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poppymonster's review against another edition
4.0
Unique premise, cute story
I’m always a little leery of FMC whose entire identity seems to be “I am in the military” because I’ve been burned by books in the past. Many authors don’t allow FMCs to still embrace the wonderful parts of being feminine and instead have them embrace toxic masculinity and become worse than a lot of emotionally stunted MMCs. Simcoe tempered this with enough compassion, appreciation of feminine things, and normalcy to make Emma a relatable character. Agan was an interesting MC and they had a good dynamic between them.
Spice: 3/5
Triggers: violence
I’m always a little leery of FMC whose entire identity seems to be “I am in the military” because I’ve been burned by books in the past. Many authors don’t allow FMCs to still embrace the wonderful parts of being feminine and instead have them embrace toxic masculinity and become worse than a lot of emotionally stunted MMCs. Simcoe tempered this with enough compassion, appreciation of feminine things, and normalcy to make Emma a relatable character. Agan was an interesting MC and they had a good dynamic between them.
Spice: 3/5
Triggers: violence
bidpat's review
funny
relaxing
fast-paced
3.75
It was unexpectedly fun but there were some plot holes that I couldn't ignore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny
timap's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the premise of this story, with the alpha male lead being physically shrunk and unable to exert the physical presence that he might otherwise have, which led to some interesting and challenging situations.
The character interactions were thoughtful and detailed and I enjoyed seeing the characters develop as individuals as well as in their relationship. The story was thought provoking and I really enjoyed the role reversal and how that played out.
The story was mostly third person single perspective of the female lead, with some male lead perspective - I personally would have preferred more balance but the story was still well told and enjoyable. It was well written and edited and I had fun reading it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The character interactions were thoughtful and detailed and I enjoyed seeing the characters develop as individuals as well as in their relationship. The story was thought provoking and I really enjoyed the role reversal and how that played out.
The story was mostly third person single perspective of the female lead, with some male lead perspective - I personally would have preferred more balance but the story was still well told and enjoyable. It was well written and edited and I had fun reading it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
tostita's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This was a fun, cute book with a wild premise that somehow worked.
katiekeske's review
This was better than I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be more like a romcom, a bit campy and silly, especially based on the cover. It was actually much more serious, in a good way!
It's a slow burn romance with character growth and the relationship building over time.
This is my first time reading this author, and I was pleased with the world-building. The story was well written with an interesting plot. I'm looking forward to reading more by her.
It's a slow burn romance with character growth and the relationship building over time.
This is my first time reading this author, and I was pleased with the world-building. The story was well written with an interesting plot. I'm looking forward to reading more by her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Confinement, War, Grief, and Body shaming
Minor: Pregnancy
Body shaming is toward the male Alien who is shrunk by his fellow aliens.mx_manda's review
5.0
Oh. I do like a pleasant surprise. Warms my shriveled, black little heart.
So. The first 20% of this story isn't anything too unexpected; it's pretty standard cookie cutter SFR at its most basic elements. We have Emma, a.k.a. Pixie, a.k.a. Eleven, who is a rare female soldier in a human army mechanized fighter unit.
Meaning.
She gets to wear a big-ass robo-suit and beat the heck out of things.
Except no one can see inside and tell who she actually is.
5-foot-nothing with a slight weight to match, the suit allows her to fulfill her dream of being in the military and Doing Things. All of the men in her unit respect her, and she's one of the dudes.
The alien men they're fighting alongside of though?
Not so much. They're the most unhinged, show-boating chauvinists, and Emma hates spending any time with them. She refuses to leave her suit so they have no idea who number Eleven "Pixie" is. But the worst offender of them all is her counterpart, Agan, who can never shut up or take a clue.
Agan is very impressed with human fighter number Eleven, his bro who does him some solids and saves his tail (HA) a few times. When they're stranded after a dangerous mission and have to walk back to base, things go well until it's time to stop for the night and Eleven needs to leave his suit.
Because Eleven isn't his bro at all. Eleven isn't a he...he's a she. A very tiny, adorable she who is spitting mad and unimpressed with his Opinions about where women belong and what's appropriate for them to do and not do. And she is not yielding to him.
