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A review by doctorbrew
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Genuinely — wow. I loved every second of this one. From reading Bridgitte’s fan fic, I went into this with high expectations, and all of them were met! But you don’t have to know her previous work to fall in love with Knightley. Knightley has such a strong authorial voice that constantly shines through her work. She is brilliantly witty in the truest sense of the word and never misses with her comedic timing and well-placed tension. Reading her work feels like a love letter to The Princess Bride and Jane Austen. It’s fun, you audibly laugh out loud, the banter is infectious, and you feel instantly enamored by her characters. It’s the romcom we have absolutely deserved but never get any more. But yearn no longer, my friends!
Going into this, I knew the main characters were both on their high horses with grandiose ideas about themselves. And, to be fair, I simply love clueless, overly-confident, idiots. It’s a trope I eat up again and again. And if you can make me love a character despite all their faults, you’ve locked me in for a glowing 5 stars.
The worldbuilding is simple enough that it’s easy to follow but fleshed out enough that it stands on its own. I think we’ll get even more in the second part, which I already am desperate to get my hands on. The writing style is so fun and full of smart, sharp humor that carries the tone through the whole book. And as the characters begin to change, the tone slowly (begrudgingly-on-purpose) morphs with them. The pacing is well done and never lags or speeds. This is probably the best and truest example to date I’ve read that can genuinely be crowned enemies to lovers, as so often there isn’t enough loathing to claim that title. But Irresistible Urge truly can.
If you can grab the audiobook, I’d highly recommend it, as the VAs do such an excellent job narrating that dry humor with believable delivery.
I’m sure there’s much more I could prattle on about, but honestly this book is just FUN. And we deserve fun books that can also teach us humility and empathy.
Going into this, I knew the main characters were both on their high horses with grandiose ideas about themselves. And, to be fair, I simply love clueless, overly-confident, idiots. It’s a trope I eat up again and again. And if you can make me love a character despite all their faults, you’ve locked me in for a glowing 5 stars.
The worldbuilding is simple enough that it’s easy to follow but fleshed out enough that it stands on its own. I think we’ll get even more in the second part, which I already am desperate to get my hands on. The writing style is so fun and full of smart, sharp humor that carries the tone through the whole book. And as the characters begin to change, the tone slowly (begrudgingly-on-purpose) morphs with them. The pacing is well done and never lags or speeds. This is probably the best and truest example to date I’ve read that can genuinely be crowned enemies to lovers, as so often there isn’t enough loathing to claim that title. But Irresistible Urge truly can.
If you can grab the audiobook, I’d highly recommend it, as the VAs do such an excellent job narrating that dry humor with believable delivery.
I’m sure there’s much more I could prattle on about, but honestly this book is just FUN. And we deserve fun books that can also teach us humility and empathy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder