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thephdivabooks's review
3.0
A sweet story and a quick read, Ruby Lang’s novella Playing House is a fun spin on romance. Centering around two characters who are both Chinese-American and both Urban Planners, I had a lot of fun with the theme of this book around architecture and pretending becoming reality!
Out-of-work urban planner Oliver Huang is on a tour of the historic Mount Morris home when he finds himself the recipient of a snuggle and a kiss from long-time acquaintance but NOT long-time lover Fay Liu. Much to Oliver’s confusion, fellow-urban planner Fay gazes adoringly at him, calling him her boyfriend Olly to deflect the attention of another man on the tour who is clearly pursuing her.
Oliver is happy to play along with Fay. She feels good snuggled up against him. But it is complicated, Oliver doesn’t know what this means. He’s up for a job at Fay’s firm and he doesn’t want to cross any lines. But then again, Fay is beautiful, smart, interesting, and funny. How is he supposed to turn that down?
Newly divorced Fay isn’t sure if she is ready to put herself back out there. She hasn’t even unpacked in her new place yet since she became single. But she can’t get Oliver out of her head… A girl needs friends, right?
As the two begin scheduling non-dates to tour luxury real estate all over Manhattan, they find themselves playing at being a couple so often that suddenly it’s not clear whether they are playing house or falling in love. Bonding over their love of old architecture, strategically-placed windows, and large closets (good for making out in), Fay and Oliver begin to fall for one another. Perhaps they aren’t playing house after all…
This one is a mix of sweet and steamy!!! There were a few scenes that made me blush on the train as I wondered if the man next to me was reading over my shoulder! This is a super fast read—more novella than novel I would guess (not sure what the exact definition is to categorize this). I didn’t worry about the length though because this is already billed as book 1, so it promises to have more to follow. I don’t think we are quite done with the theme of love and architecture….
I will say that this book could have actually been a bit longer. Not only because I was enjoying it and wanted more, but also because I did find it to be a tad jarring the way it leapt straight into the meat of the story. I like a bit of literary foreplay in my romance books! The ending is adorable but also a bit rushed. I did think we jumped straight to the HEA and I wanted a bit more depth as we wrapped up their love story!
One of my favorite parts of the book was actually getting to read about the homes they were touring. There’s a lot of descriptive architectural language in here and I was quite tickled at the idea of touring a beautiful home as foreplay!
All in all a cute book that is a fun read-in-an-evening pick!
Thank you to Harlequin Publicity for my copy. Opinions are my own.
Out-of-work urban planner Oliver Huang is on a tour of the historic Mount Morris home when he finds himself the recipient of a snuggle and a kiss from long-time acquaintance but NOT long-time lover Fay Liu. Much to Oliver’s confusion, fellow-urban planner Fay gazes adoringly at him, calling him her boyfriend Olly to deflect the attention of another man on the tour who is clearly pursuing her.
Oliver is happy to play along with Fay. She feels good snuggled up against him. But it is complicated, Oliver doesn’t know what this means. He’s up for a job at Fay’s firm and he doesn’t want to cross any lines. But then again, Fay is beautiful, smart, interesting, and funny. How is he supposed to turn that down?
Newly divorced Fay isn’t sure if she is ready to put herself back out there. She hasn’t even unpacked in her new place yet since she became single. But she can’t get Oliver out of her head… A girl needs friends, right?
As the two begin scheduling non-dates to tour luxury real estate all over Manhattan, they find themselves playing at being a couple so often that suddenly it’s not clear whether they are playing house or falling in love. Bonding over their love of old architecture, strategically-placed windows, and large closets (good for making out in), Fay and Oliver begin to fall for one another. Perhaps they aren’t playing house after all…
This one is a mix of sweet and steamy!!! There were a few scenes that made me blush on the train as I wondered if the man next to me was reading over my shoulder! This is a super fast read—more novella than novel I would guess (not sure what the exact definition is to categorize this). I didn’t worry about the length though because this is already billed as book 1, so it promises to have more to follow. I don’t think we are quite done with the theme of love and architecture….
