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moonbin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Rape
souris_de_bibliotheque's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
danileah07's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexism
nina_av's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
One thing that I’m not really loving, though, about Hazelwood’s formula is that the Lead female characters seems to suffer from a lot of self-doubt when it comes to their own attractiveness. They’re all like, “Wow, this man is giving me so many signs he likes me, but there’s no way he could be attracted to ME!!!” Can we normalize self-confidence in our looks and hyping ourselves up?
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexism
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Ali Hazelwood is back at it again with an overly quirky, fast talking, soft tiny human FMC and a pensive, brooding, closed-off giant broad MMC—as is her default. I don’t take fault with that, for the most part. Because I am often attracted to that aforementioned type of man. And I was attracted to Liam. But at what cost?? The ending scene was awkward and kinda weird, which was really disappointing because the potential was very nearly achieved.
There were things I really did like about this novella, but in the end it was more in a “checking it off my list” kinda way. The buildup was pretty good, as far as Mara and Liam’s chemistry, but there needed to be more tension, more pining. More moments of intensity, passion. Also, less stereotypical steminist propaganda which kinda defeats the purpose of a steminist story in the first place.
It was cute, though. And Ali’s writing is always funny and a breeze to get through. I just hoped for more overall story development and more variety in the characters from book to book.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The author, Ali Hazelwood, writes fun, and sometimes self-deprecating, internal dialogue for the MC, with lots of playful and snarky banter between Mara and her roommate/love interest, Liam, as well as friends chatter with her university besties, Sadie and Hannah. I wish that Mara had been written as a more confident women seeing as she's someone who's described as having excelled in her educational pursuits and is at the point of having earned her doctorate. This kind of accomplishment is not made by a scatterbrained, overwrought individual, or at least that's not how I'd like an intelligent, successful female to be portrayed.
The set up of the story is done well and for the most part doesn't require too much of a stretch of what could happen in the real world, and the semi-slow burn of the romance was pretty cute. With that said, the description of sexual encounters is explicit and very often I just skipped forward because it doesn't bring value to the story of Mara and Liam's relationship other than to let you know they're very horny. But as a couple, they could be very cute when hanging out together and getting to know each other.
I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed the narrator, Emma Wilder.
NOTE: After reading the entire STEMinist romcom series, all the female main characters are small-framed, petite women, and their love interests are wealthy, educated, professionally successful men that stand over 6 feet tall, are described as intensely attractive, and have extremely large penises. It would've been nice if there'd been some physical and ethnic diversity amongst all the characters because by the third book it starts feeling like the same couple in a different setting, with only the last book in the series, Below Zero, offering a serious and introspective look into the STEM-related education and career of the female main character, and the hard work she had to do in order to achieve her educational and career goals. In the first two books, the STEM field was more so a component of the FMC's background, a commonality with her best friends, and perhaps a bridge to explain how she meets or gets to know her future love interest.
Graphic: Sexual content
vvayl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.75
I’m getting tired of the author putting serious conversations between sex scenes.
I don’t know, the story was really interesting but I’m also tired of the confessions been just “look I’m hard of course I want you”
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
martamae77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death
literate_liz's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism
kassidyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism