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pickypricklypessimest's review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, and Rape
linnea_tornblom's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Sexual content
rosereads11's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Im a sucker for marriage of convenience and a fun romance but i found this book was a bit of a slog to get through. Could have been 100 pages shorter, I didn't much care for the characters, the many long speeches, the stalkerish behaviour of the MMC or the illness plot. I could have forgiven some of these things more if I was having fun with it but I was mostly a bit bored.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Stalking
amanda_reads13's review
lighthearted
fast-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
2.5
After losing her uncle and her fiance breaking up with her, Rose is about to lose everything she has worked for. She was about to open a coffee shop in a building that was owned by her uncle, but her dream is over before it began. Her uncle's will states that the building will go to Rose's husband, but Rose isn't married so now the building will go to her awful cousin. Enter Jack. Jack is a lawyer at the firm who represents her uncle. He proposes that they get married that way he will get the building and she can still open her shop.
Rose is a ball of sunshine. She is independent, hardworking, and incredibly driven. She has never had anyone to rely on and has always had to work for everything she has. Jack is grumpy and closed off. Due to his guilt, he tries to avoid developing feelings for Rose, but as he spends more time with her and then when she gets sick, he realizes how strong his feelings are for her. He decides that lying to her and withholding the truth behind their marriage is the best route.
I was actually able to predict the twist pretty early on.Jack had met Rose at a party a year earlier and was completely taken with her. Unfortunately for him, she was engaged. Jack had his assistant do a deep dive on her life and found out that her fiance was a compete scammer. After her uncle's death, Jack paid her fiance to break up with her and disappear. He plays this off as him "looking out for her", but he didn't even know her. It is giving stalker vibes. He then proposes the marriage deal to "help" her secure the building for her shop. He never tells her the truth and his real motivations. He only admits what he did when Rose's ex tells her everything.
I get that Rose loves him and what he did helped her in the long run, but it's also very creepy. Basically stalking was the foundation of their relationship. Which according to her friend, was actually sweet and endearing? Then after like a week, she just forgives him! He never apologizes and there is hardly any grovelling. He barley fights for her, he just stands outside her cafe for a few nights and then shows up with divorce papers. Yes he changes thought their relationship, but that doesn't absolve his behaviour at the start of their relationship!
Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, marriage of convenience, slow burn, he falls first
Rose is a ball of sunshine. She is independent, hardworking, and incredibly driven. She has never had anyone to rely on and has always had to work for everything she has. Jack is grumpy and closed off. Due to his guilt, he tries to avoid developing feelings for Rose, but
I was actually able to predict the twist pretty early on.
I get that Rose loves him and what he did helped her in the long run, but it's also very creepy. Basically stalking was the foundation of their relationship. Which according to her friend, was actually sweet and endearing? Then after like a week, she just forgives him! He never apologizes and there is hardly any grovelling. He barley fights for her, he just stands outside her cafe for a few nights and then shows up with divorce papers. Yes he changes thought their relationship, but that doesn't absolve his behaviour at the start of their relationship!
Tropes: grumpy/sunshine, marriage of convenience, slow burn, he falls first
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Grief, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death
chaptersofamylea'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
4.75
“Your heart always has a home with me.”
4.5/5 ⭐️
Good sweet gods in heaven did this book have me in a chokehold. This is the first romance book I’ve truly fallen in love with since reading The Fine Print last year. I was actually excited to pick this up. I can’t resist the grumpy/sunshine trope, but this book had me with the dry humour, the slow burn and just small cute things that made my heart melt.
I feel like I’m a lot like Rose, I’m the hopeless romantic who wants little traditions like pasta Monday’s and seeing it all happen on the page for her? GORGEOUS 🥺 I really loved these two characters. Will definitely be looking at Ella’s other works. This was damn near perfect for me.
TWs: unsupportive family, surgery, health anxiety
4.5/5 ⭐️
Good sweet gods in heaven did this book have me in a chokehold. This is the first romance book I’ve truly fallen in love with since reading The Fine Print last year. I was actually excited to pick this up. I can’t resist the grumpy/sunshine trope, but this book had me with the dry humour, the slow burn and just small cute things that made my heart melt.
I feel like I’m a lot like Rose, I’m the hopeless romantic who wants little traditions like pasta Monday’s and seeing it all happen on the page for her? GORGEOUS 🥺 I really loved these two characters. Will definitely be looking at Ella’s other works. This was damn near perfect for me.
TWs: unsupportive family, surgery, health anxiety
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Toxic relationship
kpoe's review
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
thefatpaperback's review
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
sofiarmz13's review
emotional
funny
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, and Cancer
frantically's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ughhh, I'm so torn on this.
There were times when I thought I would rate this atleast 4.5 ⭐. The beginning was a bit slow but Rose & Jack were just perfect for the fake-dating trope, I really fell in love with them and their story.
But a plot twist at the end really changed my rating. Of course, every romance has its drama but this one just didn't feel romantic at all, much more stalker-y. There were also some consent issues during the sex scenes which were probably meant to seem sexy but just made it feel too dub-con for me.
Really wish I could've rated this higher!
There were times when I thought I would rate this atleast 4.5 ⭐. The beginning was a bit slow but Rose & Jack were just perfect for the fake-dating trope, I really fell in love with them and their story.
But a plot twist at the end really changed my rating. Of course, every romance has its drama but this one just didn't feel romantic at all, much more stalker-y. There were also some consent issues during the sex scenes which were probably meant to seem sexy but just made it feel too dub-con for me.
Really wish I could've rated this higher!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Medical content
Moderate: Stalking, Death of parent, and Death
resham's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Marriage for one is about our main character Rose who's uncle has just passed away and has left something in her name but the condition is that she must be married. But having broken up with her fiancee a few weeks back, that's a little difficult. Then we have Jack who offers to marry her so she can get what she wants.
I really expected to like this book as it has a lot of tropes I enjoy such as the marriage of convenience trope and grinch meets sunshine. I enjoyed majority of the book, the pacing of their relationship was perfect, the slow burn, tension were both there too.
I just couldn't forgive what Jack had done, and I understand that it's a romance book so obviously a happy ending is going to be there. But in my opinion, there could have been some more groveling, he was forgiven extremely fast and it just didn't sit right with me.
I really expected to like this book as it has a lot of tropes I enjoy such as the marriage of convenience trope and grinch meets sunshine. I enjoyed majority of the book, the pacing of their relationship was perfect, the slow burn, tension were both there too.
I just couldn't forgive what Jack had done, and I understand that it's a romance book so obviously a happy ending is going to be there. But in my opinion, there could have been some more groveling, he was forgiven extremely fast and it just didn't sit right with me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Stalking
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