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anniedeereads 's review for:
Bookish and the Beast
by Ashley Poston
I'm torn about this one and still trying to decide my feelings about it, so I'm writing this review in bulleted format to maybe help solidify my thoughts.
Pros:
- love the B & B retelling. I know some reviews are not favorable on this front, but I thought Poston did a great job w/ it. She chose the right pieces to include here.
- loved the characters individually, each with their own baggage and flaws; especially loved the secondary characters (which many I've now learned are from other books in the series)
- thought the sweet YA nature of this was great
Cons:
- the pacing of this was off, and I think that's what is bothering me. The romance felt like someone pumping their brakes. They'd make progress then HARD STOP, then more progress, then STOP. There wasn't a lot of even flow to it, not enough character development. The 2 main characters hated each other for a large (larger than a normal YA romance) portion of the book then POOF they were together. Instantly. Then POOF he doesn't trust her and they're apart. Then POOF together. I felt whiplash. I guess I was looking for more chemistry between them, more tension and less hatred.
- the part about him recognizing her and not saying anything could have been developed a bit more. The self-preservation that Vance felt was a great opportunity to make him a vulnerable character, more endearing to readers, but Poston continued to make him selfish and unlikable. I think that was a miss.
- still wondering about Dad and the Uncle. They need their own book!
Like I said, I'm torn. There are pieces I really liked here, but not enough to go back and read other books in the series.
Pros:
- love the B & B retelling. I know some reviews are not favorable on this front, but I thought Poston did a great job w/ it. She chose the right pieces to include here.
- loved the characters individually, each with their own baggage and flaws; especially loved the secondary characters (which many I've now learned are from other books in the series)
- thought the sweet YA nature of this was great
Cons:
- the pacing of this was off, and I think that's what is bothering me. The romance felt like someone pumping their brakes. They'd make progress then HARD STOP, then more progress, then STOP. There wasn't a lot of even flow to it, not enough character development. The 2 main characters hated each other for a large (larger than a normal YA romance) portion of the book then POOF they were together. Instantly. Then POOF he doesn't trust her and they're apart. Then POOF together. I felt whiplash. I guess I was looking for more chemistry between them, more tension and less hatred.
- the part about him recognizing her and not saying anything could have been developed a bit more. The self-preservation that Vance felt was a great opportunity to make him a vulnerable character, more endearing to readers, but Poston continued to make him selfish and unlikable. I think that was a miss.
- still wondering about Dad and the Uncle. They need their own book!
Like I said, I'm torn. There are pieces I really liked here, but not enough to go back and read other books in the series.