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A review by ellaellaellaetc
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
1st read: i'm literally cryingm miss me with that cheesy epilogue and the subtle women vs. women/not like other girls-ish undertone but in my mind that stuff did not happen, a bit odd at the end with the writing choices but oh my god if that part with the metal detector/golf thing didn't almost make me CRY. this was literally so fun to read, i can't handle reading romances unless it's funny/there's good banter and this was hilarious. fake dating trope can be done really poorly but i really like it when it's like "let's get out of the city and convince my country parents that we're in love" OR it's famous people fake dating someone and this was both!!! the characters just had so much chemistry as acquaintances and then as friends before it developed into anything else which was gorgeous. absolutely slayed, loved how cheery the main dude was at times and the girlbossery that was present. some of the "villains" were quite cartoonish though - for robbie it was the point where it was hilariously bad and almost self-aware? keenedy's part at the barbeque thing was fr so cringe though, actually geniunely hurt to read when it could have been way more natural and impactful if she was more subtly cruel. also, hannah;s disbelief at jack actually liking her at the 80% mark was so annoying. anyway, despite my criticisms, this was amazing amazing amazing and was almost 5 stars but the final third had some things that weren't able be overshadowed by how much i loved the things that were actually done well, still one of the most fun books i've read this year and something i really needed right now. 4.5 stars
2nd read: i read this for the first time less than 6 months ago but due to my ill luck with romance recently I decided to reread this and.... guys🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲 i LOVE this book, i sent this message to my friend, all which is true "listened to the audiobook at work, on the way home from work, while cooking dinner, while eating dinner, while showering and then in bed until I paused it to sleep and then listened to music on the way to work (lame) and then finished it at work sitting at my desk". guysssssssssssss. GUYSSSSSSSS. i love this book😭😭 physical copies are not yet available in Australia which genuinely makes me so so sad. however, a lot of my enjoyment comes from the amazing work of the narrator!!! she kills it!!!! this book has a lot of "not like other girls" sentiments which is why I can never give it a 5 star review despite my love for it. when I read this I totally ignore the whole "anti hyper-feminity" aspects and I just pretend that they don't exist cause it's fiction and this book can be whatever I want it to be. the humour and heart in this book balance out perfectly and this book just brings so much joy to me, like full body joy and giddy excitement. i think this reread has cemented this book as my "hard times comfort read" as both times I read it, i was not in a slay position in life but then I ended up reading this addictively in less than 24 hours. it just puts me in such a good mood and makes me love reading and love life!!! Yes it's so ridiculous at times but that is what makes this story so good. I'm going to post my original review as well (swipe) written on October 3rd when I first read it (on October 3rd he asked me what day it way....) because I still agree with pretty much everything I said there and as I type this I realise that I didn't actually properly review this book lol, bumping from my original rating of 4.5 stars to 4.75 stars!
3rd read: but sir!!!!!! that's my emotional support romance book that I have read for the third time in less than one year! I have attached my reviews from the previous readings (yes this is my 3rd time reading it in literally less than a year)and my thoughts remain the same. I have bumped my rating up to 5 stars because while this book has many flaws and story elements I don't like, they actually don't exist in the version of the book I have in my brain and therefore didn't happen so this is a perfect book (ella's version) this book is just so comforting and everything I love in a romance, this has become my go to "I'm having a really tough time rn and need something good" book. this characters are REAL people to me. they exist in my head and I really really hope they're happy. something about reading about two people in their darkest times coming together to support each other through their loss and grief while still managing to be hilarious is like coming home to me. I seriously seriously LOVE this book, might be my favourite romance book ig!!!also the narrator really carries this book (all three times I've read it it has been the audiobook but I plan on buying and reading the physical copy eventually) and I'll be interested to see if the physical copy is as good!! also pls can this become a movie. (a very subjective) 5 stars🤩🤩
