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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was ok. I liked the plot and Jamar but Taylor got on my nerves. If her brother was truly supposed to be an asshole, he didn't come off the page as such so it just made me want to tell Taylor to quit being so damn defensive. This was my first book by this author and I heard great things about one of her other ones so I'll still plan on reading more of her work.
Yeah this is a no from me. Taylor is a one-dimensional MC with little character development throughout the book making it hard for me to like her. Jamar was a typical black man trying to navigate grief and guilt so I’ll cut him some slack. The romance build was meh and the smut was even more meh. Taylor reminds me of a child/teen stuck in a grown woman’s body. If I wanna talk to my man and I know I love him and we had an argument, IMMA CALL MY MAN. Not wait on him and her friends are birds for suggesting that. GROW UP
I was pretty into this at first but then my interest waned like a third of the way through and never really came back. Certainly it didn't help that I was reading another stellar romance* at the same time and this one doesn't hold up to it. This wasn't bad, though! Just not great.
*The Heart Principle, in case you were curious.
This is the second book in Rochon's adult romance series, following The Boyfriend Project, which I also generally liked but had some issues with (mainly that I liked the friendship and job aspects way more than the romance itself). Here I liked the romance more, but the good tension Rochon built up at the beginning was punctured way too soon for me. I also thought it ended up being a bit scattered thematically at the end. One of the things that drew me to the book at the beginning was the all too real way Rochon was writing about Taylor and her financial struggles. I've had those lean years where you don't know where the money will be coming from next, and you have to decide what to pawn, and which bills not to pay. But that aspect entirely fell away, sort of replaced by Taylor's struggle to accept she had a learning disorder, and to fit in with her family.
Anyway, this is ostensibly a book about a fake relationship, but I don't think it took advantage of that trope at all, and maybe would have been better off without it. It felt forced at the beginning why they were even doing it (and introduced yet another narrative problem for Taylor, in her fear of trusting Jamar because of what a past client had done to her after she slept with him). And the actual fake relationship lasts for all of ten minutes, and is not a source of tension or conflict in the book. They enter into a sexual relationship soon after the fake dating starts, and then five minutes after that they decide they're doing this for real, so what was the point. With all of that shoved in there, the genuinely affecting scenes where Jamar had to deal with the lingering guilt over the death of his best friend Silas years before didn't hit as hard as they could have otherwise.
I think I'm going to finish out this series but I may not be reading more of Rochon's books in the future.
*The Heart Principle, in case you were curious.
This is the second book in Rochon's adult romance series, following The Boyfriend Project, which I also generally liked but had some issues with (mainly that I liked the friendship and job aspects way more than the romance itself). Here I liked the romance more, but the good tension Rochon built up at the beginning was punctured way too soon for me. I also thought it ended up being a bit scattered thematically at the end. One of the things that drew me to the book at the beginning was the all too real way Rochon was writing about Taylor and her financial struggles. I've had those lean years where you don't know where the money will be coming from next, and you have to decide what to pawn, and which bills not to pay. But that aspect entirely fell away, sort of replaced by Taylor's struggle to accept she had a learning disorder, and to fit in with her family.
Anyway, this is ostensibly a book about a fake relationship, but I don't think it took advantage of that trope at all, and maybe would have been better off without it. It felt forced at the beginning why they were even doing it (and introduced yet another narrative problem for Taylor, in her fear of trusting Jamar because of what a past client had done to her after she slept with him). And the actual fake relationship lasts for all of ten minutes, and is not a source of tension or conflict in the book. They enter into a sexual relationship soon after the fake dating starts, and then five minutes after that they decide they're doing this for real, so what was the point. With all of that shoved in there, the genuinely affecting scenes where Jamar had to deal with the lingering guilt over the death of his best friend Silas years before didn't hit as hard as they could have otherwise.
I think I'm going to finish out this series but I may not be reading more of Rochon's books in the future.
I love The Boyfriend Project series. I read it a bit out of order (1,3,2) and enjoyed all the women's stories. Taylor felt to be more relatable to me. School anxiety, self doubt is real! It can be hard to be around accomplished people feeling like you haven't done much with your own life. Her and Jamar were so stinking cute. Jamar had a good heart and I fully understand why he blamed himself for his friends death, I would have too. I need this book series turned into a television series quick.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I bought this book because I was into the fake dating trope. However I would love to bring up the excellent portrayal of mental health and how easy it could be missed in the education system. This book does a great job of talking about Taylor‘s struggles and her coming to terms with learning disabilities. It was an unexpected surprise to an already great book.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Vibes- FUN! I loved the banter with Jamar and Taylor. From the start the author established each of their voices and conflicts and flaws. Their flirting was fun. I am a simp for fake dating. The pacing was good. The side characters were whole and interesting people. Just great. I am not a super experienced sports romance girlie, but it was fun. The reason it didn’t score higher was because there wasn’t that one scene that I will always remember. Also, the spice was there, but fell a bit flat for how much chemistry they had. No miscommunication! Love that.
Summary-
Taylor, a broke but talented fitness instructor, finds herself training a former NFL player who wants to come back from an injury. When their fake dating lights them both up they have to decide if it is worth losing everything they’ve been working towards.
Summary-
Taylor, a broke but talented fitness instructor, finds herself training a former NFL player who wants to come back from an injury. When their fake dating lights them both up they have to decide if it is worth losing everything they’ve been working towards.