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A review by the_cover_contessa
The Dixon Rule by Elle Kennedy
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
To say I was excited to read this is an understatement. I really have loved Kennedy's works in the past and I'm a huge fan of the Off Campus series. I also enjoyed the first book in this series. And the blurb for this one had me really excited: fake dating, enemies to lovers, close proximity. All tropes I enjoy!
Diana and Shane are enemies. Now they live next door to each other and the tension is rising. When Shane needs Diana to pose as his fake girlfriend, she's not thrilled but does it anyway. As the fake relationship progresses from friends to friends with benefits, Diana and Shane find themselves slowly catching feelings. But can she give her heart over to the guy who has blown through her cheer squad? And can he show her he's not the man whore he's been made out to be?
I'm going to start with what I liked about this book and move on to the things I had issues with.
First, Diana Dixon. I really like her. She's spunky and no non-sense. Brash and not willing to compromise. Yet, she has a soft side and also some insecurities that come to surface when she experiences some trauma. She also has a love/hate relationship with her mother while she's super close with her dad. I remember her character from The Graham Effect and remembered liking her in that book, as well. I loved that we got her story here.
Shane, yep, man whore from the first book. But who knew the real reason. We know from book 1 he had a long term relationship that ended at which point he started sleeping around. But the emotional reasons were not clear. In this book, we see a deeper side of Shane. He's not at all the boy toy he's made out to be. There is a deep longing for connection and love within him. His character had the most growth in this book.
I totally enjoyed how Kennedy wove the older Off Campus and Briar U characters into this book, as well. We get glimpses of them in several situations and it's just fun watching these younger characters be in awe of the older ones.
And the banter. That was great. Diana and Shane really knew how to go at each other with is. I laughed out loud many times during the book.
Let's talk a bit about the supporting cast. For the most part, we see familiar faces from past books. Like Ryder and Gigi, who were the main characters in the first book. They are important because Gigi is Diana's best friend and Ryder is Shane's teammate and ex-roommate. Beyond that, we were introduced to so many new side characters, mostly from the apartment complex, and I'm not sure what the point of all of them were. Sure, we got to see some different personalities but it didn't lend much to the story. And I thought for sure we would see a development with Diana and Shane's neighbors in their own building, but we really did not.
On to plot. Well, there were several. And I think it made the book unnecessarily long, to be honest.
I will address the domestic abuse plot line because I think that was super important to the development of Diana's character. This particular plot point showed her vulnerability, which she tries so hard throughout the book to bury deep. But it's there. I also though Kennedy did a good job with showing how the victim often times will feel the need to sweep the abuse under the rug in lieu of being thought of as weak. So often those being abused will keep it hidden and suffer so much. I was happy Diana was able to come to terms with the need to bring the abuse out in the open and then deal with it.
However, when one plot line resolved, we were introduced to another. It slowed the pacing of the book for me and I honestly had to push through to the end to see what happens. I have not really had this happen with Kennedy books in the past (though Girl Abroad didn't leave a great taste in my mouth). I feel like this book does not do the world Kennedy has created justice. There were just too many plot points to keep track of: domestic abuse, friends with benefits, kinks, terminal diagnosis. Unnecessary drama, which resolves but seemed like filler. And then sadness that was totally unexpected and I'm not sure what the point of it was to the plot line, at least where developing and moving the characters along in their arcs were concerned. It was like the author wanted to keep building the relationship but could not continue with the plot points full to the end because they had nowhere to go. It was frustrating. And because there were so many plot lines, it made the book feel like there really was not plot at all above the friends with benefits fake dating situation going on.
And then the book seemingly just ended. All the action took place in the last quarter of the book but then, poof, that was it. No true resolution to things. The domestic abuse is thrown to the side. That definitely needed finality. The death issue was resolved more easily than I would have thought possible, as well. And the epilogue really did nothing for the plot. A few cute text messages? Meh, what was the point?
