Scan barcode
hannahslit's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Reading this book felt like reading someone’s laundry list of tropes as they progressively ticked them off.
An asshole billionaire marries his loyal assistant because the terms of his inheritance say he won’t be able to become CEO single. Nothing wrong with this, but I felt tropes were prioritised over character. Declan was your typical alphahole, except he really had nothing redeeming and his behaviour switch wasn’t built up to. It literally was him being mean one page and deciding that he actually fancies his fake wife on the other.
Speaking of his fake wife, I felt nothing for Iris. Even though it was a dual POV, it felt oddly detached. Like as a reader you’re hearing their thoughts, but they’re not particularly interesting ones.
Something I liked about the book was its structure. I think how it was set up (short chapters, most pages ending with a sentence that had a full stop) made it incredibly easy to read, which I appreciated. It didn’t feel like almost five hundred pages, which is saying something. It was quite odd to me though that after almost five hundred pages, I was indifferent to the characters.
The epilogue(s) are saccharine sweet and it was nice to get a year’s epilogue and a five year epilogue too.
This was an easy before bedtime read that lacked depth but I think the shallow storyline was what I needed to read for that time. It’s a good example of tropes, not necessarily a good application of it, but I enjoyed it for what it was nonetheless.
An asshole billionaire marries his loyal assistant because the terms of his inheritance say he won’t be able to become CEO single. Nothing wrong with this, but I felt tropes were prioritised over character. Declan was your typical alphahole, except he really had nothing redeeming and his behaviour switch wasn’t built up to. It literally was him being mean one page and deciding that he actually fancies his fake wife on the other.
Speaking of his fake wife, I felt nothing for Iris. Even though it was a dual POV, it felt oddly detached. Like as a reader you’re hearing their thoughts, but they’re not particularly interesting ones.
Something I liked about the book was its structure. I think how it was set up (short chapters, most pages ending with a sentence that had a full stop) made it incredibly easy to read, which I appreciated. It didn’t feel like almost five hundred pages, which is saying something. It was quite odd to me though that after almost five hundred pages, I was indifferent to the characters.
The epilogue(s) are saccharine sweet and it was nice to get a year’s epilogue and a five year epilogue too.
This was an easy before bedtime read that lacked depth but I think the shallow storyline was what I needed to read for that time. It’s a good example of tropes, not necessarily a good application of it, but I enjoyed it for what it was nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse
smartcookiesca's review against another edition
emotional
tense
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse
kell_yeah_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.75
per my spreadsheet:
the grumpiest grump and the loyalest (is that a word? feels weird lmao) sunshine dukin' it out in their marriage of convenience, can i really ask for more? no. i cannot. and our girl iris really taking a stand for herself time and time again, i love it. make that boy work.
we've got marriage of convenience, age gap, friends to lovers, *and* its a slow burn? say less.
spice 🌶 - a 4 🌶 spicy (romance.io scale)
length - just right
reading speed - read in 1 days
did it make me cry? - yes. why are men.
the grumpiest grump and the loyalest (is that a word? feels weird lmao) sunshine dukin' it out in their marriage of convenience, can i really ask for more? no. i cannot. and our girl iris really taking a stand for herself time and time again, i love it. make that boy work.
we've got marriage of convenience, age gap, friends to lovers, *and* its a slow burn? say less.
spice 🌶 - a 4 🌶 spicy (romance.io scale)
length - just right
reading speed - read in 1 days
did it make me cry? - yes. why are men.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcoholism and Physical abuse
kitkat_2793's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
koistyfishy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
2 Untranslateable Word Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
Now books are meant to bring out emotions when reading, sometimes even really strong ones. They can make you sad, they can make you horny, and they can make you angry. They are also able to make you question life, become nostalgic and make you smile. They can make you irritated and annoyed... the point is there is a whole host of feelings and emotions that can be experienced when reading a book.
Now certain books by default imply a certain emotion will be experienced when reading that book. For example - a thriller might make you scared, anxious, or nervous. A political drama might make you frustrated or feel empowered. A dark romance will have you questioning your moral boundaries as you know the man is MEANT to be a walking red flag. What you don't expect is for a traditional contemporary romance to make you utterly mad, livid and just pissed off by how awful the MMC was portrayed...
