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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I thoroughly enjoyed Helen and Grant's story, how they both dealt with the trauma that bonded them together, and how they were about to move past it to be together. Spicy, funny, good chemistry from totally believable characters in the world of screenwriting, which was unique. I was attached to both of them from the beginning and their HEA was delivered with a fabulous bow on top.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The beginning was very slow and almost painful, like I was worried I would get bored. (I fell asleep at one point) BUT I think that the second half picks up and has a very sweet ending. I might recommend this on audio because the narrator changes can be jarring.
emotional
lighthearted
sad
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Car accident
Moderate: Drug abuse
Whew. I honestly have read a lot of fic in my life so usually romance novels or spice doesn't make me flustered, but this book did! Whether it's your taste or not, not up to me, but this book did make me blush furiously and it was spicier than I expected it to be.
The premise of the story sometimes feels a little mismatched (tragedy creating enemies to lovers + a tv work situation writing a teen drama) but honestly, I vibed with it. It felt messy and complicated, and that to me was a positive since I felt like it gave Helen and Grant room to be messy with their emotions and choices. I've read a few reviews that didn't love Helen (and to be fair, I do have some issues with the whole "she was shy and reserved and had no friends until love interests finally brings her into the world" trope use, because then it feels like she's not a whole person until she meets Grant and she is! also think that while the side characters are fun, none of them take up importance like Helen and Grant, and that feels like a missed opportunity), but I found her to be complicated and relatable, especially in the struggle between what she thinks she should do versus what she actually wants to do (and this struggle is present in all parts of her life, which is why I feel like it especially works for the messiness of the love story). Grant is a little less complicated but still loveable as a ML - I loved how Kuang wrote his charisma as a sort of armor, while also showing us his self doubts and own mental struggles. I did think that his growth wasn't as apparent, particularly because I feel like his panic attacks really only served episodic purpose and didn't really factor into the story as a whole, but I did appreciate his ability to meet Helen where she was at and still not deny his own feelings. ("I love all the parts of you I haven't met yet"!!!) I also appreciate Kuang's hands-on experience in TV coloring her writing - it was really cool to get a behind-the-scenes view of the writers room, and to see the process of a show being brought to life!
I did want to write a separate section for the spice of the book, because I was genuinely caught off-guard by how flustered I felt reading it. Like I said before, I'm no novice to romance or fic spice levels, but something about the complicated vulnerability and unabashed sexuality of Helen and Grant had me blushing furiously. I think there's something really empowering about Helen being the shy/cold/introvert character, but still very much being in charge of her sexual needs and setting the demands of the relationship. Kuang did a great job of writing Grant to be both charismatic/emotionally soft with a slightly dominant sexuality, though imo he growls maybe a little too much (is this just a me thing?? whenever I read people growling sexually, it does not do it for me sorry) Her writing for these scenes is really stunning because besides the physicality of it, there's an emotional vulnerability written into the physical motions that sometimes took my breath away. It's not just the obvious bodily motions, but also the rise and fall of ribs, the crook of the neck, a kiss of the fingers.
But, there were things that I felt like weren't fully fleshed out. Helen has a really complicated relationship with her parents, and I feel like that's not as fully explored as it could be. I'm not expecting a HEA (especially since Helen herself references how her family conflict resolutions are nothing like the TV sitcoms she's watched) but I wanted more about how their relationship is still haunted by Michelle's death by suicide. In fact, I wanted more about Helen's mom's obvious wrestle with how she might feel guilt for Michelle's death by suicide and how she might still be overcorrecting/having those same issues with Helen despite the difference in sisters. I kind of wanted more resolution between the mom and Grant, or at least a direct conversation, especially after the scene buying cake mix. There's some typical millennial Asian discussion where parents don't say "I love you", they give favorite dishes and plates of cut fruit, but for all the emphasis Helen puts on finally saying "I love you" in her letters to Michelle, I wanted more resolution on her saying "I love you" beyond just her and Grant. Also for all the Asian representation, I would have been interested to see how her cultural background might also color her relationship with someone that's not Asian (forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it's ever specified that Grant is explicitly white, but I feel like that might also have an impact on how Helen's parents see him) Also, while I feel like it's more accurate and complicated to have Michelle's death by suicide and not have a suicide note, I kind of wanted something from her POV besides Helen remembering their fight and having to find/flush all of the drugs that also implied Michelle's substance abuse. I just feel like having Michelle's death by suicide being the major driver of Grant and Helen's history felt underused (like obviously Helen has been thinking of Michelle, but what about Grant thinking of Michelle instead of Helen? How do his thoughts about Michelle influence how he thinks of Helen, because it doesn't seem like it does at all? Will they ever address how it colors her parents' views of them, or does it actually lead to healing for everyone? idk)
Also, while I did like Kuang's overall writing style and prose (there are really some lovely scenes in this books), I did sometimes find it choppy. While I enjoyed how she writes a scene, they sometimes felt episodic and not wholly connected to the rest of the chapter. While it's in the third person, paragraphs will often switch perspective quickly from Helen to Grant and that honestly threw me off more than once (after this happening more than once, I looked her up and it made sense that this was a debut novel and that her prior experience was in television) That being said, I'd be really interested to see how her writing and stories continue to develop in an upcoming release!
