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mahaofhyrule's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
3.5 Stars
Kinda fun and kinda boring at the same time, but mostly fun.
What I DID like though was the following:
- The Writing Style: Very easy on the brain. I also liked the inclusion of the media outlets here like Chani's blog, news articles, etc. to support the narrative too. Very creative!
- The talks on female journalist stereotypes and actor typecasting: Probably my favorite parts of the book. Chani's addresses on breaking that stereotype that female journalists sleep their way to good stories, and actors being criticized for taking roles that break their usual mold (and what it means to be a public figure). I really like these parts of the book and lowkey I wish this book was more of a character study on that vs. the romance.
- Oliver Matthias: What a gem. Also ties in with actors as a public figure point.
- This line: “He laughed. It was a great laugh, all low and dark and rich. If chocolate cake had a laugh, it would be that.” Like what does that even mean? I love it.
And now the dislikes:
For one thing, I didn't connect with Chani and Gabe's romance. To me, their whole dynamic felt like insta love, which is a trope I don't really like that much in romance novels. (Though this might be on me, I probably could have inferred that from the title.)
Chani and Gabe as individual characters were kind of a hit or miss for me too. Chani's insecurities made sense when she was younger and made the choices she did , but the way it carried onto her later years was crazy. Girl was still hung up on her no good ex after so many years. (On that note, it got a little annoying that she mentioned Jeremy in pretty much every other sentence.)
I also didn't really like that ending. It felt a little too rushed. More in the spoiler tag.
They slept together and then had this weird fight about Chani's article, and this point there was like 10 pages left in the book. HUH? And the way they immediately made up was so quick. Very romcom Hallmark movie vibes
But anyway this was a quick fun read!
Kinda fun and kinda boring at the same time, but mostly fun.
What I DID like though was the following:
- The Writing Style: Very easy on the brain. I also liked the inclusion of the media outlets here like Chani's blog, news articles, etc. to support the narrative too. Very creative!
- The talks on female journalist stereotypes and actor typecasting: Probably my favorite parts of the book. Chani's addresses on breaking that stereotype that female journalists sleep their way to good stories, and actors being criticized for taking roles that break their usual mold (and what it means to be a public figure). I really like these parts of the book and lowkey I wish this book was more of a character study on that vs. the romance.
- Oliver Matthias: What a gem. Also ties in with actors as a public figure point.
- This line: “He laughed. It was a great laugh, all low and dark and rich. If chocolate cake had a laugh, it would be that.” Like what does that even mean? I love it.
And now the dislikes:
For one thing, I didn't connect with Chani and Gabe's romance. To me, their whole dynamic felt like insta love, which is a trope I don't really like that much in romance novels. (Though this might be on me, I probably could have inferred that from the title.)
Chani and Gabe as individual characters were kind of a hit or miss for me too. Chani's insecurities made sense when she was younger and made the choices she did , but the way it carried onto her later years was crazy. Girl was still hung up on her no good ex after so many years. (On that note, it got a little annoying that she mentioned Jeremy in pretty much every other sentence.)
I also didn't really like that ending. It felt a little too rushed. More in the spoiler tag.
But anyway this was a quick fun read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Moderate: Addiction
aaliyajaensch's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use
cdingler07's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Addiction, and Homophobia
Minor: Death and Death of parent
mpearson0711's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
solinel7's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was hoping to love this book. I saw so much discussion about it and how good it was when it came out but I'm a little disappointed.
It's confusing and annoying at times with all the back and forth and more so at very important parts.
There are few spoilers. Read at your discretion.
Every chapter started with a news article which was cool but also it had me confused. The protagonist's main article was extremel important to the story but it was split in 4 so I don't remember anything about it.
They fell in love in one weekend 10 years ago and then we never get to see how their relationship developed as a full grown adult with a good head on their shoulders.
The story is engaging but it wasn't until ch 3 or 4 that I grasped what was really happening.
Author's writing style is good but the story left me wanting more.
It's confusing and annoying at times with all the back and forth and more so at very important parts.
There are few spoilers. Read at your discretion.
Every chapter started with a news article which was cool but also it had me confused. The protagonist's main article was extremel important to the story but it was split in 4 so I don't remember anything about it.
They fell in love in one weekend 10 years ago and then we never get to see how their relationship developed as a full grown adult with a good head on their shoulders.
The story is engaging but it wasn't until ch 3 or 4 that I grasped what was really happening.
Author's writing style is good but the story left me wanting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
sisters26's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Death of parent
lilycollings's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
5.0
I am sorry what?? This is the cutest romance I have ever read. I am sorry to the booktube and booktok community for not trusting your recommendation of this but in my defence, you usually let me down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Homophobia and Death of parent
rshearon's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.75
this was VERY good. i’m starting to think I do love the pain of a second chance romance, because wooooof this hurt in the best way! it was beautifully written and the chemistry and love between the characters was so palpably deep. my one gripe is that there wasn’t enough happy, but Gabe almost made up for it with his romantic lines in the last 10% 😭 can’t wait to check out more of this author’s work!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Sexual content
jackiepreston's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
There were parts of this book that I loved, but overall I was let down by what seemed like an interesting premise. My biggest issues with it, in no particular order:
1. The dual timelines, and specifically the way that Chani and Gabe's first weekend together ended, made me annoyed about how Chani was reacting to Gabe in the present.
2. I never bought their connection in either section. They had a couple of moments where the chemistry was there, but not nearly enough to sustain a romance novel.
3. The snippets of the amazing article that Chani wrote were not great. I can't see how an article like that would have taken off to that level.
1. The dual timelines, and specifically the way that Chani and Gabe's first weekend together ended, made me annoyed about how Chani was reacting to Gabe in the present.
2. I never bought their connection in either section. They had a couple of moments where the chemistry was there, but not nearly enough to sustain a romance novel.
3. The snippets of the amazing article that Chani wrote were not great. I can't see how an article like that would have taken off to that level.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcoholism
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent
beckpair's review
emotional
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
Moderate: Alcoholism and Addiction