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bookedandbusy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
Such a great book! It deals with more serious topics, such as grief, death of a parent, and cancer, but it’s done well! Would definitely read more from this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Gun violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism and Toxic relationship
megbooks02's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
This was a quick, cute read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
pinkfloydian's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent
kayyphan's review against another edition
As an avid fan of the fake-dating trope and Katherine Center novels, this book was a major disappointment.
There is such a disconnect with the premise of the female protagonist Hannah (an extremely competent “bodyguard” who could kill you with a dinner napkin) and the actual character in the book (highly unprofessional, lacks judgment, and acts childish). The Bodyguard is neither funny nor romantic. The two MCs have zero chemistry and the only relationship more unrealistic than theirs was the one between Hannah and her ex.
A running theme in this book is also “the other woman” and vying for male attention. Hannah’s best friend and Jack’s ex-girlfriend are written in a way to cut other women down. Hannah shows very little empathy or remorse for these other women she views as competition and there a weird amount of body shaming.
This book is so poorly written and feels more like a debut work rather than an author’s ninth published novel. It makes me wonder if this book was written by a subpar ghost writer. It’s hard to care for any of the characters or the story.
There is such a disconnect with the premise of the female protagonist Hannah (an extremely competent “bodyguard” who could kill you with a dinner napkin) and the actual character in the book (highly unprofessional, lacks judgment, and acts childish). The Bodyguard is neither funny nor romantic. The two MCs have zero chemistry and the only relationship more unrealistic than theirs was the one between Hannah and her ex.
A running theme in this book is also “the other woman” and vying for male attention. Hannah’s best friend and Jack’s ex-girlfriend are written in a way to cut other women down. Hannah shows very little empathy or remorse for these other women she views as competition and there a weird amount of body shaming.
This book is so poorly written and feels more like a debut work rather than an author’s ninth published novel. It makes me wonder if this book was written by a subpar ghost writer. It’s hard to care for any of the characters or the story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent
lauramparis's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail
brokenbodybitch's review against another edition
sad
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
1-2 ⭐️
so yes don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the reversal of the bodyguard idea, HOWEVER, this book is filled with lines shaming others appearance for the fmc's self esteem. His ex is a famous like model or something; essentially she was famous for being attractive (or smth) and the plot hinged an uncomfortable amount on shaming her; either negative comments about how she got cosmetic surgery/wore makeup/got dressed up a certain way and she was made into this kinda negative stereotype, then compared against the fmc, who was 'real' according the the LI 🙄 it was like Yes, this was fun at times and had a decent level of emotion but the woman bashing for the sake of the fmc alone was a bit much for me.
Also there is a lot of tragedy in this book it is not really a happy book, fair warning… ‼️ SPOILERS? ‼️ it starts with her mom dying and his brother is also passed and it was just a lot of possible triggers (PLEASE CHECK TW/CW) packed into one book which like is fine but the description doesn’t really prepare you for the way some of these things are handled and it's like not all that light tbh especially towards the end. I think there are some people who will enjoy this book but definitely check tw/cw (especially suicide and such) and be prepared for some women bashing on women and not great stereotyping of the LI’s ex.
I enjoy the idea but this book missed the mark for me and I didn’t even want to re read the parts of it for the review, and doing that made it drop in my enjoyment of it immensely
so yes don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the reversal of the bodyguard idea, HOWEVER, this book is filled with lines shaming others appearance for the fmc's self esteem. His ex is a famous like model or something; essentially she was famous for being attractive (or smth) and the plot hinged an uncomfortable amount on shaming her; either negative comments about how she got cosmetic surgery/wore makeup/got dressed up a certain way and she was made into this kinda negative stereotype, then compared against the fmc, who was 'real' according the the LI 🙄 it was like Yes, this was fun at times and had a decent level of emotion but the woman bashing for the sake of the fmc alone was a bit much for me.
Also there is a lot of tragedy in this book it is not really a happy book, fair warning… ‼️ SPOILERS? ‼️ it starts with her mom dying and his brother is also passed and it was just a lot of possible triggers (PLEASE CHECK TW/CW) packed into one book which like is fine but the description doesn’t really prepare you for the way some of these things are handled and it's like not all that light tbh especially towards the end. I think there are some people who will enjoy this book but definitely check tw/cw (especially suicide and such) and be prepared for some women bashing on women and not great stereotyping of the LI’s ex.
I enjoy the idea but this book missed the mark for me and I didn’t even want to re read the parts of it for the review, and doing that made it drop in my enjoyment of it immensely
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism and Violence
Character aims to harm others then ‘plot twist’ he was only there to die by suicide and there is a comment about brain matter not being in someone’s skull because of gun violence I’ll say that…bananathebookbestie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
I loved this book! It was so funny, sarcastic, romantic and heartwarming. The characters were amusing and the plot was so fun — with a few surprises along the way. Katherine Center's writing style was the absolute cherry on top. This was my first book by her, but it won't be my last!
