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kb33's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Just over halfway through and I’m already tired of hearing the mfc’s negative opinion about everyone’s bodies, and she judges her own physical appearance even more harshly. There’s a ton of body negativity, towards both skinny and fat women. Is there any woman that this author would approve of? Her comments on Jack’s body aren’t great either. fringebookreviews wrote a great review of this book, mentioning several other little things that bugged me, and explained it much better than I ever could.
Sora doesn’t seem to have learned anything at all from solo February. The point was to find and add value to her own life without a man, but the moment she thinks things are over with Jack, it’s “Jack betrayed me. My life is desolate and empty. Who cares about a job that I’m not sure I even wanted in the first place?”
The only reason this is getting this rating is because the writing style was good. While the mfc was so seriously flawed and desperately needed therapy - and not just a therapist best friend - she seemed like a real person, and the story flowed.
Sora doesn’t seem to have learned anything at all from solo February. The point was to find and add value to her own life without a man, but the moment she thinks things are over with Jack, it’s “Jack betrayed me. My life is desolate and empty. Who cares about a job that I’m not sure I even wanted in the first place?”
The only reason this is getting this rating is because the writing style was good. While the mfc was so seriously flawed and desperately needed therapy - and not just a therapist best friend - she seemed like a real person, and the story flowed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity and Miscarriage
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, and Eating disorder
elfit's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.25
This felt like home. As an Asian-American (Japanese-Mexican-American) growing up before the 2000s with the diet stigmas, the fitting in stigmas of and for immigrants and immigrant children, and just the dating and living stigmas of the now times this book was both bullet points of my life and familiar vignettes of being a cis lady wanting happiness in the world.
I loved the Asian representation from both main characters, their family dynamics (especially Allie and all her glitter glory), and just the way Sora works through everything. I found myself nodding or saving passages of wisdom.
Over all this one made me happy. It is a comfortable rom-com filled with bacon, annoying exes, and misunderstandings. Just feel goods all around.
I loved the Asian representation from both main characters, their family dynamics (especially Allie and all her glitter glory), and just the way Sora works through everything. I found myself nodding or saving passages of wisdom.
Over all this one made me happy. It is a comfortable rom-com filled with bacon, annoying exes, and misunderstandings. Just feel goods all around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cancer, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Grief, and Death of parent
loveinpanels's review against another edition
What I liked:
- The narrators were great! Cindy Kay and Michael Braun did a great job, especially with the humor.
- The premise was fun. I love a flimsy excuse to keep characters apart, especially when it dissolves quickly. In this case, it's there on the tin - Sora has pledged not to date at all for the month of February and is writing about it for her job. Of course that's when she's reunited with a former friend from elementary school who's grown up to be a sexy baker.
- The friendships were good, too.
- The main characters had genuine chemistry and their banter was cute.
What I didn't like:
- Sora has a near constant commentary about food and bodies. For someone who is supposedly accepting of her size 14 body and refuses to diet, she's talking and thinking about food all the time and judging everyone's bodies. Even when she's thinking they're hot! At one point, she thinks about how Jack has a little beer belly, but not "a gross one."
- All the women except Sora's best friend are awful (or at least not nice), including Sora's mom, who is size 18 and dislikes her body enough to also make Sora feel terrible about hers. (I *know* this is a really common dynamic, but I don't want to read it with everything else.)
I would absolutely try another book by Cara Tanamachi because I think she's got a lot of skill, but the constant body and food talk was really offputting. I came away from every reading session feeling bad about myself and I think readers who have a history of disordered eating should assess their current state of mind before diving into this one.
Thanks to RB Media for a review copy of this audiobook.
- The narrators were great! Cindy Kay and Michael Braun did a great job, especially with the humor.
- The premise was fun. I love a flimsy excuse to keep characters apart, especially when it dissolves quickly. In this case, it's there on the tin - Sora has pledged not to date at all for the month of February and is writing about it for her job. Of course that's when she's reunited with a former friend from elementary school who's grown up to be a sexy baker.
- The friendships were good, too.
- The main characters had genuine chemistry and their banter was cute.
What I didn't like:
- Sora has a near constant commentary about food and bodies. For someone who is supposedly accepting of her size 14 body and refuses to diet, she's talking and thinking about food all the time and judging everyone's bodies. Even when she's thinking they're hot! At one point, she thinks about how Jack has a little beer belly, but not "a gross one."
- All the women except Sora's best friend are awful (or at least not nice), including Sora's mom, who is size 18 and dislikes her body enough to also make Sora feel terrible about hers. (I *know* this is a really common dynamic, but I don't want to read it with everything else.)
I would absolutely try another book by Cara Tanamachi because I think she's got a lot of skill, but the constant body and food talk was really offputting. I came away from every reading session feeling bad about myself and I think readers who have a history of disordered eating should assess their current state of mind before diving into this one.
Thanks to RB Media for a review copy of this audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cancer