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melancholylethe's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I wasn’t a huge fan of this book.
The spice was good. But the plot was kind of all over the place. The main characters really didn’t seem to have anything but lust for each other and it was fucking constant. And after the FMC’s trauma I find it really really hard to believe she can just “get over” because she suddenly “feels safe” but “true love”. Also huge trigger warning for her trauma that again she seems to just be able to get over.
The post card shit annoyed me the most. It has been explained that the postcard she has on her person are ones that she wrote but didn't send versus the ones she did send. HOWEVER it's so crappily written in that I stand by my point.
Page 44:
“A postbox on the corner jogged Tallulah’s memory and she stopped in her tracks, setting down the sack of ingredients on the sidewalk. She reached into the pocket of her coat for the postcard she'd snagged earlier that day in the more touristy section of town. On it was a picture of Quincy Market and the scripted words that read GREETINGS FROM BOSTON. She read over the short message she'd penned to her sister, Lara, along with the Istanbul address she knew by heart. A lump began welling in her throat, but she dropped the card into the slot before tears could form in her eyes and continued on."
Page 190:
"She nodded, reaching down to unzip the purse that was strapped diagonally on her body, resting against the front of her left hip. After the briefest of hesitations, she removed a ziplock baggie containing a stack of postcards. He could only see the top on, which was an aerial shot of Boston Harbor. "I've been sending home postcards for four years. On all my stops. Most of them go to Lara.""
(My Questions:
1. How the hell can you have a cross body HIP bag with a STACK of postcards and look cute?
2. If you are SENDING the post cards, HOW DO YOU HAVE THEM?
3. You spent a YEAR in Antarctica studying penguins. Did this huge postcard collection increase there as well? What did your family do for that year since you didn't call them?)
Page 281-282: Final Annoyance:
""You think you're strong enough to get me through this? You're not a coward who walks away, right?" His voice almost unnatural like he was rushing to get the words out or he'd lose his nerve. "But there's a ziplock full of postcards in your purse that say different."
Honestly, the postcard thing just doesn't work for me. Maybe it does for others as a way to avoid living because of her trauma but postcards are just as much of a story and can say a lot. PLUS SHE SENDS THEM! She says she sends them and so it doesn't make sense for her to send them AND have them.
The spice was good. But the plot was kind of all over the place. The main characters really didn’t seem to have anything but lust for each other and it was fucking constant. And after the FMC’s trauma I find it really really hard to believe she can just “get over” because she suddenly “feels safe” but “true love”. Also huge trigger warning for her trauma that again she seems to just be able to get over.
The post card shit annoyed me the most. It has been explained that the postcard she has on her person are ones that she wrote but didn't send versus the ones she did send. HOWEVER it's so crappily written in that I stand by my point.
Page 44:
“A postbox on the corner jogged Tallulah’s memory and she stopped in her tracks, setting down the sack of ingredients on the sidewalk. She reached into the pocket of her coat for the postcard she'd snagged earlier that day in the more touristy section of town. On it was a picture of Quincy Market and the scripted words that read GREETINGS FROM BOSTON. She read over the short message she'd penned to her sister, Lara, along with the Istanbul address she knew by heart. A lump began welling in her throat, but she dropped the card into the slot before tears could form in her eyes and continued on."
Page 190:
"She nodded, reaching down to unzip the purse that was strapped diagonally on her body, resting against the front of her left hip. After the briefest of hesitations, she removed a ziplock baggie containing a stack of postcards. He could only see the top on, which was an aerial shot of Boston Harbor. "I've been sending home postcards for four years. On all my stops. Most of them go to Lara.""
(My Questions:
1. How the hell can you have a cross body HIP bag with a STACK of postcards and look cute?
2. If you are SENDING the post cards, HOW DO YOU HAVE THEM?
3. You spent a YEAR in Antarctica studying penguins. Did this huge postcard collection increase there as well? What did your family do for that year since you didn't call them?)
Page 281-282: Final Annoyance:
""You think you're strong enough to get me through this? You're not a coward who walks away, right?" His voice almost unnatural like he was rushing to get the words out or he'd lose his nerve. "But there's a ziplock full of postcards in your purse that say different."
Honestly, the postcard thing just doesn't work for me. Maybe it does for others as a way to avoid living because of her trauma but postcards are just as much of a story and can say a lot. PLUS SHE SENDS THEM! She says she sends them and so it doesn't make sense for her to send them AND have them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Confinement and Kidnapping
rlbeck's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
Typical Tessa Bailey — fun, 🌶️, romantic
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
pocketbailarina's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read this after finishing Fangirl Down. I was looking forward to it due to the scene where Burgess and Tallulah first met.
Tessa Bailey is great at creating tension between the MCs and I had some genuine LOL moments. At some points it felt like the FMC's personal journey was put on the sidelines to develop the relationship with the MMC. In Fangirl Down, we were led to believe that Tallulah and Josephine are BFFs, but Tallulah never reached out to her (not once!) about her problems?
There was wasted potential regarding Sig and Chloe. I wish we would've seen more of them throughout the book, especially a hilarious double-not-date with the 4 of them.
I did enjoy the book and it may be unfair of me to compare it to Fangirl Down. The grovel was refreshing compared to other books, though!
Also, where can we petition to have more 30+ year old MCs? I'm here for it.
Tessa Bailey is great at creating tension between the MCs and I had some genuine LOL moments. At some points it felt like the FMC's personal journey was put on the sidelines to develop the relationship with the MMC. In Fangirl Down, we were led to believe that Tallulah and Josephine are BFFs, but Tallulah never reached out to her (not once!) about her problems?
