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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
“It’s just that I spent all that time pretending I was in love with you, and now I have to pretend that I’m not.”
3.8 ⭐️
Whitman “Win” Tagore is British Indian actress who is rising in her stardom, albeit carefully, as she faces challenges being a woman of color in a predominately white career. Win is on the cusp of Oscar level movie roles and ever moment in the public eye has the be carefully orchestrated to keep her career running. This is why anytime a scandal reaches her, she calls up Leo Milanowski, the socialite she’s been on-off fake dating for the past 7 years.
The story picks up after Win’s latest boyfriend was slamming her on his talk show for, truthfully, being very controlling on what happens in the public eye. This is when Leo is called in, and it’s easy to see at the beginning that Win and Leo have a beautiful friendship. The authors interweave background history of how Leo and Win’s arrangement began and how it looked over the past 7 years. Just when you think maybe there is more between the two of them, Win finds out Leo had eloped with another woman and their friendship explodes. However, because of how much Leo cares for her, Leo comes back into Win’s life, when Win desperately needs someone in her life. As the two come together, another bombshell hits and Win has to make a choice between Leo or her career.
The View Was Exhausting was exhausting at times. I understand that Win had to carefully walk the line, but she was so damn frustrating at times, but as someone who would never be in her position, I can’t really say if she was being too careful. Leo could be an idiot with his choices at times, but he definitely went with his heart and I felt like he was a good voice of reason for Win, even though she shut him down when he made good points. I feel like Win and her publicist were the only ones so focused on her public image when Leo, her best friend Shift, and her mom were all basically telling her the same things. Overall, this book was an easy read and I did enjoy it.
3.8 ⭐️
Whitman “Win” Tagore is British Indian actress who is rising in her stardom, albeit carefully, as she faces challenges being a woman of color in a predominately white career. Win is on the cusp of Oscar level movie roles and ever moment in the public eye has the be carefully orchestrated to keep her career running. This is why anytime a scandal reaches her, she calls up Leo Milanowski, the socialite she’s been on-off fake dating for the past 7 years.
The story picks up after Win’s latest boyfriend was slamming her on his talk show for, truthfully, being very controlling on what happens in the public eye. This is when Leo is called in, and it’s easy to see at the beginning that Win and Leo have a beautiful friendship. The authors interweave background history of how Leo and Win’s arrangement began and how it looked over the past 7 years. Just when you think maybe there is more between the two of them, Win finds out Leo had eloped with another woman and their friendship explodes. However, because of how much Leo cares for her, Leo comes back into Win’s life, when Win desperately needs someone in her life. As the two come together, another bombshell hits and Win has to make a choice between Leo or her career.
The View Was Exhausting was exhausting at times. I understand that Win had to carefully walk the line, but she was so damn frustrating at times, but as someone who would never be in her position, I can’t really say if she was being too careful. Leo could be an idiot with his choices at times, but he definitely went with his heart and I felt like he was a good voice of reason for Win, even though she shut him down when he made good points. I feel like Win and her publicist were the only ones so focused on her public image when Leo, her best friend Shift, and her mom were all basically telling her the same things. Overall, this book was an easy read and I did enjoy it.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Parts of this book picked up but overall it was very middle of the road for me.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the Chemistry between Win and Leo, they were endgame for me the moment they met.
My biggest issue with this book was the 'flashbacks' it seemed like the timeline jumped back and forth with no real warning.
My biggest issue with this book was the 'flashbacks' it seemed like the timeline jumped back and forth with no real warning.
oh i really liked this. a lot more emotionally exhausting (as the title suggests tbf) than i typically expect from romance novels but it mostly worked for me; win & leo could definitely be frustrating but they were a lot more believable for it which imo is a win (lol) for a genre of which the appeal hinges largely on the emotional depth of characters & their relationships. i was very invested and compelled!
