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A review by lexizee
Good on Paper by Valerie Tejeda
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Thank you NetGalley, Headline Eternal, and Valerie Tejeda for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Jazmine Prado is on the verge of losing her job as a writer (technically, she just lost it) until her editor threw her a lifeline after finding out her husband-to-be was social media star Hudson Taylor. It was the perfect career opportunity to open more doors for her in the world of writing, or so she thought. Unlike her social media fiancé, Jazmine has barely any social media presence. Which was totally fine for her... until she agreed to do a web series featuring their wedding being livestreamed. Oh, I forgot to mention. Their videographer? It's her ex-childhood best friend (Leo) of 15 years and also her first love. And neither of them knew they'd meet again because of a web series for Jazmine's wedding. Talk about awkward.
Personally, I particularly didn't like the amount of zodiac sign references there was. I just kept cringing whenever the zodiacs were mentioned, particularly to explain what was happening or why it was happening. Not saying there's anything wrong with believing in astrology, but reading about it in fiction feels weird, for lack of a better term.
Not going to lie, the whole wedding being paid for reminded me of Brooklyn's & Bailey's weddings, albeit not fully sponsored (if I remember correctly). Before any of B&B's fans read this and attack me, this isn't a hate comment, simply an observation/comment with no ill intent.
Anyway, moving on. I actually enjoyed the characters. But I have to say, the three main characters had their moments where I kind of didn't like them, heavy emphasis on the kind of because it's such a 50/50 situation. For instance, [SPOILER]when Hudson basically proposed (pun intended) to Jazmine about doing another web series because hello?! have you not been paying attention to your fiancée? she's barely surviving the first web series + you know (or supposed to) she'd rather keep her personal life private. But then again, you can't fault him for asking especially since it's what he loves to do and what he wants to continue. But you can fault him for basically going ahead with it even though it was clear when you talked to her, she didn't want to and even after trying to convince her she was still hesitant. [END OF SPOILER]
Anyway, despite that (if you read the spoiler section) I still liked Jazmine and Hudson (as individual characters and together). They were cute together, but it was also obvious despite loving each other deeply they weren't actually in love (not mutually, at least). As for Jazmine and Leo, as much as I love the childhood friends to (strangers to) lovers trope, I couldn't bring myself to root for them, and not because they were a bad pair, but because the buildup wasn't enough for me. Considering the story was mostly about Jazmine and Hudson, I liked J+H more than J+L.
Enough with the romance portion. Although, I'm a big romance lover, my favourite part of this whole book was Jazmine's story on how she struggled to remain true to herself especially in a world where photos and videos are in. It was an inspiring message to not give up on your dreams.
Overall, it's a cute story. I liked the parts where her writing entries were added too. And I'm happy they all got their own happy ending.
Jazmine Prado is on the verge of losing her job as a writer (technically, she just lost it) until her editor threw her a lifeline after finding out her husband-to-be was social media star Hudson Taylor. It was the perfect career opportunity to open more doors for her in the world of writing, or so she thought. Unlike her social media fiancé, Jazmine has barely any social media presence. Which was totally fine for her... until she agreed to do a web series featuring their wedding being livestreamed. Oh, I forgot to mention. Their videographer? It's her ex-childhood best friend (Leo) of 15 years and also her first love. And neither of them knew they'd meet again because of a web series for Jazmine's wedding. Talk about awkward.
Personally, I particularly didn't like the amount of zodiac sign references there was. I just kept cringing whenever the zodiacs were mentioned, particularly to explain what was happening or why it was happening. Not saying there's anything wrong with believing in astrology, but reading about it in fiction feels weird, for lack of a better term.
Not going to lie, the whole wedding being paid for reminded me of Brooklyn's & Bailey's weddings, albeit not fully sponsored (if I remember correctly). Before any of B&B's fans read this and attack me, this isn't a hate comment, simply an observation/comment with no ill intent.
Anyway, moving on. I actually enjoyed the characters. But I have to say, the three main characters had their moments where I kind of didn't like them, heavy emphasis on the kind of because it's such a 50/50 situation. For instance, [SPOILER]
Anyway, despite that (if you read the spoiler section) I still liked Jazmine and Hudson (as individual characters and together). They were cute together, but it was also obvious despite loving each other deeply they weren't actually in love (not mutually, at least). As for Jazmine and Leo, as much as I love the childhood friends to (strangers to) lovers trope, I couldn't bring myself to root for them, and not because they were a bad pair, but because the buildup wasn't enough for me. Considering the story was mostly about Jazmine and Hudson, I liked J+H more than J+L.
Enough with the romance portion. Although, I'm a big romance lover, my favourite part of this whole book was Jazmine's story on how she struggled to remain true to herself especially in a world where photos and videos are in. It was an inspiring message to not give up on your dreams.
Overall, it's a cute story. I liked the parts where her writing entries were added too. And I'm happy they all got their own happy ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Bullying, Hate crime, and Racism
Please read at your own discretion. The following text is regarding the content warnings.
Sexual content is not really intense. But it does give a little more detail and doesn't fade to black. Bullying, hate crime, and racism is most evident at the end especially during the aftermath of the non-wedding. I'm referring to the comments she received saying she should go back to her country (since her parents are from Spain and Morocco). Plus, she was attacked when she landed back in the US. Sexism mostly refers to the comments that the executive producer makes.
Note: the degree of seriousness is based on my interpretation and from what I can remember of the story (since I forgot to make notes regarding CW) and it's like 5 minutes to midnight as I finish this review.