Reviews

The View Was Exhausting by Onjuli Datta, Mikaella Clements

helenstaples's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted 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

3.75

A great trashy beach read 

itsmandaaa's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.25

jaclyncrupi's review against another edition

3.0

A lot of glitz and glam but still with heart and interesting commentary on race and feminism. This was perfectly fine without being great which makes it the hardest kind of book to talk about. I’m not particularly interested in the cult of celebrity and although I enjoyed the familiar fake to real romance trope I wasn’t fully invested in Win and Leo as a couple.

smillas_tales's review against another edition

emotional tense 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

4.0

emilyakers's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

racheltanza's review against another edition

3.0

Breezy, frustrating read. I overall enjoyed it though. Great reconciliation scene.

ayla22's review against another edition

emotional funny tense 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

5.0

winemakerssister's review against another edition

2.0

So. I've learned that if you're writing about the rich and famous, the fact that they're rich and famous isn't enough to make a good story. I guess that's why you see so many famous guy/girl-next-door romances. It's much easier for the author (and the reader) to identify with a 'regular' person.

I found that I didn't care about Win and Leo. They were mostly two-dimensional and that made for a boring book. It started off well, but the middle 75% of it was pretty boring. I thought about DNF'ing several times but stuck through it to see what the ending would look like. Yes, the ending was better, but it also felt rushed. And it didn't make up for the hours of tedium.

jomamma's review against another edition

3.0

Magnolia Parks but good. THE GOSSIP!!

emceeee's review against another edition

5.0

Reading The View Was Exhausting was an absolute pleasure. It's as cinematic as its subject material, lush and atmospheric without being overwritten, high-stakes enough to make you constantly want to know what happens next without getting to the point of absurdity. Win & Leo are both fully fleshed out, flawed but ultimately easy to root for. It makes complete sense that the first two blurbs on the back cover are from Taylor Jenkins Reid and Emily Henry—TVWE has all the glamor and intrigue you'd expect from TJR, along with the deeply human relationships that make Emily Henry such a standout. I hope it's the first of many collaborations between Clements and Datta.