Overall, really enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Definitely a writer to keep an eye out for, and I'm excited to see her directorial works coming soon too!
The premise of the story sometimes feels a little mismatched (tragedy creating enemies to lovers + a tv work situation writing a teen drama) but honestly, I vibed with it. It felt messy and complicated, and that to me was a positive since I felt like it gave Helen and Grant room to be messy with their emotions and choices. I've read a few reviews that didn't love Helen (and to be fair, I do have some issues with the whole "she was shy and reserved and had no friends until love interests finally brings her into the world" trope use, because then it feels like she's not a whole person until she meets Grant and she is! also think that while the side characters are fun, none of them take up importance like Helen and Grant, and that feels like a missed opportunity), but I found her to be complicated and relatable, especially in the struggle between what she thinks she should do versus what she actually wants to do (and this struggle is present in all parts of her life, which is why I feel like it especially works for the messiness of the love story). Grant is a little less complicated but still loveable as a ML - I loved how Kuang wrote his charisma as a sort of armor, while also showing us his self doubts and own mental struggles. I did think that his growth wasn't as apparent, particularly because I feel like his panic attacks really only served episodic purpose and didn't really factor into the story as a whole, but I did appreciate his ability to meet Helen where she was at and still not deny his own feelings. ("I love all the parts of you I haven't met yet"!!!) I also appreciate Kuang's hands-on experience in TV coloring her writing - it was really cool to get a behind-the-scenes view of the writers room, and to see the process of a show being brought to life!
I did want to write a separate section for the spice of the book, because I was genuinely caught off-guard by how flustered I felt reading it. Like I said before, I'm no novice to romance or fic spice levels, but something about the complicated vulnerability and unabashed sexuality of Helen and Grant had me blushing furiously. I think there's something really empowering about Helen being the shy/cold/introvert character, but still very much being in charge of her sexual needs and setting the demands of the relationship. Kuang did a great job of writing Grant to be both charismatic/emotionally soft with a slightly dominant sexuality, though imo he growls maybe a little too much (is this just a me thing?? whenever I read people growling sexually, it does not do it for me sorry) Her writing for these scenes is really stunning because besides the physicality of it, there's an emotional vulnerability written into the physical motions that sometimes took my breath away. It's not just the obvious bodily motions, but also the rise and fall of ribs, the crook of the neck, a kiss of the fingers.
But, there were things that I felt like weren't fully fleshed out. Helen has a really complicated relationship with her parents, and I feel like that's not as fully explored as it could be. I'm not expecting a HEA (especially since Helen herself references how her family conflict resolutions are nothing like the TV sitcoms she's watched) but I wanted more about how their relationship is still haunted by Michelle's death by suicide. In fact, I wanted more about Helen's mom's obvious wrestle with how she might feel guilt for Michelle's death by suicide and how she might still be overcorrecting/having those same issues with Helen despite the difference in sisters. I kind of wanted more resolution between the mom and Grant, or at least a direct conversation, especially after the scene buying cake mix. There's some typical millennial Asian discussion where parents don't say "I love you", they give favorite dishes and plates of cut fruit, but for all the emphasis Helen puts on finally saying "I love you" in her letters to Michelle, I wanted more resolution on her saying "I love you" beyond just her and Grant. Also for all the Asian representation, I would have been interested to see how her cultural background might also color her relationship with someone that's not Asian (forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it's ever specified that Grant is explicitly white, but I feel like that might also have an impact on how Helen's parents see him) Also, while I feel like it's more accurate and complicated to have Michelle's death by suicide and not have a suicide note, I kind of wanted something from her POV besides Helen remembering their fight and having to find/flush all of the drugs that also implied Michelle's substance abuse. I just feel like having Michelle's death by suicide being the major driver of Grant and Helen's history felt underused (like obviously Helen has been thinking of Michelle, but what about Grant thinking of Michelle instead of Helen? How do his thoughts about Michelle influence how he thinks of Helen, because it doesn't seem like it does at all? Will they ever address how it colors her parents' views of them, or does it actually lead to healing for everyone? idk)
Also, while I did like Kuang's overall writing style and prose (there are really some lovely scenes in this books), I did sometimes find it choppy. While I enjoyed how she writes a scene, they sometimes felt episodic and not wholly connected to the rest of the chapter. While it's in the third person, paragraphs will often switch perspective quickly from Helen to Grant and that honestly threw me off more than once (after this happening more than once, I looked her up and it made sense that this was a debut novel and that her prior experience was in television) That being said, I'd be really interested to see how her writing and stories continue to develop in an upcoming release!
Overall, really enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Definitely a writer to keep an eye out for, and I'm excited to see her directorial works coming soon too!
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An enjoyable read, and would recommend. While I enjoyed the plot, I found both main characters frustrating at times.