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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
oof. dnf at 70%.
heather was extremely high-strung, and i had a hard time due to her not chill dynamic between her and the other belles. she was whiny bc she felt alone even though the other belles and josh's mom reached out to her on numerous occasions, though i suppose i understand that she's feeling insecure and what not. but ugh.
also not a huge fan of josh, who is a hypocrite in that he barges in (usually physically; no, barging into her bedroom using an old key isn't weird at all), and then shuts down anytime heather asks anything.
i had a hard time getting into their relationship. how is using their apartment addresses as nicknames cute/touching/entertaining/etc?! "we'll see, 4c." panty-melting, right there. and hwat about how they're both annoyed with each other and then all of a sudden it's omg i really like being around you?? how even... and i hate how they use jealousy against each other. it seems so petty. and a lot of their interaction is based on physicality, but what about the other things (bc they can't really talk about much since josh shuts down 2 seconds into a conversation)?
heather was extremely high-strung, and i had a hard time due to her not chill dynamic between her and the other belles. she was whiny bc she felt alone even though the other belles and josh's mom reached out to her on numerous occasions, though i suppose i understand that she's feeling insecure and what not. but ugh.
also not a huge fan of josh, who is a hypocrite in that he barges in (usually physically; no, barging into her bedroom using an old key isn't weird at all), and then shuts down anytime heather asks anything.
i had a hard time getting into their relationship. how is using their apartment addresses as nicknames cute/touching/entertaining/etc?! "we'll see, 4c." panty-melting, right there. and hwat about how they're both annoyed with each other and then all of a sudden it's omg i really like being around you?? how even... and i hate how they use jealousy against each other. it seems so petty. and a lot of their interaction is based on physicality, but what about the other things (bc they can't really talk about much since josh shuts down 2 seconds into a conversation)?
I love Lauren Layne's books, and I am happily working my way through her back catalog. As always - great hero, great heroine, fantastic chemistry. The interactions between these two were fun and sassy filled with great banter, but you know what I really liked? Watching them become friends. There was a wee bit of drama, and UGH! I just wanted to smack Josh, but when the book ended EXACTLY the way I wanted it to end, I forgave all his pigheadedness.
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Another cute read! Really enjoyed. Feels a bit implausible in real life would a guy really change all those factors in his life? eh...probably not. But it was pretty cute and the characters were funny and felt real.
An improvement on the first book, maybe because I’m always up for some great FWB romance
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Heather, the assistant wedding planner at the Wedding Belles, is given a very high profile celebrity wedding to pull off in three months. Assuming it goes well, she will be promoted to actual wedding planner (rather than assistant). She has just moved into a new apartment and has a very noisy neighbour, whose band practises the other side of her bedroom wall. Heather goes over to complain about the noise and meets Josh.
Josh was my main problem with this novel, and I disliked him so much, that, had I not felt an obligation to provide a review, I would have given up on the book after the first few chapters. He is unsympathetic to Heather's desire for a peaceful night's sleep before a work day, he is patronizing (calling Heather "babe" at this first meeting), he is offensive (making sexual references to her body and general appearance, again during this first encounter), he is conceited (drawing her attention to his apparently impressive chest), he basically assaults her (he kisses her "to shut her up").
Then we get to see how he treats other women. Poor April, aka "the cute brunette", about whom he seems to know only that she was wearing a skintight dress when he met her, passed the five minute "not a crazy conversation" and has an attractive body is, sadly, "not the best lay he'd ever had". In the morning he decides that he "likes her" (really?) but that she has a chirpy annoying voice. He tells her to keep the clothes he has lent her and (I was cheering at this point) she metaphorically throws them in his face. Obviously April was not "the One", because that's Heather, but really, we are supposed to find this man a romantic hero?
Josh follows this up by forcing Heather out of bed early on a Sunday to come have pancakes with his mother, despite the fact that he considers her to be "curdled" and "sort of a bitch around him". I could go on at length, but there's also the time he asks her if she has been masturbating (yes really - was that mean to be flirtatious? - it wasn't) and the time he lets himself into her apartment while she is sleeping (she doesn't even know he has a key) and then enters her bedroom after she has told him she wants to dress in privacy, before telling her what clothes she should wear.
Other issues I had:
- Shouldn't the title be "For Better, For Worse"?
