Reviews with content warning for Cancer - Se busca novio

Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Se busca novio by Alexis Hall

220 reviews

tinkeringcheck's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Disclaimer: I'm queer and love rom coms (the cheesier the better in my opinion) so naturally this had been on my TBR for awhile. What wouldn't there be to like?

So.

The main character is insufferable, unlikeable, and his narrative voice is annoying. It's a bad rom-com that happens to be gay, except the leads have no chemistry and the humour is painfully unfunny. The plot's driven by the main character trying to appease his homophobic boss, who wants him to get a respectable, straight-passing boyfriend to be a "good gay." And that's supposed to be... funny and light-hearted instead of an HR nightmare.

So what made the main character so difficult for me? Luc's POV reads like a stereotypically sarcastic, insecure teenager but since he's supposed to be almost 30 it makes him come off really poorly. I'm almost 30 and can confidently say nobody has their life together at almost 30, but at least my inner monologue doesn't sound like an angsty 2010 YA protag. He isn't a lovable, quirky disaster gay. He's just rude and emotionally immature, especially to his own friends.

His queer friends, by the way, are huge stereotypes and not in the fun way. Like two indistinguishable married guys named James Royce-Royce who are literally only ever referred to as "James Royce-Royce" (yes, first name and surname) so you never know who's talking kind of way. I actually can't believe this was published recently - and by a queer writer!! - because overall it was really giving vaguely homophobic early 00s rom-com vibes.

And for the love of god, will people stop using Red, White, and Royal Blue to recommend this? They're both MLM romances and that's where the similarities end. Stop doing free - and misleading! - marketing for the publisher.

Content Warnings

what_karla_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

4.0

4/5 stars
1/5 spice

Such a fun and swoon worthy read. I loved how Oliver and Luc worked together.

This is my second read by Alexis Hall, and I loved it! I had a lot of girly giggly moments that had me swooning, just like Luc. I loved how both characters are flawed and relatable. Luc is publicly a mess and is constantly putting his foot in his mouth, but he comes across as likable because he's not an arrogant asshole. He just wants to be stable... so, of course, relatable. Oliver, on the other hand, had the appearance of someone who is put together with all their ducks in a row. However, as the story progresses, you get a glimpse of all the ways he's very much NOT ok and how much he needs help.

I didn't expect this to be single POV so I found myself craving Oliver's POV a few times. I always love seeing how the MCs see different interactions.

Overall, highly recommend for fans of opposites attract and fake dating with swoony moments.

Trigger/Content warnings:
Moments of homophobia, bigotry, body shaming, gaslighting, and emotional abuse. Mentions cancer and mental health issues.

Content Warnings

gooseboy's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

so. on one hand, i laughed out loud multiple times reading this book. on the other hand, i got so bored during the middle that i ended up skimming through maybe seven chapters? i just wanted something to happen, and there wasn't enough tension/yearning to keep me engaged.
general+ending spoilers

i wish we could've seen more of the supporting friend group, because honestly they were the funniest part of the book for me. everyone watching from the car during luc's awful undump-me speech was fantastic lol. also the ending was really abrupt. almost feels like there was a third missing act.

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athenathestorier's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

What happens when two broken-down men enter into a fake relationship of mutual benefit? This humorous novel tells us. It tells us that love might not cure all, and definitely not overnight, but having someone to support you, defend you, cheer for you, and be there through the rough parts definitely helps - whether that be a complementary-opposite romantic partner, a gaggle of teasing and sarcastic friends, or family members that show unconditional love. It shows that healing dominoes into a variety of parts of your life. It shows that not all single-parent families are a mess, nor that all happily-married-parent homes are healthy.

I'm all for these valuable messages, especially in the way that they wove together throughout the book. I also loved the reoccurring scenes where Luc tries to tell his literal-minded coworker(s) jokes, before having to give up with promises to do better next time. It was a quirk that I surprisingly enjoyed, and reminded me of the energy found in old sitcoms. It was all relatable and humorous, and sometimes I even laughed out loud. Also, did I spot a QPR in there?

But the same sarcasm and wit that Luc used to keep people from getting too close, also kept us readers from getting too emotionally attached. It made the moments of conflict, climaxes, and even romantic moments felt rather muted. In fact, I feel like I was more consistently onboard with the friendships and mother-son moments than the romance. But that might also be because of the pacing: the first climax happened around 50% into the book, and was resolved quickly. The final climax happened at 90% of the book and, on behalf of being so close to the end, felt rather easily resolved as well.

In another old sitcom-like gesture, we also get some supporting characters who had about 1/4 of a functioning braincell - so much so that they struggled to follow simple lines of conversations. This is a particular character archetype that I've personally never been fond of and rather forgot that it existed.

Memorable Quotes:
"I've never seen the point of fancy dress parties. You have two choices: either you make a massive effort and wind up looking like a disk, or you make no effort and wind up looking like a dick. And my problem, as always, was not knowing what kind of dick I wanted to be."

"Someone else's actions may affect you. But what other people choose to do is about them."

"Will it ever stop hurting?"
"Non." Mum shook her head. "But it will stop mattering."

"Are we really bad at this?" I asked. "We've been fake broken up once."
"Yes, but we fake resolved our difficulties and fake got back together, and I'm hoping it's made us fake stronger."

"Awkward as this is, I like to feel that 'slightly more friends than you can fit around your table' is exactly the right number of friends to have."

Content Warnings