Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Apenas Amigos

I mean, that's not how the whole immigration process would go in real life but... 🥴 If you suspend belief on that (and in general just how unlikely of a situation this would all be), it was a sweet story. And Calvin's pretty swoony... (Minus is secret and how he tries to play it. That was cringe.)

I liked the way they handled Holland standing up for herself and owning her experience and perspective. (During the conflict peak moment at least, maybe not so much how she responded after that...

ie running away to work on/find herself for a min despite being openly in requited love

)

But cheers to books that model people setting good boundaries and holding people accountable in the moment!

Content Warnings

dani794's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Ehhhhhh.
Not really a fan of this
It’s kinda just there. I dislike when Christina Lauren relies on crude sense of humour because it never lands for me, and this book kinda relies on it.

I did like when Calvin said “I’ve had friends like that. the ones you outgrow but keep anyway.”

Content Warnings

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

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lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a cute story about a fake marriage between Holland and Calvin. I really liked the relationship between Holland and her uncles and her brother. I like that she took the space she needed for herself in order to grow and discover what she wanted out of life after always living as the "supporting character".

I think this fell flat for me in a few places. I didn't like that the only female friendship Holland had in the book was incredibly toxic and she really didn't have a friend to turn to. I would have loved to have seen her have a strong friendship outside of her relationship with Calvin and her uncles. I thought that Calvin and Holland's relationship was very juvenile, there was way too much miscommunication, assumptions, and lies. All of their issues could have been resolved with a simple conversation.

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eevacasey's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

4.0

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dianaschmidty's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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sami_leigh's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Fake dating/marriage of convenience. Workplace romance. The protagonist goes through a journey of growth -so it’s not one of those stories where all a woman needs is a man to complete her life. Holland’s relationship with her uncles makes for a beautiful, heartwarming read. I really enjoyed watching the dynamics of the protagonist and best friend play out as this toxic friendship scenario is a common and integral part of moving from universities years and into the next stage of life. In all I think it displays multiple journeys to healthy communication and becoming the person you deserve to be before you choose who else you deserve around you. The audiobook is well narrated.

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