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dianaschmidty's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Medical trauma
kshertz's review
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Dear god the tension, the tension! I love a childhood romance. I love the having to get married. It maybe took a little too long to get to the action but good for them I guess. I feel like the struggle with diagnoses and Illness was real and heartfelt. It was genuine. This is a delightful quick lighthearted read.❤️
Content Warnings
Minor: Medical content, Death, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Car accident
piperclover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm very very torn on this. I love all of the characters for the most part. I think Mia is a very cool female character, she's very funny, she's very cute, and she's very strong. And I think Noah is exactly what women want in a best guy friend so in that way there's nothing wrong with him. What I have a problem with is how incredibly selfish Mia is when it comes to her chronic kidney illness. She refuses to let people stay close to her and help her when she's ill. And I understand that like really common issue that chronically ill people have but she takes it so far as to not letting people stay in her hospital room when she has surgeries?? These people are out of their minds with concern and terrified that she's not going to live and she refuses to let them sleep in the corner of the hospital room.
I also don't think she had nearly enough tact and compassion when it came to the way that she treated Noah's trauma. She just started lecturing him and forcing him into situations he didn't want to be in instead of helping him gradually overcome his trauma and anxieties. And as someone with severe anxiety that is NOT how you go about it.
Also the big climactic fight that happens in the 3rd act, it doesn't really make sense because Mia starts arguing for one thing and then halfway through she flips and starts arguing a different thing that's related but not what she started with. So I found myself being a little confused at what she was going for because suddenly it sounded like she realized how awful she sounded and needed to fix the argument. Basically most of my issues boil down to Mia is incredibly selfish and refuses to let people care about her and so she shoves them away in the most cruel manner and has literally no common sense about how thats hurtful. That part of her felt like she was a young child or teenager and not a 30 year old woman. On top of that she's just honestly cruel to her parents for no good reason. It makes sense that she would be hurt about the situation they're in but it does not call for her reaction to it and I just find it so incredibly frustrating. She needs an actual therapist.
There's an older character who is treated as purely a therapist for free and actually that's how all of the side characters that aren't in the main group are treated. They're either therapists or they serve the sole purpose of being there to tell Mia how much Noah is into her.
I did actually really enjoy this though despite how much I have to complain about some things because I really loved this setup way more than I thought I would and I also really like the personalities of Noah and Mia and I think they're really cute together. 77% of this book was amazing but once I hit that point I just really fell hard because of everything I mentioned above. So most of the book I had a great time and then the ending just did not work for me.
Edit: originally I gave this 4 stars but considering all of my lasting feelings about this book are negatove, I've changed it to 3.5.
I also don't think she had nearly enough tact and compassion when it came to the way that she treated Noah's trauma. She just started lecturing him and forcing him into situations he didn't want to be in instead of helping him gradually overcome his trauma and anxieties. And as someone with severe anxiety that is NOT how you go about it.
Also the big climactic fight that happens in the 3rd act, it doesn't really make sense because Mia starts arguing for one thing and then halfway through she flips and starts arguing a different thing that's related but not what she started with. So I found myself being a little confused at what she was going for because suddenly it sounded like she realized how awful she sounded and needed to fix the argument. Basically most of my issues boil down to Mia is incredibly selfish and refuses to let people care about her and so she shoves them away in the most cruel manner and has literally no common sense about how thats hurtful. That part of her felt like she was a young child or teenager and not a 30 year old woman. On top of that she's just honestly cruel to her parents for no good reason. It makes sense that she would be hurt about the situation they're in but it does not call for her reaction to it and I just find it so incredibly frustrating. She needs an actual therapist.
There's an older character who is treated as purely a therapist for free and actually that's how all of the side characters that aren't in the main group are treated. They're either therapists or they serve the sole purpose of being there to tell Mia how much Noah is into her.
I did actually really enjoy this though despite how much I have to complain about some things because I really loved this setup way more than I thought I would and I also really like the personalities of Noah and Mia and I think they're really cute together. 77% of this book was amazing but once I hit that point I just really fell hard because of everything I mentioned above. So most of the book I had a great time and then the ending just did not work for me.
