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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
for the hype that this book get, i was disappointed. the supposedly “enemies-to-lovers”—there were no enemies, only rivals office, and they got together wayyyyyy to quick. the mention of “big man, smol women” was also out of hand and borderline annoying. the writing itself was also weird and a little bit confusing for me.
but for a contemporary romance, it was worth to read. cute and easy to read, the problems were light and not too stressful. it is a fun and entertaining book
but for a contemporary romance, it was worth to read. cute and easy to read, the problems were light and not too stressful. it is a fun and entertaining book
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Vomit
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
he painted his room the color of her eyes ??? that’s ENOUGH
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Yes
On eof the best enemies to lovers stories ever! ThornesThornes genius is that she so slowly gets these authentic characters to persistently work under each other's armor and let their vulnerable , lustful and loving souls shine! Breathtaking writing and genius banter! Super cool plot twist at the end !
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I immediately became addicted to this book. I thought the set up was a little eye-roll inducing at first--I've never truly hated someone who wasn't some kind of bigot or creep, so it's hard for me to imagine hating someone so intensely for just like... being intense. Anyway, as the book went on, I actually really connected with the characters. My favorite aspect is how they're both a little a little neurotic. Like he wears the same shirts in sequence and she notices. Like Josh, I am a shy person with a sometimes hard exterior who just really wants to be noticed and understood. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) because I'm a gangly woman, I do not have the same intimidation factor. I also really like that, by design with this premise, the two love interests are financial equals. This wasn't really a detail that was explored explicitly, but I still appreciated that, with all the other cliché aspects of their dynamic, at least he wasn't secretly loaded for no reason.
Their little "games" and banter were delectably cartoonish, and I kept imagining a movie adaptation in the style of Scott Pilgrim or an anime. Having not seen the actual movie adaptation, I'm pretty convinced that it will not capture this tone of the characters at all and will be a really lack-luster portrayal.
That all being said, there were a few things about this book that left a bad taste in my mouth. Firstly, I felt too woke for this book. It wasn't overtly problematic, but little details like gushing over their white skin and blue eyes, the use of the slur g*psy, saying "free, free at last" about her car and then laughing about attributing an MLK quote to something so trivial. It was a definitively White book with a sprinkling of out-of-touch or tone deaf details as a result. I also would've preferred a greater emphasis on consent, which I think a lot of similar romance authors do well. Especially in a workplace setting with legit HR complaint trails, a certain scene should've involved a better consent check imo. Also, I always say this, but the huge man-little woman dynamic is also SOOOOO played out. This author and Ali Hazelwood and all the other freaked out little women writing novels need to cool it. Maybe I'm just desperate for some tall woman representation. This dynamic was such a prominent part of the narrative, though, like they were always talking about it. I'm like damn we get it, you're freaked to the max because he's like triple your size. If there are any short kings reading romance, I'm sure they're affected even more greatly than my 5'11 ass. Romance authors depict the diversity of humanity challenge, level impossible apparently.
Finally, I thought the ending was really anticlimactic.They spent the whole novel competing and building towards this big interview, just for Josh to bow out beforehand? I get the narrative choice, but it felt like an abrupt stop to the momentum being built. And then their sex scenes were also kind of underwhelming. The elevator scene and the bossy language they exchanged set them up for a kinky power play dynamic, but then when they had sex, it was like slow missionary under the covers lol. I was actually really excited/intrigued at the prospect of a more dominant female lead, which NEVER happens in het romance. There was real potential for that, but the novel didn't deliver. Typical *sigh*. Even though I enjoy reading novels like this, I am weary of the hypocritical narrative ethics that condemn overt sexism (e.g. leering at your employee's cleavage) but then reinforce very traditional gender dynamics. It's so cowardly imo! I will continue to read bad and almost-amazing romances and hold them to too high of standards because maybe someday either 1) I will fall in love and stop needing this genre like a fix, or 2) I will get the femdom representation I deserve!
Their little "games" and banter were delectably cartoonish, and I kept imagining a movie adaptation in the style of Scott Pilgrim or an anime. Having not seen the actual movie adaptation, I'm pretty convinced that it will not capture this tone of the characters at all and will be a really lack-luster portrayal.
That all being said, there were a few things about this book that left a bad taste in my mouth. Firstly, I felt too woke for this book. It wasn't overtly problematic, but little details like gushing over their white skin and blue eyes, the use of the slur g*psy, saying "free, free at last" about her car and then laughing about attributing an MLK quote to something so trivial. It was a definitively White book with a sprinkling of out-of-touch or tone deaf details as a result. I also would've preferred a greater emphasis on consent, which I think a lot of similar romance authors do well. Especially in a workplace setting with legit HR complaint trails, a certain scene should've involved a better consent check imo. Also, I always say this, but the huge man-little woman dynamic is also SOOOOO played out. This author and Ali Hazelwood and all the other freaked out little women writing novels need to cool it. Maybe I'm just desperate for some tall woman representation. This dynamic was such a prominent part of the narrative, though, like they were always talking about it. I'm like damn we get it, you're freaked to the max because he's like triple your size. If there are any short kings reading romance, I'm sure they're affected even more greatly than my 5'11 ass. Romance authors depict the diversity of humanity challenge, level impossible apparently.
Finally, I thought the ending was really anticlimactic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Stalking
Cute. A bit too insta-love for me, especially for a book that claims enemies to lovers.