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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I loveddddd this book, it got me sucked in from beginning to end, this book was part of a blind date with a book, and it fit the description perfectly
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 stars
I rounded up because I had such high hopes for this book and despite my issues I really enjoyed the epilogue (one of the best epilogues I've ever read).
So this book was one of my top anticipated books of 2023. Now that might not mean much since I have a shelf on Goodreads with all my most anticipated releases of the year and there are about 50 books on there, but this is one of only a few that I pre-ordered myself instead of requesting from the library.
I'm a bit sad to say this book did not live up to my expectations nor did it live up to book 1, Set On You, about Tara's sister, Crystal.
My biggest issue with this book is personal so I don't really fault the book itself, but my reviews are for cataloguing my thoughts so I'll get into it anyway. Tara annoyed me because she didn't respect people's boundaries. Plain and simple. She was constantly doing, thinking, and saying things that did not honor people's boundaries. I don't find that shit cute IRL and I definitely don't find it appealing in a romance novel. I also didn't enjoy that she made SO MANY assumptions that had no merit. I know it was for plot purposes, but I just don't think it was written well.
There were a few other minor things I didn't enjoy, but the other big one is that I did not enjoy ANY of Crystal's appearances in this book. Crystal was the heroine of Amy Lea's debut novel, Set On You, book 1 in The Influencer series. Crystal is a fitness influencer and Tara's younger sister. In Crystal's book, we got a realistic sister relationship. There was some sweet moments, some sibling banter, etc. However in Exes and Oh's, Crystal was, I'm going to say it, a straight up bitch. She was rude and condescending toward Tara and nothing that came out of her mouth was supportive or loving. I really started to loathe Crystal and roll my eyes every time she popped up. Really kind of sours my enjoyment of the first book. I feel like some might say that is actually a realistic sibling relationship, but it was such a 180 from the first book that it was jarring and unpleasant.
All that said, I did enjoy a lot of this book. Trevor was great!!!! I enjoyed the banter between him and Tara and I loved how close they got and that we got to actually see that happening. His backstory was good, it never felt too over -the-top. The one thing I didn't enjoy regards to their relationship was
Overall, this book was good, it really was, but it wasn't great and for that I am a teeny tiny bit sad. Book 3 seems to be promising though based on the sneak peek chapter!
I rounded up because I had such high hopes for this book and despite my issues I really enjoyed the epilogue (one of the best epilogues I've ever read).
So this book was one of my top anticipated books of 2023. Now that might not mean much since I have a shelf on Goodreads with all my most anticipated releases of the year and there are about 50 books on there, but this is one of only a few that I pre-ordered myself instead of requesting from the library.
I'm a bit sad to say this book did not live up to my expectations nor did it live up to book 1, Set On You, about Tara's sister, Crystal.
My biggest issue with this book is personal so I don't really fault the book itself, but my reviews are for cataloguing my thoughts so I'll get into it anyway. Tara annoyed me because she didn't respect people's boundaries. Plain and simple. She was constantly doing, thinking, and saying things that did not honor people's boundaries. I don't find that shit cute IRL and I definitely don't find it appealing in a romance novel. I also didn't enjoy that she made SO MANY assumptions that had no merit. I know it was for plot purposes, but I just don't think it was written well.
There were a few other minor things I didn't enjoy, but the other big one is that I did not enjoy ANY of Crystal's appearances in this book. Crystal was the heroine of Amy Lea's debut novel, Set On You, book 1 in The Influencer series. Crystal is a fitness influencer and Tara's younger sister. In Crystal's book, we got a realistic sister relationship. There was some sweet moments, some sibling banter, etc. However in Exes and Oh's, Crystal was, I'm going to say it, a straight up bitch. She was rude and condescending toward Tara and nothing that came out of her mouth was supportive or loving. I really started to loathe Crystal and roll my eyes every time she popped up. Really kind of sours my enjoyment of the first book. I feel like some might say that is actually a realistic sibling relationship, but it was such a 180 from the first book that it was jarring and unpleasant.
All that said, I did enjoy a lot of this book. Trevor was great!!!! I enjoyed the banter between him and Tara and I loved how close they got and that we got to actually see that happening. His backstory was good, it never felt too over -the-top. The one thing I didn't enjoy regards to their relationship was
Spoiler
Trevor's reveal that he was into Tara from the very first second he met her. I feel like that was a bit heavy handed and no offense to Tara, but that didn't seem realistic.Overall, this book was good, it really was, but it wasn't great and for that I am a teeny tiny bit sad. Book 3 seems to be promising though based on the sneak peek chapter!
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one was a swing and a miss for me. First off, it moved slowwwwww. The couple didn't even start flirting until halfway though the book, and weren't together until close to 75% - which meant the two sex scenes and the half-hearted miscommunication / act 3 "breakup" all had to happen in very quick succession at the very end. I'm all for a slow burn, but this just felt like poor pacing.
My other main gripe with this one was the heavy anti "crazy ex girlfriend" messaging - which, on the surface, I do agree with...but also, this FMC was actually a little unhinged. If the tables were turned and the MMC was doing stuff like keying cars, staking out their ex's workplace, etc, it wouldn't feel cute and empowering and "oh he's just passionate and he loves too hard" (at least imo). Some of the FMC's behavior was not the most healthy, but the story focused more on her journey to accept herself and not feel like "too much" vs a perhaps more appropriate journey to work on her anxious attachment and codependency issues
My other main gripe with this one was the heavy anti "crazy ex girlfriend" messaging - which, on the surface, I do agree with...but also, this FMC was actually a little unhinged. If the tables were turned and the MMC was doing stuff like keying cars, staking out their ex's workplace, etc, it wouldn't feel cute and empowering and "oh he's just passionate and he loves too hard" (at least imo). Some of the FMC's behavior was not the most healthy, but the story focused more on her journey to accept herself and not feel like "too much" vs a perhaps more appropriate journey to work on her anxious attachment and codependency issues
I liked this more than Set on You! Trevor is everything and I think I might be Tara (minus the 10 exes).
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just could not care about the characters, and found the writing annoying