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thebiglittlelibrary's Reviews (622)
3 ⭐️ Cute but forgettable
I liked it. However, I didn’t ever feel super attached to characters. This may be due to the length of the story, but there are also time jumps that took up a majority of the story, and I found them necessary but annoying. The story would have been better if it was told chronologically and focused more on the present.
I liked it. However, I didn’t ever feel super attached to characters. This may be due to the length of the story, but there are also time jumps that took up a majority of the story, and I found them necessary but annoying. The story would have been better if it was told chronologically and focused more on the present.
2.5⭐️ I didn’t hate it but I didn’t like it either.
I can see why people may like this book. The premise is interesting enough, the romance is sweet and sexy, the college atmosphere is fun and I LOVE Henry. However, there were too many issues for me to enjoy the story. And it got to the point where about halfway, I kept thinking, "When is this over."
So what were the issues?
1. The story was too long. Not only is it extremely wordy but there are completely unnecessary plot points. 100 pages minimum should have been cut.
2. The pacing was off. The first half of this book is mostly random college shenanigans and romance development, but around 50% I was wondering, what's the point of this story? Shortly after, the real sports drama happens. But by that point, I'm 200 pages in, the romance is completely developed and I have another 200 pages to go....I lost interest.
3. The romantic arc was complete at 50%, but for a romance novel, it should have happened much later. By 50%, Anastasia and Nathan are happy, in love, and playing house. There's no tension and their relationship doesn't really go through any hardships after. So romantically, the story was boring by this point.
4. The sex scenes were great but repetitive to the point where once again I lost interest. Tension and buildup are key to any great romance. And they have that for maybe 30% of the book and then it all just comes together. Boring.
5. Nathan has zero flaws. Looks, I like how sweet and supportive he is, but I like stories where both characters have things to work through. It just makes them more 3-dimensional and interesting.
5. Anastasia was frustrating. To some people who try to push her around, she was stubborn and curt, but only to Aaron was she a massive pushover. And why on earth was she constantly overlooking and forgiving him for the TERRIBLE things he did and said??? Why?? Because he was her skating partner? Because she couldn't find another? That is not a good enough reason in my opinion. Especially when this girl has been to therapy since she was 10 years old, yet she somehow justified Aaron's toxic behavior and put his needs above hers. It also pissed me off that Lola didn't see this behavior as being toxic either, and how EVERYONE on the hockey team did, yet neither girl would believe them or take action.
It also really bothered me when Nathan brought up real concerns about Aaron, Anastasia tells him he needs to talk more respectfully to her when he in reality wasn't being disrespectful; he was just frustrated. But then she lets Aaron talk to her like she's garbage???? Make it make sense.
Also, Anastasia makes a comment that Nathan can't process emotions as well as her because he hasn't had hours of therapy like her. First off, rude of you to make assumptions. Second, false. She has been walked over by Aaron for years, so I don't really think she's one to talk.
6. College is not like this. Yes, there are parties and hot athletes, but these relationships were just so far-fetched I couldn't ever believe it, even for the sake of the story. There's no way a house full of hockey players get along that well and welcome two random girls to live with them. But really, the most unrealistic part is two girls living in a hockey house. lol There's no way they would want to live there because there's NO WAY that house would be sanitary. I don't care what anyone says. I've been to my fair share of frat and athlete parties, and I had NEVER seen a clean college all-boys house.
7. I still don't get Aarons's motives. Was he in love with Anastasia or was he just controlling? Maybe both? Idk. I also don't really care.
8. What was the point of Ryan? He and Anastasian were casually hooking up and then later stop because she was with Nathan and he was with another girl. I thought there would be a love triangle. But they remain friends...'best friends' according to Anastasia. This was weird and unrealistic. It's weird because Lola is actually her best friend and Anastasia interacts with the other hockey guys more throughout the book. Yet she calls Ryan her bestie but he only seems to randomly pop back up in her life to push the story along. It's also an unrealistic relationship because there is ZERO chance of college 'best friend' f*ck buddies being mature enough not to catch more feelings and stay friends after the arrangement. It always ends messy. So yeah, this relationship is a nice idea, but not plausible. So I'll ask again, what was the point of him in this story? My guess is it was to show Anastasia casually has sex and doesn't want commitment. But the author could have just told me this without introducing another pointless character.
