shirleenkiarie 's review for:

Drop Dead by Lily Chu

3.75

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Nothing excites me more than a rivals to lovers. This story follows Nadine and Wes as they team up to try and uncover a mystery involving a famous author, Dot. Various versions of this storyline have been done by several authors and I feel as though this story had enough differences to separate it and make it interesting. I enjoyed both Nadine and Wes' individual character arcs. Both their struggles made sense to me and were very realistic. Especially their struggles with their individual extended families. Any Asian or African can relate to a bit of the dynamics.
 What I struggled with though, is believing that they could be a couple. It felt as though there was no chemistry between them. I couldn't feel the sparks that are characteristic of a forced proximity trope.
 I was being told that they liked each other but I couldn't feel it for myself. I feel like they could have just been good friends.
 I did enjoy their career arcs though. I loved that both of them were very ambitious. I could definitely feel the competitive spirit.
 There's definitely better rivals to lovers out there but this book is great if one is there for the contemporary part and not the romance.