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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
3.5-4? I liked this a lot; Ford’s uprightness and Gina’s take-no-shit were a great combination. I mean, Ford was an idiot but he was a sweet, clueless idiot. I loved that Gina didn’t want a makeover, but I also liked that she wasn’t impervious to the brutality people can inflict. Both characters’ trajectories were realistic and well-written. And both of their families were great; looking forward to more Hartigan shenanigans. All in all, a nice rom-com with a modern take on the ugly duckling theme.
Heat level: about a 3 — sex on the page but nothing crazy.
Heat level: about a 3 — sex on the page but nothing crazy.
This book was just meh to me. There were some cute moments, but overall it was a very superficial story that was pretty unrealistic.
Sometimes you just need something light and fluffy to take your mind off things. I appreciated that Gina wasn't the typical stunningly beautiful heroine, but I was repeatedly pulled out of the story by the negativity and bad behavior of so many of the tertiary characters. It was sometimes just too painful to watch.
So disappointed I didn't enjoy this more, because I liked the idea of a romance series featuring heroines not typically given a heroine role. The title didn't thrill me, but there's been a lot of buzz about this one, and the wait for the ebook at the library had my hopes way, way up. Friends, the hopes went way too high.
Gina's a "butterface," which comes from a horrible phrase that means a woman's body's great but her face his not. She's described as having a large nose, bulging eyes, and some acne. The romance, actually, is pretty good. Ford likes her pretty much from the start, and he likes her the way she is. In theory, this could have worked for me.
The problems in this book pretty much all come back to Gina's uneven characterization. She's described as having been teased, taunted, and emotionally abused by almost everyone she has ever met. We see evidence of this in the way that all of Ford's cop coworkers talk about her throughout the book. It's over-the-top awful, and this book will likely be triggering for anyone who has been through that sort of bullying.
Sometimes, Gina does act like a person to whom those things have happened. She can be mistrustful and refuses to believe that Ford could actually be into her. But then, it's like a switch will flip and Gina's suddenly perfectly confident and trusting. For example, when Ford first shows up, she thinks he's actually there to investigate her brothers, who are in the mob, but somehow she forgets she thought that and is horrified to learn that was why he was there???
Though I didn't get that sort of treatment, I do know how it feels to have low self-confidence and body image issues, and Gina's behavior rarely made sense, right from the start. In the opening scene, she's forced onto a kiss cam at a wedding she planned with Ford, and she's embarrassed by the whole thing. Then one of Ford's cop friends gives her Ford's room key, saying he wanted to spend more time with her. She's skeptical it's a prank but not offended to be propositioned this way at work somehow, but she goes up to his room? Like? What?
Basically I never understood who Gina really was, and I also don't think people would actually be quite that awful (at least openly) about someone's ugly face. It's not representation I would recommend to anyone. I didn't like it, but I gave an extra star for being compulsively readable.
Gina's a "butterface," which comes from a horrible phrase that means a woman's body's great but her face his not. She's described as having a large nose, bulging eyes, and some acne. The romance, actually, is pretty good. Ford likes her pretty much from the start, and he likes her the way she is. In theory, this could have worked for me.
The problems in this book pretty much all come back to Gina's uneven characterization. She's described as having been teased, taunted, and emotionally abused by almost everyone she has ever met. We see evidence of this in the way that all of Ford's cop coworkers talk about her throughout the book. It's over-the-top awful, and this book will likely be triggering for anyone who has been through that sort of bullying.
Sometimes, Gina does act like a person to whom those things have happened. She can be mistrustful and refuses to believe that Ford could actually be into her. But then, it's like a switch will flip and Gina's suddenly perfectly confident and trusting. For example, when Ford first shows up, she thinks he's actually there to investigate her brothers, who are in the mob, but somehow she forgets she thought that and is horrified to learn that was why he was there???
Though I didn't get that sort of treatment, I do know how it feels to have low self-confidence and body image issues, and Gina's behavior rarely made sense, right from the start. In the opening scene, she's forced onto a kiss cam at a wedding she planned with Ford, and she's embarrassed by the whole thing. Then one of Ford's cop friends gives her Ford's room key, saying he wanted to spend more time with her. She's skeptical it's a prank but not offended to be propositioned this way at work somehow, but she goes up to his room? Like? What?
Basically I never understood who Gina really was, and I also don't think people would actually be quite that awful (at least openly) about someone's ugly face. It's not representation I would recommend to anyone. I didn't like it, but I gave an extra star for being compulsively readable.
Something to warm your toes in the cold.
Really predictable but still cozy.
Really predictable but still cozy.
I really tried to love this one. I tried so hard. It was okay. Not my favorite Avery Flynn by a long shot, and it's largely because I just couldn't relate to either of the main characters. I loved the message behind it, but the constant berating of Gina's looks, and the self-sabotage on Gina's part made it so hard to get through.
I will say there were some endearing moments, and it finished well, but it's definitely not one I plan on rereading. This book didn't turn me off of Avery Flynn in any way, but I was incredibly underwhelmed.
Parental Guidance was MUCH MUCH better, and I hope the rest of her books reach that level of awesome.
I will say there were some endearing moments, and it finished well, but it's definitely not one I plan on rereading. This book didn't turn me off of Avery Flynn in any way, but I was incredibly underwhelmed.
Parental Guidance was MUCH MUCH better, and I hope the rest of her books reach that level of awesome.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kinda blehh tbh. Reminded me of a not-as-well-written version of You Don't Have To Say You Love Me or Here's Looking at You, in terms of the heroine having issues about her physical appearance that stem from horrible experiences at school, except not nearly as well done as the latter example. There was no real focus on her school experiences- the quick tale at the end wasn't emphasised nearly enough, or feel even a little bit dramatic tbh, and I'm still confused about why exactly she thought she was so ugly when we never even given a proper description of her and Ford found her so attractive from the get go???
Butterface was sweet, funny, and deeper than I thought it would be. There was a little bit of suspense, and a lot of hotness! Flynn hit the mark with this one!
This was a cute and fast read for me. I will be reading the other books in the series.