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A review by litwithleigh
Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis
4.0
Writing: punchy, solid | Plot: thumbs up | Ending: MY HEARTTTTTTT
SYNOPSIS
Noelle and Sam have quite the unique meet cute: they're both stranded on the highway. After they part ways, Noelle never expects to see him again, but turns out she can't stop seeing him.
MY OPINION
D'awwwwwww!!!!!!!! FYI this is NOT a full-on romance. No dongs. No puccis. Just vibes. A good chunk is spent on Noelle's family life, self-discovery, and breaking toxic patterns. The short scenes with Sam are cute, but there's no roast me on a spit banter or 'let me show you how to swing a golf club so I can essentially spoon you vertically'—the 'magic' between Noelle and Sam is largely based on their serendipitous meetings and him not being a Grade A dickhead. Tbh, if Ed the Ped wasn't in the story, I don't think I would've been so passionately #TeamSam. You needed that contrast with fuckhead Ed to make you stan for Sam.
Idk how to explain this but I liked that Noelle had a regular degular job. Most contemporary romances feature an FMC with a high-powered career; even if she just got fired, you know she's got a nice paycheque waiting for her on the other side. Noelle was a cleaner who dreamed of being a florist. I think it fit her character arc quite nicely, especially given her mom issues.
Other pluses: fantastic supporting characters with their own story arc that had me INVESTED. And can we talk about how that plot twist was better than 75% of thriller twists I've read??? I guess I wasn't checking for it because it's a rom-ish com, but there was a lil intrigue throughout. My jaw dropped when all the pieces were put together!!!!!
I always compare rom-ish coms to Lindsey Kelk because IMO, she's the blueprint. Kelk has been banging out funny books since 2009. Lia Louis' writing and humor is very Kelk-adjacent, which largely contributed to my overall enjoyment of this book. I'm looking forward to exploring more of her backlist and her upcoming 2024 release.
One quick niggle: I think this was dressed up like a winter romance, but the story spans a year and it starts in March, not January like the blurb says.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: legit funny, heartwarming, good use of ain't shit ex to prop up love interest, Noelle is easy to empathize with, fast-paced, great side characters, everything was nicely wrapped up which could be a con if you prefer a few jagged edges left, lil intrigue throughout with a great twist!!
Cons: wished there was more 'banter' between Sam and Noelle instead of just telling us how great their convos were, didn't understand why they didn't text more other than for the sake of the plot
___
Check out my YouTube
SYNOPSIS
Noelle and Sam have quite the unique meet cute: they're both stranded on the highway. After they part ways, Noelle never expects to see him again, but turns out she can't stop seeing him.
MY OPINION
D'awwwwwww!!!!!!!! FYI this is NOT a full-on romance. No dongs. No puccis. Just vibes. A good chunk is spent on Noelle's family life, self-discovery, and breaking toxic patterns. The short scenes with Sam are cute, but there's no roast me on a spit banter or 'let me show you how to swing a golf club so I can essentially spoon you vertically'—the 'magic' between Noelle and Sam is largely based on their serendipitous meetings and him not being a Grade A dickhead. Tbh, if Ed the Ped wasn't in the story, I don't think I would've been so passionately #TeamSam. You needed that contrast with fuckhead Ed to make you stan for Sam.
Idk how to explain this but I liked that Noelle had a regular degular job. Most contemporary romances feature an FMC with a high-powered career; even if she just got fired, you know she's got a nice paycheque waiting for her on the other side. Noelle was a cleaner who dreamed of being a florist. I think it fit her character arc quite nicely, especially given her mom issues.
Other pluses: fantastic supporting characters with their own story arc that had me INVESTED. And can we talk about how that plot twist was better than 75% of thriller twists I've read??? I guess I wasn't checking for it because it's a rom-ish com, but there was a lil intrigue throughout. My jaw dropped when all the pieces were put together!!!!!
I always compare rom-ish coms to Lindsey Kelk because IMO, she's the blueprint. Kelk has been banging out funny books since 2009. Lia Louis' writing and humor is very Kelk-adjacent, which largely contributed to my overall enjoyment of this book. I'm looking forward to exploring more of her backlist and her upcoming 2024 release.
One quick niggle: I think this was dressed up like a winter romance, but the story spans a year and it starts in March, not January like the blurb says.
PROS AND CONS
Pros: legit funny, heartwarming, good use of ain't shit ex to prop up love interest, Noelle is easy to empathize with, fast-paced, great side characters, everything was nicely wrapped up which could be a con if you prefer a few jagged edges left, lil intrigue throughout with a great twist!!
Cons: wished there was more 'banter' between Sam and Noelle instead of just telling us how great their convos were, didn't understand why they didn't text more other than for the sake of the plot
___
Check out my YouTube