A review by maggies
The Layover by Lacie Waldon

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

These characters weren't likable. Which can be fine, but when the central romance of the book is a triangle, there just has to be something appealing about each of the three people involved, and Ava, Alexander, and Jack just aren't it. It was clear from the first chapter that Ava doesn't love Alexander, much less like him, and he obviously felt the same about her...so why were they engaged? Okay, okay, yeah, they of course end up having an argument about this, but engagement-as-plot-device is terrible, in my opinion. I would also argue that Alexander's unlikability is a direct result of Ava's POV—his desire for routine and stability read as ASD to me, and I wasn't impressed with Ava's attitude about it, especially when she told him she wanted those things too. That conflict was entirely self-made, and she basically wanted all the sympathy for her situation. Un. Like. Able.
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