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A review by bluebeereads
A One-Time Thing by E.M. Denning, Kate Hawthorne
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This was... not as good as I hoped it would be. Don't get me wrong, it's fine! I'm certain other people will enjoy it more than me and maybe even love it to pieces. It just fell flat for me. It felt like one spicy scene after the other, with the very bare minimum amount of plot and characterization to bridge the gaps.
Now, I like good spice as much as the next person, but I need substance too, you know? I need depth. I need the feels. But because it was essentially more spice than plot, I didn't really feel like I got to know the characters at all. I knew about as much at the end as I did at the start of the book. Yes, I learned that Fisher is a surly pre-teen with the usual pre-teen problems. But we never got to the heart of him and the way this is written, he feels more like a plot device than anything else. I also learned quite a bit about Rowan and Gil's sexual preferences, but... beyond that? Barely anything. I don't know any of them. Not really.
This breaks my heart though because I adore EM Denning's solo work! She's been so reliably good, great even! But this wasn't it. It's more first time reading one of her co-writes with Kate Hawthorne and it might also be my last.
Now, I like good spice as much as the next person, but I need substance too, you know? I need depth. I need the feels. But because it was essentially more spice than plot, I didn't really feel like I got to know the characters at all. I knew about as much at the end as I did at the start of the book. Yes, I learned that Fisher is a surly pre-teen with the usual pre-teen problems. But we never got to the heart of him and the way this is written, he feels more like a plot device than anything else. I also learned quite a bit about Rowan and Gil's sexual preferences, but... beyond that? Barely anything. I don't know any of them. Not really.
This breaks my heart though because I adore EM Denning's solo work! She's been so reliably good, great even! But this wasn't it. It's more first time reading one of her co-writes with Kate Hawthorne and it might also be my last.