4th read: okay so we KNOW I'm obsessed with this book (4 reads now), not new information. after I listened to the audiobook again like 2 weeks ago I decided that I HAD to get it for my friend bianca for her birthday! i read through it and underlined my favourite bits (sometimes it was multiple full pages of underline) and I wrote little comments (most of them were like "slayyyy" "I love her!!!!" and "AHHHHHHHHHHH" because that is exactly what runs through my mind when I read this. just happiness!!!🫶🫶🫶 I have confirmed that the audiobook is superior because I just love the way that the narrator delivers her lines and really adds so much to the book! I still however loved reading this physically! I really hope bianca loves it just as much as I do (although I doubt that's possible). of course 5 stars😌😌😌😌
5th read: what can I say, this is my favourite romance book of all time, me thinks. this is just my comfort book. whenever I feel like I don't want to read or I'm getting a bit stressed, I just crack this bad boy open and goodbye sorrow! this is the fifth time I've read this in less than 2 years, I just love it. the audiobook narrator is perfect and I don't really have anything new to say because I literally have read this book so many times and have reviewed it each time lol but I will try to say something new. this is my favorite romance book of all time is because I'm very good at just closing my eyes (or closing my ears) when there's something that I don't like. every time I read this I get slapped in the face with how "not like other girls"-y this book is. this is at some points, almost anti-attractive woman (the final confrontation at the Thanksgiving dinner literally like it makes me want to throw up, it's actually so much worse than I think it's going to be😭😭). however, because I love all the other aspects of this romance, I'm able to just pretend that that doesn't happen! the book I Iove and the actual book are two different entities but idc. it's literally my imagination I get to do what I want in my own head! I highly highly recommend if you like romance, especially ones that feel like a movie! this is such a funny book and I just love these characters so much. I think the main character, hannah's voice is the core of this novel, I really feel like I know her and I love her so much! I just want her to be happy! and girl! she's so fucking funny! if I gave you the premise for this story (read my other reviews for this... I can't be bothered rn) it would sound like a really sad story but hannah's voice really shines through and just makes it such a joyful story! her personal growth throughout the story is only complimented by such an amazing romance, guys I love this book! can't wait to reread it in like 6 months probably❤️🔥❤️🔥 5 stars
this is the 6th time I've read in just over two years, actual mental illness but this makes me feel a certain type of way that cannot be expressed with words. this is about a girlie who has to be the bodyguard for a famous actor who hasn't been seen in public since his brother died two years ago. he doesn't want his mum to know that he needs a bodyguard (for a relatively minor stalker situation) because stress may make her cancer recovery worse so he asks main girl to pretend to be his gf🤭🤭 guys. i just love this book. a few days after I finished this book I had a sleepover at aishwarya's place and at like 2am I gave her a scene by scene recap of literally everything that happens in this book (it took like half an hour and she started dissociating during the explanation) and it was so fun! (for me). guys you can read my FIVE other reviews for this for more in-depth thoughts because I don't have anything new to say about this book. I just have the most strange emotional connection to it for reasons I could not possibly describe. 5 stars.
2nd read: i read this for the first time less than 6 months ago but due to my ill luck with romance recently I decided to reread this and.... guys🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲 i LOVE this book, i sent this message to my friend, all which is true "listened to the audiobook at work, on the way home from work, while cooking dinner, while eating dinner, while showering and then in bed until I paused it to sleep and then listened to music on the way to work (lame) and then finished it at work sitting at my desk". guysssssssssssss. GUYSSSSSSSS. i love this book😭😭 physical copies are not yet available in Australia which genuinely makes me so so sad. however, a lot of my enjoyment comes from the amazing work of the narrator!!! she kills it!!!! this book has a lot of "not like other girls" sentiments which is why I can never give it a 5 star review despite my love for it. when I read this I totally ignore the whole "anti hyper-feminity" aspects and I just pretend that they don't exist cause it's fiction and this book can be whatever I want it to be. the humour and heart in this book balance out perfectly and this book just brings so much joy to me, like full body joy and giddy excitement. i think this reread has cemented this book as my "hard times comfort read" as both times I read it, i was not in a slay position in life but then I ended up reading this addictively in less than 24 hours. it just puts me in such a good mood and makes me love reading and love life!!! Yes it's so ridiculous at times but that is what makes this story so good. I'm going to post my original review as well (swipe) written on October 3rd when I first read it (on October 3rd he asked me what day it way....) because I still agree with pretty much everything I said there and as I type this I realise that I didn't actually properly review this book lol, bumping from my original rating of 4.5 stars to 4.75 stars!
