jeanettesreadingcorner's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
“Fists on her hips, she squinted down at him, the noon sun hot on her skin.
But the heat building on her inside…
Those flames were fanning to a blaze because of the mouth-wateringly gorgeous, if sometimes frustratingly hardheaded, hunk eyeing her from behind his darkened lenses. “The decision is yours," she challenged, imagining her hardwon self-confidence like a superhero's cloak, flapping in the breeze behind her. "Me? I'll be making like a saltwater fish cavorting in the surf. If you're lucky, you might catch me."
- Priscilla Oliveras, Island Affair ☀️🏝️
I absolutely love this book!
- tropical beach vibes setting of Florida Key
- A hot fake dating romance 🔥
- DUAL POV
- Luis, Cuban Male MC, a firefighter with a kind and generous heart ❤️
- Sara, female MC social media influencer who is funny and creative, and speaks Spanish ❤️
- Diverse and engaging characters with a lot of depth and personality
- I loved the elements of Cuban culture and Spanish phrases in the story
- I loved getting to know the main characters families.
- Perfect book to read on vacation and it’s exactly what I wanted
- I’m so excited to read the next book because this is my new favorite series. - One of first adult romance books that I’ve read and really enjoyed
But the heat building on her inside…
Those flames were fanning to a blaze because of the mouth-wateringly gorgeous, if sometimes frustratingly hardheaded, hunk eyeing her from behind his darkened lenses. “The decision is yours," she challenged, imagining her hardwon self-confidence like a superhero's cloak, flapping in the breeze behind her. "Me? I'll be making like a saltwater fish cavorting in the surf. If you're lucky, you might catch me."
- Priscilla Oliveras, Island Affair ☀️🏝️
I absolutely love this book!
- tropical beach vibes setting of Florida Key
- A hot fake dating romance 🔥
- DUAL POV
- Luis, Cuban Male MC, a firefighter with a kind and generous heart ❤️
- Sara, female MC social media influencer who is funny and creative, and speaks Spanish ❤️
- Diverse and engaging characters with a lot of depth and personality
- I loved the elements of Cuban culture and Spanish phrases in the story
- I loved getting to know the main characters families.
- Perfect book to read on vacation and it’s exactly what I wanted
- I’m so excited to read the next book because this is my new favorite series. - One of first adult romance books that I’ve read and really enjoyed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Medical content, Cancer, Eating disorder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Death, and Toxic relationship
kbairbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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
4.25
Cute! This is such a fun, fresh, tropical beach read that was full of funny, heart warming, sexy, and heart pulling moments. I love the personal growth in the characters and the heart to hearts that were had. It was hard to read about the familial struggles but I liked how all of it was dealt with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Death, Suicide, Car accident, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Blood and Drug use
morganperks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Cancer and Mental illness
Minor: Drug abuse, Blood, Car accident, Death, Infidelity, and Self harm
danileah07's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Cancer
eicart_reads's review
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Eating disorder
Minor: Car accident, Death, and Infidelity
taliabasma's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
3.75
I think the plot idea of the book was really good but I zoned out a lot during this book (partially my fault, partially either the audio readers fault or there were just some parts of the book the author wrote that slowed the book down)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Death and Cancer
idella's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Found the pacing in this really off. The fake dating setup felt too quick and the difference in pace between different parts of the novel felt jarring which stilted the flow of the narrative. The timeline was also far too short for any falling in love to feel remotely realistic.
It was also incredibly repetitive. Our protagonist’s thought stream became frustratingly monotonous and read unnaturally. While I appreciate the OSFED rep, I felt like it replaced her personality. She spends so much time talking about her therapy and saying that she has everything under control that it detracted from any other character traits.
Unfortunately this book made me suspend my disbelief far too much to really enjoy it.
It was also incredibly repetitive. Our protagonist’s thought stream became frustratingly monotonous and read unnaturally. While I appreciate the OSFED rep, I felt like it replaced her personality. She spends so much time talking about her therapy and saying that she has everything under control that it detracted from any other character traits.
Unfortunately this book made me suspend my disbelief far too much to really enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Sexual content and Car accident
sharon_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Cancer
Minor: Death and Toxic relationship
peacelovereading's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Minor: Car accident and Cancer
valeriabee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think I can't read books centering on Latine characters and Latine culture cause I can get overly critical of the way things are represented and the use of Spanish language.
The cultural aspect was well-done with the music and the dancing and the overbearing family. The language doesnt fit though because...contrary to popular belief, there are grammar rules to Spanglish just like there are with AAVE and other dialects. You cant just say "familia" every time you mean to say family because it doesnt always make sense to use the Spanish.
Not gonna lie, I was excited to read about a sexy firefighter 🥵 but when the main character Sara was revealed as a blonde hair, blue-green eyed white girl... I was saddened a bit. Especially a white girl who grew up with a Hispanic nanny so now she feels connected to the culture.
My biases are showing. Which is why I bumped this book to a 4 from the 3.25 I would personally rate it. I know that what I don't like about it comes from weird prejudices and biases and gatekeepy tendencies within myself that dont accurately reflect the writing and the story.
I will say that I didnt really like the insta-love thing because... well it just doesnt make sense for things to happen that fast...but I wouldnt know.
Also the "there was only one bed" trope was right there and it didnt lead us anywhere. Instead the beach was the backdrop for the broken barriers of intimacy. ALSO, WHY WOULD YOU CUT IT OFF BEFORE THE GOOD STUFF. DONT INTERRUPT. THEYRE GOING MULTIPLE ROUNDS AND YOU CANT SHARE WITH THE AUDIENCE? READ THE ROOM, IM HORNY.
That is to say, they were getting all intimate and steamy and we were just getting to the good stuff and then FADE TO BLACK and I was unhappy. I did throw the book because thats unfair. It took 200 pages to get there and THEN WE DONT GET THERE.
Which brings me to my next two points: 1) they were falling for each other fast on the timeline but it took FOREVER in the narrative for them to do something about it and then 2) the climax and resolution were far too short. The narrative went into painful detail of the first 3 and a half days of the 7 day trip and then we skipped whole ass days to get to the literal final minutes of the trip. The pacing could be better, personally.
There was some awesome character growth, even from some of the secondary characters. I appreciated the way the eating disorder plot was handled. It was done with great delicacy and grace and focused on the recovery phase.
Unrelated, there was a scene where there is a bit of gore and death that was jarring cause it kind of comes out nowhere. It was startling the way they jump into the details of an unfortunate 911 call that Luis experienced without really easing into it. It threw me for a loop.
Given that the ending and resolution are quite rushed, I have to say that the character development for Luis happens too quickly and not quite to satisfaction. I'm realizing that some of Sara's questions for Luis and his necessary healing went unanswered, even to the very end with the HEA.
I did cry at one point so I definitely grew an attachment to the relationship. There was just something about their easy intimacy and vulnerability with each other. Also, we love a fake-dating trope. I loved watching their messy lies unravel in front of them, but also seeing how the lies started to blur into truths. Love that for us.
The cultural aspect was well-done with the music and the dancing and the overbearing family. The language doesnt fit though because...contrary to popular belief, there are grammar rules to Spanglish just like there are with AAVE and other dialects. You cant just say "familia" every time you mean to say family because it doesnt always make sense to use the Spanish.
Not gonna lie, I was excited to read about a sexy firefighter 🥵 but when the main character Sara was revealed as a blonde hair, blue-green eyed white girl... I was saddened a bit. Especially a white girl who grew up with a Hispanic nanny so now she feels connected to the culture.
My biases are showing. Which is why I bumped this book to a 4 from the 3.25 I would personally rate it. I know that what I don't like about it comes from weird prejudices and biases and gatekeepy tendencies within myself that dont accurately reflect the writing and the story.
I will say that I didnt really like the insta-love thing because... well it just doesnt make sense for things to happen that fast...but I wouldnt know.
Also the "there was only one bed" trope was right there and it didnt lead us anywhere. Instead the beach was the backdrop for the broken barriers of intimacy. ALSO, WHY WOULD YOU CUT IT OFF BEFORE THE GOOD STUFF. DONT INTERRUPT. THEYRE GOING MULTIPLE ROUNDS AND YOU CANT SHARE WITH THE AUDIENCE? READ THE ROOM, IM HORNY.
That is to say, they were getting all intimate and steamy and we were just getting to the good stuff and then FADE TO BLACK and I was unhappy. I did throw the book because thats unfair. It took 200 pages to get there and THEN WE DONT GET THERE.
Which brings me to my next two points: 1) they were falling for each other fast on the timeline but it took FOREVER in the narrative for them to do something about it and then 2) the climax and resolution were far too short. The narrative went into painful detail of the first 3 and a half days of the 7 day trip and then we skipped whole ass days to get to the literal final minutes of the trip. The pacing could be better, personally.
There was some awesome character growth, even from some of the secondary characters. I appreciated the way the eating disorder plot was handled. It was done with great delicacy and grace and focused on the recovery phase.
Unrelated, there was a scene where there is a bit of gore and death that was jarring cause it kind of comes out nowhere. It was startling the way they jump into the details of an unfortunate 911 call that Luis experienced without really easing into it. It threw me for a loop.
Given that the ending and resolution are quite rushed, I have to say that the character development for Luis happens too quickly and not quite to satisfaction. I'm realizing that some of Sara's questions for Luis and his necessary healing went unanswered, even to the very end with the HEA.
I did cry at one point so I definitely grew an attachment to the relationship. There was just something about their easy intimacy and vulnerability with each other. Also, we love a fake-dating trope. I loved watching their messy lies unravel in front of them, but also seeing how the lies started to blur into truths. Love that for us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Sexual content, and Car accident
Moderate: Eating disorder and Cancer