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rickireadss's review against another edition
3.5
i have mixed feelings with this one. i was liked all the computer science talk about his job. i really liked the female friendships in this. i loved the WOC (women of color) rep in STEM!! i just didn’t really care for the romance - i didn’t feel the chemistry & the third act breakup really killed the vibe.
⚠️: racism, toxic relationship, infidelity, misogyny, infertility, sexism
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Misogyny, and Infidelity
Minor: Infertility, Sexism, and Racism
mikaelaandherbooks's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Racism
Minor: Infidelity
lilacs_book_bower's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I struggled with the rating of this one because I really liked Samiah (and her friends who feature in future books) a lot! But I don't like "lying about one's identity" as plot/tropes in romance, so I found that whole aspect of the story, and the hero, to be just not for me. I know some people don't mind concealing one's identity in romances, so that wouldn't hinder their enjoyment here. I enjoyed Samiah as a character and seeing how she made friends and decided to work on herself and her personal goals. In the end, I think the hero could have actually made much better choices at several points along the way (which would have meant a different book, I know), so I didn't especially care for him. In the end, he didn't grovel enough, and she forgave very easily and quickly. It felt a bit perfunctory. On the whole though, I enjoyed Samiah and her friends enough that I can overlook my personal issues with the hero. TLDR: loved the female characters, plot was 50/50.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Racism and Infertility
kingrosereads's review
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
A workplace romance with BIPOC representation and female friendship.
Samiah Brooks is in her early 30s and she’s killing it. She’s got the car, the condo, and the job. Now according everyone, she needs the man. Unfortunately, after reading a thread of a young woman live Tweeting an awful date, Samiah realizes the man she’s dating is two-timing her. She goes to the restaurant to confront him just in time for another woman he was conning to show up. The three women chew him out which is being recorded on the other patrons’ phones. Samiah finds a kinship with the other two women: personal trainer and nutritionist, Taylor, and pediatric surgeon, London. However, the video of them goes viral much to their embarrassment. The women band together and say “screw society” and decide to devote the time they’ve wasted on dating on themselves before trying again. Samiah decides to devote her time to developing an app she’s been dreaming of for years.
That’s until Monday, when new hire, Daniel Collins, shows up at Samiah’s job. She’s a badass, woman in STEM working for an extremely successful tech company and she’s rising to the top fast! She and Daniel hit it off and start a flirty work friendship. The problem is, Daniel is a government agent working for FinCEN in order to uncover a money laundering operation working out of Samiah’s job. What makes it even more difficult is Daniel is falling for Samiah, but is afraid to not only hurt her but compromise his job.
Now this book has its moments. I think the buildup to Daniel and Samiah’s relationship was cute. Their office flirting was a whole vibe. But their actual relationship? I wasn’t feeling it at all. In fact, it was pretty boring. It was cute and fine, but it wasn’t plucking any heartstrings. And the sex scenes where just so…bleh? Like foreplay? Who is she? We don’t need her. There’s no buildup to the sex to get you excited for it. And the scenes themselves were just lack luster. And I’ve enjoyed clean romances and fade-to-black romances without issue. I almost wish this was clean or FTB.
I liked the camaraderie between Samiah, London, and Taylor. I think the friendship started off fine and I could see the platonic chemistry there, but the book doesn’t devote much time to this blossoming friendship. Like I like the other women but I just barely care about them and the other two books are supposed to be about them! The book does devote A LOT of time to the work stuff. Which is fine, but it was A LOT. It’s more of a workplace drama in which a romance takes place.
I don’t mind the “hidden identity” trope, but in this case, I really hated it. Samiah has HUGE trust issues and was literally JUST conned by a man lying about who he was and now the love interest is also lying about who he is? No thank you. Maybe if he’d confided in her and they actually worked together, her as maybe an informant, and she slowly forgave him after working to bring down the criminals, then MAYBE I could accept it.
All this aside, I loved seeing a woman in STEM, especially a woman of color. I liked that Samiah talked about the difficulties of living up to her family’s expectations and what it’s like to be a WOMAN in STEM, especially the hardships that come with being a black woman in STEM and the pressure to be perfect to prevent messing up opportunities for the black women that come after her. Samiah’s experience working in a tech company is the experience of most women in STEM and most male-dominated fields, times 10 for women of color. So I think it’s really relatable and for non-POCs, it’s a good start at understanding even if it just scratches the surface.
I will read the next book, because despite the shortcomings of this book, Taylor’s book is fake dating which I LOVE and London’s is enemies-to-lovers, so there potential there, too.
