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bzliz's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
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
2.5
Look, I had a good time reading this but I need my star rating to reflect how good the book actually is which is pretty disappointing. It’s okay though because queer people deserve mediocre rom coms too!
Holden and Leo enter into a fake relationship to give them a better backstory for an audition to be on Madcap Market- a grocery store themed gameshow that has special meaning for Holden. Their fake relationship never really feels fake and I felt like the stakes were kind of forced. Obviously the people casting this show wouldn’t care if their backstory wasn’t truthful. They care that someone is attractive enough and can put on a good show. We also didn’t get enough of the game show. The last round is completely skipped and could’ve made for some good drama making the reader wonder if they can get the full prize. It felt to me like the author wasn’t interested in that and just wanted to make it to the third act breakup (which I always hate). I was confused about Buckley showing up to compete in the show also. Everything about this man told me he would never do anything that might make him look foolish or childish, but he suddenly reversed that for petty revenge on someone he dumped? It felt weird.
The topic of grief was handled pretty well. It’s such a hard subject for a lot of people. I liked Leo’s mom’s perspective- that death is the end of suffering- and I think that scene allowed Holden to actually confront some of his feelings. The scene near the end with his dad was also really sweet and I wish we had gotten more interaction between them. Their relationship was fundamentally changed when they lost a loved one and it was nice to see them heal and reconnect. Male characters being vulnerable with each other is too rare.
There’s plenty of spice in this including some D/s dynamics which caught me off guard at first but ended up being fine. What’s not fine is putting produce in any holes besides your mouth. Don’t do it, folks. If it’s going in your butt, it needs a flared base. Ask literally anyone who works in an ER.
Holden and Leo enter into a fake relationship to give them a better backstory for an audition to be on Madcap Market- a grocery store themed gameshow that has special meaning for Holden. Their fake relationship never really feels fake and I felt like the stakes were kind of forced. Obviously the people casting this show wouldn’t care if their backstory wasn’t truthful. They care that someone is attractive enough and can put on a good show. We also didn’t get enough of the game show. The last round is completely skipped and could’ve made for some good drama making the reader wonder if they can get the full prize. It felt to me like the author wasn’t interested in that and just wanted to make it to the third act breakup (which I always hate). I was confused about Buckley showing up to compete in the show also. Everything about this man told me he would never do anything that might make him look foolish or childish, but he suddenly reversed that for petty revenge on someone he dumped? It felt weird.
The topic of grief was handled pretty well. It’s such a hard subject for a lot of people. I liked Leo’s mom’s perspective- that death is the end of suffering- and I think that scene allowed Holden to actually confront some of his feelings. The scene near the end with his dad was also really sweet and I wish we had gotten more interaction between them. Their relationship was fundamentally changed when they lost a loved one and it was nice to see them heal and reconnect. Male characters being vulnerable with each other is too rare.
There’s plenty of spice in this including some D/s dynamics which caught me off guard at first but ended up being fine. What’s not fine is putting produce in any holes besides your mouth. Don’t do it, folks. If it’s going in your butt, it needs a flared base. Ask literally anyone who works in an ER.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
lauren_shilling's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.25
This book is by no means a bad book. It's a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two characters. Holden and Leo were adorable, and I loved the chaos of this story. However, I was a little disappointed, because I have loved other books by this author and have really appreciated the care he takes to give the characters enough time to grow and fall for each other in really meaningful ways, and it felt like that was missing from this book. The story felt rushed, and while I wouldn't say it was insta love, it did happen a little fast for my taste. I love when characters take time to understand realize they like each other, and I feel like they jumped into it quick in this book. It is a fake dating story, which I did enjoy a lot, but I feel like Holden and Leo went from fake dating to really falling for each other too fast, if that makes sense. But on the other hand, I love a romance about two people who really do just meet a person for them with little to no drama, and I did like that, throughout all the drama that did happen in the story, their love story was really only truly threatened by it once. They trusted each other and liked each other. My only complaint is that it went from liking each other to loving each other a little too fast. The third act conflict in this book was also something I had some issues with. While I think it was well written when it happened, there wasn't a lot of build up to it in my opinion. However, some things I really liked about this book was how fun it was. It was silly and chaotic and enjoyable, and I had so much fun with it. So if you're looking to have fun or pull yourself out of a reading slump, this is absolutely a good book to do that with! So overall, I didn't hate this book at all, and I had fun with it, but I had some issues with it that did impact my enjoyment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Infidelity
jazhandz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Homophobia, Cancer, and Infidelity
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
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
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