A review by theemptymasq
The Man I Never Met by Elle Cook

lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0 

This is my first book review through NetGalley and I had been hoping to get off to a better start. While I have only recently started to get into the romance genre, I am aware of many of its flaws, which were unfortunately prevalent throughout this book. The Man I Never Met felt very bland and unoriginal for me, following a generic plot that was easy to foresee. The characters could have been fleshed out more and there should have been more explanation for the main character’s actions as, to me, it seemed that most things she did were very blatantly to progress the plot, rather than because it is how she would respond. The book was filled with overused and boring tropes, such as the favourite amongst romance authors, unfortunately including the classic ‘’laminate character is attractive but doesn’t know it’ trope. This, alongside the consistent but largely subtle hints of fatphobia made this a difficult read.

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