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A review by shivani_n
Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
Girl this book should be getting bad publicity.
It’s clear that the author was trying to write enemies to lovers but unfortunately did not understand the assignment at all and it was so disappointing.
First of all, it would be a crime to even call this “enemies to lovers” BECAUSE THERE’S NO CONTENT OF THEM BEING ENEMIES??? Basically, Andie was holding a grudge for something (albeit very shitty) Jack did to her in university, and when they are forced to work together they immediately call a truce and decide to act civil with each other rather than dredging up the past. This resulted in them having short, small talk-y conversations which lacked substance the whole book. Moreover, even when the author tried to write them having a “deep” conversation, it felt so half assed cringe. Where was the ANGST? THE PINING? THE YEARNINGGGG??
If I’m being completely honest, Bad Publicity did not even feel like a romance book. It’s mostly about this woman having a mid-life crisis about her grief from losing her father and the fact that she hasn’t really been able to confront her feelings for a long time. As a result, Jack, her supposed love interest, was an extremely underdeveloped character. I genuinely could not tell you one thing I learnt about that man except that he’s an author with daddy issues. All of this combined means their romance fell so flat for me. I didn’t care about either of them individually or together. Their chemistry and love for each other were so unconvincing I just wanted the book to end.
Also I feel that it’s important to note that the cover says it’s “perfect for fans of Emily Henry” which lowkey is an insult to Emily Henry and her fans. How one could ever compare her masterpieces to THIS is beyond me… don’t waste your time reading it!
It’s clear that the author was trying to write enemies to lovers but unfortunately did not understand the assignment at all and it was so disappointing.
First of all, it would be a crime to even call this “enemies to lovers” BECAUSE THERE’S NO CONTENT OF THEM BEING ENEMIES??? Basically, Andie was holding a grudge for something (albeit very shitty) Jack did to her in university, and when they are forced to work together they immediately call a truce and decide to act civil with each other rather than dredging up the past. This resulted in them having short, small talk-y conversations which lacked substance the whole book. Moreover, even when the author tried to write them having a “deep” conversation, it felt so half assed cringe. Where was the ANGST? THE PINING? THE YEARNINGGGG??
If I’m being completely honest, Bad Publicity did not even feel like a romance book. It’s mostly about this woman having a mid-life crisis about her grief from losing her father and the fact that she hasn’t really been able to confront her feelings for a long time. As a result, Jack, her supposed love interest, was an extremely underdeveloped character. I genuinely could not tell you one thing I learnt about that man except that he’s an author with daddy issues. All of this combined means their romance fell so flat for me. I didn’t care about either of them individually or together. Their chemistry and love for each other were so unconvincing I just wanted the book to end.
Also I feel that it’s important to note that the cover says it’s “perfect for fans of Emily Henry” which lowkey is an insult to Emily Henry and her fans. How one could ever compare her masterpieces to THIS is beyond me… don’t waste your time reading it!