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ourxstorybegins'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The story itself is very fun and cute and I was rooting for the characters! The author just managed to include all the things that annoy me in romances all in one place. We have:
- big boy/small girl (literally how many times was she like "his hands are so BIIIIG")
- grumpy man/perky woman
- also NURTURING woman where he doesn't seem to know how to care about people?
- neither of them have ever been treated like a fully human person by a significant other it seems like, so are they really in love or is it just exciting to be treated well??? we will never know
- i've never seen the miscommunication trope used to such an extent
like he was BUSY ON THE PHONE FINDING OUT ONE OF HIS PLAYERS WAS IN THE HOSPITAL and she was like "oh he is ghosting me again" even though she was IN HIS OWN HOME i mean GIRL if you think he'd do something like that then you shouldn't be with him honestly - do...either of them have friends??? she has her sorority girls but she takes care of them so that's different. we really only ever hear about their families and people they work with RED ALERT THESE PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE FRIENDS
- "i want to do life with you"
- "if you wanted normal, pick someone out of a magazine" is my least favorite way of saying "i'm not like other girls" but wow is she quirky quirky quirky
- this isn't a romance trope but why do i feel like this girl is spending time reading books like the 7 habits of highly effective people or something
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
tamsterdam_reads's review against another edition
I ended up DNF this at around 34%. I'm not into romance novels that don't develop the relationship, but rather, focuses predominantly on the attraction aspect between the characters. It was getting quite frustrating and didn't keep me engaged in the story because of this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
I received an ARC from Forever Publishing & am providing my honest review voluntarily.
Ummmm… that really was…. something. 👁️👄👁️
This is a fluffy Christmas romcom set in Illinois during a blizzard (California girl here was *terrified*) with fun tropes that I usually really enjoy:
Ummmm… that really was…. something. 👁️👄👁️
This is a fluffy Christmas romcom set in Illinois during a blizzard (California girl here was *terrified*) with fun tropes that I usually really enjoy:
- Snowed in
- Forced proximity
- Second-chance
- “It’s just sex”
- Grumpy x sunshine
- Only soft for her
However, it just didn’t hit for me. The FMC was so corny — during one of their sex scenes, she literally says “holy bologna”. Like how do I forgive her for that? I *wanted* to appreciate the smût (which I would say the steam level was 3/5🌶️) but all I could think about was how Becca said that OUT LOUD. Truly the nastiest thing she could do and it will be forever seared into my memory.
Anyway, I appreciated that Becca called out the constant misogyny and sexism she faces as a house mom for a sorority, because it’s true. I struggle with Greek Life because I find it to be a microcosm of the worst of our society at times, but I appreciated that Becca brought up all the good they do.
I found all of Harrison’s excuses to be so wildly disappointing and underwhelming. The reason his marriage fell apart three years ago? The reason he didn’t call Becca after their date two years ago? They all fell flat for me, and I wish they were a bit more fleshed out. I also don’t understand how he struggled so much with communication and then became Mr. Speaks 100 Words Per Minute If It’s Dirty Bedroom Talk. I was getting a sense that maybe he was neurodivergent but then Snowe never expanded on it. I would’ve liked to have that named and part of his arc.
Something else that stood out to me that I enjoyed was the fact that Harrison had mommy/daddy/brother issues as a 35-year-old because that’s so real. I’m 32 and I don’t know if my dynamic with some family members will ever change, but I loved that Harrison eventually stood up for himself because fuck adults who act like complete babies and asshats!
I think this is the author’s first book and I think she absolutely has potential to work on being less didactic/telling, and will show us more next time. I’d still read another book by her!
Overall, this was sweet and cute enough but my annotations were mostly being snarky (“Snowe loves alliteration,” being my most frequent one) and I think maybe this would work better as a Hallmark film!
Anyway, I appreciated that Becca called out the constant misogyny and sexism she faces as a house mom for a sorority, because it’s true. I struggle with Greek Life because I find it to be a microcosm of the worst of our society at times, but I appreciated that Becca brought up all the good they do.
I found all of Harrison’s excuses to be so wildly disappointing and underwhelming. The reason his marriage fell apart three years ago? The reason he didn’t call Becca after their date two years ago? They all fell flat for me, and I wish they were a bit more fleshed out. I also don’t understand how he struggled so much with communication and then became Mr. Speaks 100 Words Per Minute If It’s Dirty Bedroom Talk. I was getting a sense that maybe he was neurodivergent but then Snowe never expanded on it. I would’ve liked to have that named and part of his arc.
Something else that stood out to me that I enjoyed was the fact that Harrison had mommy/daddy/brother issues as a 35-year-old because that’s so real. I’m 32 and I don’t know if my dynamic with some family members will ever change, but I loved that Harrison eventually stood up for himself because fuck adults who act like complete babies and asshats!
I think this is the author’s first book and I think she absolutely has potential to work on being less didactic/telling, and will show us more next time. I’d still read another book by her!
Overall, this was sweet and cute enough but my annotations were mostly being snarky (“Snowe loves alliteration,” being my most frequent one) and I think maybe this would work better as a Hallmark film!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail