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hellosarahpham's review against another edition
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Child death, Grief, and Suicide
bubbasgotbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death
stephrand's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
3.5
I always love a book that entails the behind-the-scenes of some kind of entertainment production and enjoyed the cast of characters that came from the writing room.
Helen is a bit hard to root for/like at times, but it makes sense from all of the family trauma and drama she has endured. Parts of her and Grant’s story seemed a bit choppy at parts (how quickly they went from enemies to friends to more) but I did enjoy this overall.
A lot of serious topics, but also a lot of spice (if that’s not your thing, I’d skip this one).
TW: death, suicide, substance abuse
Helen is a bit hard to root for/like at times, but it makes sense from all of the family trauma and drama she has endured. Parts of her and Grant’s story seemed a bit choppy at parts (how quickly they went from enemies to friends to more) but I did enjoy this overall.
A lot of serious topics, but also a lot of spice (if that’s not your thing, I’d skip this one).
TW: death, suicide, substance abuse
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death
Minor: Drug use
bookishbrenbren's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Um what. This book make no fking sense. Bc the characters are underdeveloped and have no internal arc/growth. So their decisions and choices make no sense and are not connected to who they supposedly are as people. The story is all plot *things are happening and there is sex!* but I need something deeper to believe true love is real lmao this book made me feel nothing except these two horndogs have sexual chemistry.
The very icky premise is laid out in the first chapter: the pair is a woman whose sister committed suicide and the man who was driving the car when she ran into traffic. Um why??? Why did that need to be a couple?!?! so anyway, i go on reading because it's so highly hyped, waiting for the ickiness to smooth itself out and for all these characters to like work through their collective, shared trauma and like let that emotional work bring them closer lol no none of that happens. For some reason, the main character is not turned off enough by her own grief and her partner's role in that grief - or at least his connection to it - to not have sex with him. And it's very weird like all around like have any of the people on the production side of this book ever lost a family member and/or experienced grief?? Like I know they must have, but I'm just wondering how this book ends up the book that it is. Idk call me crazy but grief is not a huge turn on for me. Much less grief by suicide! Were there sensitivity readers? I'm dying to know because some of the language used in this book seems very yeah I'm just gonna say it again icky.
If this was real like and the girl you ran over's sister asked you to fuck off their show's adaptation writing team, why would you say No!? Obviously he's not hurting for opportunities. And why would you EVER forgive him for saying no???? Can I not just suffer once, you want me to suffer every day I show up to work? Again I return to the idea that none of these editors, agents, writer, have ever actually lost anyone close to them.
Anyways. Ultimately the biggest issue here is that there is no character development. The pair has sexual chemistry as I mentioned before, but we have no idea why they do the things they do. Like it's clear, given their shared trauma, why they would *not* want to get together but what is making them ignore all of that self preservation? We'll never know because these characters are like an inch deep.
The very icky premise is laid out in the first chapter: the pair is a woman whose sister committed suicide and the man who was driving the car when she ran into traffic. Um why??? Why did that need to be a couple?!?! so anyway, i go on reading because it's so highly hyped, waiting for the ickiness to smooth itself out and for all these characters to like work through their collective, shared trauma and like let that emotional work bring them closer lol no none of that happens. For some reason, the main character is not turned off enough by her own grief and her partner's role in that grief - or at least his connection to it - to not have sex with him. And it's very weird like all around like have any of the people on the production side of this book ever lost a family member and/or experienced grief?? Like I know they must have, but I'm just wondering how this book ends up the book that it is. Idk call me crazy but grief is not a huge turn on for me. Much less grief by suicide! Were there sensitivity readers? I'm dying to know because some of the language used in this book seems very yeah I'm just gonna say it again icky.
If this was real like and the girl you ran over's sister asked you to fuck off their show's adaptation writing team, why would you say No!? Obviously he's not hurting for opportunities. And why would you EVER forgive him for saying no???? Can I not just suffer once, you want me to suffer every day I show up to work? Again I return to the idea that none of these editors, agents, writer, have ever actually lost anyone close to them.
Anyways. Ultimately the biggest issue here is that there is no character development. The pair has sexual chemistry as I mentioned before, but we have no idea why they do the things they do. Like it's clear, given their shared trauma, why they would *not* want to get together but what is making them ignore all of that self preservation? We'll never know because these characters are like an inch deep.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Grief, Alcohol, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide
ali_is_a_panda's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wish that the romance was a slower pace, but the book was good and I finished it in two sittings.