- In fact, we Brits say "bollocks", not "bullocks" in that context.
- "Heather was ... a touch crass when her trailer-park slipped in". Ouch.
- Josh never seemed to feel the need to apologise for any of his behaviour. At one point they have what is described as "make up sex", but in fact there was no making up at all. Josh is rude to Heather and she retreats to her flat. Josh (the most immature 33 year old on the planet) bangs his drum until she knocks on the door and they have sex.
After he rejects her in the hospital, the next time she sees him he is proposing and has arranged a wedding for that day, but he doesn't say he is sorry he hurt her or lied to her or patronized her. No, he needs her and he sees it now, so they should get married. And, by the way, he is knocking through the walls between their apartments because he owns the building.
- I felt more could have been done with the fact that Josh was living with the fear that his leukaemia might return. He and Heather could have explored how this would affect their future, but instead Heather is presented with the bald fact and given no opportunity to have conversation with Josh about it before marrying him.
- Josh had been so unforthcoming with Heather about almost everything in his life that she was crazy to rush into the wedding. Does she really know him?
- In what way was this the wedding Heather arranged, given that she organized it for two celebrities and then it went ahead as a small intimate ceremony with different dresses and a different cake? Is it really your dream wedding if you planned it for some one else?
There were a few things I enjoyed about the story; Josh's mother was a likeable character, the Seth/Brooke engagement was sweet and the continuing set-up for Alexis and Logan was intriguing.
Overall I was disappointed though.
Heather, the assistant wedding planner at the Wedding Belles, is given a very high profile celebrity wedding to pull off in three months. Assuming it goes well, she will be promoted to actual wedding planner (rather than assistant). She has just moved into a new apartment and has a very noisy neighbour, whose band practises the other side of her bedroom wall. Heather goes over to complain about the noise and meets Josh.
Josh was my main problem with this novel, and I disliked him so much, that, had I not felt an obligation to provide a review, I would have given up on the book after the first few chapters. He is unsympathetic to Heather's desire for a peaceful night's sleep before a work day, he is patronizing (calling Heather "babe" at this first meeting), he is offensive (making sexual references to her body and general appearance, again during this first encounter), he is conceited (drawing her attention to his apparently impressive chest), he basically assaults her (he kisses her "to shut her up").
Then we get to see how he treats other women. Poor April, aka "the cute brunette", about whom he seems to know only that she was wearing a skintight dress when he met her, passed the five minute "not a crazy conversation" and has an attractive body is, sadly, "not the best lay he'd ever had". In the morning he decides that he "likes her" (really?) but that she has a chirpy annoying voice. He tells her to keep the clothes he has lent her and (I was cheering at this point) she metaphorically throws them in his face. Obviously April was not "the One", because that's Heather, but really, we are supposed to find this man a romantic hero?
Josh follows this up by forcing Heather out of bed early on a Sunday to come have pancakes with his mother, despite the fact that he considers her to be "curdled" and "sort of a bitch around him". I could go on at length, but there's also the time he asks her if she has been masturbating (yes really - was that mean to be flirtatious? - it wasn't) and the time he lets himself into her apartment while she is sleeping (she doesn't even know he has a key) and then enters her bedroom after she has told him she wants to dress in privacy, before telling her what clothes she should wear.
Other issues I had:
- Shouldn't the title be "For Better, For Worse"?
- In fact, we Brits say "bollocks", not "bullocks" in that context.
- "Heather was ... a touch crass when her trailer-park slipped in". Ouch.
- Josh never seemed to feel the need to apologise for any of his behaviour. At one point they have what is described as "make up sex", but in fact there was no making up at all. Josh is rude to Heather and she retreats to her flat. Josh (the most immature 33 year old on the planet) bangs his drum until she knocks on the door and they have sex.
After he rejects her in the hospital, the next time she sees him he is proposing and has arranged a wedding for that day, but he doesn't say he is sorry he hurt her or lied to her or patronized her. No, he needs her and he sees it now, so they should get married. And, by the way, he is knocking through the walls between their apartments because he owns the building.
- I felt more could have been done with the fact that Josh was living with the fear that his leukaemia might return. He and Heather could have explored how this would affect their future, but instead Heather is presented with the bald fact and given no opportunity to have conversation with Josh about it before marrying him.
