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savannah2001's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
daddylonglegz's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape
Minor: Death of parent
sydnik3's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
surprisingly i actually liked this for a cliche romance novel that follows the same template, the only reason I’m giving it 2⭐️ instead of 3⭐️ is because I absolutely hated Garrett’s inner monologue half the time, especially the beginning of the book (which almost made me DNF). I get it was to set up a character image and then break through that halfway through the book, but man it was painful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape
buttermellow's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape
Minor: Cancer
shadowmaster13's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape
ninebookishlives's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
FMC talks about high school party where she is raped and the legal battle. MMC talk about watching domestic abuse then experiencing child abuse. Both experiences were in the past.ameliakwp's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Rape
darlingdove's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Remember how decent steamy romance novels used to be before BookTok came along?
I expected The Deal to only be a fun and quick read, so I was surprised by how much I like it. Both of the protagonists have strong development over the course of the story with very emotional arcs. The book tackles serious topics like abuse and sexual assault with more maturity than a lot of books in the same genre tend to, while also remaining lighthearted and overall enjoyable. I felt that the romance between Hannah and Garrett was believable and developed at a reasonable pace. Most stories jump from enemies/annoyances to lovers way too quick, so I was glad that they became friends before falling for each other. It made their relationship stronger, and it made me actually want them to be together.
However, most of my complaints with The Deal have to do with Garrett himself. There's a fine line between "lovable asshole" and just being, well, an asshole, and Garrett spent the first half of the book using that line as a jump rope. He matured as the book went on so I didn't find him to be too much of a problem, but he was definitely a grating character through the first few chapters. The book did have a tendency to drag at the parts focusing on Hanah and Garrett while rushing through the parts where they weren't together, especially with Hannah. I felt that while Garrett's love of hockey got plenty of focus, Hannah and her music didn't get the same treatment until the final act.
Another thing about this book is that it was definitely a product of its time. I wouldn't necessarily call that a problem, considering it's not the book's fault it was published in 2015, but it was definitely hard to forget that it was written almost a decade ago. (I also did not enjoy the realization that 2015 was 9 years ago now.) There's are a lot of pop culture references, from Wrecking Ball-era Miley Cyrus to Facebook still being everyone's favorite social media, and don't even get me started on the sheet amount of times Chris Hemsworth is mentioned. The writing also had a habit of using the same phrases over and over. I lost track of the amount of times Hannah "ran into a hard male chest." These are definitely little nitpicks that got on my nerves, but they didn't stop me from enjoying the book overall.
Even if The Deal wasn't a perfect book, it was one that I enjoyed and would still recommend to anyone looking for a fun and hot read.
I expected The Deal to only be a fun and quick read, so I was surprised by how much I like it. Both of the protagonists have strong development over the course of the story with very emotional arcs. The book tackles serious topics like abuse and sexual assault with more maturity than a lot of books in the same genre tend to, while also remaining lighthearted and overall enjoyable. I felt that the romance between Hannah and Garrett was believable and developed at a reasonable pace. Most stories jump from enemies/annoyances to lovers way too quick, so I was glad that they became friends before falling for each other. It made their relationship stronger, and it made me actually want them to be together.
However, most of my complaints with The Deal have to do with Garrett himself. There's a fine line between "lovable asshole" and just being, well, an asshole, and Garrett spent the first half of the book using that line as a jump rope. He matured as the book went on so I didn't find him to be too much of a problem, but he was definitely a grating character through the first few chapters. The book did have a tendency to drag at the parts focusing on Hanah and Garrett while rushing through the parts where they weren't together, especially with Hannah. I felt that while Garrett's love of hockey got plenty of focus, Hannah and her music didn't get the same treatment until the final act.
Another thing about this book is that it was definitely a product of its time. I wouldn't necessarily call that a problem, considering it's not the book's fault it was published in 2015, but it was definitely hard to forget that it was written almost a decade ago. (I also did not enjoy the realization that 2015 was 9 years ago now.) There's are a lot of pop culture references, from Wrecking Ball-era Miley Cyrus to Facebook still being everyone's favorite social media, and don't even get me started on the sheet amount of times Chris Hemsworth is mentioned. The writing also had a habit of using the same phrases over and over. I lost track of the amount of times Hannah "ran into a hard male chest." These are definitely little nitpicks that got on my nerves, but they didn't stop me from enjoying the book overall.
Even if The Deal wasn't a perfect book, it was one that I enjoyed and would still recommend to anyone looking for a fun and hot read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
saraotoole's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
fiercereadsfiction's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
Minor: Violence