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analenegrace's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really wish books about members of the LGBTQIA+ community would use identities like people do in the real world. These women were clearly all lesbians, and the fact that it took over half the book for it to say lesbian is why it does not have four stars.
Other than that, I thought this book was very cute; we need more gay celeb books for sure! I appreciated that the third-act breakup was not a miscommunication but rather very valid concerns on both sides. I wanted Ari to apologize maybe a little more, but I still like that the fight didn't only fall on Nina like many books that feature this type of plot. Nina deserved to work through her issues at her own pace without feeling pressured.
I also loved how supportive Nina's friends were, even when they were upset with her. They were such a supportive family, and I adored that. Also, Aunt Lorna Rights! I loved her so much!
Other than that, I thought this book was very cute; we need more gay celeb books for sure! I appreciated that the third-act breakup was not a miscommunication but rather very valid concerns on both sides. I wanted Ari to apologize maybe a little more, but I still like that the fight didn't only fall on Nina like many books that feature this type of plot. Nina deserved to work through her issues at her own pace without feeling pressured.
I also loved how supportive Nina's friends were, even when they were upset with her. They were such a supportive family, and I adored that. Also, Aunt Lorna Rights! I loved her so much!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
badwolfbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really cute romance with a few spicier scenes included, but unfortunately, it wasn't something I necessarily enjoyed due to the dynamic of the characters,
Nina Rice is not living her best life - after moving to LA to write a script for television, going through a horrendous break up with the woman she wanted to marry, and losing all of her friends (her own doing), Nina is now a remote worker for an agency, where she responds to celebrity emails in place of them. This life was working out great for her up until one of her clients, Ari Fox, complains that she wasn't all the way thrilled with the communication that Nina was providing,
Ari Fox is an up-and-coming LGBTQ actress, on her way to an Oscar. She meets for dinner with Nina, and her boss Joyce, to settle the communication issues she has, but ends up falling head over heels with Nina.
I think you can tell where the rest is going. And while the plot is SO PROMISING, there's some things that I can't overlook when it comes to character development. The two main points are below.
1: Ari is... for lack of a better word... Pushy. And its not in a cute, playful, "I'm Joking," kind of way. It's cringe-worthy. How many times does your girlfriend need to say "No," before it clicks? Oh wait... It doesn't click. And that's the reason for the inevitable rom-com romantic split.
2: Nina has NO character development until 94% of the book is over. She actually gets WORSE up until her and Ari make up and the relationship has seemingly made her "whole," again. It's very off-putting.
I really wanted to fall head over heels for this book and the characters, but I found myself wanting more of the side characters - Nina's friends - instead of Ari and Nina, and that really is a huge issue.
This was a really cute romance with a few spicier scenes included, but unfortunately, it wasn't something I necessarily enjoyed due to the dynamic of the characters,
Nina Rice is not living her best life - after moving to LA to write a script for television, going through a horrendous break up with the woman she wanted to marry, and losing all of her friends (her own doing), Nina is now a remote worker for an agency, where she responds to celebrity emails in place of them. This life was working out great for her up until one of her clients, Ari Fox, complains that she wasn't all the way thrilled with the communication that Nina was providing,
Ari Fox is an up-and-coming LGBTQ actress, on her way to an Oscar. She meets for dinner with Nina, and her boss Joyce, to settle the communication issues she has, but ends up falling head over heels with Nina.
I think you can tell where the rest is going. And while the plot is SO PROMISING, there's some things that I can't overlook when it comes to character development. The two main points are below.
1: Ari is... for lack of a better word... Pushy. And its not in a cute, playful, "I'm Joking," kind of way. It's cringe-worthy. How many times does your girlfriend need to say "No," before it clicks? Oh wait... It doesn't click. And that's the reason for the inevitable rom-com romantic split.
2: Nina has NO character development until 94% of the book is over. She actually gets WORSE up until her and Ari make up and the relationship has seemingly made her "whole," again. It's very off-putting.
