Reviews - Not Quite by the Book

485 reviews for:

Not Quite by the Book

Julie Hatcher

3.43 AVERAGE

jazzlynn5760's review against another edition

2.5

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was bad honestly. I can’t believe I listened to it for 10 hours. Davis is a liar and a coward. Emma is aloof.

stpe6480's review against another edition

2.5

hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Such mixed feelings. I saw other people describe this book as "deeply introspective" and tend to like those, but this didn't quite hit for me.

Firstly, I think this book was improperly marketed. It is listed as a contemporary romance, but there is almost zero romance. I'm talking, the main character actively avoids love and they kiss like three times in the book. It's a single POV, too, so while Emma is off being a recluse, there is no other perspective that provides any romantic insight.

And though not having a strong romantic plot is far from the end of the world, there wasn't much else offered. Emma comes from a loving, stable family. She has a best friend who is supportive, and her dating history is extremely mild. Her biggest struggle was that her mother was very sick (but recovered), which caused some family turmoil. There wasn't anything else happening in the plot that evoked a strong emotional response or resonance, so I found it difficult to care.

I am a very introspective and reflective person, and I tend to enjoy books that rely on that framework. This book just stayed too superficial to have anything worth reflecting on.

That said, I like the writing style and I was intrigued by the characters. I wish we got out of Emma's head more often to see more of those characters. It was a cozy, mellow, clean read. There were zero plot twists and was extremely predictable, and I'm not even mad about it. I like the secret identity/You've Got Mail trope.

Content Warnings

phoenix4224's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

ya_chitayu's review against another edition

1.25

The main character was so stupid I fear I became dumber just by reading her POV

jennwinlb's review against another edition

4.0

funny 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

theinbetween87's review against another edition

3.25

challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted

brittanyj's review against another edition

4.25

Such a cute little story. I felt like there was great character development and the characters all seemed relatable. Nice conclusions to most of the problems in the story. Ending really wrapped it up in a bow.