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imme_van_gorp's Reviews (778)
The reason I did not particularly enjoy this is quite simple: The plotline did not interest me at all and I found all the constant technical jargon slightly confusing.
However, the main character, Murderbot, is absolutely iconic. Murderbot’s voice is very awkward and unique, which gave it a humorous yet authentic vibe. I genuinely liked the character a lot, but it was unfortunately not enough to save this otherwise rather dull and underwhelming novella.
However, the main character, Murderbot, is absolutely iconic. Murderbot’s voice is very awkward and unique, which gave it a humorous yet authentic vibe. I genuinely liked the character a lot, but it was unfortunately not enough to save this otherwise rather dull and underwhelming novella.
When it comes to this book I am not really sure whether the problem was with me or the book, but whatever reason, I truly was quite unable to connect with it.
I never really bonded with the characters and actually had multiple moments of irritation at their actions or thoughts.
Connecting with this novel was also made harder because a lot of events and conversations happen off-page, which bothered me on quite a few occasions.
I went into this book with neutral expectations and at the beginning, I thought it might exceed them. The longer the novel went on, however, I started to get less into it. I definitely did not like the ending, and with the ending I mean more than just the last few pages.
I didn't hate this book, I didn't; I can even see other people really liking it, but it just wasn't super enjoyable to me. It was okay.
I never really bonded with the characters and actually had multiple moments of irritation at their actions or thoughts.
Connecting with this novel was also made harder because a lot of events and conversations happen off-page, which bothered me on quite a few occasions.
I went into this book with neutral expectations and at the beginning, I thought it might exceed them. The longer the novel went on, however, I started to get less into it. I definitely did not like the ending, and with the ending I mean more than just the last few pages.
I didn't hate this book, I didn't; I can even see other people really liking it, but it just wasn't super enjoyable to me. It was okay.
This book was absolutely scorching hot with mind blowing chemistry.
No joke, this book is hot. And by that I mean the really good kind of hot where the plot is not just sex, but when you do get those scenes, they're pretty god damn amazing.
Fortunately, rather than only sexual interactions, this book also has really good characters with an interesting plotline.
I liked the premise of both love-interests being popular YouTubers who cannot stand each other, and honestly, I was pretty much immediately hooked when I started reading this.
Zane and Beau have off the charts chemistry and the tension between them was downright palpable. They appear to have very opposite personalities, but that only enhances their banter and they even end up being very similar in certain unexpected areas.
Besides all this the pacing is also super pleasant and I just really enjoyed myself with this novel.
Although this might seem slightly insignificant in the grand scheme of things concerning this book, I do want to have a little rant about something:
There's one thing I really didn’t like about this book and that was how all the blame was consistently put on Beau. Zane definitely wasn’t a saint himself and was equally to blame for a lot of stuff between them, if not way more. Somehow, that just always got ignored and it kind of pissed me off.
This undeserved blame-game especially became a problem for me with the final conflict between Beau and Zane: in my opinion, Beau once again genuinely didn’t do much wrong, while Zane did everything wrong. He randomly broke every rule they had set up together (like keeping their relationship a secret) and when Beau didn’t immediately agree with what was being sprung on him, Zane flips out and really goes out of his way to fuck everything up for Beau.
Nonetheless, everyone gangs up on Beau after this fiasco and he ends up being the one who has to grovel. I would have loved it if the big climax had involved Zane finally grovelling instead. That would have been far more appropriate and deserved. If that had happened I wouldn’t have felt so exasperated, indignant and irritated at the end, which is genuinely such a shame because I fucking LOVED this book apart from this “constantly blaming the wrong guy” aspect.
So, I have one thing I did not like about this novel and all the rest is pretty much amazing. I was in love with the beginning of this book and I kept loving it right up until a little bit before the end. The first half might have been way better, but the second half was still really good.
