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kates_books's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Honestly 2 stars feel generous. I absolutely LOVE romcoms and was excited to read this one but it was so slow and dull. I'm happy to read cliche romances but this one fell so flat. It felt like the author had a list of tropes she wanted to include and was just checking them off that list without really fitting them into the plot. (Spoiler and next sentence may be triggering) For example, her dad's negligence as a child almost lead to her being molested by a pedophile and the only outcome from this was her being comforted by the love interest and played a small (!!!) part in her decision to end her relationship with her father eventually. And there was the scene when the love interest saves the day when this guy passes out from cutting his arm. Like it wasn't relevant AT ALL! Not only that, but these trope-y cliche scenes didn't even add any spice or drama or excitement or swoon-worthy moments. Additionally, I feel like the author was trying to include a message about female friendships which I usually LOVE having in books but it wasn't developed enough and her best friend didn't feel like a complex enough character. Moreover, the main character also at times felt unlikable and didn't seem to have the highest EQ. There was some character growth but not really. ALSO at the end the love interests decide to get married and it is done so flippantly, does not fit either of the characters' personalities, and was so boring even though that should have been the feeling of "wow happily ever after" . Finally, the main character is a Black woman and the author is not. I am all for having diverse characters, but it definitely did not feel authentic nor did I always feel like it was a great story of representation. It had the cliche "Oh where are you ~really~ from" and "can I touch your hair" moments but didn't go deeper than that, even though these micro-aggressions were something that main character seemed to struggle with. Overall, that aspect just felt very surface-level. All in all, it was a very disappointing read and I kept waiting for something to kick in, but it never happened. Ok, rant over.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, and Sexism
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