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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Imagine offering to marry a busker so that he can get a green card, only to find out that he’s been lying to his mother and sister about who you are and that he can’t actually get a green card and needs to get a visa instead, which doesn’t require an American partner. I would be absolutely fuming. Like, it would be on sight. I would fight the fucker in a car park.
Idc how cute the book is, if she’s a Zionist then I’m not putting up with her shit. Will not be reading any of her other books, because tbh they’re fucking ridiculous plot wise and if I want a romance I can find an author who respects the Geneva convention.
Idc how cute the book is, if she’s a Zionist then I’m not putting up with her shit. Will not be reading any of her other books, because tbh they’re fucking ridiculous plot wise and if I want a romance I can find an author who respects the Geneva convention.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
1.5 stars.
oof. OOF. this was a rough one, y'all. i'll be the first to admit that i don't think christina lauren's books will ever do it for me in that
but i digress, this just didn't do it for me at all. the concept itself was romance gold (i'm a sucker for marriage of convenience), but holland was just so immature for her age it really turned me off? you're telling me that a twenty-five year old is still acting like a child 90% of the time? she doesn't let anyone explain anything, always assumes the worst, says she's the secondary character in her own life, yet thinks marrying a dude she's been semi-stalking for months is how she becomes the main character? yeah, nah. that ain't it. also, can we talk about how she fucks up and expects calvin to immediately forgive her, but when he's the one who makes a mistake, she immediately says they need to get a divorce? girl, read the room.
also, i really didn't need to hear holland's inner monologue about how much she wants to bang calvin every other page. we get it, she's incredibly horny, let's please focus on anything else.
the hard part about this is that i think it would've been 100% better if it wasn't completely told from hollands POV. if we got calvin's presective in here to break up holland's repetitive inner monologue, i think the book would've more enjoyable.
overall this isn't for me, but considering i did like christina lauren's 'the honey-don't list,' maybe i'll try their newer stuff again? from what i've gathered, they've improved a ton as a writing duo since this, so i'd be interested to see if i can relate to their newer stuff more than i did this.
oof. OOF. this was a rough one, y'all. i'll be the first to admit that i don't think christina lauren's books will ever do it for me in that
but i digress, this just didn't do it for me at all. the concept itself was romance gold (i'm a sucker for marriage of convenience), but holland was just so immature for her age it really turned me off? you're telling me that a twenty-five year old is still acting like a child 90% of the time? she doesn't let anyone explain anything, always assumes the worst, says she's the secondary character in her own life, yet thinks marrying a dude she's been semi-stalking for months is how she becomes the main character? yeah, nah. that ain't it. also, can we talk about how she fucks up and expects calvin to immediately forgive her, but when he's the one who makes a mistake, she immediately says they need to get a divorce? girl, read the room.
also, i really didn't need to hear holland's inner monologue about how much she wants to bang calvin every other page. we get it, she's incredibly horny, let's please focus on anything else.
the hard part about this is that i think it would've been 100% better if it wasn't completely told from hollands POV. if we got calvin's presective in here to break up holland's repetitive inner monologue, i think the book would've more enjoyable.
overall this isn't for me, but considering i did like christina lauren's 'the honey-don't list,' maybe i'll try their newer stuff again? from what i've gathered, they've improved a ton as a writing duo since this, so i'd be interested to see if i can relate to their newer stuff more than i did this.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enjoyable but some things underdeveloped. Nice of the author to bring in undocumented immigrants, but so many things were maybe too handily resolved. Robert was a strong presence, but why did Davis her brother living in another time zone feel like more of a person than Jeff her uncle who’s married to Robert? They just happen to fall in lust and love so quickly. And how did Calvin’s mother and sister respond to the whole “Holland is not Amanda” thing and did they get a chance to say bye and thanks to Holland, and did Brigid keep texting her? The immigration thing was really wrapped up super quickly bc Calvin had become such a star in a short time. Brian at the end is not entirely an asshole? Left me confused. Glad Holland took a little time for herself, though wondering if she changed or grew or simply forgave. Calvin sounds like a cutie. Kind of clueless at some of the worst times though. Mixed feelings about these two.
Oh my goodness, Wat een heerlijk verhaal. Vol liefde, puurheid en een beetje drama. Ik ben verliefd geworden op Holland en Calvin. Niet alleen de hoofdpersonages spatten uit dit boek, ook de liefdevolle ooms van Holland hebben mijn hart veroverd.
Dit boek is zo heerlijk geschreven, het is echt genieten vanaf het eerste moment. En die humor.. echt ge-wel-dig! Zo leuk verwoord en in elkaar gezet. Ik heb echt keihard gelachen!
Op naar het volgende boek, want de boeken van Christina Lauren zijn echte aanraders!
Dit boek is zo heerlijk geschreven, het is echt genieten vanaf het eerste moment. En die humor.. echt ge-wel-dig! Zo leuk verwoord en in elkaar gezet. Ik heb echt keihard gelachen!
Op naar het volgende boek, want de boeken van Christina Lauren zijn echte aanraders!
3,5 stars. A sweet, fun, and easy read. I kinda expected a bit more but I still enjoyed it a lot. I mean fake relationship trope hell yes. I will definitely check out more by Christina Lauren.
The one thing that I really didn't like was that their first time having sex was so anticlimatic. And I don't mean in a "we had bad sex" kinda way. I mean "we got so drunk we forgot we had sex and only knows about because we're naked and a used condom" kinda way. It was just wated potential. Such a buildup ending in a sad trumpet WaaWAAAWwaa sounds.
The one thing that I really didn't like was that their first time having sex was so anticlimatic. And I don't mean in a "we had bad sex" kinda way. I mean "we got so drunk we forgot we had sex and only knows about because we're naked and a used condom" kinda way. It was just wated potential. Such a buildup ending in a sad trumpet WaaWAAAWwaa sounds.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
This only gets 2 starts for the 1st two-thirds of the book. Definitely not the best from Christina Lauren. The 3rd act drama was irritatingly avoidable.
I also generally dislike when the protagonist is an aspiring writer (it seems lazy to fall back on that since most authors can easily "imagine" how that feels... we've read it too many times). I almost stopped reading when the main character got so easily published in the New Yorker, literally the first thing she writes and submits. But I was already at 85%. And then there was a stupid Twitter misinterpretation...and I almost DNF'd again, but pushed through to the end.
I also generally dislike when the protagonist is an aspiring writer (it seems lazy to fall back on that since most authors can easily "imagine" how that feels... we've read it too many times). I almost stopped reading when the main character got so easily published in the New Yorker, literally the first thing she writes and submits. But I was already at 85%. And then there was a stupid Twitter misinterpretation...and I almost DNF'd again, but pushed through to the end.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes