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hannahmcl394's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Declan appealed to me more a lot more than Rowan, despite being described as the more “robotic” or heartless of all the brothers I found him a lot more loveable and thoroughly enjoyed reading the book from his pov (most notably the secret smiles he doesn’t allow Iris to see)
The wedding in particularly coaxed a visceral reaction from me and absolutely reeked havoc with emotions.
Love love loved Iris and Cals friendship!! I only wish there was more of it (however there is always book 3) and thoroughly enjoyed the small moments of Declan’s jealously over it.
Initial rating: 5 stars
Reviewed rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5
While this is my favourite Lauren Asher book so far and in some ways it could deserve the five star rating when compared to books by other others (Ana Huang) the writing falls short and so it must be dropped a fraction of a star.
Spice rating: 🌶🌶🌶 3.5 spice
Not huge amounts of smut but worth the buildup and definitely integrated well into the storyline without feeling forced. Very much a slow burn romance with great pay off. <spoiler?> THE OFFICE SCENE OH MY GOD!!
Would I read again? Yes
Would I recommend? Yes
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
courtneyreadss_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
T/W: Age gap, alcoholism, mention of abuse / DV
Third Read (01/03/23)
okayyyy third time reading this book! After careful deliberation, I can confidently state that it is a 3.75 star book. When it’s good, it’s great and when it’s bad it’s cringy. I love that each time I read this book I fall in love with the characters (pretty much everyone but Declan lmao) and see how much the care for one another. Are there aspects that could be improved? Definitely. But for a billionaire romance this one definitely follows a unique trope and always acknowledges Declan’s problematic behavior.
Second read: 10/25/2022 (2.5 ⭐️/5)
Ok so this book was not that good :/. After I was done riding the booktok high I honestly say this book was meh at best. A lot of the scenes were designed to gain traction on social media and now that I see that it so CORNY. Declan is not endearing … AT ALL. Yes he does nice things at times but for the most part he’s a selfish controlling ass who cannot communicate his feelings. Also the way he attacks Irises ONE insecurity??? I have a very hard time supporting characters that hit below the belt. If I’m being completely honest the whole argument was so overblown and felt … inauthentic?
Overall the pacing in the book was a bit fast and could use some improvement. That being said this is definitely one of the better books in the franchise.
Initial read: 02/25/2022
THIS BOOK?!?? INCREDIBLE. AMAZING. WONDERFUL.
First of all let’s give it up for our black MC!!! Iris is funny, witty, confident, and takes no shit. She’s an icon, she’s a legend and she is the moment. And Declan??? Ugh my grumpy king! Strong, Determined, a bit of an ass, and a fierce protector of those he loves.
Iris and Declan could not be any more different and that’s what makes them work so well. Iris is 24. Declan is 36. Iris is personable and friendly, Declan is brooding and anti-social. I have read a ton of books that have the grumpy sunshine trope but this is by far one of the best ones. I’m telling you as soon as I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down, it’s REALLY THAT good.
Terms and conditions is endearing, sweet, funny, frustrating at times, and has more butterfly inducing moments that one can possibly deem safe in one book, but most importantly it’s genuinely a love story. If you read Wattpad stories growing up I promise this books is everything you could want and more. I don’t believe in calling many books perfect but this one’s a close contender.
Tropes
Office romance - ✅
Grumpy/Sunshine- ✅
GUY FALLS FIRST- ✅✅✅✅
Enemies to lovers- ✅
HEALTY AND MATURE COMMUNICATION- ✅✅✅ (depends where you’re in the story tbh)
SLOW BURN- 100% ✅
There’s nothing else I can say except this book is genuinely so good. Take the dive and emerge yourself in Declan and Iris‘s story. I promise you won’t regret it. If you like Colleen Hoover then you’re gonna love Lauren Asher.
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
culzean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
jennyslibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I love the grumpy x sunshine trope, and the “forced marriage” sprinkled the forced proximity trope on top of it all. The appearances of Rowan and Zahra made the book ten times better, seeing as they were as happily in love as ever before. This book will make you believe in love. It has so many great sides, although I did find Declan’s attitude very frustrating at times. But this just adds to how happy I was when it all turned out great. The dual pov made it possible to see their love and grief from both perspectives, and that made the book all the quicker and easier to read. Because although not many things happen, the slow burn of them going from barely friends to getting married because they have to, makes the slow burn so much better. With almost 500 pages it still had me drooling for their love. They have their own LOVE LANGUAGE damn it!
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, and Violence
sami_leigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
chavborromeo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I just don't like the push and pull. Like the female MC is the one who do the begging and asking for forgiveness but after a minute the situation become opposite?? And I feel like the ending is rush? And the main issue aren't talk about enough🙃
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
_andreamaia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
phoebegrace06's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
abby_shupe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think I loved Iris and Declan a smidge more than Zahra and Rowan (it’s close!!). Iris was so relatable and lovable, Declan was hilarious and thoughtful.
And this quote pretty much sums up their incredible dynamic:
“If I ever get caught, it’s a good thing I have you to bail me out of jail.”
“Who says I wouldn’t be in there with you?”
I love them 😭 and Lauren Asher has a talent for epilogues and extended epilogues, wow!
And this book had Cal & Iris’s friendship, something I didn’t I needed in every book until now!
Funny, witty, emotional, romantic, everything you could want in a romance book and more! I also loved the fake dating trope and fake marriage trope, pulled off so well with the amazing banter!! Can’t wait for Cal’s book now!
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Medical content and Pregnancy
sofiarmz13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Blood