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bookcaptivated's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Cancer, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Medical content, Classism, and Grief
rickireadss's review against another edition
3.25
this wasn't necessarily a miss for me, but the ending really let me down. it took a bit for me to get into this and be rooting for them, but once i was in, i was in. these two are HOT AF - especially trixie, like damn woman YES TELL THAT MAN HE'S A GOOD BOY but the ending where he yelled at her while drunk???? nooooooooo, i hated it. this may be my trauma talking but i would NEVER get back with a man who did all that to me, drunk or sober. so yeah, this had the potential to be favorite of mine, but it fell flat. i am looking forward to the next book because i LOVED the boss babes!!
⚠️: grief, death of parent, cancer, medical content, parent has heart attack, fire/fire injury, racism, gaslighting, gentrification
⚠️: grief, death of parent, cancer, medical content, parent has heart attack, fire/fire injury, racism, gaslighting, gentrification
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Grief, Cancer, and Medical content
Moderate: Racism and Gaslighting
havlisar's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was cute! Loved the diversity and family representation. The spicier scenes were well written but the actual relationship parts between the main characters felt chaotic. Every time they were around each other was a fight, and one that never felt comprehensively resolved. Some scenes with her friends felt weird too like there was extra information that didn't add to the story at all. However, I think the author did a great job writing Trixie's joy and love of her occupation and her passion, which as a sex toy saleswoman she should have! Trixie's characterization was well done and that's why I kept reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I feel like I would have much rather read about Trixie and the other boss babes than hear about Andre. He struck me as really immature, and I feel that Trixie would have been better off without him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Medical content, Gaslighting, Death, Death of parent, and Cancer
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Racism
Gentrificationthefatpaperback's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism
ashleycmms's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Medical content, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
caseythereader's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, and Cancer
bookswithsoumi's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
3.25
Views and opinions are my own. Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited when I was approved to read this book. Interracial romance all about Vietnamese and soul food? Sign me up! A strong female lead with an even stronger female entrepreneur friend group? Even better! It is so refreshing to read a romantic-comedy in which both the leads are people of color, which is the main reason I wanted the eARC.
The premise of the story is that Andre moves to his hometown of D.C. to run his late mother’s restaurant after ending a two-year relationship with Trixie through a Post-It Note. This is a second-chance romance that explores how Trixie and Andre rekindle their relationship after Trixie moves to DC. I thought the two leads’ dynamic was very cute and realistic. Trixie is literally goals: she’s headstrong and doesn’t want Andre or any other distraction getting in the way of her sex toy business. Speaking of sex toys, I really liked the sex scenes because they were so different than what I have read before. The use of sex toys was worked seamlessly into the scenes.
Trixie had a ton of growth before the book to become an independent woman and continues to grow throughout the book so that she can be successful. I saw some reviews that Andre was too unlikable, but I thought he was caring and had a good relationship with his younger sister, which I appreciated it.
My disappointment with the book lies in the fact that although it is an Own Voices book, there was little discussion about how race affects Andre and Trixie’s life together. There was plenty of discussion of how Trixie’s Vietnamese heritage affected her childhood and career choice, and I appreciate how she wants to break the mold of a typical Asian immigrant daughter by wanting to start her own sex toy business. I was hoping for a more nuanced look how race may have affected their breakup. Andre’s friend even wonders if being black made Trixie’s parents not like Andre’s influence on Trixie. But Andre denies this early in the story and says that Trixie’s parents just thought his ideals were “too American.” Was that just code for Trixie’s parents for being “[too] black?” Do you see how I want unpack this more!? But this is on me for expecting nuanced racial discussion in a rom-com.
Additionally, the book is set in DC, but there is nothing unique about the setting that makes me interested in the characters’ surroundings. I feel this book could be set in any American town, big or small, and nothing really would have changed. I’ve read many books where the setting itself, be it DC, NYC, or any-town-USA, plays a major role in the plot.
I would say to give this book a chance! It’s very light-hearted and you will love all the characters’ sex-positive discussion of sex toys and of food! I need some New Orleans style soul food after reading this book. My criticism is pretty personal and shouldn’t deter you from the book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
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