Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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
The sword of Damocles about the fannish identity stuff made me too anxious. Also the fanspeak didn't feel authentic.
Also I had difficulty suspending my disbelief about a cis straight man being in fandom.
Also I had difficulty suspending my disbelief about a cis straight man being in fandom.
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
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
emotional
funny
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:
Yes
Loved this one! Didn't always get all the fanfic references, but really enjoyed the characters, body positivity, a male character that cries freely, and great supportive friends with the fandom community focus.
The book was entertaining and I did find the couple endearing, but I do have to say some things that I didn't like.
1. The characters didn't feel like they were in their late 30's. I don't know if that was just because I'm not really in my late 30's myself and my idea of being 39 is wrong so, if that's the case then nevermind, but I kinda felt like I was reading about people my age.
2. They didn't really have much conflict. Every problem they had was resolved in, quite literally, just one conversation, so the plot kinda felt just like couple therapy over and over again.
3. This kinda goes with the last point, but I have to say this totally reads like an AO3 fanfic (and I would know because I read a lot of those haha) and that is not necessarily bad but I think in this case it is the reason why it felt kind of slice of life-ish. Like I was just watching them have conversations about trauma and then having sex and that was the whole book.
4. The final scene felt corny to me.
5. I reaaaally didn't like the scrip/fanfic/book/conversation fragments at the end of each chapter. Some reflected the issues on the main story but even if they did I didn't really care about them tbh.
I do have to say I like the characters, I think it is interesting to see them being so introspective and understanding. There's like no toxicity on the couple and that is something to thank on a romance but maybe that is also the reason why for some people it may be boring.
1. The characters didn't feel like they were in their late 30's. I don't know if that was just because I'm not really in my late 30's myself and my idea of being 39 is wrong so, if that's the case then nevermind, but I kinda felt like I was reading about people my age.
2. They didn't really have much conflict. Every problem they had was resolved in, quite literally, just one conversation, so the plot kinda felt just like couple therapy over and over again.
3. This kinda goes with the last point, but I have to say this totally reads like an AO3 fanfic (and I would know because I read a lot of those haha) and that is not necessarily bad but I think in this case it is the reason why it felt kind of slice of life-ish. Like I was just watching them have conversations about trauma and then having sex and that was the whole book.
4. The final scene felt corny to me.
5. I reaaaally didn't like the scrip/fanfic/book/conversation fragments at the end of each chapter. Some reflected the issues on the main story but even if they did I didn't really care about them tbh.
I do have to say I like the characters, I think it is interesting to see them being so introspective and understanding. There's like no toxicity on the couple and that is something to thank on a romance but maybe that is also the reason why for some people it may be boring.
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
I don’t really know how to feel about this book. I liked the plus size representation and reminiscing about my days on fan fiction sites and at cons was fun. But I guess I was just underwhelmed by the rest of the book.
April, as a person, was barely a focus of the story. It felt pointless to even mention her career as it was only talked about few times in the beginning of the book and then never again. Once she was Marcus’s girlfriend, that was all she was.
Seeing the way their parents treated them was hard. I find it hard to believe that two academics, TEACHERS, couldn’t recognize something like dyslexia. And then for them to see it as a shame to their family that they could have a child who wasn’t traditionally smart, by their standards….I hated them. But maybe this is a little more personal for me, having ADHD in the 90s and the misconceptions surrounding it as well as one parent who sometimes struggled to understand my issues. And April’s parents…it would be on site if I ever met a man like her father. ON SITE, BRENT. And her mom…again, being a girl in the 90s, I recognize the fear April’s mom had. I saw it in my own mother all the time. Thankfully, it was never a question of whether my dad loved her, just society. And I know my mom had the same fears for me. Anyway, I was so proud of April and Marcus for laying down boundaries. I just wish the book hadn’t closed on April compromising those boundaries so often to give her mom the millionth chance.
The sex scenes were there, but personally I enjoyed the sex more in At First Spite.
While I’m sure it happens, it’s weird to think about actors coming into fanfic spaces about shows they’ve been in and even characters they’ve played. Like, would we really want Jensen to see just how much we talk about his bow legs?😬
Maybe this book just wasn’t for me. I do like this author, though.
April, as a person, was barely a focus of the story. It felt pointless to even mention her career as it was only talked about few times in the beginning of the book and then never again. Once she was Marcus’s girlfriend, that was all she was.
Seeing the way their parents treated them was hard. I find it hard to believe that two academics, TEACHERS, couldn’t recognize something like dyslexia. And then for them to see it as a shame to their family that they could have a child who wasn’t traditionally smart, by their standards….I hated them. But maybe this is a little more personal for me, having ADHD in the 90s and the misconceptions surrounding it as well as one parent who sometimes struggled to understand my issues. And April’s parents…it would be on site if I ever met a man like her father. ON SITE, BRENT. And her mom…again, being a girl in the 90s, I recognize the fear April’s mom had. I saw it in my own mother all the time. Thankfully, it was never a question of whether my dad loved her, just society. And I know my mom had the same fears for me. Anyway, I was so proud of April and Marcus for laying down boundaries. I just wish the book hadn’t closed on April compromising those boundaries so often to give her mom the millionth chance.
The sex scenes were there, but personally I enjoyed the sex more in At First Spite.
While I’m sure it happens, it’s weird to think about actors coming into fanfic spaces about shows they’ve been in and even characters they’ve played. Like, would we really want Jensen to see just how much we talk about his bow legs?😬
Maybe this book just wasn’t for me. I do like this author, though.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes