Reviews with content warning for Racism - Lease on Love

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Lease on Love by Falon Ballard

8 reviews

laheath's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

Thank goodness for supportive friends because these two main characters have some issues from their past that are preventing them from having healthy personal relationships and professional success. The secondary characters were also funny and I enjoyed their stories as well, without them detracting from the main plotline. The female MC's past is briefly explained, and though her excuses and whining become an old refrain, it's not until the very end that she decides to do something about it. The male MC's past is partially explained fairly early, but the secrets he keeps also threaten to destroy their relationship. Although the meeting of the two MC's seems a little far-fetched, it's original and makes for a sweet story.

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kaydeedickins's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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maggies's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I think I get what the author was trying to do with this book, but it fell flat for me. I never felt the supposed chemistry between Sadie and Jack, and all of Sadie's friends were pretty one-dimensional as well. The primary conflict between the main characters is blown way out of proportion. There's way too much telling rather than showing throughout the story. It's marketed as slow burn, but actually

the "attraction" starts quite suddenly fairly early on, and Sadie and Jack decide they "don't want to mess it up" by moving too fast, which came across as an authorly gimmick instead of a reasonable choice by the characters.

On top of all that, Sadie's negative self-talk was honestly just annoying. It didn't come across as genuine, especially because

she had gone to counseling to deal with her abusive upbringing, and apparently this still didn't help her gain a more accurate self-image? When Gemma, Harley, and Nick intervene and tell her she needs to go back to therapy, it's supposed to be some lightning strike moment, but she should have been in therapy for years prior, and they all should have known that.

Most of my complaints are about Sadie primarily because the book is written in her voice and also because Jack is woefully underdeveloped, which is really unfortunate because he had the makings of an unusual leading man at the beginning, and it didn't go anywhere.

Glad to have read the book, and maybe I'll check out another book by Falon Ballard in the future, but this was a decidedly debut novel, so I won't be rushing to read the next, I think.

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juliana_reads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-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

4.5

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lnzava's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

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annahamburger's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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kfmcf's review

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

I liked this book - it was a solid rom com with relatable characters. The two romantic leads were really fleshed out and Sadie was very relatable. A warning though: she has very intrusive self-deprecating thoughts. I found them important and honestly very relatable, but it could be triggering.
The story itself isn't mind blowing but it doesn't need to be. It's cute and quick and a good beach reach.
I wish the side friends had had a tiny bit more depth to them but it's okay. There is also a part of me that wishes she had run into her old boss when she was successful in her new venture but that is totally not necessary and would most likely have felt very contrived so I am absolutely not holding it against the book.
Glad I bought this one on a whim.

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bookcasey's review against another edition

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hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

A significant portion of this book is just drinking alcohol/getting drunk or the main character berating herself. The romance here isn’t between the characters - it’s between a burnt out millennial woman and the hope of financial stability.

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