9. The trope that shows up in the epilogue is not my cup of tea. I expected it because it was brought up multiple times throughout the story, but I'm not a fan.
Overall, Icebreaker had A LOT of potential but ultimately fell flat for me. My biggest issue though was the length. If it were shorter, I would have enjoyed it more.
I can see why people may like this book. The premise is interesting enough, the romance is sweet and sexy, the college atmosphere is fun and I LOVE Henry. However, there were too many issues for me to enjoy the story. And it got to the point where about halfway, I kept thinking, "When is this over."
So what were the issues?
1. The story was too long. Not only is it extremely wordy but there are completely unnecessary plot points. 100 pages minimum should have been cut.
2. The pacing was off. The first half of this book is mostly random college shenanigans and romance development, but around 50% I was wondering, what's the point of this story? Shortly after, the real sports drama happens. But by that point, I'm 200 pages in, the romance is completely developed and I have another 200 pages to go....I lost interest.
3. The romantic arc was complete at 50%, but for a romance novel, it should have happened much later. By 50%, Anastasia and Nathan are happy, in love, and playing house. There's no tension and their relationship doesn't really go through any hardships after. So romantically, the story was boring by this point.
4. The sex scenes were great but repetitive to the point where once again I lost interest. Tension and buildup are key to any great romance. And they have that for maybe 30% of the book and then it all just comes together. Boring.
5. Nathan has zero flaws. Looks, I like how sweet and supportive he is, but I like stories where both characters have things to work through. It just makes them more 3-dimensional and interesting.
5. Anastasia was frustrating. To some people who try to push her around, she was stubborn and curt, but only to Aaron was she a massive pushover. And why on earth was she constantly overlooking and forgiving him for the TERRIBLE things he did and said??? Why?? Because he was her skating partner? Because she couldn't find another? That is not a good enough reason in my opinion. Especially when this girl has been to therapy since she was 10 years old, yet she somehow justified Aaron's toxic behavior and put his needs above hers. It also pissed me off that Lola didn't see this behavior as being toxic either, and how EVERYONE on the hockey team did, yet neither girl would believe them or take action.
It also really bothered me when Nathan brought up real concerns about Aaron, Anastasia tells him he needs to talk more respectfully to her when he in reality wasn't being disrespectful; he was just frustrated. But then she lets Aaron talk to her like she's garbage???? Make it make sense.
Also, Anastasia makes a comment that Nathan can't process emotions as well as her because he hasn't had hours of therapy like her. First off, rude of you to make assumptions. Second, false. She has been walked over by Aaron for years, so I don't really think she's one to talk.
6. College is not like this. Yes, there are parties and hot athletes, but these relationships were just so far-fetched I couldn't ever believe it, even for the sake of the story. There's no way a house full of hockey players get along that well and welcome two random girls to live with them. But really, the most unrealistic part is two girls living in a hockey house. lol There's no way they would want to live there because there's NO WAY that house would be sanitary. I don't care what anyone says. I've been to my fair share of frat and athlete parties, and I had NEVER seen a clean college all-boys house.
7. I still don't get Aarons's motives. Was he in love with Anastasia or was he just controlling? Maybe both? Idk. I also don't really care.
8. What was the point of Ryan? He and Anastasian were casually hooking up and then later stop because she was with Nathan and he was with another girl. I thought there would be a love triangle. But they remain friends...'best friends' according to Anastasia. This was weird and unrealistic. It's weird because Lola is actually her best friend and Anastasia interacts with the other hockey guys more throughout the book. Yet she calls Ryan her bestie but he only seems to randomly pop back up in her life to push the story along. It's also an unrealistic relationship because there is ZERO chance of college 'best friend' f*ck buddies being mature enough not to catch more feelings and stay friends after the arrangement. It always ends messy. So yeah, this relationship is a nice idea, but not plausible. So I'll ask again, what was the point of him in this story? My guess is it was to show Anastasia casually has sex and doesn't want commitment. But the author could have just told me this without introducing another pointless character.
