Scan barcode
mahaofhyrule's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
3.5 Stars
Kinda fun and kinda boring at the same time, but mostly fun.
What I DID like though was the following:
- The Writing Style: Very easy on the brain. I also liked the inclusion of the media outlets here like Chani's blog, news articles, etc. to support the narrative too. Very creative!
- The talks on female journalist stereotypes and actor typecasting: Probably my favorite parts of the book. Chani's addresses on breaking that stereotype that female journalists sleep their way to good stories, and actors being criticized for taking roles that break their usual mold (and what it means to be a public figure). I really like these parts of the book and lowkey I wish this book was more of a character study on that vs. the romance.
- Oliver Matthias: What a gem. Also ties in with actors as a public figure point.
- This line: “He laughed. It was a great laugh, all low and dark and rich. If chocolate cake had a laugh, it would be that.” Like what does that even mean? I love it.
And now the dislikes:
For one thing, I didn't connect with Chani and Gabe's romance. To me, their whole dynamic felt like insta love, which is a trope I don't really like that much in romance novels. (Though this might be on me, I probably could have inferred that from the title.)
Chani and Gabe as individual characters were kind of a hit or miss for me too. Chani's insecurities made sense when she was younger and made the choices she did , but the way it carried onto her later years was crazy. Girl was still hung up on her no good ex after so many years. (On that note, it got a little annoying that she mentioned Jeremy in pretty much every other sentence.)
I also didn't really like that ending. It felt a little too rushed. More in the spoiler tag.
They slept together and then had this weird fight about Chani's article, and this point there was like 10 pages left in the book. HUH? And the way they immediately made up was so quick. Very romcom Hallmark movie vibes
But anyway this was a quick fun read!
Kinda fun and kinda boring at the same time, but mostly fun.
What I DID like though was the following:
- The Writing Style: Very easy on the brain. I also liked the inclusion of the media outlets here like Chani's blog, news articles, etc. to support the narrative too. Very creative!
- The talks on female journalist stereotypes and actor typecasting: Probably my favorite parts of the book. Chani's addresses on breaking that stereotype that female journalists sleep their way to good stories, and actors being criticized for taking roles that break their usual mold (and what it means to be a public figure). I really like these parts of the book and lowkey I wish this book was more of a character study on that vs. the romance.
- Oliver Matthias: What a gem. Also ties in with actors as a public figure point.
- This line: “He laughed. It was a great laugh, all low and dark and rich. If chocolate cake had a laugh, it would be that.” Like what does that even mean? I love it.
And now the dislikes:
For one thing, I didn't connect with Chani and Gabe's romance. To me, their whole dynamic felt like insta love, which is a trope I don't really like that much in romance novels. (Though this might be on me, I probably could have inferred that from the title.)
Chani and Gabe as individual characters were kind of a hit or miss for me too. Chani's insecurities made sense when she was younger and made the choices she did , but the way it carried onto her later years was crazy. Girl was still hung up on her no good ex after so many years. (On that note, it got a little annoying that she mentioned Jeremy in pretty much every other sentence.)
I also didn't really like that ending. It felt a little too rushed. More in the spoiler tag.
But anyway this was a quick fun read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Moderate: Addiction
teresabonifacio's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.5
This book is about everything I’ve dreamt when a teenager! A “normal” meeting a famous actor and spending the weekend with him? My dream!
I liked Elissa’s writing and I liked how the transition between now and then was subtle with posts of the article, parts of Chani’s blog and other articles.
I liked Elissa’s writing and I liked how the transition between now and then was subtle with posts of the article, parts of Chani’s blog and other articles.
mcc004's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.75
izzy_rae_coop's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was a fun read! Sometimes the writing fell a little short for me. But I enjoyed the story and characters overall!
dulce2308's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-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
3.5
scrivspo's review against another edition
2.0
It felt like the only two things she actually liked about him were 1) he can pronounce her name correctly and 2) he’s famous. Lol.
alicebme's review against another edition
4.0
I quite enjoy a book where a celebrity falls in love with a non-celebrity, especially when the only real description of the non-celebrity’s appearance is that she has big eyes and maybe also big hair. There is a lot of shirtless man holding a puppy imagery in this book. Ollie is a treasure, and fulfills the perhaps outdated role of Rupert Everett/gay wingman. I would like to read this book from his POV. I would also love to own Cozy.
arisaenz's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I feel like all the things that were interesting were not explored. The characters felt very 2 demensional. This was giving like movie romcom in the sense that in movie romcom you don't usually have much time to deeply connect with the characters? The FMC was basically fabricating emotions about a man she barely knew and only met and spoke with a grand total of.... 4 days over like I think it was 8 years? If you told me they kept running into each other? Or she experienced his addiction on a not superficial level or they had this push and pull? But nope. And the Gay bestie? Who she hasn't seen in 3 years but like yeah we're cool? And love each other? This was so disappointing. Lacked a lot of depth. Couldn't emotionally connect with the characters.
hannahtufte's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One thing about this book is it is the SLOWEST of slow burns, but for the most part, I found that it was worth it. The biggest critique is that the burn was so slow that the rest of the ending felt rushed. This book touches on the highs and lows of addiction, success with fame, and love. The alternating timeline was a fun touch to try and figure out what went wrong to cause the 10-year gap. The book is very reminiscent of an Emily Henry and Taylor Jenkins Reid baby and I love the book for it. I'm a simple girl and it's a simple second-chance romance, what more can I say?