gigireadswithkiki 's review for:

The Love Simulation by Etta Easton

4.0

emotional funny lighthearted fast-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: Complicated

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One of the greatest things I admire about Etta Easton and her writing is her capacity to write female desire. From "The Kiss Countdown" to "The Love Simulation", her understanding of female sexuality and drive is palpable through her character writing; it's not something I see done often in contemporary romance, much less done well, but Etta Easton truly has that aspect of her romances down pat.

As a big fan of Abbottt Elementary, it was clear to see the inspiration that this book takes from Janine Teagues and Gregory Eddie, but I loved this aspect of this story so much. From the subtle nods of Roman being picky about food to Brianna's struggle to see herself as worthy to her mother, the parallels had me thriving while reading their story. Brianna was such a delightful character to follow, I felt like I intrinsically understood her struggles to fund a new library at her school while battling her principal for allocation of funds; this element of the story spoke to such a real and authentic struggle that so many educators, especially Black educators, face today, and I feel like the story handles this with such care.

Throughout the story, I did feel that Roman felt a little dry and one-dimensional in comparison to Brianna. His drives and motivations felt so one note and boring, and I wish we had at least gotten perspective chapters from him in order to more fully flesh out his characterization.

Story wise, I found the Mars simulation story a little silly, but I enjoyed the premise, and I think Easton does a good job of allowing the silliness to be part of the story while also maintaining a level of solemnity in regards to the stakes of their "mission". All in all, a delightful rom com, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as "The Kiss Countdown", but I think Etta Easton is definitely an author to keep an eye on!