Hannah is a small but mighty Executive Protective Agent (aka Bodyguard) who is sent on an assignment to protect Jack, a movie star who's dealing with a stalker situation. Jack is spending time with his family on their Texas ranch while his mom recovers from surgery and deals with being sick. Naturally, he doesn't want to add stress and can't let his family know he has a bodyguard, so he presents Hannah as his girlfriend for the month they spend together on the ranch.
Seeing Hannah and Jack's relationship develop over the course of a few weeks made me so happy while reading. They had incredible banter and tension, and you could tell they just wholly trusted each other. The slow burn was ultimately worth it. There's forced proximity, one bed, fake dating, a little bit of grumpy/sunshine — and the most welcoming and accepting family (The Stapletons).
This book also tackled grief and other serious topics in an appropriate way. Through this assignment, Hannah was able to dig deeper and understand the core of her issues and then heal from them. She also helped Jack work through some of his trauma, and in the end they were both better for it. And even though this is a closed door romance, I didn't miss on-page sex scenes. Center did a great job of showing Hannah and Jack's intimacy in other ways, where you could still feel their connection and chemistry.
This was just a perfect, delightful, adorable story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Sexism and Stalking
Minor: Domestic abuse
rachrreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.75
Hannah does not look like your typical bodyguard, but that’s exactly why she’s the perfect fit for the job. Hannah’s life is in shambles— her mother died, her boyfriend dumped her the day after her mother’s funeral, and she’s stuck in Texas rather than flying off to another country for work. Hannah is ready for an escape and she one in the form of a new assignment— Jack Stapleton.
Jack is a famous actor who has been incognito since the death of his brother. He’s come home to Texas to visit his sick mother and his team insists he gets a bodyguard due to a stalker in the area. The catch? Hannah has to pretend to be his girlfriend around his family, as they are unaware of the stalker situation. As they spend the next few weeks together, Hannah’s feelings begin to grow. But how do you know if it is real when the person you are fake dating is an experienced actor?
This book started so good! It had a lot of my favorite things:
Fake dating trope? Check.
Strong female MC? Check.
Grumpy/sunshine? Check.
I loved seeing Hannah and Jack begin to open up to each other and heal from their pasts. While the book was heavy with past trauma, it was well balanced with great banter between the two as well as laughter.
My friend Kristie described this book as The Proposal (the movie) meets Miss Congeniality and I agree so much with this statement.
The last 15% was where this book lost me. Without going into spoilers it just felt very clichéd and cringey to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love cliché romances but those scenes were just too much for me. I did enjoy the epilogue for the most part as well except the parts about 🐷🕸— IYKYK.
Jack is a famous actor who has been incognito since the death of his brother. He’s come home to Texas to visit his sick mother and his team insists he gets a bodyguard due to a stalker in the area. The catch? Hannah has to pretend to be his girlfriend around his family, as they are unaware of the stalker situation. As they spend the next few weeks together, Hannah’s feelings begin to grow. But how do you know if it is real when the person you are fake dating is an experienced actor?
This book started so good! It had a lot of my favorite things:
Fake dating trope? Check.
Strong female MC? Check.
Grumpy/sunshine? Check.
I loved seeing Hannah and Jack begin to open up to each other and heal from their pasts. While the book was heavy with past trauma, it was well balanced with great banter between the two as well as laughter.
My friend Kristie described this book as The Proposal (the movie) meets Miss Congeniality and I agree so much with this statement.
The last 15% was where this book lost me. Without going into spoilers it just felt very clichéd and cringey to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love cliché romances but those scenes were just too much for me. I did enjoy the epilogue for the most part as well except the parts about 🐷🕸— IYKYK.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, and Car accident
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
This book was a no-brainer for me, bodyguard trope, but the bodyguard is a woman looking after a man? Sign me up. For the most part, this book was good. The writing was a little dialogue heavy and sometimes I felt like I was getting whiplash reading it, but that also made it go by faster. This had a true rom-com feel to it while also dealing with themes like familial trauma, death of a loved one, and some other pretty trigger heavy stuff, but I thought that it was dealt with with sensitivity.
There could be minor spoilers below, so just a warning:
Some aspects I didn't really enjoy were the way a lot of the women in this book were portrayed. There was your "stereotypical vapid Hollywood girlfriend" trope in there, and I get that tropes are tropes for a reason, but the way that our main character, Hannah, was often held up as being better than other women in LA because she...doesn't get plastic surgery? I guess? I thought that was weird and misogynistic on the part of the author, probably inadvertently, but misogynistic nonetheless. Very "not like other girls" of her.
There could be minor spoilers below, so just a warning:
Some aspects I didn't really enjoy were the way a lot of the women in this book were portrayed. There was your "stereotypical vapid Hollywood girlfriend" trope in there, and I get that tropes are tropes for a reason, but the way that our main character, Hannah, was often held up as being better than other women in LA because she...doesn't get plastic surgery? I guess? I thought that was weird and misogynistic on the part of the author, probably inadvertently, but misogynistic nonetheless. Very "not like other girls" of her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Infidelity and Murder
kenziewol's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer and Suicide attempt