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A review by fishy27
Only for the Week by Natasha Bishop
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Only for the Week was a very middling book. The destination wedding, the drama, the “caught up in the moment” of it all was fun and compelling. However, there are so many elements that just don’t work.
The dialogue is absurd, which a lot of people are talking about here. What do you mean, “Nobody has ever called me J before” ???????????? who cares, honestly? This is not a creative nickname, and Rome really does not deserve bonus points for it. People don’t talk to each other the way that these characters talk to each other, and that goes for everyone. Not just the main couple.
I can get past insta-love/lust if the relationship is actually developed. That is not the case here. Rome is such a flat character that I’m surprised he isn’t actively disintegrating. He is hot and rich, and that is it. He wants to take care of Janelle because Janelle has the self esteem of a wet sock.
Janelle lacks, like, any agency. This book writes the story of a daughter who’s in an abusive relationship with her family, but the narrative doesn’t take that truth seriously enough to actually say anything meaningful about it. The abusive family dynamic is used as a plot device rather than a theme to seriously explore, which really frustrated me. I wanted so much more that I just never got.
To add insult to injury, the intimate scenes weren’t even fun to read. They were so average.
Overall, this book felt uninspired, cliche, and unremarkable. It’s a huge bummer because this book is recommended alongside other books that I have really adored.
The dialogue is absurd, which a lot of people are talking about here. What do you mean, “Nobody has ever called me J before” ???????????? who cares, honestly? This is not a creative nickname, and Rome really does not deserve bonus points for it. People don’t talk to each other the way that these characters talk to each other, and that goes for everyone. Not just the main couple.
I can get past insta-love/lust if the relationship is actually developed. That is not the case here. Rome is such a flat character that I’m surprised he isn’t actively disintegrating. He is hot and rich, and that is it. He wants to take care of Janelle because Janelle has the self esteem of a wet sock.
Janelle lacks, like, any agency. This book writes the story of a daughter who’s in an abusive relationship with her family, but the narrative doesn’t take that truth seriously enough to actually say anything meaningful about it. The abusive family dynamic is used as a plot device rather than a theme to seriously explore, which really frustrated me. I wanted so much more that I just never got.
To add insult to injury, the intimate scenes weren’t even fun to read. They were so average.
Overall, this book felt uninspired, cliche, and unremarkable. It’s a huge bummer because this book is recommended alongside other books that I have really adored.