Scan barcode
A review by emilymohr98
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
2.0
This book is summed up in one word for me: disappointing
I am so confused because this book is so beloved on the internet. I’ve seen so many good reviews about it, but… I don’t get it??? I’d recommend not reading any further in this review if you have any interest in reading it or love the book because I’m about to make you mad.
Let’s start with the mc Hannah Brooks. This woman is supposed to be the “best in the biz.” The best secret agent body guard whatever. But do we get to see her do all this cool secret agent stuff? NO. We get to see her 1) complain about being assigned to protect a famous movie star Jack and doing everything possible to get off the mission. (It’s just so hard that I have to be around this super famous, super cute guy- girl, I thought you were a professional), 2) being afraid of cows, horses, AND armadillos(??), and 3) she falls into that trope that I cannot stand, and that is, “I’m a powerful woman who isn’t like other women, so I just hate wearing cute, girly clothes. I just wanna wear my pantsuits because badass women aren’t allowed to like traditionally feminine things.” STOP.
For someone who is “best in the biz,” we see little to no actual action or skill from Hannah THIS ENTIRE BOOK. The only thing she does is flip Jack onto his back at one point, and that’s it. I am so bored!! GIVE ME SOME SECRET AGENT ACTION.
I also just don’t think Hannah’s critical thinking skills are in the room with us either. She is a bodyguard for a famous actor, and when he tells her that his “famous on-screen kiss” wasn’t that great, and that he didn’t like his costar, she absolutely cannot get over it. “What?? It wasn’t real? You ruined my favorite movie kiss.” Are you for real right now??? HE IS AN ACTOR. HE IS ACTING. Anytime she finds out anything remotely obvious about his job, she is shocked. Arghhh. Lastly, everyone in the book makes wayyyyy too big a deal about Hannah looking “ordinary” and “not pretty enough to date a movie star.” It’s so tiresome.
Pretty much nothing happens for about 60% of the book. There’s all this chatter about “What threat level is Jack at?” “Are we at level yellow or level orange?” How about level snooze-ville? For a book about a bodyguard there is shockingly little action. The stakes are so low for most of the book!! Jack is seemingly in no danger for most of the story, even though everyone is acting like he’s moments away from being murdered. And even at the end, when the stakes suddenly get high, the climax of the story is so out of left field and random. The author really could’ve done something and had some big shocking reveal of a double crossing character, but no. A lot of people say the ending is “so crazy!” But it’s only crazy in that it feels so forced and crazy that the author wrote it this way!!
There’s a number of stylistic writing choices the author made that I just didn’t care for personally. For one, the POV. It’s first person POV, but the mc… talks to the reader? She’s always like, “I bet you’re wondering…” and, “You remember the movie [insert movie title here].” It’s supposed to be set in our modern world and includes real celebrities and movies, but I just don’t like that. Please don’t mention any current social media apps or movie stars. It’s cringy to me. Secondly, the mc must think that the reader has a brain the size of a goldfish because she over explains everything. “This was ironic because…” “I punched him lightly on the shoulder, like ‘yeah right.’ “ “He gave me side eye like, ‘that’s not good.’ “ I am capable of critical thinking!!! Please don’t explain everything to me.
Well, to wrap it up, I just felt the book was juvenile. It’s marketed as adult romance I think, but all the conflict and plot lines felt so incredibly forced and amatuer. I’m so sorry Katherine Center- I’m sure you’re a lovely and talented person, but this just wasn’t it for me. (If you couldn’t tell)
I am so confused because this book is so beloved on the internet. I’ve seen so many good reviews about it, but… I don’t get it??? I’d recommend not reading any further in this review if you have any interest in reading it or love the book because I’m about to make you mad.
Let’s start with the mc Hannah Brooks. This woman is supposed to be the “best in the biz.” The best secret agent body guard whatever. But do we get to see her do all this cool secret agent stuff? NO. We get to see her 1) complain about being assigned to protect a famous movie star Jack and doing everything possible to get off the mission. (It’s just so hard that I have to be around this super famous, super cute guy- girl, I thought you were a professional), 2) being afraid of cows, horses, AND armadillos(??), and 3) she falls into that trope that I cannot stand, and that is, “I’m a powerful woman who isn’t like other women, so I just hate wearing cute, girly clothes. I just wanna wear my pantsuits because badass women aren’t allowed to like traditionally feminine things.” STOP.
For someone who is “best in the biz,” we see little to no actual action or skill from Hannah THIS ENTIRE BOOK. The only thing she does is flip Jack onto his back at one point, and that’s it. I am so bored!! GIVE ME SOME SECRET AGENT ACTION.
I also just don’t think Hannah’s critical thinking skills are in the room with us either. She is a bodyguard for a famous actor, and when he tells her that his “famous on-screen kiss” wasn’t that great, and that he didn’t like his costar, she absolutely cannot get over it. “What?? It wasn’t real? You ruined my favorite movie kiss.” Are you for real right now??? HE IS AN ACTOR. HE IS ACTING. Anytime she finds out anything remotely obvious about his job, she is shocked. Arghhh. Lastly, everyone in the book makes wayyyyy too big a deal about Hannah looking “ordinary” and “not pretty enough to date a movie star.” It’s so tiresome.
Pretty much nothing happens for about 60% of the book. There’s all this chatter about “What threat level is Jack at?” “Are we at level yellow or level orange?” How about level snooze-ville? For a book about a bodyguard there is shockingly little action. The stakes are so low for most of the book!! Jack is seemingly in no danger for most of the story, even though everyone is acting like he’s moments away from being murdered. And even at the end, when the stakes suddenly get high, the climax of the story is so out of left field and random. The author really could’ve done something and had some big shocking reveal of a double crossing character, but no. A lot of people say the ending is “so crazy!” But it’s only crazy in that it feels so forced and crazy that the author wrote it this way!!
There’s a number of stylistic writing choices the author made that I just didn’t care for personally. For one, the POV. It’s first person POV, but the mc… talks to the reader? She’s always like, “I bet you’re wondering…” and, “You remember the movie [insert movie title here].” It’s supposed to be set in our modern world and includes real celebrities and movies, but I just don’t like that. Please don’t mention any current social media apps or movie stars. It’s cringy to me. Secondly, the mc must think that the reader has a brain the size of a goldfish because she over explains everything. “This was ironic because…” “I punched him lightly on the shoulder, like ‘yeah right.’ “ “He gave me side eye like, ‘that’s not good.’ “ I am capable of critical thinking!!! Please don’t explain everything to me.
Well, to wrap it up, I just felt the book was juvenile. It’s marketed as adult romance I think, but all the conflict and plot lines felt so incredibly forced and amatuer. I’m so sorry Katherine Center- I’m sure you’re a lovely and talented person, but this just wasn’t it for me. (If you couldn’t tell)