9. The trope that shows up in the epilogue is not my cup of tea. I expected it because it was brought up multiple times throughout the story, but I'm not a fan.
Overall, Icebreaker had A LOT of potential but ultimately fell flat for me. My biggest issue though was the length. If it were shorter, I would have enjoyed it more.
2 ⭐️ A sweet story, but it wasn't executed well
I received an e-ARC of this story on NetGalley in the Fall of 2021, and I finally finished one year later. Sorry, it took me so long to write this review.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ Scientist FMC with brain injury
✨ CEO/Scientist MMC
✨ Office-romance
✨ Boss x Employee
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ past trauma (emotional and physical)
✨ healing journeys
✨ spice
What I liked:
I really enjoyed the premise behind the story. A young woman suffering from a brain injury learns she is perfect just the way she is and is capable of living a fulfilled life. A CEO learns how to open his heart and what it’s like to be cared for. These main characters had a lot of potential.
I truly adored Seraphina and Milo together. They both had some things to work through, and this led to some emotional moments. Seraphina's love and guilt over the accident and her struggles with her injuries were heartbreaking. Milo’s past familial trauma was terribly sad. Both their stories gave me the feels. But how they supported and listened to one another was lovely.
What I didn't like:
The story often felt forced. Milo and Seraphina would do or say things that were out of character in order to push the story along. For example, Milo (a notorious asshole CEO who never gives anyone the time of day) happened to talk to Seraphina in a crowded elevator. Or when Seraphine (notorious for her habits and sticking to a schedule to create a sense of normalcy in her life) invites Milo up to her apartment after he drove her home, and they eat dinner and cuddle while watching tv - all things that are very unusual for her to do since she doesn’t have any friends. Or when Seraphina, who is nervous about interacting with people, in general, feels comfortable enough to have sex with her boss after only working with him for 2 months and has gone on one date.
The author repeated a lot of mundane information that we already know. I found it annoying.
There were times when background information was mentioned and then later on repeated, but then it went into further detail. It happened a lot and made the story feel disjointed.
It took a really long time to like Milo. I was specifically thrown off by how much we were supposed to dislike him. We were repeatedly told how big of an asshole he was, how he likes to have regular sex with escorts, and how he has anger problems. But there was no explanation as to why he was this way until later. But by that time, I already had a very negative opinion of him. Now, after I’ve read the story, I get it. I feel for the guy, and I’m happy he’s in a happy relationship, but I was not rooting for him for a while.
Milo’s descriptions of how petite, weightless, and hairless (down by her pussy) Seraphina was gave me the ick. I HATE when books describe women through what women think is the male gaze. Guys don’t think or talk like that. At least, not any guys I know.
The dirty talk was sometimes cringe. “You are hugging me so tight. Go easy, I don’t want to bruise you.” I’m sorry, bruise her pussy? Wtf? That’s weird. That’s not a common thing, let alone something you mention during the first time you have sex with someone.
The conflict at the end wasn’t very dramatic. It was centered on character growth, which was fine and all, but there were no consequences for the person who spurred it on - Kendall. Bitch should have been fired.
I’m conflicted as to why Sera had to apologize to Milo for her freakout. She has been through so much - losing her mom tragically and having a life-altering brain injury. She is allowed time to have freakouts and time to adjust. I just hated some of the dialogue that was around that described her as being foolish. The people who said this had the best intentions and weren’t wrong in their assessment of Seraphine during her meltdown. However, the way it was written wasn’t quite right or sensitive to someone in this situation.
Overall, I think this story has a few good qualities, but it needed more work. The story was mainly lacking development in the plot and romance. I do like how the author writes in general, but I’d just want it to be more fleshed out and sensitive to the characters and their situations.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
I received an e-ARC of this story on NetGalley in the Fall of 2021, and I finally finished one year later. Sorry, it took me so long to write this review.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ Scientist FMC with brain injury
✨ CEO/Scientist MMC
✨ Office-romance
✨ Boss x Employee
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ past trauma (emotional and physical)
✨ healing journeys
✨ spice
What I liked:
I really enjoyed the premise behind the story. A young woman suffering from a brain injury learns she is perfect just the way she is and is capable of living a fulfilled life. A CEO learns how to open his heart and what it’s like to be cared for. These main characters had a lot of potential.
