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bookishmillennial's review
fast-paced
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
I first started with the audiobook, but I had to switch to an ebook because I wasn’t vibing with the narrator. No shade to her at all, I just needed to try a different format. Hopefully that’s a bit helpful for my audiobook readers lol!
Anyway, this was a Hallmark-esque romcom reminiscent of Cinderella! Filipina American Claire meets a Japanese American billionaire and their trope is instalove! They struggle to find their footing as a couple, as his lifestyle is much different than hers — their class differences really come into play, which felt realistic yet disheartening at times. I appreciated that Claire was so passionate about her career and about taking care of her Lola, and I could totally see this as a 25 Days of Christmas original movie on Freeform or on Hallmark — that’s definitely the right level of cheese and fluff! 😊
cw: classism, toxic dynamics, sexual content
I first started with the audiobook, but I had to switch to an ebook because I wasn’t vibing with the narrator. No shade to her at all, I just needed to try a different format. Hopefully that’s a bit helpful for my audiobook readers lol!
Anyway, this was a Hallmark-esque romcom reminiscent of Cinderella! Filipina American Claire meets a Japanese American billionaire and their trope is instalove! They struggle to find their footing as a couple, as his lifestyle is much different than hers — their class differences really come into play, which felt realistic yet disheartening at times. I appreciated that Claire was so passionate about her career and about taking care of her Lola, and I could totally see this as a 25 Days of Christmas original movie on Freeform or on Hallmark — that’s definitely the right level of cheese and fluff! 😊
cw: classism, toxic dynamics, sexual content
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Classism
theespressoedition's review against another edition
fast-paced
1.5
This story was... not it.
It opened in a really cute way. I originally enjoyed the family dynamic and the concept of a woman struggling to free herself from the mundane in order to pursue her dreams. However, as the story kept going, I found a few things really annoying:
- To call this insta-love would be the understatement of the century. Sure, their interest in one another happened quickly, but typically that doesn't bother me. What did bother me was that they went from a meet-cute to "I love you" in practically no time at all. And then in the blink of an eye, they were getting married? What? Okay, this was supposed to be a "modern fairy tale" but still... that's all so unrealistic that it hurts.
- The extravagance was on another level. Nate's a gazillionaire, we get it. However, the "date night" in France? I just felt the overwhelming urge to roll my eyes whenever he was doing anything. It was all too grand gesture-y.
- The spice scenes were over-the-top. Considering the fact that these two barely even had time to know one another's names before they were hopping in bed together, the smut was just... a lot. Then again, I'm someone who needs to work up to a good sex scene with lots of chemistry, so it just felt like a stretch.
If the focus of the story had been primarily on Claire's family, I would've enjoyed it a lot more. The conflict with her sisters, the grief over their Lola, the dynamic of trading traditional work for self-employment... all of that was great. I wish it had been more central rather than background until "needed" for the third-act conflict.
It all fell so flat for me.
It opened in a really cute way. I originally enjoyed the family dynamic and the concept of a woman struggling to free herself from the mundane in order to pursue her dreams. However, as the story kept going, I found a few things really annoying:
- To call this insta-love would be the understatement of the century. Sure, their interest in one another happened quickly, but typically that doesn't bother me. What did bother me was that they went from a meet-cute to "I love you" in practically no time at all. And then in the blink of an eye, they were getting married? What? Okay, this was supposed to be a "modern fairy tale" but still... that's all so unrealistic that it hurts.
- The extravagance was on another level. Nate's a gazillionaire, we get it. However, the "date night" in France? I just felt the overwhelming urge to roll my eyes whenever he was doing anything. It was all too grand gesture-y.
- The spice scenes were over-the-top. Considering the fact that these two barely even had time to know one another's names before they were hopping in bed together, the smut was just... a lot. Then again, I'm someone who needs to work up to a good sex scene with lots of chemistry, so it just felt like a stretch.
If the focus of the story had been primarily on Claire's family, I would've enjoyed it a lot more. The conflict with her sisters, the grief over their Lola, the dynamic of trading traditional work for self-employment... all of that was great. I wish it had been more central rather than background until "needed" for the third-act conflict.
It all fell so flat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Dementia
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