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rcypherd's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A fun dual perspective romance with a sprinkling of serious topics. Love to see our main female as a strong business owner in the tech industry.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Grief
readerette'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A new favorite. The characters are deep and varied, the story detailed and believable, and the main and supplemental romances sweet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Racism, and Sexism
ciarasweeney's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
ericalane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Page 255. Mainly a DNF because I ran out of times I could renew this. Been having a hard time sitting down to read because January 2021
Update - finished by listening to the audiobook! So, the first 1/2 or so of this book was hard for me to get through, I can't really put my finger on why, but it was hard for me to want to pick up the book and it was easy to put down. Then all of a sudden something switched and I couldn't put it down and I stayed up late to finish it. Really really liked the ending, but going with a 3.75 star since I struggled so hard to get into it.
Update - finished by listening to the audiobook! So, the first 1/2 or so of this book was hard for me to get through, I can't really put my finger on why, but it was hard for me to want to pick up the book and it was easy to put down. Then all of a sudden something switched and I couldn't put it down and I stayed up late to finish it. Really really liked the ending, but going with a 3.75 star since I struggled so hard to get into it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Medical content
Info about abusive ex:mmandolynn's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Dementia
cheye13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Been feeling kinda slumpy, so for my usual cure, I turned to romance and I picked this up on a whim, thinking it'd be light and fun and probably over-hyped. It is not over-hyped.
I'd categorize this as more contemporary genre than romance, as it has a stronger plot than the romances I'm used to, and the love story does sort of take a backseat, which makes me love the story all the more. Rhi and Samson are visceral characters and all the relationships throughout – work, platonic, with each other, with themselves – sparkle. Both Rhi's and Samson's individual plots and the way their stories play off each other had me misty-eyed more than once.
I'd categorize this as more contemporary genre than romance, as it has a stronger plot than the romances I'm used to, and the love story does sort of take a backseat, which makes me love the story all the more. Rhi and Samson are visceral characters and all the relationships throughout – work, platonic, with each other, with themselves – sparkle. Both Rhi's and Samson's individual plots and the way their stories play off each other had me misty-eyed more than once.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Dementia, Racism, and Sexual assault
Everything I've listed is implemented intentionally and handled with care. The main character is a Black woman in a male-dominated field navigating the dating app industry, and the story addresses that. The main plots are about the treatment of traumatic brain injuries in professional football and sexual harrassment in the workplace.malin12ccf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Having been burned pretty comprehensively in the past, both in her personal life and in business, Rhiannon Hunter has now worked hard to make her dating app one of the main competitors on the market. Now she'd like to buy the large, successful, but nevertheless a lot less modern company of one of her competitors, and she goes to a big tech conference with that in mind. Unbeknownst to Rhi, the owner and co-founder of this company is very eccentric and also suffers from social anxiety. So instead of appearing at the conference herself, she sends her nephew to act in her stead. Rhiannon is dismayed to discover that the handsome man is none other than the man who she shared a very steamy night with a few months ago, and who then ghosted her, never to be heard from again. To discover that he is now a spokesperson for the company she wants to acquire, and seems very close to the owner means having to spend more time with him, and Rhi is not one to forgive and forget once she's been hurt.
Samson Lima is a former football pro who made himself very unpopular with a lot of fans and supporters when he quit in the middle of a major game because his best friend was seriously injured on the field and the only way Samson could protest the owners of the team risking his friend's life by putting him back in the field was by walking out and throwing the game entirely. Samson lost his father and more recently his uncle to CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). He had no intention of ghosting Rhiannon after their hook-up but was told his uncle was dying and had to rush to his bedside. Since Rhi never uses her real identity when occasionally using her dating app to meet guys, and certainly hadn't given Samson her phone number, he had absolutely no way of contacting her when it became clear that she'd blocked him in the app. Now he's trying to help his uncle's widow to drum up publicity for her flagging matchmaking company by publicly looking for love. Of course, as soon as he sees Rhi at the tech conference, the only woman he's really interested in spending more time with is her.
Rhi eventually reluctantly gives Samson a chance to apologise, and some internet research proves that he's really not lying about his uncle's recent passing. Barely healed emotional wounds from her past makes it very difficult for her to trust men, but she can't deny the attraction she still feels for the handsome, charming, athletic, and obviously caring man. When Samson, after one disastrous first date where he can't take his mind off Rhi, suggests a series of social media videos where Rhiannon, the dating expert, coaches him on modern dating, to promote both the companies they represent, he has the perfect excuse to keep spending time with Rhi and slowly convince her that she's the only woman for him.
This book has thousands of positive reviews on Goodreads, and I'd heard many good things about it on the various review sites I follow. Nevertheless, it never really connected with me emotionally, the way the best romances do. It was just ok, and now, about a month later, I'm struggling to remember plot details. I think this is a definite case of just the wrong book at the wrong time for me with this one. I've liked books by Alisha Rai before, and it's not like I have anything violently against it. I may even re-read it at some point, to see if I like it better a second time when my brain is in a more receptive place for the story it tells.
There's a lot to like here - a strong, yet slightly prickly heroine, who has worked hard and faced a lot of adversity in a male-dominated and sexist industry. There's the close friendship between Rhi and her best friend, who was able to fund her business thanks to a healthy inheritance from her husband (the BFF is the heroine of the next book in the series). Samson is a very nice beta hero, who cares deeply about his family members and getting justice for other athletes facing the same problems that eventually killed his dad and uncle. All of these things make me pretty sure that I may just not have been in the mood for this book when I read it, but it fit into several of my reading challenges, so onto the list, it went.
I may give it another chance in a year or so. Based on the sample chapter for the next book in the series, I'm very much looking forward to that one - a reclusive, plus-size ex-model and her handsome bodyguard.
Judging a book by its cover: Another contemporary cartoon cover, this one almost Pepto-Bismol pink. At least the little cartoon heads of the protagonists look pretty cute. I don't think there can be any doubt that this is a romance novel, aimed firmly at a female demographic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
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