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aplace_inthesun's review
emotional
funny
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
4.75
kaitlyns_library's review
5.0
I can’t say enough how obsessed I am with this series and I definitely wasn’t let down by this book. A trope I have seen fail time and time again is the girl best friend trope, but this time, it didn’t fail. On top of that, there was also a dual POV layout in this book but set with Murray during ‘Marry Me, Juliet’ and Lily’s set in the past over the years of her and Murray’s friendship.
This was done so well that I was thoroughly engaged and DEVOURED this book.
If you enjoyed the previous books apart of this trilogy, then you will love this one!!
chocolatesalad97's review
3.0
Not Here to Make Friends is not the first book I’ve read from Jodie McAlister, and I don’t think it will be the last. It was well written and flowed very well. However since a lot of this book was the same overarching story from another of her books but from a different perspective I really struggled it get into it until about 280+ pages in. I felt like I already had alot of the information and for me it was very difficult to get into the story because of this.
The characters were well written and well rounded and there was plot twists that I didn’t see coming. Overall the book was a good read, but not something I’m overall thrilled to have read.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read
The characters were well written and well rounded and there was plot twists that I didn’t see coming. Overall the book was a good read, but not something I’m overall thrilled to have read.
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read
emilyrainsford's review
slow-paced
3.0
It pains me deeply to say this because I have adored and raved about the first two books in this series, but surely the point of a review is my honest opinion? And honestly, I just didn't have a good time with this one.
I actually would have DNF'd at about 50-60% if it weren't for the fact that it's an arc and I have loyalty to this series from the first two.
I need to give big kudos, though, to the author for staying true to her characters. I feel like the temptation would have been there to soften them in order to make them likeable main characters in a romance story. But they have always been extremely morally grey characters and this book really does stay true to that and even leans into it, and I respect that a lot.
I just didn't *enjoy* it.
For starters, I very rarely enjoy a book that goes backwards and forwards in time, I find it boring and frustrating to have forward plot movement constantly interrupted by backstory. I realise that's a personal preference but this is my personal experience of the book, so that's how I felt.
Secondly, both Lily and Murray are pretty clearly swimming in the murky waters of emotional cheating when they both are in love with each other while marrying other people, and while I understand that fits the grey morality of their characters, it also makes it extremely hard for me to even care about them or their story, let alone root for them.
Their relationship seems to involve a lot of game playing and emotional manipulation, and while again, that's their characters - again, it's just not what I enjoy reading. They're both just pretty garbage tbh and I didn't care at all what happened to them because I didn't like them.
I do also think that I have now read enough of this particular season of Marry Me Juliet, and it started to feel slightly overdone in this book, but maybe that's just because I wasn't enjoying the story overall.
I do think this is mostly a case of "it's not you, it's me". I loved the first two books because they were really sweet and wholesome, and this one takes a different tack, one that's just not my jam. As I said, I appreciate that the author stayed true to her characters and the story was probably the right one for them. I just don't like them and I only dislike them more after this book.
I would absolutely still read more from this author and would love to see more books in a similar setting but perhaps to move on from this particular season - I'm kind of hoping the ending of this book hints at a possible Kumiko book!
I actually would have DNF'd at about 50-60% if it weren't for the fact that it's an arc and I have loyalty to this series from the first two.
I need to give big kudos, though, to the author for staying true to her characters. I feel like the temptation would have been there to soften them in order to make them likeable main characters in a romance story. But they have always been extremely morally grey characters and this book really does stay true to that and even leans into it, and I respect that a lot.
I just didn't *enjoy* it.
For starters, I very rarely enjoy a book that goes backwards and forwards in time, I find it boring and frustrating to have forward plot movement constantly interrupted by backstory. I realise that's a personal preference but this is my personal experience of the book, so that's how I felt.
Secondly, both Lily and Murray are pretty clearly swimming in the murky waters of emotional cheating when they both are in love with each other while marrying other people, and while I understand that fits the grey morality of their characters, it also makes it extremely hard for me to even care about them or their story, let alone root for them.
Their relationship seems to involve a lot of game playing and emotional manipulation, and while again, that's their characters - again, it's just not what I enjoy reading. They're both just pretty garbage tbh and I didn't care at all what happened to them because I didn't like them.
I do also think that I have now read enough of this particular season of Marry Me Juliet, and it started to feel slightly overdone in this book, but maybe that's just because I wasn't enjoying the story overall.
I do think this is mostly a case of "it's not you, it's me". I loved the first two books because they were really sweet and wholesome, and this one takes a different tack, one that's just not my jam. As I said, I appreciate that the author stayed true to her characters and the story was probably the right one for them. I just don't like them and I only dislike them more after this book.
I would absolutely still read more from this author and would love to see more books in a similar setting but perhaps to move on from this particular season - I'm kind of hoping the ending of this book hints at a possible Kumiko book!
anthy's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
roz03's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I originally rated this book 4 stars but after writing this review, I'm changing it to 5. I can't fault this book, it had me hooked the whole way through.
Murray O'Connell is a tv producer working on a reality show called Marry Me, Juliet. He's thrown a curveball when the big boss (who gives Michael Scott from The Office vibes) sends in a "spicy meatball" for the new season, Lily Fireball.
Lily Fireball is an interesting character with a lot of depth. At times, I found her to be frustrating due to her forceful, unapologetic nature but overall, I was still rooting for her. Murray is likeable and incredibly hard-working, I felt proud in the moments where he stands up for himself. This book held the perfect amount of tension the whole way through and handled some tricky topics well. This was my first McAlister book and I absolutely will be going to read her other books asap!
I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Australia (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Murray O'Connell is a tv producer working on a reality show called Marry Me, Juliet. He's thrown a curveball when the big boss (who gives Michael Scott from The Office vibes) sends in a "spicy meatball" for the new season, Lily Fireball.
Lily Fireball is an interesting character with a lot of depth. At times, I found her to be frustrating due to her forceful, unapologetic nature but overall, I was still rooting for her. Murray is likeable and incredibly hard-working, I felt proud in the moments where he stands up for himself. This book held the perfect amount of tension the whole way through and handled some tricky topics well. This was my first McAlister book and I absolutely will be going to read her other books asap!
I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster Australia (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content, Death, Misogyny, Racism, and Grief
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