Reviews - Something Fabulous

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1.78k reviews for:

There were many parts of this book I liked! The witty narration, the lesbian writers living in the woods, the dry British banter. Also….Peggy! We stan a genderfluid character (Belle does NOT deserve her and…does not redeem herself.) I kind of wish that Valentine’s asexuality/demisexuality was explored a little more. Even though it maybe would have been an anachronism, it would have been nice to shout out the ace umbrella by name.

It also kind of felt like every sexual encounter was there just for the sake of being sexy, and not really about the growth of the characters. Maybe it just wasn’t what I was expecting, and I should read again and see how I feel!

belladonna230622's review against another edition

2.75

emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

thelibrarysghost's review against another edition

4.0

➥4.5 Stars

Alexis Hall has done it again in weaving a story so full of life with very diverse and interesting characters.

I had a hard time at the start of this book getting in to the story. As someone who, like Valentine, enjoys their peace in life it was very irritating to see him dragged around and mocked for not fitting the idea others had of him. However, as I continued reading and following along as Valentine discovered more and more about himself and came in to full bloom I found myself enjoying the story more.

Bella Tarleton is an absolute nightmare. There is no justification for the childish and foolish ways she acts in this book or the trouble and damage she causes. She never has to deal with the ramifications of her actions and is constantly having excuses made for her by Bonny and Peggy. Honestly this book would be immensely better if she weren't even in it and I wont be able to read the 2nd novel (Peggy's book) because I know that means I'd have to tolerate her more. I can say this is good writing because Alexis really made me hate this character.

Bonny is much better than his sister. While he can be very over the top and live in more of a fantasy than reality he is completely honest and fits the other half of Valentine perfectly. A stuck up, frozen in place (possibly demi/ace?) Duke, needs someone like Bonny Tarleton and their happiness made me happy.

vyadkins's review against another edition

Not giving a star rating because I think this is a good book objectively, but maybe not the right book for me right now. It’s funny with lots of hijinks, but also I was very over the hijinks halfway through. It’s almost a little satirical, definitely very over the top, but I think this is gonna be a big hit when it comes out in a few weeks. I did appreciate how there were very few straight people, and how accepting everyone in this world was.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

fatimawright's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ancientdreamer's review against another edition

2.5

adventurous funny slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Unfortunately this wasn’t my cup of tea. I liked Bonny and some of the supporting characters but found Valentine boring and Bonny’s sister insufferable. Although Valentine did have some character development at the end of the story, which I appreciated. The pacing was too slow for me and I started skimming chapters after the halfway mark.

cellular_cosmogony's review against another edition

2.0

This review contains some vague spoilers

This book started strong. It a funny romp that didn't take itself too seriously, just like I expected. At first, the two characters seemed well-suited to each other, and their grumpy-sunshine dynamic seemed balanced. However, the more the story progressed, the more Valentine (the grumpy one) became the sole reciever of the other characters' wrath. He was punished by the narrative so relentlessly (even kindnapped and shot at) that you couldn't help but feel bad for him and see the others as annoying. I feel like I would have loved this if both Valentine and Bonny received the same amount of misfortune.