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_alyssaslibrary_'s review against another edition
4.0
4.5*
this was sososososo good!! thank you to netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
this was incredible. this story follows evie who is living with a chronic condition (endometriosis) and shows the continuous pain she goes through and how this affects her day to day life. i thought evie and a character was incredibly well developed and i loved reading about her and her experiences. i also really enjoyed liam (her nemesis) because he was a complete cinnamon roll. i literally got butterflies whenever he talked to her because you could tell how in love he was from the beginning.
the only thing i didn’t like was that i thought evie held onto her hatred of liam for too long. like at the beginning i understood but she kept bringing it up and it was a little annoying.
overall, i cant recommend this enough!
this was sososososo good!! thank you to netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
this was incredible. this story follows evie who is living with a chronic condition (endometriosis) and shows the continuous pain she goes through and how this affects her day to day life. i thought evie and a character was incredibly well developed and i loved reading about her and her experiences. i also really enjoyed liam (her nemesis) because he was a complete cinnamon roll. i literally got butterflies whenever he talked to her because you could tell how in love he was from the beginning.
the only thing i didn’t like was that i thought evie held onto her hatred of liam for too long. like at the beginning i understood but she kept bringing it up and it was a little annoying.
overall, i cant recommend this enough!
jessicasilfenroy's review
4.0
Short Synopsis: 26-year-old Evie is currently living in Paris, where she went to escape parts of her life, like her uptight and controlling mother and not so great college experience, and pursue her love for baking. However, Evie is struggling, and not only with her family and the grudges she can’t let go, but also with her endometriosis. When her childhood friend/ crush turned enemy surprises her and offers to be her fake date to her brother’s wedding, Evie is caught off guard but agrees to get her mother off her back.
Thoughts: This was a really strong indie debut (that is also on KU).The author’s portrayal of endo comes from her own personal experiences, making the story feel authentic, and I know retable for many people. I loved Evie and Liam’s banter, the puns, sweet gestures and the history they shared. However, I will say that the it took me some time to get into the story, and at times, the enemies plot felt a bit juvenile.
Read if you like:
-Chronic illness rep
-Audrey Hepburn movies
-Paris setting
-Baking and desserts
-Fake dating
-Brother’s best friend
Thoughts: This was a really strong indie debut (that is also on KU).The author’s portrayal of endo comes from her own personal experiences, making the story feel authentic, and I know retable for many people. I loved Evie and Liam’s banter, the puns, sweet gestures and the history they shared. However, I will say that the it took me some time to get into the story, and at times, the enemies plot felt a bit juvenile.
Read if you like:
-Chronic illness rep
-Audrey Hepburn movies
-Paris setting
-Baking and desserts
-Fake dating
-Brother’s best friend
livruther's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.25
at the beginning, i thought the writing was cringey, but i think it got better throughout the book. i did want more flashbacks so i could understand their relationship better between their childhood and their fallout. by the end, though, i was really emotional and i had tears in my eyes for like the last 25%.
meghanlew_'s review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.0
ladybreww_reads's review
3.0
This was a cute and easy read. People who have experienced chronic pain or illness (especially womens health issues) will enjoy this book. I did not connect with the main character and felt that she was a little too stuck on her “hatred” of Liam - it felt a bit drawn out without any new events to keep it going. Since I cannot relate to the endometriosis portion of the story, I will not comment on its accuracy or relatability. I personally did not love the caregiver trope, but it was written in a way that seemed genuine and natural.
The love interest, Liam, was doting, sexy, and likeable. There wasn’t a single moment where he annoyed me or felt disingenuous.
I wish there was more focus on the mystery postcards containing humorous recounts of “what’s going on back home” because they were witty, cute, and could have enhanced the plot.
There were some things that I really loved about this book and there were a few things I just didn’t connect with. Overall it was a very cute, feel-good contemporary romance with funny dialogue and a very realistic main character. The author tells you how you’re supposed to be feeling, which made for a very easy read.
What I loved:
•Main character’s honest internal dialogue and humorous habits
•Very relatable toxic mother-daughter dynamic
•First “fake” kiss scene was amazing
What I didn’t love:
•Caregiver trope
•Characters seemed to go from enemies to lovers without a natural transition. It felt a bit abrupt.
•The “enemies” part was entirely one-sided, which made the main character seem slightly juvenile
Tropes/Themes:
•Enemies to lovers
•Brother’s best friend
•Toxic mother
•Caregiver
•Fake Dating
Triggers:
•Endometriosis
•Discussion of infertility
•Toxic mother
Synopsis:
Evie, a quirky aspiring pastry chef in Paris feels like everything in her life has gone wrong - her mother is disappointed in her, her business dreams are on hold, and her work visa is about to expire, and she is constantly in pain from her endometriosis. Not to mention - her brother is getting married in a few weeks back in the states, which means Evie must face her mother’s dismay and disapproval. Oh- and Evie’s childhood nemesis, Liam.