Anyway, long story short, this is a really great book and it's a complete joy to read. I would recommend it to almost anyone unless maybe if you're like super squeamish about certain kinks in the bedroom.
No joke, this book is hot. And by that I mean the really good kind of hot where the plot is not just sex, but when you do get those scenes, they're pretty god damn amazing.
Fortunately, rather than only sexual interactions, this book also has really good characters with an interesting plotline.
I liked the premise of both love-interests being popular YouTubers who cannot stand each other, and honestly, I was pretty much immediately hooked when I started reading this.
Zane and Beau have off the charts chemistry and the tension between them was downright palpable. They appear to have very opposite personalities, but that only enhances their banter and they even end up being very similar in certain unexpected areas.
Besides all this the pacing is also super pleasant and I just really enjoyed myself with this novel.
Although this might seem slightly insignificant in the grand scheme of things concerning this book, I do want to have a little rant about something:
There's one thing I really didn’t like about this book and that was how all the blame was consistently put on Beau. Zane definitely wasn’t a saint himself and was equally to blame for a lot of stuff between them, if not way more. Somehow, that just always got ignored and it kind of pissed me off.
This undeserved blame-game especially became a problem for me with the final conflict between Beau and Zane: in my opinion, Beau once again genuinely didn’t do much wrong, while Zane did everything wrong. He randomly broke every rule they had set up together (like keeping their relationship a secret) and when Beau didn’t immediately agree with what was being sprung on him, Zane flips out and really goes out of his way to fuck everything up for Beau.
Nonetheless, everyone gangs up on Beau after this fiasco and he ends up being the one who has to grovel. I would have loved it if the big climax had involved Zane finally grovelling instead. That would have been far more appropriate and deserved. If that had happened I wouldn’t have felt so exasperated, indignant and irritated at the end, which is genuinely such a shame because I fucking LOVED this book apart from this “constantly blaming the wrong guy” aspect.
So, I have one thing I did not like about this novel and all the rest is pretty much amazing. I was in love with the beginning of this book and I kept loving it right up until a little bit before the end. The first half might have been way better, but the second half was still really good.
Anyway, long story short, this is a really great book and it's a complete joy to read. I would recommend it to almost anyone unless maybe if you're like super squeamish about certain kinks in the bedroom.
This book is such an angsty geek-fest, being very centred around the world of gaming, fanart and just fandoms in general. It created this rather unique vibe compared to a lot of other contemporaries.
One of the main characters, Ian, was also quite different from the norm: he had a lot of baggage and a lot of coping mechanisms, which do not just magically disappear or heal when he meets his love-interest or even at the end of the book. These things are part of him and that's that. They aren't going to go away; at most they could become less prevalent and easier to deal with. I liked this a lot, as it gave his character and storyline a more realistic undertone rather than just being some overly sappy fairy-tale.
The other main character, Jesse, was not very special though: he was just your average sweet yet shy guy. That's not to say I didn't like him, because I did, but I was just generally more interested in Ian and I tended to understand his point of view more than I did Jesse's. I would have preferred it if Jesse had maybe shown a bit more understanding and been slightly less dismissive (even though he wasn't trying to be, because he genuinely had the best intentions).
Long story short, there is a lot of drama going on here, with plenty of angst and an engaging plot. What's mostly missing are some more bonding scenes between Ian and Jesse: why did these two love each other and how did they get to that point?
One of the main characters, Ian, was also quite different from the norm: he had a lot of baggage and a lot of coping mechanisms, which do not just magically disappear or heal when he meets his love-interest or even at the end of the book. These things are part of him and that's that. They aren't going to go away; at most they could become less prevalent and easier to deal with. I liked this a lot, as it gave his character and storyline a more realistic undertone rather than just being some overly sappy fairy-tale.
