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karlainromancelandia's review
3.0
This was fine. I think I need a little bit more prose magic but I liked the story fine so will try audio next time. Amy’s sunshiney-ness bordered on insufferable sometimes but points for mouth watering food scenes (I may have been grumpily jealous) and hot hot sexy times.
alexandratheroux's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I wanted to like this so much more than I did.
The characters were shallow (lacking depth and interest - not as people), the story read like a child's diary at many points ("today I went here and tried this treat and it was great. Then I went here....") which was really boring and difficult to stay engaged in the story - I found myself fighting not to skim the story.
Honestly probably should have DNF'ed this one
The characters were shallow (lacking depth and interest - not as people), the story read like a child's diary at many points ("today I went here and tried this treat and it was great. Then I went here....") which was really boring and difficult to stay engaged in the story - I found myself fighting not to skim the story.
Honestly probably should have DNF'ed this one
jordan1978's review
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
heydebigale's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
OMG this was SOOOO cute.
MVP was Mrs Choi. I LOLed every time she popped up in the book!!!
BRB, I’m going to go download Jackie Lau’s entire backlist!
CW for grief of a previously lost sibling.
Notes: takes place in Toronto, Canada. Amy is white and Victor is East Asian (he is Canadian and parents are from China).
MVP was Mrs Choi. I LOLed every time she popped up in the book!!!
BRB, I’m going to go download Jackie Lau’s entire backlist!
CW for grief of a previously lost sibling.
Notes: takes place in Toronto, Canada. Amy is white and Victor is East Asian (he is Canadian and parents are from China).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Car accident
bookwormbullet's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
erinlindsaybell's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent rom-com fluff. Was at first worried Amy was going to be waaaay too perfect, but Lau did a great job of making her real. Exactly what I needed for vacation reading, will check out the next in the series.
ladylothlorien's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
5.0
I always love Jackie Lau’s books because she manages to combine funny, lighthearted scenes with serious topics without letting the tone shift too much. In this book, Victor is still processing the death of his brother and that grief is explored without it becoming a book about grief. Instead it’s a story about healing (for the heroine Amy too who has spent years putting everyone else first). I can always count on Lau to deliver an engrossing, fun, and sexy book and this one is no different. Although at this point I almost want to move to Toronto since so many of her books are set there and omg the food she describes is mouthwatering. She clearly knows and loves the city well which makes the books even better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death
ccgwalt's review
4.0
3.5 B-
Cute story, but without much plot and some 3rd act drama that feels a bit forced to me. Amy's relentless cheerfulness comes across a little forced, and Victor's grumpiness a little too rude. The author spends a lot of time describing Amy walking around Toronto and the wide variety of foods she and others eat. They eat out A LOT in this book. And how can a grad student with no income mentioned afford to eat out all the time, sometimes twice a day?
But still, it kept my interest and I thought overall it was sweet so I went with a B-.
Cute story, but without much plot and some 3rd act drama that feels a bit forced to me. Amy's relentless cheerfulness comes across a little forced, and Victor's grumpiness a little too rude. The author spends a lot of time describing Amy walking around Toronto and the wide variety of foods she and others eat. They eat out A LOT in this book. And how can a grad student with no income mentioned afford to eat out all the time, sometimes twice a day?
But still, it kept my interest and I thought overall it was sweet so I went with a B-.
hartd's review against another edition
5.0
Note: This ebook is free on Amazon right now (2/17/22). I don't know if that's temporary or permanent, but if this book appeals to you, you should grab it!
This is the second book I've read by Jackie Lau. I read [b:Bidding for the Bachelor|58541323|Bidding for the Bachelor (Fong Brothers, #2)|Jackie Lau|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1626081401l/58541323._SY75_.jpg|91975903] a few months ago, which was her first m/m book and a light and breezy read. So I expected something similar here, but I'd call this one, which is m/f, much weightier. Still, it does have a very uplifting tone overall. The characters feel real, although the lives they lead seem like fantasies to me. But that can be a fun aspect of reading romance, and I enjoyed it a lot here.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. She's done many audiobooks but this was my first time listening to one of her narrations, and I really liked her. She performs distinct voices for all the characters.
