Scan barcode
jonkerkat's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could say I loved this book but I just couldn’t see the chemistry between Cruz and Tennessee. I still don’t get how he went from indifference to I’ve loved you since pre-k.
sianm75's review against another edition
5.0
Gave me the feels… and the laughs
I loved this book. It gave me all the feels plus made me laugh. Great characters and the perfect ‘rom-com’
I loved this book. It gave me all the feels plus made me laugh. Great characters and the perfect ‘rom-com’
honeymoosh's review against another edition
4.0
This was so stinkin cute. The wedding speech was a bit hokey though. My favorite part was the earlier parts where they were on the cruise together. I loved the witty banter back and forth and the elaborate things they came up with to tell the other cruise-goers. I also loved the relationship between Tennessee and Bear. I loved him sticking up for her and how relaxed they were with each other.
danicuestaa's review against another edition
1.0
I’ve never been more upset by a book in my entire life. The summary I got before I downloaded felt so deceiving. You would think that the author would write a second chance romance with a single mom in a thoughtful way. But no. I’ve never wanted to sob about a woman’s story so much in my life. Poor Tennessee (her name is TENESSEE?!?!) has sex with her high school boyfriend ONE TIME and get preggo, all the while her boyfriend’s best friend was supposed to have asked her out first and has been pining for her this whole time. Which is fine, BUT THEN 13 years have passed and in this conservative, 1950’s era fucking town she doesn’t have ONE PERSON (who is not a piece of shit) on her side?! I’m so sorry but I literally could not handle a single part of this plot nor the entitled shithead of the supposed golden boy main character. I was hoping that his POV would save him but there was nothing redeemable about him. He was butthurt that his friend got to his crush first and then… let everyone and his mother treat her like shit for the next 13 years?! (Talk about her like she’s a hooker, accuse her of stealing, telling her she’s a loser, and a mess) as If she’s not already a poor single mother working at a diner. I didn’t know I was signing up for a highschool bully romance when I downloaded a SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE. The marketing for this thing was a complete sham.
I’m so sorry but in what decade is this shit written in?! I have loved this author’s work in the past, but this was intolerable. I finally had to end this fucking shit show when the poor girl Nessy and the bitch boy got hot and bothered and just when they were about to do the dirty he has the audacity to say he would have dated her (past tense) but that now this was all they could have so he could keep his golden boy reputation. I’m so sorry but bitch boys don’t deserve rights. So this is where I end the review and i hope anyone who has read through to this point spares themselves the distress this caused me.
I’m so sorry but in what decade is this shit written in?! I have loved this author’s work in the past, but this was intolerable. I finally had to end this fucking shit show when the poor girl Nessy and the bitch boy got hot and bothered and just when they were about to do the dirty he has the audacity to say he would have dated her (past tense) but that now this was all they could have so he could keep his golden boy reputation. I’m so sorry but bitch boys don’t deserve rights. So this is where I end the review and i hope anyone who has read through to this point spares themselves the distress this caused me.
lyssareadsallot's review against another edition
5.0
I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers book pair that with L.J. Shen and I knew this book was going to be epic and boy did she not disappoint. Tennessee is a heroine with just about as much sass as I have and I am living for it. The banter between Cruz and Tennessee is some of the best I have read in a very long time.
Bad cruz had it all. Two characters with the best kind of chemistry , all the swoony bits and so much sass!
Well done L.J. you have created another masterpiece. I recommend every person the planet get your hands on this beauty.
Bad cruz had it all. Two characters with the best kind of chemistry , all the swoony bits and so much sass!
Well done L.J. you have created another masterpiece. I recommend every person the planet get your hands on this beauty.
ajsgbf's review against another edition
5.0
There were a lot of thoughts I had about this book. For starters, I am glad to learn that L. J. Shen’s new book didn’t feature a half-naked man on its cover. It’s her preference entirely but it's hard for me to take the book seriously then. Don’t get me wrong, I still ended up devouring a ton of her books that did feature scantily clad men on their cover (and thoroughly enjoyed said books) but not before cringing each time I opened my iPad and took a look at my library.
