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jaypeg's review
I’m DNFing at 55% guys. This book just missed the mark for me. Elle our heroine, flees to the quiet safety of Sweetbriar to work at a small law firm whilst she gets over her breakup with Brock. Brock, we find out from page one, is a cheater, so Elle removes herself and tries to salvage their relationship long distance. In an effort to impress Brock she signs up for a three week training class with gym instructor Ryan. Queue romance!
What I did like.
On paper it sounded great. I love a transformation story and a fit gym god totally does it for me. Ryan felt quite realistic in his tidiness and eating habits. I always read books where top athletes drink beer, stay up late and eat pizza which just isn’t the case when you are training at a certain level. Sleep and nutrition would just be far more key to their regimes. So Ryan felt very believable as a fitness guy.
But
I didn’t like.
1. Brock. What a major douche-canoe. The guy shows little remorse nor care for Elle. Why on earth you would spend more than 5 minutes mooning over him I don’t know.
2. Elle. What a doormat! She pines after Brock far too much. She rings him and is perplexed when he cancels arrangements with her. Read between the lines woman! He doesn’t chase her or fight for her which just made me irritated. He cheated on her and it’s like she decides that it’s ok and keeps running back to him. Fuck you Elle. Grow a pair!
3. Add to that the fact that Elle lets Brock derail her career. Here she is aiming to work at a big law firm yet she runs back home then complains about her small town job. I just hate it when a woman allows a man to dictate her future like that. I wanted to like Sweetbriar, I really did but I also wanted Elle to zero in on her career goals and crack some skulls!
4. Three weeks to transform yourself felt too short. Elle was a bit lacklustre over her training so the transformation felt minimal. One day she doesn’t want Ryan to see her untoned stomach, the next it’s toned and up for grabs. I just wanted the timeline to extend over three months so it felt more real. And I wanted Elle to be totally into it. saying that, I admit I am only 55% of the way in. Elle could be totally kickass by the end and knee Brock in the balls. That would be way cool. I just can’t quite bring myself to be potentially disappointed.
In the end I felt a bit ‘meh’ about Ryan and Elle when they got together. I felt disconnected from them, maybe because of my dislike for Brock. It was all just a bit empty and left me feeling like I wanted to put it down.
What I did like.
On paper it sounded great. I love a transformation story and a fit gym god totally does it for me. Ryan felt quite realistic in his tidiness and eating habits. I always read books where top athletes drink beer, stay up late and eat pizza which just isn’t the case when you are training at a certain level. Sleep and nutrition would just be far more key to their regimes. So Ryan felt very believable as a fitness guy.
But
I didn’t like.
1. Brock. What a major douche-canoe. The guy shows little remorse nor care for Elle. Why on earth you would spend more than 5 minutes mooning over him I don’t know.
2. Elle. What a doormat! She pines after Brock far too much. She rings him and is perplexed when he cancels arrangements with her. Read between the lines woman! He doesn’t chase her or fight for her which just made me irritated. He cheated on her and it’s like she decides that it’s ok and keeps running back to him. Fuck you Elle. Grow a pair!
3. Add to that the fact that Elle lets Brock derail her career. Here she is aiming to work at a big law firm yet she runs back home then complains about her small town job. I just hate it when a woman allows a man to dictate her future like that. I wanted to like Sweetbriar, I really did but I also wanted Elle to zero in on her career goals and crack some skulls!
4. Three weeks to transform yourself felt too short. Elle was a bit lacklustre over her training so the transformation felt minimal. One day she doesn’t want Ryan to see her untoned stomach, the next it’s toned and up for grabs. I just wanted the timeline to extend over three months so it felt more real. And I wanted Elle to be totally into it. saying that, I admit I am only 55% of the way in. Elle could be totally kickass by the end and knee Brock in the balls. That would be way cool. I just can’t quite bring myself to be potentially disappointed.
In the end I felt a bit ‘meh’ about Ryan and Elle when they got together. I felt disconnected from them, maybe because of my dislike for Brock. It was all just a bit empty and left me feeling like I wanted to put it down.
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