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thesmutsister_emma's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
3.5
What in the Love of Herring?
I have read all of these books and have enjoyed every one that I have read. With that being said, I was somewhat disappointed in this book. I honestly expected more from it, but most of the book felt like they spent it not enjoying each other. The end and their relationship made up for the first half of the book, but for a long time I had trouble getting through this book.
The Characters
Maria: Bless Maria's heart. I honestly wish I was more like Maria. I wish I had the courage to stand up for myself no matter what and to walk away when things get bad. Maria and her fierce love for her family and others around her gives me hope that there are more people out there like me.
Peter: Sweet, sweet Peter. I always have such a soft spot for the quiet, grumpy ones. They truly are always the ones I want and adore when it comes to books. If Peter, Alex, and Marcus were all to materialize in front of me, I would be picking his grumpy ass in a heartbeat.
Things I Loved
I truly enjoyed Maria standing up for herself. I was a little confused alongside Peter when it first happened and struggled as well to understand what her reasoning, but once she went more in depth about it, it made more sense to me. I honestly am glad that Maria stood her ground with Peter, but I'm also glad she apologized. I loved the cameos in the book as well.
Things I Didn't Love
I honestly felt like the first half of the book was really slow. It was hard for me to get into the book well enough to read it well. This is more of a slow burn and I was not expecting it to be as much of a slow burn as it was. I was also expecting there to be more emphasis on the found family trope within the book than there was.
The Final Verdict
If you are a fan of Olivia Dade and are familiar with this series, I feel like it would be a good fit for you. If you are are wanting to get into the series because of this book, make sure you read about the others in the series before starting this series because they are very different from this one.
I have read all of these books and have enjoyed every one that I have read. With that being said, I was somewhat disappointed in this book. I honestly expected more from it, but most of the book felt like they spent it not enjoying each other. The end and their relationship made up for the first half of the book, but for a long time I had trouble getting through this book.
The Characters
Maria: Bless Maria's heart. I honestly wish I was more like Maria. I wish I had the courage to stand up for myself no matter what and to walk away when things get bad. Maria and her fierce love for her family and others around her gives me hope that there are more people out there like me.
Peter: Sweet, sweet Peter. I always have such a soft spot for the quiet, grumpy ones. They truly are always the ones I want and adore when it comes to books. If Peter, Alex, and Marcus were all to materialize in front of me, I would be picking his grumpy ass in a heartbeat.
Things I Loved
I truly enjoyed Maria standing up for herself. I was a little confused alongside Peter when it first happened and struggled as well to understand what her reasoning, but once she went more in depth about it, it made more sense to me. I honestly am glad that Maria stood her ground with Peter, but I'm also glad she apologized. I loved the cameos in the book as well.
Things I Didn't Love
I honestly felt like the first half of the book was really slow. It was hard for me to get into the book well enough to read it well. This is more of a slow burn and I was not expecting it to be as much of a slow burn as it was. I was also expecting there to be more emphasis on the found family trope within the book than there was.
The Final Verdict
If you are a fan of Olivia Dade and are familiar with this series, I feel like it would be a good fit for you. If you are are wanting to get into the series because of this book, make sure you read about the others in the series before starting this series because they are very different from this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, and Death of parent
jackie_recommends's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
I'll be honest, I have mixed drinks about feelings for this one. On the surface, I love the premise; I love the blatant nod to Vikings and GoT, and the behind-the-scenes aspects with the characters and the show. I also love the representation, both characters are plus-sized/fat, and love their bodies and own their sexuality.
BUT...I wish that content warnings had been included at the start or made more available to arc readers. There is a big ol' trigger warning about 30% through for major fatphobia, body shaming, disordered eating, and toxic work environment. The two main characters are both hired to their roles because they have larger bodies; the tv show execs they work for then decide that between seasons 1 & 2 their characters will have to lose a good deal of weight to show that they've been stranded on a frozen island all alone.
Now, the characters don't actually go through this; the heroine stands up for herself and her costar and threatens retaliation and legal stuff based on her contract if the show execs make them go through with the weight loss. However, a BIG RED FLAG - the hero doesn't stand up for the heroine, and is ready to go along with the execs plans...ew.
ALSO, I don't like the hero. He's got a big old chip on his shoulder from a past relationship, and takes it out on the heroine; the book opens up with the characters having a one night stand, and the heroine clearly isn't expecting or wanting more. The hero, however, obviously is and when he wakes up and the heroine's gone, he takes it out on the heroine, and is an absolute douche to her through that 30% mark.
This is a well-written book, however I really didn't enjoy these facts, and they ruined the rest of the book for me.
BUT...I wish that content warnings had been included at the start or made more available to arc readers. There is a big ol' trigger warning about 30% through for major fatphobia, body shaming, disordered eating, and toxic work environment. The two main characters are both hired to their roles because they have larger bodies; the tv show execs they work for then decide that between seasons 1 & 2 their characters will have to lose a good deal of weight to show that they've been stranded on a frozen island all alone.
Now, the characters don't actually go through this; the heroine stands up for herself and her costar and threatens retaliation and legal stuff based on her contract if the show execs make them go through with the weight loss. However, a BIG RED FLAG - the hero doesn't stand up for the heroine, and is ready to go along with the execs plans...ew.
ALSO, I don't like the hero. He's got a big old chip on his shoulder from a past relationship, and takes it out on the heroine; the book opens up with the characters having a one night stand, and the heroine clearly isn't expecting or wanting more. The hero, however, obviously is and when he wakes up and the heroine's gone, he takes it out on the heroine, and is an absolute douche to her through that 30% mark.
This is a well-written book, however I really didn't enjoy these facts, and they ruined the rest of the book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia
uranaishi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Alcohol, Body shaming, Medical content, Bullying, and Sexism
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
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