I truly adored Seraphina and Milo together. They both had some things to work through, and this led to some emotional moments. Seraphina's love and guilt over the accident and her struggles with her injuries were heartbreaking. Milo’s past familial trauma was terribly sad. Both their stories gave me the feels. But how they supported and listened to one another was lovely.
What I didn't like:
The story often felt forced. Milo and Seraphina would do or say things that were out of character in order to push the story along. For example, Milo (a notorious asshole CEO who never gives anyone the time of day) happened to talk to Seraphina in a crowded elevator. Or when Seraphine (notorious for her habits and sticking to a schedule to create a sense of normalcy in her life) invites Milo up to her apartment after he drove her home, and they eat dinner and cuddle while watching tv - all things that are very unusual for her to do since she doesn’t have any friends. Or when Seraphina, who is nervous about interacting with people, in general, feels comfortable enough to have sex with her boss after only working with him for 2 months and has gone on one date.
The author repeated a lot of mundane information that we already know. I found it annoying.
There were times when background information was mentioned and then later on repeated, but then it went into further detail. It happened a lot and made the story feel disjointed.
It took a really long time to like Milo. I was specifically thrown off by how much we were supposed to dislike him. We were repeatedly told how big of an asshole he was, how he likes to have regular sex with escorts, and how he has anger problems. But there was no explanation as to why he was this way until later. But by that time, I already had a very negative opinion of him. Now, after I’ve read the story, I get it. I feel for the guy, and I’m happy he’s in a happy relationship, but I was not rooting for him for a while.
Milo’s descriptions of how petite, weightless, and hairless (down by her pussy) Seraphina was gave me the ick. I HATE when books describe women through what women think is the male gaze. Guys don’t think or talk like that. At least, not any guys I know.
The dirty talk was sometimes cringe. “You are hugging me so tight. Go easy, I don’t want to bruise you.” I’m sorry, bruise her pussy? Wtf? That’s weird. That’s not a common thing, let alone something you mention during the first time you have sex with someone.
The conflict at the end wasn’t very dramatic. It was centered on character growth, which was fine and all, but there were no consequences for the person who spurred it on - Kendall. Bitch should have been fired.
I’m conflicted as to why Sera had to apologize to Milo for her freakout. She has been through so much - losing her mom tragically and having a life-altering brain injury. She is allowed time to have freakouts and time to adjust. I just hated some of the dialogue that was around that described her as being foolish. The people who said this had the best intentions and weren’t wrong in their assessment of Seraphine during her meltdown. However, the way it was written wasn’t quite right or sensitive to someone in this situation.
Overall, I think this story has a few good qualities, but it needed more work. The story was mainly lacking development in the plot and romance. I do like how the author writes in general, but I’d just want it to be more fleshed out and sensitive to the characters and their situations.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
5 ⭐️ My favorite Ali Hazelwood book yet!!!!
"That’s not how love works, Elsie. But don’t worry, I’ll show you.”
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ STEM romance
✨ he's a straightforward, confident, perceptive, head of the MIT Physics Institute
✨ she's a broke, people-pleasing, adjunct professor of physics interviewing for her dream job at MIT
✨ academic rivals/hate to lovers
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ fake dating (his brother)
✨ he falls first
✨ lots of tension
✨ amazing banter
✨ slow burn
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ "let me take care of you"
✨ complicated family dynamics
✨ found family
✨ lie by omission
✨ HEA
✨ single pov
✨ twilight references
✨ diabetes representation
✨ ace/aro spectrum representation
✨ Adam and Olive from The Love Hypothesis cameo
My Thoughts:
Absolutely LOVED!!!! Better than the Love Hypothesis (4-stars) and Love on the Brain (3-stars)! Honestly, my favorite contemporary romance of the year!
