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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
The audio book version is brilliant.
Great story, build up, suspense and spice.
Great story, build up, suspense and spice.
There were some bumps in this but overall I thought both characters had good developments. I started to find the side characters annoying but at least they served a purpose.
A professional reakup service is an odd and unrealistic business… How is it that they don’t disclose they’re simply service providers. How is that a breach of contract. I may have missed where that was explained..Zora’s parents are terrible and I hated them. She needs to go to therapy and tell them to fuck off. I’m sick of adults in these stories allowing their parents to bully them and say whatever wild shit they want to them. It’s a frustrating and tired plot device. There’s also too much internal dialogue. Cyrus and Zora had good chemistry though and the other characters are interesting and I enjoyed this book.
emotional
funny
Cyrus is a man with a plan - he’s got the house of his dreams and his career is on the rise, he just needs to wait six more months and he’ll propose to his long-term girlfriend. So when a hot stranger shows up on his door and reads out a letter from his girlfriend ending their relationship, he can’t believe it. What he doesn’t realise is that the hot stranger, Zora, isn’t just helping out a friend - she does this for a living, and when Cyrus keeps on seeking her out, she can’t bring herself to tell him the truth. But when he ropes her into pretending to be his girlfriend and they have to spend more and more time together, it becomes harder for her to keep it from him - especially when he makes it clear how he feels about lies.
I quite enjoyed this. The concept is really different and amusing and was a good basis for the story to start. The chemistry between Cyrus and Zora was really good - there’s a lot of simmering tension between the two of them that was really fun and I liked how their romance played out. There was a good level of honesty and communication between them and I liked how that worked into the final conflict between them. As individual characters, I liked Zora a lot but preferred Cyrus. I liked that Naima Simone added some different layers to him, such as giving him his big family house and his hobby of baking. It made him very different to the usual hero you get in books like this.
However, I did think the pacing was off in the book overall. I enjoyed the sexual tension between them but I did think that it took too long for anything physical to happen between them and then when it did I don’t think there was enough of it. I also thought the ending was incredibly blunt and felt very unresolved.
The book just felt a bit unfinished, as a whole, which I thought was a shame as the vast majority of it was very good. The writing is strong, there were likeable characters including in the side characters, and I thought the drama worked quite well. I just wish the ending had been a little bit more well-rounded. Still, I’m excited to see if Zora’s siblings will get their own stories because this was a really fun book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes: Fake relationship, bargains/deals/wagers, forced proximity.
Warnings:
Other:.
I quite enjoyed this. The concept is really different and amusing and was a good basis for the story to start. The chemistry between Cyrus and Zora was really good - there’s a lot of simmering tension between the two of them that was really fun and I liked how their romance played out. There was a good level of honesty and communication between them and I liked how that worked into the final conflict between them. As individual characters, I liked Zora a lot but preferred Cyrus. I liked that Naima Simone added some different layers to him, such as giving him his big family house and his hobby of baking. It made him very different to the usual hero you get in books like this.
However, I did think the pacing was off in the book overall. I enjoyed the sexual tension between them but I did think that it took too long for anything physical to happen between them and then when it did I don’t think there was enough of it. I also thought the ending was incredibly blunt and felt very unresolved.
The book just felt a bit unfinished, as a whole, which I thought was a shame as the vast majority of it was very good. The writing is strong, there were likeable characters including in the side characters, and I thought the drama worked quite well. I just wish the ending had been a little bit more well-rounded. Still, I’m excited to see if Zora’s siblings will get their own stories because this was a really fun book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.
Content Notes: Fake relationship, bargains/deals/wagers, forced proximity.
Warnings:
Spoiler
References to intimate partner violence, death of a parent (in past), references to emotional abuse / manipulation, fatphobia, toxic familySpoiler
Heroine’s parents constantly argue and use their children as weapons. Both parents belittle and demean their children and often humiliate them.Other:
Spoiler
On-page sex, infidelity / cheating.
Zora and her two siblings created Burned, Inc. A company that specialises in helping people break up peacefully. Their parents always eat each other throats and often put kids in the middle of their arguments. Zora was always the peacekeeper. She tried to calm the waters but that kind of role took a lot out of her.
Due to being short-staffed, she is out to deliver the latest break-up news. What she doesn't expect is to fall for a guy she is supposed to bring the bad news to. He is breathtakingly gorgeous and there is this insane chemistry between them. But she really shouldn't.
Cyrus had a thought childhood, so he ensured that his life would follow the plan. When a gorgeous girl shows up on his doorstep to deliver the breakup letter, part of his plan goes up in flames. But for some reason, he can't stop thinking of that girl and her curves.
It's an intense romance, there is steam but also depth.
I was taken by the book and couldn't put it down till the end.
received from Expresso Book Tours, all thoughts and opinions are my own
Due to being short-staffed, she is out to deliver the latest break-up news. What she doesn't expect is to fall for a guy she is supposed to bring the bad news to. He is breathtakingly gorgeous and there is this insane chemistry between them. But she really shouldn't.
Cyrus had a thought childhood, so he ensured that his life would follow the plan. When a gorgeous girl shows up on his doorstep to deliver the breakup letter, part of his plan goes up in flames. But for some reason, he can't stop thinking of that girl and her curves.
It's an intense romance, there is steam but also depth.
I was taken by the book and couldn't put it down till the end.
received from Expresso Book Tours, all thoughts and opinions are my own
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
DNF. I’ve tried 4x to read this and I just cannot get into it. I can’t even understand why.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc. I wish I had been able to read it. I’m pretty sure it’s a Me thing, not the book’s thing.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc. I wish I had been able to read it. I’m pretty sure it’s a Me thing, not the book’s thing.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I truly believe that Naima Simone can do no wrong, and while I did enjoy this book because of that, it was not my favourite Naima book. I struggled with the lying regarding Zora's job. And I think Cyrus was horrible to her when it came to light. I wish there had been a better conflict resolution between these two.
This is a perfect fit for readers who crave a lighthearted, humorous, and emotional romance with a touch of spontaneity and a strong, sassy heroine who takes risks and falls for a charming, successful man in a complicated situation.