. When I first heard about this book, having: sexism, Asian American struggles, academic enemies to lovers trope, etc. I was extremely excited. Throughout the book, I got disappointed, however upon finishing it and reflecting, I don’t regret it. There definitely could be improvement, but I do not regret.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
I love how I could relate to the cultural aspects of Eliza and her family. The author’s sophisticated writing style helped me get in the mind of Eliza, allowing me to clearly view the journey of her relationship with Len.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment