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now_booking's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4-4.5 Stars!
I admittedly am not the biggest fan of enemies-to-lovers romances. They stress me out and I personally don’t understand the point of investing so much banter and negative energy in someone you purportedly despise but here we are. I decided to read this and I actually really enjoyed it. Perhaps it’s because I listened to it in audio and Scarlette Hayes did such a good job on it, or perhaps it’s because from the beginning, it is beyond obvious that the hero is gone over the heroine and is being the trope of “somewhat emotionally-stunted character struggles to show their feelings.” Nonetheless, there’s something in this that really worked for me and I loved it.
The premise is that Catalina needs a fake date to attend her sister’s wedding in Spain after lying to her family about being in a relationship so they wouldn’t worry about her still being broken after a devastating break up back home. Her only option seems to be the incongruous offer from her work nemesis, Aaron, who agrees to play the part of her boyfriend in front of her family. But being thrown together makes them dig deep into the animosity between them.
I think my favourite part of this is the exploration of sexism in academia and in the work place. There are scenes where Catalina’s experience reflects the inherent bias and misogyny that exists in professional spheres where women are expected to fulfill certain roles or tropes just because of their gender, or they’re subject to gossip and innuendo if they are succeeding in their careers. I also really enjoyed the discussion around “staying neutral” versus how best to support those that are being harassed in the workplace. I did not necessarily agree with Aaron’s conclusion but I thought it was a good conversation and it made me think. I think this theme was a really important part of this novel and that the author did a good job discussing this within the plot and making the trauma Lina had experienced around this really tangible.
I found the writing especially in Lina’s stream-of-consciousness mind to be cute and laugh out loud funny. There is a lot of internal monologuing in this and Lina’s mental voice is strong, and so if this is not something that you typically like, consider if this might be the book for you. I would almost say that most of this book is Lina’s internal monologue. In audio, it was fine, the narrator did a fantastic job interpreting the character, but if you’re reading it on the page, I suppose it would be a matter of taste. I typically don’t like the deception-fake relationship trope but it worked here for me. Consent was also dealt with in a stellar way, as well as workplace relationships. As a multicultural romance, I thought this did a fair job reflecting the cultural dichotomies that existed between Lina and Aaron. I think it did matter that she was from Spain and it was integral to her character.
For me, I wish we had gotten a bit more Aaron. This was mostly Lina’s book which was fine, but sometimes I was missing Aaron getting a word in edgewise. I mean admittedly Aaron is quiet and what he did have to say was impactful but I think this could have done with much more of him either having a voice or feeling more like this was his book as well. Again the author may have made the decision to focus on Lina’s story but taste-wise, I wanted more Aaron. I also think that some of the big resolution points were a little rushed and disempowering for Lina in my opinion.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this. It made me laugh and I thought it was cute and funny and enjoyable. I do recommend it!
I admittedly am not the biggest fan of enemies-to-lovers romances. They stress me out and I personally don’t understand the point of investing so much banter and negative energy in someone you purportedly despise but here we are. I decided to read this and I actually really enjoyed it. Perhaps it’s because I listened to it in audio and Scarlette Hayes did such a good job on it, or perhaps it’s because from the beginning, it is beyond obvious that the hero is gone over the heroine and is being the trope of “somewhat emotionally-stunted character struggles to show their feelings.” Nonetheless, there’s something in this that really worked for me and I loved it.
The premise is that Catalina needs a fake date to attend her sister’s wedding in Spain after lying to her family about being in a relationship so they wouldn’t worry about her still being broken after a devastating break up back home. Her only option seems to be the incongruous offer from her work nemesis, Aaron, who agrees to play the part of her boyfriend in front of her family. But being thrown together makes them dig deep into the animosity between them.
I think my favourite part of this is the exploration of sexism in academia and in the work place. There are scenes where Catalina’s experience reflects the inherent bias and misogyny that exists in professional spheres where women are expected to fulfill certain roles or tropes just because of their gender, or they’re subject to gossip and innuendo if they are succeeding in their careers. I also really enjoyed the discussion around “staying neutral” versus how best to support those that are being harassed in the workplace. I did not necessarily agree with Aaron’s conclusion but I thought it was a good conversation and it made me think. I think this theme was a really important part of this novel and that the author did a good job discussing this within the plot and making the trauma Lina had experienced around this really tangible.
I found the writing especially in Lina’s stream-of-consciousness mind to be cute and laugh out loud funny. There is a lot of internal monologuing in this and Lina’s mental voice is strong, and so if this is not something that you typically like, consider if this might be the book for you. I would almost say that most of this book is Lina’s internal monologue. In audio, it was fine, the narrator did a fantastic job interpreting the character, but if you’re reading it on the page, I suppose it would be a matter of taste. I typically don’t like the deception-fake relationship trope but it worked here for me. Consent was also dealt with in a stellar way, as well as workplace relationships. As a multicultural romance, I thought this did a fair job reflecting the cultural dichotomies that existed between Lina and Aaron. I think it did matter that she was from Spain and it was integral to her character.
For me, I wish we had gotten a bit more Aaron. This was mostly Lina’s book which was fine, but sometimes I was missing Aaron getting a word in edgewise. I mean admittedly Aaron is quiet and what he did have to say was impactful but I think this could have done with much more of him either having a voice or feeling more like this was his book as well. Again the author may have made the decision to focus on Lina’s story but taste-wise, I wanted more Aaron. I also think that some of the big resolution points were a little rushed and disempowering for Lina in my opinion.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this. It made me laugh and I thought it was cute and funny and enjoyable. I do recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Toxic relationship
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Fatphobia, and Death of parent
msharmonyb's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
ranaafathii's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
It was going really well for the most part, I was excited and basically ate through the first 85% of the book. Having read hate to love romances, I still have some doubt that this can be categorized as such. *Spoiler ahead* Aaron liking her beforehand but him just being cold did not make much sense, and the way he quickly changed, almost instantly, and without much fight felt somehow naïve to me.
