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crousecm's review against another edition
3.5
For as focused on public radio this book was, there were only a few "transcripts" from the show/podcast.
khymihr's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Misogyny
beccakoenig2650's review against another edition
3.0
took a while for me to read this one — i’m a bigger fan of her YA novels more than her adult ones
sirrydactyl's review against another edition
3.0
There were a few things about his book that I enjoyed. I liked the banter the most, but also found the female mc (Shay) to be slightly annoying. Her emotions seemed to jump around all willy-nilly. I'm happy she was able to standup for herself at the end, but more should have happened. The bad guy should have had a bigger downfall. If this were an actual podcast, I would listen to it, hands down. Loved the premise of this book, but the execution left me wanting.
ashleyhoyer's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? N/A
2.75
dwinareads's review against another edition
3.0
Have you ever been disappointed by a happy ending?
Alright look, was the book good? YES, I enjoyed the writing and the characters and I feel like the conflicts were realistic and necessary for character growth and all of that. I am ALWAYS HERE for an enemies to lovers trope and we absolutely got that here! It got messy and that’s REAL. I loved the little queer rep thrown in, along with the Jewish rep and Asian rep in the main characters. Diverse characters keep me engaged and I appreciate the story more, makes it more believable. Tbh it felt a little forced but I’m willing to overlook that! In the middle, the author HAD ME. I needed to know what happened to the characters. I loved the descriptions of the angst and tension, it wasn’t cringe at all, it made me root for the characters to end up together. We even got the “there’s only one bed” trope and I hadn’t expected it!
Alright look, was the book good? YES, I enjoyed the writing and the characters and I feel like the conflicts were realistic and necessary for character growth and all of that. I am ALWAYS HERE for an enemies to lovers trope and we absolutely got that here! It got messy and that’s REAL. I loved the little queer rep thrown in, along with the Jewish rep and Asian rep in the main characters. Diverse characters keep me engaged and I appreciate the story more, makes it more believable. Tbh it felt a little forced but I’m willing to overlook that! In the middle, the author HAD ME. I needed to know what happened to the characters. I loved the descriptions of the angst and tension, it wasn’t cringe at all, it made me root for the characters to end up together. We even got the “there’s only one bed” trope and I hadn’t expected it!
sillyemmylou's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
hsecen's review against another edition
2.0
I did not get into this book. The premise was interesting enough - two coworkers with a rivalry pretend to be exes so they can do a podcast about relationship advice. But after reading through the first third of the book, I decided I think I would have liked it as the lie instead of what it was. I liked the banter they had when they bickered but that disappeared really fast and the chemistry fizzled out for me.
Because of that, it made Shay’s more sexual fantasies about Dominic kind of cringey. It was written off as her overactive imagination, but never gave any other examples or times when she did this. It felt more like it was trying way too hard to be steamy and it did not come across well. Also part of my problem was I started by listening to the audiobook, and the narrator was really breathy and quiet during the steamier bits and that made it worse, to the point that I just turned it off and just read the book.
I never felt invested in the couple and it really just tanked my interest. I kept reading because podcasts are a thing now and it was interesting to read a little about that and public radio but otherwise, I didn’t really care one way or the other about the characters.
It was a decent try, but truly I think I would have enjoyed it more if the relationship had been what they were pretending about instead of coworkers turned rivals (in the books they claim to be enemies and really? No that was not the vibe) turned fake exes turned friends turned lovers.
Because of that, it made Shay’s more sexual fantasies about Dominic kind of cringey. It was written off as her overactive imagination, but never gave any other examples or times when she did this. It felt more like it was trying way too hard to be steamy and it did not come across well. Also part of my problem was I started by listening to the audiobook, and the narrator was really breathy and quiet during the steamier bits and that made it worse, to the point that I just turned it off and just read the book.
I never felt invested in the couple and it really just tanked my interest. I kept reading because podcasts are a thing now and it was interesting to read a little about that and public radio but otherwise, I didn’t really care one way or the other about the characters.
It was a decent try, but truly I think I would have enjoyed it more if the relationship had been what they were pretending about instead of coworkers turned rivals (in the books they claim to be enemies and really? No that was not the vibe) turned fake exes turned friends turned lovers.
mariettula's review against another edition
4.0
4 "creatively apologizing by declaring your love live on public radio" stars
This was a good book. It feels like it's going to be one of those that you go back to read, like a comfortable blanket- you know the kind.
I loved both Shay and Dominic. And though I prefer a book with dual POVs (and I still think it would have benefited this book too), I didn't feel like I was missing out on Dominic's thought process, because you know what? And prepare to gasp here. They talked pretty openly with each other . I know right, what is this, an alternate universe where characters talk in romance novels? Well, except for the end where we had to have the obligatory third act split . But even then it wasn't so much a communication issue as a bump in the road.
I loved that both Shay and Dominic had individual goals. And that Shay takes the time to figure out what she wants in regards to her career. It's also refreshing to see a male hero with Dominic's attitude towards sex/relationships. It's usually either "manwhore who's afraid of commitment" or "borderline agoraphobic who's afraid of commitment".
One thing I'll say as a minor critique- we get a lot of insight in regards to Shay and her dad, and generally about Shay's familial dynamics. I don't feel like Dominic had enough development on that front- he gets a short backstory about his ex, a few details about his family and that's it. That's one reason I would have preferred a dual POV.
The pace was good, the dialogue snappy and the relationship, well...goals. Definite recommend.
This was a good book. It feels like it's going to be one of those that you go back to read, like a comfortable blanket- you know the kind.
I loved both Shay and Dominic. And though I prefer a book with dual POVs (and I still think it would have benefited this book too), I didn't feel like I was missing out on Dominic's thought process, because you know what? And prepare to gasp here. They talked pretty openly with each other . I know right, what is this, an alternate universe where characters talk in romance novels? Well, except for the end where we had to have the obligatory third act split . But even then it wasn't so much a communication issue as a bump in the road.
I loved that both Shay and Dominic had individual goals. And that Shay takes the time to figure out what she wants in regards to her career. It's also refreshing to see a male hero with Dominic's attitude towards sex/relationships. It's usually either "manwhore who's afraid of commitment" or "borderline agoraphobic who's afraid of commitment".
One thing I'll say as a minor critique- we get a lot of insight in regards to Shay and her dad, and generally about Shay's familial dynamics. I don't feel like Dominic had enough development on that front- he gets a short backstory about his ex, a few details about his family and that's it. That's one reason I would have preferred a dual POV.
The pace was good, the dialogue snappy and the relationship, well...goals. Definite recommend.