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A review by daylafm
Friend (With Benefits) Zone by Laura Brown
1.0
Okay, I'm marking this as read, but I DNF'ed this at 68% on my KOBO because I couldn't take it anymore.
Sometimes, I start reading a book and don't mark it as currently reading on here because that feels like a sign of commitment. If you look at my past books, some are still sitting on my currently reading list because I was too quick to jump the gun.
I did the same thing for this one and wow do I regret doing that. Imagine all of my updates? Like, every time Jas, one of the POVs, acts selfishly, or seems to not understand what it means to be in a relationship, AND how ironic it is that while she refuses to be helped, she inadvertently uses Dev, the other POV, in a completely selfish way.
Or, every time that Devon disregards what Jas says and does his own thing anyway, despite the fact that she is explicitly telling him not to do the thing he is doing.
Sounds contradicting, right? Imagine reading this book.
Before I get too far into this messy review, I want to state something positive that will not sway my one star rating...okay, maybe I'll make it a 1.5 stars. I don't know much about American Sign Language, or how deaf people communicate because I unfortunately haven't read much literature that features characters representing that community, but I found it fascinating how they got each others' attention and how they expressed their emotions. This alone made the story worth reading for a while.
But, unfortunately, the drama and the annoying characters always intervened.
I've been reading a lot of romance this month. I've encountered some seriously strong books where romance was just a side story that happened while the characters lived out the actual plots of the books. But this book...phew. I was insanely frustrated with how this whole book was based around the romance. But there was so much more that could have been the main focus!
For example, you've got the issue with Dev and his wanting to have his own choice in his life--but whyis his romance with Jas threatening to destroy that? . Or Jas, she's got a dream that she literally won't stop talking about, yet she is unwilling to allow someone else to help her towards that dream because she wants to do it all alone, despite her relationship--which she thinks will inevitably end, and thus bringing us back to the idea that it's either her dream or the relationship. She can't possibly have both because She can do this all alone because she's always done it all alone™ .
Everything they did and every event revolved around their relationship in a way that it almost felt like ultimatums. Why can't they just be best friends who are dating who also support each other in making these decisions?
I stopped reading at a point where Jas was yet again being a brat and basically treating Dev like crap. This is just such a disappointing and self-sabotaging story.
It is okay to have a main story where the romance is a cute side story. Just because a book is in the Romance genre doesn't mean that it has to be a dramatic story about two people who keep playing verbal tennis about the same shit that can be literally solved by one conversation and an ounce of understanding. Hell, sprinkle a cup full of dual respect as well into the mix. Especially if you know each other as much as you claim to.
Those are my two cents.
Happy reading!
Sometimes, I start reading a book and don't mark it as currently reading on here because that feels like a sign of commitment. If you look at my past books, some are still sitting on my currently reading list because I was too quick to jump the gun.
I did the same thing for this one and wow do I regret doing that. Imagine all of my updates? Like, every time Jas, one of the POVs, acts selfishly, or seems to not understand what it means to be in a relationship, AND how ironic it is that while she refuses to be helped, she inadvertently uses Dev, the other POV, in a completely selfish way.
Or, every time that Devon disregards what Jas says and does his own thing anyway, despite the fact that she is explicitly telling him not to do the thing he is doing.
Sounds contradicting, right? Imagine reading this book.
Before I get too far into this messy review, I want to state something positive that will not sway my one star rating...okay, maybe I'll make it a 1.5 stars. I don't know much about American Sign Language, or how deaf people communicate because I unfortunately haven't read much literature that features characters representing that community, but I found it fascinating how they got each others' attention and how they expressed their emotions. This alone made the story worth reading for a while.
But, unfortunately, the drama and the annoying characters always intervened.
I've been reading a lot of romance this month. I've encountered some seriously strong books where romance was just a side story that happened while the characters lived out the actual plots of the books. But this book...phew. I was insanely frustrated with how this whole book was based around the romance. But there was so much more that could have been the main focus!
For example, you've got the issue with Dev and his wanting to have his own choice in his life--but why
Everything they did and every event revolved around their relationship in a way that it almost felt like ultimatums. Why can't they just be best friends who are dating who also support each other in making these decisions?
I stopped reading at a point where Jas was yet again being a brat and basically treating Dev like crap. This is just such a disappointing and self-sabotaging story.
It is okay to have a main story where the romance is a cute side story. Just because a book is in the Romance genre doesn't mean that it has to be a dramatic story about two people who keep playing verbal tennis about the same shit that can be literally solved by one conversation and an ounce of understanding. Hell, sprinkle a cup full of dual respect as well into the mix. Especially if you know each other as much as you claim to.
Those are my two cents.
Happy reading!