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cynicgirl's review
2.0
I feel I should explain my 2* rating despite rarely writing reviews. I thought I would try a pure romance book for once as an experiment. I’m all for romance in novels, but generally it has been the seasoning or gravy to the main course of story.
So I picked this book up to see what romance as a genre is like. And, I don’t like it. About all I can say is the words were in the right order and it was a fast read. I found the characters stereotypical and trite. There was barely an icing sugar dusting on a cake amount of story. Even the sexy stuff was pretty boring. I’ve read better in sci-fi books that have a bit of romance on the side.
But equally I have to appreciate I have determined that romance is so not my genre, that perhaps I am missing whether this particular book is a good or bad example. Other reviewers seem to like it.
All I’ve done is make myself feel hungry.
So I picked this book up to see what romance as a genre is like. And, I don’t like it. About all I can say is the words were in the right order and it was a fast read. I found the characters stereotypical and trite. There was barely an icing sugar dusting on a cake amount of story. Even the sexy stuff was pretty boring. I’ve read better in sci-fi books that have a bit of romance on the side.
But equally I have to appreciate I have determined that romance is so not my genre, that perhaps I am missing whether this particular book is a good or bad example. Other reviewers seem to like it.
All I’ve done is make myself feel hungry.
rainbowbookworm's review
3.0
Felicity is a brat. Even learning all the things I learned about her in this book, it is hard to like her. Thankfully Cooper can look past all her flaws and fall in love with her.
yasmine24's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
3.5
prismaticcroissant's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really cute story and a lot of character growth. My only problem with the story is how the Non-white characters are explicitly described by their skin color while the white characters aren't and I think it's something that authors need to start being cognizant of.
Content Warnings
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, and Classism
extrafolklore's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-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
4.5
mischievous_monkey's review
4.0
The Winters/Dawe combination does it for me again. This audiobook was a treat for the ear and the mind.
A friend of mine likes to say that Lee Winters is a writing god. Having read several of Winters books, I can see her point. Winters writes well. Very well. Like, major publishing house well. She also crafts stories which shed light on social issues that plague our world but which we may turn a blind eye to if they don't affect us personally. She does that without climbing on a soapbox and she does it with humor. Both feats I appreciate and they make her work immensely readable to me. The lady can also craft an ice queen (and thaw her out) like no other. This skill has gained her legions of fans of this particular trope. Her predilection for this type of character is the only reason I haven't yet completed her catalog. I can only tolerate just so much of the ice. But folks, when I feel the need for it I know just where to go.
A friend of mine likes to say that Lee Winters is a writing god. Having read several of Winters books, I can see her point. Winters writes well. Very well. Like, major publishing house well. She also crafts stories which shed light on social issues that plague our world but which we may turn a blind eye to if they don't affect us personally. She does that without climbing on a soapbox and she does it with humor. Both feats I appreciate and they make her work immensely readable to me. The lady can also craft an ice queen (and thaw her out) like no other. This skill has gained her legions of fans of this particular trope. Her predilection for this type of character is the only reason I haven't yet completed her catalog. I can only tolerate just so much of the ice. But folks, when I feel the need for it I know just where to go.
aliu6's review
4.0
4.25 stars
cw: discussions of looks/thinness, parental abandonment, mentions of drug abuse, Felicity sometimes being problematic (e.g. about unhoused people)
Finally got around to reading this book! Wow, Felicity was hard to like at first, maybe even more so than in The Brutal Truth. But I do like how we see her grow throughout the book and deal with some of the events from her past that deeply impacted her character. We don't get as much of a deep dive into Cooper, and I wish we got to see more of how she came to like Felicity, beyond just that she likes powerful women in suits.
The main tension in the book is about the sometimes conflicting relationship between ambition and personal happiness. Felicity has to find the right balance for herself, and we see this mirrored in two other couples: Elena and Maddie (who I enjoyed revisiting), and Rosalind and Harvey (who were honestly so cute together).
