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opalmars 's review for:

Eliza, from Scratch by Sophia Lee
4.0
emotional lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

 Oh, this was so good! Everything about this book was an absolute delight! It’s the 1st book in a looong time that made me want to stay up late reading!

Eliza is such a great MC! She’s flawed, but in such a realistic way. I loved following her journey throughout this story. Her relationship with her mum was so compelling, and I really enjoyed how it wrapped up.

The storyline with her friends was also really interesting! I was kind of surprised by how captivated I was by this side-plot. Though, I have to say, that while Eliza wasn’t perfect, I’m still completely on her side in that situation. Like, what do you meeeeean Eliza was the one apologizing??
Her friends literally started icing her out to see if she would “care enough” to ask why they’re excluding her, and Eliza didn’t ask because she didn’t want to pry or intrude. The friends should be the ones apologizing bro. 😭😭😭


Regarding the romance: it was reeeeeally sweet! 🥺 I really liked Wesley as a LI! He’s sweet, open, honest and caring, and, as a character, he was really compelling! His relationship with his mum, his interest in cooking and his doubts about his future were all interesting to read about. I love that Eliza started liking him when she noticed how focused and competent he is; it really makes sense for her character to fall for somebody with those traits haha. 🙂‍↕️ And I really enjoyed Wesley and Eliza’s dynamic! Their banter was super funny! And I liked that Eliza was confident around him. It really felt like they were on the same level, which made their banter feel really equal, and not one-sided. Just a super nice relationship!

Overall, this was just a really good book! Also, @ Sophia Lee: do NOT apologize for your old YT videos!!! That’s how I found you, and I LOOOOVED your videos!!! I’m so happy you’re a published author now! Can’t wait for your next book!