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3.04 AVERAGE
3.04 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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 stars was a generous rating for this book. The only redeeming qualities were the references to Portland and the Pacific Northwest. Characters were weak and predictable. Will not recommend to others.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a sort of forced proximity trope? this was just incredibly confusing to me. meant to be a romance and it's marketed as such. and yet joelle and max straight up don't like each other? they argue constantly, which is sort of understandable since joelle is boring and immature, and max is so insufferable it's unbelievable. i'm honestly disappointed because the concept of a bookstore-bakery romance sounds adorable. the writing was pretty bad too, especially the dialogue. terrible. i was going to give it 0.25 stars for the pets, but then i remembered the iffy part where the author refers to classics as a bunch of books written by racist white men. sorry, it's a personal ick of mine </3 so bad that it couldn't be saved by the bookstore, the bakery, or the cute pets
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Got a little whiplash from how fast the characters swung back and forth in their relationship.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I listened to the audiobook rather than read the physical copy and I think it negatively impacted my experience. The audiobook narrators were annoying.
I loved the premise of this novel. I mean, you have a baker and a bookstore owner who have such strong friendship energy that you can tell there are deeper feelings between them – but neither acts on it. Until a year and a half into their friendship, when they finally do.
But then their professional lives get thrown for a loop and everything between them is suddenly on edge.
I honestly loved the fire between these characters, but the timing never felt right to me. It was a lot of back and forth between being crazy for each other and hating each other. It felt like whiplash in their hot-and-cold feelings toward one another. And then any time they decide to actually talk anything out, they talk for all of 30 seconds before they’re taking their clothes off and fooling around.
Don’t get me wrong – I love the spicyness, but for reality-sake, having some actual conversations develop between them when things go wrong would have been nice. Yet, at every possible moment, they were bickering and hating each other. It was just exhausting by the end.
But then their professional lives get thrown for a loop and everything between them is suddenly on edge.
I honestly loved the fire between these characters, but the timing never felt right to me. It was a lot of back and forth between being crazy for each other and hating each other. It felt like whiplash in their hot-and-cold feelings toward one another. And then any time they decide to actually talk anything out, they talk for all of 30 seconds before they’re taking their clothes off and fooling around.
Don’t get me wrong – I love the spicyness, but for reality-sake, having some actual conversations develop between them when things go wrong would have been nice. Yet, at every possible moment, they were bickering and hating each other. It was just exhausting by the end.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
Complicated