A review by armontheroad
I'm So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson

funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

  • This book was a huge disappointment. It started off as a hilarious five-star read but I have so many problems with this. I will say that if you are not a fan of books with massive pop cultural references, this is not the book for you. There is a reference on nearly every page. I was really enjoying all of them, laughing a lot at the humor in the book, until Kosoko Jackson decided to reference two transphobic people multiple times. I truly wish that was the only reason I deducted stars, but it’s not. 
  • The premise of this book is that Hudson dumped our protagonist Kian out of the blue. Now Hudson needs Kian to fake date him for a family wedding his parents are hosting. The romance was infuriating to me. I was waiting for the moment Kian and Hudson got together and had the “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Kian. The reason I did that was…” but that conversation is never had. The two go from snapping at each other to “are you my boyfriend now?” It made no sense to me. It got to the point where I went back to re-read sections to ensure I did not miss a major plot point or conversation. In reality, I didn’t miss anything. The relationship just felt rushed and immature. These did not read to me as two exes still in love. 
  • Kian is an infuriating protagonist because he never says what he is thinking!! So many arguments could be avoided if he just said what was on his mind instead of lying about it. Maybe it is because I’m Autistic, but I cannot stand it when people just do not be honest about their thoughts. 
  • I gave this a three-star rating because I think it was funny, engaging (for a majority of the book), and has the potential to bring a lot of joy to a lot of people. The writing was solid and I will try some of Kosoko’s other works to see if those fit me any better.

  • CWs/TWs: racism, alcohol, sexual content, panic attacks, anxiety, classism, homophobia, Harry Potter references, Rupaul reference, etc.

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