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A review by jenniferforjoy
All Signs Point to Malibu by Jennifer Snow
3.5
Recommended: sure
For a fun premise that's well executed, for characters who each get their side shown and keep the story from being flat, for hate-attraction in spades
Thoughts:
This delivered what it said, and was fun in the process. There were some tropes that felt a little weak or that made me shake my head in resigned annoyance (just part of the genre sometimes), but overall it was entertaining and an easy read.
The initial instigation of the premise brings in pretty early that Hailey is not romantically motivated for interfering with their wedding. This made it a lot easier for me to settle in and watch her go than if she was trying to break them up so she could try to get him back. That sort of revenge / "steal him" scenario probably wouldn't have worked for me, so I'm glad the approach was more like her genuinely caring about a friend.
Every character is a friend, too. They become more than just props, though not by much. Each person has some motivations and goals and feelings of their own. They're still mostly foils for the main characters, but there's enough else there to keep them being too flat. The mystical element was pretty gentle too so it was easy to accept it and just move on with the story. Details didn't bog this down.
For the romance... oh boy. It's not my favorite kind, where they're "enemies" and they "hate each other" but also when they are mean they get turned on and think the other is super hot. 😅 That's not my favorite vibe, but if you like it, they've got it in SPADES. Bickering and then being aroused is like 75% of their connection through the story, propped up by a few actually meaningful conversations. It was also weird because it didn't seem like either of them ACTUALLY disliked the other, and the inciting incident seemed minor to both of them despite it's impact. It was like they were both just playing the game and at no point did I ever believe it was real. That made the "enemies to lovers" aspect a little weak because I was mostly just confused about why they pretended to dislike each other. 🤷♀️
Kind of a side note, but I also appreciated that the main characters are both successful and rich on their own, and independently secure. It makes it feel more balanced when neither of them is spending crazy money on stuff the other could never afford; they're both aware the other is doing just fine so there's no financial disparity at play.
And of course the conflict leaned heavily on the barrier for them just being neither of them being honest or actually saying what they wanted which made me sigh in annoyance a lot. All the incorrect assumptions instead of asking or telling can get a bit wearisome. It's pretty standard for the genre, so I'm not holding it against too much, but I promise you that's all this conflict is for them.
Overall this was a fun read that lived up to it's promise and had a few interesting side plots to beef it up.
Thanks to BookSparks and the Harlequin for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review!
For a fun premise that's well executed, for characters who each get their side shown and keep the story from being flat, for hate-attraction in spades
Thoughts:
This delivered what it said, and was fun in the process. There were some tropes that felt a little weak or that made me shake my head in resigned annoyance (just part of the genre sometimes), but overall it was entertaining and an easy read.
The initial instigation of the premise brings in pretty early that Hailey is not romantically motivated for interfering with their wedding. This made it a lot easier for me to settle in and watch her go than if she was trying to break them up so she could try to get him back. That sort of revenge / "steal him" scenario probably wouldn't have worked for me, so I'm glad the approach was more like her genuinely caring about a friend.
Every character is a friend, too. They become more than just props, though not by much. Each person has some motivations and goals and feelings of their own. They're still mostly foils for the main characters, but there's enough else there to keep them being too flat. The mystical element was pretty gentle too so it was easy to accept it and just move on with the story. Details didn't bog this down.
For the romance... oh boy. It's not my favorite kind, where they're "enemies" and they "hate each other" but also when they are mean they get turned on and think the other is super hot. 😅 That's not my favorite vibe, but if you like it, they've got it in SPADES. Bickering and then being aroused is like 75% of their connection through the story, propped up by a few actually meaningful conversations. It was also weird because it didn't seem like either of them ACTUALLY disliked the other, and the inciting incident seemed minor to both of them despite it's impact. It was like they were both just playing the game and at no point did I ever believe it was real. That made the "enemies to lovers" aspect a little weak because I was mostly just confused about why they pretended to dislike each other. 🤷♀️
Kind of a side note, but I also appreciated that the main characters are both successful and rich on their own, and independently secure. It makes it feel more balanced when neither of them is spending crazy money on stuff the other could never afford; they're both aware the other is doing just fine so there's no financial disparity at play.
And of course the conflict leaned heavily on the barrier for them just being neither of them being honest or actually saying what they wanted which made me sigh in annoyance a lot. All the incorrect assumptions instead of asking or telling can get a bit wearisome. It's pretty standard for the genre, so I'm not holding it against too much, but I promise you that's all this conflict is for them.
Overall this was a fun read that lived up to it's promise and had a few interesting side plots to beef it up.
Thanks to BookSparks and the Harlequin for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review!