Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

86 reviews

akswhy's review against another edition

emotional funny tense fast-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

2.75

I liked this one a little better than The Soulmate Equation, but not much. The reality TV angle was unrealistic, but not for the obvious reason: it’s like the authors had only a vague clue how reality TV actually operates. And the ending felt very forced and out of character for the hero. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual harassment

Minor: Infidelity

puddleshoes's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

marisabenn's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-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

5.0

Now THIS is a rom-com 💕 Oh, how I adored Fizzy and Conner. Their communication and chemistry was out of this world. I sped through this and was so sad when I turned the page and it was over. An out of this park homerun by Christina Lauren yet again! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content

Minor: Infidelity

avery_hutchinson'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Cute premise, if unbelievable at times. Characters were well developed and mature adults (what a concept!)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Minor: Sexism

edhyndman's review against another edition

funny lighthearted 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

racheln23's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

I am in love with the premise of this book. The romance author getting cast into the reality dating TV show? I totally wish I could watch this. And the fact that they cast archetypes? So creative and adorable. I think there really could be a third book in this series just exploring those archetypes in season 2 of this show. I am absolutely surprised that this book is better than book 1 in the series. 

It’s so funny how you know how this book is going to end, but you gobble it all up. 

I love Fizzy so much, although I find her a little on the crass side around little ones and honestly rather shallow and dangerously immature for a 37 year old, but a good heroine is a flawed person, and Fizzy does show growth along her novel journey. She also does come across as endearingly genuine and bubbly. One of my favorite parts is when she states how beautiful a night it is she wants to “stuff it in a pie and eat it[…] nom, nom, nom.” I absolutely loved it.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

bookmarkedtbr's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

bookish_leslie's review against another edition

2.75

What To Expect:

• Chinese American FMC
• British American MMC
• Dual POV
• Forbidden love
• Workplace romance
• Reality dating show
• Romance author
• Single dad
• Will they / won’t they

Spice: 3.5🌶️
Frequent open door or steamy scenes with detailed descriptions and moderate to explicit language 

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My Thoughts:

I liked The Soulmate Equation, which was the first book in this series, but unfortunately this sequel didn’t really do it for me. Instead, The True Love Experiment was just sort of meh, sadly erring a bit more toward the “didn’t like it” side of meh.

It wasn't all bad, though. This book was essentially an unapologetic love letter to romance novels, which: yes! Take this paragraph from the prologue, for example:

"Romance isn't gratuitous bodice ripping. It can be, and there's nothing wrong with that, but in the end, romance isn't about the fantasy of being wealthy or beautiful or even being tied to the bed.... It's about elevating stories of joy above stories of pain. It is about seeing yourself as the main character in a very interesting - or maybe even quiet - life that is entirely yours to control. It is, my friends, the fantasy of significance.” 

 

Elevating stories of joy...I LOVE that. On top of that, I appreciated Fizzy’s sex positivity, as well as her refreshing honesty and forthrightness. I wish more people were like her in this way.

I also really liked the book’s general commentary on (a) letting people like what they like without defining it as a guilty pleasure and (b) not being so quick to make assumptions and judge things you know nothing about. 

“You describe them as my ‘guilty pleasure.’ Do you have any idea how condescending that is?” “Well, don’t they bring you pleasure?” [Connor] asks, confused. “How is that condescending?” “Yes, but why should I feel guilty for reading something that makes me happy?”

With that being said, I kept putting this book down and not really wanting to pick it up again. For starters, I had a hard time connecting with the characters - Fizzy especially. I liked that she was Chinese American and that her ethnicity was included very naturally rather than in a diversity for diversity’s sake kind of way, but Fizzy was 37 years old, and to me, she came across as really immature.

Yes, she was (rightfully) unapologetic about her sexuality, but her main personality trait seemed to be horndog. There's nothing wrong with being horny, but when that's all you've got going for you??? It was kind of cringey at times. Fizzy constantly objectified Connor (this is gross no matter who's objectifying who), seemed to have no boundaries or sexual self-control, didn’t listen to Connor’s multiple “no’s” - opting instead to move slowly enough that he could stop her if he wanted to, which just felt manipulative and disrespectful at best and assaulty at worst. It was paying lip service to consent without actually being consensual. It didn't matter that he was also attracted to her and wanted to have sex with her; he said it wasn't a good idea, he had his reasons (not that he needed any), and that should have been enough.

I also found Fizzy's frequent sexual jokes and innuendos to be more crass and juvenile than funny. Again: there are other personality traits! It was as if the authors tried too hard to make Fizzy be sexually enlightened and ended up overcorrecting, making her borderline creepy instead.

There was also a lot of showing vs. telling with her character. Over and over again, for example, we heard about how she lit up a room wherever she went, but I didn’t really see any evidence that supported that claim in the way Fizzy spoke or acted.

Connor didn't really do much for me either. I did like his coparenting relationship and friendship with his ex-wife, and I also liked that his first impulse was to stay and talk things through with Fizzy when the inevitable drama hit, but he was judgey and condescending at times, oddly possessive and jealous when he had no right to be, and blew really hot and cold, giving off some pretty major mixed signals. 

I also didn't love that

cheating

storyline for him, as it felt like a lazy way to add drama and didn't really seem to suit his character. If it was organically part of his character arc, I feel like it would have come up much earlier during one of his POV chapters -

like when Fizzy told him about accidentally being the other woman in her relationship with Rob and how devastated she'd been by that experience

.

In terms of other characters, most of them were pretty forgettable or blah, if I'm honest. What happened to Jess and Fizzy? Their friendship was so special in the first book, and while it technically (barely) existed here, it was so flat, comparatively. I really missed their friendship spark. And then there were the men Fizzy was dating on the show. I honestly couldn’t even remember who was who, mainly because, for a book that was supposed to be about a reality TV show, not a lot of time was given to said show or to any of the dates or "heroes."

Which brings me to pacing. Sometimes the pacing dragged and felt tedious, and at other times, it felt rushed and seemed to skip over things (like basically the entire reality TV show plot line, as I’ve just mentioned).

Connor and Fizzy’s attraction to each other definitely came through - with a bit more spice than I personally like in my romances - but I didn’t quite understand

how they got from disliking/judging/patronizing each other to best friends so quickly, nor why they spent so much time together on “joy excursions” at the beginning of the book. And if we, as readers, were expected to accept these joy excursions at face value, then I at least wish there'd been more detail about the time they spent together during them, so their foundation as a couple felt more solid and believable

. 

I also didn’t understand the ending in relation to the whole forbidden love angle.

Connor spent the entire book telling Fizzy they couldn't be together because of his job, and basically ignored/avoided her after his confrontation with Blaine, but then he suddenly outed his and Fizzy's feelings for each other on national TV and in front of a live audience (without checking with her first, by the way!). And because 38.6% of the audience voted for him, even though he wasn’t a contestant on the dating show, that suddenly exonerated him from losing his job, even though he lied to his boss about not hooking up with Fizzy during filming? What was Blaine’s reaction to all of this? I get that if the audience was on board, there wouldn't be the same scandal that the network's other show was experiencing, but was that really it? The audience was on board, so it was all fine?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content

Moderate: Infidelity

*A note on the infidelity:

neither of the main characters cheat on each other in this book, if that's a sensitive issue for you. Instead, infidelity was mentioned in relation to the trust issues Fizzy had when she found out a man she'd been dating in the past was already married and also when Connor told Fizzy how he had cheated on his ex-wife many years ago.

eligru's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Alcohol

renee_rain's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

A documentary film maker is forced to make a reality TV show. Connor decides to make a dating show utilizing a genetic matching technology. He notices rows of books on his ex-wifes shelves written by a romance author. She, Fizzy, would be a perfect lead.

It begins with some misunderstandings, then a deep friendship is formed. How can Fizzy focus on these 8 men, chosen as romance tropes, when she is falling for Connor, the producer?

I'm usually the type to read thrillers and mysteries, but this sucked me in. The characters and storyline were believable. The chemistry was perfect. I enjoyed every minute of this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Vomit

Connor and Fizzy end up together. Of course, they do. However, the story of them falling in love while knowing their feelings are forbidden because it could harm the show makes it worthwhile. This isn't done in the typical forbidden love way. There are complications with Connor's career if the show isn't a success. If anyone were to find out about them, he may have to move away from his daughter, or his career could be over.