I really wanted to fall head over heels for this book and the characters, but I found myself wanting more of the side characters - Nina's friends - instead of Ari and Nina, and that really is a huge issue.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
decklededgess's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
trigger warnings: anxiety and depression, physical injury, adoption mention, car and biker accident
This was a super sweet and cute romance set in LA. Nina’s crisis after her ex gave her a 12 point list of why she was a terrible person leads to her self isolating and working as someone who ghostwrites emails for busy celebrities. That’s such a fun and weird premise. But also the emotional point of this book was super relatable. I too am a flight risk when someone tells me I made a mistake.
Nina meeting Ari and the two of them building a relationship was super cute. I liked reading about Nina struggling to parse out her feelings about Ari, about her job and her writing, reconnecting with friends and more. Her self doubt and fear of being a problem to those she cared about was really well done.
I kind of missed having Ari’s POV. It’s just Nina narrating the romance so I didn’t get an opportunity to connect to Ari’s side of the romance. But since Nina’s emotional growth was such a significant component of the book it makes sense.
I am a little hesitant about the mention of adoption agencies and the subplot of two characters looking into adopting a child. It’s not significant but the harm that adoption agencies have done to children and to birth parents while simultaneously exploiting people who want children is too big of an issue not to mention it in relation to this book. It’s insignificant in the grand scheme of things but for a romance, seeing adoption agencies thrown in as a happy ending really did not fit the vibe. But it’s like a total of four paragraphs in the book so not a huge impact.
I was quite chuffed that the main character is fat and that’s that. Like the story did a wonderful job of just letting her exist. It wasn’t about her size, it wasn’t about how people reacted to her around the diet culture of LA, it wasn’t a Nina learning to love her body. All those stories are so valuable but one book about a fat woman living her gay life in LA learning to be fully happy with her career and love life was a really lovely thing to come across. [as a straight sized person my opinion here is that of an outsider. an own voices review would serve you better in understanding the fat rep in this book]
Overall a fun book! I was disappointed the smut wasn’t more detailed but you can’t win ‘em all.
This was a super sweet and cute romance set in LA. Nina’s crisis after her ex gave her a 12 point list of why she was a terrible person leads to her self isolating and working as someone who ghostwrites emails for busy celebrities. That’s such a fun and weird premise. But also the emotional point of this book was super relatable. I too am a flight risk when someone tells me I made a mistake.
Nina meeting Ari and the two of them building a relationship was super cute. I liked reading about Nina struggling to parse out her feelings about Ari, about her job and her writing, reconnecting with friends and more. Her self doubt and fear of being a problem to those she cared about was really well done.
I kind of missed having Ari’s POV. It’s just Nina narrating the romance so I didn’t get an opportunity to connect to Ari’s side of the romance. But since Nina’s emotional growth was such a significant component of the book it makes sense.
I am a little hesitant about the mention of adoption agencies and the subplot of two characters looking into adopting a child. It’s not significant but the harm that adoption agencies have done to children and to birth parents while simultaneously exploiting people who want children is too big of an issue not to mention it in relation to this book. It’s insignificant in the grand scheme of things but for a romance, seeing adoption agencies thrown in as a happy ending really did not fit the vibe. But it’s like a total of four paragraphs in the book so not a huge impact.
I was quite chuffed that the main character is fat and that’s that. Like the story did a wonderful job of just letting her exist. It wasn’t about her size, it wasn’t about how people reacted to her around the diet culture of LA, it wasn’t a Nina learning to love her body. All those stories are so valuable but one book about a fat woman living her gay life in LA learning to be fully happy with her career and love life was a really lovely thing to come across. [as a straight sized person my opinion here is that of an outsider. an own voices review would serve you better in understanding the fat rep in this book]
Overall a fun book! I was disappointed the smut wasn’t more detailed but you can’t win ‘em all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Car accident, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
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