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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
What WAS this?! Lynn Painter, I love your YA books...the banter, the characters, the plots. They are *chef's kiss*. But this...this was so painful. I have whiplash from both the sudden POV changes and the sudden and abrupt "feelings" that come from literally nowhere. FMC literally tells MMC that she "100% will not catch feelings for him" and THE NEXT DAY she realizes she loves him? WTF happened? Honestly this book was a train wreck and the only reason I finished it was because it was so short. Neither MMC or FMC were likeable, the plot was lacking, and the characters made the most idiotic decisions. It doesn't help that I don't love the miscommunication trope to begin with, but this was one of the worst takes of it I've ever read. Do not recommend at all.
Let me get the negatives out of the way so I can end this review by defending giving it 4 stars. LP's characters are always just a little too immature (which I excuse in her ya books but these characters are in their 20s), and they always have reallyyyy stupid miscommunication. She reuses a lot of the same scenes in her books and I don't think many people write cheesier books.
HOWEVER! If you know me, you know I'm a big LP stan. Better Than the Movies is my favorite contemporary romance of all time, her other two ya rom coms are also easy 5 stars, and her books give me the happiest, life-loving feelings. I didn't love the first book in this series, but this book was SO much fun despite some of my big issues with it. It was lowkey the perfect romantic comedy and could easily be a movie released in like 2004. The friends to lovers progression felt natural and I loved the chemistry. It was funny, adorable, quick, and an escape. It will definitely be a comfort reread in the future and I cannot pretend I didn't absolutely love it, despite its issues.
HOWEVER! If you know me, you know I'm a big LP stan. Better Than the Movies is my favorite contemporary romance of all time, her other two ya rom coms are also easy 5 stars, and her books give me the happiest, life-loving feelings. I didn't love the first book in this series, but this book was SO much fun despite some of my big issues with it. It was lowkey the perfect romantic comedy and could easily be a movie released in like 2004. The friends to lovers progression felt natural and I loved the chemistry. It was funny, adorable, quick, and an escape. It will definitely be a comfort reread in the future and I cannot pretend I didn't absolutely love it, despite its issues.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
No
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This book has a little bit of everything: one night stand, friends to lovers, fake dating, destination wedding, one bed, Pride & Prejudice references. What it didn’t have is a lot of personality. The characters are one dimensional. Hallie was not like other girls, but what makes her so special to Jack that no other guy can see it? She’s hot, and a mess, and perfect. There was little reason why she was a bartender in the beginning but doesn’t need to have two extra part time jobs later on, even though her bills are higher. She takes so little interest in Jack that we’re near the end of the book before she even realizes what he does for a living. Her excuses for not dating him are dumb. The whole “keeping them as friends” thing was dumb. She selected dates with zero personality. Jack, mind you, is the douchiest who only talks about how hot a woman is as her reason for being dateable. The little glimpses we get of Colin and Olivia are unsatisfying.
Some of their banter was great, and there were some cute moments between them, but it takes more than knowing (and repeating often) that the cheese goes on the bottom of the taco. There was some repeat formulaic tendencies between. lol 1 and book 2.
Still, I liked this book enough to read it in 2 days and I’d still read more Lynn Painter books. Solidly 3-stars.
Some of their banter was great, and there were some cute moments between them, but it takes more than knowing (and repeating often) that the cheese goes on the bottom of the taco. There was some repeat formulaic tendencies between. lol 1 and book 2.
Still, I liked this book enough to read it in 2 days and I’d still read more Lynn Painter books. Solidly 3-stars.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
not an ounce of comedy. bonkers. hate his ass
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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 literally finished this book in a day. I loved this book because it was a light read, great storyline, easy to follow along, and superb writing in general from Lynn Painter. I didn’t give this a full 5 stars only because I was getting frustrated with the back and forth miscommunication between the FMC and MMC. Other than that, their banter was top notch and their chemistry was super hot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content