- Josh had been so unforthcoming with Heather about almost everything in his life that she was crazy to rush into the wedding. Does she really know him?
- In what way was this the wedding Heather arranged, given that she organized it for two celebrities and then it went ahead as a small intimate ceremony with different dresses and a different cake? Is it really your dream wedding if you planned it for some one else?
There were a few things I enjoyed about the story; Josh's mother was a likeable character, the Seth/Brooke engagement was sweet and the continuing set-up for Alexis and Logan was intriguing.
Overall I was disappointed though.
Prettier Review @ Vanilla & Spice Books
When I requested this book to review I was a little bit nervous since the first full novel in the series wasn't a complete winner for me. Lauren Layne is generally a go-to author for me when I need a low-angst read and To Have and To Hold really didn't do it for me. So I grabbed this and dug in. The rest is history. Ladies and...well, ladies, we have a new favorite.
Heather is an assistant wedding planer who we met in the previous installments of this series. She strives to become a full-on wedding planer. The wedding her boss and friend Alexis is giving her to prove herself is high profile and everything she ever dreamed of. When she moves into her new posh New York City address her first run-in with her unruly next-door neighbor is everything but pleasant. When he kisses her to shut her up she is outraged. And a tiny little bit tempted.
Josh used to be a hedge fund manager. He embraced his job despite it being stressful, after all it also came with a lot of money. A grave diagnosis makes him reconsider his life and the changes he makes are supposed to make him happy. Josh loves music, he is good with instruments - starting a band has been giving him exactly what he wanted, right? But something is missing...
When his new neighbor knocks on his door late at night, demanding for him to stop the noise he is amused by the firecracker standing in front of him. After his illness Josh doesn't do relationships - living in the moment is kind of a relationship-killer. How can he burden somebody with the prospect of losing him? But damn if Heather doesn't tempt him to get into her pants. What he isn't prepared for though is that Heather will give him a run for his money. Their friendship soon turns into one with benefits.
Heather is such a wonderful heroine. She started out rather bitchy, but who can blame her when she runs on little sleep, a lot of caffeine and tons of work. Soon she finds herself charmed by her new neighbor and they become friends. There is always a sexual tension between these two but the friendship aspect is just as present and I loved how they started building on that. Heather is hardworking, sweet yet feisty and independent.
Josh is the "OMG"-kind. He is cheeky, has a fantastic sense of humor and although he is a manwhore the good man in him shines through throughout the story. His seemingly careless attitude belies his demons which are only waiting to make an appearance. He is always there for Heather, helps her out when she needs him.
This story has a bucket load of witty LL-signature banter and hilarious quips and comebacks. I was mostly in public when I read this story so a lot of people heard me laughing about the things that come out of Josh's mouth. There is a lot of reference to banana bread and it never got old. The chemistry between our two main characters is steamy and to me they are a pair made in heaven. Big love.
Lauren Layne taps into a serious topic yet it never outweighs the lightheartedness of the story. This book was everything from charming to enthralling, sexy, hot and sweet and this time around I was left completely satisfied and I look forward to the things LL has in store for Alexis and Logan.
When I requested this book to review I was a little bit nervous since the first full novel in the series wasn't a complete winner for me. Lauren Layne is generally a go-to author for me when I need a low-angst read and To Have and To Hold really didn't do it for me. So I grabbed this and dug in. The rest is history. Ladies and...well, ladies, we have a new favorite.
Heather is an assistant wedding planer who we met in the previous installments of this series. She strives to become a full-on wedding planer. The wedding her boss and friend Alexis is giving her to prove herself is high profile and everything she ever dreamed of. When she moves into her new posh New York City address her first run-in with her unruly next-door neighbor is everything but pleasant. When he kisses her to shut her up she is outraged. And a tiny little bit tempted.
Josh used to be a hedge fund manager. He embraced his job despite it being stressful, after all it also came with a lot of money. A grave diagnosis makes him reconsider his life and the changes he makes are supposed to make him happy. Josh loves music, he is good with instruments - starting a band has been giving him exactly what he wanted, right? But something is missing...
No amount of money could help you out when fate picked you as one of her victims, as she'd done to Josh.