Evie’s best friend Eli devised a plan to trick Evie into meeting him at a quaint Parisian restaurant to catch up. Unbeknownst to Evie, her worst nightmare would be there too.
After a cacophony of clumsy mishaps, Evie is forced to confront the boy who broke her heart ten years ago when he stood her up at homecoming. Despite this apparent mutual disdain, they need each other. Evie needs to prove to her mother that she won’t be alone forever and that she is not a failure, and Liam needs… well what does Liam need?
Either way, the pair agrees to attend Evie’s brother’s wedding as a couple. In the coming weeks they “practice” what it’s like to be in love. Although, things aren’t always what they seem, Evie must sort through over 20 years of feelings to discover what she wants, and who she truly is.
The love interest, Liam, was doting, sexy, and likeable. There wasn’t a single moment where he annoyed me or felt disingenuous.
I wish there was more focus on the mystery postcards containing humorous recounts of “what’s going on back home” because they were witty, cute, and could have enhanced the plot.
There were some things that I really loved about this book and there were a few things I just didn’t connect with. Overall it was a very cute, feel-good contemporary romance with funny dialogue and a very realistic main character. The author tells you how you’re supposed to be feeling, which made for a very easy read.
What I loved:
•Main character’s honest internal dialogue and humorous habits
•Very relatable toxic mother-daughter dynamic
•First “fake” kiss scene was amazing
What I didn’t love:
•Caregiver trope
•Characters seemed to go from enemies to lovers without a natural transition. It felt a bit abrupt.
•The “enemies” part was entirely one-sided, which made the main character seem slightly juvenile
Tropes/Themes:
•Enemies to lovers
•Brother’s best friend
•Toxic mother
•Caregiver
•Fake Dating
Triggers:
•Endometriosis
•Discussion of infertility
•Toxic mother
Synopsis:
Evie, a quirky aspiring pastry chef in Paris feels like everything in her life has gone wrong - her mother is disappointed in her, her business dreams are on hold, and her work visa is about to expire, and she is constantly in pain from her endometriosis. Not to mention - her brother is getting married in a few weeks back in the states, which means Evie must face her mother’s dismay and disapproval. Oh- and Evie’s childhood nemesis, Liam.
Evie’s best friend Eli devised a plan to trick Evie into meeting him at a quaint Parisian restaurant to catch up. Unbeknownst to Evie, her worst nightmare would be there too.
After a cacophony of clumsy mishaps, Evie is forced to confront the boy who broke her heart ten years ago when he stood her up at homecoming. Despite this apparent mutual disdain, they need each other. Evie needs to prove to her mother that she won’t be alone forever and that she is not a failure, and Liam needs… well what does Liam need?
Either way, the pair agrees to attend Evie’s brother’s wedding as a couple. In the coming weeks they “practice” what it’s like to be in love. Although, things aren’t always what they seem, Evie must sort through over 20 years of feelings to discover what she wants, and who she truly is.
kalarosereads's review
4.0
"The problem with endometriosis, nay, one of the problems with endometriosis, is that endometriosis doesn’t care about anything. It doesn’t care that it’s inconvenient. It doesn’t care that it’s causing you a significant amount of pain every hour of every day or that it’s brought you to your knees both mentally and physically. It doesn’t care who you are. What you do or need to do for a living. And it doesn’t care that you’re in the middle of one of the most spectacular moments in your life—or maybe it does care, and it’s just a bitch. Maybe it’s the Regina George of diseases, who knows? I’ve tried to converse with it on multiple occasions, and all I’ve ever heard back is stabby, stab, stab, stab."
As someone who struggles with endometriosis, it is so validating to read it built into a romance book. I found that the author described it extremely accurately, at least from my perspective, while also making me laugh at the same time. Sometimes humour really is the best medicine and the main character's witty, dry sense of humour about her pain was really relatable and enjoyable to read.
The love story was cozy and heartwarming, filled with interesting plot points of difficult family dynamics and supportive best friends. Plus who doesn't love a romance set in Paris!
As someone who struggles with endometriosis, it is so validating to read it built into a romance book. I found that the author described it extremely accurately, at least from my perspective, while also making me laugh at the same time. Sometimes humour really is the best medicine and the main character's witty, dry sense of humour about her pain was really relatable and enjoyable to read.
The love story was cozy and heartwarming, filled with interesting plot points of difficult family dynamics and supportive best friends. Plus who doesn't love a romance set in Paris!