"That’s not how love works, Elsie. But don’t worry, I’ll show you.”
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ STEM romance
✨ he's a straightforward, confident, perceptive, head of the MIT Physics Institute
✨ she's a broke, people-pleasing, adjunct professor of physics interviewing for her dream job at MIT
✨ academic rivals/hate to lovers
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ fake dating (his brother)
✨ he falls first
✨ lots of tension
✨ amazing banter
✨ slow burn
✨ 2.5/5 spice
✨ "let me take care of you"
✨ complicated family dynamics
✨ found family
✨ lie by omission
✨ HEA
✨ single pov
✨ twilight references
✨ diabetes representation
✨ ace/aro spectrum representation
✨ Adam and Olive from The Love Hypothesis cameo
My Thoughts:
Absolutely LOVED!!!! Better than the Love Hypothesis (4-stars) and Love on the Brain (3-stars)! Honestly, my favorite contemporary romance of the year!
25% DNF
This was like going on a date with someone who on paper is perfect but turns out to be the absolute worst.
The Tease has everything I should like - forbidden romance, dad’s ‘best’ friend, age gap, sex party, and kinky - but the writing wasn’t great, the premise was problematic, and the characters were overly complicated and not introduced well.
The writing. It’s way too literal and there’s a lack of prose. Some of the wording is awkward and unnatural. And there’s a lot of specific mundane details shared that’s not important to the story but seems to be included to create a setting, but it’s truly unnecessary. There’s also a lot of leading the reader and situations where the characters are like, “huh….something is familiar” or “I can’t quite put my finger on it” when it’s so obvious to the reader what’s going on.
The characters are overly complicated for no reason. The MMC is recently divorced and also recently discovered he has a 7 year old son from a one night stand he had in Rome with a random woman who is now dead. The FMC is a virgin with some weird past with an ex that has caused her to not trust people and therefore hasn’t had sex but she’s incredibly horny and goes to therapy because she’s afraid she had too many deviant intrusive thoughts and has felt shame about them. But it mostly just seems like she’s super into role play and being pleasured so….yeah.
This was like going on a date with someone who on paper is perfect but turns out to be the absolute worst.
The Tease has everything I should like - forbidden romance, dad’s ‘best’ friend, age gap, sex party, and kinky - but the writing wasn’t great, the premise was problematic, and the characters were overly complicated and not introduced well.
The writing. It’s way too literal and there’s a lack of prose. Some of the wording is awkward and unnatural. And there’s a lot of specific mundane details shared that’s not important to the story but seems to be included to create a setting, but it’s truly unnecessary. There’s also a lot of leading the reader and situations where the characters are like, “huh….something is familiar” or “I can’t quite put my finger on it” when it’s so obvious to the reader what’s going on.
The characters are overly complicated for no reason. The MMC is recently divorced and also recently discovered he has a 7 year old son from a one night stand he had in Rome with a random woman who is now dead. The FMC is a virgin with some weird past with an ex that has caused her to not trust people and therefore hasn’t had sex but she’s incredibly horny and goes to therapy because she’s afraid she had too many deviant intrusive thoughts and has felt shame about them. But it mostly just seems like she’s super into role play and being pleasured so….yeah.
4 ⭐️ This was so much fun!
"It's a travel sh*tstorm and we're stuck in it together."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ he's a kind, 'married to his work' consultant trying to get home to see his mom and sister
✨ she's a carefree, fun-loving dancer trying to make it to her sister's wedding
✨ they get off on the wrong foot
✨ everything goes wrong
✨ road trip shenanigans
✨ forced proximity
✨ opposite attract
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ great banter
✨ lots of tension
✨ denial of attraction
✨ miscommunication
✨ 2/5 spice
✨ light exhibitionism and hot car sex
✨ complicated family dynamics
✨ third act breakup (but it makes sense)
✨ HEA
✨ dual pov
My Thoughts:
Is the story ridiculous? Yes! But is it worth the read? Absolutely!
