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funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was cute, fun to read (and quick, I devoured it in huge chunks), and quite spicy. It didn't totally hit a romance bingo for me but I still really enjoyed it.
(Unfortunately?) I do love a slightly possessive yet consent king MMC, so that trope worked for me. I would have liked a little more depth from Maya, and there were some plot beats that felt like they had too little build up. The plot was often progressed with a lot of dialogue, which I don't hate, but may not appeal to readers who prefer more descriptive prose.
I didn't realize this was a spinoff of Not in Love, and not having read that had me confused about who some of the characters were.
I look forward to reading more by Ali Hazelwood.
(Unfortunately?) I do love a slightly possessive yet consent king MMC, so that trope worked for me. I would have liked a little more depth from Maya, and there were some plot beats that felt like they had too little build up. The plot was often progressed with a lot of dialogue, which I don't hate, but may not appeal to readers who prefer more descriptive prose.
I didn't realize this was a spinoff of Not in Love, and not having read that had me confused about who some of the characters were.
I look forward to reading more by Ali Hazelwood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Vomit, Alcohol
Minor: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Also content warning for a drowning incident , but the character survives
adventurous
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay. I am giving this book an extra 0.5 for the vibes. Despite all of the problems I had with this book Hazelwood's writting is so emotive and engrossing. You'll have a good time if you read this book, but you might have a little frustration with the characters throughout. Here is a list of the problems I had with this book:
1. I agree with everyone that Connor was a bit too whiny about the age difference, and after the third mention of the gap, it did feel redundant.
2. This book needed way more flashbacks! That was the part of the book that I was the most invested in. The emotional connection and tension between Maya and Connor were best written in these scenes. I feel that there could have been way more content focusing on the development of their relationship rather than the present-day sightseeing ones we got throughout.
3. There were too many people in the group to keep track of. I get that a small group made it to the island early, but I'm not sure why we went outside of Rue and Eli's best friends. I'm not sure why various tangential friends were included. Sometimes they provided comedic relief, and sometimes they provided problems that Connor and Maya had to work through, but I wasn't emotionally invested in most of the side characters.
4. Why must everyone in the group have slept together previously? I'm particularly focused on Connor and Minami. Was their having been in a relationship previously that important to the plot? I feel like we could have cut it entirely and lost nothing with regards to the larger plot.
5. Avery. She was so underdeveloped and was just a plot device. About half way through the book when she came back up I was like, "who?"
The vibes were fun, but this book could have been about 50 pages shorter in its current format. Also, and this is a side point. If I were Eli and Rue's friends, I'd be pissed at the end of the book.
1. I agree with everyone that Connor was a bit too whiny about the age difference, and after the third mention of the gap, it did feel redundant.
2. This book needed way more flashbacks! That was the part of the book that I was the most invested in. The emotional connection and tension between Maya and Connor were best written in these scenes. I feel that there could have been way more content focusing on the development of their relationship rather than the present-day sightseeing ones we got throughout.
3. There were too many people in the group to keep track of. I get that a small group made it to the island early, but I'm not sure why we went outside of Rue and Eli's best friends. I'm not sure why various tangential friends were included. Sometimes they provided comedic relief, and sometimes they provided problems that Connor and Maya had to work through, but I wasn't emotionally invested in most of the side characters.
4. Why must everyone in the group have slept together previously? I'm particularly focused on Connor and Minami. Was their having been in a relationship previously that important to the plot? I feel like we could have cut it entirely and lost nothing with regards to the larger plot.
5. Avery. She was so underdeveloped and was just a plot device. About half way through the book when she came back up I was like, "who?"
The vibes were fun, but this book could have been about 50 pages shorter in its current format. Also, and this is a side point. If I were Eli and Rue's friends, I'd be pissed at the end of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Classism
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As a longtime reader of Ali Hazelwood, I was excited to pick up her latest novel.