When his new neighbor knocks on his door late at night, demanding for him to stop the noise he is amused by the firecracker standing in front of him. After his illness Josh doesn't do relationships - living in the moment is kind of a relationship-killer. How can he burden somebody with the prospect of losing him? But damn if Heather doesn't tempt him to get into her pants. What he isn't prepared for though is that Heather will give him a run for his money. Their friendship soon turns into one with benefits.
The woman was annoying, yes, but she was also...interesting. And despite all those badass walls she tried to put up, he'd bet his guitar that there was a sweetheart hiding benath all the curls and sass.
Heather is such a wonderful heroine. She started out rather bitchy, but who can blame her when she runs on little sleep, a lot of caffeine and tons of work. Soon she finds herself charmed by her new neighbor and they become friends. There is always a sexual tension between these two but the friendship aspect is just as present and I loved how they started building on that. Heather is hardworking, sweet yet feisty and independent.
Josh is the "OMG"-kind. He is cheeky, has a fantastic sense of humor and although he is a manwhore the good man in him shines through throughout the story. His seemingly careless attitude belies his demons which are only waiting to make an appearance. He is always there for Heather, helps her out when she needs him.
"Damned if I don't like you a little bit, 4C, especially when you're all pissy and shit."
This story has a bucket load of witty LL-signature banter and hilarious quips and comebacks. I was mostly in public when I read this story so a lot of people heard me laughing about the things that come out of Josh's mouth. There is a lot of reference to banana bread and it never got old. The chemistry between our two main characters is steamy and to me they are a pair made in heaven. Big love.
"Morning, 4C. Aren't you pretty in the morning. And by pretty I mean your hair is enormous."
Lauren Layne taps into a serious topic yet it never outweighs the lightheartedness of the story. This book was everything from charming to enthralling, sexy, hot and sweet and this time around I was left completely satisfied and I look forward to the things LL has in store for Alexis and Logan.
"Yup. You're a cancer survivor, but you're not being one of the cool ones who keeps on trucking, waving your "I beat it" flag and taking on the world. You're one of the scared ones who's letting it beat you. Not phyiscally, but mentally and emotionally. The leukemia is whipping your ass. "
3.5 stars
I really do enjoy this series and this was a lovely addition to it, filled with Layne's trademark fun banter, chemistry, and swoon.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pocket Books for the review copy.
I really do enjoy this series and this was a lovely addition to it, filled with Layne's trademark fun banter, chemistry, and swoon.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pocket Books for the review copy.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the banter and how Josh and Heather's relationship progressed throughout the story. The whole commitment-phobe/player and friends with benefits plotlines are overdone and not really my cup of tea, but I could overlook it for how cute everything else was. I'm reading this series backwards and while the books do work as standalones, I do feel like I have a lot more insight into Logan and Alexis who star in the third book and may have to go back and re-read that one to better appreciate it.
3.5 stars!
This is probably my favorite in the series so far. Granted this series hasn't really wowed me yet unlike her other series' in the past. Still, this was very enjoyable. I loved the banter between Heather and Josh. They started off as "enemies." Heather sees Josh as an overgrown frat boy who doesn't have any consideration for his neighbor by playing loud obnoxious music with his band while Heather was only trying to get some sleep. On the other hand, Josh sees Heather as an uptight and overworked lady who doesn't know how to have fun.
They are of course, both wrong and right in their assessment of one another. Heather may be a bit uptight but it's only because she has a goal of making it as a wedding planner and not just an "assistant" wedding planner in New York. She's living her dream since she was a little girl and her annoying neighbor isn't going to ruin that.
Josh for his part has been through hell and back. He quit his cushy Wall Street job and vowed to enjoy his life to the fullest. And that means pursuing his love for music, women and maybe annoying his pretty neighbor.
Although they started off as adversaries, Josh and Heather found themselves battling an intense attraction for each other. They're slowly realizing how wrong they are in their initial impression of each other. Despite that, Josh is adamant on keeping Heather at arm's length. You have to find out exactly what they are but if you've read the blurb, you might have some idea already.
It's also great to catch up with the Belles again. And we can clearly see how LL is setting up Alexis and Logan's story for the next book.
Like I said, I enjoyed this book and this series isn't bad. But oh man, there's just something so generic about them. And I'm not talking about storyline and tropes. A great author can use old tropes and make it her own and I'd enjoy it. But more and more, I find Ms. Layne's characters to be so basic.
