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evelynyle_88's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
Moderate: Islamophobia, Racism, and Homophobia
gale_bruckner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
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
4.5
Alexis does a great job of giving Paris a unique story that's also in the Bake Expectations universe. I appreciate realistic mental health concerns representation. The boundary setting and character growth felt realistic and compelling. At the end of the story, I was whole-heartedly rooting for Tariq and Paris. <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
Minor: Islamophobia and Homophobia
the_reading_kat's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Good points about mental health, but only in the last quarter of the book. Until then it’s literally just the main character being a hot mess, not always relatable. Didn’t feel the chemistry between the mc and the love interest until the last twenty pages or so. Understandable with the plot but difficult to read anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Homophobia, and Islamophobia
kharlan3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
wow paris is so anxious
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Islamophobia, Homophobia, and Abandonment
atsuanna's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
( More of a 2.5 but rounded up ) I was way too ace for the amount of sexual humor sometimes and there was little progress for so long that it was very back forth. I think I would’ve liked it more if it wasn’t romance because I loved the character development and the idea but the romance was lackluster for me and not something I was rooting for </3 The GAD was very accurate and relatable for me plus it was very funny and cute at times!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Islamophobia, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Abandonment
pey333's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Islamophobia, Abandonment, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Sexual content
adlane22's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and Abandonment
roadesntoades's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
Honestly this book surprised me. I read the back of it, saw the words “classics” and “baking” and thought well I like both do those things so why not. I had little expectations going in but found myself finishing this in a day and also felt like I reading a mirror reflection of things I’ve dealt with that I haven’t seen honestly portrayed before or in a way that didn’t feel preachy or cliche.
The characters are interesting and well developed and the relationship between Paris and Tariq is a refreshing one. They are not a perfect match nor are they ever portrayed as perfect people but it’s the imperfections that I think make their relationship work on page. I don’t think romances should always have the perfect couples who issues and character flaws are just brushed away by rom com magic. Paris is selfish and ignorant of a lot of things. Tariq does have a savior complex and does guilt Paris when he has different expectations regarding their relationship(excluding religious expectations such as intimacy) and PDA. But by the end, not only do they both address those flaws but also make clear steps towards resolving them. Paris is more self aware of the world and himself and is making active steps to not only earn Tariq’s forgiveness but also be a better person. Tariq by the end is being more selfish and is considering what is best for him before what is best for Paris in regards to the state of their relationship and better understands that expectations and wants are two different things and will not always align perfectly with the person you’re with. They are not perfect, and the ending does leave their relationship a bit open in regards to the future. But I think that’s what makes it good.
My only complaint is that there are so many monologues that are so self deprecating and intense that it can get a bit tiring after awhile. But all in all this is a great book to read if you want something light hearted with a solid concept. I know other reviews will say this book is bad and list all the ways that you shouldn’t read it but honestly, I think a few of them missed the point. Rom coms don’t have to have a perfect couple or a perfect ending or people. The characters can be messy and complicated, and make big mistakes that many of us wouldn’t easily forgive. But why should that stop people from loving it for what it is?
The characters are interesting and well developed and the relationship between Paris and Tariq is a refreshing one. They are not a perfect match nor are they ever portrayed as perfect people but it’s the imperfections that I think make their relationship work on page. I don’t think romances should always have the perfect couples who issues and character flaws are just brushed away by rom com magic. Paris is selfish and ignorant of a lot of things. Tariq does have a savior complex and does guilt Paris when he has different expectations regarding their relationship(excluding religious expectations such as intimacy) and PDA. But by the end, not only do they both address those flaws but also make clear steps towards resolving them. Paris is more self aware of the world and himself and is making active steps to not only earn Tariq’s forgiveness but also be a better person. Tariq by the end is being more selfish and is considering what is best for him before what is best for Paris in regards to the state of their relationship and better understands that expectations and wants are two different things and will not always align perfectly with the person you’re with. They are not perfect, and the ending does leave their relationship a bit open in regards to the future. But I think that’s what makes it good.
My only complaint is that there are so many monologues that are so self deprecating and intense that it can get a bit tiring after awhile. But all in all this is a great book to read if you want something light hearted with a solid concept. I know other reviews will say this book is bad and list all the ways that you shouldn’t read it but honestly, I think a few of them missed the point. Rom coms don’t have to have a perfect couple or a perfect ending or people. The characters can be messy and complicated, and make big mistakes that many of us wouldn’t easily forgive. But why should that stop people from loving it for what it is?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Islamophobia, and Racism
astropova's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm glad Paris finally got the help to work on himself that he desperately needed, though I wish it could have happened a lot earlier in the book. If I had known how long it would take, I may have DNF'd the book earlier because it was a bit awful to sit there and suffer through it too.
I also thought that some of the parts set at the baking show seemed a little abbreviated. At some points, there wasn't even anything important happening, but the plot timeline still had to get moved on.
Loved Morag! So cool to have such a positive depiction of a fat (side-)character!
I also thought that some of the parts set at the baking show seemed a little abbreviated. At some points, there wasn't even anything important happening, but the plot timeline still had to get moved on.
Loved Morag! So cool to have such a positive depiction of a fat (side-)character!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Racism
Huge warning for anxiety. The firstaoifeprettypurplepolkadots's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Islamophobia, and Homophobia