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sfschroe's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
elliepl94's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, Death of parent, and Infidelity
kbranfield's review
4.0
Fans of friends to lovers novels will want to add debut author Shannyn Schroeder’s More Than This to their must have list. An absolutely fun yet sexy read, I loved watching this mismatched pair find their way to happily ever after. To read my review in its entirety, please click HERE.
msmattoon's review against another edition
Got about halfway through and then noped out because though the heroine, Quinn, keeps telling the love interest Ryan that she doesn't want to date him, he keeps trying to get her to date him in the guise of friendship.
I get that they have chemistry. I get that she responds physically when he kisses her. But she keeps saying no, and he keeps disregarding that and pretending to be her friend until she will agree to date him. It's a creepy and not at all romantic trope, and if Ryan had actually tried to be her friend instead of pretending I would have been 100% on board.
Expressed wishes matter more than anyone's bodily response.
I get that they have chemistry. I get that she responds physically when he kisses her. But she keeps saying no, and he keeps disregarding that and pretending to be her friend until she will agree to date him. It's a creepy and not at all romantic trope, and if Ryan had actually tried to be her friend instead of pretending I would have been 100% on board.
Expressed wishes matter more than anyone's bodily response.
iammread's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I loved the characters thought it was super cute. There was parts I didn't love. The worst bit however is the author thinking they can write as an Irish person. You know it was written by a non-Irosh when it's called St Paddy's Day. It's Paddy's Day or st Patrick's Day.
jonetta's review
4.0
The set up
Quinn Adams thought she needed to shake things up in her life. She's the one always taking the practical path and is in sort of a rut with her career and love life but doesn't know how to alter her course. Ryan O'Leary would love a shot at being the romance in her life but she sees him as being cut from the same mold as her ex...a bartender who can't resist the flavor of the night, even though he's so much more than that.
The issues
Quinn's polar-opposite, outgoing sister Indy and friend Kate help her put together a list of things she must do this summer, all being completely out of her comfort zone. Failure at any of them could have the potential of making her even less confident about herself. Ryan decides to be her "friend" as a means to becoming something more but was so good in the role Quinn was unwilling to do anything that might risk the relationship.
What worked well
Quinn is one of those characters you like right out of the gate. She's attractive and confident in herself to a point but doesn't really get her true appeal. She's not a total pushover but could use some backbone with certain people in her life. Ryan is just all out delectable, with a natural and genuine charm that puts you in his corner pretty quickly. He's not perfect but that plays well, at least for me. I also liked that this wasn't just a story limited to these two. We get pretty meaty insights about the people closest to these two, not so much that it overwhelms Ryan and Quinn's story but enough to leave me wanting to know more and the promise of it in future stories. Indy, Kate, Ryan's best friend Griff, Ryan's brother Colin...just to name a few...are all intriguing on their own and I want more of them. Lastly, the O'Leary brood, with their sibling issues and strong sense of family, provide a really nice backdrop for the series, completing this really attractive package.
What didn't work as well
Quinn's reluctance to see Ryan for the man he was got old near the end of the story. She's not clueless, just stubborn, which made me want to shake her. Thankfully her sister and Kate were there to do that on my behalf. The ending wrapped a bit quickly for me, too. But, it appears this story will continue with the next book so that's some consolation.
The bottom line
I liked this story and enjoyed the people in it. It's not a new situation but the journey was nicely done with some uncommon approaches. There were also multiple points of view throughout and that is always a strong point for me as it helped me connect to each character. I am hooked and already have the next book. I'm going to take my time getting to it, though, until I know when I can expect the third one!
Quinn Adams thought she needed to shake things up in her life. She's the one always taking the practical path and is in sort of a rut with her career and love life but doesn't know how to alter her course. Ryan O'Leary would love a shot at being the romance in her life but she sees him as being cut from the same mold as her ex...a bartender who can't resist the flavor of the night, even though he's so much more than that.
