Reviews tagging 'Acephobia/Arophobia'

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

57 reviews

lmy612's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

Not my favourite by Ali Hazelwood and that’s a shame because I was so excited to read this!

MFC, Elsie, is the dumbest smart person out of all of Ali’s novels. She doesn’t speak up for herself. Ever. With anyone. She moulds herself into whoever she thinks the person she’s speaking with wants her to be—dates, her mother, best friend, mentor, coworkers, her students, random people she’s meeting for the first time. This is her personality and I guess her idea of survival mode in academia? But it is cringy to read. 

Elsie and MMC, Jack, have a major height difference which is such a common trope I’m beyond tired of it. She needs to crane her neck to look up at him. She needs to stand on her tippy toes and pull his face towards her to kiss. His pen!s pokes her in the stomach. She’s a small-average height woman and he’s a giant. We get it. 

Elsie’s interactions with her mother felt forced. Phone calls with and memories of mommy dearest are added sporadically throughout the book. Mom calls and expects Elsie to break up fights between her two older brothers—who are  adults. We never meet the mother or the brothers so, even though their  interactions give examples of Elsie putting up with a lot of garbage from a lot of people, they felt like unnecessary characters. 

Elsie and her best friend/roommate have an odd cheese obsession. This is focused on so much it is actually a character trait. Cheese is one of the few things they have in common, but they make it work. 

Elsie does grow throughout the book with Jack’s help. She starts to tell people what she thinks and how she feels which made me proud. One of Elsie‘s dislikes is her best friend ’s taste in movies. But even though Elsie starts voicing her opinions by the end of the book, in the epilogue she’s sitting through yet another movie she doesn’t  want to be watching. Furthermore, the person she’s watching this movie with told her earlier in the book that they would never watch her favourite movies with her ever again. So Elsie is expected to compromise for their tastes, but they won’t compromise their’s for her? Eww. No thank you

The ending was meh for me. It didn’t feel as climatic as it could have been. 

Sorry. This storyline and the characters just really weren’t for me.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Misogyny, Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Death of parent, Medical content, Outing, and Sexism

chasingpages1's review against another edition

emotional funny informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, and Medical content

Moderate: Outing, Death of parent, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Grief, Acephobia/Arophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness

Minor: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Classism, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Drug use

beesin03's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Chronic illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Mental illness, and Gaslighting

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Death of parent, and Outing

notmollie's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship

sinoclock's review against another edition

funny hopeful 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

I've read a fair number of Ali Hazelwoods contemporary nerd spicy romance books and this one may be the best of them. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexism, Misogyny, and Sexual content

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Outing

saracree's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Outing and Acephobia/Arophobia

kfmcf's review against another edition

• 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

If I have to read "iTwat" with my own two eyes ever again I will revolt. 

The pacing of this book was her weakest imo. I'm glad it didn't have an off the wall end like LotB but I just like. I dunno. I'm starting to lose faith that I'll get another TLH. This book had the BEST stem aspects. Loved it. But the full middle was just sex which is fine bit just HALTED any plot progression. At all. 
And they had so little chemistry to me. And please, friend, write a different couple dynamic. I just cannot. Please broaden your horizons I know you can do it. You did it at least once in the novellas and it was my favorite one. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Sexism, and Medical content

rusame's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Grief

kylieqrada'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I thought I would love this after seeing reviews, especially because it has diabetes AND aro/ace rep. But SIGH. I liked it enough, but it was nothing mind-blowing (for me). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Outing

hopecobblepotworld's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

I should write a long review and at some point I will but right now all I can say is I loved Love, Theoretically. I never thought Ali could write something as good as The Love Hypothesis. Well,  she did.  Brava!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Death of parent