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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This was such a lovely debut romcom by Caden Armstrong! I was gifted an ARC and am providing an honest review on my own volition.
After Charlie calls out ableist language at a StarCon panel for one of her favorite tv shows StarVerse, a video of this goes viral and she reaps the consequences, not the mega-popular actor who said the ableist bullshit of course. She is fired from her job, bullied by the media and fans online, gets doxxed, and is basically forced into social isolation besides her best friend Ripley. Ripley finds Charlie a short-term workstay in Stonehaven, Scotland of all places! Charlie leaves LA, hoping to start anew in the small town, Stonehaven, and to get a bit of a break from the rampant misogyny and ableism that has followed her online since the viral video.
Page (stage name: Jamie Mahome; the reason for his stage name comes into play later, but I don't want to spoil anything; please read this!) wants to surprise his sister Lillian by coming home during his break from filming StarVerse, but instead is welcomed by a golf club to the head by Charlie. Charlie thought he was breaking in, so this makes for the goofiest meet cute and really did make me laugh out loud. Since Page sends most of his paycheck to his mom and sister, he can't just find another place to crash for the summer, so this makes Page and Charlie summer roommates! He immediately recognizes her as the woman who called out his colleague Killian, and while he tries to maintain his distance, it gets harder and harder to ignore the growing sexual tension between them as they get to know one another.
Once these two wrote Page & Charlie's Roommate Rules, I knew it was game over. It was a fun nod to "you have to promise you won't fall in love with me" when Jamie says this to Landon in a Walk To Remember hehe. I loved their day trip to a nearby castle, their close proximity in the bookstore that Page's family owns (&that Charlie is now working at!), & the way they begin to look out for one another.
Page approaches Charlie's autism with curiosity and tries to clarify that he is willing to learn, which is more than what most folks can say! Having the mentality to just *try* & do better once you know better is something we should all be mindful of! I really appreciated the representation of Charlie's inner thoughts surrounding her autism, and how she had been let down so many times before by people she should have trusted: exes, her family, supervisors! The way Charlie had their harshest words on replay in her head was heartbreaking, but rings so true to me in my own experience of being autistic & an ADHD-er. It's why chosen family is so important, and can make such profound impact with regards to being validated and reassured that you are enough as you are!
I had so much fun with the excerpts from the tv show, interviews, fanfic excerpts, and social media posts at the beginning of each chapter; it totally felt authentic to the way those play into Hollywood and fandom culture. I also loved side characters and Page's work besties Sandhya and Theo, queer cast members from London who lovingly check in with Page and lay out hard truths for him at times too!
Honorable mention to Gandalf the White cat! What a silly goose, I love Gandalf! Also, the playlist was so much fun — I listened while I read 🎶
I'm unsure if this is the start of an interconnected series of standalone romances, but if it is, I'm very curious & hoping one of the books will be about Lillian & Callum *rubs palms together excitedly*
I highly recommend this, & will absolutely read whatever Caden Armstrong decides to write next!
representation: bisexual & autistic main character, main character who navigates anxiety, queer side characters, side character with ADHD
steam rating: 3/5 - yay for representation of sex toys & self-pleasuring!
see content warnings below & take care while reading <3
This was such a lovely debut romcom by Caden Armstrong! I was gifted an ARC and am providing an honest review on my own volition.
After Charlie calls out ableist language at a StarCon panel for one of her favorite tv shows StarVerse, a video of this goes viral and she reaps the consequences, not the mega-popular actor who said the ableist bullshit of course. She is fired from her job, bullied by the media and fans online, gets doxxed, and is basically forced into social isolation besides her best friend Ripley. Ripley finds Charlie a short-term workstay in Stonehaven, Scotland of all places! Charlie leaves LA, hoping to start anew in the small town, Stonehaven, and to get a bit of a break from the rampant misogyny and ableism that has followed her online since the viral video.
Page (stage name: Jamie Mahome; the reason for his stage name comes into play later, but I don't want to spoil anything; please read this!) wants to surprise his sister Lillian by coming home during his break from filming StarVerse, but instead is welcomed by a golf club to the head by Charlie. Charlie thought he was breaking in, so this makes for the goofiest meet cute and really did make me laugh out loud. Since Page sends most of his paycheck to his mom and sister, he can't just find another place to crash for the summer, so this makes Page and Charlie summer roommates! He immediately recognizes her as the woman who called out his colleague Killian, and while he tries to maintain his distance, it gets harder and harder to ignore the growing sexual tension between them as they get to know one another.
Once these two wrote Page & Charlie's Roommate Rules, I knew it was game over. It was a fun nod to "you have to promise you won't fall in love with me" when Jamie says this to Landon in a Walk To Remember hehe. I loved their day trip to a nearby castle, their close proximity in the bookstore that Page's family owns (&that Charlie is now working at!), & the way they begin to look out for one another.
Page approaches Charlie's autism with curiosity and tries to clarify that he is willing to learn, which is more than what most folks can say! Having the mentality to just *try* & do better once you know better is something we should all be mindful of! I really appreciated the representation of Charlie's inner thoughts surrounding her autism, and how she had been let down so many times before by people she should have trusted: exes, her family, supervisors! The way Charlie had their harshest words on replay in her head was heartbreaking, but rings so true to me in my own experience of being autistic & an ADHD-er. It's why chosen family is so important, and can make such profound impact with regards to being validated and reassured that you are enough as you are!
I had so much fun with the excerpts from the tv show, interviews, fanfic excerpts, and social media posts at the beginning of each chapter; it totally felt authentic to the way those play into Hollywood and fandom culture. I also loved side characters and Page's work besties Sandhya and Theo, queer cast members from London who lovingly check in with Page and lay out hard truths for him at times too!
Honorable mention to Gandalf the White cat! What a silly goose, I love Gandalf! Also, the playlist was so much fun — I listened while I read 🎶
I'm unsure if this is the start of an interconnected series of standalone romances, but if it is, I'm very curious & hoping one of the books will be about Lillian & Callum *rubs palms together excitedly*
I highly recommend this, & will absolutely read whatever Caden Armstrong decides to write next!
representation: bisexual & autistic main character, main character who navigates anxiety, queer side characters, side character with ADHD
steam rating: 3/5 - yay for representation of sex toys & self-pleasuring!
see content warnings below & take care while reading <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, and Ableism
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, and Homophobia
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
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