jennyeliseq's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Violence, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Grief, and Sexism
lunep's review against another edition
funny
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
I wanted to be a hater but sadly, I did enjoy it.
It was pretty predictable at times, the amount of times it was mentioned Adam was tall, and had broad shoulders and he towered over Olive (33) was overkill tbh, and at some parts I was genuinely thinking "what the fuck" because the things happening or the way Ms Hazelwood described things was very weird, but it kept me hooked and I had a good time regardless.
It was pretty predictable at times, the amount of times it was mentioned Adam was tall, and had broad shoulders and he towered over Olive (33) was overkill tbh, and at some parts I was genuinely thinking "what the fuck" because the things happening or the way Ms Hazelwood described things was very weird, but it kept me hooked and I had a good time regardless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Cancer, Death of parent, and Sexism
Minor: Alcohol and Abandonment
pages_with_panda's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I FINALLY read it. This book has been all over TikTok and I'm glad I finally read it. It's a part ridiculous, part endearing story full of "fake-dating" shenanigans.
My gripes with the book have mostly to do with some weirdness of some scenes, the writing, and the general lack of development from the characters.
One nitpick I could not get out of my head was that Adam was so much bigger than her? In every way? And yet she's 5' 8'? Just how big is this guy? And the descriptions of their body proportions threw me off completely. It just felt really unbelievable and downright impossible.
Their age gap isn't too bad (she's 26 and he's 34), but honestly she acts a LOT younger. Lying at every turn, even with justifications, made her seem really immature. Especially during the bedroom scene and with the weird body proportions? Was a little uncomfortable to read.
Adam honestly had very little personality beyond liking Olive. He's smart and works out, but that's all we're really told about him. I thought we'd be able to see more about his past - he tells us he's so cold because of his rich, negligent parents, and that's why he treats people like shit, but then does nothing to fix himself? Olive at least tells the truth at the end.
It could come across at "cringey" but I liked the banter/dialogue between Adam and Olive even though Olive didn't stop mentioning that they were "fake-dating" at every chance she got. (Seriously, how did no one hear her with how often she said it in public? I thought all eyes were always on them?)
I also found the main conflict at the end a little unbelievable and couldn’t believe what Olive’s solution was!! But without spoiling the story I won’t say more.
Other than that, it was a fun, fast-paced read!
My gripes with the book have mostly to do with some weirdness of some scenes, the writing, and the general lack of development from the characters.
One nitpick I could not get out of my head was that Adam was so much bigger than her? In every way? And yet she's 5' 8'? Just how big is this guy? And the descriptions of their body proportions threw me off completely. It just felt really unbelievable and downright impossible.
Their age gap isn't too bad (she's 26 and he's 34), but honestly she acts a LOT younger. Lying at every turn, even with justifications, made her seem really immature. Especially during the bedroom scene and with the weird body proportions? Was a little uncomfortable to read.
Adam honestly had very little personality beyond liking Olive. He's smart and works out, but that's all we're really told about him. I thought we'd be able to see more about his past - he tells us he's so cold because of his rich, negligent parents, and that's why he treats people like shit, but then does nothing to fix himself? Olive at least tells the truth at the end.
It could come across at "cringey" but I liked the banter/dialogue between Adam and Olive even though Olive didn't stop mentioning that they were "fake-dating" at every chance she got. (Seriously, how did no one hear her with how often she said it in public? I thought all eyes were always on them?)
I also found the main conflict at the end a little unbelievable and couldn’t believe what Olive’s solution was!! But without spoiling the story I won’t say more.
Other than that, it was a fun, fast-paced read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer and Grief
Minor: Misogyny and Death of parent
tiffanykw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent
miijiju's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Spoilers ↓
Better than expected
What I liked:
The storyline was fine, the concept worked too. It wasn't really an enemies to lovers or academic rivals but the twist was nice, Brenton did seem like an ass from the beginning (like he himself mentioned) and I like the goofy revenge that Olive gave him.
What I didn't like:
The characters were bland and boring, especially Adam felt like he didn't have a personality and his random switch from "never giving a fuck" to "I'm going to kill you" near the end with Brenton felt unnatural and weird. Malcolm was annoying and imo Anh was a pushover even after she mentioned it. The sex scene too 😭
I don't get how the book has an average 4⭐ rating on GoodReads but it doesn't deserve it.
Better than expected
What I liked:
The storyline was fine, the concept worked too. It wasn't really an enemies to lovers or academic rivals but the twist was nice, Brenton did seem like an ass from the beginning (like he himself mentioned) and I like the goofy revenge that Olive gave him.
What I didn't like:
The characters were bland and boring, especially Adam felt like he didn't have a personality and his random switch from "never giving a fuck" to "I'm going to kill you" near the end with Brenton felt unnatural and weird. Malcolm was annoying and imo Anh was a pushover even after she mentioned it. The sex scene too 😭
I don't get how the book has an average 4⭐ rating on GoodReads but it doesn't deserve it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
allonsyahhlee's review against another edition
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Medical content
taylorvalerie's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
The cutest and most heartwarming story I've ever read. An instant favourite!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, and Misogyny
lmy612's review
lighthearted
fast-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
A fantastic fauxmance! Adam is dark and brooding but also protective and caring. A swoon worthy read for anyone who likes smart people and some spice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Cancer, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Gaslighting
karouty's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
5.0
I just knew I had to read a book by Ali Hazelwood!! This one have been on my tbr for so long and it took my brother gifting it to me on Christmas to finally dive into this story.
I am not disappointed! I've heard some people find it overrated but I think that must be mostly because of the hype it had on booktok.
I found it to be a really lovely and really funny rom-com and I'm definitely buying more books from this author!
I am not disappointed! I've heard some people find it overrated but I think that must be mostly because of the hype it had on booktok.
I found it to be a really lovely and really funny rom-com and I'm definitely buying more books from this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Terminal illness and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny
thesawyerbean's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
3.0
I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would considering my previous foray into Hazelwood’s stuff. I was heavily invested and the story was fun and addictive.
I will say, however, the writing wasn’t exactly great. It was absolutely littered with predictable plot points, heinous tropes and weird turns of phrase. I was absolutely sick of hearing how absolutely gargantuan and broad and tall and massive Adam is and how he has so many abs and rippling pecs and… give it a rest, Olive. The way the author wrote. Like. This. For. Emphasis. and repeated the same thing several times to portray awkwardness was also extremely agitating.
Every single character other than Adam annoyed me greatly at some point in the novel - I found the characterisation of the gay characters to be a bit on the nose and stereotypical … did the gay character really have to be known to be promiscuous? Olive was utterly frustrating throughout and I wish she would just communicate one time - but I guess that wouldn’t make for a good novel. The smutty scenes were actually not bad which is surprising considering, but there were some lines in there that were very … peculiar, let’s say.
Overall, lived up to the hype! Definitely a fun-filled read.
I will say, however, the writing wasn’t exactly great. It was absolutely littered with predictable plot points, heinous tropes and weird turns of phrase. I was absolutely sick of hearing how absolutely gargantuan and broad and tall and massive Adam is and how he has so many abs and rippling pecs and… give it a rest, Olive. The way the author wrote. Like. This. For. Emphasis. and repeated the same thing several times to portray awkwardness was also extremely agitating.
Every single character other than Adam annoyed me greatly at some point in the novel - I found the characterisation of the gay characters to be a bit on the nose and stereotypical … did the gay character really have to be known to be promiscuous? Olive was utterly frustrating throughout and I wish she would just communicate one time - but I guess that wouldn’t make for a good novel. The smutty scenes were actually not bad which is surprising considering, but there were some lines in there that were very … peculiar, let’s say.
Overall, lived up to the hype! Definitely a fun-filled read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Sexism
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent