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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
DNF at 15%
Going into the book I wasn't vibing with the story or Noah at all, and after reading some reviews I think its just best to save my time and not risk the headache.
Going into the book I wasn't vibing with the story or Noah at all, and after reading some reviews I think its just best to save my time and not risk the headache.
Emery Lee does it again. It's the second time I'm saying this. Read it in one setting, not my genre, but loved it anyway. It's very cute and immature but that added to the charm.
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:
Yes
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The main character makes it impossible to finish the book. I have never been so annoyed reading a book. On top the writing and storyline just isn't that good.
oooh boy.
this gets a star extra for the fantastic trans rep (a trans man + a nonbinary person who uses neopronouns & is still figuring it out), because i felt it was really well done and organically written into the story. i loved devin as a character and em exploring er gender and trying different pronouns was really great to read.
but that's kind of where it ends at enjoyability for me. i did not like the main character for the majority of this book. i'm normally okay with reading a book with a main character i don't like, because there are still a lot of other redeeming qualities. and sometimes the main character being unlikable (and sometimes changes throughout the book) is the point! but here it was very much not.
noah is a self-claimed expert in romance, because he writes these sweet meet-cute stories on his tumblr blog where trans people find love. the premise was great, but the main character very quickly soured the story for me. from the moment he meets drew, who offers to fake-date him to save the meet-cute diary from being exposed as fake, noah pushes this idea onto drew that they will fall in love for real, with little to no care for how drew feels about it. because 'that's how romantic stories go'. this behavior by noah was never directly questioned or challenged on the page and it made me extremely uncomfortable.
spoilers here:
then the reveal comes that drew is only interested in noah because of the diary and turns out to be a dick. it felt like a really cheap reveal to me. i don't think i've ever met someone who would treat a person like that over a dying blog that has maybe a couple thousand followers. it just felt over the top i-need-you-to-hate-this-guy writing. it was successful, but also really cheap. drew just became a cartoon villain, instead of a guy with some toxic ideas of what relationships should be like.
spoilers end
then noah also treats his brother and best friend as expendable side characters. although they are side characters in this book, they shouldn't so obviously feel like them, let alone be treated like them by the main character. from every interaction it was clear that noah didn't care about them and only leaned on them for support, never offering it in return.
in short: devin deserved better
this gets a star extra for the fantastic trans rep (a trans man + a nonbinary person who uses neopronouns & is still figuring it out), because i felt it was really well done and organically written into the story. i loved devin as a character and em exploring er gender and trying different pronouns was really great to read.
but that's kind of where it ends at enjoyability for me. i did not like the main character for the majority of this book. i'm normally okay with reading a book with a main character i don't like, because there are still a lot of other redeeming qualities. and sometimes the main character being unlikable (and sometimes changes throughout the book) is the point! but here it was very much not.
noah is a self-claimed expert in romance, because he writes these sweet meet-cute stories on his tumblr blog where trans people find love. the premise was great, but the main character very quickly soured the story for me. from the moment he meets drew, who offers to fake-date him to save the meet-cute diary from being exposed as fake, noah pushes this idea onto drew that they will fall in love for real, with little to no care for how drew feels about it. because 'that's how romantic stories go'. this behavior by noah was never directly questioned or challenged on the page and it made me extremely uncomfortable.
spoilers here:
then the reveal comes that drew is only interested in noah because of the diary and turns out to be a dick. it felt like a really cheap reveal to me. i don't think i've ever met someone who would treat a person like that over a dying blog that has maybe a couple thousand followers. it just felt over the top i-need-you-to-hate-this-guy writing. it was successful, but also really cheap. drew just became a cartoon villain, instead of a guy with some toxic ideas of what relationships should be like.
spoilers end
then noah also treats his brother and best friend as expendable side characters. although they are side characters in this book, they shouldn't so obviously feel like them, let alone be treated like them by the main character. from every interaction it was clear that noah didn't care about them and only leaned on them for support, never offering it in return.
in short: devin deserved better
Review copy provided by publisher
If you’ve been reading our blog for some time now you’ll know that I usually plan to take my time reading my review book, but ever so often end up quickly reading through it because I’m so into it. Well, Meet Cute Diary is another one of those books. I ended up spending a whole day just snuggled in a blanket spending time with Noah and his journey to understanding love.
