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rosie_valadez's review against another edition
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment
koistyfishy's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
3 Room-ance Stars ⭐
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
What do a romance-obsessed nurse bookstagrammer and a grumpy clean freak manwhore firefighter have in common? Yeah, nothing, except they share an apartment and a hot tub, which means they are OBVIOUSLY PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER...
The more I think about this, the more problems I find with it...
This book gives me vibes similar to the Anna Farris and Chris Pine movie, "What's Your Number." Unlike the main character in the movie, who believes her love MUST be one of her exes after being told she'll never find love if she dates more than 20 people, our MC here takes advice from her grandmother, who had a whirlwind second-chance romance. As her gran managed to find her new "one," maybe her "one" is in one of the exes she left along the way. HOWEVER, she also ends up in a forced proximity situation with her best friend's fiancé's old roommate, who is now her roommate. He keeps saving her from awful dates with her exes, leading to the possibility that maybe he might be the one she is looking for after all.
Their first interaction is "memorable" in that Tara walks in on Trevor naked and balls deep in his latest one-night stand. I mean, great relationship foundation right there... learning that your new roommate is basically a manwhore... JUST expected that they become the BEST OF FRIENDS.
On the surface, this is a "sweet" little rom-com, the type you think of when you think of a rom-com book. At the start, I found it funny, I giggled, and might have actually died from some of the second-hand embarrassment. It was pretty low angst but underpinned with a heartwarming, cute relationship that gave commentary on real issues real couples face.
Tara has been hurt by love. She is pretty discouraged by it, but she won't let that get her down or persuade her that love does not exist. She is literal sunshine, optimistic, and has such a positive outlook on life, even if life has burnt her. I also really loved that she is a bookstagrammer—seeing all the little nuggets and Easter eggs relating to the booksta community was cute and relatable. I saw myself in her a lot, especially as she gushed about book boyfriends, has piles and piles of books everywhere, and loves romance tropes as much as I do. She made me laugh, and if I knew her IRL, I would have loved to be friends with her.
Now, Trevor is VERY closed off emotionally and a total grump. He is not known to be open, talkative, or communicative, or just open to ANY communication really. He has not had very good role models in love and relationships, so he has decided to guard his heart and get his release through lust instead. He would rather avoid emotionally connecting with anyone to avoid getting his heart broken.
SO, you would think, given how OPPOSITE Trevor and Tara are, they would be the PERFECT opposites attract...and here is the issue... THIS BOOK IS IN FIRST PERSON, so there isn't really anything that screams WHY TREVOR would love her—and basically love her from the first moment he saw her (which he tells her)—REMEMBER WHEN HIS PENIS WAS DEEP IN SOMEONE ELSE. It made no sense where his love came from. You are never shown how he processes his emotions, how he turns from manwhore to loving only one person, and how he allows himself to love. Given you couldn't see his thinking, there was nothing he shared in common with Tara, besides the fact that they seem to live in the same building and both like to read (even though he reads thrillers and she reads romance)—they HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON; he is a complete neat freak and she is a walking tornado of mess!
Then there is the fact that if you look deeper into it, Tara might actually need to see a therapist. She is told by more than one of her exes that she is clingy, a little overbearing, and "too much." Now, I am not saying her exes are completely right, but sometimes you do have to ask—if multiple people are saying the same thing, it might have some merit to look into it a little more, do some self-reflection, and see if there might be some self-improvement that can be done. The theme of being called "crazy" is brought up quite a bit, and while it's demeaning and sexist, in the words of Rebecca Bunch:
She jumped to extremes with her Ex's from blasé comments - but going to "planning a wedding" because of one flippant comment IS NOT NORMAL...
There was one thing I liked and that was how it used miscommunication as a plot point, with the grandmother making a very valid comment that "Relationships are hard and not all problems can be solved with a single conversation" - It was the one-time the trope being present DID NOT ACTUALLY BOTHER ME....
SPEAKING OF TROPES:
▶ Roommates to Lovers
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ Reformed Manwhore
▶ She's a Bookstagrammer
▶ GrumpyXSunshine
▶ Steamy Hot Tub Scene
▶ Slow Burn
▶ Opposites Attract
▶ Miscommunication
Overall, if you want a fluffy sweet romcom, this might be for you - Just don't look into it too deeply or that amazingness of it will UNFIZZLE QUICKLY....
