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me_alley 's review for:

Romantic Friction by Lori Gold
2.25
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This one was a miss for me.   Sophie is a romance novelist is about to publish the 10th book in a successful series when there is a new up and coming author known as the "new" Sophie.  It turns out she used AI to create a book, then edited it.  Sophie becomes obsessed with her and tries to manipulate the narrative in the publishing industry.

A few things that bothered me- it had a very girl VS girl narrative, and I hate that when it comes across as misogynistic.   Also, there was a slant against bookstagram and book influencers, and this is a big part of my life.  I am proud to read books early and although I am just a tiny- nano influencer, I still take my reviews and recommendations seriously.  I spend a lot of money on this hobby also so I didn't love the negativity the MC had towards grass roots book marketing.   lastly, I listened to the audio and the narrator had a pretty snarky/angry performance, so this affected my consumption of the material, perhaps it was not meant to have such a negative tone.