The entire plot centers around everything going wrong, yet somehow, the story felt entirely plausible in an unrealistic, fun, rom-com way. Cassidy and Luke may have just been trying to get home, but what they find in themselves and with each other along the way changes their lives forever.
Here's what I love most about this story:
The complexity of the characters. Cassidy and Luke have different personalities, interesting backstories, unique family histories, and relatable insecurities. And what I appreciate most is that Livy Hart took her time peeling back the layers to these characters so we progressively understand and fall in love with them throughout the story. PS: This one's for the girlies who've never felt good enough.
The romance between Cassidy and Luke. They are total opposites. Yet somehow, they are exactly what they needed. Both Cassidy and Luke's family dramas and insecurities are inextricably linked, and it was heartbreaking seeing them both struggle. However, I loved how over time, they realized how those things were holding them back, and if they wanted to live a happy, fulfilled life and open themselves up fully to love, then they needed to make changes. It was wonderful watching them grow as individuals and then as a couple.
The sex scenes . .
"It's a travel sh*tstorm and we're stuck in it together."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ he's a kind, 'married to his work' consultant trying to get home to see his mom and sister
✨ she's a carefree, fun-loving dancer trying to make it to her sister's wedding
✨ they get off on the wrong foot
✨ everything goes wrong
✨ road trip shenanigans
✨ forced proximity
✨ opposite attract
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ great banter
✨ lots of tension
✨ denial of attraction
✨ miscommunication
✨ 2/5 spice
✨ light exhibitionism and hot car sex
✨ complicated family dynamics
✨ third act breakup (but it makes sense)
✨ HEA
✨ dual pov
My Thoughts:
Is the story ridiculous? Yes! But is it worth the read? Absolutely!
The entire plot centers around everything going wrong, yet somehow, the story felt entirely plausible in an unrealistic, fun, rom-com way. Cassidy and Luke may have just been trying to get home, but what they find in themselves and with each other along the way changes their lives forever.
Here's what I love most about this story:
The complexity of the characters. Cassidy and Luke have different personalities, interesting backstories, unique family histories, and relatable insecurities. And what I appreciate most is that Livy Hart took her time peeling back the layers to these characters so we progressively understand and fall in love with them throughout the story. PS: This one's for the girlies who've never felt good enough.
The romance between Cassidy and Luke. They are total opposites. Yet somehow, they are exactly what they needed. Both Cassidy and Luke's family dramas and insecurities are inextricably linked, and it was heartbreaking seeing them both struggle. However, I loved how over time, they realized how those things were holding them back, and if they wanted to live a happy, fulfilled life and open themselves up fully to love, then they needed to make changes. It was wonderful watching them grow as individuals and then as a couple.
The sex scenes . .
DNF at 25%
WHAT TO EXPECT :
✨ Small town romance
✨ Bodyguard x flower shop owner
✨ Practice dating
✨ Friends to lovers
✨ Insta - lust
✨ Virgin FMC
✨ Bad boy MMC
✨ Zero spice / closed door
Why did I DNF?
I HATED the female lead, Annie. This grown woman is sooooooooo annoyingly childish. She legit calls the MMC “a stingy butt munch" . . . Are we five fucking years old??? Also, she doesn't swear, which I'm 100% okay with. However, what I'm not okay with is the fact she has a No Swear Notebook where her and her siblings put a tally mark every time they swear. . . It just made me cringe. Oh and she has panties and pajamas with bananas on them…yeah.
AND THEN, Annie complains how everyone only sees her as an innocent angel even though she's created this persona for herself! I mean, when you’re a quiet, mousey 27 year old virgin who doesn’t curse and you make insults like a child…yeah, of course people will perceive you that way. What the fuck do you expect?
The MMC was generic and boring. Being tattooed, ex military, and emotionally unavailable doesn't automatically make him an interesting love interest. And honestly, there's no way in hell this man who is well-traveled and 'super hot', who has dated models around the world and jumped out of airplanes, is going to fall for such a lame FMC. It doesn't make sense.
Plus, there's ZERO spice, so even if you think 'you know what, maybe I can put up with the bad because there's smut', you'd be wrong.
