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sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
4.0
this was my first time reading an mz book and i think it will also be the last one. i really enjoyed the journey of reading this book but i think everyone knows about the author being problematic and looking back at the story, i can definitely see a couple of red flags proving that so yeah.
therefore, i am gonna start by highlighting some of the things that didn't sit well with me. firstly, something that many other reviewers have focused on is the body shaming. i know both of the mc's were just teasing each other all along but i am pretty sure the author could have come up with something better and less offensive. moreover, i think it's "funny" how the characters with ethnical features were the most mocked ones. however, as i am not a filipino, i don't think i am in the position to give a more exhaustive comment on that.
furthermore, i must agree with everyone saying the writing wasn't the best. maybe i didn't pay much attention to it while reading, but yeah i believe characters can do other things besides blinking. and yes, both of the mc's had childish attitudes throughout the book but what gave me the biggest ick was the sex scene at the end. i must admit that spice is not my cup of tea, however, i believe many people can agree with me when i say that the whole scene had a poor choice of words.
however, i would be lying if i said that i despised it. as i said at the beginning of the review, i acknowledge that i enjoyed reading the book and anyone can see that with a simple look at my annotations.
one thing i absolutely adore about slow burns is how the story revolves around other topics aside from romance. and i loved how important the santos family was in the story. idk, i just cherished their interventions <3 i guess i just wish karina had some important appearance too because all of the mentions of her convinced me that she must be one of the kindest characters in the story. family isn't always given an important place in romance books but im so glad that they were important in this book.
on the other hand, even if jasmine could be super annoying sometimes, i must confess i liked her character at times. for some reason, the fact that she was always pushing herself to do better just to make her family proud or to make everyone forget about her learning issues resonated with me. so yeah her stubbornness was both a strength and a weakness for her character because it was exasperating to see how she wouldn't let anyone take care of her. since we're at it, i really enjoyed the scenes where jasmine was sick and ivan was taking care of her, especially after he was like "if you get sick i won't be the one to take care of you." maybe it's just because one of my love languages is acts of service but idk, i was a sucker for that.
to sum up, the author could have improved many things before publishing the book (most of them could have been solved by just sticking to the skating theme) however i still enjoyed reading it.
therefore, i am gonna start by highlighting some of the things that didn't sit well with me. firstly, something that many other reviewers have focused on is the body shaming. i know both of the mc's were just teasing each other all along but i am pretty sure the author could have come up with something better and less offensive. moreover, i think it's "funny" how the characters with ethnical features were the most mocked ones. however, as i am not a filipino, i don't think i am in the position to give a more exhaustive comment on that.
furthermore, i must agree with everyone saying the writing wasn't the best. maybe i didn't pay much attention to it while reading, but yeah i believe characters can do other things besides blinking. and yes, both of the mc's had childish attitudes throughout the book but what gave me the biggest ick was the sex scene at the end. i must admit that spice is not my cup of tea, however, i believe many people can agree with me when i say that the whole scene had a poor choice of words.
however, i would be lying if i said that i despised it. as i said at the beginning of the review, i acknowledge that i enjoyed reading the book and anyone can see that with a simple look at my annotations.
one thing i absolutely adore about slow burns is how the story revolves around other topics aside from romance. and i loved how important the santos family was in the story. idk, i just cherished their interventions <3 i guess i just wish karina had some important appearance too because all of the mentions of her convinced me that she must be one of the kindest characters in the story. family isn't always given an important place in romance books but im so glad that they were important in this book.
on the other hand, even if jasmine could be super annoying sometimes, i must confess i liked her character at times. for some reason, the fact that she was always pushing herself to do better just to make her family proud or to make everyone forget about her learning issues resonated with me. so yeah her stubbornness was both a strength and a weakness for her character because it was exasperating to see how she wouldn't let anyone take care of her. since we're at it, i really enjoyed the scenes where jasmine was sick and ivan was taking care of her, especially after he was like "if you get sick i won't be the one to take care of you." maybe it's just because one of my love languages is acts of service but idk, i was a sucker for that.
to sum up, the author could have improved many things before publishing the book (most of them could have been solved by just sticking to the skating theme) however i still enjoyed reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Minor: Car accident
ecravens's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
tkatt20's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-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
4.75
OMG THIS BOOK. I do not even have the words to describe how much i loved this book. I have been in a slump for so long and this pulled me right out, I already want to read it again.
This is not my first book by this author so i had an idea of what i was in for, but that could not prepare me for how much I loved this book. The characters are amazing, each one had their own personality and quirks and were so fleshed out, they all felt like real people to me. And I loved how much insight we were given into the competitive skating world and getting to see how both characters dealt with the immense stress they were under. This is a longer romance but it didn’t feel like it with how lovable the characters were and how entertaining the situations they were in were to read about. I loved the extra added layer of family drama we got. It helped break up the focus on their skating and allowed me to see more insight into the main character’s life and her personality while also showing a bit of what drives her to succeed and what effects her mood throughout practice and in her day to day life. We were also given some feminist undertones and that will always be a plus for me.
