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simplykatherina's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
This is the perfect book for all of the rom-com lovers out there! It’s filled with movie references, familiar tropes, and witty banter. It had me kicking my feet and giggling, as well as feeling like I was taking part in a rom-com myself!
llamalluv's review against another edition
5.0
PS23: 3) A book featuring a vacation
I had SUCH a hard time reading this. It's not the book. It's me. All me. I had Covid in January and my brain is fucking mush. But I'm so glad I stuck with it and pushed through the brain fog, because I really loved this adorable rom-com based on rom-com tropes.
I don't know if this was because of her writing style (this is my first Melonie Johnson book) or because I've been working on my own novel and reading a lot of "how to structure a romance novel" books (especially Gwen Hayes' "Romancing the Beat") but I found the story beats easy to find.
As an Autistic person who has often struggled with questions in Lit classes such as "Explain the protagonist's motivations" I like how she opens the first few chapters with the characters seemingly opposing goals and motivations really clearly defined and then dovetailed them together to be complementary to one another.
I loved how she broke the fourth wall and was very explicit with how she was playing with all the rom-com tropes that usually get mocked by people that don't like rom-com *because* of the popular tropes. Specifically, the "overly contrived set up" which has been explained away by the eccentric Mrs. Weatherspoon (Mrs. Wackyfork, lol, I've been calling her Mrs. Sillyspork myself) and the "released a breath s/he didn't know s/he was holding." A++ call out.
But I also really liked how the main characters were not the typical idealized hero and heroine. Yes, Luke was tall, but he was also "lanky" and "pale" and a bit insecure about his height. (I do feel like there was a missed opportunity for him to fall asleep in the sand and need to be nursed from sunburn, but I guess you can't recover from a sunburn in a few days and they only had a week to fall in love, so I suppose Melonie knew exactly what she was doing...don't mind my rambling.)
I know a lot of other readers were displeased at the lack of communication after the lies came out and Luke's choice to try to win back Julia after the 80% breakup, but that felt realistic. I mean, have you read reddit's relationship and AITA boards? It's filled with people trying to justify lying/withholding information and then doing exactly the wrong thing to make amends, despite hundreds of literal strangers saying, "No, don't do that."
I had SUCH a hard time reading this. It's not the book. It's me. All me. I had Covid in January and my brain is fucking mush. But I'm so glad I stuck with it and pushed through the brain fog, because I really loved this adorable rom-com based on rom-com tropes.
I don't know if this was because of her writing style (this is my first Melonie Johnson book) or because I've been working on my own novel and reading a lot of "how to structure a romance novel" books (especially Gwen Hayes' "Romancing the Beat") but I found the story beats easy to find.
As an Autistic person who has often struggled with questions in Lit classes such as "Explain the protagonist's motivations" I like how she opens the first few chapters with the characters seemingly opposing goals and motivations really clearly defined and then dovetailed them together to be complementary to one another.
I loved how she broke the fourth wall and was very explicit with how she was playing with all the rom-com tropes that usually get mocked by people that don't like rom-com *because* of the popular tropes. Specifically, the "overly contrived set up" which has been explained away by the eccentric Mrs. Weatherspoon (Mrs. Wackyfork, lol, I've been calling her Mrs. Sillyspork myself) and the "released a breath s/he didn't know s/he was holding." A++ call out.
But I also really liked how the main characters were not the typical idealized hero and heroine. Yes, Luke was tall, but he was also "lanky" and "pale" and a bit insecure about his height. (I do feel like there was a missed opportunity for him to fall asleep in the sand and need to be nursed from sunburn, but I guess you can't recover from a sunburn in a few days and they only had a week to fall in love, so I suppose Melonie knew exactly what she was doing...don't mind my rambling.)
I know a lot of other readers were displeased at the lack of communication after the lies came out and Luke's choice to try to win back Julia after the 80% breakup, but that felt realistic. I mean, have you read reddit's relationship and AITA boards? It's filled with people trying to justify lying/withholding information and then doing exactly the wrong thing to make amends, despite hundreds of literal strangers saying, "No, don't do that."
cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first read by Melonie Johnson and I really had fun reading this book.
