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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
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
takarakei's review against another edition
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
3.5
- ACE main character(s)
- MC is in love with her bff
- kind of a blind date set up (sort of)
It was actually interesting to read a nonfiction book about ACE representation (by Angela Chen) at the same time of reading this. I think that really informed my own ability to understand Joy as a main character. This book reminded me of that movie 27 dresses (only in the like pining after someone kind of off limits and then falling for someone unexpected). The pining over Joy's bff was a bit much at times, and while I did really like the eventual ending it felt a bit convoluted. I cannot speak to the ACE representation myself and if it was done well (and every ACE person's experience is unique), but there were many things echoed from the nonfiction read in this book, so it seemed well done to me...
3/5🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Racism, and Mental illness
Minor: Car accident and Death
alisonfaith426's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing
chaoticnostalgia's review
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
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, Acephobia/Arophobia, Death, and Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
wallenne's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.5
This was a super fun book with multiple ace main characters, each of which have experienced finding companionship in different ways. Joy ultimately learns how to fit into Malcolm's life and find a fulfilling life herself, without sacrificing the love she has for her best friend
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I loved the diverse asexual representation in this book! Both Malcolm and Joy showed unique aspects of the spectrum of asexuality. I also loved how autism-coded Joy is, and I really related to a lot of her experiences with being 'too honest'.
I like the dynamic between Fox and Joy, as it is PEAK grumpy x sunshine. This being said, I didn't feel invested in the plotline with Malcolm because he never seemed to be an appealing character to me. Like I can't see why she is so into him, which undercuts a lot of the plotline.
I like the dynamic between Fox and Joy, as it is PEAK grumpy x sunshine. This being said, I didn't feel invested in the plotline with Malcolm because he never seemed to be an appealing character to me. Like I can't see why she is so into him, which undercuts a lot of the plotline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Mental illness
kcbatts's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Acephobia/Arophobia
Moderate: Alcohol and Panic attacks/disorders
aromarrie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
there’s something so comforting about the way that claire kann writes and joy just kinda stole my heart well into the book, faults and all. seeing how fox grew to care for her just as much for the same reasons put a big smile on my face and i love how much exploring there was in this story as there was romance and communication.
regarding the asexual rep, as someone who’s aro myself, there’s still a big line to cross there but i still connected to joy a lot regarding her feelings for malcolm, as complicated as they were. and i’m just so damn relieved to have read a main character as self-aware as joy who strives to be her best but is also allowed to make her mistakes and feel the way she does.
the character dynamics among joy, fox, malcolm, and summer added some tension well near the beginning of the story but there were some good memories made that i’m grateful for. i hope that they all find the peace & happiness each and every one of them deserve, leaving behind their pasts and old habits if they can.
this is perhaps as good of a summer read as i could’ve stumbled upon, so that’s cool.
regarding the asexual rep, as someone who’s aro myself, there’s still a big line to cross there but i still connected to joy a lot regarding her feelings for malcolm, as complicated as they were. and i’m just so damn relieved to have read a main character as self-aware as joy who strives to be her best but is also allowed to make her mistakes and feel the way she does.
the character dynamics among joy, fox, malcolm, and summer added some tension well near the beginning of the story but there were some good memories made that i’m grateful for. i hope that they all find the peace & happiness each and every one of them deserve, leaving behind their pasts and old habits if they can.
this is perhaps as good of a summer read as i could’ve stumbled upon, so that’s cool.
Content Warnings
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Alcohol