We have Iris who is Declan's personal assistant. Declan has an issue where his clause in his grandfather's will is that he needs to be married and have a baby before he will be announced CEO of Dreamland Industries. The problem is he doesn't have any prospects of finding a woman who would lower herself to becoming his wife. So Iris steps into his metaphorical wife's shoes and the two get hitched and realise marriage is not just about saying "I Do".
Declan is an arsehole! He is mean to Iris, insults her and makes her feel like shit. Then on top of that treats everyone else like they are a bag of dicks. I have NEVER seen such a selfish, self-absorbed "grumpy" asshole in a book. Every time he did something I wanted to legitimately slap some sense into the man and maybe some manners and respect. Just because you are a billionaire does not mean people have to automatically like you, you jerk face!
Iris felt very underdeveloped as well, at the start being pretty likeable but her story goes nowhere and it feels very "woe is me" and she turns petty. She's pretty young and uses being held back at school for a year and "rejected" from previous jobs as a major definition in her life. She started as Declan's PA as a temp from an agency as her first real job - so WHERE ARE ALL THESE LIFE LESSON JOBS YOU HAVE LOST? She finished school, became a temp and has been working for him for 3 years. I really think she is actually the dumbest smart person I have ever encountered in a book because she is pretty clever from a business point of view - since she has been working for so long on this proposal Declan needs to land to prove he is CEO material. BUT SHE ACCEPTS DECLAN'S CONSTANT EMOTIONAL ABUSE and blows it off because of those stupid little love kernels he throws her way by making people change the font and leaving her voice notes instead of written notes because of her dyslexia?I mean OBVIOUSLY it's those small signs that mean he is the ACTUAL PERFECT MAN FOR YOU. She has suffered and given up so much of her personal life and time for him to continue to use and abuse her and the only time he turns into a decent human being is when she draws the line and says she has had enough...
This is meant to be a cutesy fluffy sweet and adorable romance of two people who find love through convenience, when frankly the characters in this sucked, the plot was kinda stupid and the romance had no connection.
I ALSO AM EXTREMELY UPSET THAT LAUREN ASHER DARED TO SAY SOUTH AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY YOU WOULD WANT TO VISIT FOR A HONEYMOON! Excuse me! Like have you seen my country and been anywhere near a luxury safari? As someone privileged to travel the world and SEE MY COUNTRY and go on a few "safaris" of my own - I feel like it was an unfair statement towards the experience and the type of luxury. LIKE BITCH THOSE THINGS ARE FUCKING FANCY IF YOU GO TO THE RIGHT PLACE... Also since she saw a leopard - and I haven't seen one since I was 12 and believe I will only see one going to this specific game reserve and it's on the other side of the country and it made me mad that Iris saw one and I haven't seen one in the wild in 22 years!
Tropes if you care to actually try read this:
▶ Interracial/Multicultural Romance
▶ Marriage of Convenience
▶ Forced Proximity/Workplace Romance
▶ BossXEmployee
▶ GrumpyXSunshine
▶ Billionaire/Rich Romance
▶ Third Act Breakup
▶ Best Friends Brother
▶ Possessive and Jealous MMC
Microtropes:
▷ It Won't Fit
▷ Grey Sweatpant
▷ View is Amazing (Looking at her)
▷ My Wife
▷ Mine
▷ Look at me
▷ Rolled Sleeves and Forearms
▷ Hold on to the....
Overall I HATED THIS! It made me mad and angry and annoyed and all I wanted was for the bloody thing to end so I could read something else...
I'm still gonna read Final Offer though...
Spicy Level: 🌶️🌶️/5
Now books are meant to bring out emotions when reading, sometimes even really strong ones. They can make you sad, they can make you horny, and they can make you angry. They are also able to make you question life, become nostalgic and make you smile. They can make you irritated and annoyed... the point is there is a whole host of feelings and emotions that can be experienced when reading a book.
Now certain books by default imply a certain emotion will be experienced when reading that book. For example - a thriller might make you scared, anxious, or nervous. A political drama might make you frustrated or feel empowered. A dark romance will have you questioning your moral boundaries as you know the man is MEANT to be a walking red flag. What you don't expect is for a traditional contemporary romance to make you utterly mad, livid and just pissed off by how awful the MMC was portrayed...