Edit: originally I gave this 4 stars but considering all of my lasting feelings about this book are negatove, I've changed it to 3.5.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness and Medical content
Extreme guilt with no therapy, past death of a sibling and that trauma, implied abandonment fears, needles are often enough that I skipped forward a few timeslujisa's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Medical content, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content
anovelglimpse's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This book first caught my attention with its original cover. I loved that cover and actually was a bit put off when it changed to this illustrated one. Then, fellow blogger Sam reviewed it, and I knew I had to read it. It was a fake marriage between friends for insurance purposes...and SURPRISE! the MCs are secretly in love with each other. Noah and Mia's relationship was fun, sweet, and a bit emotional. There's some health stuff for Mia and grief for Noah to deal with, but even those things didn't bring down the story. I loved how everything played out and the tenderness between the characters. They both learned a lot about themselves while connecting with each other. It was a great listen.
You can find this review and others like it at A Novel Glimpse .
You can find this review and others like it at A Novel Glimpse .
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Medical content
amystks's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was one that was an Amazon recommendation after other things I had bought and it had good reviews from other authors I liked.
The relationship between Mia and Noah, after their marriage, developed really nicely and the focus on Mia’s illness was interesting. The weekly infusion sessions gave the impression that the author had some knowledge or did research relating to kidney issues. Along with this, the no fruit after a transplant was a truthful addition.
Finished in bed
The relationship between Mia and Noah, after their marriage, developed really nicely and the focus on Mia’s illness was interesting. The weekly infusion sessions gave the impression that the author had some knowledge or did research relating to kidney issues. Along with this, the no fruit after a transplant was a truthful addition.
Finished in bed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual content
readingwithmeredith's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
Fun trope of both best friends to lovers but also fake dating/marriage. My only issues were I wish we had gotten a little more of their back story growing up/flashbacks but that’s more personal preference when you’re writing about childhood best friends. I really enjoyed the “he fell first” and deeper themes of grief and walking through hard life moments, but I did feel like this book was too heavily focused on physical connection/desire.
Content notes: Only only open door scene but lots of implied scenes and dialogue, grief, death, and medical content
Content notes: Only only open door scene but lots of implied scenes and dialogue, grief, death, and medical content
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Sexual content, and Medical content
dropshift5568's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, and Medical content
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
lauren_miller's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Forced proximity? Fake marriage? Best friends since forever?
This book was the recipe of my dreams, and while it was a bit different than I expected, in the end it delivered exactly what I was looking for—love, not just romance. The chemistry between Noah and Mia felt genuine and playful, clearly built on years of friendship and platonic affection, not just attraction; the circumstances and stakes were high enough to justify the premise and each protagonist's actions and reactions; and at its heart, the book offered a tactful reminder that in order to love someone else, you have to love and respect yourself first.
Both Mia and Noah carry an immense amount of guilt, which heavily influences their emotions and decisions; I've never seen two characters communicate so. much. and yet resolve so. little. lol. But this is because their guilt, over things truly beyond their control, is so overwhelming. The real triumph of this story is both of them making strides towards healing and understanding their traumas, because once they start healing, they start to truly open their hearts to each other and it is absolutely beautiful (yes, I did cry).
Please be warned that this story heavily centers around chronic illness—the rep for which, btw, is fab—and the loss of a family member. So if you're struggling with or sensitive to such topics, this may not be the book for you.
Overall, I'm actually so glad I read this book. While much heavier than I expected, it was balanced by well-written and well-placed humor and romance, and, not to be dramatic, but I came away believing in love again haha. 4.5 out of 5 stars, ★★★★☆
Forced proximity? Fake marriage? Best friends since forever?
This book was the recipe of my dreams, and while it was a bit different than I expected, in the end it delivered exactly what I was looking for—love, not just romance. The chemistry between Noah and Mia felt genuine and playful, clearly built on years of friendship and platonic affection, not just attraction; the circumstances and stakes were high enough to justify the premise and each protagonist's actions and reactions; and at its heart, the book offered a tactful reminder that in order to love someone else, you have to love and respect yourself first.
Both Mia and Noah carry an immense amount of guilt, which heavily influences their emotions and decisions; I've never seen two characters communicate so. much. and yet resolve so. little. lol. But this is because their guilt, over things truly beyond their control, is so overwhelming. The real triumph of this story is both of them making strides towards healing and understanding their traumas, because once they start healing, they start to truly open their hearts to each other and it is absolutely beautiful (yes, I did cry).
Please be warned that this story heavily centers around chronic illness—the rep for which, btw, is fab—and the loss of a family member. So if you're struggling with or sensitive to such topics, this may not be the book for you.
Overall, I'm actually so glad I read this book. While much heavier than I expected, it was balanced by well-written and well-placed humor and romance, and, not to be dramatic, but I came away believing in love again haha. 4.5 out of 5 stars, ★★★★☆
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Medical content
Minor: Death
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