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12dejamoo's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked that this book didn't take itself too seriously. And it was a quick read and generally an enjoyable time. I cried during the graveyard scene, and I was genuinely rooting for Holden and Leo.
I give this 3 stars just because it was just kind of okay. Like I have nothing concretely wrong with it, just never felt super compelled to read it.
I give this 3 stars just because it was just kind of okay. Like I have nothing concretely wrong with it, just never felt super compelled to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia
kaydeedickins's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
danileah07's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
imstephtacular's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Terminal illness, Racism, Death, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Biphobia, Classism, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Homophobia
booklore_forevemore's review against another edition
I read the first 30%, skimmed the middle, and read the ending. It’s very silly and goofy, which I actually enjoyed. But the relationship really irked me and felt so forced and unrealistic. I also thought the MC was annoying, which is probably the main reason I stopped reading since it’s just his POV.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
hannahmichele5's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? No
5.0
Thanks so much to the publisher for the advanced e-book!
Any book that I can binge read in a few hours is a 5 star from me! I LOVED this! I know it is just January but this will likely be one of my top romances of the year! TFDG is steamy, heartfelt, funny, full of things I LOVE (Taylor Swift! Monopoly! Nostalgic gameshows I watched as a child!), and just overall made me smile! I love Holden and Leo SOOOO much.
One of the big themes in this book is grief. Holden lost his mom a few years prior to the book timeline and a lot of the plot centers around Holden finally confronting and tackling his grief. I felt the author handled this topic with such kindness and care and he even included a gentle content warning at the beginning of the book for folks who might not be ready to read this kind of content yet.
Somehow Janovsky's is getting better with each book and I think this is his best book yet! (and it definitely
is his steamiest book yet!)
Any book that I can binge read in a few hours is a 5 star from me! I LOVED this! I know it is just January but this will likely be one of my top romances of the year! TFDG is steamy, heartfelt, funny, full of things I LOVE (Taylor Swift! Monopoly! Nostalgic gameshows I watched as a child!), and just overall made me smile! I love Holden and Leo SOOOO much.
One of the big themes in this book is grief. Holden lost his mom a few years prior to the book timeline and a lot of the plot centers around Holden finally confronting and tackling his grief. I felt the author handled this topic with such kindness and care and he even included a gentle content warning at the beginning of the book for folks who might not be ready to read this kind of content yet.
Somehow Janovsky's is getting better with each book and I think this is his best book yet! (and it definitely
is his steamiest book yet!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
kellysbookverse's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Homophobia
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I absolutely adored this book! Quick premise is that Holden James is dumped in a restaurant by his longtime-boyfriend Buckley (I'm convinced everyone whose name begins with B is an absolute asshole in all fictional worlds lol), and then he goes to LA to audition for his favorite TV show, Madcap Market! This was the TV show he watched with his late mom before she passed away, and Holden is clearly still deep in grief. He meets Leo Min at his hotel, as Leo is the faux concierge and they have a steamy encounter.
Then, they get the idea of auditioning for the TV show together, even though the show typically takes couples or contestants with a lot of shared history. So what's the solution?! They fake date! Although, I will say they at least say that this is their very first few days of dating but they create a fake past five months of virtual friendship. Most of the book takes place over the few days that they prepare to audition, with Holden making Leo watch past episodes and them sharing past relationships and traumas.
I loved that this was a different spin on fake dating, as both Holden and Leo are very clear in their attraction to each other, so that is not a secret nor is it fake! So their fake dating is moreso for the cameras, but it really does feel like the beginning of a relationship for Holden at least. We get first-person POV of Holden only, so I can only assume Leo felt the same (though it is clarified at the end too lol). Anyway, I loved that they came up with the fake dating idea AFTER they had both already decided they were interested in each other, so I wasn't left wondering as I usually am with fake dating if it felt real for either of them. I personally felt it was quite clear that these two wanted to be with the other. They just were focused on winning $100k more in that particular moment!
Learning more about Holden and Leo was everything I love about the romance genre - we are given bouts of goofy and/or sexually tense banter, and then the characters let us in a bit, through the cracks that they *swear* are not there. Leo is still grappling with the unraveling of his last situationship, while Holden confronts why his past relationship with Buckley never stood a chance, and reckoning with his own accountability beyond their incompatibility. The third-act conflict was so utterly human and as a romance reader, you gotta know things will work out. However, I was so incredibly proud of the choice Holden made in order to move forward with intention and hope, rather than desperately hanging on to threads of the past.
Janovsky has been a bit of a slow burn for me - Boy Meets Boy #1 & #2 were okay (for me), then "New Adult" exceeded my expectations, and now this book has become my favorite of his! I will read anything he writes next, and I am so excited to say I am indeed a fan!
steam rating: 3/5 - this is dare I say, Janovsky's steamiest book!?
see content warnings below & take care while reading <3
I absolutely adored this book! Quick premise is that Holden James is dumped in a restaurant by his longtime-boyfriend Buckley (I'm convinced everyone whose name begins with B is an absolute asshole in all fictional worlds lol), and then he goes to LA to audition for his favorite TV show, Madcap Market! This was the TV show he watched with his late mom before she passed away, and Holden is clearly still deep in grief. He meets Leo Min at his hotel, as Leo is the faux concierge and they have a steamy encounter.
