Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Dating Plan by Sara Desai

12 reviews

ohheyitskaitlin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, and Car accident

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Grief, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Misogyny

Minor: Medical content, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Panic attacks/disorders

becca_w_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Bullying, Biphobia, Grief, Classism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, and Drug use

internationalreads's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Abandonment, Car accident, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

blackveilbeccy's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-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

4.5

I really enjoyed this second instalment! It was even better than the first. This had lots of tropes used well - tragic backstory, miscommunications, friends to enemies to lovers - plus the awesome ensemble cast of the first book. I liked the love interest in this one a whole lot and also loved the quirkiness of the geeky heroine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Addiction, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Medical trauma

ashleycmms's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Medical trauma, Sexual content, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Car accident

Minor: Drug use and Grief

meggiemeggie52's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I love the fake dating trope, so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat for me. I found myself more invested in Liam's arc than I was in Daisy's, which I don't think was the author's intention, considering how much time we spend with Daisy throughout the book. While Liam's parts of the book showed a lot of important character growth for him, Daisy's sections got bogged down with excessively repetitive (and often cringy) mentions about her Marvel obsession and how she's "different" because she's a nerd.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Minor: Medical content and Car accident

meghanm404's review

emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

allyhoo811's review

funny hopeful lighthearted 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

I am not usually much of a contemporary romance reader; however, I choose this book earlier this year a my Book of the Month pick. Prior to reading I learned that it was the second book in a series, so I proceeded to read the book "The Marriage Game" before picking up this one. "The Marriage Game" (the author's debut) was quite a disappointment to me (2.5 stars), but I saw potential in the author's humor and writing style -- so I decided to give this one a chance.

I was NOT disappointed. This book was such a treat. The humor and writing style that I loved from the author's debut were on full display, and most of the problems I had were much improved. This was leaps and bounds better!

What I liked:

1) No insta-love: This was a contemporary romance where the characters actually had a history together. It wasn't just boom meet cute and married a few weeks later.

2) The friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers combo tropes: You will understand if you read.

3) No ridiculous miscommunications: Sure there was some miscommunication (mainly from their past as teenagers); however, it wasn't overdone. For the most part the two main characters would talk out their problems and not let things fester.

4) The male lead wasn't crazy possessive: Sure Liam felt jealousy when other men flirted with the girl he liked, but he didn't immediately jump to wanting to pummel them into oblivion.

5) The family interactions: These are some of my favorite parts of Desai's novels.

What kept it from being a five star read?

1) Both books in the series seem to be trying to get away from the typical romance heroine "type", while appreciating diversity in women. This is great and one of the things that drew me to the series in the first place. However, I'm noticing a trend where in order to accomplish this goal women who would be considered conventionally attractive (blonde, blue-eyed, thin, etc.) are being portrayed in a very negative light (vapid, sexually inappropriate, petty, cruel). The overall vibe given is that women who look like this are bad people, who can't be trusted. We shouldn't have to build people up, by pushing others down.

2) Interestingly, the male protagonists in the novels are very much the traditional perfect male leads (tall, handsome, intelligent, wealthy, chiseled abs, etc.), and the female characters put down other less perfect men for their looks as not good enough.

Neither of these things are a good look when you are celebrating diversity in your characters.

Hope this changes in future books.

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Overall, this was a very enjoyable read and I hope this author keeps improving. Will read more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Abandonment

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, and Sexism

Minor: Drug use, Alcohol, and Infidelity

edavis0423's review against another edition

funny lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse

Minor: Medical content and Car accident

plumpaperbacks'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? Yes

5.0

I’ve done nothing today except read this book, and it was exactly what I needed right now. The Dating Plan is a fun, lighthearted romance that touches on themes of abuse and self-worth in a very respectful way. Both Daisy and Liam are well-written protagonists, and their romance is one both sweet and steamy that I rooted for from the beginning. I loved it, as well as the side characters, the various friendships, and Daisy’s well-intentioned but chaotic family. This is definitely a book I’ll buy, and likely one I’ll eventually reread. It’s gotten me interested in the marriage of convenience trope, and marked Desai as an author I want to follow.

“‘We fell in love because it was meant to be. And you became mine at a bus stop in the rain.’”

How cute, am I right?!

Representation

• Indian-American protagonist and side characters
• minor bisexual side character

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Car accident, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Body shaming, Medical content, Drug use, Alcoholism, and Addiction

There’s a brief mention of a car accident that killed Liam’s father, prior to the story, and a motorcycle accident which occurs a little over halfway through the book. Daisy is hospitalized, but neither she nor Liam are seriously injured.