Reviews

Popsugar 2022: 38) A book featuring a party

I was able to get my hands on this early through Netgalley. Yay.

Let's start with the cover. The artist is Elizabeth Turner Stokes (@EStokesCreative) And she's brilliant. She perfectly captured the rivals to lovers relationship between London and Drew. They feel both drawn together and pushed apart. London is closed off to the attraction, and she's got her arms crossed. Drew has secretly always held a crush on London, and the artist drew him with his hands in his pockets, feigning indifference. Their foreheads are pressed together, showing the source of their rivalry and their attraction.

London is an overachiever and perfectionist. She's too busy with her job (pediatric surgeon) for love. She's fresh out of a relationship that ended in a humiliating viral video and she is angry/worried about a potential privatization of her hospital. She has a conflict with her father, who she never feels she's good enough to impress.

Drew is a hedge fund manager and his company is about to acquire London's hospital. Oops. He also carries a lot of guilt for his mother's death, because he had had the financial resources to help her during her cancer diagnosis and treatment, but she kept her health problems secret from him. (I found this very relatable, as I feel guilty for my mother's death from influenza related pneumonia that I believe -no matter how wrongly- I would have noticed if I'd not lived 1800 miles away.)

I really liked that Ms. Rochon makes the point that while love cannot be bought, sometimes money is the biggest hurdle to overcome in career, life, and relationships. So many problems can actually be solved by simply throwing money at it.

abeckreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

3.75

maddimclark's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.5

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars

Easily my favorite of the entire series!! What can I say? I have a thing for rivals to lovers. This book was a lot of fun with a compelling story. I really enjoyed the romance as it developed between London and Drew, both interesting characters together and as individuals.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

emilyvelle's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.0

bookish_withsky's review against another edition

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3.0

If you want to read about a sweet, patient, generous, rich man that is the first to fall for the strong female character ( who has some growth and development as well), this is for you. This was more plot driven than romance driven, which is certainly not a complaint. The conflict was irritating though and felt so incredibly repetitive. However, miscommunication was avoided - the couple actually talked it out. Imagine that. Romances are either 1, 3, or 5 for me. So abysmal, good, or absolutely perfect. This one is pretty good. I enjoyed it.

swigley's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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