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emmysforeverbooked's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Where do I start with this review... The main character felt insufferable for about 85% of the book, the writing style was just idek, and the ending??? Really???
I'm gonna flesh out each of these things just to kind of give you an insight as to why I didn't like each thing. But before I get started, please know that these things are not personal digs at the author, I'm sure she's great. This book, however, just did not do it for me. That's not to say you shouldn't pick it up if you think you'll like it! You read what interests you, these are just my personal opinions while I was reading it.
Chani. Chani, Chani, Chani. I feel weird even typing that because the love interest does, in fact, say that during the smut, which I will touch on later. But for now, I just need to rant about the main character for a sec. I honestly think that for once, if this had been dual POV, I would've enjoyed the guy's POV better. Other than Belly from The Summer I Turned Pretty, this is the most insufferable MC I have ever read about. This whole book felt like "Poor, pitiful me. I'm a famous writer and I have the best life ever but it doesn't matter because my life is actually awful since I didn't get to f!ck this hot celebrity man." Babes... this is like the entirety of stan twt complaining because they didn't get to sleep with a member of BTS. It would be nice, but it's just not going to happen.
And then when it did happen? After she spent 10 years complaining and sulking because she didn't take her opportunity to sleep with him and now she finally can, guess what? Her first instinct is to complain because it did happen š¤¦š»āāļø
Which I guess brings me to my next point, the āØļøsmutāØļø scene. Now my first complaint is that I had to wait 302 pages, nearly the entirety of the book, for her to say "we were tangled up like two horny octopuses." š yep, you read that right. You know what the smut chapter felt like? 10 pages of glorified wattpad fanfiction. Especially when you consider that this man feels like a knock-off Tom Holland or someone like that. The smut in this book was just embarrassing...
Tbh the overall writing style was just... I don't even know how to take it. One minute, there would be fancy words I had to Google the definition of while the only variation of speaker tags we had were "I say" or "He asks". Like there were no other speaking verbs other than those two. Maybe this wouldn't bother someone else, but I'm autistic, I have to have tone indicators to know how I'm supposed to take these things.
Finally, because I could go on forever if you let me, I just need to release my anger for the ending. Because wtf was that? You just expect me to believe they haven't seen each other in a decade, then sleep together the day after they reunite, tell each other "F!ck you!" and basically break up despite not even being together, and their mutual friend sets them back up together all within a span of about 12 hours??? Girl wut?? And then you expect me to believe after they have a single conversation discussing their feelings for all of about five minutes, that they're happily married in the epilogue? I simply cannot compute.
All this being said, I do think this book would've been great as a Y/A book. Someone's thirteen year old daughter would eat this up if there wasn't a smut scene and a scene within the first ten pages of the book where MC thoroughly describes how hot and bothered Gabe Parker makes her feel with one glance over. So I think if you enjoy Y/A romance and celebrity romance, you'd probably enjoy this book. However, for me personally, it just wasn't what I wanted considering I picked this up on the premise that it was a contemporary romance.
I'm gonna flesh out each of these things just to kind of give you an insight as to why I didn't like each thing. But before I get started, please know that these things are not personal digs at the author, I'm sure she's great. This book, however, just did not do it for me. That's not to say you shouldn't pick it up if you think you'll like it! You read what interests you, these are just my personal opinions while I was reading it.
Chani. Chani, Chani, Chani. I feel weird even typing that because the love interest does, in fact, say that during the smut, which I will touch on later. But for now, I just need to rant about the main character for a sec. I honestly think that for once, if this had been dual POV, I would've enjoyed the guy's POV better. Other than Belly from The Summer I Turned Pretty, this is the most insufferable MC I have ever read about. This whole book felt like "Poor, pitiful me. I'm a famous writer and I have the best life ever but it doesn't matter because my life is actually awful since I didn't get to f!ck this hot celebrity man." Babes... this is like the entirety of stan twt complaining because they didn't get to sleep with a member of BTS. It would be nice, but it's just not going to happen.
