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coldasyou's review against another edition
2.0
It was ok once I got over the first 50% but it felt unnecessarily long and so many parts could’ve been cut out
afanella's review
5.0
I loved this. Don’t take it too seriously. It was funny and romantic and dramatic, and the ending was perfect. Can’t believe it doesn’t have a higher rating. Need a vacation read? This is it!
bexyy's review
DNF at 42% ☹ I will say--I really liked Hoen's writing!!! I did highlight a lot of little blurbs along the way.
Spent the final few months of 2022 and the start of 2023 slogging my way through this one. I felt that, at almost halfway through the book, the plot was finally starting to pick up (?? I guess we'll never know), but the extreeeeeemeellyyyy slow build made it impossible for me to latch on to anything here. I'd check in at every 10% mark to ask myself if things were starting to get any better, but the answer was consistently "no," and I finally decided to raise the white flag.
Spent the final few months of 2022 and the start of 2023 slogging my way through this one. I felt that, at almost halfway through the book, the plot was finally starting to pick up (?? I guess we'll never know), but the extreeeeeemeellyyyy slow build made it impossible for me to latch on to anything here. I'd check in at every 10% mark to ask myself if things were starting to get any better, but the answer was consistently "no," and I finally decided to raise the white flag.
princetngirl818's review
2.0
i didnt know what to expect from this book because i once again did not read the synopsis. BUT when i heard about the 40k matchmaking service i was like oh this is giving dystopian vibes but also not?? anyways ursula was her own vice, her biggest one at that. not to say that raf didnt have his own faults or flaws. but in all honesty, those are my thoughts LOL
but i also wish there was more? like there’s something missing. at some points it got very dry and it just kept spiralling or circling back to a moot point but idk. it wasnt too too bad. 2.5 stars
but i also wish there was more? like there’s something missing. at some points it got very dry and it just kept spiralling or circling back to a moot point but idk. it wasnt too too bad. 2.5 stars
literarylover37's review
1.0
Dnf
The main characters are like people who would have bought tickets to Fyre Festival. No thanks.
Although that brushing room....
The main characters are like people who would have bought tickets to Fyre Festival. No thanks.
Although that brushing room....
sunshine608's review
4.0
The best way to describe this book is weird. There was a lot of kinda eye-rolling laughter as some of the stuff described in the book felt like a very weird critique or satire of current pop culture from dating to the wellness club. I liked Ursula and enjoyed her backstory and then getting to meet Rafael. Issa felt like a stereotype- the ride-or-die BFF. Then the book got a little boring. Reading about a perfect love story isn't interesting to me and I am not much of a romance reader. If this is your genre, you will likely enjoy that but I ended up skipping ahead a few chapters. Of course, I missed a big plot point, but the book pretty much filled it in so I didn't feel the need to go back. It also pretty accurately pinpoints where it happens. To me that was perfect but it does feel weird to skip ahead in a book and then continue on. The book picked up at the end and I enjoyed both Rafael and Ursuala's growth and struggle and I really did enjoy the ending. Overall, as I said, this book was different. It's not for everybody but if you like Romance or a contemporary book boarding on satire, I think you will enjoy this book.
sisncj79's review
4.0
I enjoyed this so much. I wasn't sure what to expect. But it really delivered what I was hoping for.
incrediblemelk's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
3.75
I got the feeling this novel wanted to be considered more literary fiction than romance – like it's a social commentary novel with a fantastical twist. The faintly satirical premise reminded me a lot of the Catherine Lacey novel The Answers, but the writing was not very elevated.
Here's some of the annoying dialogue tags I copied down early in the book:
“…,” said A, leaning back on her chair & tugging at the velvet scrunchie she wore around her wrist.
“…,” said B, recentering the gold pyramid that hung on a long, thing chain around her neck.
“…,” said A, taking a sip directly from the glass that left her with a green-foam mustache.
“…,” said B, using a napkin to brush A’s upper lip.
“…” said A, shaking her head & placing her hand over her mouth in horror.
The author is not really weaving the action into the dialogue in varied ways.
Also, I found some of the satire of startup culture and liberal feminism (as represented by their dumb luxury health club) to be pretty heavy-handed.
While I enjoyed reading about the process of the Arc, the titular secretive dating method, I was less interested in the romance of the characters themselves. It really does go to show that when two people are really into each other, they get into a bubble of their own and be very irritating to others.
Towards the end it felt as though the book was trying to once again become a novel of ideas, but it didn't really pull it together.
Ultimately this was fine, escapist, okay.
Here's some of the annoying dialogue tags I copied down early in the book:
“…,” said A, leaning back on her chair & tugging at the velvet scrunchie she wore around her wrist.
“…,” said B, recentering the gold pyramid that hung on a long, thing chain around her neck.
“…,” said A, taking a sip directly from the glass that left her with a green-foam mustache.
“…,” said B, using a napkin to brush A’s upper lip.
“…” said A, shaking her head & placing her hand over her mouth in horror.
The author is not really weaving the action into the dialogue in varied ways.
Also, I found some of the satire of startup culture and liberal feminism (as represented by their dumb luxury health club) to be pretty heavy-handed.
While I enjoyed reading about the process of the Arc, the titular secretive dating method, I was less interested in the romance of the characters themselves. It really does go to show that when two people are really into each other, they get into a bubble of their own and be very irritating to others.
Towards the end it felt as though the book was trying to once again become a novel of ideas, but it didn't really pull it together.
Ultimately this was fine, escapist, okay.
smalltownbookmom's review
3.0
3.5
This is quite the standout debut! I loved the unique story line where there is an elite service that promises to match participants with their perfect partner. I loved that the two leads, Ursula and Rafael, were older and a little dismissive about whether the service would work but still optimistic enough to try.
I didn't love how long the story dragged on. It could have been edited much more for my tastes but I kept reading because I had to find out what would happen to the MCs, would they get their happily ever after or was the story going to take a more sinister turn?? This isn't a light rom-com, but much more of a women's fiction/literary story. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend if you're looking for something different from the norm. Much thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for my advance review copy.
This is quite the standout debut! I loved the unique story line where there is an elite service that promises to match participants with their perfect partner. I loved that the two leads, Ursula and Rafael, were older and a little dismissive about whether the service would work but still optimistic enough to try.
I didn't love how long the story dragged on. It could have been edited much more for my tastes but I kept reading because I had to find out what would happen to the MCs, would they get their happily ever after or was the story going to take a more sinister turn?? This isn't a light rom-com, but much more of a women's fiction/literary story. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend if you're looking for something different from the norm. Much thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for my advance review copy.