The other main character, Jesse, was not very special though: he was just your average sweet yet shy guy. That's not to say I didn't like him, because I did, but I was just generally more interested in Ian and I tended to understand his point of view more than I did Jesse's. I would have preferred it if Jesse had maybe shown a bit more understanding and been slightly less dismissive (even though he wasn't trying to be, because he genuinely had the best intentions).
Long story short, there is a lot of drama going on here, with plenty of angst and an engaging plot. What's mostly missing are some more bonding scenes between Ian and Jesse: why did these two love each other and how did they get to that point?
I am just going to be blunt and say outright that this novella was a whole bunch of nothing. It's honestly some sort of talent on itself to be able to turn a premise so right up my alley into a novella I am this incredibly disinterested in. Yet, this novella somehow manages. I could have genuinely not cared or felt any less.
I am trying to come up with other words to describe this novella other than simply "nothing", but I am finding it to be rather difficult. I mean.. This plot? It gave nothing. These characters? They gave nothing. Their romance? NOTHING. It was so devastatingly boring and meaningless. Absolutely no aspect of this novella was well-developed and everything that happened was so freaking.... NOTHINGGGG.
For two people who have apparently been secretly in love since like forever, Ash and Max have the most dry emotions toward each other imaginable. A sack of potatoes has more feelings than these two, honest to God. Especially Ash.. Damn, that dude had no personality whatsoever. I would have figured he would show his love towards Max a bit more, but not even his inner thoughts showed much care or affection towards the guy. So utterly disappointing.
If I'm being honest, there was only one character in this novella who peaked my interest and it was one of the side-characters: Jordan. He was Ash's ex-boyfriend who had/has a crush on Max. I actually think this novella would have been a hell of a lot better if it had focused on Max and Jordan and have them get together. I mean, they had more chemistry during their one scene together than Max and Ash had this entire novella.
Long story short, this was a complete waste of time and I would recommend it to exactly no one. Literally, there is no point. The read is not enjoyable and the pay-off could not possibly leave me any more cold. Nope. Nope. Nope. SKIP.
UPDATE: Jordan got his own story in the 'Famous' series with the book Encore. That book will not make a lot of sense if you don't read the rest of the series first though, so I would recommend reading all of them if you're interested in reading Jordan's story. I do have to say that, in my opinion, it wasn't that great of a book, so if the series as a whole doesn't peak your interest, I wouldn't sit through them all just to get to Encore.
I am trying to come up with other words to describe this novella other than simply "nothing", but I am finding it to be rather difficult. I mean.. This plot? It gave nothing. These characters? They gave nothing. Their romance? NOTHING. It was so devastatingly boring and meaningless. Absolutely no aspect of this novella was well-developed and everything that happened was so freaking.... NOTHINGGGG.
For two people who have apparently been secretly in love since like forever, Ash and Max have the most dry emotions toward each other imaginable. A sack of potatoes has more feelings than these two, honest to God. Especially Ash.. Damn, that dude had no personality whatsoever. I would have figured he would show his love towards Max a bit more, but not even his inner thoughts showed much care or affection towards the guy. So utterly disappointing.
If I'm being honest, there was only one character in this novella who peaked my interest and it was one of the side-characters: Jordan. He was Ash's ex-boyfriend who had/has a crush on Max. I actually think this novella would have been a hell of a lot better if it had focused on Max and Jordan and have them get together. I mean, they had more chemistry during their one scene together than Max and Ash had this entire novella.
Long story short, this was a complete waste of time and I would recommend it to exactly no one. Literally, there is no point. The read is not enjoyable and the pay-off could not possibly leave me any more cold. Nope. Nope. Nope. SKIP.
UPDATE: Jordan got his own story in the 'Famous' series with the book Encore. That book will not make a lot of sense if you don't read the rest of the series first though, so I would recommend reading all of them if you're interested in reading Jordan's story. I do have to say that, in my opinion, it wasn't that great of a book, so if the series as a whole doesn't peak your interest, I wouldn't sit through them all just to get to Encore.
