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apappashorii's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Short, sweet, & low-angst! My first from Rebekah Weatherspoon, but certainly not my last!
precious_reads's review
4.0
Age gap sugar baby romance, where an instant connection changes the game for everyone involved.
virgo_reader's review
4.0
This book plays out the perfect fantasy of an ideal Sugar Daddy. One who is hot, rich, respectful, not creepy, not just in it for sex, and looking for a real relationship. Truly a unicorn.
I loved Kayla and Michael - or maybe I just loved the idea of them, of having all financial pressures removed by a fairy sugar godfucker (can that be a thing?). Turns out not worrying about money is my biggest kink.
And can I just say… Adler gave me bad vibes since the beginning!
I loved Kayla and Michael - or maybe I just loved the idea of them, of having all financial pressures removed by a fairy sugar godfucker (can that be a thing?). Turns out not worrying about money is my biggest kink.
And can I just say… Adler gave me bad vibes since the beginning!
Spoiler
I hate friendships like that where they’re frenemies and disrespectful. Kayla didn’t deserve that kind of friend and Michael didn’t deserve to be freaking groped. I hope we get to see more of Duke and Daniella in the future books, I didn’t realize it was a trilogy all about Kayla and Michael but I’m stoked!chirson's review
2.0
I'm finding it difficult to be very coherent in my response to this novel, but I do want to put in my two cents, so forgive me the chaos below.
I feel like I'm not getting something. Much like in Alisha Rai's case, I heard good things about this novel, but other than having a somewhat original premise and reasonably well-written sex scenes (they did nothing for me, but seemed mostly alright? and I appreciated the focus on manual stimulation, especially since I suppose it would make sense for a bisexual protagonist) it felt like a draft rather than a finished product. And I don't only mean the typos, of which there were more than I'd consider acceptable even for a self-published book or serious fanfiction (missing verbs, missing endings, the like). There are some moments that are supposed to be humorous that only made me cringe or broke my suspension of disbelief, and sometimes the narrator becomes unnecessarily vague (he did something with the condom, probably, I don't know). More importantly, the connection between the protagonists felt only sketched (or worse yet, we're told-told-told instead of shown that it exists; and really, they seemed less-than-believable in how often, early and in detail they discuss what they feel, want and think. The real issues they might have didn't quite make an appearance. And the background characters had no life beyond being sketches, some of them present only for the time needed to tell us exactly how diverse they are, or worse yet, becoming cringe-inducing: the roommate / best friend of the protagonist, the gay personal assistant who is much too involved in his boss's sex life not to break my suspension of disbelief. The characters' reaction frequently come off as plot-convenient rather than believable, and then there was the sudden appearance of a whole bevy of fake celebrities. And I suppose all of these ingredients could theoretically work, but they just weren't written well enough to do so. Something about it all didn't click.
I can tell that the author enjoys writing about a heroine that is not typical romance fare, and that's what made parts of the novel almost fun to read. But I must admit that instead of focusing on that which was supposed to make the heroine likeable (her personality, self-confidence, girl-next-door imperfections) I couldn't help cringing at the idea that she actually is in anything like a desperate situation. (Seriously, cry me a river and downsize the apartment and the car first. You're 24 at a relatively recent well-paying but not necessarily secure job - why would you have bought a new car? - well, I think she's paying installments, but still. Maybe it's a cultural thing that this Central European can't get, like the idea that siblings have to have separate rooms practically since day 1.) And the attitudes to sex work are all over the place. The messages we get from the protagonist are basically: that she's totally okay with it, but also doesn't want to do it, but wants to be supported / kept by a guy potentially, but also doesn't want to rely on a guy and wants to support herself. And it's absolutely fine to do sex work and to aspire to being a housewife as long as it's not done in a gold-diggery way. And then there's the final message in the characterisation of Kayla's roommate.
At the end of the day what we get is: it's fine to get money for sex but only if you like banging the guy. Because then it's, yes, you guessed it, so sweet. In short, I think one day Rebekah Weatherspoon may write a good, engrossing romance novel, but that day hasn't come yet.
