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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
hellowildflower's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
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
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book before release.
Instantly I got How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vibes and loved that! I love classic rom coms and this has that same vibe from chapter one.
I really wanted them to spend more time together at the beginning of the book. The time they do spend together is great and they work together.
I would’ve loved a few more chapters from Jacks POV.
Really didn’t love all the body shaming and fat phobia because Sora seems healthy, so having her family say ‘they’re worried she’s going to die’ as an excuse for saying horrible things to her it isn’t the kind, caring response it’s played off to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Bullying and Miscarriage
Minor: Cancer, Misogyny, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
goatsrsexy's review
DNF'd this book at 34% (chapter 10)
Honestly, I found this book offensive and uncomfortable from the beginning, but it was short so I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt and stick it out, see if it got better. It didn't seem to.
Sora and Jack are both very shallow characters. They're extremely negative and judgemental to basically everyone around them. I get that because a lot of the people around them seem like cartoon villains in a very strange way.
Sora especially complains a lot about being judged, yet she's walking around peering into people's grocery carts and deciding what kind of people they are based on what they eat.
Jack complains that all women (except Sora, the woman he's been in love with since kindergarten despite losing contact after fifth grade) are shallow and vapid, while claiming that anyone who makes 'kissy lips' in a photo couldn't possibly hold a conversation.
Both characters have a lot of internalized fatphobia and their opinions about their and other people's bodies are uncomfortable to say the least. When Sora described certain kinds of belly's as 'gross' I was about ready to stop reading, but like I said, I stuck it out.
It's possible this book does get better in the other 2/3 but I honestly did not enjoy the writing style either. If you don't mind judgy characters and you like childhood friends to lovers trope then you may enjoy this book. It wasn't for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and to St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Honestly, I found this book offensive and uncomfortable from the beginning, but it was short so I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt and stick it out, see if it got better. It didn't seem to.
Sora and Jack are both very shallow characters. They're extremely negative and judgemental to basically everyone around them. I get that because a lot of the people around them seem like cartoon villains in a very strange way.
Sora especially complains a lot about being judged, yet she's walking around peering into people's grocery carts and deciding what kind of people they are based on what they eat.
Jack complains that all women (except Sora, the woman he's been in love with since kindergarten despite losing contact after fifth grade) are shallow and vapid, while claiming that anyone who makes 'kissy lips' in a photo couldn't possibly hold a conversation.
Both characters have a lot of internalized fatphobia and their opinions about their and other people's bodies are uncomfortable to say the least. When Sora described certain kinds of belly's as 'gross' I was about ready to stop reading, but like I said, I stuck it out.
It's possible this book does get better in the other 2/3 but I honestly did not enjoy the writing style either. If you don't mind judgy characters and you like childhood friends to lovers trope then you may enjoy this book. It wasn't for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and to St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Misogyny