Okay, so, there are things I really liked about this book, but also things I really did not like. Thus leaving me with mostly mixed feelings about the book in general.
I enjoyed reading this book, I really did, but I was never enthralled by it or anything. I guess the emotional factor was always a bit on the down low, making it hard to really connect with the characters, rather than merely being interested in the plot.
And that's exactly what it was for me: I was interested in what was happening and certain points that were being made, but I wasn't feeling it. The feelings were missing, and those are really important to me.
The main character, Rafe, is a bit of a difficult person to pin down. On the one hand he is very authentic: flawed although never having any bad intentions, but on the other hand he did grate on me, especially when he was ignorant or oblivious. How he doesn't understand what he did to Ben was seriously not cool is quite baffling. It is so obvious why Ben would feel betrayed, yet Rafe never really gets it...
Besides my complicated feelings towards Rafe, though, there are plenty other characters who I did unapologetically like, such as Toby and Albie, but first and foremost: Ben. Ben was a breath of fresh air in this novel, as he was quite literally a golden retriever in human form. He gave me a bit of a break from all the weird looks I had to give my book while reading some of the extravagant or odd antics of some of the other characters. Not saying these couldn't be funny, but it wasn't exactly normal and in the case of Rafe’s parents it was honestly just flat-out annoying. Those two would honestly drive me absolutely bat-shit crazy in real life. Anyway, as I was saying, Ben was a break from all that. He was smart, funny, loyal and sweet: I could totally see why Rafe fell for him, and although I do think their relationship was adorable and could have potentially even been really good, I don't necessarily think they should 'get back together' (if they were ever even really together to begin with, which is surely debatable). Their basis is just too fucked up to ever really get over, I think.
The writing style in this novel was also something I was on the fence about. Although I liked the writing overall, I wasn't a big fan of the interludes with Rafe writing to his teacher. They were boring to me and did not add much to the overall story, in my opinion.
Anyhow, I definitely had fun with this book and I don't mind having read it at all. But.. that's about it. No big feelings here. Just an interesting discussion about labels and a moderately high level of enjoyment.
I enjoyed reading this book, I really did, but I was never enthralled by it or anything. I guess the emotional factor was always a bit on the down low, making it hard to really connect with the characters, rather than merely being interested in the plot.
And that's exactly what it was for me: I was interested in what was happening and certain points that were being made, but I wasn't feeling it. The feelings were missing, and those are really important to me.
The main character, Rafe, is a bit of a difficult person to pin down. On the one hand he is very authentic: flawed although never having any bad intentions, but on the other hand he did grate on me, especially when he was ignorant or oblivious. How he doesn't understand what he did to Ben was seriously not cool is quite baffling. It is so obvious why Ben would feel betrayed, yet Rafe never really gets it...
Besides my complicated feelings towards Rafe, though, there are plenty other characters who I did unapologetically like, such as Toby and Albie, but first and foremost: Ben. Ben was a breath of fresh air in this novel, as he was quite literally a golden retriever in human form. He gave me a bit of a break from all the weird looks I had to give my book while reading some of the extravagant or odd antics of some of the other characters. Not saying these couldn't be funny, but it wasn't exactly normal and in the case of Rafe’s parents it was honestly just flat-out annoying. Those two would honestly drive me absolutely bat-shit crazy in real life. Anyway, as I was saying, Ben was a break from all that. He was smart, funny, loyal and sweet: I could totally see why Rafe fell for him, and although I do think their relationship was adorable and could have potentially even been really good, I don't necessarily think they should 'get back together' (if they were ever even really together to begin with, which is surely debatable). Their basis is just too fucked up to ever really get over, I think.
The writing style in this novel was also something I was on the fence about. Although I liked the writing overall, I wasn't a big fan of the interludes with Rafe writing to his teacher. They were boring to me and did not add much to the overall story, in my opinion.