Overall, this book kept me engaged. The plot around Felicity's investigation of the charity helped to propel things forward, and there were many sweet/funny aspects of Felicity and Cooper's relationship. Part of me still wonders if they are a little too different to work longterm, but it's easy to root for them.
cw: discussions of looks/thinness, parental abandonment, mentions of drug abuse, Felicity sometimes being problematic (e.g. about unhoused people)
Finally got around to reading this book! Wow, Felicity was hard to like at first, maybe even more so than in The Brutal Truth. But I do like how we see her grow throughout the book and deal with some of the events from her past that deeply impacted her character. We don't get as much of a deep dive into Cooper, and I wish we got to see more of how she came to like Felicity, beyond just that she likes powerful women in suits.
The main tension in the book is about the sometimes conflicting relationship between ambition and personal happiness. Felicity has to find the right balance for herself, and we see this mirrored in two other couples: Elena and Maddie (who I enjoyed revisiting), and Rosalind and Harvey (who were honestly so cute together).
Overall, this book kept me engaged. The plot around Felicity's investigation of the charity helped to propel things forward, and there were many sweet/funny aspects of Felicity and Cooper's relationship. Part of me still wonders if they are a little too different to work longterm, but it's easy to root for them.
gwhg's review
adventurous
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? Yes
3.0
This cover is EVERYTHING.
soy_ahoy's review against another edition
5.0
When I saw the blurb mentioning a soft butch love interest I thought okay, time for another slender girl with a pixie cut I guess, and then I got complete whiplash from her actual description: "The woman was block-out-the-sun tall and solid as a brick wall. She had powerful thighs and broad muscled shoulders [...] Generous breasts and an unexpectedly rounded stomach softened her imposing form so that she looked a bit like a teddy bear [...]"
Basically, Dr. Cooper is a total dreamboat. So WHY have I never seen this book recommended on any "books with butch representation" lists?? I'm so mad about not reading this sooner because I loved it so much! Also big shout-out to Winter for keeping it real and having Cooper call Felicity out on her callous remarks about not wanting to look like a "butch lesbian trucker" or a "bad movie stereotype" because butches don't put in "any effort", except personally I wouldn't have forgiven her like five seconds later like Cooper does. That one was a little too real, especially with Felicity using her attraction to women as "proof" that she's basically incapable of being butchphobic even after saying all that. I kinda wish that was more directly addressed later in the story too, I feel like Cooper never truly got a real apology for those comments.
I really loved that the novel is written from the ice queen's perspective, and the confirmation that they're pretty much secretly desperately horny all the time was hilarious. Even though they got off to a rough start, I loved Felicity's and Cooper's chemistry - and the sex scenes, my god. So so incredibly good. I read this immediately after The Brutal Truth so I really appreciated the glimpses of Elena and Maddie and their developing friendship with Felicity.
Definitely one of my favorite reads this year!
Basically, Dr. Cooper is a total dreamboat. So WHY have I never seen this book recommended on any "books with butch representation" lists?? I'm so mad about not reading this sooner because I loved it so much! Also big shout-out to Winter for keeping it real and having Cooper call Felicity out on her callous remarks about not wanting to look like a "butch lesbian trucker" or a "bad movie stereotype" because butches don't put in "any effort", except personally I wouldn't have forgiven her like five seconds later like Cooper does. That one was a little too real, especially with Felicity using her attraction to women as "proof" that she's basically incapable of being butchphobic even after saying all that. I kinda wish that was more directly addressed later in the story too, I feel like Cooper never truly got a real apology for those comments.
I really loved that the novel is written from the ice queen's perspective, and the confirmation that they're pretty much secretly desperately horny all the time was hilarious. Even though they got off to a rough start, I loved Felicity's and Cooper's chemistry - and the sex scenes, my god. So so incredibly good. I read this immediately after The Brutal Truth so I really appreciated the glimpses of Elena and Maddie and their developing friendship with Felicity.
Definitely one of my favorite reads this year!