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
What do a romance-obsessed nurse bookstagrammer and a grumpy clean freak manwhore firefighter have in common? Yeah, nothing, except they share an apartment and a hot tub, which means they are OBVIOUSLY PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER...
The more I think about this, the more problems I find with it...
This book gives me vibes similar to the Anna Farris and Chris Pine movie, "What's Your Number." Unlike the main character in the movie, who believes her love MUST be one of her exes after being told she'll never find love if she dates more than 20 people, our MC here takes advice from her grandmother, who had a whirlwind second-chance romance. As her gran managed to find her new "one," maybe her "one" is in one of the exes she left along the way. HOWEVER, she also ends up in a forced proximity situation with her best friend's fiancé's old roommate, who is now her roommate. He keeps saving her from awful dates with her exes, leading to the possibility that maybe he might be the one she is looking for after all.
Their first interaction is "memorable" in that Tara walks in on Trevor naked and balls deep in his latest one-night stand. I mean, great relationship foundation right there... learning that your new roommate is basically a manwhore... JUST expected that they become the BEST OF FRIENDS.
On the surface, this is a "sweet" little rom-com, the type you think of when you think of a rom-com book. At the start, I found it funny, I giggled, and might have actually died from some of the second-hand embarrassment. It was pretty low angst but underpinned with a heartwarming, cute relationship that gave commentary on real issues real couples face.
Tara has been hurt by love. She is pretty discouraged by it, but she won't let that get her down or persuade her that love does not exist. She is literal sunshine, optimistic, and has such a positive outlook on life, even if life has burnt her. I also really loved that she is a bookstagrammer—seeing all the little nuggets and Easter eggs relating to the booksta community was cute and relatable. I saw myself in her a lot, especially as she gushed about book boyfriends, has piles and piles of books everywhere, and loves romance tropes as much as I do. She made me laugh, and if I knew her IRL, I would have loved to be friends with her.
Now, Trevor is VERY closed off emotionally and a total grump. He is not known to be open, talkative, or communicative, or just open to ANY communication really. He has not had very good role models in love and relationships, so he has decided to guard his heart and get his release through lust instead. He would rather avoid emotionally connecting with anyone to avoid getting his heart broken.
SO, you would think, given how OPPOSITE Trevor and Tara are, they would be the PERFECT opposites attract...and here is the issue... THIS BOOK IS IN FIRST PERSON, so there isn't really anything that screams WHY TREVOR would love her—and basically love her from the first moment he saw her (which he tells her)—REMEMBER WHEN HIS PENIS WAS DEEP IN SOMEONE ELSE. It made no sense where his love came from. You are never shown how he processes his emotions, how he turns from manwhore to loving only one person, and how he allows himself to love. Given you couldn't see his thinking, there was nothing he shared in common with Tara, besides the fact that they seem to live in the same building and both like to read (even though he reads thrillers and she reads romance)—they HAVE NOTHING IN COMMON; he is a complete neat freak and she is a walking tornado of mess!
Then there is the fact that if you look deeper into it, Tara might actually need to see a therapist. She is told by more than one of her exes that she is clingy, a little overbearing, and "too much." Now, I am not saying her exes are completely right, but sometimes you do have to ask—if multiple people are saying the same thing, it might have some merit to look into it a little more, do some self-reflection, and see if there might be some self-improvement that can be done. The theme of being called "crazy" is brought up quite a bit, and while it's demeaning and sexist, in the words of Rebecca Bunch:
She jumped to extremes with her Ex's from blasé comments - but going to "planning a wedding" because of one flippant comment IS NOT NORMAL...
There was one thing I liked and that was how it used miscommunication as a plot point, with the grandmother making a very valid comment that "Relationships are hard and not all problems can be solved with a single conversation" - It was the one-time the trope being present DID NOT ACTUALLY BOTHER ME....
SPEAKING OF TROPES:
▶ Roommates to Lovers
▶ Strangers to Lovers
▶ Reformed Manwhore
▶ She's a Bookstagrammer
▶ GrumpyXSunshine
▶ Steamy Hot Tub Scene
▶ Slow Burn
▶ Opposites Attract
▶ Miscommunication
Overall, if you want a fluffy sweet romcom, this might be for you - Just don't look into it too deeply or that amazingness of it will UNFIZZLE QUICKLY....
