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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Sweet light romantic book. Friends to lovers. Not memorable for me:
I don’t get this whole Penny Reid universe thing: I really love her work and her books but... she didn’t make her own universe. She has a set of characters in our world. So... I don’t get it! I can see Harry Potter fanfic and Star Wars and Star Trek and all those kinds but this... so Penny’s characters can have cameos? Not for me.
I don’t get this whole Penny Reid universe thing: I really love her work and her books but... she didn’t make her own universe. She has a set of characters in our world. So... I don’t get it! I can see Harry Potter fanfic and Star Wars and Star Trek and all those kinds but this... so Penny’s characters can have cameos? Not for me.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. I just felt like it was dragging in the middle part, then a rush to the conclusion.
4.5 stars really. Before this I'd only read a story from this author in the anthology Cocktales, but I really enjoyed it, and so was very excited to get to read this one she wrote in one of my favorite fictional worlds, the Green Valley world from Penny Reid. I really fell in love with the characters in this one. And of course it was so much fun to get our little cameos of Cletus and Jennifer, and even a tiny mention of other characters we know and love, like Ashley for one! I loved the idea of Levi's family curse for the men to find the one and just know, and it was so heartbreaking for him to have to stand by the sidelines while Joss friend-zoned him and then even decided she was ready to date, but not him. So much I wanted to smack her for being difficult with Levi when he decided he was ready to tell her and give another shot at winning her over. That, her reluctance, and her fight on those things are what kept me from giving this 5 stars, because that is one thing that bugs me in a story. Otherwise, I loved this story and am so excited to be back in the Green Valley world!
Review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
Review first appeared on Lisa Loves Literature.
I had to reread this book because it’s that good!
I love this story so much and the fact that it’s part of my all time favourite fictional world from Penny’s books, it’s just amazing.
What I most loved in this book it’s the awareness that brings by showing us that people with disabilities have a life as well. They’re no different than anyone else, they have a heart to love and be broken and pieced back up.
To my shame , this was the first book by the author that I’ve read but I’m more than anxious to read her other books.
Love it so much! Read it now and fall in love with this couple.
I love this story so much and the fact that it’s part of my all time favourite fictional world from Penny’s books, it’s just amazing.
What I most loved in this book it’s the awareness that brings by showing us that people with disabilities have a life as well. They’re no different than anyone else, they have a heart to love and be broken and pieced back up.
To my shame , this was the first book by the author that I’ve read but I’m more than anxious to read her other books.
Love it so much! Read it now and fall in love with this couple.
Ignoring the absolutely atrocious and, luckily, ill-fitting cover - yuck! 🤢 - the book is actually not that bad ~2.5*. It's very fluffy and wish-fulfilly, but fairly well written and the characters (minus the gimmicks*) are actually quite likable and have a decent relationship.
It's also a rare example of friends to lovers trope that manages to sidestep the inherent problem of insencerity of feelings and lies by omission while also calling attention to it.
*The characters have what I am calling gimmicks because of the treatment those issues get in the book.
The heroine is in the wheelchair.
The hero has a family "curse" where all males in the family have one big love per lifetime which "activates" at first sight and never lets up no matter what follows. He tries to deny it for years and honestly but futilely attempts dating other girls after being rejected by the heroine during their first encounter in their late teens.
I had a problem with both gimmicks - for one because the issues seemed to be treated as such, and also because it felt conceptually iffy - almost as if the only reason why the hero was able to fall in love with the heroine, maintain his love for years and deal with the heroine's mobility issues was his "curse" (the word choice doesn't help).
It's also a rare example of friends to lovers trope that manages to sidestep the inherent problem of insencerity of feelings and lies by omission while also calling attention to it.
*The characters have what I am calling gimmicks because of the treatment those issues get in the book.
The heroine is in the wheelchair.
The hero has a family "curse" where all males in the family have one big love per lifetime which "activates" at first sight and never lets up no matter what follows. He tries to deny it for years and honestly but futilely attempts dating other girls after being rejected by the heroine during their first encounter in their late teens.
I had a problem with both gimmicks - for one because the issues seemed to be treated as such, and also because it felt conceptually iffy - almost as if the only reason why the hero was able to fall in love with the heroine, maintain his love for years and deal with the heroine's mobility issues was his "curse" (the word choice doesn't help).
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
slow-paced
Overall: 3/5
Plots and Themes: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 2/5
Attention Grabbing: 3/5
Baking Me Crazy is a friends-to-lovers story. Five years ago, Levi met Jocelyn. He saw her and he knew she was the one for him, she wasn't so sure. They've been best friends since, and he knows he's losing his chance to be with her but he also believes that his family is cursed with love-at-first sight and there won't ever be anyone else.
I think for the most part this was a cute read. I completely understood where Jocelyn was coming from, she had a relatable and reliable perspective. Her disability was well represented and I could tell the author put some real work into researching the limitations and possibilities. I think that the romance was nice especially since Levi was so good about it all, he was kind and patient and just seemed like a pretty decent person.
My issue was probably with how clunky the transition from friends-to-lovers really felt. I didn't see the issue of why Jocelyn wouldn't have considered it, it just felt like weird stuff for her to forget/ignore. And then after so long of ignoring it, I have to imagine the chemistry would be off there. I just didn't see the conflict so beyond the lack of conflict it just didn't feel they were all that meant to be until after they were together. So aside from the clunky transition, it was a cute romance, but it was hard to get into.
funny
hopeful
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