Victor and Amy's romance really captured me, and I totally believed in their happy ending. This is a grumpy + sunshine pairing, and it has everything I like about that sort of romance. Amy and Victor are both remarkably empathetic towards each other, and really, towards everyone in their lives. This is definitely unrealistic, but I liked this trait in romantic leads. They're always respectful of one another.
Amy is from a small town and inherits a house in downtown Toronto. She decides to go to grad school and live there. She's very excited about the change in her circumstances. She's an extremely enthusiastic person. If that is not your preference in romance reading, steer clear of this book! I can imagine her relentless cheer becoming annoying to some readers; I might've felt that way too if I'd approached this in a different state of mind. Instead, she really charmed me. I liked traveling along with her as she explored Toronto. There are so many wonderful and detailed food descriptions, often from Amy's perspective, and she's so happy about all the new food, especially the desserts.
Amy's family have always relied on her to do a lot of unpaid work, so her main challenge in this book is overcoming the guilt she feels (and that they encourage her to feel) about moving away to the city. Without spoiling anything, I loved the way this plot thread was resolved, as well as how it informed the choices she made throughout the book. I don't have much personal experience of being in this kind of situation, but I have known many people, especially women, who struggle with it. This aspect of the book was really satisfying to me.
Victor is just as well-drawn, although it felt at first like his PoV chapters were shorter than Amy's. That evened out as the book continued. His perspective had more relevance to me personally than Amy's. He is dealing with grief and has closed himself off to close relationships. This is a commonplace character arc for a romance lead, but I thought it was done exceptionally well here. Because of the excellent writing, I felt his loss and how it had shaped his whole life, and I also related to a lot of his lingering issues. I did think he should seek out therapy (therapy is not mentioned in the book), but it was believable that he was able to face his problems, with support from family and friends.
To me, this has a medium-to-high heat level. There are a decent amount of sex scenes. Some are unusual, and they're almost all emotionally intense.
I really enjoyed this book, and I'm very happy that Jackie Lau has a few audiobooks available now. Looking forward to continuing to enjoy her work.
This is the second book I've read by Jackie Lau. I read [b:Bidding for the Bachelor|58541323|Bidding for the Bachelor (Fong Brothers, #2)|Jackie Lau|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1626081401l/58541323._SY75_.jpg|91975903] a few months ago, which was her first m/m book and a light and breezy read. So I expected something similar here, but I'd call this one, which is m/f, much weightier. Still, it does have a very uplifting tone overall. The characters feel real, although the lives they lead seem like fantasies to me. But that can be a fun aspect of reading romance, and I enjoyed it a lot here.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. She's done many audiobooks but this was my first time listening to one of her narrations, and I really liked her. She performs distinct voices for all the characters.
Victor and Amy's romance really captured me, and I totally believed in their happy ending. This is a grumpy + sunshine pairing, and it has everything I like about that sort of romance. Amy and Victor are both remarkably empathetic towards each other, and really, towards everyone in their lives. This is definitely unrealistic, but I liked this trait in romantic leads. They're always respectful of one another.
Amy is from a small town and inherits a house in downtown Toronto. She decides to go to grad school and live there. She's very excited about the change in her circumstances. She's an extremely enthusiastic person. If that is not your preference in romance reading, steer clear of this book! I can imagine her relentless cheer becoming annoying to some readers; I might've felt that way too if I'd approached this in a different state of mind. Instead, she really charmed me. I liked traveling along with her as she explored Toronto. There are so many wonderful and detailed food descriptions, often from Amy's perspective, and she's so happy about all the new food, especially the desserts.
Amy's family have always relied on her to do a lot of unpaid work, so her main challenge in this book is overcoming the guilt she feels (and that they encourage her to feel) about moving away to the city. Without spoiling anything, I loved the way this plot thread was resolved, as well as how it informed the choices she made throughout the book. I don't have much personal experience of being in this kind of situation, but I have known many people, especially women, who struggle with it. This aspect of the book was really satisfying to me.
Victor is just as well-drawn, although it felt at first like his PoV chapters were shorter than Amy's. That evened out as the book continued. His perspective had more relevance to me personally than Amy's. He is dealing with grief
Spoiler
(his brother died five years ago)To me, this has a medium-to-high heat level. There are a decent amount of sex scenes. Some are unusual, and they're almost all emotionally intense.
I really enjoyed this book, and I'm very happy that Jackie Lau has a few audiobooks available now. Looking forward to continuing to enjoy her work.