So why this rating then, if I enjoyed it? I dunno. It's probably just me but I feel like I've read these characters before…or some variation of it. If you've been reading LL's books for as long as I have, you'll know what I mean. Her heroines are all white, thin and blonde, and proper. She'll throw in a couple of brunettes in there but aside from the hair color, there's really nothing that differentiates these heroines from her other heroines from her other series.
Still, I feel like For Better or Worse is better than the previous books in this series, which isn't saying much but hey, I've enjoyed myself and would continue to read this series.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is probably my favorite in the series so far. Granted this series hasn't really wowed me yet unlike her other series' in the past. Still, this was very enjoyable. I loved the banter between Heather and Josh. They started off as "enemies." Heather sees Josh as an overgrown frat boy who doesn't have any consideration for his neighbor by playing loud obnoxious music with his band while Heather was only trying to get some sleep. On the other hand, Josh sees Heather as an uptight and overworked lady who doesn't know how to have fun.
They are of course, both wrong and right in their assessment of one another. Heather may be a bit uptight but it's only because she has a goal of making it as a wedding planner and not just an "assistant" wedding planner in New York. She's living her dream since she was a little girl and her annoying neighbor isn't going to ruin that.
Josh for his part has been through hell and back. He quit his cushy Wall Street job and vowed to enjoy his life to the fullest. And that means pursuing his love for music, women and maybe annoying his pretty neighbor.
Although they started off as adversaries, Josh and Heather found themselves battling an intense attraction for each other. They're slowly realizing how wrong they are in their initial impression of each other. Despite that, Josh is adamant on keeping Heather at arm's length. You have to find out exactly what they are but if you've read the blurb, you might have some idea already.
It's also great to catch up with the Belles again. And we can clearly see how LL is setting up Alexis and Logan's story for the next book.
Like I said, I enjoyed this book and this series isn't bad. But oh man, there's just something so generic about them. And I'm not talking about storyline and tropes. A great author can use old tropes and make it her own and I'd enjoy it. But more and more, I find Ms. Layne's characters to be so basic.
So why this rating then, if I enjoyed it? I dunno. It's probably just me but I feel like I've read these characters before…or some variation of it. If you've been reading LL's books for as long as I have, you'll know what I mean. Her heroines are all white, thin and blonde, and proper. She'll throw in a couple of brunettes in there but aside from the hair color, there's really nothing that differentiates these heroines from her other heroines from her other series.
Still, I feel like For Better or Worse is better than the previous books in this series, which isn't saying much but hey, I've enjoyed myself and would continue to read this series.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Oh boy. Where to even begin with this. Is it possible that I disliked this one even more than the first book in this series? This is despite the fact that I was far more invested in Heather and Josh as a couple than I ever was with Brooke and Seth.
I really disliked that Josh kept something so huge from Heather and did that thing, UGH, that thing where one character pushes away the other character “for their own good” which is just the most condescending bullshit ever.
And then that stupid ending, which was so hurried and abrupt and glossed over so much stuff that needed to be talked about and worked through and felt so incredibly rushed and just sloppy. Like, she barely even knew him.
I liked them and their slow progression from neighbors who liked to spar to friends to actual lovers. It felt nice and real and sweet. BUT. The plot, the secret, the Josh refusing to share anything, the ending...actually just gonna stop because I think if I continue on with this review, it’s more than a little likely that I’ll talk myself into dropping this to a two star review. I’m just really irritated by how this book turned out especially since it had a lot of potential and started off great.
I really disliked that Josh kept something so huge from Heather and did that thing, UGH, that thing where one character pushes away the other character “for their own good” which is just the most condescending bullshit ever.
And then that stupid ending, which was so hurried and abrupt and glossed over so much stuff that needed to be talked about and worked through and felt so incredibly rushed and just sloppy. Like, she barely even knew him.
I liked them and their slow progression from neighbors who liked to spar to friends to actual lovers. It felt nice and real and sweet. BUT. The plot, the secret, the Josh refusing to share anything, the ending...actually just gonna stop because I think if I continue on with this review, it’s more than a little likely that I’ll talk myself into dropping this to a two star review. I’m just really irritated by how this book turned out especially since it had a lot of potential and started off great.