This story was just very surface level with boring characters and after 100 pages I just couldn't do it anymore. I know I'm in the minority here because EVERYONE raved about this book. But, I don't know what to tell you.
WHAT TO EXPECT :
✨ Small town romance
✨ Bodyguard x flower shop owner
✨ Practice dating
✨ Friends to lovers
✨ Insta - lust
✨ Virgin FMC
✨ Bad boy MMC
✨ Zero spice / closed door
Why did I DNF?
I HATED the female lead, Annie. This grown woman is sooooooooo annoyingly childish. She legit calls the MMC “a stingy butt munch" . . . Are we five fucking years old??? Also, she doesn't swear, which I'm 100% okay with. However, what I'm not okay with is the fact she has a No Swear Notebook where her and her siblings put a tally mark every time they swear. . . It just made me cringe. Oh and she has panties and pajamas with bananas on them…yeah.
AND THEN, Annie complains how everyone only sees her as an innocent angel even though she's created this persona for herself! I mean, when you’re a quiet, mousey 27 year old virgin who doesn’t curse and you make insults like a child…yeah, of course people will perceive you that way. What the fuck do you expect?
The MMC was generic and boring. Being tattooed, ex military, and emotionally unavailable doesn't automatically make him an interesting love interest. And honestly, there's no way in hell this man who is well-traveled and 'super hot', who has dated models around the world and jumped out of airplanes, is going to fall for such a lame FMC. It doesn't make sense.
Plus, there's ZERO spice, so even if you think 'you know what, maybe I can put up with the bad because there's smut', you'd be wrong.
This story was just very surface level with boring characters and after 100 pages I just couldn't do it anymore. I know I'm in the minority here because EVERYONE raved about this book. But, I don't know what to tell you.
3 ⭐️ This is a cute story about how even though a first date can go horribly wrong, sometimes fate has other plan
"I can't help it. I won't apologize for wanting you. And, fuck, do I want you, Mia."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ bad first blind date
✨ she’s a sweet, family oriented teacher
✨ he’s her father’s new, young boss/nemesis
✨ dislike to love
✨ forbidden romance
✨ bickering and tension
✨ slow burn
✨ 3/5
"I can't help it. I won't apologize for wanting you. And, fuck, do I want you, Mia."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ bad first blind date
✨ she’s a sweet, family oriented teacher
✨ he’s her father’s new, young boss/nemesis
✨ dislike to love
✨ forbidden romance
✨ bickering and tension
✨ slow burn
✨ 3/5
2 ⭐️ Sadly this wasn't for me
"All I've ever wanted is for you to hate me. I couldn't hate you if I wanted to. I wish I could, but I can't."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ childhood pain in the ass
✨ she’s a photojournalist prone to act first and think later
✨ he’s owns a hedge fund who's a control freak
✨ both MCs keep people they love at a distance
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ opposites attract
✨ age gap (27/33)
✨ banter
✨ 3/5
"All I've ever wanted is for you to hate me. I couldn't hate you if I wanted to. I wish I could, but I can't."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ childhood pain in the ass
✨ she’s a photojournalist prone to act first and think later
✨ he’s owns a hedge fund who's a control freak
✨ both MCs keep people they love at a distance
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ opposites attract
✨ age gap (27/33)
✨ banter
✨ 3/5
✨ 25% DNF ✨ Well, that was disappointing
"Do you make it a habit to compliment everyone who's trying to kill you?
"Not everyone. Just you."
^The one quote I enjoyed.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ romantasy
✨ wartime story
✨ 'chosen one' journey
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ instant hate and attraction
✨ shadows vs light
✨ marriage of convenience
✨ slow burn
✨ he falls first
✨ 1 open door
"Do you make it a habit to compliment everyone who's trying to kill you?
"Not everyone. Just you."
^The one quote I enjoyed.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ romantasy
✨ wartime story
✨ 'chosen one' journey
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ instant hate and attraction
✨ shadows vs light
✨ marriage of convenience
✨ slow burn
✨ he falls first
✨ 1 open door