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cdiviakauthor 's review for:
Lexi Lets Go
by Mary Warren
3.75 / 5 (rounded down for Goodreads)
A quick, flirty read about an idyllic little town, magic, and finding love in unexpected places, Lexi Lets Go has some great parts that could pull a reader in.
LIKES
-Lexi stood out as a main character all her own. She has a great personality and confidence in herself as a fat woman. We need more fat-friendly fat representation out there. Her trauma is well articulated throughout the story, and I appreciate the vulnerability required in crafting her character.
-The sex-positive narrative made me happy. I would rate it maybe a 1.5 on the spice scale, but the focus on not airbrushing Lexi's body out of sex scenes made it clear how much the author cares about genuine romance rep for fat women.
-I liked the handling of James' bisexuality, and it wasn't used as a plot point or something that people fetishized. His sexual fluidity and orientation were treated with the utmost respect. That might be the "bare minimum," but I want to applaud the author's tact.
-It's apparent that Lexi's story is interconnected with previous stories and characters centered in Mystic Falls. However, this book never gets too in-depth with those stories and avoids confusing any potential readers who may have started the books out of order.
-One of my favorite tropes to exist is the celebrity x average person, so that happened to be one of the selling points. While I've never been a Harry Styles girl, the loose inspiration was clear and meaningful to the author.
DISLIKES
-There were times when the writing style clashed with me as a reader, specifically in some spaces. Those problem spots felt clunky and could've used an extra pair of eyes from an editor or secondary beta reader.
-Maybe I've been spoiled on slowburns, but this story seemingly falls into the insta love trap instead of defining a clear line between instant attraction and love. It's something a lot of Hallmark-style books experience, but it did take me out of my immersion.
-Additionally, the timeline of 2 weeks became my biggest gripe. While I am all for suspending disbelief and letting fiction be fun, I almost turned into Jacinda with skepticism about how quickly it all happened. In 2 weeks, I'm supposed to believe that a mega superstar is willing to settle down with a woman he met, buy property next to her, and confess his love. It's a bit of a stretch.
-There were times when I felt the chemistry missed the needed hoops. Often, these moments were more where the author told us how the characters felt instead of showing the connection through actions. I think some more unspoken actions can mitigate this problem.
-Finally, I was under the impression from the prologue and things I saw from the other books that magic would be involved in these love stories. However, that thread never fully came to fruition, in my view. Was the tarot reading supposed to be the magic connection because tarot is a bit more complex than "magic"?
Overall, it was a cute read, and I think it'll find a good audience. Thanks to the author Mary Warren for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
A quick, flirty read about an idyllic little town, magic, and finding love in unexpected places, Lexi Lets Go has some great parts that could pull a reader in.
LIKES
-Lexi stood out as a main character all her own. She has a great personality and confidence in herself as a fat woman. We need more fat-friendly fat representation out there. Her trauma is well articulated throughout the story, and I appreciate the vulnerability required in crafting her character.
-The sex-positive narrative made me happy. I would rate it maybe a 1.5 on the spice scale, but the focus on not airbrushing Lexi's body out of sex scenes made it clear how much the author cares about genuine romance rep for fat women.
-I liked the handling of James' bisexuality, and it wasn't used as a plot point or something that people fetishized. His sexual fluidity and orientation were treated with the utmost respect. That might be the "bare minimum," but I want to applaud the author's tact.
-It's apparent that Lexi's story is interconnected with previous stories and characters centered in Mystic Falls. However, this book never gets too in-depth with those stories and avoids confusing any potential readers who may have started the books out of order.
-One of my favorite tropes to exist is the celebrity x average person, so that happened to be one of the selling points. While I've never been a Harry Styles girl, the loose inspiration was clear and meaningful to the author.
DISLIKES
-There were times when the writing style clashed with me as a reader, specifically in some spaces. Those problem spots felt clunky and could've used an extra pair of eyes from an editor or secondary beta reader.
-Maybe I've been spoiled on slowburns, but this story seemingly falls into the insta love trap instead of defining a clear line between instant attraction and love. It's something a lot of Hallmark-style books experience, but it did take me out of my immersion.
-Additionally, the timeline of 2 weeks became my biggest gripe. While I am all for suspending disbelief and letting fiction be fun, I almost turned into Jacinda with skepticism about how quickly it all happened. In 2 weeks, I'm supposed to believe that a mega superstar is willing to settle down with a woman he met, buy property next to her, and confess his love. It's a bit of a stretch.
-There were times when I felt the chemistry missed the needed hoops. Often, these moments were more where the author told us how the characters felt instead of showing the connection through actions. I think some more unspoken actions can mitigate this problem.
-Finally, I was under the impression from the prologue and things I saw from the other books that magic would be involved in these love stories. However, that thread never fully came to fruition, in my view. Was the tarot reading supposed to be the magic connection because tarot is a bit more complex than "magic"?
Overall, it was a cute read, and I think it'll find a good audience. Thanks to the author Mary Warren for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.