Anyhow, I definitely had fun with this book and I don't mind having read it at all. But.. that's about it. No big feelings here. Just an interesting discussion about labels and a moderately high level of enjoyment.
Oh my God… This was an absolute snooze-fest. I don't think there is any other book I can think of that I found more boring than this one. It was honestly terrible. I could not find it in me to care even a little bit about these wooden characters or the most uninteresting plot ever. The writing style also seemed to be designed to lull me to sleep or something, because it was so freaking dry.
Literally, I could not wait to be done with this book. Every time I thought I might be reaching the end, I had to hold myself back from screaming angrily whenever a new chapter popped up. I wasn't even that surprised that when I finally reached that final page, I almost cried happy tears. I wish I was kidding, but unfortunately I am not. I was legit making sobbing sounds.
This whole thing was just a complete disaster from beginning to end: it began awfully boring and it ended awfully boring. Unfortunately though, it ended not only on a boring note, but also on an annoying note. The constant miscommunications were making my eyes roll so far, I was afraid they were going to get stuck. These people are genuinely incapable of having a conversation. Literally. Not even just about the big stuff, but also in general. Why were they even in love? Who the hell knows. I'm guessing it was the sex. I'm pretty sure it's even said at one point that their 'thing' has always been sex. So yea, I guess that's a healthy relationship…. Very deep… *swoon*, I guess??
This book just drained me. Maybe I should have stopped reading.. I know I probably should have. It's truly too bad I can't seem to get myself to quit books ever. However, I've never been as close to it as with this book. Swear.
As if things couldn't get any worse.. I developed a very nasty headache while reading this book. And although it might not be entirely rational to blame this book for it, I do. I really freaking do. I just know my brain decided to protest again this monstrosity.
Literally, I could not wait to be done with this book. Every time I thought I might be reaching the end, I had to hold myself back from screaming angrily whenever a new chapter popped up. I wasn't even that surprised that when I finally reached that final page, I almost cried happy tears. I wish I was kidding, but unfortunately I am not. I was legit making sobbing sounds.
This whole thing was just a complete disaster from beginning to end: it began awfully boring and it ended awfully boring. Unfortunately though, it ended not only on a boring note, but also on an annoying note. The constant miscommunications were making my eyes roll so far, I was afraid they were going to get stuck. These people are genuinely incapable of having a conversation. Literally. Not even just about the big stuff, but also in general. Why were they even in love? Who the hell knows. I'm guessing it was the sex. I'm pretty sure it's even said at one point that their 'thing' has always been sex. So yea, I guess that's a healthy relationship…. Very deep… *swoon*, I guess??
This book just drained me. Maybe I should have stopped reading.. I know I probably should have. It's truly too bad I can't seem to get myself to quit books ever. However, I've never been as close to it as with this book. Swear.
As if things couldn't get any worse.. I developed a very nasty headache while reading this book. And although it might not be entirely rational to blame this book for it, I do. I really freaking do. I just know my brain decided to protest again this monstrosity.
Jeez.. That was definitely a whole lot of sex.
This book started out quite alright. Nothing too spectacular, but it was fine.
Tate and Logan definitely had a 'lust at first sight' thing going on, which isn't my favourite, but the chase was entertaining enough.
However, once Tate gave in to Logan, it all went incredibly downhill. They started to have sex, which in their case meant that they started to only have sex. Everything was about sex in their relationship and I was so bored with it.
Not to mention, the sex scenes were so bland yet soooooo dragged out. These scenes went on forever and it drove me mad, and not in a good way.
None of these characters are very well-developed or interesting, but their initial chemistry was good enough for this novel to have the potential to be somewhat enjoyable. The sex just ruined it. It took over the entire plot and makes this book a failure. Sex in books is perfectly fine, it can even add a lot to some relationships, but there needs to be a foundation. There wasn't one here and it's just a no from me. It's all so freaking repetitive.
This book started out quite alright. Nothing too spectacular, but it was fine.
