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im_guppie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body shaming and Cursing
empressnessa's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was cute, but pretty inaccurate in a LOT of ways. For example, a 23 year old interviewing for a PhD program at Stanford to research cancer screening technology is a bit…far fetched. Most people haven’t even completed their bachelor’s by 23. It just seemed like an excuse to have the main female lead be much younger than the male lead to be honest.
I also really wasn’t a fan of Olive. I didn’t believe that she was even remotely capable of the scientific discoveries she supposedly made in the book, given that she acted like an overgrown toddler in every situation possible. I also think there was a bit too much Gilmore Girl-esque “quirkiness” at play in her character that irked me. For example the classic “tee hee, I eat like shit but it’s okay because I’m so skinny!” schtick was brought up over and over and over again. It became a bit exhausting.
I did like Adam though and wish that we had been able to see more from him and less from Olive.
Also wasn’t a fan of the animal testing scenes.
I also really wasn’t a fan of Olive. I didn’t believe that she was even remotely capable of the scientific discoveries she supposedly made in the book, given that she acted like an overgrown toddler in every situation possible. I also think there was a bit too much Gilmore Girl-esque “quirkiness” at play in her character that irked me. For example the classic “tee hee, I eat like shit but it’s okay because I’m so skinny!” schtick was brought up over and over and over again. It became a bit exhausting.
I did like Adam though and wish that we had been able to see more from him and less from Olive.
Also wasn’t a fan of the animal testing scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder
iwantsandwich's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
While I loved the mostly lighthearted and funny read, it felt as though there was acephobia.As someone who identifies as asexual I found it disturbing how Olive pretty much felt as though she had to have sex. It felt as though she was trying to make Adam happy by having sex and to make herself feel less “broken”. Which to be fair to the author, does happen with ace folks. Where people coerce themselves into having sex just to make the person they like happy. But I just wish there were some confident demisexual and/or asexual spectrum representation.
SecondlyI really did not like the stereotypical “You’re (basically) a virgin?!?!” Like come on, virginity is a social construct. I hate that there’s such a high importance put on this.
Secondly
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming and Acephobia/Arophobia
jenniferbowman's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
chelseasofia's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.0
Ok, on the one hand this book was fun, had great STEM and science rep (which I know zero about but was delighted by the specificity of it all - it’s refreshing to see characters so knowledgeable in their field of work), and I really liked the characters and their growing relationship. They really *cared* for each other and were thoughtful about each other’s feelings and boundaries. It was fairly well written (not a ton of weird overly explanatory anxiety ridden character thoughts, only a few sprinkled hither and thither) and it did not feel like a chore to read (high bar I know).
On the other hand, I am tired of a few things that are still very popular in romance: the tall guy/short girl thing, likewise the repeated wonderment about how BIG he is (ok, I get it, a couple mentions would have been enough though), and the fact that two very intelligent people can’t make the logical conclusion to not pile on lie after lie, or that sacrificing yourself for the imagined happiness of someone else by continuing those lies is somehow “real love”, please. Also the miscommunications that don’t really make sense. Also the *ridiculous* ways that they’re forced to get closer in public (via Olive’s friend pressuring her) was just kinda dumb/not fully developed. I love tropes but let’s try and inject a little reality?
I did have to keep reminding myself that these people are in their 20s and not experienced at relationships, being honest with others about their feelings, or even with themselves. I know I didn’t tell someone I loved them when I was that age, so I guess I’m just over some of this stuff because I’ve read it a lot, and I’m old (sarcasm).
I did like Olive but I wished she didn’t have to be so unsure and tentative for so much of the book. And (spoilers?) when a big awful thing happens I wanted to scream at the way she was just going to push it down and try to continue as if nothing had happened. I guess that just means that I cared for the characters. But also, the big awful thing was really over the top, done by a capital-V Villain and it came completely out of nowhere. People who are abusers and manipulative don’t really go this hard this fast, do they? I wanted it to be a little more nuanced. But then again, maybe people are really this brazen and awful in academia. It did make for a great conclusion of the story later on.