I will say that this book could have actually been a bit longer. Not only because I was enjoying it and wanted more, but also because I did find it to be a tad jarring the way it leapt straight into the meat of the story. I like a bit of literary foreplay in my romance books! The ending is adorable but also a bit rushed. I did think we jumped straight to the HEA and I wanted a bit more depth as we wrapped up their love story!
One of my favorite parts of the book was actually getting to read about the homes they were touring. There’s a lot of descriptive architectural language in here and I was quite tickled at the idea of touring a beautiful home as foreplay!
All in all a cute book that is a fun read-in-an-evening pick!
Thank you to Harlequin Publicity for my copy. Opinions are my own.
laura_cs's review
4.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The urban planning community is small, so Oliver isn't too terribly surprised to see Fay on a house tour in a historic New York neighborhood. What does surprise him? Her running up to him and kissing him. He plays along, pretending to be her boyfriend to get rid of a sketchy guy hitting on her. Fake-dating for the rest of the tour, Oliver can't help but realize how natural it feels, and how much he enjoys being around Fay.
Fay is getting her life back in order after her divorce, and finds herself enjoying her time with Oliver... even if they keep getting mistaken for being newlyweds. Passionate about her career and ready to get back into dating, she can't stop thinking about Oliver and how easy it is to spend time with him. Geeking out over architecture, chatting comfortably about anything and everything... and then, of course, there's the fact that he is really easy on the eyes.
A really short and sweet love story, "Playing House" is the first in a new series that is sure to delight with it's heart, passion, laughter, and finding happiness, love, and yourself.
The urban planning community is small, so Oliver isn't too terribly surprised to see Fay on a house tour in a historic New York neighborhood. What does surprise him? Her running up to him and kissing him. He plays along, pretending to be her boyfriend to get rid of a sketchy guy hitting on her. Fake-dating for the rest of the tour, Oliver can't help but realize how natural it feels, and how much he enjoys being around Fay.
Fay is getting her life back in order after her divorce, and finds herself enjoying her time with Oliver... even if they keep getting mistaken for being newlyweds. Passionate about her career and ready to get back into dating, she can't stop thinking about Oliver and how easy it is to spend time with him. Geeking out over architecture, chatting comfortably about anything and everything... and then, of course, there's the fact that he is really easy on the eyes.
A really short and sweet love story, "Playing House" is the first in a new series that is sure to delight with it's heart, passion, laughter, and finding happiness, love, and yourself.
amlibera's review against another edition
3.0
I read the third of these novellas linked by Harlem apartments. It's sweet with two appealing characters who are urban planners. I liked it, it was a quick read.
jackiehorne's review
3.0
2.5
ARC Courtesy of Netgalley
Urban planner Olivier Huang has been freelancing since his previous company went out of business, a situation that only exacerbates his feelings of failure as the only unsuccessful child in his Chinese-American family. When he runs into Fay Liu at an open house, he feels awkward about the fact that he's just received an invitation to interview at her boutique planning firm, and keeps it a secret, even as the two begin to embark on a fake-marriage thing while they visit other open houses.
I have LOVED all of Lang's previous romances, but this one fell flat for me, in large part because it feels underdeveloped (this is a novella, rather than a novel-length book, as previous Lang books have been). Both Oliver and Fay are interesting characters, characters with whom I wanted to spend far more time with. I hope that in future books, Lang's publisher allows her more room to do what she does best: explore complex, intriguing characters in depth.
ARC Courtesy of Netgalley
Urban planner Olivier Huang has been freelancing since his previous company went out of business, a situation that only exacerbates his feelings of failure as the only unsuccessful child in his Chinese-American family. When he runs into Fay Liu at an open house, he feels awkward about the fact that he's just received an invitation to interview at her boutique planning firm, and keeps it a secret, even as the two begin to embark on a fake-marriage thing while they visit other open houses.
