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A review by thatcydney
Heated by Naima Simone
2.0
I’ve been reading Naima Simone books since I was 14, and this doesn’t even feel like the same Naima Simone—that makes me super sad.
This just…wasn’t good. Zora and Cyrus were written extremely unrealistically for their age group, the conversation was long-winded and not at all what most people would say, and even their respective sad backgrounds seemed rushed, underdeveloped, and, frankly, unimportant.
A large part of the book (literally nearly 90%) was Zora keeping a secret and when the secret was uncovered, all the side characters (literally every single one) came to her defense to explain to Cyrus why he should forgive her. Contrived and unrealistic!
They don’t even hook up until 80% of the novel. What was supposed to be a quick read was totally bogged down by the relentless will-they-won’t-they and the soul-crushing insecurities of a heroine who could have easily been written as dynamic but at the very least confident and comfortable in her skin. The trope of having plus-sized women be super accomplished and beautiful but having no self esteem and wondering how and why men want them is soooo tired. This doesn’t have to exist in novels!
I’m so disappointed in this. It’s been a great 14 years with Naima Simone, but I feel like the quality of her books have gone down so much it’s almost like someone else entirely is writing them. Hopefully she comes back to her old passion and ways and churns out the masterpieces she did so long ago.
2⭐️
2.5
This just…wasn’t good. Zora and Cyrus were written extremely unrealistically for their age group, the conversation was long-winded and not at all what most people would say, and even their respective sad backgrounds seemed rushed, underdeveloped, and, frankly, unimportant.
A large part of the book (literally nearly 90%) was Zora keeping a secret and when the secret was uncovered, all the side characters (literally every single one) came to her defense to explain to Cyrus why he should forgive her. Contrived and unrealistic!
They don’t even hook up until 80% of the novel. What was supposed to be a quick read was totally bogged down by the relentless will-they-won’t-they and the soul-crushing insecurities of a heroine who could have easily been written as dynamic but at the very least confident and comfortable in her skin. The trope of having plus-sized women be super accomplished and beautiful but having no self esteem and wondering how and why men want them is soooo tired. This doesn’t have to exist in novels!
I’m so disappointed in this. It’s been a great 14 years with Naima Simone, but I feel like the quality of her books have gone down so much it’s almost like someone else entirely is writing them. Hopefully she comes back to her old passion and ways and churns out the masterpieces she did so long ago.
2⭐️
2.5