3rd read: but sir!!!!!! that's my emotional support romance book that I have read for the third time in less than one year! I have attached my reviews from the previous readings (yes this is my 3rd time reading it in literally less than a year)and my thoughts remain the same. I have bumped my rating up to 5 stars because while this book has many flaws and story elements I don't like, they actually don't exist in the version of the book I have in my brain and therefore didn't happen so this is a perfect book (ella's version) this book is just so comforting and everything I love in a romance, this has become my go to "I'm having a really tough time rn and need something good" book. this characters are REAL people to me. they exist in my head and I really really hope they're happy. something about reading about two people in their darkest times coming together to support each other through their loss and grief while still managing to be hilarious is like coming home to me. I seriously seriously LOVE this book, might be my favourite romance book ig!!!also the narrator really carries this book (all three times I've read it it has been the audiobook but I plan on buying and reading the physical copy eventually) and I'll be interested to see if the physical copy is as good!! also pls can this become a movie. (a very subjective) 5 stars🤩🤩
4th read: okay so we KNOW I'm obsessed with this book (4 reads now), not new information. after I listened to the audiobook again like 2 weeks ago I decided that I HAD to get it for my friend bianca for her birthday! i read through it and underlined my favourite bits (sometimes it was multiple full pages of underline) and I wrote little comments (most of them were like "slayyyy" "I love her!!!!" and "AHHHHHHHHHHH" because that is exactly what runs through my mind when I read this. just happiness!!!🫶🫶🫶 I have confirmed that the audiobook is superior because I just love the way that the narrator delivers her lines and really adds so much to the book! I still however loved reading this physically! I really hope bianca loves it just as much as I do (although I doubt that's possible). of course 5 stars😌😌😌😌
5th read: what can I say, this is my favourite romance book of all time, me thinks. this is just my comfort book. whenever I feel like I don't want to read or I'm getting a bit stressed, I just crack this bad boy open and goodbye sorrow! this is the fifth time I've read this in less than 2 years, I just love it. the audiobook narrator is perfect and I don't really have anything new to say because I literally have read this book so many times and have reviewed it each time lol but I will try to say something new. this is my favorite romance book of all time is because I'm very good at just closing my eyes (or closing my ears) when there's something that I don't like. every time I read this I get slapped in the face with how "not like other girls"-y this book is. this is at some points, almost anti-attractive woman (the final confrontation at the Thanksgiving dinner literally like it makes me want to throw up, it's actually so much worse than I think it's going to be😭😭). however, because I love all the other aspects of this romance, I'm able to just pretend that that doesn't happen! the book I Iove and the actual book are two different entities but idc. it's literally my imagination I get to do what I want in my own head! I highly highly recommend if you like romance, especially ones that feel like a movie! this is such a funny book and I just love these characters so much. I think the main character, hannah's voice is the core of this novel, I really feel like I know her and I love her so much! I just want her to be happy! and girl! she's so fucking funny! if I gave you the premise for this story (read my other reviews for this... I can't be bothered rn) it would sound like a really sad story but hannah's voice really shines through and just makes it such a joyful story! her personal growth throughout the story is only complimented by such an amazing romance, guys I love this book! can't wait to reread it in like 6 months probably❤️🔥❤️🔥 5 stars
this is the 6th time I've read in just over two years, actual mental illness but this makes me feel a certain type of way that cannot be expressed with words. this is about a girlie who has to be the bodyguard for a famous actor who hasn't been seen in public since his brother died two years ago. he doesn't want his mum to know that he needs a bodyguard (for a relatively minor stalker situation) because stress may make her cancer recovery worse so he asks main girl to pretend to be his gf🤭🤭 guys. i just love this book. a few days after I finished this book I had a sleepover at aishwarya's place and at like 2am I gave her a scene by scene recap of literally everything that happens in this book (it took like half an hour and she started dissociating during the explanation) and it was so fun! (for me). guys you can read my FIVE other reviews for this for more in-depth thoughts because I don't have anything new to say about this book. I just have the most strange emotional connection to it for reasons I could not possibly describe. 5 stars.