I just really fell in love with Noah and his hopeless romantic snarky self. Noah truly believes in the power of love, hence why he started the Meet Cute Diary, and is a true believer in romance tropes. In fact, he creates a “Twelve Steps to the Perfect Relationship” based on the structure of romance novels which is what ultimately leads him to make some bad decisions as he dates Drew because he believes that a relationship should follow a strict path in order to be successful. And as the story goes, “the course of true love never ran smooth”. Noah has a growing friendship with his co-worker Devin who is a lovely foil for Drew because Devin is a quiet, thoughtful character, while Drew is very charismatic and the “ideal romance hero” until he isn’t. While Noah initially dates him to save his blog, and for a minute their relationship is true, Noah does come to realize that his 12 Steps don’t actually work and he comes to understand what real love is and how real love develops. I really enjoyed being with Noah as he takes in the advice from people who do care about him, but is also able to reflect on his decisions and make amends. I loved how Noah changed in a way that didn’t completely change who he was, but just made him a better version of himself.
I also love that “Meet Cute Diary’ is much like “Felix Ever After” in that the story focuses on the main character falling in love rather than the main character’s coming out story. Those stories are definitely valid and need to be told, but trans kids need to also have fun romances and Meet Cute Diary is it. The novel is full of sweet romantic moments that made me smile as I was reading. I’m not going to spoil it, but the Grand Gesture (Step 11) towards the end was completely swoon-worthy (and with a twist that is just
If you’ve been reading our blog for some time now you’ll know that I usually plan to take my time reading my review book, but ever so often end up quickly reading through it because I’m so into it. Well, Meet Cute Diary is another one of those books. I ended up spending a whole day just snuggled in a blanket spending time with Noah and his journey to understanding love.
I just really fell in love with Noah and his hopeless romantic snarky self. Noah truly believes in the power of love, hence why he started the Meet Cute Diary, and is a true believer in romance tropes. In fact, he creates a “Twelve Steps to the Perfect Relationship” based on the structure of romance novels which is what ultimately leads him to make some bad decisions as he dates Drew because he believes that a relationship should follow a strict path in order to be successful. And as the story goes, “the course of true love never ran smooth”. Noah has a growing friendship with his co-worker Devin who is a lovely foil for Drew because Devin is a quiet, thoughtful character, while Drew is very charismatic and the “ideal romance hero” until he isn’t. While Noah initially dates him to save his blog, and for a minute their relationship is true, Noah does come to realize that his 12 Steps don’t actually work and he comes to understand what real love is and how real love develops. I really enjoyed being with Noah as he takes in the advice from people who do care about him, but is also able to reflect on his decisions and make amends. I loved how Noah changed in a way that didn’t completely change who he was, but just made him a better version of himself.
I also love that “Meet Cute Diary’ is much like “Felix Ever After” in that the story focuses on the main character falling in love rather than the main character’s coming out story. Those stories are definitely valid and need to be told, but trans kids need to also have fun romances and Meet Cute Diary is it. The novel is full of sweet romantic moments that made me smile as I was reading. I’m not going to spoil it, but the Grand Gesture (Step 11) towards the end was completely swoon-worthy (and with a twist that is just
fast-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This wasn't a hit for me, mostly because I don't get along with YA. But I like to keep trying it now and then, because I will come across ones I enjoy. I enjoyed the trans-focused story/relationship in this one, even if I felt Noah was insufferable. There was a good dynamic featuring a trans character who is more sure about their gender and one who was feeling more flexible (or even lost/confused at times.) I think having different expressions of gender, while still being trans-focused was refreshing.
Overall it was cute, and I appreciated that the social media focus was Tumblr-based because I still use it quite often. I don't think I've ever read a story where people were talking about Tumblr before and it was nice to see the platform get some love. If YA is your thing, you'll probably get more out of this than I did.
Overall it was cute, and I appreciated that the social media focus was Tumblr-based because I still use it quite often. I don't think I've ever read a story where people were talking about Tumblr before and it was nice to see the platform get some love. If YA is your thing, you'll probably get more out of this than I did.
hopeful
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:
Complicated