Scan barcode
wilybooklover's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Misogyny, and Racism
rebelbooks101's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Something I’m learning about myself is I don’t really care for storylines where they are fixing up an old house or something like that which I realize is the plot here but after hearing a lot of positive things I wanted to give it a chance because with plots. I don’t think I’ll enjoy, there are times I do end up still liking them. This wasn’t one of those times unfortunately and I did not care for that part of the story.
Along with that, the beginning 40% I did not care about at all. I couldn’t care less about the house and Wesley was just so grumpy. Every moment of page time these two had was just them arguing and given this is a forced proximity book where they were basically the only two characters it got annoying for me the reader very fast. Grumpy x Sunshine is one of those hit or miss tropes for me along with enemies to lovers. The beginning half I really thought I was going to give this book 2 stars and had also debated dnfing it.
However, once we saw these characters start having peaceful conversations this book improved a ton! I really like the upward trajectory the second half of this book took. Wesley is all of the sudden a completely different person (in a good way) and you start to understand a bit more why he is the way he is. On a personal preference level, I definitely think I would’ve enjoyed this book more had he become a lot more likeable sooner because he wasn’t grumpy at all for the rest of the book which makes me hesitant to recommend it as grumpy x sunshine and more as “looks like he could kill you, is actually a cinnamon roll” kind of trope meme thing. Either that or I think adding his perspective could’ve helped as well because it really was a drag to get through the unlikeable Wesley at the beginning.
I really liked the social anxiety rep. There were parts I definitely could relate to and felt for Wesley in. He definitely had some similar experiences to my own.
I also appreciated the lack of the forced third act conflict at the end. Like yes there was a conflict to some extent I suppose, but it wasn’t one of those forced ones where all of the sudden the characters can’t be together that I’m tired of seeing.
Overall I did like this book but given how unenjoyable the beginning was, I can’t really justify giving it a higher rating than a 3.5.
Moderate: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
debussy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I also didn't really understand some of the external plot--where was their money coming from to fix up this house? It's described as a money pit--a hoarding situation in 11,000 square feet, and it's fixed with a couple of dumpsters and some Magic Erasers? What happened with the funding? It's all glossed over, and I wish there'd been more meat on the bones there.
Soooo...by far my least favorite Sarah Hogle book, but the writing is still A+.
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
For example, her tendency to slip into daydreams bordered on delusional hallucinations. At a minimum, it was concerning and sometimes bordered on cringey. Maybell was also really self-involved and was repeatedly inconsiderate of Wesley despite him being so attentive and caring for her.
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual content
Catfishing is a major plot componentbooknerdbetty's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, and Car accident
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death, and Mental illness
Minor: Misogyny
ashleycmms's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Toxic friendship
emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Maybell was a funny narrator, but it was Wesley who really shone for me. I literally fell in love with him and now no man will compare. Also, I loved Victor and Violet's love story and definitely shed a tear for them. This book just did love so well.
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
spearly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
And I am weak. My spine was manufactured by Charmin. I want to be commanding, stern, intimidating, but I am raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. My resolve is dandelion fluff. When he looks at me like that, my inner vocabulary bursts apart like a piñata of candy conversation hearts.
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cursing, Death, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, and Grief
lastingliterature's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book tells the story of optimistic, bubbly Maybell and grumpy, quiet Wesley who both inherit Maybell’s late aunt's house. Wesley has dreams of turning it into an animal sanctuary and Maybell sees potential in it becoming a hotel. They agree to work together to fix up the place and make both their dreams come true. I think you can already see the tropes emerging 👀
I will say it took me a bit to get into this one. Maybell was kinda annoying, and I found it odd how she went from a doormat at work to being confident and strong within a couple of pages. Wesley, on the other hand, wasn’t shown to have *any* personality. HOWEVER, that changed very quickly. As soon as they started having actual conversations, I was hooked.
Wesley. Sweet, sweet Wesley. He will now hold a little piece of my heart. I really appreciated seeing a male romantic interest cope with extreme anxiety. While I am starting to see more anxiety rep in books the last couple of years, it is often not shown through male characters. He is tender and generous and shy and beautiful and I want another book about him right this second.
The writing style of this one also felt different than Hogle’s last book. Maybell is infatuated with her AU (alternate universe) where her mind is constantly slipping into the clouds where her dream café lives. This dream-like world carries itself into the words of this novel, and the beautiful figurative language elevates it to another level. It was very hard not to be enchanted by this story!
This is very close to a 5-star read for me! I feel compelled to take off 1/2 a star because the beginning left me wanting more.
I need another Sarah Hogle book ASAP!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Death