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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a really fun romcom. Could the plot have been a bit more creative? Sure. Side characters? Definitely. BUT the banter was amazing and I’m pleased with how it ended. Would recommend for a light beach read!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this is just immemorable. Its inoffensive but still not good.
I love Lynn Painters YA books theyre soooo good, so im genuinely interested in what makes her writing so different when she tries to go for a more adult style. Where are her endearing characters? why are they suddenly all millennial types with no hobbies? Why are the only interesting characters so 'quirky'? I want her to explain her formula for what she thinks makes for a YA and what makes a book more mature so I can understand her thought processes here.
I really strongly disliked Mr. Wrong number and it almost put me off Lynn entirely because it was the first book from her i'd read. I think this book also struggles with annoying characters and dialogue that some may find funny, but to me this banter is just boring when its constant, you know? like too much of a good thing just becomes mundane.
Minor thing but I didn't like third person perspective (in any book really). Like ill forget its third person and then get taken out when it suddenly says something like "hallie looked at her phone" but im immersed in the persons head. I think third person could have been okay without the dual perspective, because the dual perspective made me think it should be first person. Why be dual perspective if this omniscient story teller can see both characters at all times? what difference will it make? Also the perspective changing multiple times per chapter was a bit jarring.
Hallie was no where near as bad as Olivia as she actually is a competent human being and not a narcissist. (although she did have that 'im in the winter of my life' bit at the start but that got resolved quickly so I think she was in a thriving place in life). She was a bit immature when she wouldn't talk to her roommate about moving out but whatever. I think my biggest gripe with her character is that she has no hobbies or interests or even really a personality? Ive spent 300 pages in these guys heads and I know nothing about them? The only thing that was mentioned was watching pride and prejudice, but I have no clue if this was a genuine interest of hers or if it was just setting up for the big love reveal thing at the end.
Ben sucked. Again no hobbies just a rich guy who honestly seems too have deeper problems and also never apologises for anything that he does wrong lol. There was this whole side plot about how his uncle was his idol but then when his uncle died no friends or past flames turned up to his funeral and it kinda flipped Ben's view of him. OMFG IM GETTING HIS NAME WROONG I MEAN JACK, BEN IS HALLIE'S EX URGH. kay so Jack. But then I feel like this is an unresolved issue. At the start of the book hes about to propose too his "bitchy" girlfriend who everyone around him doesnt approve off, and which his sister confided in Hallie that she thought he was doing this soo he didnt end up alone. Then there was a moment in middle of the book where he goes a bar his uncle used to be a frequent member of and got upset over how there was no markers of his time there even though his uncle believed he was such an integral part of the bar (which did make me go into an existential crisis almost so ill give it that). And then at the end of the book where the characters had barely been dating I think like less than 6 months definitely he was about to propose to Hallie on their holiday. So is he not just rushing things again? He also shamed Hallie/ was shocked that she'd been single or not on a date (cant remember which one) for a year, so he definitely has a thing about not being able to be single. So I just think there is more to his character but not in a good way.
And i hated his POV he sounded soo jealous and whiny all the time the pining was not it. He also gave me the creeps when he was confessing his love too Hallie and she was trying to bring up ruining their friendship and the sabotaging he did tooo one of her dates. But then he was like 'all that doesnt matter if youd just listen to what im saying youre not listening to me blah blah blah'. Like you saying you love me doesnt automatically erase these genuine questions and concerns I have?
There was also a bigger issue in this book of misogyny, which i think was also present in Mr. Wrong number but I havent noticed it in her YA books (although in her YA it could just be veiled under teenage jealousy instead so its not as noticeable). Like Jack's Ex was portrayed as a woman who cared about her appearance and kinda like a kardashian type with the way she talked and screeched. So then all the characters were supposed to like called her a bitch. And then both Hallie's mum and sister were painted in this bridezilla overly obsessed with typical feminine things like dresses and everything, and made fun of for wanting the day to be perfect. But ofc Hallie couldn't care less about those things. So idk there was a not like other girls feel to it.
The romance was just lacking for me I didn't really like their dialogue so that just made it flop. I also don't think fake dating worked in this instance because there was no one too convince? Like because theyre adults everyone just accepted it, because if two adults said they were dating theyd obviously be no drama. So it was more 'we want to act like a couple with no strings attached so were going to pretend theres a reason for it when there isnt'. And then no joke theres a third act break up 97% of the way through??? where they apparently don't talk for 2 weeks at all and then its magically resolved. They didn't want too mess up their friendship but I just wasn't convinced that their friendship wasn't worth the risk? its not like theyd known each other for ages and they legit met because they hooked up.
So yeah i liked Hallie's best friend Ruthie she was cute. I suppose the actual concept wasnt too bad where they kept going on dates from the app and then bailing with each other if they hated it. Still, it just made it too predictable because obviously they're gonna end up together soo we know the tinder date is going to fail. Better than the first but absolutely no where near the standard of Lynns oother books, im glad I gave her adult books another try but ill stick too her YAs in the future.