Then, they get the idea of auditioning for the TV show together, even though the show typically takes couples or contestants with a lot of shared history. So what's the solution?! They fake date! Although, I will say they at least say that this is their very first few days of dating but they create a fake past five months of virtual friendship. Most of the book takes place over the few days that they prepare to audition, with Holden making Leo watch past episodes and them sharing past relationships and traumas.
I loved that this was a different spin on fake dating, as both Holden and Leo are very clear in their attraction to each other, so that is not a secret nor is it fake! So their fake dating is moreso for the cameras, but it really does feel like the beginning of a relationship for Holden at least. We get first-person POV of Holden only, so I can only assume Leo felt the same (though it is clarified at the end too lol). Anyway, I loved that they came up with the fake dating idea AFTER they had both already decided they were interested in each other, so I wasn't left wondering as I usually am with fake dating if it felt real for either of them. I personally felt it was quite clear that these two wanted to be with the other. They just were focused on winning $100k more in that particular moment!
Learning more about Holden and Leo was everything I love about the romance genre - we are given bouts of goofy and/or sexually tense banter, and then the characters let us in a bit, through the cracks that they *swear* are not there. Leo is still grappling with the unraveling of his last situationship, while Holden confronts why his past relationship with Buckley never stood a chance, and reckoning with his own accountability beyond their incompatibility. The third-act conflict was so utterly human and as a romance reader, you gotta know things will work out. However, I was so incredibly proud of the choice Holden made in order to move forward with intention and hope, rather than desperately hanging on to threads of the past.
Janovsky has been a bit of a slow burn for me - Boy Meets Boy #1 & #2 were okay (for me), then "New Adult" exceeded my expectations, and now this book has become my favorite of his! I will read anything he writes next, and I am so excited to say I am indeed a fan!
steam rating: 3/5 - this is dare I say, Janovsky's steamiest book!?
see content warnings below & take care while reading <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Medical content, and Cursing
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, and Death of parent
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
2.0
This book was a miss for me. The pacing, especially, was chaotic and this was one of those books where you're expecting one thing, and it's totally different in not-the-best way.
The whole hook of this story is this game show, and yet it doesn't actually start until around 60% in and only takes up maybe 10% of this book. Instead, the book is more of a self-discovery/grief journey for Holden. Not the worst thing - I actually really liked his character arc and how he actually worked on himself - but, since I was sold something totally different, my reading experience was definitely affected, especially since there was so much build up and emotions around this game show. It was such a small sliver of the book, it was almost insignificant.
Leo was fun and relaxed and I appreciated his and Holden's connection. I think there could've been a bit more relationship development, and, again, the pacing of their relationship was very rough (and very much a cold bucket of water multiple times), and it felt choppy. It was like the book was edging us, but the climax was their relationship, you know? Maybe? I don't know. It just wasn't for me.
I think this book could be something solid, but in its current form there's just something missing. Additionally, the game show was such a big selling point for me that the small part of the story it took up just wasn't satisfying. Point for great character development, especially at the end, but not enough for me to say this was an entirely enjoyable read.
TW: grief, sexual content; mentions death of parent, infidelity, cancer, homophobia
Plot: 2.5/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 1/5
Writing: 3/5
Pacing: 1/5
Overall: 2/5
eARC gifted via NetGalley by Afterglow Books by Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.
The whole hook of this story is this game show, and yet it doesn't actually start until around 60% in and only takes up maybe 10% of this book. Instead, the book is more of a self-discovery/grief journey for Holden. Not the worst thing - I actually really liked his character arc and how he actually worked on himself - but, since I was sold something totally different, my reading experience was definitely affected, especially since there was so much build up and emotions around this game show. It was such a small sliver of the book, it was almost insignificant.
Leo was fun and relaxed and I appreciated his and Holden's connection. I think there could've been a bit more relationship development, and, again, the pacing of their relationship was very rough (and very much a cold bucket of water multiple times), and it felt choppy. It was like the book was edging us, but the climax was their relationship, you know? Maybe? I don't know. It just wasn't for me.
I think this book could be something solid, but in its current form there's just something missing. Additionally, the game show was such a big selling point for me that the small part of the story it took up just wasn't satisfying. Point for great character development, especially at the end, but not enough for me to say this was an entirely enjoyable read.
TW: grief, sexual content; mentions death of parent, infidelity, cancer, homophobia
Plot: 2.5/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 1/5
Writing: 3/5
Pacing: 1/5
Overall: 2/5
eARC gifted via NetGalley by Afterglow Books by Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Infidelity