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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
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
Well, this was a messy book from start to end.
I wished that I liked this book more than I actually did because in theory, it ought to have been a cute enemies-to-lovers YA romance that happens to involve a famous cooking Youtube channel (sounds like Bon Appetit to me). However, it felt like there were way too many themes that were introduced that didn't get resolved well - especially in the form of Reese's past trauma, which had a tendency to spillover into all other aspects of her life.
Despite having limited culinary experience, Reese lands a marketing internship with Friends of Flavor, a famous cooking channel that Reese and her friends have been obsessed with. Reese is eager to prove herself to earn the fall version of her job but she knows that there's only one spot and there's competition in the form of Benny, the culinary intern, whom she gets paired up with in a last-minute video that pits them against each other.
Benny and Reese's video does unexpectedly well and they are soon wrangled into making more videos together. And despite her best attempts to keep Benny at arm's-length, she can't help but to be charmed by him and his cooking.
However, her unexpected fame also means that Reese can't help but to get triggered by her past memories of being on social media and the bullying that had occurred. And this was a major theme that recurred throughout the book, so it felt like it was something that I wished that Reese learned how to cope with much earlier on in the book.
Moreover, it definitely felt like this didn't come across when it's Benny who has to pull off the Grand Gesture to win Reese back, when it felt like Reese was the one who had screwed things up between them.
I wished that I liked this book more than I actually did because in theory, it ought to have been a cute enemies-to-lovers YA romance that happens to involve a famous cooking Youtube channel (sounds like Bon Appetit to me). However, it felt like there were way too many themes that were introduced that didn't get resolved well - especially in the form of Reese's past trauma, which had a tendency to spillover into all other aspects of her life.
Despite having limited culinary experience, Reese lands a marketing internship with Friends of Flavor, a famous cooking channel that Reese and her friends have been obsessed with. Reese is eager to prove herself to earn the fall version of her job but she knows that there's only one spot and there's competition in the form of Benny, the culinary intern, whom she gets paired up with in a last-minute video that pits them against each other.
Benny and Reese's video does unexpectedly well and they are soon wrangled into making more videos together. And despite her best attempts to keep Benny at arm's-length, she can't help but to be charmed by him and his cooking.
However, her unexpected fame also means that Reese can't help but to get triggered by her past memories of being on social media and the bullying that had occurred. And this was a major theme that recurred throughout the book, so it felt like it was something that I wished that Reese learned how to cope with much earlier on in the book.
Spoiler
Instead, Reese's trauma manifests itself both in terms of her relationship with Benny and in terms of her reaction when their relationship gets exposed. The pull-and-push that she had with Benny definitely get old, although it's understandable that she would be wary of boys given how her ex had thrown her under the bus when they broke up and basically manipulated her - I wished that Reese had gotten the help that she needed (e.g. therapy) before this became so debilitating to her ordinary life.Moreover, it definitely felt like this didn't come across when it's Benny who has to pull off the Grand Gesture to win Reese back, when it felt like Reese was the one who had screwed things up between them.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
More of “Fuck the Patriarchy” than rom com
I HONESTLY LIKED IT. At first, it was a slight hard to get through but once that phase stopped, I couldn’t put the book down, it was SO good and it felt genuine. 😛