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yvo_about_books's review
2.25
Finished reading: August 19th 2023
"Life is rarely easy. You just have to figure out a path to walk on that makes you happy."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
There was something about Let's Get Quizzical that caught my attention immediately. I do love a good pun title, and the premise sounded like so much fun with the trivia show and second-chance romance. I've been looking forward to finally read this book, although I confess I was a tad worried about the lower rating on Goodreads... Sadly, I do understand this rating now that I've had the chance to read this story myself.
There is no doubt that the premise of this story is very promising. I loved the sound of the reality TV angle with the trivia show, and Let's Get Quizzical definitely delivered on that front by incorporating lots of nerdy facts as well as the shooting of the actual episodes. This probably ended up being one of my favorite aspects of the book for me, and it was fun learning some of the facts. The second-chance romance also had a lot of potential, with the two main characters not talking for thirteen years and their reunion being shown on live TV. BUT. And here is where it went wrong for me...
I wasn't a fan of the background of that second-chance romance. There is a lot of drama around the past and Eli breaking Charlotte's heart; neither of them seemingly ever getting over the relationship they had as a teenager. The fact that they never talked after what happened just didn't seem credible to me, and especially considering the fact that they went to the same school at the time. The whole reason they stopped talking was so underwhelming as well, and as a result their supposedly strong bond just didn't feel credible either.
I found the whole grudge to be over the top, but if Charlotte was still so angry all those years later, the switch to forgiveness was too abrupt to be believable. I also found that the main characters themselves lacked fleshing out beyond their troubled backgrounds and issues; I somehow never felt like I truly got to know them. Sure, some of their interactions were kind of cute, but I never felt all that invested in their growing relationship. Charlotte could also be considerably frustrating and narrow-minded with her whole 'honesty and truth above all' without thinking about the consequences...
I also felt that Let's Get Quizzical was trying to squeeze to many different elements and storylines into the plot, and as a result the romance was mostly lost. There were some elements with potential, including the corruption, long-lost grandfather and family issues, but they weren't developed in a sufficient way to truly add more dept to the plot. They say that sometimes less is more, and I feel that definitely applies to this story.
All in all I did end up having mixed thoughts about Let's Get Quizzical. There were a couple things I loved including the trivia show and random facts, but as a whole I felt that this story didn't meet its true potential.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Abandonment, Infidelity, Medical content, and Panic attacks/disorders
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