Julia and Luke, were both likable and their romance was sweet and believable without angst.
The dynamic of the girl group was amazing and overall, Too Good to Be Real is what I like to call a good beach read, lovely for a day to escape into cute romance.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Julia and Luke, were both likable and their romance was sweet and believable without angst.
The dynamic of the girl group was amazing and overall, Too Good to Be Real is what I like to call a good beach read, lovely for a day to escape into cute romance.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
caitkostna's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.25
thatpine's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
No
brianne_k's review against another edition
3.0
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This did not affect my rating.
*3/5*
Julia is a writer for what seems like a Buzzfeed or Cosmo type website, writing quizzes and lists. She is facing a potential lay-off and asks for chance to write the next ‘Take Me’ article and her boss agrees – with some googling, Julia finds a RomCom larp at a hotel in Wisconsin – Notting Hill. Julia and her friends Andie and Kat get to go and experience this game for its inaugural week.
This had so much going for it – I loved the rom-com throwbacks and call outs. I also really enjoyed Julia, Kat, and Andie’s friendship – their love for each other was true and awesome (the dick pic conversation had me actually laughing out loud “his penis looks like your shrimp” is the opening line of this book and what an opening line it is!)
The other players were memorable – Harry and Sally, Patrick and David, even the seagulls Bonnie and Clyde!
I also liked Luke, Penelope and Jay – although at times it felt like Jay didn’t have anything to do and was forgotten until the end to have a certain trope... which I didn’t love and while the hints were dropping everywhere, it still felt rushed and out of place.
Now to Luke and Julia.. I just don’t even know. I really liked them at first! The meeting on the beach, their sexy kiss in the woods “I was just looking at the, umm, log. It’s a very nice log. Very sturdy. Makes a very nice place to sit”. But the longer they withheld truths from each other, the more I didn’t care. And the ending again felt rushed and cobbled together. I love that Luke wasn’t the stereotypical chiseled and muscled hero, he had insecurities and hated exercise which I actually really appreciated.
Because we knew that Julia was hiding she was the reporter, the conflict felt forced. There were so many instances where she could have said something. And both hero and heroine lied to each other (which I didn’t love), Julia acted like Luke’s lie was horrible and didn’t even let him explain. Very frustrating.
The game itself was a delight – everyone is given an “identity” based on a romantic comedy (Meg Bryant, Bridget Johnson, etc.) and there were various activities you could pick to do – paintball, karaoke, baking, etc. - plus your romantic fantasy – get stuck on an elevator, be serenaded, etc. We get to see a few of these romcom classics play out. I would have loved to have seen even more!!
Overall, the writing was okay but I didn’t really believe in Julia and Luke’s love.
I would be interested in picking up more by this author though.
And now I want to watch some romcom’s!!
*3/5*
Julia is a writer for what seems like a Buzzfeed or Cosmo type website, writing quizzes and lists. She is facing a potential lay-off and asks for chance to write the next ‘Take Me’ article and her boss agrees – with some googling, Julia finds a RomCom larp at a hotel in Wisconsin – Notting Hill. Julia and her friends Andie and Kat get to go and experience this game for its inaugural week.
This had so much going for it – I loved the rom-com throwbacks and call outs. I also really enjoyed Julia, Kat, and Andie’s friendship – their love for each other was true and awesome (the dick pic conversation had me actually laughing out loud “his penis looks like your shrimp” is the opening line of this book and what an opening line it is!)
The other players were memorable – Harry and Sally, Patrick and David, even the seagulls Bonnie and Clyde!
I also liked Luke, Penelope and Jay – although at times it felt like Jay didn’t have anything to do and was forgotten until the end to have a certain trope... which I didn’t love and while the hints were dropping everywhere, it still felt rushed and out of place.