And then when it did happen? After she spent 10 years complaining and sulking because she didn't take her opportunity to sleep with him and now she finally can, guess what? Her first instinct is to complain because it did happen š¤¦š»āāļø
Which I guess brings me to my next point, the āØļøsmutāØļø scene. Now my first complaint is that I had to wait 302 pages, nearly the entirety of the book, for her to say "we were tangled up like two horny octopuses." š yep, you read that right. You know what the smut chapter felt like? 10 pages of glorified wattpad fanfiction. Especially when you consider that this man feels like a knock-off Tom Holland or someone like that. The smut in this book was just embarrassing...
Tbh the overall writing style was just... I don't even know how to take it. One minute, there would be fancy words I had to Google the definition of while the only variation of speaker tags we had were "I say" or "He asks". Like there were no other speaking verbs other than those two. Maybe this wouldn't bother someone else, but I'm autistic, I have to have tone indicators to know how I'm supposed to take these things.
Finally, because I could go on forever if you let me, I just need to release my anger for the ending. Because wtf was that? You just expect me to believe they haven't seen each other in a decade, then sleep together the day after they reunite, tell each other "F!ck you!" and basically break up despite not even being together, and their mutual friend sets them back up together all within a span of about 12 hours??? Girl wut?? And then you expect me to believe after they have a single conversation discussing their feelings for all of about five minutes, that they're happily married in the epilogue? I simply cannot compute.
All this being said, I do think this book would've been great as a Y/A book. Someone's thirteen year old daughter would eat this up if there wasn't a smut scene and a scene within the first ten pages of the book where MC thoroughly describes how hot and bothered Gabe Parker makes her feel with one glance over. So I think if you enjoy Y/A romance and celebrity romance, you'd probably enjoy this book. However, for me personally, it just wasn't what I wanted considering I picked this up on the premise that it was a contemporary romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Homophobia, and Cursing
Minor: Misogyny, Car accident, and Antisemitism
mbichaela's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ENG
i loved the format of this book but i could not sometimes connect to characters
i loved the format of this book but i could not sometimes connect to characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Death
meaghanslibrary's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Hmm Iām between a 4.75 and a 5 I think I have to give it a five though because I couldnāt put it down. I started this book just wanting to read it before I went to bed and ended up staying up till 4am finishing the book. (Coming back months later dropping this to a 4.75 because I honestly donāt remember the plot of this book.)
The chapters are all very short which helped with the pace of the book and kept it engaging.
Itās a very basic book kind of similar celebrity falls in love with common person like the book āRomantic Comedy.ā I realized that is the content I like!
I liked the artistic choices to shift timelines and incorporate articles and blog posts throughout. Kind of reminded me of Carrie Soto is Back in that way. If youāre looking for a feel good read highly recommend!
The chapters are all very short which helped with the pace of the book and kept it engaging.
Itās a very basic book kind of similar celebrity falls in love with common person like the book āRomantic Comedy.ā I realized that is the content I like!
I liked the artistic choices to shift timelines and incorporate articles and blog posts throughout. Kind of reminded me of Carrie Soto is Back in that way. If youāre looking for a feel good read highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Gaslighting, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent and Toxic relationship
litbrett's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Homophobia, Addiction, and Alcoholism
samarakroeger's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
when I picked this book up, I was planning on just reading the first chapter and then comparing it to the first chapter of a few other books that I might've wanted to read today. I didn't put this one down until I finished it. so much for trying a chapter.
anyways, more than anything, I just really enjoyed Sussman's writing. this is one of those rom-coms that is maybe lacking a little bit in the romance department, but is just a well-crafted and enjoyable book regardless of the plot. I love Emily Henry, and she totally fits into this category as well. it was tightly constructed, and the inclusion of the article/blog extracts was great. the book was well-paced, and while I would normally want the leads to spend more time actually together over the course of the book, I thought it worked pretty well plot-wise here. ah, the joys of reading something that has benefitted from the due diligence of a developmental editor.
