Reviews

The Hookup Dilemma by Constance Gillam

nixbix_reads's review against another edition

2.0

I love a good enemies to lovers, but this did not do it for me. I thought that Rashida & Elliot had great chemistry together, but I felt that a lot of the romance happened off page. The issue of gentrification & the impact it has on people & neighborhoods played a large part in this story, and I felt that these parts dragged.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing & NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

damusicalpoet's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-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

3.75

danie_faye's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

chip4201's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

lexpugs's review against another edition

4.0

I thought this was a cute book. Perfect little Valentine’s Day read. It was a fast read and had nice plot to spice ratio.

keeceefd's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

quolwy's review

2.0

Wasn't interested in any of the characters, and found the plot to be quite predictable and boring. Usually that would be fine, but as the characters lacked any appeal for me, I ended up skimming the majority of the story.

It also had too much talk about sex, I prefer a fade to black and mild innuendos.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for providing me a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

raebrock's review

3.0

This is one of those books where I really wish there were half stars, because this to me was a solid 3.5. I really liked the story more than I anticipated. I had no idea how they would work out the fact that Elliott was on the wrong side of potential gentrification and I spent the whole book hoping I’d still like him at the end (spoiler: I do). I think if anything this book went too easy on forgiving the supposed ignorance of gentrifiers - I don’t see how someone in Elliot’s field wouldn’t know more about the issue and tbh ignorance isn’t an excuse when your privilege is destroying lives. Romance plots NEVER make me think like this so I was impressed. But what was lacking for me in this romance was the character development. Rashida and Elliot had so much potential to be fantastic characters but as much as I liked the gentrification plot, that was pretty much the only real development the characters got other than a few minor mentions of past relationships and family drama. With more depth I think their love would have felt more profound. The steam was great and came into play super early! I would definitely recommend this one.

sarah_thebooknerd's review against another edition

funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I am reading this because I decided to read the books off of my Goodreads list from when I first joined this app and the book influencing community as a whole. 

I had a lot of frustrations with this book. 
1. The FMC has some fatphobic thoughts about people's bodies and that irrigated me. 
2. The MMC obliviousness of gentrification, racism drove me up a wall. 
3. The MMC is the epitome of a wall street bro and I did not like that personality at all and when we did get some redeeming qualities it was too late I didn't care. 
4. The FMC hides something from her own sister that she should have told her and I hated that. 
5. The pacing is not good and the book is like 100 pages too long. 

I liked the banter with these two in the beginning. I liked the awkwardness of them seeing each other after the hook up but that chemistry was off the rest of the book. I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. 

maries_shelf's review

4.0

Many of you know that I love a good romance book. When I saw this cute cover, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an ARC.

The Hookup Dilemma is a heartwarming, own-voices story about what was supposed to be a one-night stand but ended up being an enemies-to-lovers romance. I loved the banter between the main characters but also greatly enjoyed the personalities and storylines of the supporting characters - especially Rashida's grandmother.

The ending felt a bit rushed, but other than that, I greatly enjoyed the book.