I feel like I'm not getting something. Much like in Alisha Rai's case, I heard good things about this novel, but other than having a somewhat original premise and reasonably well-written sex scenes (they did nothing for me, but seemed mostly alright? and I appreciated the focus on manual stimulation, especially since I suppose it would make sense for a bisexual protagonist) it felt like a draft rather than a finished product. And I don't only mean the typos, of which there were more than I'd consider acceptable even for a self-published book or serious fanfiction (missing verbs, missing endings, the like). There are some moments that are supposed to be humorous that only made me cringe or broke my suspension of disbelief, and sometimes the narrator becomes unnecessarily vague (he did something with the condom, probably, I don't know). More importantly, the connection between the protagonists felt only sketched (or worse yet, we're told-told-told instead of shown that it exists; and really, they seemed less-than-believable in how often, early and in detail they discuss what they feel, want and think. The real issues they might have didn't quite make an appearance. And the background characters had no life beyond being sketches, some of them present only for the time needed to tell us exactly how diverse they are, or worse yet, becoming cringe-inducing: the roommate / best friend of the protagonist
Spoiler
who we never see be all that nice at all, and who turns out to actually be an evil gold-diggerI can tell that the author enjoys writing about a heroine that is not typical romance fare, and that's what made parts of the novel almost fun to read. But I must admit that instead of focusing on that which was supposed to make the heroine likeable (her personality, self-confidence, girl-next-door imperfections) I couldn't help cringing at the idea that she actually is in anything like a desperate situation. (Seriously, cry me a river and downsize the apartment and the car first. You're 24 at a relatively recent well-paying but not necessarily secure job - why would you have bought a new car? - well, I think she's paying installments, but still. Maybe it's a cultural thing that this Central European can't get, like the idea that siblings have to have separate rooms practically since day 1.) And the attitudes to sex work are all over the place. The messages we get from the protagonist are basically: that she's totally okay with it, but also doesn't want to do it, but wants to be supported / kept by a guy potentially, but also doesn't want to rely on a guy and wants to support herself. And it's absolutely fine to do sex work and to aspire to being a housewife as long as it's not done in a gold-diggery way. And then there's the final message in the characterisation of Kayla's roommate.
Spoiler
I don't think it makes sense for the novel to claim to be so sex work-positive and then to have the one character who actually does real sex work turn out to be twirl-her-mustache, try-to-mooch-off-you, touch-your-boyfriend's-penis-without-consent ~evil~.At the end of the day what we get is: it's fine to get money for sex but only if you like banging the guy. Because then it's, yes, you guessed it, so sweet. In short, I think one day Rebekah Weatherspoon may write a good, engrossing romance novel, but that day hasn't come yet.
solareviews's review
I know it’s short but I couldn’t bring myself to care about these characters individually or as a couple
katekate_reads_'s review
4.0
Just the fantasy escape from 2020 I needed. Made me laugh out loud multiple times. Thankful to When In Romance for discussing because I’m not sure I would have picked this up otherwise.
faustin2nd's review
5.0
I've been lucky with picking the right books lately and this was one of them. This book features a funny, honest Black plus sized heroine and a middle-aged white billionaire. Normally I would've stopped at Billionaire and moved on but I'm glad I gave this one a try. For one, the man is at the right age to be a billionaire. Call me a hater but the moment I read about a self-made Billionaire in his 20s, chances of me DNFing the book grow by 50% because come on. Unless the sex is awesome after that, I will not be capable of suspending my disbelief for that long.
But anyway, in this book the billionaire trope was not distracting. Mainly because the story and pace was very interesting. I'm glad the "crisis" wasn't just two stubborn people refusing to talk to each other. It was a short, mature, funny and sexy romance that I'd recommend.
But anyway, in this book the billionaire trope was not distracting. Mainly because the story and pace was very interesting. I'm glad the "crisis" wasn't just two stubborn people refusing to talk to each other. It was a short, mature, funny and sexy romance that I'd recommend.
kloughlin's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Dementia