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novella42's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.25
A fun read. I really enjoyed the way the author portrayed relationship communication and conflict styles, and that the male lead wasn't shy or embarrassed about having been to a therapist.
An excellent book for readers who struggle with boundaries, people-pleasing, and anxious attachment styles. I feel confident the protagonist is an Enneagram 2, if that matters to you.
An excellent book for readers who struggle with boundaries, people-pleasing, and anxious attachment styles. I feel confident the protagonist is an Enneagram 2, if that matters to you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, and Vomit
Minor: Racism, Bullying, Cancer, Classism, and Excrement
jackieyvette's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.75
Samantha Young where have you been all my life? I loved this. I loved the characters and the setting and the plot and all of its was just so fun and exciting while also being full of emotion.
I love Chris and Hallie and will for sure be picking up another Samantha Young book. I feel like it’s so hard to find a good romance with spicy scenes, but just like Lizzy Dent, Samantha is getting it right.
Crying score: yes, oh yes.
I love Chris and Hallie and will for sure be picking up another Samantha Young book. I feel like it’s so hard to find a good romance with spicy scenes, but just like Lizzy Dent, Samantha is getting it right.
Crying score: yes, oh yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Grief, and Toxic relationship
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.0
I wanted to read this book because I adored Fight or Flight and I wanted more of Samantha Young’s work. Somehow Samantha manages to make you feel all fuzzy and warm inside every time I read one of her books.
This book has two points of view. Thie first is an event planner named Hallie Goodman and she has received party-inspiration material from the bride of her latest wedding project, the last thing she expected to find it the files was digital diary entries from the bride’s ex-boyfriend. Hallie knows it's wrong to keep watching, but this guy is funny and relatable and is a freaking astronaut on the International Space Station. She decides to send him an email back apologising for watching these and that she would love to know more about him, but when the email bounces back, Hallie starts sending this email video diaries about how messy her life is, it’s not like anyone is watching them . . . right? The second point of view is astronaut Christopher Ortiz, and he is readjusting to his life back on earth and he is constantly in the shadow of his deceased older brother. When a friend from NASA’s IT department forwards him emails and video messages that Hallie has sent, he can’t help but notice how much her sense of humour and pink hair make his heart race. Both are separated by screens but they both seem to be falling in love with each other, without having met face-to-face. Chris is determined to meet Hallie and let her know he’s been watching her video diaries. Will she be able to forgive him? Will they be able to make this work?
This storyline was very unique within itself. With the fact of falling in love based on vlogs or social media and with a stranger. Instead of being creepy and stalker like (the guy literally hired Hallie, just so he can get to know her and then cancels the party when we want to sleep with her), it was adorable. I loved how flustered and embarrassed they both get when they realized who they both were. I liked how even for a romance, this book had some heartfelt and difficult topics that they discussed about – grief, toxic parents, toxic exes. But throughout all of it, they grow as people – Hallie learns to stand up for herself and Chris learns that he doesn’t have to have it all figured out to be happy and that he doesn’t need to please his dad all the time. I love the dual POV, I think it always makes a book better.
The only thing that stopped this from being five stars is the third-act breakup. Mainly because it was based on miscommunication again. I hate that within books, and I would have just loved for it to be something else.
I cannot wait to read more of Samantha’s work and I'm already adding more of her books to my TBR.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Child death, Vomit, and Cancer
krisalexcole's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Excrement, Biphobia, Cancer, and Racism
lightlessxo's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Vomit
katrinaward's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Vomit, Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Child death
catsandbookstacks's review
3.75
Samantha Young delivers a romantic comedy filled with likeable characters, toxic family relationships and an adorable setup. The novel is funny, emotional and has dual POV that allows for good character development. There is an instant connection between Hallie and Chris when they see each other on video but the relationship blooms from friends to lovers genuinely.
I loved Hallie's spunky attitude, pink hair and her growth. She moves from people pleaser to awesome badass who can stand up for her needs (even if she still feels a little guilty - I know this feeling well). Hallie adores her career as an event planner with one of the biggest NY companies, even when those she loves demeans it by labeling her as simply "party planner." Feeling like a ping-pong ball caught between her divorced parents, Hallie finally feels supported enough to step back and not try to fix everything.
Christopher, a Mexican American, who suffered the losses of both his mother and brother also feels the loss of culture and connection. He and his father have never seen eye to eye and the expectations placed on Chris are exponential. Though a greatly ambitious person (making Captain after four years and just completing a space mission), Chris finds himself unsure about his direction. The time Young spent diving into the characters allowed their growth and decisions to feel natural.
There is some withheld information throughout the novel which worked for me in the first instance but later in the novel, I found myself shaking my head a bit. The final scene was a little cheesy for my tastes but it is a rom-com. The novel follows the characters up to and after they officially begin dating, so we see their ups and downs making the relationship feel authentic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Hallie's spunky attitude, pink hair and her growth. She moves from people pleaser to awesome badass who can stand up for her needs (even if she still feels a little guilty - I know this feeling well). Hallie adores her career as an event planner with one of the biggest NY companies, even when those she loves demeans it by labeling her as simply "party planner." Feeling like a ping-pong ball caught between her divorced parents, Hallie finally feels supported enough to step back and not try to fix everything.
Christopher, a Mexican American, who suffered the losses of both his mother and brother also feels the loss of culture and connection. He and his father have never seen eye to eye and the expectations placed on Chris are exponential. Though a greatly ambitious person (making Captain after four years and just completing a space mission), Chris finds himself unsure about his direction. The time Young spent diving into the characters allowed their growth and decisions to feel natural.
There is some withheld information throughout the novel which worked for me in the first instance but later in the novel, I found myself shaking my head a bit. The final scene was a little cheesy for my tastes but it is a rom-com. The novel follows the characters up to and after they officially begin dating, so we see their ups and downs making the relationship feel authentic.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Romance for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Grief, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
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