Moving on, the first thing that became apparent to me was the fact that L.J. Shen’s writing style has majorly evolved. I really enjoyed reading this book and finished it in under a day. I was happy to see she didn’t feel the need to state that the male love interest was a millionaire or god forbid the proverbial billionaire that seems to be dime a dozen in the world of romance novels. I mean I get the appeal obviously but it makes the plot truly unrealistic. (9 out of 10 times romance novels today feature a male love interest who is either a billionaire of some kind or has a construction company). That being said, L.J. Shen clearly got the memo and while she made subtle infusions of Cruz’s wealth, she didn’t go overboard and that was much appreciated.
I also really appreciated the fact that the main protagonist, Tennessee, had an aversion to foul language. I get this entirely although I am not sure I like the word “gasshole” primarily because I hate the swear word it's meant to indicate. The G added before it just makes it all the worse. I am glad I got over this aversion early on though because it was featured a whopping 9 times.
Either way, this book made for a great read after a horribly long work week. Well done L.J. Shen, you truly deserve your spot as one of my favourite authors.
Moving on, the first thing that became apparent to me was the fact that L.J. Shen’s writing style has majorly evolved. I really enjoyed reading this book and finished it in under a day. I was happy to see she didn’t feel the need to state that the male love interest was a millionaire or god forbid the proverbial billionaire that seems to be dime a dozen in the world of romance novels. I mean I get the appeal obviously but it makes the plot truly unrealistic. (9 out of 10 times romance novels today feature a male love interest who is either a billionaire of some kind or has a construction company). That being said, L.J. Shen clearly got the memo and while she made subtle infusions of Cruz’s wealth, she didn’t go overboard and that was much appreciated.
I also really appreciated the fact that the main protagonist, Tennessee, had an aversion to foul language. I get this entirely although I am not sure I like the word “gasshole” primarily because I hate the swear word it's meant to indicate. The G added before it just makes it all the worse. I am glad I got over this aversion early on though because it was featured a whopping 9 times.
Either way, this book made for a great read after a horribly long work week. Well done L.J. Shen, you truly deserve your spot as one of my favourite authors.
daisyknox's review against another edition
5.0
All reviews posted at Tales of Love, Life, and Murder
This story’s much lighter than the usual angsty fare from LJ Shen but she killed it with Tennessee and Cruz. Tennessee’s snark and the attitude she gives the world are epic. This is one of those small towns where everyone knows (or thinks they know) everyone else’s business and this place has treated her horribly. She’s been the town joke for years, ever since her HS sweetheart knocked her up then disappeared when she refused to abort her child. Tennessee hides behind her revealing thrift store clothes and heavy makeup because she doesn’t have the confidence to be herself. It’s no wonder since her family treats her like garbage and she has no friends, thanks to all the gossip.
Enter Cruz Costello, town golden boy who has secretly loved her since they were kids. He pined after her for years but when he finally worked up the courage to ask her out, his so-called best friend intentionally beat him to it and the rest is history. They’re forced together against their will where the hate spirals into a torturous love-hate relationship, but once the forced proximity ends, they realize the love isn’t fleeting.
Tennessee wants to keep their relationship under wraps to avoid drama because nobody thinks she’s worthy of him but Cruz wants to go public so her refusal tears them apart. She needs to learn to stand up for herself, especially to her family but will she force herself to confront them or will she continue to suffer silently, since their abuse is all she’s ever known?
I love these characters, especially the way Tennessee transforms and finally begins to put people in their places. Cruz clearly loves her, but he’s no pushover blinded by love, so he makes her prove that she loves herself first. There’s a fantastic supporting cast including her whiny self-absorbed sister, his scheming ex and her deadbeat baby daddy, plus a slew of busybody townsfolk and overbearing family members. The romance is sweet, the subplots are riveting and the whole book is hilarious. I loved everything about Bad Cruz and hope we’ll see more rom-coms from LJ soon.