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sarahmcg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
It’s obviously a rom-com, if you don’t take it too seriously and can suspend some disbelief, it’s a really enjoyable read.
Honestly - there’s two reasons I took a whole star off! And I can’t do this review without noting these critiques.
1) For some ungodly reason, when the author was describing the red lipstick the FMC wears, one adjective was “slit-wrists red.” Why? Just… why?
2) Also, there were some body-shamey moments where the author described the HR lady as a “dumpy frazzled ghost.” And there were a lot of the description of the two MCs focuses on how teeny, tiny and pint-sized she is and how big and muscle-y and giant he is. That’s fine it’s just… I definitely prefer reading romance with more body diversity/inclusivity (*ahem* enter the Brown sisters series by Talia Hibbert).
Anyway, I enjoyed it, even though I needed to make those complaints!
Moderate: Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Vomit
Minor: Self harm
izmc's review against another edition
Graphic: Fatphobia
celinelyng's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia
jsfbec's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, and Vomit
mel_s_bookshelf's review against another edition
I skim read through the rest of the book only to find it rather boring and also full of more problematic behaviour.
I really don't understand why this book is so hyped up??
Graphic: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fatphobia
nickoliver's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Anyways, the reasons why I didn't have quite the same joy reading this book that I had back in 2018 were:
1. I didn't really like the characters. Josh was mean (I know it was said that he was actually just ~shy~, but personally, that doesn't really excuse treating other people like shit and making them scared to come to work and talk to you) and oftentimes just ignored what Lucy wanted, and his jealousy really got on my freaking nerves. Like, the way he acted around Danny drove me insane. And Lucy's horniness made me honestly just exhausted. I'm a sex-indifferent asexual, so I'm usually completely fine with people being horny (even if I can't fathom feeling that way myself), but her attitude reminded me of that time period in my life when I thought I was sex-repulsed, and overly horny people made me want to bash my head in with a tire iron. Go to horny jail, Lucy.
2. I didn't enjoy the romance as much as I thought I would. I didn't like the way both Lucy and Josh treated Danny and used him, and especially the beginning of the relationship just ... didn't sit right with me. Josh didn't apologise for his shitty behaviour until literally the end, and while I'm glad they got that out of the way, I wished that happened sooner. Lucy basically just let Josh treat her kind of badly (he wasn't abusive per se, but very dismissive and cruel at times) and accepted it because of her own feelings or him. In turn, she objectified the crap out of Josh, even after she learnt that a lot of his exes were only with him because of his looks and didn't actually like his personality.
3. Lucy, for some reason, seemed to come to the same conclusions several times? Like, there were two separate times when she realised that Josh didn't actually hate her. I found that a bit annoying and repetitive. It stalled the plot sometimes, which always confused me, because I thought we'd already been over that at that point.
4. Speaking of repetitiveness, the way Thorne hammered home that Lucy and Josh were obsessed with each other's eyes was way too much.
5. The book was focusing a lot on masculinity, and calling things masculine that weren't actually inherently so, and using feminine as an almost negative descriptor? Coming from Lucy, it was just weird. If it came from Josh, I'd just assume he had a fragile masculinity and was afraid to be seen as anything but, but since everything was in Lucy's POV, it was just ... weird.
6. The hetero- and allonormativity of it all made me tired. Like, no, Thorne, not every single woman who has and will ever meet Josh will want to climb him like a tree. And no, just because two people had dated for a year doesn't automatically mean they'd had sex. And why do straight people always act like cavemen the moment their crush or significant other has someone from the opposite sex obviously fawning over them?
7. I know Mr. Bexley wasn't exactly the best person, but you can talk about what a useless CEO he is without constantly making fun of his weight and that he likes to eat. Like, maybe concentrate on how creepy and gross he was for constantly looking down Lucy's shirt, which was the way bigger issue in my opinion.
What I did enjoy, however, was Thorne's writing. It felt really out of control, and she phrased things in a way that both fit Lucy's personality perfectly and sometimes made me laugh incredulously, just because they gave me really funny visuals. I also didn't mind the smut (though I would've preferred a bit more of it if it meant I got a bit less of horny Lucy). There were definitely a lot of funny scenes that made me crack up, though I think it wasn't quite as many as on my first read.
Moderate: Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Vomit
Minor: Alcohol, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Body shaming
christareadswhat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Fatphobia
charlieiniso's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Ableism
angelsfw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
dxtluv's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Vomit