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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.burnourhistory's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Classism
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and Abandonment
Minor: Infidelity
jehansen127's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Gaslighting
bookishevy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I usually only listen to mystery thrillers, but clearly, I need to listen to more romance because this was amazing.
Anna Green thought she married Liam "West" Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. When they graduated, she thought she signed divorce papers. Three years later, Anna is a starving artist, and West is a professor at Stanford. He's also one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate. West has no interest in his family's business other than the $100M he stands to inherit. But there is one catch: he must remain happily married for at least five years before seeing a penny. Now that he's just a few months from collecting his inheritance, his one-percenter parents want to meet his mysterious wife. West has to take the unpolished, foul-mouthed Anna to his little sister's wedding.
I enjoyed the banter between free-spirited Anna and buttoned-up West. They're different in a lot of ways, but the most glaring difference is social status. Anna really needs money, so West has to pay up for her pretense. Still, the amount she asks for is nothing to a billionaire's son. I identified with Anna and her disbelief at how much life-changing money is being spent on this wedding. West shares her views on capitalism, hence why he shuns his family.
West has hopes of Anna impressing his family but underestimates how encorrible she is. Though Anna's down-to-earth nature and loyalty to West aren't winning her any points with his parents, West takes notice, and the farce starts feeling real. They have amazing chemistry, and she loves to make him laugh. Patti Murin is hilarious as Anna, showcasing the authors' comedic timing with ease. I snort laughed too many times. Jon Root's voice lends a bit of mystery to West, who's not as open as the unfiltered Anna. Both played all the characters well.
This was giving My Fair Lady, Pretty Woman, and The Proposal with just the right amount of spice that I honestly wasn't expecting as this was my first read by Christina Lauren. It won't be my last.
Anna Green thought she married Liam "West" Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. When they graduated, she thought she signed divorce papers. Three years later, Anna is a starving artist, and West is a professor at Stanford. He's also one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate. West has no interest in his family's business other than the $100M he stands to inherit. But there is one catch: he must remain happily married for at least five years before seeing a penny. Now that he's just a few months from collecting his inheritance, his one-percenter parents want to meet his mysterious wife. West has to take the unpolished, foul-mouthed Anna to his little sister's wedding.
I enjoyed the banter between free-spirited Anna and buttoned-up West. They're different in a lot of ways, but the most glaring difference is social status. Anna really needs money, so West has to pay up for her pretense. Still, the amount she asks for is nothing to a billionaire's son. I identified with Anna and her disbelief at how much life-changing money is being spent on this wedding. West shares her views on capitalism, hence why he shuns his family.
West has hopes of Anna impressing his family but underestimates how encorrible she is. Though Anna's down-to-earth nature and loyalty to West aren't winning her any points with his parents, West takes notice, and the farce starts feeling real. They have amazing chemistry, and she loves to make him laugh. Patti Murin is hilarious as Anna, showcasing the authors' comedic timing with ease. I snort laughed too many times. Jon Root's voice lends a bit of mystery to West, who's not as open as the unfiltered Anna. Both played all the characters well.
This was giving My Fair Lady, Pretty Woman, and The Proposal with just the right amount of spice that I honestly wasn't expecting as this was my first read by Christina Lauren. It won't be my last.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism and Classism
mandareads222's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Infidelity, Sexism, Xenophobia, Medical content, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Vomit, Grief, Pregnancy, and Cultural appropriation
britt_reading'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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexism and Sexual harassment
clothildev's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
That was some gourmet fake dating, sooooo fun and hot
The Westons are the worst people alive and the fact that they are probably thousands of them in the US alone made me slightly sick to my stomach đ
But the development of Liam and Anna was sooooo good and they were hilarious together actually, will 100% re-read this one
The Westons are the worst people alive and the fact that they are probably thousands of them in the US alone made me slightly sick to my stomach đ
But the development of Liam and Anna was sooooo good and they were hilarious together actually, will 100% re-read this one
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
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 CLoâs other paradise-set fake marriage romcom, âThe Unhoneymoonersâ.
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. Annaâs 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. âPretty Womanâ vibes.
The plot was fairly predictable, but my main qualm (most of the reason I give it 4 stars) was with Liamâs family. They SUCKED!!!! I understand they are filthy rich but the Westons kinda turned me off the story at times. Liamâs dad especially was awful and gave me so much secondhand rage. The rich vs. lower middle class comparison here felt very âThe Menuâ 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. Annaâs 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. âPretty Womanâ vibes.
The plot was fairly predictable, but my main qualm (most of the reason I give it 4 stars) was with Liamâs family. They SUCKED!!!! I understand they are filthy rich but the Westons kinda turned me off the story at times. Liamâs dad especially was awful and gave me so much secondhand rage. The rich vs. lower middle class comparison here felt very âThe Menuâ 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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