A review by readundancies
Finding Gene Kelly by Torie Jean

emotional lighthearted relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

So this was a decent contemporary romance read, but I didn’t always jive with the writing style. It was bit eclectic at times, and I found the pacing especially finicky. 

It’s got some great tropes combined in it: boy next door and childhood friends to enemies to lovers to start, not mention a lead character with endometriosis and a large portion of the novel focuses on her health issues and the chronic pain she lives with. 

I liked the characters but didn’t think there was a whole lot of character growth that felt natural and believable - it wasn’t something that I felt was developed throughout the story and by the end I thought a lot of the ways that many of the subplots were tied neatly didn’t come from anything that was built throughout the story. 

I will say that the friendships involved were sweet, and while not incredibly nuanced as they were not the focus, they felt healthy and genuine. The family dynamics on the other hand were not as developed as they should have been considering the fact that a lot of our main character, Evie’s issues were so rooted in the contentious relationship she had with her mother, and the same thing went with the romantic interest, Liam and his relationship with his parents, specifically his father. 

Definitely happy that I picked it up though, and wouldn’t deter anyone from picking it up. 
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