Samiah Brooks is in her early 30s and she’s killing it. She’s got the car, the condo, and the job. Now according everyone, she needs the man. Unfortunately, after reading a thread of a young woman live Tweeting an awful date, Samiah realizes the man she’s dating is two-timing her. She goes to the restaurant to confront him just in time for another woman he was conning to show up. The three women chew him out which is being recorded on the other patrons’ phones. Samiah finds a kinship with the other two women: personal trainer and nutritionist, Taylor, and pediatric surgeon, London. However, the video of them goes viral much to their embarrassment. The women band together and say “screw society” and decide to devote the time they’ve wasted on dating on themselves before trying again. Samiah decides to devote her time to developing an app she’s been dreaming of for years.
That’s until Monday, when new hire, Daniel Collins, shows up at Samiah’s job. She’s a badass, woman in STEM working for an extremely successful tech company and she’s rising to the top fast! She and Daniel hit it off and start a flirty work friendship. The problem is, Daniel is a government agent working for FinCEN in order to uncover a money laundering operation working out of Samiah’s job. What makes it even more difficult is Daniel is falling for Samiah, but is afraid to not only hurt her but compromise his job.
Now this book has its moments. I think the buildup to Daniel and Samiah’s relationship was cute. Their office flirting was a whole vibe. But their actual relationship? I wasn’t feeling it at all. In fact, it was pretty boring. It was cute and fine, but it wasn’t plucking any heartstrings. And the sex scenes where just so…bleh? Like foreplay? Who is she? We don’t need her. There’s no buildup to the sex to get you excited for it. And the scenes themselves were just lack luster. And I’ve enjoyed clean romances and fade-to-black romances without issue. I almost wish this was clean or FTB.
I liked the camaraderie between Samiah, London, and Taylor. I think the friendship started off fine and I could see the platonic chemistry there, but the book doesn’t devote much time to this blossoming friendship. Like I like the other women but I just barely care about them and the other two books are supposed to be about them! The book does devote A LOT of time to the work stuff. Which is fine, but it was A LOT. It’s more of a workplace drama in which a romance takes place.
I don’t mind the “hidden identity” trope, but in this case, I really hated it. Samiah has HUGE trust issues and was literally JUST conned by a man lying about who he was and now the love interest is also lying about who he is? No thank you. Maybe if he’d confided in her and they actually worked together, her as maybe an informant, and she slowly forgave him after working to bring down the criminals, then MAYBE I could accept it.
All this aside, I loved seeing a woman in STEM, especially a woman of color. I liked that Samiah talked about the difficulties of living up to her family’s expectations and what it’s like to be a WOMAN in STEM, especially the hardships that come with being a black woman in STEM and the pressure to be perfect to prevent messing up opportunities for the black women that come after her. Samiah’s experience working in a tech company is the experience of most women in STEM and most male-dominated fields, times 10 for women of color. So I think it’s really relatable and for non-POCs, it’s a good start at understanding even if it just scratches the surface.
I will read the next book, because despite the shortcomings of this book, Taylor’s book is fake dating which I LOVE and London’s is enemies-to-lovers, so there potential there, too.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Misogyny, and Sexism
kyeruhh's review against another edition
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.0
I didn’t love the corporate setting (too #girlboss for me) and some of the dialog was cringey, but overall really cute!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Misogyny
hellowildflower's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Racism
bedtimesandbooks's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Classism, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Cultural appropriation
allisonwonderlandreads's review
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This sweet romance adds some sizzling flair in the form of an undercover operation into money laundering in the tech industry. Daniel is our Treasury Dept agent investigating the crime, and Samiah is a star employee at the tech company with a lot going on in her personal life. Namely, she discovered via live tweet that her kind-of boyfriend stood her up to go on a date with another woman. When she shows up to confront him at the restaurant, videos of the incident go viral. She forms an unexpected but lasting bond with the not one but two other women who were dating this foolish man, but she must also navigate her unwanted insta fame.
I found this romance to be a very tender love story that unfurled at a slow but reasonable pace. One thing I appreciated was the way all the feelings came off as real and earnest rather than over-dramatized or unrealistically all-consuming. Both characters are level-headed, ambitious people, and you see that come across in the decisions they make in the story, even the romantic ones. I also like the emphasis on friendships, and the too relatable conversations around how hard it is to make adult friends, especially in a new city. There are other meaningful conversations around the extra work Samiah must put in to succeed as a Black woman in the tech industry, with all the extra hurdles and the pressure she feels to pave the way for those who would follow in her footsteps.
