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erindoublee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A sweet read, not my favorite Waxman book. The list of characters and their connections nearly required a diagram and that was really kind of annoying. The character of Nina did not seem well fleshed out, she was assertive at times and then shy at odd times. I didn’t really connect with her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
lizzie_b99's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really enjoyed this! The writing is light and funny but occasionally deep as it dives into the charcters' deepest insecurities. The audio book is really well done - I found myself laughing at multiple points.
The novel is a mix of contemporary day in the life, enemies to lovers romance, and navigating complicated family issues. Waxman mixes all of these almost effortlessly.
I did find the ending a bit abrupt, but I think it also fits in with the day in the life novel style. We see Nina's life day to day, soit makes sense that the ending wouldn't be drawn out or look far into the future or that all the issues in the family would be magically resolved. I still would've liked an epilogue, though. And it would've been nice if the letter delivery portion of the novel took up more space. I'm curious what the other ones said and how everyone reacted. But hey, if the biggest critique I can make about a book is that it left me wanting to learn more about the characters and world, that's a good book and good writing.
The novel is a mix of contemporary day in the life, enemies to lovers romance, and navigating complicated family issues. Waxman mixes all of these almost effortlessly.
I did find the ending a bit abrupt, but I think it also fits in with the day in the life novel style. We see Nina's life day to day, so
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Stalking, and Pregnancy
karinreadsalot's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
rosie_valadez's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content and Grief
hdunscombe's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Abandonment
rainbowrocky's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
If you are a cisgender straight white millennial woman, this book is for you. If you are not, then you might want to skip this one. It wasn't written for me, and normally I don't have a problem with that if a book is well written, but this one is not. The millennial speak was too strong. For a character who is supposedly neurodivergent, Nina speaks pretty much exclusively in sarcasm, along with everyone else around her. It made all the characters come across as inauthentic to me.
It really grated on my nerves how insensitive and flippant the author was with a lot of subjects, dropping quick references to prove her "wokeness" without understand what any of it means. I should have known when "Transgender Support Bridge Night" had me side eyeing on page 9 that things would get worse from there (first of all, make it Drag Bingo Night, that's an actual thing). A trans person is not ever mentioned in this book again, and all the Harry Potter references have not aged well. Nina does have a lesbian friend at her book club we only see one time, and she is unfortunately witness to some pretty graphic body shaming about male anatomy she shouldn't have had to be apart of. Again, she never shows up in the novel after that. Nina also inherits a gay nephew later on in the book who is a regular character and I did enjoy him, but her co-worker Polly makes some subtly homophobic comments about him becoming her Gay Best Friend TM. Big eye roll from me. Also I'm just realizing he mentioned having a fiancé when they first met, and then we never saw said partner. Hello? Why wasn't he at the will reading like the other spouses? Suspicious.
There is also a healthy dose of underlying but not explicit fat shaming and ableism in this book, for anyone weary of those themes. It's odd how the author discusses mental illness despite her main character having anxiety. Lots of words like "insane", "crazy", and "psycho" get thrown around, so if you're sensitive to that please pass on this book. I did not find my own experience with anxiety validated by this novel at all.
The romance itself was incredibly lukewarm for me. Tom never even got a physical description beyond that he's tall and has stong forearms and smells like sawdust lol. What color are his eyes? His hair? Is he white? I'm assuming everyone in this novel is, given the author is and didn't describe anyone in detail (except for Nina; for some reason we got a copius amount of descriptions on her slim figure and auburn hair, but how she's not "too pretty" like she's trying too hard--insert another eye roll).
The surprise family plot was interesting, and made me think about my own experiences with these kinds of things. Blended families are more common than you would think and it's fun so see that depicted on the page. The ending was, again, lukewarm. Nina's dad is a real piece of work and his letter, which I'm assuming was supposed to be heartfelt?, was again too flippant for me to take seriously.
Maybe I'm just not a fan of such a casual writing style. I probably would have DNFed it, and should have, if not for completing it for Book Roast's Orilium Magical Readathon 2024 for my Astronomy Class, prompt "recommendation based on your zodiac sign". As a Cancer, this book hurt my heart more than it healed it.
It really grated on my nerves how insensitive and flippant the author was with a lot of subjects, dropping quick references to prove her "wokeness" without understand what any of it means. I should have known when "Transgender Support Bridge Night" had me side eyeing on page 9 that things would get worse from there (first of all, make it Drag Bingo Night, that's an actual thing). A trans person is not ever mentioned in this book again, and all the Harry Potter references have not aged well. Nina does have a lesbian friend at her book club we only see one time, and she is unfortunately witness to some pretty graphic body shaming about male anatomy she shouldn't have had to be apart of. Again, she never shows up in the novel after that. Nina also inherits a gay nephew later on in the book who is a regular character and I did enjoy him, but her co-worker Polly makes some subtly homophobic comments about him becoming her Gay Best Friend TM. Big eye roll from me. Also I'm just realizing he mentioned having a fiancé when they first met, and then we never saw said partner. Hello? Why wasn't he at the will reading like the other spouses? Suspicious.
There is also a healthy dose of underlying but not explicit fat shaming and ableism in this book, for anyone weary of those themes. It's odd how the author discusses mental illness despite her main character having anxiety. Lots of words like "insane", "crazy", and "psycho" get thrown around, so if you're sensitive to that please pass on this book. I did not find my own experience with anxiety validated by this novel at all.
The romance itself was incredibly lukewarm for me. Tom never even got a physical description beyond that he's tall and has stong forearms and smells like sawdust lol. What color are his eyes? His hair? Is he white? I'm assuming everyone in this novel is, given the author is and didn't describe anyone in detail (except for Nina; for some reason we got a copius amount of descriptions on her slim figure and auburn hair, but how she's not "too pretty" like she's trying too hard--insert another eye roll).
The surprise family plot was interesting, and made me think about my own experiences with these kinds of things. Blended families are more common than you would think and it's fun so see that depicted on the page. The ending was, again, lukewarm. Nina's dad is a real piece of work and his letter, which I'm assuming was supposed to be heartfelt?, was again too flippant for me to take seriously.
Maybe I'm just not a fan of such a casual writing style. I probably would have DNFed it, and should have, if not for completing it for Book Roast's Orilium Magical Readathon 2024 for my Astronomy Class, prompt "recommendation based on your zodiac sign". As a Cancer, this book hurt my heart more than it healed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Abortion, and Cultural appropriation
shaunashares's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
Minor: Drug use
arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
3.5
A romantic comedy that is actually both a romance and a comedy.* The plot is standard & predictable, but Waxman imbibes Nina's voice with wit and freshness and occasional literary allusions.
*Many books whose book jackets laud them as witty romances involve characters with violent traumas in their past--DV, SA, etc. Not funny, people. Not at all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, and Abandonment
bwest6377's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I did not have high expectations for this book, which I found after reading Adult Assembly Required, and it met those mid-level expectations. a cute, lighthearted read, as expected. I didn’t particularly love any of the characters, but I enjoyed the tangential nature of the narrator. No real plot line, other than just a few months glimpse into a pivotal time in Nina’s life. Lots of plot holes and some slightly problematic scenes, but if you aren’t looking to dissect every inch of a book and enjoy a light read, it’s not a bad option.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity
annaforthebooks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Abandonment