twistykris's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was a super sweet, funny When Harry Met Sally retelling. I liked all of the characters, even at their lowest points. I felt like the development of Ari and Josh was particularly interesting, especially as we get both of their perspectives (3rd person) and I can truly appreciate how both Ari and Josh are both flawed characters and deal with their own interpersonal struggles. The hate-at-first-sight to kinda-friends to oh-wait-are-we-lovers banter was fantastic!
I find the miscommunication trope frustrating, BUT given it's at a time when Ari is incredibly vulnerable, I do feel like it served its purpose here. And at a certain point it felt like Ari's character redemption arc dragged on just a liiittle bit too long for my taste.
I find the miscommunication trope frustrating, BUT given it's at a time when Ari is incredibly vulnerable, I do feel like it served its purpose here. And at a certain point it felt like Ari's character redemption arc dragged on just a liiittle bit too long for my taste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Drug use, and Alcohol
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
katiejohns's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Toxic relationship
gondorgirl's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, Cursing, Alcohol, and Classism
quasinaut's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book had its moments but overall I found the characters (particularly Josh and his sister, Briar) to be unlikable. It was actually really lovely to see Josh and Ari become friends while they were at their worst, when they needed someone they could be sad with. Other than that, a lot of their dynamic was frustrating and weirdly antagonistic, especially when that antagonism came from brief interactions with large time jumps in between.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Grief and Death of parent
samchase112's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
3.5
These people are kinda (well, not kinda) the worst, but… I still liked watching them find each other? Sort of? They have some serious issues, and we see them (sort of) work it all out throughout the book, leaning on each other as they've never leaned on others for one reason or another. But the problem remains: They're pretty deplorable. Glad they got their happy ending, and it's not Josh and Ari's fault they're terrible people, but… oh wait. It is. Books about awful people aren't necessarily doomed to failure, but it does highlight the worst parts of them, and in this case, just made me want to rewatch When Harry Met Sally :) Not a complete disappointment of a romance! Which is pretty good given the expectations I had via other reviews.
Oh, and Ari seriously needs to find a personality or hobby or whatever beyond simply sex.
Oh, and Ari seriously needs to find a personality or hobby or whatever beyond simply sex.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Alcohol
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Abandonment
vreyna20_2004's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
4.75
AHHHHHHHHHH. Okay so this story was VERY slow at start I even contemplated dnf but I didn’t cause I love the friends to lovers trope and I’m glad I did. This story is so realistic I didn’t expect it to be so hard hitting and hit me at things I never even thought about. I knew why Ari didn’t believe in relationships but also believed in Josh and his idea of relationships. It was so realistic I just loved this book.
The spice was surprisingly detailed. I shouldn’t believe that cartoon covers are innocent but the friends to lovers trope is usually innocent so I thought that would be the case but boy was I wrong. I was giggling and practically skipping around my room when I read them finally doing it but I still understood why Ari ran away but it hurt to read Josh panicking about it. It shows the realistic side of how to some sex is just sex but to others sex is everything and that’s a lot to some.
I did panic that Josh and Radhya would have a moment since they were getting closer which thank god they didn’t cause them I would’ve dnf’ed. But I loved reading Ari’s confession. I laughed when Ari proposed to Josh with a cock ring but then cried when Josh proposed to Ari with the heirloom ring he was gonna give to his ex. This book was just amazing. I loved it!!! I would talk about this book I’ll think about this book 24/7 I wish I could reread it like the first time. It’s a long book and it takes long to get any action (that’s why it’s not a 5 star) and that’s is why I read it as an audiobook but it’s worth it at the end. So please read it!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
hayley_nelson915's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Drug use
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Infidelity and Death of parent
gabbygarcia's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Cursing, and Infidelity
Minor: Drug use and Death of parent
mari1532's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I decided to read this book because it has been marketed as a modern take on When Harry Met Sally a movie that I have loved since I was a child. So, I checked this audiobook out of my library.
Summary: Ari is a commitment phobe with aspirations of making it as a stand-up comedian. Josh is a hopeless romantic trying to make a name for himself as a world-renowned chief. They meet because Josh is hoping to make Ari's roommate-with-benefits his girlfriend. After their meet-not-so-cute, they try and navigate being polar opposites the world seems determined to stick together.
Thoughts: Usually, I like to give ratings that are either a full point or half a point because that makes more sense in my brain, but I found this book hard to rate. I really enjoy the nods to the source material and the writing was captivating enough that I devoured this audiobook in a single sitting. However, when the book was over I did not leave with that warm feeling I usually get at the end of a romance novel. I think this is because I did not leave the book believing that the two characters would live happily ever after. The most annoying thing is that I cannot pinpoint exactly why I feel that way.
I really enjoyed the ways that Goldbeck modernized the story and made the repeated meetings a bit more outlandish. There were several times throughout the book I laughed really hard. However, I really found Ari hard to understand as a character. Her character arc was beautiful throughout the story and I would argue does include some growth on her part, but her relationship history was a bit difficult to understand in some ways. At the beginning of the book she is 100% against relationships, but throughout the book her opinions on this change, but it doesn't feel like these changes were because she grew as a person. I find it very hard to articulate, but it felt a bit like halfway through the book Ari had a factory reset on her relationship settings. That being said, Goldbeck's writing made it easy to empathize with Ari in certain moments and there is one particular moment when even though there were barely any words on the page I knew exactly how she was feeling.
I liked Josh less, in fact, he may have been my least favourite character in the whole book. Again, Goldbeck had a way of really making me understand him as a character on the page in some moments, but if he were a real person I don't think we would be friends.
This is not a bad book. I did not put it down. There were instances that I even enjoyed. However, I am very ambivalent about the characters and the story in this book. It is a good weekend read if you are looking for something entertaining but not requiring heavy investment.
Summary: Ari is a commitment phobe with aspirations of making it as a stand-up comedian. Josh is a hopeless romantic trying to make a name for himself as a world-renowned chief. They meet because Josh is hoping to make Ari's roommate-with-benefits his girlfriend. After their meet-not-so-cute, they try and navigate being polar opposites the world seems determined to stick together.
Thoughts: Usually, I like to give ratings that are either a full point or half a point because that makes more sense in my brain, but I found this book hard to rate. I really enjoy the nods to the source material and the writing was captivating enough that I devoured this audiobook in a single sitting. However, when the book was over I did not leave with that warm feeling I usually get at the end of a romance novel. I think this is because I did not leave the book believing that the two characters would live happily ever after. The most annoying thing is that I cannot pinpoint exactly why I feel that way.
I really enjoyed the ways that Goldbeck modernized the story and made the repeated meetings a bit more outlandish. There were several times throughout the book I laughed really hard. However, I really found Ari hard to understand as a character. Her character arc was beautiful throughout the story and I would argue does include some growth on her part, but her relationship history was a bit difficult to understand in some ways. At the beginning of the book she is 100% against relationships, but throughout the book her opinions on this change, but it doesn't feel like these changes were because she grew as a person. I find it very hard to articulate, but it felt a bit like halfway through the book Ari had a factory reset on her relationship settings. That being said, Goldbeck's writing made it easy to empathize with Ari in certain moments and there is one particular moment when even though there were barely any words on the page I knew exactly how she was feeling.
I liked Josh less, in fact, he may have been my least favourite character in the whole book. Again, Goldbeck had a way of really making me understand him as a character on the page in some moments, but if he were a real person I don't think we would be friends.
This is not a bad book. I did not put it down. There were instances that I even enjoyed. However, I am very ambivalent about the characters and the story in this book. It is a good weekend read if you are looking for something entertaining but not requiring heavy investment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexual content
juffnstuff's review against another edition
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent and Toxic relationship