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readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
3.5
I picked this up hoping it would give me some the RWRB energy that I've been missing since watching the film, but it didn't really have the same spark or humour. The drama and fake dating were enjoyable, but I didn't feel any chemistry between the two main characters. So many of the open threads that were set up throughout the story weren't fully wrapped up by the end either.
Something that felt notably absent to me was a discussion around queer identities. One of the protagonists, Tom, realises he's queer part way through the novel, but we get no discussion about it. Yes, he and Clay are pretending to date and not actually dating when he has this realisation, but when they develop real feelings, I would have thought this would have been something they'd talk about. But there's no discussion at all. They actually spend more time talking about waffles than about Tom's identity or how he feels about it. Yes, you could argue that the lack of discussion normalises queer identities being part of day-to-day life, but it just really felt really absent for me.
My other issue was thefake marriage. Why would you do that for a political campaign? Both Tom and Clay clearly didn't want to go through with it and although Lennie was the clear antagonist here for pushing them into it, I don't understand why neither of them called it off, or stopped things before they went too far? It just felt a little unrealistic to me.
Having said all this, there were some fun and very enjoyable moments as Tom and Clay grew closer, and this is a very easy read (I listened to the audio in under 24 hours). The story has a solid foundation and the backdrop of the political campaign also set this apart from some of the other romance books I've read recently, I think I just wanted something slightly different from the ending.
Something that felt notably absent to me was a discussion around queer identities. One of the protagonists, Tom, realises he's queer part way through the novel, but we get no discussion about it. Yes, he and Clay are pretending to date and not actually dating when he has this realisation, but when they develop real feelings, I would have thought this would have been something they'd talk about. But there's no discussion at all. They actually spend more time talking about waffles than about Tom's identity or how he feels about it. Yes, you could argue that the lack of discussion normalises queer identities being part of day-to-day life, but it just really felt really absent for me.
My other issue was the
Having said all this, there were some fun and very enjoyable moments as Tom and Clay grew closer, and this is a very easy read (I listened to the audio in under 24 hours). The story has a solid foundation and the backdrop of the political campaign also set this apart from some of the other romance books I've read recently, I think I just wanted something slightly different from the ending.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Bullying and Classism
planetesastraea's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I had a lot of fun reading this! It's a light-hearted book and it exactly what I needed it to be <3
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia and Addiction
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