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joseatta'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
3.75
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
stacy837'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
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Sexual content, and Grief
genevieve_eggleston'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
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail
thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Sexual content
angelfireeast24's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying, Alcohol, and Classism
merlesstorys's review against another edition
- 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
I loved the execution.
I love Maya and Skye.
Sophie Gonzales came up with a great concept, and I really want to see this reality show happen.
Also, big love on the hardcover design - the rose on the front underneath a gorgeous cover with a Taylor Swift reference as the title? Instant love.
Moderate: Bullying, Infidelity, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
patricktreads'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? It's complicated
4.0
I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. I highly recommend it to fans of the traditional reality dating shows. It gives all the juicy goods while also making you fall for both of our main characters.
I also listened to this as an audio arc courtesy of NetGalley/Macmillan. The narrators were everything. At this point, I will pretty much listen to anything Natalie narrates.
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
amethystandherbooks'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
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Misogyny, and Abandonment
Minor: Car accident
sdupont'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
4.0
*I received the ARC for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Misogyny and Abandonment
Minor: Biphobia and Bullying
betweentheshelves'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
3.0
When Second-Chance Romance enters the scene, both Skye and Maya are invited to compete to win Jordy back. Skye is skeptical Jordy can win her back, but Maya has other plans: expose Jordy for who he really is. But what they both don't plan on is falling for each other.
Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this to review! I'm honestly not really a fan of reality shows, but reading about fictional ones can be really fun. If you love the drama of reality TV, I'm sure you will devour this book in one sitting because it definitely delivers on the reality drama.
The pros: I really enjoyed the characters in this. Gonzales does a good job of making them fully fleshed out, even though there's quite a large cast on the show. They all have uniquer personalities, and when they're all together, there is great chemistry between them. For a reality TV based romance, I think this is super important. Maya and Skye also have great chemistry, and the way their romance develops works well for the setting of the story.
However, I don't think this works super well pitched as YA. It was hard for me to figure out exactly what the ages of the characters were, and setting it as teenagers in a reality show doesn't sit super well with me. Personally, the story would have worked better as an adult romance, with the characters aged up to their early or mid-twenties, think more Bachelor aged. It didn't make a whole ton of sense in a teenager context, so I'm not exactly sure why it's being pitched for a YA audience.
Despite that, there are a lot of people who will have a lot of fun with this premise, especially since Sophie Gonzales has made a name for herself in YA. While I don't think this is her best work, fans of romance will definitely be entertained.
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, and Abandonment
Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, and Car accident