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bookishbambi 's review for:
The Deal
by Elle Kennedy
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. I picked it up to kick away a reading slump and it was a lot more fun than I anticipated which I really appreciate.
This is a book that took a few chapters to stick, Garrett and Hannah, at first, aren’t really characters I vibed with when they were alone, but this book really shines when they’re together and, thankfully, by about chapter 6, they never leave each other alone so it was very easy to get sucked in and read practically the whole thing over a couple days. Overall, I very much like them as a unit more than I do as individuals but their solo POVs get easier to read the further into the book I got.
I think my main gripes with it were that at certain points you can really tell when it was written, from Hannah’s quirky, ‘I’m not like other girls’ sort of descriptions and a few of the jokes dotted through the book that really didn’t land.
Garrett also had the typical ‘I hate my father’ sort of storyline that is super common, I don’t know how common it was when this book was published, but it feels very overused now so I was kind of over it before it started 💀
The two main conflicts were also dealt with… really quickly? The big conflict right at the end annoyed me because it used my least favourite ‘I’m going to make this decision for you without communicating whatsoever’ which I’m fine with being dealt with quickly, but the stuff with Justin kind of felt like the author forgot she’d set him up and then had to get rid of him as fast as possible and then we didn’t see him again until the very end.
The only other thing that really stuck out to me was a throwaway line about how girls who don’t give head are idiots which I’m sure was meant to be amusing but just struck me as ick, we don’t like shaming in this household 🔪
Overall my 4-star rating stands, but it is specifically a 4-star romance, not necessarily a 4-star book; different genres need different systems I’ve come to decide. I’d highly recommend if you need something quick, mostly fluffy, and decently smutty to get through, especially if you’re trying to escape a reading slump like I was.
This is a book that took a few chapters to stick, Garrett and Hannah, at first, aren’t really characters I vibed with when they were alone, but this book really shines when they’re together and, thankfully, by about chapter 6, they never leave each other alone so it was very easy to get sucked in and read practically the whole thing over a couple days. Overall, I very much like them as a unit more than I do as individuals but their solo POVs get easier to read the further into the book I got.
I think my main gripes with it were that at certain points you can really tell when it was written, from Hannah’s quirky, ‘I’m not like other girls’ sort of descriptions and a few of the jokes dotted through the book that really didn’t land.
Garrett also had the typical ‘I hate my father’ sort of storyline that is super common, I don’t know how common it was when this book was published, but it feels very overused now so I was kind of over it before it started 💀
The two main conflicts were also dealt with… really quickly? The big conflict right at the end annoyed me because it used my least favourite ‘I’m going to make this decision for you without communicating whatsoever’ which I’m fine with being dealt with quickly, but the stuff with Justin kind of felt like the author forgot she’d set him up and then had to get rid of him as fast as possible and then we didn’t see him again until the very end.
The only other thing that really stuck out to me was a throwaway line about how girls who don’t give head are idiots which I’m sure was meant to be amusing but just struck me as ick, we don’t like shaming in this household 🔪
Overall my 4-star rating stands, but it is specifically a 4-star romance, not necessarily a 4-star book; different genres need different systems I’ve come to decide. I’d highly recommend if you need something quick, mostly fluffy, and decently smutty to get through, especially if you’re trying to escape a reading slump like I was.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault
I’ve only tagged them as moderate because neither thing occurs in the present narrative but are things that are mentioned by the characters and discussed in more detail than a minor tag would warrant