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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Grateful to Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC!
Chloe is stuck in an unsatisfying job and has moved back in with her parents after her relationship has fallen apart. When she gets invited to her 10 year college reunion, she doesn't feel like she can go and face her successful classmates with where her life is at. While she's hiding in the bathroom during a terrible date, she runs into an acquaintance who tells her about "Perfect Partners", a service that sets Chloe up with Rob, who is handsome and charming enough that Chloe believes she can brave the reunion if he goes with her.
This was a quirky premise for a love story. Chloe and John were great characters and I was invested in their backstory, but the idea of the AI boyfriend felt very creepy and the plotting was somewhat awkward and required an incredible suspension of disbelief. In all, this was fun but was not my favorite of Sophie Cousens' novels.
Chloe is stuck in an unsatisfying job and has moved back in with her parents after her relationship has fallen apart. When she gets invited to her 10 year college reunion, she doesn't feel like she can go and face her successful classmates with where her life is at. While she's hiding in the bathroom during a terrible date, she runs into an acquaintance who tells her about "Perfect Partners", a service that sets Chloe up with Rob, who is handsome and charming enough that Chloe believes she can brave the reunion if he goes with her.
This was a quirky premise for a love story. Chloe and John were great characters and I was invested in their backstory, but the idea of the AI boyfriend felt very creepy and the plotting was somewhat awkward and required an incredible suspension of disbelief. In all, this was fun but was not my favorite of Sophie Cousens' novels.
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I had mixed feelings about this one. The setup was fun and very rom-com: Chloe’s life is in a slump, she’s living with her parents, and she signs up for a dating service just to have someone on her arm at her college reunion. Enter Rob, who seems almost too good to be true. Their interactions are sweet, funny, and gave me those lighthearted vibes I usually want from this type of book.
But then the twist hit, involving AI, and I honestly was not a fan. It shifted the whole tone of the story in a way I was not expecting. I do not mind speculative elements in romance when I know they are coming, but the book is marketed like a straightforward rom-com, so the sudden pivot into tech and AI themes felt jarring.
That being said, Sophie Cousens’s writing is engaging, witty, and easy to breeze through. There are laugh-out-loud moments, and Chloe is relatable in her insecurities and desire to find her place. I think some readers will love the originality and the futuristic spin, but for me, it did not quite match what I was hoping for.
Overall: a charming rom-com voice with an unexpected sci-fi angle that you will either find clever or frustrating. I landed somewhere in the middle.
⭐ 3 stars: I loved the writing and humor, but the AI twist was not what I wanted from this story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
But then the twist hit, involving AI, and I honestly was not a fan. It shifted the whole tone of the story in a way I was not expecting. I do not mind speculative elements in romance when I know they are coming, but the book is marketed like a straightforward rom-com, so the sudden pivot into tech and AI themes felt jarring.
That being said, Sophie Cousens’s writing is engaging, witty, and easy to breeze through. There are laugh-out-loud moments, and Chloe is relatable in her insecurities and desire to find her place. I think some readers will love the originality and the futuristic spin, but for me, it did not quite match what I was hoping for.
Overall: a charming rom-com voice with an unexpected sci-fi angle that you will either find clever or frustrating. I landed somewhere in the middle.
⭐ 3 stars: I loved the writing and humor, but the AI twist was not what I wanted from this story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC! All opinions are my own.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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:
No
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
I have mixed feelings about And Then There Was You. The surprise sci-fi element really threw me. I honestly feel like it should have been mentioned in the description, because it completely shifts the tone of the book. Because of that twist, it didn’t really read as a love triangle to me.
On the positive side, I liked the main couple and could see why they fell in love, and the ending was cute. But overall, the story leaned more into feeling like an “anti-AI” message than a romance, and that part just wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t dislike the book, but I can’t say I loved where that storyline went. 🤷🏻♀️
On the positive side, I liked the main couple and could see why they fell in love, and the ending was cute. But overall, the story leaned more into feeling like an “anti-AI” message than a romance, and that part just wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t dislike the book, but I can’t say I loved where that storyline went. 🤷🏻♀️
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
Hmmm, I have some mixed feelings about this book. I like Sophie Cousens as an author and have read some of her previous books, so I was excited for this new addition. However, I feel like it is misleading. The marketing and PR behind the book is stating one thing, but really, it is another. Without great detail or spoilers, the premise goes off into something else and heavily involves AI and not a real person. This alone made me not like it, but it also requires you to suspend belief and I did not care for that, especially in an age of contemporary romances that do not require this. The twist is just not for me... but I do believe some people may like it.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Cousens, and Putnam for the eARC of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sophie Cousens, and Putnam for the eARC of this book.
funny
hopeful
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:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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