My only negative for this book and the reason I dropped it down a to a 4.75 is the writing style; more specifically the wording. I found some scenes, mostly in the beginning, didn’t feel very natural and the wording in some descriptions were a little out of left field and pulled me out of the story. This is such a minor grievance and these instances were very sparse and didn’t effect me as much as it could have which is why I didn’t rate it lower. Otherwise I genuinely enjoyed this story to the very end.
I could gush for hours about how much I loved this but I’ll leave it at that. This has quickly moved to the top of my favorites list and I can’t wait to read more by this author.
This is not my first book by this author so i had an idea of what i was in for, but that could not prepare me for how much I loved this book. The characters are amazing, each one had their own personality and quirks and were so fleshed out, they all felt like real people to me. And I loved how much insight we were given into the competitive skating world and getting to see how both characters dealt with the immense stress they were under. This is a longer romance but it didn’t feel like it with how lovable the characters were and how entertaining the situations they were in were to read about. I loved the extra added layer of family drama we got. It helped break up the focus on their skating and allowed me to see more insight into the main character’s life and her personality while also showing a bit of what drives her to succeed and what effects her mood throughout practice and in her day to day life. We were also given some feminist undertones and that will always be a plus for me.
My only negative for this book and the reason I dropped it down a to a 4.75 is the writing style; more specifically the wording. I found some scenes, mostly in the beginning, didn’t feel very natural and the wording in some descriptions were a little out of left field and pulled me out of the story. This is such a minor grievance and these instances were very sparse and didn’t effect me as much as it could have which is why I didn’t rate it lower. Otherwise I genuinely enjoyed this story to the very end.
I could gush for hours about how much I loved this but I’ll leave it at that. This has quickly moved to the top of my favorites list and I can’t wait to read more by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, and Vomit
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Car accident
valeria_balzan's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Even though this book is 531 pages long, it doesn't feel like it. Maybe it was because it was reading at big chunks at at time but the pages and the narrative just read very easily. It doesn't feel overwhelming in any way.
The romance evolved very slowly, which made it believable. They got to know themselves first, building up trust and achieving their goals for competitions. Romance just came after that. Which was fine, but that the end it felt a little rushed. You guys just kissed for the first time and then you're fucking? okay I guess
ALSO, Jasmine, my queen, you actually have a personality? Loved that.
My main critique of the book is that, at times, the novel was not focused on figure skating at all. Which is the whole setting and the thing the book is trying to sell you in the beginning. But in the parts that it is, it is very enjoyable. The descriptions help you easily picture both Ivan's and Jasmine's movements on the ice.
My other main complain, which kind of goes along with the previous one, is that the author choooses to focus on certain things or scenes and not on the ones it is setting up to like I wanted to see the competiotion and them winning the medals in present tense, not just in the epilogue.
The romance evolved very slowly, which made it believable. They got to know themselves first, building up trust and achieving their goals for competitions. Romance just came after that. Which was fine, but that the end it felt a little rushed.
ALSO, Jasmine, my queen, you actually have a personality? Loved that.
My main critique of the book is that, at times, the novel was not focused on figure skating at all. Which is the whole setting and the thing the book is trying to sell you in the beginning. But in the parts that it is, it is very enjoyable. The descriptions help you easily picture both Ivan's and Jasmine's movements on the ice.
My other main complain, which kind of goes along with the previous one, is that the author choooses to focus on certain things or scenes and not on the ones it is setting up to
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
fremzz's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I’m so late to the hype but omg this was so good 😫😫
The visceral reactions this got from me are actually mental like every three seconds I was giggling or screaming or crying and that epilogue had me on the floor crying help help help
Had its issues but I pretend I do not see 🫡 (really it was just the meatball thing cause that was weird).
The visceral reactions this got from me are actually mental like every three seconds I was giggling or screaming or crying and that epilogue had me on the floor crying help help help
Had its issues but I pretend I do not see 🫡 (really it was just the meatball thing cause that was weird).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
mayab1226's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I will be honest, this rating was a solid 3.75 for a lot of the book. I enjoyed the story itself—it was well-plotted and paced, in my opinion, and Jasmine and Ivan’s enemies-to-lovers romance was believable and compelling. You could easily see where they’d clash, but neither was an irredeemable asshole to the other, and it was also easy to see how their relationship could turn for the better and blossom into a romance—and it was fun to see when it did! Jasmine’s characterization—including both the strengths and faults that come with her stubbornness—was well-established and fun to read.
