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cryptofauna's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-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
3.75
okay this book was SO millennial and cringe at the beginning i really considered putting it down but i did get into it!
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship and Sexism
stormeno's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent and Acephobia/Arophobia
lou_loo's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
4.5
I've seen Ali Hazelwood everywhere without ever picking up one of her works.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship and Acephobia/Arophobia
jaynovara's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Chronic illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Medical content
alexxmichelle's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- 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
I really loved this book i read it in under 48 hours. Love story was very sweet and the characters were fun realistic and charming. I loved seeing aro-ace representation and as a diabetic seeing my own experiences in print was cool! The only reason it lost .25 stars is because there were a couple moments that felt a little awkward because of the word choices, although that could easily fall to personal preference. The science stuff went over my head but it was still an easy read even if you don’t understand particle crystallization. Overall a great read that I really enjoyed, this author is super fun and I cant suggest her enough!
Content Warnings
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
There is so much to love about this book. It’s so far my favorite of Ali’s books and Jack may be my new tippity top book boyfriend.
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.
I also very much appreciate the inclusion of aro/ace spec in this, and demi in her other books.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexism
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
Content Warnings
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
emotional
lighthearted
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
2.75
This book was largely what I expected. It wasn’t amazing and felt very much like a Hallmark movie (not that that’s a bad thing).
I think the book had strong aspects. Despite getting off on the wrong foot with the love interest, Jack, it did a good job endearing the reader to him. I was skeptical to have him as the love interest, but it didn’t take long for me to warm up to him. Which surprised me, especially considering how he came across early on. Overall I think the book did a good job of making you like the characters you were supposed to like and making you wary or skeptical of the characters you were meant to distrust, even if it could be a bit heavy handed at times. This skill at warming you up to characters also leant to a lot of likeable side characters and made it easy to care about them and their dynamics with the main characters.
Elise herself, as the main character, actually felt fleshed out and complex. I especially found her relatable as she filled the roll of the eldest daughter (though it felt unclear to me if she was older or younger than her brothers.) It was nice watching her grow and do things for herself instead of being a people pleaser all the time. Even if in some areas it felt a bit rushed and weak, especially why she was so set on being a people pleaser in some situations.
Outside of that, the book did actually get some laughs from me and felt actually funny. Which was a nice change in books in a more modern setting where it feels like they try to be funny and fall flat. OR try too hard to seem modern and date themselves.
However the book had several flaws that led to my lower rating. Jack himself felt rather flat as a character. His motivations and interest in Elise felt weak and I didn’t get some of his choices. It was like he was just supposed to be this perfect love interest who rarely made mistakes. It just left him feeling a bit bland. It also led to the chemistry between Jack and Elise feeling a bit bland or lacking. It was there, but it just didn’t wow me or feel particularly strong.
Finally, the writing style felt very juvenile and had a very strong fanfic feel. The two aren’t necessarily synonymous, there’s just a certain style to some fan fiction that this book had. Which wasn’t aided by the juvenile feeling of the writing. This, paired with the rushed feeling of the ending, didn’t give the book a feeling of quality. It’s not the worst book I’ve ever read, but the feeling of a lack of quality doesn’t make me likely to recommend the book.
Overall, it was just okay. If you’re looking for a simple romance that doesn’t require a lot of brain power to enjoy than this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
tyras_bookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-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
4.0
Another quick and easy read by Ali Hazelwood. Another hit!
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
things100's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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
5.0
I love Ali hazelwood’s bold and her iconic women in stem. And this book was no different. I loved their relationship and the ups and downs of finding a job in academia and difficultly with the power dynamic of advisors. It was just so well done and definitely made me cry but definitely recommend that you read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship