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kaulhilo's review against another edition
1.0
dnf @ about 88%
i tried really, really hard to like this book. like, unbelievably hard, because it starts out well enough- the writing is quick and flowing, but everything else? a complete, total disaster. what the fuck even was that plot? they can’t be together because her brother said so? that’s the story yall wanna sell me? he keeps flirting with her, leading her on, and then shutting her down because “her brother is my best friend”? not to mention how utterly insecure she is (which on its own, isn’t necessarily bad, but why is she only insecure to give him a ledge to play her knight in shining armor?) i thought we were over this bullshit, like in 2008. then there’s them being so ridiculously childish when one of them is supposed to be a whole parent? AND let me not forget to mention the constant and often slutshaming/body-shaming the mc is so fond of. and all the “you’re not like other girls” lines the love interest keeps feeding her??? i’d understand if this was like, a book written in 2015-ish or smthn but it was literally published last month? i’m just speechless. i’m so disappointed (and it shows) because i was in a slump of sorts and i pushed myself really hard to read this book and now i’m wishing i had a physical copy so i could fling it off my roof.
i tried really, really hard to like this book. like, unbelievably hard, because it starts out well enough- the writing is quick and flowing, but everything else? a complete, total disaster. what the fuck even was that plot? they can’t be together because her brother said so? that’s the story yall wanna sell me? he keeps flirting with her, leading her on, and then shutting her down because “her brother is my best friend”? not to mention how utterly insecure she is (which on its own, isn’t necessarily bad, but why is she only insecure to give him a ledge to play her knight in shining armor?) i thought we were over this bullshit, like in 2008. then there’s them being so ridiculously childish when one of them is supposed to be a whole parent? AND let me not forget to mention the constant and often slutshaming/body-shaming the mc is so fond of. and all the “you’re not like other girls” lines the love interest keeps feeding her??? i’d understand if this was like, a book written in 2015-ish or smthn but it was literally published last month? i’m just speechless. i’m so disappointed (and it shows) because i was in a slump of sorts and i pushed myself really hard to read this book and now i’m wishing i had a physical copy so i could fling it off my roof.
thesimplereader's review against another edition
4.0
4.5⭐️
I loved the characters and their story was so so cute!
I loved the characters and their story was so so cute!
literatiglitterati's review
2.75
So meh. Sarah Adams has an uncanny ability to write grown ass adults whose internal narratives sound like 13 year olds. Suuuuper corny. This was my second book by Adams and I’m feeling like continuing with her work is not necessary.
happyjackiep's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
4.5
Spice Level: 🌶️
violetlanguage's review
2.0
I almost immediately DNFed this because I was so frustrated with how completely unsympathetic Lucy was in the first 10 minutes. She decided to move by herself with her toddler to another state on a hair dresser's unstable and inconsistent salary?? Even though she had a super supportive and loving brother and parents to help her with the emotional and financial stress of being a single parent. And her only reason for doing so was that she "wanted to prove she could stand on her own two feet"?! As if she couldn't do that while living in the same town as her support system. The way they introduced it also was just such cringey and clumsy exposition and also even though Lucy is 29, she came off super juvenile and immature (both of which I could say about most of the Sarah Adams books I've read, so I'm wondering why I keep reading them). But I always feel like I have to give books a chance before DNFing, so I decided I should at least see if Cooper was more likable and enough to save this.
Ultimately, I really don't think he was. I'm not a huge fan of love at first sight, but it's so common in the genre I can usually overlook it. In this case though, I thought it felt extra shallow and I found myself wondering frequently what each of them saw in the other aside from physical attraction. Early on, Cooper pressuring her to do "dangerous" things that made her anxious because she worried about what her kid would do if she died or went to jail annoyed me. I also rolled my eyes so hard every time he internally tortured himself over how much her brother would get in the way of him wanting to have a serious relationship with her. I felt like needing to get his friend's "brotherly blessing" to date his sister wasn't anything other than misogynistic. And later,the way he was so completely sure he was "all in" and trying to be a dad for her kid when he had just met them, was such a red flag. The ending where they got married after 2 months of knowing each other was even more ridiculous and frankly dangerous and irresponsible to do to her kid. I got the impression that the author thought this would be wish fulfillment, but it just came off like the first part of a true crime Lifetime Movie.
I was also very annoyed by the way Lucy kept doing "adorkable" things around him and then completely overreacting to how embarrassing she was, comparing herself to "normal women" (and then describing something that very few if any adults do, like skinny dipping with a man she just met). And all of these themes were repeated ad nauseum in their internal monologues hundreds of times. Between her low self esteem and his bullshit "noble" attempts to not just freaking communicate, I was actively rooting for them not end up together.
The super gross implied undertone of slut shaming throughout this book was another thing that bothered me. It really seems like the target audience for this is prudish pick-me's who harshly judge women who don't have their exact values. Cooper kept comparing Lucy to other women and Lucy compared Cooper to other men in a way that really unfairly judged the "normal" people of their gender in the most problematic way. I'm also not sure why Lucy acted like she was a teenage mother or something. Plenty of women have young children at age 29, but she constantly acted like she was so unusual.
By the halfway point, I think I only kept reading because it was like a car crash where I couldn't look away and just wanted to see how much worse it would get. I would never recommend this to anyone and won't be reading the sequel (since Drew might have been the worst character in this book, which is really saying something)
Ultimately, I really don't think he was. I'm not a huge fan of love at first sight, but it's so common in the genre I can usually overlook it. In this case though, I thought it felt extra shallow and I found myself wondering frequently what each of them saw in the other aside from physical attraction. Early on, Cooper pressuring her to do "dangerous" things that made her anxious because she worried about what her kid would do if she died or went to jail annoyed me. I also rolled my eyes so hard every time he internally tortured himself over how much her brother would get in the way of him wanting to have a serious relationship with her. I felt like needing to get his friend's "brotherly blessing" to date his sister wasn't anything other than misogynistic. And later,
I was also very annoyed by the way Lucy kept doing "adorkable" things around him and then completely overreacting to how embarrassing she was, comparing herself to "normal women" (and then describing something that very few if any adults do, like skinny dipping with a man she just met). And all of these themes were repeated ad nauseum in their internal monologues hundreds of times. Between her low self esteem and his bullshit "noble" attempts to not just freaking communicate, I was actively rooting for them not end up together.
The super gross implied undertone of slut shaming throughout this book was another thing that bothered me. It really seems like the target audience for this is prudish pick-me's who harshly judge women who don't have their exact values. Cooper kept comparing Lucy to other women and Lucy compared Cooper to other men in a way that really unfairly judged the "normal" people of their gender in the most problematic way. I'm also not sure why Lucy acted like she was a teenage mother or something. Plenty of women have young children at age 29, but she constantly acted like she was so unusual.
By the halfway point, I think I only kept reading because it was like a car crash where I couldn't look away and just wanted to see how much worse it would get. I would never recommend this to anyone and won't be reading the sequel (since Drew might have been the worst character in this book, which is really saying something)
ookirkpatrick's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
jennharrott's review
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
4.0
keepinitcourtney's review against another edition
4.0
It was easy to get through but at times the repetitive nature of the inner monologue between Lucy and cooper was annoying. Also Lucy’s character was frustrating at times. But spicy scenes were excellent and I genuinely enjoyed reading it.
booklovejess's review against another edition
4.0
Ok I’m 100% sure Sarah Adams is a Gilmore girls fan and also she references the Darcy hand scene from Pride and Prejudice in this book and makes my nerdy happy. Are these the best books ever? Not even close, but it is enjoyable and this one made me want to go back and try to read Drew’s story again even though I hated it and DNF.