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frantically's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
3.5
Okay, so obviously I'm not reading a RH for realism โ we all know what we're signing up for.
I was hooked on this from the first page and I really loved the first 3/4. Layla's a small business queen selling lingerie and the guys have a podcast giving relationship advice (it's not as bad as it sounds) and even though this is mainly erotica, those aspects outside of the relationship were well done.
The relationship development itself is great and you could see how much each of the guys cared for Layla in his own way. The fake dating was cute and I loved them "teaching" her How To Relationship. Layla is a really fun mc and can definitely be relatable for many readers. There's a lot of focus on Layla learning how to stand up for what she's into in bed and not being ashamed of that and I love that we got that in a mainstream romance!
I do have to say, as a fellow conventionally attractive woman who is active in the dating scene and is also sometimes a bit awkward on first dates โ you can't convince me this girl had 120 (!!) first dates without one (!!) second date. It's really not that hard. Idk if it was meant to be a she never WENT on second dates but not that she wasn't ever INVITED (because I've been known to do that ๐ซฃ) but if it was, it wasn't written well.
Back to the dates she did get: I liked all the guys for the most part! Luke's a bit boring but nice, if I ever have to read another "aye" again, I'll come haunt Lily Gold's laptop but other than that, Zack was fun too. Love myself a playboy. The best one was of course Josh ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ It's so ridiculous how at the end his "mistakes" are put on the same level as the other guys, when his "mistake" is not telling Layla he's been crushing on her for years โ my man, this is a fake dating romance, you don't need to apologize for that.
Before we get into the negatives, I wanna preface that I still recommend this book. I'm very critical when it comes to 75% breakups and their resolutions, more so than the average reviewer, but this was still a very engaging and fun read and I'm planning to read other books of the author. Nevertheless:
GOD, that breakup was Messyโข. Zack lost his girlfriend/fiancee when they were both 18 (the reason why he can't commit or be in love bla bla bla) so he has one last fuck with Layla at Luke's ex's wedding (it's all a bit messy) before he breaks up with her. Layla then overhears Luke's ex (her ex-headmistress) basically call her a loose slut for how she acted at 16 (try to keep her up) and Luke is reminded of how much losing his first love hurt him, so he, too, breaks up with Layla. Josh does yell at Zack, at least.
Layla's then absolutely torn apart on social media, being called a slut, being accused for cheating on all of the guys after pictures of the wedding surface (because noone understands polyamory) and she loses a major business opportunity for her business. The guys put out one measly statement telling people "not to believe in rumors" and nothing more because they don't want to draw more attention to the drama โ weird choice. Anyway, Layla's life is ruined, the guys are still living their (almost) best lives, numbers are great for them (and only them). In the ultimate millennial podcast guy move they make a 7h+ live stream trying to convince her to take them back.
As any self respecting woman would do, Layla doesn't accept this as an apology. Have I mentioned that I really love Layla? So, the guys all have to grovel separatly and we're all a big happy family again. I wish the guys would've spent more time groveling, there are chapters after that that could've been cut short, but it was still a good enough ending.
Super fun(ny) RH and definitely an engaging read but could've done with some more positive relationship development at the end!
3.5 โญ
I was hooked on this from the first page and I really loved the first 3/4. Layla's a small business queen selling lingerie and the guys have a podcast giving relationship advice (it's not as bad as it sounds) and even though this is mainly erotica, those aspects outside of the relationship were well done.
The relationship development itself is great and you could see how much each of the guys cared for Layla in his own way. The fake dating was cute and I loved them "teaching" her How To Relationship. Layla is a really fun mc and can definitely be relatable for many readers. There's a lot of focus on Layla learning how to stand up for what she's into in bed and not being ashamed of that and I love that we got that in a mainstream romance!
I do have to say, as a fellow conventionally attractive woman who is active in the dating scene and is also sometimes a bit awkward on first dates โ you can't convince me this girl had 120 (!!) first dates without one (!!) second date. It's really not that hard. Idk if it was meant to be a she never WENT on second dates but not that she wasn't ever INVITED (because I've been known to do that ๐ซฃ) but if it was, it wasn't written well.
Back to the dates she did get: I liked all the guys for the most part! Luke's a bit boring but nice, if I ever have to read another "aye" again, I'll come haunt Lily Gold's laptop but other than that, Zack was fun too. Love myself a playboy. The best one was of course Josh ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ It's so ridiculous how at the end his "mistakes" are put on the same level as the other guys, when his "mistake" is not telling Layla he's been crushing on her for years โ my man, this is a fake dating romance, you don't need to apologize for that.