Tate and Logan definitely had a 'lust at first sight' thing going on, which isn't my favourite, but the chase was entertaining enough.
However, once Tate gave in to Logan, it all went incredibly downhill. They started to have sex, which in their case meant that they started to only have sex. Everything was about sex in their relationship and I was so bored with it.
Not to mention, the sex scenes were so bland yet soooooo dragged out. These scenes went on forever and it drove me mad, and not in a good way.
None of these characters are very well-developed or interesting, but their initial chemistry was good enough for this novel to have the potential to be somewhat enjoyable. The sex just ruined it. It took over the entire plot and makes this book a failure. Sex in books is perfectly fine, it can even add a lot to some relationships, but there needs to be a foundation. There wasn't one here and it's just a no from me. It's all so freaking repetitive.
This book was just pure sweetness. There is no drama, no conflict, no jealousy or insecurities: this book is basically as low-angst as can be.
Of course, I prefer my books to be a little bit more angsty than that, but if that is not your cup of tea, then this story is absolutely perfect.
Thus, whereas I was missing some more big moments, others might like the easy-breazy nature this novella's got going on.
However, aside from the angst part, there was also some development missing for me: although I could see the connection between these two guys very clearly, I would have preferred for them to have a little bit less of an insta-love going on. As it was now, Casey was already in love with Rylan years before the book even started, and Rylan practically fell in love with Casey the very first time he saw him again in this particular book. So yea, that was definitely a bit fast for me.
It does need to be said, though, that although their feelings were already present way too fast for my liking, their relationship did go at quite a slow pace. They did not rush into anything and they actually didn't get together until rather late in the book.
I also really love that they truly seemed to get to know each other (even if a lot of that happens off page as well). Their bond and connection is definitely there, I just wish it would have been shown a bit more explicitly.
And, of course, I would have personally also loved a bit more drama in the relationship rather than the incredible sweetness that could make your teeth ache if you get too much of it.
I also just want to get off my chest how much I disliked the 'brother' in this. He was the world's worst best friend ever and completely overbearing when it came to his younger brother. I do not quite understand why Rylan was even besties with someone who thought so little of him and spoke in such a degrading way towards him, but hey, whatever. I guess the guy sort of redeemed himself in the end. So happily ever after, right?
Of course, I prefer my books to be a little bit more angsty than that, but if that is not your cup of tea, then this story is absolutely perfect.
Thus, whereas I was missing some more big moments, others might like the easy-breazy nature this novella's got going on.
However, aside from the angst part, there was also some development missing for me: although I could see the connection between these two guys very clearly, I would have preferred for them to have a little bit less of an insta-love going on. As it was now, Casey was already in love with Rylan years before the book even started, and Rylan practically fell in love with Casey the very first time he saw him again in this particular book. So yea, that was definitely a bit fast for me.
It does need to be said, though, that although their feelings were already present way too fast for my liking, their relationship did go at quite a slow pace. They did not rush into anything and they actually didn't get together until rather late in the book.
I also really love that they truly seemed to get to know each other (even if a lot of that happens off page as well). Their bond and connection is definitely there, I just wish it would have been shown a bit more explicitly.
And, of course, I would have personally also loved a bit more drama in the relationship rather than the incredible sweetness that could make your teeth ache if you get too much of it.
I also just want to get off my chest how much I disliked the 'brother' in this. He was the world's worst best friend ever and completely overbearing when it came to his younger brother. I do not quite understand why Rylan was even besties with someone who thought so little of him and spoke in such a degrading way towards him, but hey, whatever. I guess the guy sort of redeemed himself in the end. So happily ever after, right?
Aww, I am so happy this was about Beck and Jacobs. They are undoubtedly my favorite couple in this series, and although this was incredibly short, I still enjoyed seeing them together for one last time. They are a great way to end this series as a whole. Especially when they're getting freaking married!! Love it.