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charmettebooks 's review for:
Long Story Short
by Victoria Walters
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was drawn to Long Story Short when I read the description and saw the adorable cover. The premise of the book is really interesting and sounded different than anything I’ve read before. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy this book. The characters weren’t entertaining, and I didn’t feel any chemistry or spark between them.
I love many of the tropes in this book: grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance, slow burn, he falls first, and enemies to lovers. Freya is a literary agent assistant who is tasked with representing Jake, a famous romance author, at an upcoming large book conference in New York City. Freya is thrilled for this opportunity and the chance to experience being in New York. Jake seemed annoyed and unhappy with all of it: his career, the trip to NYC, the conference, and Freya. Romance writers are often connoisseurs of the genre who adore love stories, romance, and drama. Jake’s character was extremely stoic, showed little emotion, and seemed an unlikely choice for a bestselling romance author.
Freya is introduced as a young woman dedicated to her career and focused on becoming a literary agent. She is hard-working, yet her main focus throughout the book seemed to be on Jake and his well-being. During the conference, she did some networking for him, but largely seemed to be worrying about what he was thinking (personally, not professionally). Jake was preoccupied with his own personal issues, and showed little interest in Freya. I was surprised when she and Jake began dating and sleeping together, as there was little physical attraction or even minimal conversation between the characters beforehand. Jake’s character was extremely closed off emotionally, and seemed unhappy with everything. It was hard for me to like him because his character was serious and reserved to the point of being impassive. These characters had very little chemistry in general, so I was not invested in their relationship.
This book had so much potential. Freya has long loved New York City through many favorite movies and TV shows, and the city could have been a magical destination for her and Jake. The controversy surrounding Jake and his public comments about romance presented a large problem to solve in the book. The conference was supposed to be career- and life-changing for Jake, but it was largely a flop. Jake’s big secret felt insignificant to me. Both characters were very immature for their age, and felt one-dimensional to the reader. The pacing felt uneven to me, with several parts dragging on with little action, and then many significant events happened right before the story ended.
In my opinion, this book would appeal to a younger reader looking for a light, easy read and a workplace romance set in London. The behind-the-scenes of the book publishing world was intriguing and the setting of New York City was a good choice. This book didn’t work for me, but I’m sure there are others who will enjoy it.
Thank you to Victoria Walters, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I love many of the tropes in this book: grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance, slow burn, he falls first, and enemies to lovers. Freya is a literary agent assistant who is tasked with representing Jake, a famous romance author, at an upcoming large book conference in New York City. Freya is thrilled for this opportunity and the chance to experience being in New York. Jake seemed annoyed and unhappy with all of it: his career, the trip to NYC, the conference, and Freya. Romance writers are often connoisseurs of the genre who adore love stories, romance, and drama. Jake’s character was extremely stoic, showed little emotion, and seemed an unlikely choice for a bestselling romance author.
Freya is introduced as a young woman dedicated to her career and focused on becoming a literary agent. She is hard-working, yet her main focus throughout the book seemed to be on Jake and his well-being. During the conference, she did some networking for him, but largely seemed to be worrying about what he was thinking (personally, not professionally). Jake was preoccupied with his own personal issues, and showed little interest in Freya. I was surprised when she and Jake began dating and sleeping together, as there was little physical attraction or even minimal conversation between the characters beforehand. Jake’s character was extremely closed off emotionally, and seemed unhappy with everything. It was hard for me to like him because his character was serious and reserved to the point of being impassive. These characters had very little chemistry in general, so I was not invested in their relationship.
This book had so much potential. Freya has long loved New York City through many favorite movies and TV shows, and the city could have been a magical destination for her and Jake. The controversy surrounding Jake and his public comments about romance presented a large problem to solve in the book. The conference was supposed to be career- and life-changing for Jake, but it was largely a flop. Jake’s big secret felt insignificant to me. Both characters were very immature for their age, and felt one-dimensional to the reader. The pacing felt uneven to me, with several parts dragging on with little action, and then many significant events happened right before the story ended.
In my opinion, this book would appeal to a younger reader looking for a light, easy read and a workplace romance set in London. The behind-the-scenes of the book publishing world was intriguing and the setting of New York City was a good choice. This book didn’t work for me, but I’m sure there are others who will enjoy it.
Thank you to Victoria Walters, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.