emmysforeverbooked's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I'm gonna flesh out each of these things just to kind of give you an insight as to why I didn't like each thing. But before I get started, please know that these things are not personal digs at the author, I'm sure she's great. This book, however, just did not do it for me. That's not to say you shouldn't pick it up if you think you'll like it! You read what interests you, these are just my personal opinions while I was reading it.
Chani. Chani, Chani, Chani. I feel weird even typing that because the love interest does, in fact, say that during the smut, which I will touch on later. But for now, I just need to rant about the main character for a sec. I honestly think that for once, if this had been dual POV, I would've enjoyed the guy's POV better. Other than Belly from The Summer I Turned Pretty, this is the most insufferable MC I have ever read about. This whole book felt like "Poor, pitiful me. I'm a famous writer and I have the best life ever but it doesn't matter because my life is actually awful since I didn't get to f!ck this hot celebrity man." Babes... this is like the entirety of stan twt complaining because they didn't get to sleep with a member of BTS. It would be nice, but it's just not going to happen.
And then when it did happen? After she spent 10 years complaining and sulking because she didn't take her opportunity to sleep with him and now she finally can, guess what? Her first instinct is to complain because it did happen đ¤Śđťââď¸
Which I guess brings me to my next point, the â¨ď¸smutâ¨ď¸ scene. Now my first complaint is that I had to wait 302 pages, nearly the entirety of the book, for her to say "we were tangled up like two horny octopuses." đ yep, you read that right. You know what the smut chapter felt like? 10 pages of glorified wattpad fanfiction. Especially when you consider that this man feels like a knock-off Tom Holland or someone like that. The smut in this book was just embarrassing...
Tbh the overall writing style was just... I don't even know how to take it. One minute, there would be fancy words I had to Google the definition of while the only variation of speaker tags we had were "I say" or "He asks". Like there were no other speaking verbs other than those two. Maybe this wouldn't bother someone else, but I'm autistic, I have to have tone indicators to know how I'm supposed to take these things.
Finally, because I could go on forever if you let me, I just need to release my anger for the ending. Because wtf was that? You just expect me to believe they haven't seen each other in a decade, then sleep together the day after they reunite, tell each other "F!ck you!" and basically break up despite not even being together, and their mutual friend sets them back up together all within a span of about 12 hours??? Girl wut?? And then you expect me to believe after they have a single conversation discussing their feelings for all of about five minutes, that they're happily married in the epilogue? I simply cannot compute.
All this being said, I do think this book would've been great as a Y/A book. Someone's thirteen year old daughter would eat this up if there wasn't a smut scene and a scene within the first ten pages of the book where MC thoroughly describes how hot and bothered Gabe Parker makes her feel with one glance over. So I think if you enjoy Y/A romance and celebrity romance, you'd probably enjoy this book. However, for me personally, it just wasn't what I wanted considering I picked this up on the premise that it was a contemporary romance.
Graphic: Sexual content, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Homophobia, and Cursing
Minor: Misogyny, Car accident, and Antisemitism
readingwithmeredith's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Cursing
One very open door, one foreplay open doorfromthefoxhole's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Rather than flat up front, their story is told through a series of flashbacks, articles, and snapshots from the present.Â
While I can definitively say I enjoyed reading Funny You Should Ask, I also found myself regularly rolling my eyes at Chani. I found her immature and incapable of recognizing her own faults, so much so that
Spoiler
Gabe literally calls her on it shortly before the book ends.Graphic: Cursing, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
laheath's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Alcohol, Cursing, and Classism
Minor: Drug use and Antisemitism
courtnoodles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Grief, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Misogyny, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying and Cursing
theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Homophobia
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Death of parent
leighannebfd3b's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Gaslighting
Minor: Grief, Car accident, Cursing, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
writtenbydnicole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Cursing, Alcohol, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming, Car accident, Infidelity, Animal death, Death of parent, Death, and Misogyny
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
From page one I could instantly see myself as the MC. Everyone has fantasized about meeting their celebrity crush, right? What about interviewing them? Scoring an invite to a premiere and an after party? Such is the case for this story. We follow journalist Chani âThenâ and âNowâ as she pens a profile piece on Hollywood heartthrob Gabe Parker twice, ten years apart. Can a whirlwind weekend of fame and and glamour and intimate conversations really change the trajectory of your life?
In some cases, yes. Chaniâs article goes viral. Gabe isnât just a Hollywood Hunk from small town Montana, heâs now an A-list celebrity with Oscar buzz. And a new Bond girl wife.Â
Because it was just that one weekend they spent together. Ten years later everything has changed except the feelings still there between Gabe and Chani, never consummated. And then Chani is asked to interview Gabe again and maybe recreate the magic of the article that launched her career.
This is a really well-written novel, more character-driven than anything. I liked and sympathized with Chani, found Gabe charming but real, and enjoyed the setting and theming. The beginning and end were really great. The middle lost me a little just in the fact that weâre supposed to believe these two characters have been in love with each other for a decade despite only being around each other for a couple days. I suppose thatâs the magic of Hollywood, though, and I donât hold it against them or the author. After all, wouldnât I want to write the same thing?
I wished for a little more backstory, but overall it delivered on everything I was expecting. Also, itâs smart and sexy the way a romcom should be.Â
A very cute book :)
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Antisemitism, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Misogyny, Outing, and Sexism
Minor: Religious bigotry, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Car accident, and Cancer