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mythriser14's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I loved the premise of this book and would have loved it had not a few simple things ruined it for me, firstly being that the underlying issues are just a load of crap. Everything that has ever gone wrong in Reese’s life is because she is a girl, which makes her less than a pathetic figure because the extent of her problems are unrealistic at best. She’s also a weak character that can’t fight any of her own battles. Her charm and wit is negated by the uselessness of her character. Benny is very similar in my eyes. I love him as a character, but he was done wrong as his sweetness curdled into enabling, which is 1. Unrealistic and 2. Ridiculous. Instead of being sweet, his passivity paints him as someone who can’t have an original thought of his own.
And this whole feministic garbage that the world is anti-woman and women are treated so inferior to men? A load of crap. After 23 years being born, raised, attending college, and entering the “real world” as a girl, not once has anything remotely sexist happened to me. It’s a perceived notion that has more to do with those who cry sexism than the world around them - hence what makes Reese such a poor character.
For example, one of the most “offensive” scenes is when a famous male CHEF implies that Reese belongs in the kitchen “because she’s a girl.” Dude. Coming from a chef I think that should be a compliment.
And I guess my other issue is that I wish there was less cussing.
Overall it would have been cute if it hadn’t become so unbearably pushing an agenda.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism and Cursing
savannahsauls's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Sexism
bookrecsbyjess's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC.
The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the cute cover, but then I read the synopsis and was hooked!
While this book had a lot of good qualities, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I would rate this a 3.5 out of 5 stars (not bad but not awesome).
What I loved most about this book was Benny. He’s so wholesome and sweet, and I just wanted to give him a huge hug. He treated Reese so well even when she didn’t deserve it (which was most of the time…).
I also found the premise of this story to be very interesting, unique, and relevant. The whole social media and video series elements were done very well including the unfortunate reality of cyber bullying.
I liked how the author tackled the topic of cyber bullying in a real and emotional way. Also, the food puns in this book were fun and added to the cooking theme in the story.
While there were many good aspects to this book, there were two parts that made this book fall flat for me.
The first being Reese as a character. The author had the opportunity to use Reese to show how a strong woman can handle the realities of sexism in the workplace. While I think this is what the author was trying to do, I felt that she made Reese too dislikable to make any sort of good impact.
Reese was so terrible to Benny, and she was constantly jumping to conclusions about what was happening in her life and what other people thought of her. It was so frustrating watching her push Benny away over and over again when he did nothing wrong to her. He was so good to her, and she treated him like trash.
The other aspect that bothered me in this story was how the author used her characters to push her views when it didn’t fit naturally in the story. Reese mentioned several times her disagreements with her church growing up, but it had no relevance to the story.
Also, how am I supposed to believe that Benny didn’t have any girls that liked him in high school when he is a complete cupcake? Honestly, he was respectful, a good listener, kind, and good looking. It was not believable that Reese was the first person to show interest in him.
Overall, this was a good book but not great.
The first thing that caught my eye about this book was the cute cover, but then I read the synopsis and was hooked!
While this book had a lot of good qualities, it didn’t live up to my expectations. I would rate this a 3.5 out of 5 stars (not bad but not awesome).
What I loved most about this book was Benny. He’s so wholesome and sweet, and I just wanted to give him a huge hug. He treated Reese so well even when she didn’t deserve it (which was most of the time…).
I also found the premise of this story to be very interesting, unique, and relevant. The whole social media and video series elements were done very well including the unfortunate reality of cyber bullying.
I liked how the author tackled the topic of cyber bullying in a real and emotional way. Also, the food puns in this book were fun and added to the cooking theme in the story.
While there were many good aspects to this book, there were two parts that made this book fall flat for me.
The first being Reese as a character. The author had the opportunity to use Reese to show how a strong woman can handle the realities of sexism in the workplace. While I think this is what the author was trying to do, I felt that she made Reese too dislikable to make any sort of good impact.
Reese was so terrible to Benny, and she was constantly jumping to conclusions about what was happening in her life and what other people thought of her. It was so frustrating watching her push Benny away over and over again when he did nothing wrong to her. He was so good to her, and she treated him like trash.
The other aspect that bothered me in this story was how the author used her characters to push her views when it didn’t fit naturally in the story. Reese mentioned several times her disagreements with her church growing up, but it had no relevance to the story.
Also, how am I supposed to believe that Benny didn’t have any girls that liked him in high school when he is a complete cupcake? Honestly, he was respectful, a good listener, kind, and good looking. It was not believable that Reese was the first person to show interest in him.
Overall, this was a good book but not great.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol