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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
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:
No
You know exactly what is going to happen within the first page. No conflict. No interesting personalities. Barely any growth. 4 sentences of spice. Dull.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went into How to Get a Life in Ten Dates asking myself, "Will this be the book that convinces me that authors of one generation can successfully, convincingly write characters that belong to a younger generation?" The answer was no.
The number of times characters snorted rather than laughed was noticeable, and the questionnaire Haleigh's dates received was almost painfully millennial-coded. We don't need to bring up skibidi gyatt Ohio rizzler etc etc, but like... let's take a cursory glance over tiktok and see what the kids are up to these days. I feel like a 25-year-old would want to ask about a prospective partner's skincare routine, or how often they rot in bed, if at all. So on and so forth. And since the dating gauntlet took up so much of the story, it was really rough to revisit the quiz every chapter-ish. I feel like the author was going for "charming" or "quirky" but I felt neither charmed nor quirked.
Also... both the main characters are said to have anxiety, but Haleigh's was touched upon maybe once or twice early in the story and didn't come up much after that. Jack's ODC took center stage - but again, not much after the crux of the story. I do think the author took care to handle these diagnoses thoughtfully, but I wish they had been more integrated into the characters and plot.
I DNF'd the author's other entry in this series, but I'll keep an eye out for future works.
The number of times characters snorted rather than laughed was noticeable, and the questionnaire Haleigh's dates received was almost painfully millennial-coded. We don't need to bring up skibidi gyatt Ohio rizzler etc etc, but like... let's take a cursory glance over tiktok and see what the kids are up to these days. I feel like a 25-year-old would want to ask about a prospective partner's skincare routine, or how often they rot in bed, if at all. So on and so forth. And since the dating gauntlet took up so much of the story, it was really rough to revisit the quiz every chapter-ish. I feel like the author was going for "charming" or "quirky" but I felt neither charmed nor quirked.
Also... both the main characters are said to have anxiety, but Haleigh's was touched upon maybe once or twice early in the story and didn't come up much after that. Jack's ODC took center stage - but again, not much after the crux of the story. I do think the author took care to handle these diagnoses thoughtfully, but I wish they had been more integrated into the characters and plot.
I DNF'd the author's other entry in this series, but I'll keep an eye out for future works.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
It just didn’t capture my attention. I did not want to keep picking it to read.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was cute, but I sort of expected some more longing between the two MCs. That being said, watching the different dates unfold was fun and it read like a cute romcom.