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innamiwetrust's review
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
wisterialeah's review against another edition
4.0
*Thank you NetGalley and D.J. Murphy for the ARC!*
The DRAMA, the MESSINESS, all wrapped up in a love triangle on a reality TV show with LGBTQIA+ representation and a dash of spice!
From the dedication alone I knew that I would love this book and it did not disappoint. This was as much a love story as it was a story of a girl taking back her life and creating her own narrative. I love loved LOVED Indigo, her heart knows no bounds and lost as she was for most of the story, she always made room for others and their well-being. Indie deserves nothing but happiness forever and she absolutely is one of my favorite FMC's I've ever read!
Where D.J. Murphy really excels is in her ability to write deep, complex, and heart-wrenching characters. I felt something for every contestant on the show, Ryan (MY FAVORITE CHARACTER), River (my sweet love), Kade, and both of the moms and felt a deep disgust for the characters who deserved it. Truly masterful character work in this stunning debut!
The DRAMA, the MESSINESS, all wrapped up in a love triangle on a reality TV show with LGBTQIA+ representation and a dash of spice!
From the dedication alone I knew that I would love this book and it did not disappoint. This was as much a love story as it was a story of a girl taking back her life and creating her own narrative. I love loved LOVED Indigo, her heart knows no bounds and lost as she was for most of the story, she always made room for others and their well-being. Indie deserves nothing but happiness forever and she absolutely is one of my favorite FMC's I've ever read!
Where D.J. Murphy really excels is in her ability to write deep, complex, and heart-wrenching characters. I felt something for every contestant on the show, Ryan (MY FAVORITE CHARACTER), River (my sweet love), Kade, and both of the moms and felt a deep disgust for the characters who deserved it. Truly masterful character work in this stunning debut!
kendra_haynes's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
flowerreadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up! Don’t get me wrong, I loved all of the characters, the plot, and the romance!!! I also felt like the mental health representation in this was very organic and well done. I felt like I could relate to a lot of different aspects in the characters and really grew to love them.
However……..I truly hate third act breakups and did not love the type of breakup trope that was in this
However……..I truly hate third act breakups and did not love the type of breakup trope that was in this
fleurenamour's review
funny
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
4.0
“Not having control makes me feel out of control."
★★★★ 4 /5
(—𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬)
Indigo, grappling with a tarnished reputation, seeks to reshape public opinion by participating in “The Love Meltdown”, a Bachelor-style competition. The narrative unfolds with an intriguing love triangle involving River, the producer and childhood crush, and Kade, the initially annoying Bachelor that Indy can't stand.
D.J Murphy, what you have done with this book is nothing short of exceptional. also, the cover EATS.
Love triangles is my guilty pleasure. While not a trope liked by many, EYE am its number one consumer. My problem with love triangles is how the choice is always so obvious from the jump. they do this by making one love interest more likeable than the other. With this book, however, i wanted her both with River AND Kade. And Indigo was such an enjoyable character
let's talk about it
╰┈➤ 𝓘𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓰𝓸
I liked her. She was fun. She was confident. She knew what she wanted. I loved that the author gave us a visual image of her from the cover. A black girl being the lead in this was just so delicious. (And i love how she’s not centered around her blackness. she just gets to be black without mentioning it or having a complex about it.) Having these little men wrapped around her fingers was so juicy. i dont think there was any point where i found her annoying. which is rare for me when it comes to MCs in general. They tend to be annoying but indigo was so fun. The parts that made me yawn a bit was her speaking about not having control around a certain someone. like girl get up. maybe im toxic, but i love when the FMC hates them a lil bit.
╰┈➤ 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓵𝓮: 𝓡𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓚𝓪𝓭𝓮
Giving me both River and Kade and telling me i could only choose one? crime against humanity
I liked both Kade and River for different reasons.
𝓡𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓻 was a tease from the beginning but you could tell he was very soft. But i found him so relatable saying how he needs control, he needs to know where things aew going. And doing all he did for Ryan and his mum was so self-less, he was so endearing. However, River annoyed me at times because sometimes i felt he was being very selfish and unfair to indie. I was also not convinced about the "why he didnt confess to her sooner" sorry, i didnt buy that. His only real opponent thus far had been Kade, and had he not said anything to indigo, things would've ended differently, im sure of it. But baby, river is a YEARNER. A LOVER. No one was doing it like him!!! Also naming him river is a cheat code
𝓚𝓪𝓭𝓮 was so powerful they couldn't let him go after one book (real)
I loved Kade from the jump and every time we learned something new about him, i fell more and more in love with the character. He was so loveable where no one had ever showed him love. And even when he was angry (rightfully) he could have been so cruel and still he held back. I started out loving River but he quickly won me over (sorry). The tension and chemistry betwen him and Indie was off the charts!! the photshoot scene? nearly didn't make it out alive. And while River is a yearner, Kade graduated cum laude in CHARM. boy that man is charming
╰┈➤ 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽
filming a bachelor-esque like reality TV was simply too delicious. The tension, the drama, The character growth in many of them was so beautiful. The twists and turns were insane like why was i gasping every 4 chapters??? it was too good. Chemistry with her and River, so good. Chemistry with her and Kade, So delicious. Even the friendships were very wholesome (Sabrina you have been promoted). The right characters made you annoyed and not characters you were meant to love. Even though we didnt know much about the characters, they didnt fall flat to me.
