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A review by bookishval
Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up by Charish Reid
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I came across this book in my fyp when a booktoker recommended it as her favorite age-gap romance, so I had to check it out.
Age-gap romances can be a bit tricky. It's a trope that I enjoy sometimes, but most of them are problematic. The gap is too serious, there's power imbalance and it's just not done well. However, in Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up the age-gap is just perfect and the power imbalance is interesting. Mickey, our female lead is in her 30s and Diego's professor in a college class, while Diego is in his 40s and Mickey's boss in the bar she starts working at.
Isn't it just perfect? Both of them are full adults but the age-gap of almost a decade is still there to keep things interesting. I loved it!
Mickey and Diego's attraction can be felt from thee start. The tension and the banter were soo good. Grumpy-sunshine is also a trope that can be found here and I adore how it was done. Yes, Diego is a grumpy man, but he was always so open with his feelings for Mickey. And Mickey as well, she's such a sunshine character, but she never let anyone mess with her (which is common in this trope and smth I hate so much).
The communication between them was also sooo good, istg. There were moments where I expected one of them to just storm off, like it always happens in romance novels. But no, they were always open to talk their problems out and even take breaks when needed. They were just such a healthy couple, and with that I'm not saying they never had problems, because they did. But even though they made mistakes and messed up, they resolved things in such a healthy way. All couples should be like this, honestly.
Let's not forget the spice omggg. There were only two scenes, if I remember right, but they didn't disappoint. Diego Acosta has a dirty mouth and I was here for it! The things this man said were so sexy. There were some scenes where it was implied the characters had sex but the author didn't write further, but I wasn't bothered by that, cause the sexual tension was so well written from the start. That first scene where they kiss, oh! So so good.
Last but not least I have to mention the rep! Also great. As a latina woman, I loved how Diego's culture was present throughout the story with the food. How he talked about his family and traditions growing up, and regretted distancing himself from his family after his mother's death. Also it wasn't cringy when he talked in Spanish, which I appreciate a lot cause most authors don't get it right.
The disability rep was also good. Mickey's chronic illness was always present in the story and even played an important role when the characters had some conflicts. I really liked how Mickey didn't let anyone tell her what she could or couldn't because her chronic illness, not even Diego.
Age-gap romances can be a bit tricky. It's a trope that I enjoy sometimes, but most of them are problematic. The gap is too serious, there's power imbalance and it's just not done well. However, in Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up the age-gap is just perfect and the power imbalance is interesting. Mickey, our female lead is in her 30s and Diego's professor in a college class, while Diego is in his 40s and Mickey's boss in the bar she starts working at.
Isn't it just perfect? Both of them are full adults but the age-gap of almost a decade is still there to keep things interesting. I loved it!
Mickey and Diego's attraction can be felt from thee start. The tension and the banter were soo good. Grumpy-sunshine is also a trope that can be found here and I adore how it was done. Yes, Diego is a grumpy man, but he was always so open with his feelings for Mickey. And Mickey as well, she's such a sunshine character, but she never let anyone mess with her (which is common in this trope and smth I hate so much).
The communication between them was also sooo good, istg. There were moments where I expected one of them to just storm off, like it always happens in romance novels. But no, they were always open to talk their problems out and even take breaks when needed. They were just such a healthy couple, and with that I'm not saying they never had problems, because they did. But even though they made mistakes and messed up, they resolved things in such a healthy way. All couples should be like this, honestly.
Let's not forget the spice omggg. There were only two scenes, if I remember right, but they didn't disappoint. Diego Acosta has a dirty mouth and I was here for it! The things this man said were so sexy. There were some scenes where it was implied the characters had sex but the author didn't write further, but I wasn't bothered by that, cause the sexual tension was so well written from the start. That first scene where they kiss, oh! So so good.
Last but not least I have to mention the rep! Also great. As a latina woman, I loved how Diego's culture was present throughout the story with the food. How he talked about his family and traditions growing up, and regretted distancing himself from his family after his mother's death. Also it wasn't cringy when he talked in Spanish, which I appreciate a lot cause most authors don't get it right.
The disability rep was also good. Mickey's chronic illness was always present in the story and even played an important role when the characters had some conflicts. I really liked how Mickey didn't let anyone tell her what she could or couldn't because her chronic illness, not even Diego.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Chronic illness
Moderate: Grief and Cancer