I have LOVED all of Lang's previous romances, but this one fell flat for me, in large part because it feels underdeveloped (this is a novella, rather than a novel-length book, as previous Lang books have been). Both Oliver and Fay are interesting characters, characters with whom I wanted to spend far more time with. I hope that in future books, Lang's publisher allows her more room to do what she does best: explore complex, intriguing characters in depth.
cassandra67b07's review against another edition
3.0
This was enjoyable and a quick read, but I think would have been better at novel length. Although Lang successfully built their family and backstory very concisely, the novella didn't really give the reader a chance to know these characters past a superficial level. I enjoyed it enough to try the author again at novel length. The New York architectural landscape was a high point though!
sonja_ahrb's review
4.0
I thought Playing House would be a fun, cute book after I read the synopsis and it totally was! I loved Oliver and Fay, they were adorable and I was rooting for them so hard. Playing House was warm and light with a few little moments that will pinch at your heart. It’s like a perfect beach read that you can just relax and have a ball with. I really enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to reading Open House!
~ Sonja, 4 Stars
~ Sonja, 4 Stars
themaritimereader14's review against another edition
3.0
This book was cute and I felt like I finished in about 5 minutes. No joke, it was pretty short, but I knew that going into it. I was interested in the two character's past encounters in their friend group as well as their chosen career (urban planners). The scenes in which they pretended to be together in order to view apartments were fun. I am undecided whether I'll continue the series or not, but this certainly passed the time okay.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
tessisreading2's review
3.0
Easy, almost conflict-free romance. I was hoping I'd love this but it was mostly just okay. I got the sense that the characters lived in the author's head for so long that she's totally familiar with them, but they didn't quickly unspool on the page, and when we begin with Lady Who's Been Divorced and Guy Who Doesn't Have A Job (their defining characteristics at the beginning) it's hard to keep reading. The only real conflict seemed to be that Oliver had applied for a job with Fay's company; in the beginning he can't tell whether she's reviewed his resume or wants to date him, but even when it becomes apparent that she's dating him - or at least that their interactions are not job-related - he doesn't flag the fact that he has a resume with her company for her, which is frankly just kind of weird.
There's a real sense of New York as a place here, which I liked. I am not sure that I quite bought Oliver and Fay as urban planners - like, I get what urban planning is as a career, but I'm not sure what Oliver and Fay were doing in their day-to-day, although admittedly the only urban planner I've known in real life was an underemployed twenty-something who worked for a suburban town and was bitter about the fact that a lot of his job at the moment involved arguing with people over traffic light placement (?) - and there was a lot of fun real estate and house tour porn, which on the one hand was nice and on the other hand was kind of iffy - like, Oliver and Fay are scheduling house showings (which seems really rude to the real estate agent who has to come show them the house) and then locking themselves in upstairs rooms to get a little frisky (which, ew). I get it, pre-Covid I liked to go to open houses I could never afford also, but this just seemed like kind of a jerk move.
In general, there wasn't much of a sense of conflict or immediacy. Oliver and Fay are acquaintances who have always found each other vaguely attractive; she is now divorced; they run into each other again and start hanging out more. It was pleasant but all felt faintly inevitable.
There's a real sense of New York as a place here, which I liked. I am not sure that I quite bought Oliver and Fay as urban planners - like, I get what urban planning is as a career, but I'm not sure what Oliver and Fay were doing in their day-to-day, although admittedly the only urban planner I've known in real life was an underemployed twenty-something who worked for a suburban town and was bitter about the fact that a lot of his job at the moment involved arguing with people over traffic light placement (?) - and there was a lot of fun real estate and house tour porn, which on the one hand was nice and on the other hand was kind of iffy - like, Oliver and Fay are scheduling house showings (which seems really rude to the real estate agent who has to come show them the house) and then locking themselves in upstairs rooms to get a little frisky (which, ew). I get it, pre-Covid I liked to go to open houses I could never afford also, but this just seemed like kind of a jerk move.
In general, there wasn't much of a sense of conflict or immediacy. Oliver and Fay are acquaintances who have always found each other vaguely attractive; she is now divorced; they run into each other again and start hanging out more. It was pleasant but all felt faintly inevitable.
dadjumper's review
4.0
Unexpectedly short, but lovely. Some of the best representation of minority groups I've seen in a romance, in that they just exist and aren't called to attention at all. Really loved this, but then it just ended. Guess I'm in for the series now.
menshevixen's review
5.0
Somehow this never added to my books the first time through on Kindle--anyway, a delightful fast read, cozy and sexy by turns, full of neighborly wanderlust, delicious architectural details, and great dialogue.