Before we get into the negatives, I wanna preface that I still recommend this book. I'm very critical when it comes to 75% breakups and their resolutions, more so than the average reviewer, but this was still a very engaging and fun read and I'm planning to read other books of the author. Nevertheless:
GOD, that breakup was Messyโข. Zack lost his girlfriend/fiancee when they were both 18 (the reason why he can't commit or be in love bla bla bla) so he has one last fuck with Layla at Luke's ex's wedding (it's all a bit messy) before he breaks up with her. Layla then overhears Luke's ex (her ex-headmistress) basically call her a loose slut for how she acted at 16 (try to keep her up) and Luke is reminded of how much losing his first love hurt him, so he, too, breaks up with Layla. Josh does yell at Zack, at least.
Layla's then absolutely torn apart on social media, being called a slut, being accused for cheating on all of the guys after pictures of the wedding surface (because noone understands polyamory) and she loses a major business opportunity for her business. The guys put out one measly statement telling people "not to believe in rumors" and nothing more because they don't want to draw more attention to the drama โ weird choice. Anyway, Layla's life is ruined, the guys are still living their (almost) best lives, numbers are great for them (and only them). In the ultimate millennial podcast guy move they make a 7h+ live stream trying to convince her to take them back.
As any self respecting woman would do, Layla doesn't accept this as an apology. Have I mentioned that I really love Layla? So, the guys all have to grovel separatly and we're all a big happy family again. I wish the guys would've spent more time groveling, there are chapters after that that could've been cut short, but it was still a good enough ending.
Super fun(ny) RH and definitely an engaging read but could've done with some more positive relationship development at the end!
3.5 โญ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual content, Grief, and Sexism
Moderate: Terminal illness, Bullying, Death, and Sexual assault
Minor: Death of parent and Eating disorder
erkietheturkey's review
emotional
funny
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Bullying, Alcohol, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Mental illness, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual violence
things100's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
5.0
This was my first book by lily gold and I can say Iโm now obsessed canโt wait to read her other books, it was a lot of pages but a very quick read, I just flew through this book. The plot plus the smut just iconic. 10/10 recommend you need to read this book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Grief
Moderate: Bullying and Death
Minor: Car accident, Biphobia, and Death of parent
absolutely_court's review
emotional
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
trinityturnspages's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
4.5
Oh boy oh boy. This was a good one. I'm stuck between giving it a 4 or a 5 star so it gets a 4.5. After struggling through the Shatter Me series this was amazing. It made me laugh, smile, tear up, and kick my feet in the air. This was seriously so fun and I would recommend for anyone who wants a fun why choose romance to read this. All I can say is this was a great time and I will think about this one a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Death
pandalesque's review
4.5
Follows the usual patterns of the other Lily Gold stories I've read (Swedish & bodyguards)
+ Very steamy/hot
+ funny
usually very over the top, which I don't mind
- Usually there are some little, problematic elements and the inclusivity of different subjects, minority characters,... seems performative.
I got the feeling that Layla had some traits that could be identified as traits of people or MCs in media that have autism/are on the spectrum; So I was scared Layla was set out to be diagnosed, just to include a neurodiverse character or as a "surprise" element/plot twist. But I'm glad that wasn't the case.
(- Sometimes I'm unsure of the location changes / positioning of the characters but maybe I miss some descriptions ;) )
-> I would love to have more body diversity:
Lily Gold's women seem predominantly white, blond and skinny, fit or/and petite.
The males tall, broad muscular, mostly white except for one of the three is mixed or non-white.
And the harems are heterosexual, I wouldn't mind / welcome it if the males were also interested in each other.
So I don't take them too seriously but also can't put her books down as soon as I start to read. Though Sometimes I skip over to the spicy parts:
๐ฅ 4.5/5
+ Very steamy/hot
+ funny
usually very over the top, which I don't mind
- Usually there are some little, problematic elements and the inclusivity of different subjects, minority characters,... seems performative.
(- Sometimes I'm unsure of the location changes / positioning of the characters but maybe I miss some descriptions ;) )
-> I would love to have more body diversity:
Lily Gold's women seem predominantly white, blond and skinny, fit or/and petite.
The males tall, broad muscular, mostly white except for one of the three is mixed or non-white.
And the harems are heterosexual, I wouldn't mind / welcome it if the males were also interested in each other.
So I don't take them too seriously but also can't put her books down as soon as I start to read. Though Sometimes I skip over to the spicy parts:
๐ฅ 4.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Gaslighting, Death, and Toxic relationship
victoriousbookworm's review
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, and Death
vj_thompson's review
challenging
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The podcast portion was the only good part of the book. Josh was done dirty. Didnโt like how Luke and Zach were writtenโฆ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Grief, Body shaming, Death, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
kaidenxo'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Grief
Minor: Death and Death of parent
martamae77's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Death