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A review by albasapri
The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
It's definitely an easy read but I'm personally left indifferent after finishing it. Smut warning! Explicit scenes are exactly that.
Firstly I must say I picked this book up without knowing much about it other than it concerning an inheritance and what these millionaires must do to secure it. Mistake, it's a romance.
(Now that I think about it there's another popular millionaire inheritance book thar is a thriller. So I might have mixed them up.)
I quickly readjusted my expectations and had several things I didn't personally enjoy but can understand are part of the genre. These features I know are loved by others, think "possessive language", grumpy/sunshine or off balance power dynamics that aren't clearly stated as such, especially when they're obviously taken advantage of. This is a "millionaire romance" after all.
Having said that, I struggled with some of the choices made.
The character archs didn't hit as hard as I would've liked them to.
Yes there was a clear arch for one of our main protagonists, but some of the growth didn't come from their own journey. Realising the flaws in their logic came only because it was what was necessary to achieve something character A wanted in the first place. It was necessary for them to fit in with what other characters wanted from them to achieve something they wanted in the first place. Very much like "oh I like that thing, I need to change my ways to get it? Okay then!"
When there's such a clear advantages to changing your ways, when there's a clear gain to it, in cheapens the characters journey.
It also felt like some of the characters wrong doings were swept under the rug for the sake of moving on with the plot without actually having them be as serious an issue as the characters were pointing out. I'll give a silly expample: "hey you ate the cake I spent 2 months preparing. Oh you're sorry? And you mean it?you'll fuck me into oblivion? oh that's okay then!"
All is forgiven and the character moves on forgetting that this has happened only for it to be brought up when convenient for the eventual misunderstanding before the end of the book. Why hasn't there been a struggle with the situation beforehand? Especially when the characters have stated how troubled they've been by it.
The most succinct way I can put it is I would've liked a bit more "show, don't tell".
Kind of ironic given some statements in the book, I know xd
All in all it was an entertaining read. Just didn't satisfy me as much as I would've liked. Plus I like books where smut feels more incorporated into the story and evenly distributed. Less of a "and now... they fuck" and more of "a and how couldn't they fuck? But wait! This happens... and then we're in bed again and what else has happened? How does that affect our characters and the bond they're creating?"
Firstly I must say I picked this book up without knowing much about it other than it concerning an inheritance and what these millionaires must do to secure it. Mistake, it's a romance.
(Now that I think about it there's another popular millionaire inheritance book thar is a thriller. So I might have mixed them up.)
I quickly readjusted my expectations and had several things I didn't personally enjoy but can understand are part of the genre. These features I know are loved by others, think "
Having said that, I struggled with some of the choices made.
The character archs didn't hit as hard as I would've liked them to.
Yes there was a clear arch for one of our main protagonists, but some of the growth didn't come from their own journey. Realising the flaws in their logic came only because it was what was necessary to achieve something character A wanted in the first place. It was necessary for them to fit in with what other characters wanted from them to achieve something they wanted in the first place. Very much like "oh I like that thing, I need to change my ways to get it? Okay then!"
When there's such a clear advantages to changing your ways, when there's a clear gain to it, in cheapens the characters journey.
It also felt like some of the characters wrong doings were swept under the rug for the sake of moving on with the plot without actually having them be as serious an issue as the characters were pointing out. I'll give a silly expample: "hey you ate the cake I spent 2 months preparing. Oh you're sorry? And you mean it?
All is forgiven and the character moves on forgetting that this has happened only for it to be brought up when convenient for the eventual misunderstanding before the end of the book. Why hasn't there been a struggle with the situation beforehand? Especially when the characters have stated how troubled they've been by it.
The most succinct way I can put it is I would've liked a bit more "show, don't tell".
Kind of ironic given some statements in the book, I know xd
All in all it was an entertaining read. Just didn't satisfy me as much as I would've liked. Plus I like books where smut feels more incorporated into the story and evenly distributed. Less of a "and now... they fuck" and more of "a and how couldn't they fuck? But wait! This happens... and then we're in bed again and what else has happened? How does that affect our characters and the bond they're creating?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Infidelity, and Cancer
Minor: Fatphobia, Ableism, Medical content, and Pregnancy