╰┈➤ 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰
Now here is why points were deducted. The writing and the worldbuilding were not my cup of tea
it felt very sharp and short and it was not terrible or boring. but a solid mid. Had the story not been inticing, i probably would have dnfed this book based on writing alone
I also liked that representation in this book wasn't for show. it didnt feel like things were just thrown out there to be thrown. Whether that was about sexuality, race or mental illnesses. The author knew what she was dealing with and even in portraying it, a lot of thinking and consideration came into place.
Overall, i loved this book. Being in a reading slump for nearly 2 months and this book took me right out of it. It's fun. It's light and its so lovely. I would recommend this a thousand times over. They dont make romcoms like these anymore
★★★★ 4 /5
(—𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬)
Indigo, grappling with a tarnished reputation, seeks to reshape public opinion by participating in “The Love Meltdown”, a Bachelor-style competition. The narrative unfolds with an intriguing love triangle involving River, the producer and childhood crush, and Kade, the initially annoying Bachelor that Indy can't stand.
D.J Murphy, what you have done with this book is nothing short of exceptional. also, the cover EATS.
Love triangles is my guilty pleasure. While not a trope liked by many, EYE am its number one consumer. My problem with love triangles is how the choice is always so obvious from the jump. they do this by making one love interest more likeable than the other. With this book, however, i wanted her both with River AND Kade. And Indigo was such an enjoyable character
let's talk about it
╰┈➤ 𝓘𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓰𝓸
I liked her. She was fun. She was confident. She knew what she wanted. I loved that the author gave us a visual image of her from the cover. A black girl being the lead in this was just so delicious. (And i love how she’s not centered around her blackness. she just gets to be black without mentioning it or having a complex about it.) Having these little men wrapped around her fingers was so juicy. i dont think there was any point where i found her annoying. which is rare for me when it comes to MCs in general. They tend to be annoying but indigo was so fun. The parts that made me yawn a bit was her speaking about not having control around a certain someone. like girl get up. maybe im toxic, but i love when the FMC hates them a lil bit.
╰┈➤ 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓵𝓮: 𝓡𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓚𝓪𝓭𝓮
Giving me both River and Kade and telling me i could only choose one? crime against humanity
I liked both Kade and River for different reasons.
𝓡𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓻 was a tease from the beginning but you could tell he was very soft. But i found him so relatable saying how he needs control, he needs to know where things aew going. And doing all he did for Ryan and his mum was so self-less, he was so endearing. However, River annoyed me at times because sometimes i felt he was being very selfish and unfair to indie. I was also not convinced about the "why he didnt confess to her sooner" sorry, i didnt buy that. His only real opponent thus far had been Kade, and had he not said anything to indigo, things would've ended differently, im sure of it. But baby, river is a YEARNER. A LOVER. No one was doing it like him!!! Also naming him river is a cheat code
𝓚𝓪𝓭𝓮 was so powerful they couldn't let him go after one book (real)
I loved Kade from the jump and every time we learned something new about him, i fell more and more in love with the character. He was so loveable where no one had ever showed him love. And even when he was angry (rightfully) he could have been so cruel and still he held back. I started out loving River but he quickly won me over (sorry). The tension and chemistry betwen him and Indie was off the charts!! the photshoot scene? nearly didn't make it out alive. And while River is a yearner, Kade graduated cum laude in CHARM. boy that man is charming
╰┈➤ 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽
filming a bachelor-esque like reality TV was simply too delicious. The tension, the drama, The character growth in many of them was so beautiful. The twists and turns were insane like why was i gasping every 4 chapters??? it was too good. Chemistry with her and River, so good. Chemistry with her and Kade, So delicious. Even the friendships were very wholesome (Sabrina you have been promoted). The right characters made you annoyed and not characters you were meant to love. Even though we didnt know much about the characters, they didnt fall flat to me.
╰┈➤ 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰
Now here is why points were deducted. The writing and the worldbuilding were not my cup of tea
it felt very sharp and short and it was not terrible or boring. but a solid mid. Had the story not been inticing, i probably would have dnfed this book based on writing alone
I also liked that representation in this book wasn't for show. it didnt feel like things were just thrown out there to be thrown. Whether that was about sexuality, race or mental illnesses. The author knew what she was dealing with and even in portraying it, a lot of thinking and consideration came into place.
Overall, i loved this book. Being in a reading slump for nearly 2 months and this book took me right out of it. It's fun. It's light and its so lovely. I would recommend this a thousand times over. They dont make romcoms like these anymore
gabbadabbadoo's review
not loving the characters and someone asking her if she's a virgin let alone her actually answering the question is enough for me
amberxc12's review
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
3.0