That said, to me this book rang very clearly as a self-published novel, with the occasional grammatical errors and places where it could have used some more editing or cutting down—Jasmine’s inner monologues were entertaining but lengthy and sometimes redundant, and I think if they were cut down to the essentials, they would have trimmed down this book (which, at 500-ish pages, is quite long for a romance novel) quite a bit.
But in my opinion, the good outweighed the bad, and ultimately Jasmine and Ivan entirely won me over and made me feel those Feelings™️. I was cheering for them right along with the audience, in both their athletic endeavors and their romantic ones!
That said, to me this book rang very clearly as a self-published novel, with the occasional grammatical errors and places where it could have used some more editing or cutting down—Jasmine’s inner monologues were entertaining but lengthy and sometimes redundant, and I think if they were cut down to the essentials, they would have trimmed down this book (which, at 500-ish pages, is quite long for a romance novel) quite a bit.
But in my opinion, the good outweighed the bad, and ultimately Jasmine and Ivan entirely won me over and made me feel those Feelings™️. I was cheering for them right along with the audience, in both their athletic endeavors and their romantic ones!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
There’s a scene in which the two romantic leads pose nude for a magazine photoshoot, and their body parts are described in both the lead-up to the event and the event itself, but the actual process of the posing/photography isn’t described. There’s one graphic sex scene very close to the end of the book.haleyatucker's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
ididnotmakeapie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
3.25
more graphic than I had thought it would be, did skip a couple scenes.
There were a few really, really poignant, emotive scenes. the part where Jasmine (and Ivan) deals with the emotional abuse her father hurls at her and the way she talked about her dyslexia!! The handling of it made me very happy. Jasmine and Ivan's talk in the aftermath of Jasmine's injury, I liked that it did actually lead to a proper conversatio and then subsequent reconciliation.
I enjoyed the way the actual *romantic* relationship between the two main characters came to be.
I really liked Jasmine's family, all the character's were very vivid and well characterised. Also liked the casual rep from Jojo and James' marriage.
The A and B plots all intertwined well to create the overarching theme of Jasmine's renewed confidence in herself.
I liked a lot of what Jasmine herself had going on as a character and her drive is inspirational.
There were a few really, really poignant, emotive scenes.
I enjoyed the way the actual *romantic* relationship between the two main characters came to be.
I really liked Jasmine's family, all the character's were very vivid and well characterised. Also liked the casual rep from Jojo and James' marriage.
The A and B plots all intertwined well to create the overarching theme of Jasmine's renewed confidence in herself.
I liked a lot of what Jasmine herself had going on as a character and her drive is inspirational.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Stalking
Minor: Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Racism
livinginlibros's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Why wasn't this longer!! This story isn't packed with smut but it does have plenty of witty and colorful insults between the two leads. Ivan and Jasmine will live rent free in my head from now on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Abandonment, and Sexual content
fiwwa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
4.75
Can we begin with how sweet Ivan was to Jasmine? He's cold as ice but ALL THE LITTLE THINGS HE DID FOR HER MAKES ME MELT; how he lit her up, makes her believe she inspires people, takes care of her when she was sicks and secretly knows all her favorites. If i can 3D print Ivan Lukov, I WOULD.
And Jasmine Santos, ugh I admire how hardworking she is and how she always believes in herself. She's both funny and sarcastic at the same time but not gonna lie tho there are some times when she’s being too bitchy but duh aren’t we all?
The other characters somehow are also important to the story. i wanna see more of jasmine's family, they're chaotic especially their group chat lol but also really fun and they're very supportive?!?
The slow burn was... well, very slow, but it was worth it. If you're impatient I won't really recommend you to read this. But their chemistry? Top tier, I love how they let the hate tension and banter stay after they get together, the romance tension and bickering is just the perfect amount. And I can't stop thinking about the anatomy issue, I NEED IVAN'S POV IN THAT SCENE PLEASE!!
I can see why people hype it so much, this book doesn't disappoint me as my first MZ book. Ivan Lukov is the perfect book boyfriend literally giving my hand in marriage for him🌹💍
And Jasmine Santos, ugh I admire how hardworking she is and how she always believes in herself. She's both funny and sarcastic at the same time but not gonna lie tho there are some times when she’s being too bitchy but duh aren’t we all?
The other characters somehow are also important to the story. i wanna see more of jasmine's family, they're chaotic especially their group chat lol but also really fun and they're very supportive?!?
The slow burn was... well, very slow, but it was worth it. If you're impatient I won't really recommend you to read this. But their chemistry? Top tier, I love how they let the hate tension and banter stay after they get together, the romance tension and bickering is just the perfect amount. And I can't stop thinking about the anatomy issue, I NEED IVAN'S POV IN THAT SCENE PLEASE!!
I can see why people hype it so much, this book doesn't disappoint me as my first MZ book. Ivan Lukov is the perfect book boyfriend literally giving my hand in marriage for him🌹💍
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Stalking
Moderate: Sexual content