After an ambush that leads to losing his giant stature, Agan is forced to accept even more help from Emma, and he worries about how he'll navigate in the world now that he's about 6" tall.
And.
This is where the magic starts, y'all. And it's so delightfully unexpected. I had so many Feelings during this, some very good laughs, and I will definitely revisit this story at another time, because it's sweet and lovely, and seeing an OTT Alpha Male character who suddenly can't loom and impose have to utilize other methods to win a woman over without strong-arming her? Getting to see Emma feel 100% safe around Agan and fall for him because of his actual charms and personality was delightful to read.
I worried the sex was going to be cringey and uncomfortable to read, but it surprised me too. I love good surprises.
And the resolution and ending to this? Works really well. This is the best work of Simcoe's I've read to date.
I have to give this one a Real Rating of 4.5 stars.
Problematic Content—minor quibble: sex and gender are not the same thing.
Multiple times, Emma gets upset that she's being discriminated against based on her gender, when it's her sex they're basing everything on. I know these terms have been used interchangeably in the past, but gender is identity and there are over 30 of them. Sex is physical body parts/genetic make up (there are 6, iirc), and what Agan's attitudes are based off of.
So yeah, that "gender reveal party" you've attended is really a "sex organs reveal party," sorry, y'all. I know it doesn't sound as cute, but no one can tell you a child's gender except that child when they're old enough.
It's a minor thing, but it was enough to make me want to mention it.
So. The first 20% of this story isn't anything too unexpected; it's pretty standard cookie cutter SFR at its most basic elements. We have Emma, a.k.a. Pixie, a.k.a. Eleven, who is a rare female soldier in a human army mechanized fighter unit.
Meaning.
She gets to wear a big-ass robo-suit and beat the heck out of things.
Except no one can see inside and tell who she actually is.
5-foot-nothing with a slight weight to match, the suit allows her to fulfill her dream of being in the military and Doing Things. All of the men in her unit respect her, and she's one of the dudes.
The alien men they're fighting alongside of though?
Not so much. They're the most unhinged, show-boating chauvinists, and Emma hates spending any time with them. She refuses to leave her suit so they have no idea who number Eleven "Pixie" is. But the worst offender of them all is her counterpart, Agan, who can never shut up or take a clue.
Agan is very impressed with human fighter number Eleven, his bro who does him some solids and saves his tail (HA) a few times. When they're stranded after a dangerous mission and have to walk back to base, things go well until it's time to stop for the night and Eleven needs to leave his suit.
Because Eleven isn't his bro at all. Eleven isn't a he...he's a she. A very tiny, adorable she who is spitting mad and unimpressed with his Opinions about where women belong and what's appropriate for them to do and not do. And she is not yielding to him.
After an ambush that leads to losing his giant stature, Agan is forced to accept even more help from Emma, and he worries about how he'll navigate in the world now that he's about 6" tall.
And.
This is where the magic starts, y'all. And it's so delightfully unexpected. I had so many Feelings during this, some very good laughs, and I will definitely revisit this story at another time, because it's sweet and lovely, and seeing an OTT Alpha Male character who suddenly can't loom and impose have to utilize other methods to win a woman over without strong-arming her? Getting to see Emma feel 100% safe around Agan and fall for him because of his actual charms and personality was delightful to read.
I worried the sex was going to be cringey and uncomfortable to read, but it surprised me too. I love good surprises.
And the resolution and ending to this? Works really well. This is the best work of Simcoe's I've read to date.
I have to give this one a Real Rating of 4.5 stars.
Problematic Content—minor quibble: sex and gender are not the same thing.
Multiple times, Emma gets upset that she's being discriminated against based on her gender, when it's her sex they're basing everything on. I know these terms have been used interchangeably in the past, but gender is identity and there are over 30 of them. Sex is physical body parts/genetic make up (there are 6, iirc), and what Agan's attitudes are based off of.
So yeah, that "gender reveal party" you've attended is really a "sex organs reveal party," sorry, y'all. I know it doesn't sound as cute, but no one can tell you a child's gender except that child when they're old enough.
It's a minor thing, but it was enough to make me want to mention it.