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A review by reeyabeegale
Marriage on Madison Avenue by Lauren Layne
3.0
Truth be told, I wanted to love this -- I did, but not to the extent I initially thought I would. It was hard for me to believe that this was written by the same author who wrote one of my favorite books of all time, Blurred Lines.
Some might say that they liked this more than that, but I'm the opposite. The mere reason why I read this (the book, not even the series) is because Lauren Layne wrote Blurred Lines. I am a sucker for best friends to lovers romance and I was disappointed with this book. I'm not sure if it was because I only read this book and not the entire series, that I haven't had chance to get a solid grasp on the relationship and friendship of Clarke and Audrey.
But I do strongly believe that a book, especially if part of a companion series, should be able to fully stand alone -- or at least make sense with regards to the romance aspect.
Coming into this book, I expected to be swept off my feet and fall head-over-heels in love with Clarke and Audrey. Instead what I got was a very confusing, dry and semi-entertaining story about two people who've been best friends for a long time. I had a hard time enjoying the romance because it wasn't exactly romantic or inviting, it really felt like they were just pretending the whole time.
I did enjoy the friendship dynamic of both Clarke and Audrey, together with their set of friends, Naomi and Claire. However, I just didn't buy their new-found/newly discovered affection for each other at all.
It wasn't ugly, I am just sad that I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I had high expectations especially after Blurred Lines, which had an almost similar set up, minus the fake engagement/relationship. I do hope that other people will enjoy this more than I did. I might read the other books in the series at some point, but right now, I need another best friend-to-lovers story that would give me all the feels that this book didn't.
Some might say that they liked this more than that, but I'm the opposite. The mere reason why I read this (the book, not even the series) is because Lauren Layne wrote Blurred Lines. I am a sucker for best friends to lovers romance and I was disappointed with this book. I'm not sure if it was because I only read this book and not the entire series, that I haven't had chance to get a solid grasp on the relationship and friendship of Clarke and Audrey.
But I do strongly believe that a book, especially if part of a companion series, should be able to fully stand alone -- or at least make sense with regards to the romance aspect.
Coming into this book, I expected to be swept off my feet and fall head-over-heels in love with Clarke and Audrey. Instead what I got was a very confusing, dry and semi-entertaining story about two people who've been best friends for a long time. I had a hard time enjoying the romance because it wasn't exactly romantic or inviting, it really felt like they were just pretending the whole time.
I did enjoy the friendship dynamic of both Clarke and Audrey, together with their set of friends, Naomi and Claire. However, I just didn't buy their new-found/newly discovered affection for each other at all.
It wasn't ugly, I am just sad that I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I had high expectations especially after Blurred Lines, which had an almost similar set up, minus the fake engagement/relationship. I do hope that other people will enjoy this more than I did. I might read the other books in the series at some point, but right now, I need another best friend-to-lovers story that would give me all the feels that this book didn't.