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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the book, but it was darker than I expected or at least more emotional. The toxicity of Liam's family holy shit! I can see how he would have been brainwashed to fall in line or everyone would lose their inheritance, but it was frustrating. I was with Anna, NO ONE needs all that money! Liam could say no to his father, his siblings wouldn't have been out on the street, and they all had good jobs, or spouses who were also loaded.
If I'd been in that situation, Anna would have disgusted me, disgusted with the wealth and excess. Overall, it was a good book, just more emotional than I was prepared for. It harkened back to the Beautiful Bastard days but with more emotional depth. I wish we'd gotten more into Anna's past and issues as well.
If I'd been in that situation, Anna would have disgusted me, disgusted with the wealth and excess. Overall, it was a good book, just more emotional than I was prepared for. It harkened back to the Beautiful Bastard days but with more emotional depth. I wish we'd gotten more into Anna's past and issues as well.
Narrator Rating: 5.0 stars
Both narrators did an amazing job.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Minor: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
The toxic relationships are between Liam and his family. As well as a bit between Anna and her mom, though that's not nearly as much of the story.kb33's review against another edition
I don't enjoy hot mess MFCs who get make overs and rescued by men. When I figured out that's what this is, I let myself get distracted with other books and eventually gave up. I usually love everything Christina Lauren writes, so maybe I'll try this again one day.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use
itschelseaw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The use of "Goddamn" instead of "penis", "dick" or "cock" really took me out of the story. There was one make out scene where the anatomy of what was happening was just physically impossible unless Liam had the world's longest legs and shortest torso. Anna is tall but unaware of it (somehow? as a 5'10" gal I'm reminded of my height in so many ways all the time) in a way that makes me think she was written by a short woman.
The ending felt rushed, and I got emotional whiplash. But good on Anna for cracking the code to on their sibling allegiance: money. Sometimes it takes an outsider to see the obvious truths.
Ray was such an ass, almost comical in the heights of horrible that he achieved. BUT it felt like an accurate portrayal of the uber rich (I assume, this is all based on movies and TV shows that I have seen).
The third act breakup felt super contrived, but I also understood Anna's frustrations with Liam. Miscommunication/lack of communication is one of my least favorite tropes, but it also felt appropriate here given they only knew each other for like a week.
The loophole felt... absurd. Purely included to amp up the tension and create a resolution for what happens in the third act. Just... whew.
Also, another review pointed out that there was minimal cultural influence from Singapore/the location of the island... it could've been any island.
I absolutely hated that in the end Liam did agree to become CEO without his dad; he fought against it so hard and repeatedly said he didn't want it, and never indicated the work interested him!! It felt like it went against everything that had been established before to so easily agree to step into that role. Maybe I missed something but that felt so out of character!!
The ending felt rushed, and I got emotional whiplash. But good on Anna for cracking the code to on their sibling allegiance: money. Sometimes it takes an outsider to see the obvious truths.
Ray was such an ass, almost comical in the heights of horrible that he achieved. BUT it felt like an accurate portrayal of the uber rich (I assume, this is all based on movies and TV shows that I have seen).
The third act breakup felt super contrived, but I also understood Anna's frustrations with Liam. Miscommunication/lack of communication is one of my least favorite tropes, but it also felt appropriate here given they only knew each other for like a week.
The loophole felt... absurd. Purely included to amp up the tension and create a resolution for what happens in the third act. Just... whew.
Also, another review pointed out that there was minimal cultural influence from Singapore/the location of the island... it could've been any island.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Drug use and Sexual harassment
ceruleanseas's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
deltadam's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Drug use
thatswhatshanread's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A very cute vacation read, this one is perfect for summer!! In the vein of CLo’s other paradise-set fake marriage romcom, “The Unhoneymooners”.
This one was super immersive and escapist with the right elements of romcom success: great spicy scenes, likable main characters, a fun exclusive island setting. The fake dating and marriage-of-convenience trope worked well, which surprised me because usually the fake marriage trope is just so unrealistic to me but made a lot of sense for this story, and really aided the sexual tension. Anna’s personality was a little much for me at first, but I loved how she interacted with Liam and balanced him out. Liam was HOT and closed-off, not quite tall, dark, and mysterious but full of intrigue and a soft center. I really liked them together. “Pretty Woman” vibes.
The plot was fairly predictable, but my main qualm (most of the reason I give it 4 stars) was with Liam’s family. They SUCKED!!!! I understand they are filthy rich but the Westons kinda turned me off the story at times. Liam’s dad especially was awful and gave me so much secondhand rage. The rich vs. lower middle class comparison here felt very “The Menu” as far as outrageous privilege and the insane, malicious stakes of the 1%. The Weston family had no redeeming qualities to speak of.
This one was super immersive and escapist with the right elements of romcom success: great spicy scenes, likable main characters, a fun exclusive island setting. The fake dating and marriage-of-convenience trope worked well, which surprised me because usually the fake marriage trope is just so unrealistic to me but made a lot of sense for this story, and really aided the sexual tension. Anna’s personality was a little much for me at first, but I loved how she interacted with Liam and balanced him out. Liam was HOT and closed-off, not quite tall, dark, and mysterious but full of intrigue and a soft center. I really liked them together. “Pretty Woman” vibes.
The plot was fairly predictable, but my main qualm (most of the reason I give it 4 stars) was with Liam’s family. They SUCKED!!!! I understand they are filthy rich but the Westons kinda turned me off the story at times. Liam’s dad especially was awful and gave me so much secondhand rage. The rich vs. lower middle class comparison here felt very “The Menu” as far as outrageous privilege and the insane, malicious stakes of the 1%. The Weston family had no redeeming qualities to speak of.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
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