Reviews with content warning for Medical content - The Bodyguard

1-2 ⭐️
so yes don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the reversal of the bodyguard idea, HOWEVER, this book is filled with lines shaming others appearance for the fmc's self esteem. His ex is a famous like model or something; essentially she was famous for being attractive (or smth) and the plot hinged an uncomfortable amount on shaming her; either negative comments about how she got cosmetic surgery/wore makeup/got dressed up a certain way and she was made into this kinda negative stereotype, then compared against the fmc, who was 'real' according the the LI 🙄 it was like Yes, this was fun at times and had a decent level of emotion but the woman bashing for the sake of the fmc alone was a bit much for me.

Also there is a lot of tragedy in this book it is not really a happy book, fair warning… ‼️ SPOILERS? ‼️ it starts with her mom dying and his brother is also passed and it was just a lot of possible triggers (PLEASE CHECK TW/CW) packed into one book which like is fine but the description doesn’t really prepare you for the way some of these things are handled and it's like not all that light tbh especially towards the end. I think there are some people who will enjoy this book but definitely check tw/cw (especially suicide and such) and be prepared for some women bashing on women and not great stereotyping of the LI’s ex.

I enjoy the idea but this book missed the mark for me and I didn’t even want to re read the parts of it for the review, and doing that made it drop in my enjoyment of it immensely

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rachrreads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

Hannah does not look like your typical bodyguard, but that’s exactly why she’s the perfect fit for the job. Hannah’s life is in shambles— her mother died, her boyfriend dumped her the day after her mother’s funeral, and she’s stuck in Texas rather than flying off to another country for work. Hannah is ready for an escape and she one in the form of a new assignment— Jack Stapleton.

Jack is a famous actor who has been incognito since the death of his brother. He’s come home to Texas to visit his sick mother and his team insists he gets a bodyguard due to a stalker in the area. The catch? Hannah has to pretend to be his girlfriend around his family, as they are unaware of the stalker situation. As they spend the next few weeks together, Hannah’s feelings begin to grow. But how do you know if it is real when the person you are fake dating is an experienced actor?

This book started so good! It had a lot of my favorite things:
Fake dating trope? Check.
Strong female MC? Check.
Grumpy/sunshine? Check.

I loved seeing Hannah and Jack begin to open up to each other and heal from their pasts. While the book was heavy with past trauma, it was well balanced with great banter between the two as well as laughter.

My friend Kristie described this book as The Proposal (the movie) meets Miss Congeniality and I agree so much with this statement.

The last 15% was where this book lost me. Without going into spoilers it just felt very clichéd and cringey to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love cliché romances but those scenes were just too much for me. I did enjoy the epilogue for the most part as well except the parts about 🐷🕸— IYKYK.

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toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.0

This book was a no-brainer for me, bodyguard trope, but the bodyguard is a woman looking after a man? Sign me up. For the most part, this book was good. The writing was a little dialogue heavy and sometimes I felt like I was getting whiplash reading it, but that also made it go by faster. This had a true rom-com feel to it while also dealing with themes like familial trauma, death of a loved one, and some other pretty trigger heavy stuff, but I thought that it was dealt with with sensitivity.

There could be minor spoilers below, so just a warning:

Some aspects I didn't really enjoy were the way a lot of the women in this book were portrayed. There was your "stereotypical vapid Hollywood girlfriend" trope in there, and I get that tropes are tropes for a reason, but the way that our main character, Hannah, was often held up as being better than other women in LA because she...doesn't get plastic surgery? I guess? I thought that was weird and misogynistic on the part of the author, probably inadvertently, but misogynistic nonetheless. Very "not like other girls" of her.

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madsmcw_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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decklededgess's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing fast-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

4.0

rigger warnings: cancer, emotional abuse, alcoholism, alcohol, death, car accident, physical injury, gun violence, stalking, death threats, suicide mention, drowning

What a weird ass book in the best way possible. I expected to enjoy this book what with it being fake dating AND forced proximity but the added benefit of an incredible narrator’s voice and amazing comedic timing really hit the ball out of the park with this book.

I enjoyed the narration and first person pov so much! It made for an incredibly engrossing reading experience, it felt like someone catching me up on their life after years apart.

I loved Hannah and Jack. Their goofy chemistry really hooked me. The yearning and slow burn of it all was so gratifying and the payoff at the end was supreme.

I also loved Hannah’s character growth from self loathing and escapism to acceptance and love.

I felt like the epilogue really went on for too long mainly because it was a lot of telling and no showing but it was fun all the same.

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