The thing I liked most was them slowly becoming friends and coming to really care for each other in such a lovely way. And it all led to the one sex scene which was both tender and hot, with lots of good communication, plus the demisexual rep. Worth it. 🔥🔥🔥
On the other hand, I am tired of a few things that are still very popular in romance: the tall guy/short girl thing, likewise the repeated wonderment about how BIG he is (ok, I get it, a couple mentions would have been enough though), and the fact that two very intelligent people can’t make the logical conclusion to not pile on lie after lie, or that sacrificing yourself for the imagined happiness of someone else by continuing those lies is somehow “real love”, please. Also the miscommunications that don’t really make sense. Also the *ridiculous* ways that they’re forced to get closer in public (via Olive’s friend pressuring her) was just kinda dumb/not fully developed. I love tropes but let’s try and inject a little reality?
I did have to keep reminding myself that these people are in their 20s and not experienced at relationships, being honest with others about their feelings, or even with themselves. I know I didn’t tell someone I loved them when I was that age, so I guess I’m just over some of this stuff because I’ve read it a lot, and I’m old (sarcasm).
I did like Olive but I wished she didn’t have to be so unsure and tentative for so much of the book. And (spoilers?) when a big awful thing happens I wanted to scream at the way she was just going to push it down and try to continue as if nothing had happened. I guess that just means that I cared for the characters. But also, the big awful thing was really over the top, done by a capital-V Villain and it came completely out of nowhere. People who are abusers and manipulative don’t really go this hard this fast, do they? I wanted it to be a little more nuanced. But then again, maybe people are really this brazen and awful in academia. It did make for a great conclusion of the story later on.
The thing I liked most was them slowly becoming friends and coming to really care for each other in such a lovely way. And it all led to the one sex scene which was both tender and hot, with lots of good communication, plus the demisexual rep. Worth it. 🔥🔥🔥
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
naluminum's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, and Sexual harassment
tracey1981's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is one of the best and smartest romance books I’ve read.
What I liked:
-the characters felt real
-there was one main sex scene in the book that just! kept! going! instead of lots of moments peppered throughout. I loved this scene- maybe my favourite sex scene ever.
-the main characters’ lives and histories and sexualities were complex and interesting. More specifically, the main character I think could be described as demisexual, though that wasn’t named/labeled, which I kinda liked too. I found her experience very interesting and relatable and not something I’ve seen described in fiction before
-they had lives outside of each other - mostly work/academia but also close friendships that mattered to them and that the book took the time to delve into which doesn’t happen that often in such depth in romance books
-some serious shit happens that is handled quite well
What I didn’t like:
-an abundance of body commentary - he is large, she is small, her “weighing nothing” is mentioned more than once, among many other comments that I just got tired of.
-there was a character who did a very bad thing and while I believed that could happen for sure, just how quickly he turned from likeable to complete dick for one earth-shaking scene felt a little unrealistic to me. I thought it would have been more believable if he was more subtle/better at his assholery.
I look forward to more by this author
What I liked:
-the characters felt real
-there was one main sex scene in the book that just! kept! going! instead of lots of moments peppered throughout. I loved this scene- maybe my favourite sex scene ever.
-the main characters’ lives and histories and sexualities were complex and interesting. More specifically, the main character I think could be described as demisexual, though that wasn’t named/labeled, which I kinda liked too. I found her experience very interesting and relatable and not something I’ve seen described in fiction before
-they had lives outside of each other - mostly work/academia but also close friendships that mattered to them and that the book took the time to delve into which doesn’t happen that often in such depth in romance books
-some serious shit happens that is handled quite well
What I didn’t like:
-an abundance of body commentary - he is large, she is small, her “weighing nothing” is mentioned more than once, among many other comments that I just got tired of.
-there was a character who did a very bad thing and while I believed that could happen for sure, just how quickly he turned from likeable to complete dick for one earth-shaking scene felt a little unrealistic to me. I thought it would have been more believable if he was more subtle/better at his assholery.
I look forward to more by this author
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Sexual harassment
ellie_girl2929's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Probably the best book I’ve ever read most def recommend. One of my top three books I’ve read so far. Very detailed book and when I finished reading I immediately wanted to reread the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
cecilie26's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.5
It’s a really nerdy(in the good kind of way) and totally loveable. If you want a sweet but kind enemies to Lovers Vibe but not quite enemies either, but something in between? This is the book. It has the sunny and broody romance.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism
daringreader13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Hypothesis- because this is Star Wars fanfic I will hate it. 😅 Too bad the test results proved that hypothesis to be absolutely false.
And now I read everything she’s written before her book event in a couple weeks.
Also I did in fact read this in one sitting. Which wow. I need to read it again already.
And now I read everything she’s written before her book event in a couple weeks.
Also I did in fact read this in one sitting. Which wow. I need to read it again already.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming and Death of parent