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Death
liamliayaum's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Car accident
hennie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
three things.
- i feel like the book could've used another round of editing. there are, in fact, other words than "says" to indicate someone has said something.
- i had problems connecting to the characters and because of that, i didn't get why they should be together, meaning the romance felt somehow rushed.
- the flirting and smut were really sexy and well-written though.
- i feel like the book could've used another round of editing. there are, in fact, other words than "says" to indicate someone has said something.
- i had problems connecting to the characters and because of that, i didn't get why they should be together, meaning the romance felt somehow rushed.
- the flirting and smut were really sexy and well-written though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Death
neatoburrito's review against another edition
The premise of this book was believable- it just really isn't for me. I listened to the book for 1 hr 50 minutes and at this point the book wasn't comical or romical. Just a bummer. I could just about see around the bend about what would be forced proximity narrative and realized I just didn't care at all about these characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Car accident
kerosenelit's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm truly torn on this one. I loved the first half. The trauma entwined around these characters is what I live for. With an accident thirteen years ago forever connecting them, the initial anger Helen holds against Grant was so understandably complicated. The separation of painful memories from the growing fondness Helen develops for Grant made my heart ache.
Despite the weirdly uncomfortable interactions between the group of colleagues within the writing room, I really enjoyed seeing the process of bringing a TV show to life (Grant is a screenwriter for the adaptation of Helen's successful YA novels). And at the same time, seeing Helen work through her feelings of imposter syndrome was so lovely.
I majorly lost interest in the romance in the second half, though. The bedroom scenes filled with over-the-top dirty talk did not fit the emotional undertone of the story for me. It was unexpected, to say the least. Chapter after chapter, I found it focused too heavily on their sexual relationship.
That said, I absolutely loved Yulin Kuang's writing. The way she captures emotions is truly beautiful. Depending on the spice level in future books, I wouldn't hesitate to try something from her again.
(heat level: multiple open-door scenes, moderate to explicit details)
Despite the weirdly uncomfortable interactions between the group of colleagues within the writing room, I really enjoyed seeing the process of bringing a TV show to life (Grant is a screenwriter for the adaptation of Helen's successful YA novels). And at the same time, seeing Helen work through her feelings of imposter syndrome was so lovely.
I majorly lost interest in the romance in the second half, though. The bedroom scenes filled with over-the-top dirty talk did not fit the emotional undertone of the story for me. It was unexpected, to say the least. Chapter after chapter, I found it focused too heavily on their sexual relationship.
That said, I absolutely loved Yulin Kuang's writing. The way she captures emotions is truly beautiful. Depending on the spice level in future books, I wouldn't hesitate to try something from her again.
(heat level: multiple open-door scenes, moderate to explicit details)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Car accident
gwenswoons's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Liked a lot about this - it didn’t feel entirely successful to me, but I would certainly read more by Yulin Kuang in the future! I really appreciated that the author dived into complex familial relationships (especially with the female MC’s first-generation immigrant parents) and the specific nature of grief after losing someone close to suicide. I loved the chemistry between the two central characters and thought the sex scenes (VERY open door 😂😜) were super hot throughout and really gorgeously written.
I did find the characters’ arcs disappointing and flat - somehow their individual growth in order to find their way back to each other didn’t quite register or land believably. I also guess I struggled (though I am a voracious rom-com and romance reader and actually very rarely say this!) with the believability of the basic premise: there were just a few too many neat/tidy coincidences to the overall romance plot, and though I get the plot device of this very specific enemies-to-lovers bent, it was so on the nose (like…there’s enemies and there’s “was driving the car when your teenage sister, who had no access to mental health support, jumped in front of it and died by suicide”) that it felt sort of heavy-handed ultimately. As I said - lots that was interesting, and also not totally satisfying for me ultimately.
I did find the characters’ arcs disappointing and flat - somehow their individual growth in order to find their way back to each other didn’t quite register or land believably. I also guess I struggled (though I am a voracious rom-com and romance reader and actually very rarely say this!) with the believability of the basic premise: there were just a few too many neat/tidy coincidences to the overall romance plot, and though I get the plot device of this very specific enemies-to-lovers bent, it was so on the nose (like…there’s enemies and there’s “was driving the car when your teenage sister, who had no access to mental health support, jumped in front of it and died by suicide”) that it felt sort of heavy-handed ultimately. As I said - lots that was interesting, and also not totally satisfying for me ultimately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Suicide, Child death, and Medical content
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Alcohol, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use