A review by allingoodtime
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
This is one of those books I put off reading because of the buzz. I didn’t want to go in with my expectations too high so I waited for things to die down a bit. This is also a new-to-me author that I had no idea had multiple books adapted for Netflix until I read her Acknowledgements in this book. I’m glad I didn’t know that because I probably would have put off reading this for longer due to that whole expectations thing I started off talking about.

This story is more of a slow burn than I anticipated, but it worked well for the story. Hannah is not the most lovable character at first. Although she had some terrible things happen to her and I wished for her to have someone on her side, there was also something in her interactions with her partner and her best friend at the beginning that made me think of her as a bit oblivious to the feelings of those around her. I wouldn’t call her self-centered, but she was definitely self-involved. She may not have been overly lovable, but she was still likable. That all being said, the way she is treated by people who should be on her side, or at the very least people who have no reason to be cruel to her, is unfathomable. They’re a bunch of jerks!

It took me a minute to get used to how the first-person past perspective was written in this book. I’m not sure why, I read that POV a lot. Yet it was somewhat rough for me at first. I was glad it was only through Hannah’s eyes though. I had my thoughts about Jack and where he was at when it came to his relationship with Hannah, but it added more depth to the story that I was in the same boat as Hannah of not being quite sure. And as much as I was prepared to dislike Jack, as I’m sure Hannah was, he was too charismatic for me to have anything but love for the guy.

I love a fake relationship story and this one is no exception. Jack’s family, for all of the animosity between Jack and his older brother, is lovely. They set the scene for Hannah and Jack to relax and find their way to each other. They already had the chemistry from the very first time they meet, they just needed to learn to trust where that chemistry was taking them. Jack’s teasing side is irresistible and Hannah’s ability to let down her walls and show him her vulnerable side is beautiful. This story gave me so many feels.

I’ll be making it a point to seek out some of this author’s other work. I enjoyed this story a great deal. 
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