The issues
Quinn's polar-opposite, outgoing sister Indy and friend Kate help her put together a list of things she must do this summer, all being completely out of her comfort zone. Failure at any of them could have the potential of making her even less confident about herself. Ryan decides to be her "friend" as a means to becoming something more but was so good in the role Quinn was unwilling to do anything that might risk the relationship.
What worked well
Quinn is one of those characters you like right out of the gate. She's attractive and confident in herself to a point but doesn't really get her true appeal. She's not a total pushover but could use some backbone with certain people in her life. Ryan is just all out delectable, with a natural and genuine charm that puts you in his corner pretty quickly. He's not perfect but that plays well, at least for me. I also liked that this wasn't just a story limited to these two. We get pretty meaty insights about the people closest to these two, not so much that it overwhelms Ryan and Quinn's story but enough to leave me wanting to know more and the promise of it in future stories. Indy, Kate, Ryan's best friend Griff, Ryan's brother Colin...just to name a few...are all intriguing on their own and I want more of them. Lastly, the O'Leary brood, with their sibling issues and strong sense of family, provide a really nice backdrop for the series, completing this really attractive package.
What didn't work as well
Quinn's reluctance to see Ryan for the man he was got old near the end of the story. She's not clueless, just stubborn, which made me want to shake her. Thankfully her sister and Kate were there to do that on my behalf. The ending wrapped a bit quickly for me, too. But, it appears this story will continue with the next book so that's some consolation.
The bottom line
I liked this story and enjoyed the people in it. It's not a new situation but the journey was nicely done with some uncommon approaches. There were also multiple points of view throughout and that is always a strong point for me as it helped me connect to each character. I am hooked and already have the next book. I'm going to take my time getting to it, though, until I know when I can expect the third one!
beckymmoe's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 11/19/18.
More Than This is a cute, relatable friends-to-lovers story. I really liked both Quinn and Ryan, and found their sexual tension to be delicious and believable. The secondary relationships were a lot of fun too--Quinn's with her sister and their BFF and Ryan's with his big family (most of whom are subjects of other books in the series, yay!) Plus, friends-to-lovers is one of my catnip reads, so... :)
I especially appreciated that Ryan and Quinn's "black moment" wasn't over-the-top dark, and that neither one of them behaved in either a TSTL- or overly d*ckish way to get them there. At times it did feel like they were getting close to reconciling their differences just to pull back for reasons that they should have just resolved--at one point I had to go back and re-read, to see if I missed something (I hadn't, not really--one of them really did say "we should have a relationship" and the other got excited just for it to all fall apart a millisecond later because...IDK why, exactly...plus, how many times did their friends and family have to tell one of them that the other one liked them "that way" before they paid attention?), and the misunderstanding card does come into play at times--but in the end it was a very satisfying read, and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series as soon as I get a chance. (Where we'll finally see the side plot of what's happening in the neighborhood resolved, I hope?)
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
More Than This is a cute, relatable friends-to-lovers story. I really liked both Quinn and Ryan, and found their sexual tension to be delicious and believable. The secondary relationships were a lot of fun too--Quinn's with her sister and their BFF and Ryan's with his big family (most of whom are subjects of other books in the series, yay!) Plus, friends-to-lovers is one of my catnip reads, so... :)
I especially appreciated that Ryan and Quinn's "black moment" wasn't over-the-top dark, and that neither one of them behaved in either a TSTL- or overly d*ckish way to get them there. At times it did feel like they were getting close to reconciling their differences just to pull back for reasons that they should have just resolved--at one point I had to go back and re-read, to see if I missed something (I hadn't, not really--one of them really did say "we should have a relationship" and the other got excited just for it to all fall apart a millisecond later because...IDK why, exactly...plus, how many times did their friends and family have to tell one of them that the other one liked them "that way" before they paid attention?), and the misunderstanding card does come into play at times--but in the end it was a very satisfying read, and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series as soon as I get a chance. (Where we'll finally see the side plot of what's happening in the neighborhood resolved, I hope?)
Rating: 4 stars / B+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
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