Scan barcode
ashylibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Mental illness, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content and Racism
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Fake dating was my favorite trope for a while & I hadn’t read any books with it in so long until this one! This also really felt reminiscent of a 90s romcom with the messiness and goofiness of that era, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Joy has loved her best friend Malcolm forever, but when he divulges that he’s found “the one” in Summer, she is understandably heartbroken. Joy and Malcolm met at the lgbtia+ club at school, with him teaching her what asexual meant & her realizing that it described her feelings about sex! Joy always found comfort in the fact that they shared this experience, and sort of closed herself off to the possibility of finding companionship or romance with anyone else. She had become comfortable with her and Malcolm’s dynamic and never questioned it or pondered if she could pursue romance.
Fox (Summer’s bestie) was a lovely love interest for her, and after they pretend to fall for each other during a weekend away, Joy begins to ruminate on new, surprising possibilities! I loved the build up to their romance and how Fox not only called Joy in (when it came to the unspoken issues she had with her friendship with Malcolm), but he also invited her to consider a life beyond Malcolm. It wasn’t about “oh you just haven’t found the right person,” which is an aro/acephobic thing to assume; it was moreso, “You’re too close to see that he doesn’t feel the way you do, and that’s not okay for him to use you for constant emotional labor.” I am sure there’s a more eloquent way to frame this, but I really admired that Fox was brave and compassionate in presenting this information to Joy.
This was such a lovely story to read, and I will absolutely be checking out more of Claire Kann’s work!
Fake dating was my favorite trope for a while & I hadn’t read any books with it in so long until this one! This also really felt reminiscent of a 90s romcom with the messiness and goofiness of that era, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Joy has loved her best friend Malcolm forever, but when he divulges that he’s found “the one” in Summer, she is understandably heartbroken. Joy and Malcolm met at the lgbtia+ club at school, with him teaching her what asexual meant & her realizing that it described her feelings about sex! Joy always found comfort in the fact that they shared this experience, and sort of closed herself off to the possibility of finding companionship or romance with anyone else. She had become comfortable with her and Malcolm’s dynamic and never questioned it or pondered if she could pursue romance.
Fox (Summer’s bestie) was a lovely love interest for her, and after they pretend to fall for each other during a weekend away, Joy begins to ruminate on new, surprising possibilities! I loved the build up to their romance and how Fox not only called Joy in (when it came to the unspoken issues she had with her friendship with Malcolm), but he also invited her to consider a life beyond Malcolm. It wasn’t about “oh you just haven’t found the right person,” which is an aro/acephobic thing to assume; it was moreso, “You’re too close to see that he doesn’t feel the way you do, and that’s not okay for him to use you for constant emotional labor.” I am sure there’s a more eloquent way to frame this, but I really admired that Fox was brave and compassionate in presenting this information to Joy.
This was such a lovely story to read, and I will absolutely be checking out more of Claire Kann’s work!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Racism, Death, Car accident, and Mental illness
abookwormspov's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
5.0
I loved this with my whole heart. I love reading ace stories and I need more of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racism
zydecovivo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Outing and Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol and Acephobia/Arophobia
psistillreadyou's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Racism and Homophobia
sophiesmallhands's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Classism, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Acephobia/Arophobia
jackiepreston's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
victoriapatella's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I have never read a romance book like this, and it was refreshing. I related a lot to Joy when it came to hesitance for pursuing a romantic relationship due to the fear of the partner not feeling fully satisfied. I also understand having a person, your person. Someone who understands you so deeply that you don’t believe anyone will ever compare. Someone who you love so much that you feel like any potential romantic partner would always come second to them. I related to this so hard that it was kind of scary reading it because that meant at least one other person also has felt this way. I know I’m going to contradict myself a bit in the next paragraph, but I really appreciated how Joy always spoken her mind, too. She always communicated how she felt, and expected the same in return. She didn’t accept being treated unfairly or having things being left unspoken. I don’t know if it was intentional by the author, but it seemed to me that Joy was on the autism spectrum.
This all being said, I really hate the miscommunication trope. While I do understand using miscommunication to build up angst (and I love me some angst), this miscommunication between Malcolm and Joy lasted the entire book. And I understand it was supposed to be ironic that Joy can clearly communicate with everyone else except Malcolm, but I found the difference too drastic to really be convincing.When Malcolm and Joy finally have The Conversation, I was still left unsatisfied. I also didn’t see enough of Malcolm and Summer’s relationship to feel convinced they truly belonged together. Maybe that’s the point, but it still felt frustrating to me. I loooooved Fox though. A boy who is grumpy to everyone except The One? Sign me up. And the silver hair? Absolutely.
Overall, I really appreciated the ace (and possibly autism) representation, I just wish there was less miscommunication.
This all being said, I really hate the miscommunication trope. While I do understand using miscommunication to build up angst (and I love me some angst), this miscommunication between Malcolm and Joy lasted the entire book. And I understand it was supposed to be ironic that Joy can clearly communicate with everyone else except Malcolm, but I found the difference too drastic to really be convincing.
Overall, I really appreciated the ace (and possibly autism) representation, I just wish there was less miscommunication.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia and Car accident
angelfireeast24's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Acephobia/Arophobia, Cursing, and Panic attacks/disorders
aus10england's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Very lighthearted and great representation. I kinda spaced out a bit towards the end, but the humor and characters kept me going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Sexual content