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marvelousmsrachel's review
funny
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? No
4.0
hart_ley's review against another edition
could not stand the way the audiobook reader read so monotone
rereader33's review
2.0
2022 February Nothin but Love Reading Challenge
Prompt: read a book with red, white, and/or pink on the cover
Ohhhhh, this started out soooo strong and I thought I was going to looooove it. And boiiiii, was I disappointed.
I was originally invested because it was friends-to-lovers (one of the few romance tropes I tolerate) and was dealing with geek culture. I thought this was going to be something like Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (one of my fave romance manga) with a competitive edge. Instead, I was forced to slough through repetitive writing, repetitive inner monologues and weirdly enough backstory tidbits, and repetitive dialogue. Seriously, why was this novel so repetitive? I'm genuinely baffled as to how this could happen, but no joke I lost count of how many times Cam or Kenya brought up how they met, how they "saved" each other, and what they had been through. I also lost count of how many times Kenya's parents brought up how stupid she was to throw her degree away in pursuit of her hobbies. And since I've brought them up, let's discuss the parents, shall we?
Kenya's parents took up so much screen time, either in person or through dialogue, being antagonistic and frankly horrible parents, so you'd think that their subplot would be properly resolved, right? Right? WRONG! Despite spending every opportunity to berate, criticize, and demoralize Kenya, when the final confrontation occurs in the last few pages, they just...accept it. No arguments, no critiques, nothing. it's like the author wanted to give Kenya a happy ending (which she did, spoiler alert) and couldn't be bothered to build it up properly. Or just didn't care, either's possible.
The pacing was also poorly done. I actually started sweating bullets when I had gotten to the 48% mark and they had only shot the first day of the competition...when the final round was for weeks long. And yes, dear reader, the author than proceeded to blitz through most of the competition in order to make room for the drama, because this is a romance first and foremost. I almost wish the competition wasn't a thing because it barely added anything other than drama, and the deadline only really mattered once. If this was a story about them working on costumes for a big client and they slowly become more than friends as a result, I think I would have liked this more. Instead, we have this frankly annoying eyesore of a competition storyline that does nothing but frustrate the ever-loving fuck out of me.
Overall, this was a disappointing read for me. I had such high hopes for it, but they were crushed by the cruelty of life. Would I recommend this? I guess. It wasn't the worse thing I've ever read and other geeks will get a kick out of the references. Besides, I'm realizing I don't have the same patience for romance novel tropes as others, so more people will probably like this more than me. But I think there's better out there.
Prompt: read a book with red, white, and/or pink on the cover
Ohhhhh, this started out soooo strong and I thought I was going to looooove it. And boiiiii, was I disappointed.
I was originally invested because it was friends-to-lovers (one of the few romance tropes I tolerate) and was dealing with geek culture. I thought this was going to be something like Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (one of my fave romance manga) with a competitive edge. Instead, I was forced to slough through repetitive writing, repetitive inner monologues and weirdly enough backstory tidbits, and repetitive dialogue. Seriously, why was this novel so repetitive? I'm genuinely baffled as to how this could happen, but no joke I lost count of how many times Cam or Kenya brought up how they met, how they "saved" each other, and what they had been through. I also lost count of how many times Kenya's parents brought up how stupid she was to throw her degree away in pursuit of her hobbies. And since I've brought them up, let's discuss the parents, shall we?
Kenya's parents took up so much screen time, either in person or through dialogue, being antagonistic and frankly horrible parents, so you'd think that their subplot would be properly resolved, right? Right? WRONG! Despite spending every opportunity to berate, criticize, and demoralize Kenya, when the final confrontation occurs in the last few pages, they just...accept it. No arguments, no critiques, nothing. it's like the author wanted to give Kenya a happy ending (which she did, spoiler alert) and couldn't be bothered to build it up properly. Or just didn't care, either's possible.
The pacing was also poorly done. I actually started sweating bullets when I had gotten to the 48% mark and they had only shot the first day of the competition...when the final round was for weeks long. And yes, dear reader, the author than proceeded to blitz through most of the competition in order to make room for the drama, because this is a romance first and foremost. I almost wish the competition wasn't a thing because it barely added anything other than drama, and the deadline only really mattered once. If this was a story about them working on costumes for a big client and they slowly become more than friends as a result, I think I would have liked this more. Instead, we have this frankly annoying eyesore of a competition storyline that does nothing but frustrate the ever-loving fuck out of me.
Overall, this was a disappointing read for me. I had such high hopes for it, but they were crushed by the cruelty of life. Would I recommend this? I guess. It wasn't the worse thing I've ever read and other geeks will get a kick out of the references. Besides, I'm realizing I don't have the same patience for romance novel tropes as others, so more people will probably like this more than me. But I think there's better out there.
tnv_135's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
rshearon's review
funny
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? No
4.25
delightful!!! i loveeeee a good nerd rom com and this COSPLAYING COMPETITION is perfect. literally no notes on plot…. it was unique and fun and i had a great time!!! i loved both of the MCs and even though friends to lovers is not my preferred trope, theirs was cute and the tension and chemistry was 🥵… i do with the actual smut was smutty and not like one hair above FTB but oh well.
i appreciated that the tension wasn’t the traditional third act breakup. the MC’s conflicts were really frustrating which i suppose is purposeful given that 95% of them were microaggressions due to her size and skin color. i can’t imagine dealing with that irl when just reading about believable scenarios with no justice grated on me, a white reader. there was a good lesson to be learned about being conscious of those things as they’re not always as overt as the main antagonist’s aggressions. her conflict with family also REALLY grated on me: i usually have issues with family dynamics in books because they’re always so overbearing and i’m like “why don’t we just go no contact.” this was one of those instances. i just know that if my parents had said that shit to me and repeatedly tried to control my grown ass life, i would not have rolled over and forgiven it without even a “sorry.” that prevented me from fully appreciating the ending i guess
overall LOVED this and i am excited to pick up more of this author’s works!
i appreciated that the tension wasn’t the traditional third act breakup. the MC’s conflicts were really frustrating which i suppose is purposeful given that 95% of them were microaggressions due to her size and skin color. i can’t imagine dealing with that irl when just reading about believable scenarios with no justice grated on me, a white reader. there was a good lesson to be learned about being conscious of those things as they’re not always as overt as the main antagonist’s aggressions. her conflict with family also REALLY grated on me: i usually have issues with family dynamics in books because they’re always so overbearing and i’m like “why don’t we just go no contact.” this was one of those instances. i just know that if my parents had said that shit to me and repeatedly tried to control my grown ass life, i would not have rolled over and forgiven it without even a “sorry.” that prevented me from fully appreciating the ending i guess
overall LOVED this and i am excited to pick up more of this author’s works!
dembury's review
4.0
This was nerdy and swoony and cute but also had a surprising emotionally punchy aspect?! From the romcom setup I wasn't expecting the story to get so introspective and deal with all the family and personal drama, and that added a really genuine emotional depth to the story. I was rooting for Kenya from literally page 2; she's such a delightful main character to follow and I'd love to read another book following her cosplay adventures.
mrs_bear1230's review
I just couldn't get into it. I wanted to love it. But I never found myself wanting to pick it up.
blee98's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0