Although I enjoyed the book, I think the lack of tension holds me back from full enthusiasm. That covers a lot of categories. For example, the level-headed and sweet love story was almost a little too easygoing for my taste even as I respected that approach. Also, I was ready for more drama around the financial crimes and the scheming ex-boyfriend. However, both of these were treated more as character motivations than as full lines of plot in and of themselves. Finally, maybe this is my own workplace bitterness rising to the fore, but all the gushing about the company our two leads work at became a bit overdone for me.
I'm glad I read this and was introduced to this author. I look forward to returning to Austin in the sequels to see our other two fabulous ladies get their own happily ever afters.
I found this romance to be a very tender love story that unfurled at a slow but reasonable pace. One thing I appreciated was the way all the feelings came off as real and earnest rather than over-dramatized or unrealistically all-consuming. Both characters are level-headed, ambitious people, and you see that come across in the decisions they make in the story, even the romantic ones. I also like the emphasis on friendships, and the too relatable conversations around how hard it is to make adult friends, especially in a new city. There are other meaningful conversations around the extra work Samiah must put in to succeed as a Black woman in the tech industry, with all the extra hurdles and the pressure she feels to pave the way for those who would follow in her footsteps.
Although I enjoyed the book, I think the lack of tension holds me back from full enthusiasm. That covers a lot of categories. For example, the level-headed and sweet love story was almost a little too easygoing for my taste even as I respected that approach. Also, I was ready for more drama around the financial crimes and the scheming ex-boyfriend. However, both of these were treated more as character motivations than as full lines of plot in and of themselves. Finally, maybe this is my own workplace bitterness rising to the fore, but all the gushing about the company our two leads work at became a bit overdone for me.
I'm glad I read this and was introduced to this author. I look forward to returning to Austin in the sequels to see our other two fabulous ladies get their own happily ever afters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Minor: Racism
ncoletti's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Misogyny
biblio_jordyn's review against another edition
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
After finding out she wasn’t the only women her man was seeing from a Twitter thread, Samiah and his two other girlfriends not only humiliate him and public and go viral, they form a friendship. The three of them make a pact of no dating! They’re going to work on themselves for 6 months, which is just fine by Samiah. She has an app that she’s been dreaming of making and she needs to focus...
ENTER Daniel...new guy at her tech firm, hot, smart, doesn’t seem like a jerk? Complete boyfriend material!
Or! Is he hiding something?
What could have been better?
I just wanted MORE. I wanted more build up in the relationship between Samiah and Daniel or more focus on the friendship between her and the girls. I felt like I got a taste of each but wasn’t fully satisfied with either. Then the character development with Samiah. I felt something was missing for me in her POVs, they either dragged or went too quick and I never found myself hit a stride with them
What I enjoyed?
The social commentary of women in the STEM field ...ESPECIALLY Black women in the tech field? The pressure for perfection? The need for more role models? *chefs kiss*
Samiah in the workplace and her drive and passion and just how she handled her job in every way? I hope to have her grace and dedication.
Daniel’s POVs were fun and exciting!
The friendship element was so nice to see. I loved the women banning together from the get go and not blaming each other and fighting over a DUMB man 👏👏
Overall, was this book enjoyable? Yes. I just think it was a little slow paced for me and missed certain elements to make me fall head over heels in love with it!
I would recommend this book to people who like romances that talk about social issues!
ENTER Daniel...new guy at her tech firm, hot, smart, doesn’t seem like a jerk? Complete boyfriend material!
Or! Is he hiding something?
What could have been better?
I just wanted MORE. I wanted more build up in the relationship between Samiah and Daniel or more focus on the friendship between her and the girls. I felt like I got a taste of each but wasn’t fully satisfied with either. Then the character development with Samiah. I felt something was missing for me in her POVs, they either dragged or went too quick and I never found myself hit a stride with them
What I enjoyed?
The social commentary of women in the STEM field ...ESPECIALLY Black women in the tech field? The pressure for perfection? The need for more role models? *chefs kiss*
Samiah in the workplace and her drive and passion and just how she handled her job in every way? I hope to have her grace and dedication.
Daniel’s POVs were fun and exciting!
The friendship element was so nice to see. I loved the women banning together from the get go and not blaming each other and fighting over a DUMB man 👏👏
Overall, was this book enjoyable? Yes. I just think it was a little slow paced for me and missed certain elements to make me fall head over heels in love with it!
I would recommend this book to people who like romances that talk about social issues!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
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