*Spoiler ended*
I don't expect romances to be mind blowing by any means, I do read them just for pleasure and as a palette cleanser from other harder topic books, and I was very happy with the first bit of the book. The ending however, especially the chapter before the last, felt like it went on forever, and without much substance really, the same words being spoken over and over just had me skimming.
Overall, worthy of a read, it was spicy and sexy and fun.
*Spoiler ended*
I don't expect romances to be mind blowing by any means, I do read them just for pleasure and as a palette cleanser from other harder topic books, and I was very happy with the first bit of the book. The ending however, especially the chapter before the last, felt like it went on forever, and without much substance really, the same words being spoken over and over just had me skimming.
Overall, worthy of a read, it was spicy and sexy and fun.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, and Death of parent
kalokairi22's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
TW: fatphobia, ED
There are two major plot points driven by fatphobia, which ultimately made me not like this book. The first plot point is that a coworker of the main character is unforgivably rude and sexist to the main character, and the coworker's only defining physical trait is that he's overweight. Why was that a detail that the author had to mention at least twice? The second plot point is the main character engages in poor eating choices (skipping meals, etc.) and the love interest comes in and saves her by giving her tacos. The main character is also described as having a never-ending appetite, which I think is a tired trope perpetuated mostly by millennial women. In 2021, can't we have women characters that don't make their eating habits a central part of their personality? Some people might disagree with me and that's fine - I'd love to hear other thoughts and open up this conversation.
I also think the main couple didn't have any chemistry in the whole book. Their story of how they became "work enemies" felt unrealistic, and I hated how he didn't stand up for her when their coworker was making extremely offensive remarks to her during a small staff meeting (he goes, "you don't need anyone to fight your battles" but c'mon would it have killed you to tell your coworker to eff off? As a man, you're complicit in sexism if you don't fight against it).
If you're looking for smut, it's a decent book. For plot, I recommend you look somewhere else.
There are two major plot points driven by fatphobia, which ultimately made me not like this book. The first plot point is that a coworker of the main character is unforgivably rude and sexist to the main character, and the coworker's only defining physical trait is that he's overweight. Why was that a detail that the author had to mention at least twice? The second plot point is the main character engages in poor eating choices (skipping meals, etc.) and the love interest comes in and saves her by giving her tacos. The main character is also described as having a never-ending appetite, which I think is a tired trope perpetuated mostly by millennial women. In 2021, can't we have women characters that don't make their eating habits a central part of their personality? Some people might disagree with me and that's fine - I'd love to hear other thoughts and open up this conversation.
I also think the main couple didn't have any chemistry in the whole book. Their story of how they became "work enemies" felt unrealistic, and I hated how he didn't stand up for her when their coworker was making extremely offensive remarks to her during a small staff meeting (he goes, "you don't need anyone to fight your battles" but c'mon would it have killed you to tell your coworker to eff off? As a man, you're complicit in sexism if you don't fight against it).
If you're looking for smut, it's a decent book. For plot, I recommend you look somewhere else.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Sexism
nav26's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Everyone RAVED about this on TikTok so I had to read it, but honestly it wasn't my favourite. Some of the writing, especially the dialogue, felt choppy. And there was a lot of repetition that I felt didn't really work for the book. But some of this is probably bc the author self published so it may not have gone through the same editing process it might have. I did however really enjoy the story, and I would do anything for Aaron Blackford.
They spend like 1% of the book actually in Spain which was very annoying...the pacing was just not great.
Ok ALSO it was SO similar to The Hating Game, like basically the same plot. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I couldn't stop comparing!
They spend like 1% of the book actually in Spain which was very annoying...the pacing was just not great.
Ok ALSO it was SO similar to The Hating Game, like basically the same plot. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I couldn't stop comparing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
keatonslowlyreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. As an aroace person, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this novel as much as I did. It took a moment for me to love the main character, but I ended up loving Lina almost as much as I love Aaron. The writing and character development kept me engaged throughout the whole book. I never found myself bored with it. I even cried toward the end, which no one warned me about. Overall a very cute book that I’d definitely recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Fatphobia
hlradner's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Fatphobia
alyanthea's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
this is a slow burn, low heat workplace rivalry contemporary romance that was paced a little too slow for me. with a single POV romance, I think it’s difficult to thread those hints of what the love interest is thinking/feeling while having the protagonist remain oblivious to them. what ended up happening for me was that it was frustrating to see these very obvious hints of his interest—to the point where he says things that are really difficult to construe otherwise—go completely over the protagonist’s head. i wouldn’t call this an enemies-to-lovers because there really isn’t enough establishment of the ‘enemies’ part, or very much build-up in tension in that aspect, but it’s a decent workplace rivalry romance. i wish this book had been 20% shorter but in the end it just wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Fatphobia
the main protagonist has a history of sexist harassment from her peers, and is also harassed by an employee at her workplace multiple times.analozanomo's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
This book reminded me that i'm in love with love. A great romantic comedy with the correcto amount of spice.
It lacked diversity though, and it had a bit of a fatphobic context at the beginning
Importante TW: binge eating, food restriction
It lacked diversity though, and it had a bit of a fatphobic context at the beginning
Importante TW: binge eating, food restriction
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Terminal illness