We have Iris who is Declan's personal assistant. Declan has an issue where his clause in his grandfather's will is that he needs to be married and have a baby before he will be announced CEO of Dreamland Industries. The problem is he doesn't have any prospects of finding a woman who would lower herself to becoming his wife. So Iris steps into his metaphorical wife's shoes and the two get hitched and realise marriage is not just about saying "I Do".
Declan is an arsehole! He is mean to Iris, insults her and makes her feel like shit. Then on top of that treats everyone else like they are a bag of dicks. I have NEVER seen such a selfish, self-absorbed "grumpy" asshole in a book. Every time he did something I wanted to legitimately slap some sense into the man and maybe some manners and respect. Just because you are a billionaire does not mean people have to automatically like you, you jerk face!
Iris felt very underdeveloped as well, at the start being pretty likeable but her story goes nowhere and it feels very "woe is me" and she turns petty. She's pretty young and uses being held back at school for a year and "rejected" from previous jobs as a major definition in her life. She started as Declan's PA as a temp from an agency as her first real job - so WHERE ARE ALL THESE LIFE LESSON JOBS YOU HAVE LOST? She finished school, became a temp and has been working for him for 3 years. I really think she is actually the dumbest smart person I have ever encountered in a book because she is pretty clever from a business point of view - since she has been working for so long on this proposal Declan needs to land to prove he is CEO material. BUT SHE ACCEPTS DECLAN'S CONSTANT EMOTIONAL ABUSE and blows it off because of those stupid little love kernels he throws her way by making people change the font and leaving her voice notes instead of written notes because of her dyslexia?I mean OBVIOUSLY it's those small signs that mean he is the ACTUAL PERFECT MAN FOR YOU. She has suffered and given up so much of her personal life and time for him to continue to use and abuse her and the only time he turns into a decent human being is when she draws the line and says she has had enough...
This is meant to be a cutesy fluffy sweet and adorable romance of two people who find love through convenience, when frankly the characters in this sucked, the plot was kinda stupid and the romance had no connection.
I ALSO AM EXTREMELY UPSET THAT LAUREN ASHER DARED TO SAY SOUTH AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY YOU WOULD WANT TO VISIT FOR A HONEYMOON! Excuse me! Like have you seen my country and been anywhere near a luxury safari? As someone privileged to travel the world and SEE MY COUNTRY and go on a few "safaris" of my own - I feel like it was an unfair statement towards the experience and the type of luxury. LIKE BITCH THOSE THINGS ARE FUCKING FANCY IF YOU GO TO THE RIGHT PLACE... Also since she saw a leopard - and I haven't seen one since I was 12 and believe I will only see one going to this specific game reserve and it's on the other side of the country and it made me mad that Iris saw one and I haven't seen one in the wild in 22 years!
Tropes if you care to actually try read this:
▶ Interracial/Multicultural Romance
▶ Marriage of Convenience
▶ Forced Proximity/Workplace Romance
▶ BossXEmployee
▶ GrumpyXSunshine
▶ Billionaire/Rich Romance
▶ Third Act Breakup
▶ Best Friends Brother
▶ Possessive and Jealous MMC
Microtropes:
▷ It Won't Fit
▷ Grey Sweatpant
▷ View is Amazing (Looking at her)
▷ My Wife
▷ Mine
▷ Look at me
▷ Rolled Sleeves and Forearms
▷ Hold on to the....
Overall I HATED THIS! It made me mad and angry and annoyed and all I wanted was for the bloody thing to end so I could read something else...
I'm still gonna read Final Offer though...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcoholism and Physical abuse
organizedxchaos's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse
siobhankeira's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
janacc's review against another edition
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Millor que el 1r
M’agrada que tinguin les coses clares, però el shift deno voler res amb l’Iris a de cop estar enamorat, es molt sobtat… mha semblat que no hi ha transició, que de una pàgina a altre canvia i punt
M’agrada que tinguin les coses clares, però el shift de
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Child abuse
elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Some parts of this book I simply ADORE, but Declan treats Iris so terribly for so long that I have a hard time rooting for their relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness and Medical trauma
karlapardo's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Alcoholism and Physical abuse