I love Lynn Painters YA books theyre soooo good, so im genuinely interested in what makes her writing so different when she tries to go for a more adult style. Where are her endearing characters? why are they suddenly all millennial types with no hobbies? Why are the only interesting characters so 'quirky'? I want her to explain her formula for what she thinks makes for a YA and what makes a book more mature so I can understand her thought processes here.
I really strongly disliked Mr. Wrong number and it almost put me off Lynn entirely because it was the first book from her i'd read. I think this book also struggles with annoying characters and dialogue that some may find funny, but to me this banter is just boring when its constant, you know? like too much of a good thing just becomes mundane.
Minor thing but I didn't like third person perspective (in any book really). Like ill forget its third person and then get taken out when it suddenly says something like "hallie looked at her phone" but im immersed in the persons head. I think third person could have been okay without the dual perspective, because the dual perspective made me think it should be first person. Why be dual perspective if this omniscient story teller can see both characters at all times? what difference will it make? Also the perspective changing multiple times per chapter was a bit jarring.
Hallie was no where near as bad as Olivia as she actually is a competent human being and not a narcissist. (although she did have that 'im in the winter of my life' bit at the start but that got resolved quickly so I think she was in a thriving place in life). She was a bit immature when she wouldn't talk to her roommate about moving out but whatever. I think my biggest gripe with her character is that she has no hobbies or interests or even really a personality? Ive spent 300 pages in these guys heads and I know nothing about them? The only thing that was mentioned was watching pride and prejudice, but I have no clue if this was a genuine interest of hers or if it was just setting up for the big love reveal thing at the end.
Ben sucked. Again no hobbies just a rich guy who honestly seems too have deeper problems and also never apologises for anything that he does wrong lol. There was this whole side plot about how his uncle was his idol but then when his uncle died no friends or past flames turned up to his funeral and it kinda flipped Ben's view of him. OMFG IM GETTING HIS NAME WROONG I MEAN JACK, BEN IS HALLIE'S EX URGH. kay so Jack. But then I feel like this is an unresolved issue. At the start of the book hes about to propose too his "bitchy" girlfriend who everyone around him doesnt approve off, and which his sister confided in Hallie that she thought he was doing this soo he didnt end up alone. Then there was a moment in middle of the book where he goes a bar his uncle used to be a frequent member of and got upset over how there was no markers of his time there even though his uncle believed he was such an integral part of the bar (which did make me go into an existential crisis almost so ill give it that). And then at the end of the book where the characters had barely been dating I think like less than 6 months definitely he was about to propose to Hallie on their holiday. So is he not just rushing things again? He also shamed Hallie/ was shocked that she'd been single or not on a date (cant remember which one) for a year, so he definitely has a thing about not being able to be single. So I just think there is more to his character but not in a good way.
And i hated his POV he sounded soo jealous and whiny all the time the pining was not it. He also gave me the creeps when he was confessing his love too Hallie and she was trying to bring up ruining their friendship and the sabotaging he did tooo one of her dates. But then he was like 'all that doesnt matter if youd just listen to what im saying youre not listening to me blah blah blah'. Like you saying you love me doesnt automatically erase these genuine questions and concerns I have?
There was also a bigger issue in this book of misogyny, which i think was also present in Mr. Wrong number but I havent noticed it in her YA books (although in her YA it could just be veiled under teenage jealousy instead so its not as noticeable). Like Jack's Ex was portrayed as a woman who cared about her appearance and kinda like a kardashian type with the way she talked and screeched. So then all the characters were supposed to like called her a bitch. And then both Hallie's mum and sister were painted in this bridezilla overly obsessed with typical feminine things like dresses and everything, and made fun of for wanting the day to be perfect. But ofc Hallie couldn't care less about those things. So idk there was a not like other girls feel to it.
The romance was just lacking for me I didn't really like their dialogue so that just made it flop. I also don't think fake dating worked in this instance because there was no one too convince? Like because theyre adults everyone just accepted it, because if two adults said they were dating theyd obviously be no drama. So it was more 'we want to act like a couple with no strings attached so were going to pretend theres a reason for it when there isnt'. And then no joke theres a third act break up 97% of the way through??? where they apparently don't talk for 2 weeks at all and then its magically resolved. They didn't want too mess up their friendship but I just wasn't convinced that their friendship wasn't worth the risk? its not like theyd known each other for ages and they legit met because they hooked up.
So yeah i liked Hallie's best friend Ruthie she was cute. I suppose the actual concept wasnt too bad where they kept going on dates from the app and then bailing with each other if they hated it. Still, it just made it too predictable because obviously they're gonna end up together soo we know the tinder date is going to fail. Better than the first but absolutely no where near the standard of Lynns oother books, im glad I gave her adult books another try but ill stick too her YAs in the future.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I read this before Mr. Wrong Number and don't think I really needed it - it's okay as a standalone. If anything, I liked it more than Mr. Wrong Number so there's that.
medium-paced