"Problematic Summer Romance" follows Maya Killgore. Maya is twenty-three years old and is trying desperately to figure out her life. Conor Harkness is thirty-eight years old, Maya's brother's best friend, and entirely inappropriate for Maya, but she cannot stop thinking about him. Now, Maya's brother is getting married in Taormina, and Maya and Conor are stuck together in a romantic villa for over a week.
I do really enjoy an age gap romance, so this story did appeal to me. I did feel like Maya, Conor, and any other character involved in the inner workings of their relationship seemed far too fixated on their ages, which dampened my enjoyment slightly. Yes, there is a bit of an age gap, but I feel like they either need to accept it or move on.
I loved seeing how Conor was slightly overprotective of Maya. He felt like a big brother, always watching out for her and making sure she was treated well by those in her life. I really enjoyed seeing all the strings he was pulling behind the scenes to make Maya's life all the better.
As with a lot of Ali Hazelwood's characters, Maya is a little rough around the edges, but I felt like it really suited her and her character development. She is not the picturesque, perfect girlfriend with her whole life figured out. She is lost and trying to find her place in the world, all while lusting after a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her.
Maya and Conor together are great. Conor really grounds Maya and helps her to see her worth and fight for more for herself. Maya helps Conor enjoy life. Their scenes are always equal parts spicy and endearing.
I highly recommend this novel, and I cannot wait to see what Ali Hazelwood writes next.
"Problematic Summer Romance" follows Maya Killgore. Maya is twenty-three years old and is trying desperately to figure out her life. Conor Harkness is thirty-eight years old, Maya's brother's best friend, and entirely inappropriate for Maya, but she cannot stop thinking about him. Now, Maya's brother is getting married in Taormina, and Maya and Conor are stuck together in a romantic villa for over a week.
I do really enjoy an age gap romance, so this story did appeal to me. I did feel like Maya, Conor, and any other character involved in the inner workings of their relationship seemed far too fixated on their ages, which dampened my enjoyment slightly. Yes, there is a bit of an age gap, but I feel like they either need to accept it or move on.
I loved seeing how Conor was slightly overprotective of Maya. He felt like a big brother, always watching out for her and making sure she was treated well by those in her life. I really enjoyed seeing all the strings he was pulling behind the scenes to make Maya's life all the better.
As with a lot of Ali Hazelwood's characters, Maya is a little rough around the edges, but I felt like it really suited her and her character development. She is not the picturesque, perfect girlfriend with her whole life figured out. She is lost and trying to find her place in the world, all while lusting after a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her.
Maya and Conor together are great. Conor really grounds Maya and helps her to see her worth and fight for more for herself. Maya helps Conor enjoy life. Their scenes are always equal parts spicy and endearing.
I highly recommend this novel, and I cannot wait to see what Ali Hazelwood writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i’m gonna read everything that ali hazelwood puts out, and this is no exception.
the main theme of the book could be hark’s feelings about the age gap between him and maya, but i adored how he showed up for her when she needed someone. but some of his reasoning didn’t make sense? anywho.
enjoyed the italian summer vibe and getting to see eli and rue again! spice was fine, a little less spicy than previous books (imo!).
the main theme of the book could be hark’s feelings about the age gap between him and maya, but i adored how he showed up for her when she needed someone. but some of his reasoning didn’t make sense? anywho.
enjoyed the italian summer vibe and getting to see eli and rue again! spice was fine, a little less spicy than previous books (imo!).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic friendship
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't normally read contemporary romances, but I love Allie Hazelwood. Her romances just do something for me. It's not a life changing book, but I did read it in one night, I stayed up till 4 am to finish it. I couldn't put it down. Maya and Connor had me giggling and kicking my feet like I was a school girl again. This book has spice but nothing crazy, at least not by my standards. It's a romance with sexual talk and a few sex scenes. But it was all very basic, nothing that would make someone faint over and not a ton of detail during those scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Drug use, Toxic friendship
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The yearning was chef’s kiss
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
emotional
hopeful
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Grief, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
emotional
funny
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content
Moderate: Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Pregnancy
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Minor: Medical content, Pregnancy