Reviews

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

the_jessmarie's review against another edition

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Oh my gosh, I just couldn't stand these two, particularly Cooper. Something about the way it was written just felt so forced. I hate when authors think that sexual tension is supposed to equal romance. DNF almost 1/2 way through when they are about to have "pure physical need" sex even though the "hate each other". So annoyed. 

zaza_bdp's review against another edition

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3.0

Susan Elisabeth Phillips revient (enfin) avec le huitième tome des Chicago Stars, série contempo qu'on ne présente plus.

Comme souvent chez SEP, nous avons une héroïne fofolle et gaffeuse, Piper, qui essaie tant bien que mal de débuter son activité de détective privé. Une de ses premières missions ? Filer Cooper Graham, ex quarterback vedette des Stars, pour le compte d'un mystérieux client. Le problème ? Son manque de discrétion joue en sa défaveur et Cooper ne met pas longtemps à la démasquer et ... à la confronter ! S'ensuit une première rencontre tout à fait cocasse, et celles qui suivent sont également très drôles.
Piper va devoir amende honorable et pour cela, commence à travailler pour Coop, qui vient d'ouvrir une boîte de nuit à Chicago.

Le roman est bourré de péripéties en tout genre, parfois très farfelues et (très) tirées par les cheveux. Cela donne un côté un peu 'fourre-tout' à l'ensemble, mais en même temps, ça colle bien avec le côté ... désordonné de Piper.
Côté romance, là je dois bien avouer que ce roman a pour moi un côté 'old school'. Même si cela est cohérent avec les personnages, je suis restée sur ma faim, les sentiments et les émotions des héros étant pour moi bien trop peu développés.

Un bilan en demi-teinte donc, mais honnêtement, cela reste une douce romance contemporaine teintée de folie.

prodigalstudent's review against another edition

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3.0

Note: It is 3.5 stars

lbarsk's review against another edition

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3.0

Not my favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillips of all time but a fun, fast read. She usually has several plots running through her romances but it felt like there were one or two too many "big happenings" in this one. Also loved the male protagonist in this but I thought the lady lead wasn't her strongest. Great to revisit the Chicago Stars universe, though — makes me want to go back and reread the others in the series!

liz_newbern's review against another edition

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5.0

I've been a Chicago Stars fan for quite a while and it was great to finally get a chance to read a new chapter in that story. I LOVE both of the main characters in this book. They have the classic quirky charm that all of Philips characters seem to have, plus it was really great to see some old faces show up.

Now I just need to go back and re-read a few of the other titles, since I felt a little fuzzy on some of the details. :)

sarap_reader's review against another edition

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5.0

I LOVED it! Loved all the books in this serie, loved this one: funny, enticing and lovely, thanks so much to the author for a good reading time!

marisacarpico's review against another edition

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funny hopeful 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? Yes

3.0

Better than Katherine Center's approach to similar territory, but still frustrating that these authors have to make their protagonists hate themselves in order to justify their premises. Can a woman just be a bodyguard without having to talk about what an ugly troll undeserving of love she is?

Anyway, this is decent in its plotting and smarter in its central mystery. There's real danger and stakes and the eventual MeToo of it all is very satisfying.

The romance feels very Moonlighting coded in a way that mostly works and then becomes deeply obnoxious in the last act. I buy that these particular characters would fight tooth and nail to keep from being happy, but Piper becomes certifiable in that last act and the justification for their protracted mini-breakup feels forced.

I know I joke about making my millions on writing a bodyguard romance, but I if I keep reading shit like this I'm absolutely going to be forced to do it.

eatto3's review against another edition

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2.0

not for me

hannah_reads_sometimes's review

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adventurous emotional 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

3.75

Fun and quick. Very typical SEP - interesting MCs surrounded by a good cast of side characters. The Chicago Stars series remains cute and enjoyable after so many years. 

raving_reads's review against another edition

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5.0

loved this! one of the top reads of the year so far