There was wasted potential regarding Sig and Chloe. I wish we would've seen more of them throughout the book, especially a hilarious double-not-date with the 4 of them.
I did enjoy the book and it may be unfair of me to compare it to Fangirl Down. The grovel was refreshing compared to other books, though!
Also, where can we petition to have more 30+ year old MCs? I'm here for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Stalking
linora's review
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Tessa Bailey is very hit or miss for me. She's a decent writer, but this book was a miss. It really leaned into "big protective man" and was super chill about him sexually harassing an au pair at her job because like, he's hot so she's into it I guess?
There were red flags galore. If I knew this couple in real life and saw their interactions as they were depicted to other characters, I would think that the protagonist was being controlled at least and would worry about her being abused behind closed doors. The male protagonist was perfectly lovely behind closed doors, but there were a lot of red flags that he wouldn' t be. Normally power dynamics like this in fiction don't bug me this much, but it just rubbed me the wrong way because the book really emphasized the protagonist's trauma with men, and I would absolutely hate for someone who has experienced trauma and relates heavily to the main character to read this book and think that this is a healthy relationship that they should aim for.
I think I just like Tessa Bailey's work when it's lighthearted. This felt a little too cavalier of a take on trauma.
There were red flags galore. If I knew this couple in real life and saw their interactions as they were depicted to other characters, I would think that the protagonist was being controlled at least and would worry about her being abused behind closed doors. The male protagonist was perfectly lovely behind closed doors, but there were a lot of red flags that he wouldn' t be. Normally power dynamics like this in fiction don't bug me this much, but it just rubbed me the wrong way because the book really emphasized the protagonist's trauma with men, and I would absolutely hate for someone who has experienced trauma and relates heavily to the main character to read this book and think that this is a healthy relationship that they should aim for.
I think I just like Tessa Bailey's work when it's lighthearted. This felt a little too cavalier of a take on trauma.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Domestic abuse
larilaridictionari's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved getting to see Tallulah and Burgess' love story fleshed out after being introduced to them in Fangirl Down. I really liked both the MCs, but I was disappointed in how the conflict went down so that's why it's a 4.5 instead of a 5.
I just really despise when one character says something so incredibly hurtful in a moment of weakness, especially if they know that something will hit so close to home.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
carsons1996's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Perfect sweet and spicy romcom with all the tropes, all the emotional shit, all the laughs. Loved it. Tessa just has a way with storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Death, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
ninkintosh's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
There’s a whole lotta yikes in this book. Not sure which part is the worst, the stereotypical alpha with 0 other qualities, the single dad who doesn’t seem to care about his child, or the vapid FMC who is constantly dickmatized. Just. Yikes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
nicolecurlsuptoread's review
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
✦Series: Big Shots #2
✦POV: Dual first-person
✦Spice: Explicit, open door
» Tallulah and Burgess met at the end of Fangirl Down and their chemistry was immediate. The Au Pair Affair picks up some time later when Tallulah turns the job down; Sir Savage is hot AF, but his brutal presence on the ice has her shook.
Burgess convinces her to give the job (and him) a shot, and from there, well... 🔥
» I was hooked since they met in Fangirl Down and salivating to get my hands on this book. I devoured it like it was my GD job!
» Tallulah is a strong, relatable FMC. She has a dark past (check trigger warnings) and her growth through the story made my heart happy! She’s the buffer Burgess needs to learn how to connect with Lissa as a tween girl; it was so sweet!
» Burgess is a swoon-worthy, lovable, single dad who would burn down the world for Tallulah and his daughter. His dirty talk is top-tier and he knows how to use his assets to his advantage. 😮💨🫠
✦POV: Dual first-person
✦Spice: Explicit, open door
» Tallulah and Burgess met at the end of Fangirl Down and their chemistry was immediate. The Au Pair Affair picks up some time later when Tallulah turns the job down; Sir Savage is hot AF, but his brutal presence on the ice has her shook.
Burgess convinces her to give the job (and him) a shot, and from there, well... 🔥
» I was hooked since they met in Fangirl Down and salivating to get my hands on this book. I devoured it like it was my GD job!
» Tallulah is a strong, relatable FMC. She has a dark past (check trigger warnings) and her growth through the story made my heart happy! She’s the buffer Burgess needs to learn how to connect with Lissa as a tween girl; it was so sweet!
» Burgess is a swoon-worthy, lovable, single dad who would burn down the world for Tallulah and his daughter. His dirty talk is top-tier and he knows how to use his assets to his advantage. 😮💨🫠
❝ ❞
Respond. Say something. Fast.
Stop looking at his mighty, Zeus-like chest.
And his stomach. Was it even a stomach? It was more like flesh-colored egg carton.
The six foot three inches of brawn and masculine beauty that was Burgess Abraham stood before her looking like he should be holding a boulder over his head. Or crushing a village beneath his feet.
❝ ❞
» I missed Josephine and was disappointed she was almost non-existent as Tallulah’s bestie. This was soothed by the excellent introduction to Chloe and development of her story with Sig. Bring on Dream Girl Drama!
✩ Snarky, witty banter is my catnip, and this book has it in spades! Whether between Tallulah and Burgess or Burgess and the Rookies, I genuinely lol’d 🤣 The timing and natural flow of their conversations were *chef’s kiss* 😘
♡ I loved The Au Pair Affair! Tessa Bailey wrote a banger, and I’m stoked for book 3 👏
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½
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Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
meaganmorrisonc's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Stalking
lauramparis's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder