Scan barcode
A review by darlingdove
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Remember how decent steamy romance novels used to be before BookTok came along?
I expected The Deal to only be a fun and quick read, so I was surprised by how much I like it. Both of the protagonists have strong development over the course of the story with very emotional arcs. The book tackles serious topics like abuse and sexual assault with more maturity than a lot of books in the same genre tend to, while also remaining lighthearted and overall enjoyable. I felt that the romance between Hannah and Garrett was believable and developed at a reasonable pace. Most stories jump from enemies/annoyances to lovers way too quick, so I was glad that they became friends before falling for each other. It made their relationship stronger, and it made me actually want them to be together.
However, most of my complaints with The Deal have to do with Garrett himself. There's a fine line between "lovable asshole" and just being, well, an asshole, and Garrett spent the first half of the book using that line as a jump rope. He matured as the book went on so I didn't find him to be too much of a problem, but he was definitely a grating character through the first few chapters. The book did have a tendency to drag at the parts focusing on Hanah and Garrett while rushing through the parts where they weren't together, especially with Hannah. I felt that while Garrett's love of hockey got plenty of focus, Hannah and her music didn't get the same treatment until the final act.
Another thing about this book is that it was definitely a product of its time. I wouldn't necessarily call that a problem, considering it's not the book's fault it was published in 2015, but it was definitely hard to forget that it was written almost a decade ago. (I also did not enjoy the realization that 2015 was 9 years ago now.) There's are a lot of pop culture references, from Wrecking Ball-era Miley Cyrus to Facebook still being everyone's favorite social media, and don't even get me started on the sheet amount of times Chris Hemsworth is mentioned. The writing also had a habit of using the same phrases over and over. I lost track of the amount of times Hannah "ran into a hard male chest." These are definitely little nitpicks that got on my nerves, but they didn't stop me from enjoying the book overall.
Even if The Deal wasn't a perfect book, it was one that I enjoyed and would still recommend to anyone looking for a fun and hot read.
I expected The Deal to only be a fun and quick read, so I was surprised by how much I like it. Both of the protagonists have strong development over the course of the story with very emotional arcs. The book tackles serious topics like abuse and sexual assault with more maturity than a lot of books in the same genre tend to, while also remaining lighthearted and overall enjoyable. I felt that the romance between Hannah and Garrett was believable and developed at a reasonable pace. Most stories jump from enemies/annoyances to lovers way too quick, so I was glad that they became friends before falling for each other. It made their relationship stronger, and it made me actually want them to be together.
However, most of my complaints with The Deal have to do with Garrett himself. There's a fine line between "lovable asshole" and just being, well, an asshole, and Garrett spent the first half of the book using that line as a jump rope. He matured as the book went on so I didn't find him to be too much of a problem, but he was definitely a grating character through the first few chapters. The book did have a tendency to drag at the parts focusing on Hanah and Garrett while rushing through the parts where they weren't together, especially with Hannah. I felt that while Garrett's love of hockey got plenty of focus, Hannah and her music didn't get the same treatment until the final act.
Another thing about this book is that it was definitely a product of its time. I wouldn't necessarily call that a problem, considering it's not the book's fault it was published in 2015, but it was definitely hard to forget that it was written almost a decade ago. (I also did not enjoy the realization that 2015 was 9 years ago now.) There's are a lot of pop culture references, from Wrecking Ball-era Miley Cyrus to Facebook still being everyone's favorite social media, and don't even get me started on the sheet amount of times Chris Hemsworth is mentioned. The writing also had a habit of using the same phrases over and over. I lost track of the amount of times Hannah "ran into a hard male chest." These are definitely little nitpicks that got on my nerves, but they didn't stop me from enjoying the book overall.
Even if The Deal wasn't a perfect book, it was one that I enjoyed and would still recommend to anyone looking for a fun and hot read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault