A review by chemistryreads
The Au Pair Affair by Tessa Bailey

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

Tessa Bailey has been a hit or miss author for me. This one was a miss. However, positives first. I think Tallulah is a really interesting character. She is trying to get through past trauma and has had amazing experiences working around animals and is studying to earn her masters degree in marine biology. Super impressive. She’s an inspiration to Lissa, who she is a au pair for, and offers really good parenting advice. I wanted more on how amazing Tallulah was and showcasing her intelligence and other experiences. From the book description, I thought that would be the case. However, this quickly fell into being just about how obsessed with her Burgess was and how he was so good at protecting and taking care of her. This didn’t match the description of the book and I was really bothered by the lack of content warnings and the sexism shown throughout the book. Here’s my rant: This book has some disturbing stalking/kidnapping material and since I read an ARC, perhaps it wasn’t added in yet, but it needs to be added. In romance novels there is a fine line between pushing the boundaries of what is protective and romantic and what is just sexist. This book crosses into the sexist line too many times, again with no content warning. As somewhat who has been on the receiving end of sexual harassment during graduate studies in the sciences (like the FMC!!!), I would have appreciated knowing it would be so prevalent in this novel. The book basically excuses “locker room talk” as a normal part of sports and makes a joke of players wearing “orgasm donor” sweatshirts. The MMC constantly has sexual thoughts about his au pair and they aren’t romantic, they come off as perverse since she is his employee. Again, even though he acknowledges it’s wrong because of the power dynamic, it doesn’t stop the thoughts or later action. I’m disappointed about the lack of depth or real storyline especially when it’s replaced with content that basically glorifies sexualizing women. If there were appropriate labels and someone knew what they were getting into - to each their own. I’m not against people making the choice to read this and enjoy it for themselves if that’s what they like. However, this book is seeming advertised as a somewhat smutty romance when it’s actually being an unsafe romance. This book has a cute and colorful cover and would be so easy for a teen girl to pick up. If a teen girl read this, she could assume it’s okay to date someone 11 years older because he’s being “protective” (possessive) and has incredibly lusty thoughts for her. That isn’t okay behavior. Romance should be speaking positively about women and whatever their sexual choices are and this book is just too far opposite. Due to crossing these lines way too many times, I may just be done with Tessa Bailey. 2⭐️, 4🌶
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