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A review by profpetitfours
The Sweetest Revenge by Lizzy Dent
3.0
Amy is a former TV development executive whose life blows up in the most spectacular fashion. After her boss/boyfriend votes against a project she's worked to bring to life, she gets drunk and ends up peeing on the top of his Audi! Of course, in a world of smartphones, the video is caught by a disgruntled former employee, who releases the video. Now, Amy is in London, working as a lower-level marketing professional, cutting teasers for cheesy reality shows and children's shows.
Jake is her new downstairs neighbor, but she's already familiar with him. He had a spectacular blow-up of his own on a Love Island-like reality show. Not only is he spinning out due to his newfound reality show infamy, but also the loss of his dad and the stuttering of his writing career.
When Amy gets the chance to move back into development by pitching a new show, she teams up with her handsome downstairs neighbor. Unfortunately, that boss/boyfriend makes a reappearance and she's forced to grapple with that history, while also avoiding the sparks flying between her and Jake.
I would definitely label this more on the women's fiction side of things over romance, despite the glossy pink picture. Yes, there's definitely romance, but it's a very slow burn and pretty mild. There's just as much about learning how to deal with the hand you've been dealt and learning to get past your worst moments.
That final point is definitely important to the book, but I didn't feel as connected to it as I could have. It doesn't really feel like Amy deals with the repercussions of her viral fame, even though we're later told she does in large part because of how Jake handles his own missteps. I think, ultimately, it's because I don't connect well with the two main interests. We don't actually learn a whole lot about who they are, other than that Amy used to be a shark and Jake is very handsome.
Despite that, it's a very quick read with plenty to keep things moving.
* Thank you to G.P. Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! *
Jake is her new downstairs neighbor, but she's already familiar with him. He had a spectacular blow-up of his own on a Love Island-like reality show. Not only is he spinning out due to his newfound reality show infamy, but also the loss of his dad and the stuttering of his writing career.
When Amy gets the chance to move back into development by pitching a new show, she teams up with her handsome downstairs neighbor. Unfortunately, that boss/boyfriend makes a reappearance and she's forced to grapple with that history, while also avoiding the sparks flying between her and Jake.
I would definitely label this more on the women's fiction side of things over romance, despite the glossy pink picture. Yes, there's definitely romance, but it's a very slow burn and pretty mild. There's just as much about learning how to deal with the hand you've been dealt and learning to get past your worst moments.
That final point is definitely important to the book, but I didn't feel as connected to it as I could have. It doesn't really feel like Amy deals with the repercussions of her viral fame, even though we're later told she does in large part because of how Jake handles his own missteps. I think, ultimately, it's because I don't connect well with the two main interests. We don't actually learn a whole lot about who they are, other than that Amy used to be a shark and Jake is very handsome.
Despite that, it's a very quick read with plenty to keep things moving.
* Thank you to G.P. Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! *