Overall, I liked it enough but I am disappointed in this one compared to the other books I have read by this author. Maybe I'm outgrowing this genre or maybe the author needs to branch out and create newer more interesting story lines that will keep me entertained. Will I read other books by this author, absolutely. But will I be cautious going into them and not getting ahead of myself with loving it, I sure will!
Diana and Shane are enemies. Now they live next door to each other and the tension is rising. When Shane needs Diana to pose as his fake girlfriend, she's not thrilled but does it anyway. As the fake relationship progresses from friends to friends with benefits, Diana and Shane find themselves slowly catching feelings. But can she give her heart over to the guy who has blown through her cheer squad? And can he show her he's not the man whore he's been made out to be?
I'm going to start with what I liked about this book and move on to the things I had issues with.
First, Diana Dixon. I really like her. She's spunky and no non-sense. Brash and not willing to compromise. Yet, she has a soft side and also some insecurities that come to surface when she experiences some trauma. She also has a love/hate relationship with her mother while she's super close with her dad. I remember her character from The Graham Effect and remembered liking her in that book, as well. I loved that we got her story here.
Shane, yep, man whore from the first book. But who knew the real reason. We know from book 1 he had a long term relationship that ended at which point he started sleeping around. But the emotional reasons were not clear. In this book, we see a deeper side of Shane. He's not at all the boy toy he's made out to be. There is a deep longing for connection and love within him. His character had the most growth in this book.
I totally enjoyed how Kennedy wove the older Off Campus and Briar U characters into this book, as well. We get glimpses of them in several situations and it's just fun watching these younger characters be in awe of the older ones.
And the banter. That was great. Diana and Shane really knew how to go at each other with is. I laughed out loud many times during the book.
Let's talk a bit about the supporting cast. For the most part, we see familiar faces from past books. Like Ryder and Gigi, who were the main characters in the first book. They are important because Gigi is Diana's best friend and Ryder is Shane's teammate and ex-roommate. Beyond that, we were introduced to so many new side characters, mostly from the apartment complex, and I'm not sure what the point of all of them were. Sure, we got to see some different personalities but it didn't lend much to the story. And I thought for sure we would see a development with Diana and Shane's neighbors in their own building, but we really did not.
On to plot. Well, there were several. And I think it made the book unnecessarily long, to be honest.
I will address the domestic abuse plot line because I think that was super important to the development of Diana's character. This particular plot point showed her vulnerability, which she tries so hard throughout the book to bury deep. But it's there. I also though Kennedy did a good job with showing how the victim often times will feel the need to sweep the abuse under the rug in lieu of being thought of as weak. So often those being abused will keep it hidden and suffer so much. I was happy Diana was able to come to terms with the need to bring the abuse out in the open and then deal with it.
However, when one plot line resolved, we were introduced to another. It slowed the pacing of the book for me and I honestly had to push through to the end to see what happens. I have not really had this happen with Kennedy books in the past (though Girl Abroad didn't leave a great taste in my mouth). I feel like this book does not do the world Kennedy has created justice. There were just too many plot points to keep track of: domestic abuse, friends with benefits, kinks, terminal diagnosis. Unnecessary drama, which resolves but seemed like filler. And then sadness that was totally unexpected and I'm not sure what the point of it was to the plot line, at least where developing and moving the characters along in their arcs were concerned. It was like the author wanted to keep building the relationship but could not continue with the plot points full to the end because they had nowhere to go. It was frustrating. And because there were so many plot lines, it made the book feel like there really was not plot at all above the friends with benefits fake dating situation going on.
And then the book seemingly just ended. All the action took place in the last quarter of the book but then, poof, that was it. No true resolution to things. The domestic abuse is thrown to the side. That definitely needed finality. The death issue was resolved more easily than I would have thought possible, as well. And the epilogue really did nothing for the plot. A few cute text messages? Meh, what was the point?
Overall, I liked it enough but I am disappointed in this one compared to the other books I have read by this author. Maybe I'm outgrowing this genre or maybe the author needs to branch out and create newer more interesting story lines that will keep me entertained. Will I read other books by this author, absolutely. But will I be cautious going into them and not getting ahead of myself with loving it, I sure will!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness