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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
I really really liked parts of this book, but also struggled with others. I know I use romance to escape but I guess the week timeline kept taking me out of the read a bunch. The chemistry was great between Luis and Sara but again at the end I wasn't satisfied with the HEA.
He did not want to change. Also the whole plot was a little off. Still very sweet.
A perfect summer read! This book is truly a sweet and sexy summer romance story. TRIGGER WARNING for eating disorders. Luis and Sara are both such fun characters. I love Luis’s relationship with his family! They are truly #famgoals. The tight-knit community he describes growing up in helps to explain his impeccable moral character. He is one of the best book boyfriends so far! He takes such amazing care of Sara! He does everything he can to learn all about her so he can play her fake boyfriend as well as he can-- all while she is a total stranger. His dedication to his job is also obvious and impressive. I loved seeing the hero of the book starting out with such wonderful characteristics. Sara is also an interesting and complex character. She is fun and spontaneous, while also being thoughtful and organized. Her whole family thinks her life so far has been a joke, but she puts in a lot of work behind the scenes and is able to build a super successful life for herself. Her tense family relationships act as a clear foil to the way Luis was raised. I liked how Oliveras was able to create such different characters with really different lives who end up having the same problems in their lives.
emotional
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:
Yes
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This author failed to make me believe 2 people could fall in love with each other in the span of only three fucking days.
I think it was the combination of 1.) thesaurus words for DIALOGUE, 2) a lot of fucking TELL instead of SHOW that Sara and Luis actually bonded through casual conversations.
I think it was the combination of 1.) thesaurus words for DIALOGUE, 2) a lot of fucking TELL instead of SHOW that Sara and Luis actually bonded through casual conversations.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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:
Complicated
It is the first time I read my culture in a book. I had no idea how much I needed it. Representation matters.
Island Affair certainly had potential but it felt only halfway to me. Going into books, I'm usually pretty good about suspending my disbelief - it is fiction after all. But on the other hand, I find a good book definitely has one foot in reality and I didn't really feel that. It takes place over one week and the amount of feelings and changes that happen over that one week was just way too fast in my opinion. For a fake relationship, there's the meeting each other phases, getting stories straight, questioning intimacy while starting to feel the chemistry, accepting the chemistry and going for it, running into a conflict of some sort, and resolving it to wind up back together for real. That's just a lot for two people who met each other for the first time a week ago and the ending was wrapped up far too quickly for me to feel any satisfaction.
That's not to say there weren't parts of this that I didn't enjoy. Sarah concocts this charade for the sake of not upsetting her mother - there is definitely some tension that runs in family, stemming from her being over a decade younger than her other two siblings. I really enjoyed the family dynamics shifting around following her mom's illness and how they wanted to be closer but weren't sure how to go about that. However, their were a couple of relationships between Sarah and others that she wanted to mend, and only one of them is truly addressed and has it's own scene. There were others that just seemed so fast to flip a switch and I wish there could have been a little more time to address past issues and intentions to change.
And if you're really good at getting over the super speed at which Luis and Sarah develop feelings for each other, I did like their chemistry. I liked that Luis's more protective side coming out to take care of Sarah throughout her trip and how Sarah was so open to learning everything Luis wanted to show her and in turn wanting to take care of him, more on an emotional level - it was all really sweet.
This book had its good moments but only in chunks - as one flowing story, it just didn't really work. The timeline was just too fast and meant skipping over details that I would have found more interesting and added a depth to the plot that I think the story would have benefited from.
That's not to say there weren't parts of this that I didn't enjoy. Sarah concocts this charade for the sake of not upsetting her mother - there is definitely some tension that runs in family, stemming from her being over a decade younger than her other two siblings. I really enjoyed the family dynamics shifting around following her mom's illness and how they wanted to be closer but weren't sure how to go about that. However, their were a couple of relationships between Sarah and others that she wanted to mend, and only one of them is truly addressed and has it's own scene. There were others that just seemed so fast to flip a switch and I wish there could have been a little more time to address past issues and intentions to change.
And if you're really good at getting over the super speed at which Luis and Sarah develop feelings for each other, I did like their chemistry. I liked that Luis's more protective side coming out to take care of Sarah throughout her trip and how Sarah was so open to learning everything Luis wanted to show her and in turn wanting to take care of him, more on an emotional level - it was all really sweet.
This book had its good moments but only in chunks - as one flowing story, it just didn't really work. The timeline was just too fast and meant skipping over details that I would have found more interesting and added a depth to the plot that I think the story would have benefited from.