this felt like it was somewhat inspired by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but just by the parts of her books that I like without the ridiculous melodrama and excessive sadness. here, you get a lovingly-depicted los angeles setting, multimedia extracts that act as quasi-unreliable narrators, short chapters, alternating timelines, family dynamics, and even some fake famous people. similar themes, but they felt less heavy-handed in the hands of Sussman.
anyways, more than anything, I just really enjoyed Sussman's writing. this is one of those rom-coms that is maybe lacking a little bit in the romance department, but is just a well-crafted and enjoyable book regardless of the plot. I love Emily Henry, and she totally fits into this category as well. it was tightly constructed, and the inclusion of the article/blog extracts was great. the book was well-paced, and while I would normally want the leads to spend more time actually together over the course of the book, I thought it worked pretty well plot-wise here. ah, the joys of reading something that has benefitted from the due diligence of a developmental editor.
this felt like it was somewhat inspired by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but just by the parts of her books that I like without the ridiculous melodrama and excessive sadness. here, you get a lovingly-depicted los angeles setting, multimedia extracts that act as quasi-unreliable narrators, short chapters, alternating timelines, family dynamics, and even some fake famous people. similar themes, but they felt less heavy-handed in the hands of Sussman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Homophobia
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
_dina's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I donāt know how to feel about this book. It felt like I was reading fanfiction somehow, I caught myself rolling my eyes a couple of times. I really liked the format however, it added a bit of tension and suspense.
I couldnāt get attached to the main characters and found myself caring more about the side characters.
It was a nice beach read, lighthearted and entertaining but I wouldnāt necessarily recommend it.
I couldnāt get attached to the main characters and found myself caring more about the side characters.
It was a nice beach read, lighthearted and entertaining but I wouldnāt necessarily recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent
heddaah's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Moderate: Homophobia
emmak788's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Death
muchadoaboutliz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual harassment, Homophobia, and Sexism
colyforniaroll's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed this book! The format switching from the pair meeting 10 years in the past to the present day reckoning of that event (the interview), interspersed with faux magazine articles/blog posts, made me burn through the pages and was a fun way to tell the story. It reminded me of a Beach Read by Emily Henry and Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi combo, mixed into a fluffy LA romance.
Even though there are aspects that feel totally out of the realm of believability, like the fact that in total they only spent 6 days together over the course of 10 years, the romance made sense in a weird, Hollywood way. Like, it's a story about an actor and a writer, of course it's going to be romanticized and exaggerated. That's what felt new and fun for me with this one.
The second-chance romance aspect was fulfilling to read in large part because of the more mature themes touched on throughout Chani & Gabe's respective careers (alcoholism, emotional manipulation from a marriage, imposter syndrome, familial loss), so the end result (and the two steamy scenes) were so rewarding. There could have been a bit more banter between the two for my taste, but the descriptors and how Elissa wrote Chani's thought processes made up for that.
It was a refreshing read to add for any romance reader's list, I would recommend!
Quick pros: fun setting (the Hollywood aspect) / epilogue is short, sweet, & not cringey / great side characters who give off Martin Short in "Only Murders in the Building" vibes aka Ollie
Even though there are aspects that feel totally out of the realm of believability, like the fact that in total they only spent 6 days together over the course of 10 years, the romance made sense in a weird, Hollywood way. Like, it's a story about an actor and a writer, of course it's going to be romanticized and exaggerated. That's what felt new and fun for me with this one.
The second-chance romance aspect was fulfilling to read in large part because of the more mature themes touched on throughout Chani & Gabe's respective careers (alcoholism, emotional manipulation from a marriage, imposter syndrome, familial loss), so the end result (and the two steamy scenes) were so rewarding. There could have been a bit more banter between the two for my taste, but the descriptors and how Elissa wrote Chani's thought processes made up for that.
It was a refreshing read to add for any romance reader's list, I would recommend!
Quick pros: fun setting (the Hollywood aspect) / epilogue is short, sweet, & not cringey / great side characters who give off Martin Short in "Only Murders in the Building" vibes aka Ollie
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Alcoholism
Minor: Gaslighting