Now to Luke and Julia.. I just don’t even know. I really liked them at first! The meeting on the beach, their sexy kiss in the woods “I was just looking at the, umm, log. It’s a very nice log. Very sturdy. Makes a very nice place to sit”. But the longer they withheld truths from each other, the more I didn’t care. And the ending again felt rushed and cobbled together. I love that Luke wasn’t the stereotypical chiseled and muscled hero, he had insecurities and hated exercise which I actually really appreciated.
Spoiler
Because we knew that Julia was hiding she was the reporter, the conflict felt forced. There were so many instances where she could have said something. And both hero and heroine lied to each other (which I didn’t love), Julia acted like Luke’s lie was horrible and didn’t even let him explain. Very frustrating.
The game itself was a delight – everyone is given an “identity” based on a romantic comedy (Meg Bryant, Bridget Johnson, etc.) and there were various activities you could pick to do – paintball, karaoke, baking, etc. - plus your romantic fantasy – get stuck on an elevator, be serenaded, etc. We get to see a few of these romcom classics play out. I would have loved to have seen even more!!
Overall, the writing was okay but I didn’t really believe in Julia and Luke’s love.
I would be interested in picking up more by this author though.
And now I want to watch some romcom’s!!
withloveandlights's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Like many other reviews I’ve seen, I had a really hard time distinguishing each of the girls in Julia’s friend group as well as Julia herself. While the LARP rom-com setting was a great concept, it was lackluster for me. The double names for each character, on top of their already established nicknames, just made keeping track of everyone more difficult.
There was a lot of focus on the friendship circle and other budding romances across the minor characters that took away from time that could have been used to deepen the connection between Julia and Luke. Their romance came across very insta-lovey.
The impending conflict was clearly apparent from the very beginning of the novel which left me unable to root for the romance from their first meeting. By the end of the book I still wasn’t convinced they were each other’s person.
There was a lot of focus on the friendship circle and other budding romances across the minor characters that took away from time that could have been used to deepen the connection between Julia and Luke. Their romance came across very insta-lovey.
The impending conflict was clearly apparent from the very beginning of the novel which left me unable to root for the romance from their first meeting. By the end of the book I still wasn’t convinced they were each other’s person.
gailalison's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. I enjoyed the concept for this rom-com. The setting being a rom-com movie LARP experience was pretty unique. I felt the two main characters had good chemistry and it was fun to both see them interact and to get both their points of view of said interactions. It wasn’t completely clear on what drew them together, and looking back, their relationship moved in light speed. Almost kissing someone you haven’t even really met yet? Sleeping with someone you’ve known for a couple days? Maybe I’m a bit old-fashioned, but those things seem like potentially a little problematic. However, because both characters came off as so likable and level-headed, I was able to get past it. I really enjoyed the side characters and finding out who was paired up in the end. I can definitely see a sequel happening with Julia’s friends.
Anyone who is into rom-com movies would probably get a kick out of all the references during the LARP experience. There could probably could have been even more included for the true true rom-com fans, but for someone like me, who is only a casual fan of rom-coms, it was sufficient. I’d recommend this to pretty much anyone who is a big fan of rom-coms books, but for anyone wanting some depth in what they’re reading, this may not be for you. This was a fun, light read.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for providing access to this ARC!
Anyone who is into rom-com movies would probably get a kick out of all the references during the LARP experience. There could probably could have been even more included for the true true rom-com fans, but for someone like me, who is only a casual fan of rom-coms, it was sufficient. I’d recommend this to pretty much anyone who is a big fan of rom-coms books, but for anyone wanting some depth in what they’re reading, this may not be for you. This was a fun, light read.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for providing access to this ARC!
smamato2's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. Who hasn’t dreamed that they could live in a Rom-Com and have an adorable meet cute? Too Good to Be Real gives us this opportunity at a Rom-Com live action role play resort in Wisconsin. Here we meet Julia a journalist sent to review the resort and Luke one of the brains behind the project. I loved the concept behind the book and loved the idea of a Rom-Com vacation. The romance was hard to connect with and I felt the two main characters story fell flat. The relationship between Julia and her friends thrives as well as the relationship between Pen and Jay, David and Patrick, and other side characters. Mainly the Seagulls stole the show and scenes with the Seagulls were delightful.