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, and Abandonment
cruthe's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship, Medical content, Death of parent, and Abandonment
brookey8888's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
4.5
This was super cute! I really liked the main character just because I related to her a lot( I’m not a hopeless romantic, but everything else lol). I thought the slow burn to strangers to friends to lovers was well done and just so cute. This was just a nice fun and cute time with a few spicy scenes.i liked Trevor and how he was slowly opening up to Tara. I honestly didn’t mind the third act conflict to much because I felt like it made sense for the characters and they didn’t establish themselves as a couple yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
aepritchard's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent
courtofsmutandstuff's review against another edition
3.75
I feel like I should have liked this more than I did? I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars. I love a good "he falls first" but I feel like this book would've been so much better as dual POV (but I always want dual POV). I was let down by the first book, and I think that colored me going into this one, even though I did like this better than the first one. I like Tara, but she does get repetitive (but also I feel I too am repetitive so who am I to judge). I really did appreciate though that we really do see Tara and Trevor fall in love and build their relationship (I also love that he's a neat freak). I think I would have liked this more if I didn't go into it having been bummed on book 1.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
oliviaclaire's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A pretty funny, fairly steamy romcom. All in all, a great summer beach read. I enjoyed both of our protagonists but I did wander if making Tara an 'influencer' (I use quotes because it's established that she barely has a following and not much is done to change that throughout the book) was really necessary. Her Booktok transcripts add little to the story that pushes it along, she gets the idea for the premise of reuiniting with her exes from her grandmother and I feel like she and Trevor found their way toward each other quite naturally without the help of her social media status. It felt a little bit like Amy Lea had pigeonholed herself by titling the series 'the influencers' and therefore Tara had to have an online presence to fit with the other two protagonists across the trilogy. Otherwise, an enjoyable read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
beereads_23's review against another edition
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
kfmcf's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
5.0
Listen. Is this book perfect? No. But it made me feel that warm and fuzzy feeling for the majority of it as these characters and their stories in the world of the book developed.
This book is not for people who are plot forward readers. This is a character forward book and that is my favorite. The focus is on who they are and how they're connecting. I also think their chemistry was stellar and believable and I enjoyed it.
People who see Tara as annoying and too clingy are.. just blatantly missing the point of this book. It's a story of her growth of overcoming her own stigmas and reclaiming her definition of sanity. Was she the most mature POV character? No. But if she was then her struggles and flaws would have been wholly unbelievable. The female POV protag doesn't always need to be idyllic or cool or what have you. Having a character with real person personality flaws is good.
There were definitely some issues I had, but they were relatively small. First, the exes being blasted on socials. Like. No. That's a privacy thing and odd. I don't think they would have enjoyed that.
Angie was not a believable child. And Payton telling her *nine year old* that her uncle was like a *revolving door* was unpleasant.
The one thing I do disagree with people on is the miscommunication. Yes it was there but THAT HAPPENS. IN REAL LIFE. And it was only heavy in the last act. And there's a meta comment from Flo about it. It's fine. It's not the greatest but it's BELIEVABLE.
This book is head and shoulders above book 1 in the series and I look forward to Mel's story.
This book is not for people who are plot forward readers. This is a character forward book and that is my favorite. The focus is on who they are and how they're connecting. I also think their chemistry was stellar and believable and I enjoyed it.
People who see Tara as annoying and too clingy are.. just blatantly missing the point of this book. It's a story of her growth of overcoming her own stigmas and reclaiming her definition of sanity. Was she the most mature POV character? No. But if she was then her struggles and flaws would have been wholly unbelievable. The female POV protag doesn't always need to be idyllic or cool or what have you. Having a character with real person personality flaws is good.
There were definitely some issues I had, but they were relatively small. First, the exes being blasted on socials. Like. No. That's a privacy thing and odd. I don't think they would have enjoyed that.
Angie was not a believable child. And Payton telling her *nine year old* that her uncle was like a *revolving door* was unpleasant.
The one thing I do disagree with people on is the miscommunication. Yes it was there but THAT HAPPENS. IN REAL LIFE. And it was only heavy in the last act. And there's a meta comment from Flo about it. It's fine. It's not the greatest but it's BELIEVABLE.
This book is head and shoulders above book 1 in the series and I look forward to Mel's story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Medical content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
one_more_chapter96's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Really sweet story, loved Trevor and how steadfast he was even from the beginning. Together they were so cute!
Content Warnings
Minor: Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Abandonment