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noellegrace8's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was a good read! The characters have a black-cat-golden-retriever thing going on. This book depicts some issues I wouldn't otherwise be informed about - academia politics in the science profession. I liked watching it play out, and I loved getting to know Olive's background along the way. Her project is interesting. I also liked Adam's emo-ness, as well as the two side-characters Malcolm and Holden. And the demi/sapio representation with Olive!
This being said, there wasn't a terribly detailed plot line; it's mostly just a PhD student trying to get through her program while also navigating her past experiences as well as her current relationships. Additionally, there were many times I wondered why Olive didn't just say no to some things Ahn asked of her during the fake dating, especially because Olive didn't seem the type of person to be pushed around. I also found a few too many similarities between this book and the only other Ali Hazelwood book I've read: Love, Theoretically. I got a little tired of hearing about how the female lead couldn't read anything on the male lead's face, some of the cheesy dialogue or circumstances, about the tallness, washboard abs, and dimples of the dudes, and the best female friend who is kind of loud/obnoxious and pretty much only present to further the lead's story. I also would liked to have seen some more communication between the main couple before they moved along with their relationship, because there was a lot of lying involved initially. And, as just a nit-picky thing, I hate that some of the characters say "Ol." To me, it just doesn't sound like an organic nickname and is too phonetically similar (when you're listening to an audiobook) to Ahn's name.
I love a book that can make me cry, and the aftermath of the incident with Tom did just that. It is worth noting that what happened with him in the book could be a trigger for some people. It was jarring, although well-written.
Finally, while I've heard this began as a Reylo fanfic, I really don't see much of a connection to their story. Olive in particular is nothing like Rey. Adam is merely an indistinct shadow of Kylo. And to be honest, Adam just doesn't have much character at all.
I give Callie Dalton 4/5 ⭐ . She very much has a Valley Girl voice, which is a sensory frustration for me. She can sometimes be a tad overdramatic in her reading efforts, but also, her male voices are quite good.
This being said, there wasn't a terribly detailed plot line; it's mostly just a PhD student trying to get through her program while also navigating her past experiences as well as her current relationships. Additionally, there were many times I wondered why Olive didn't just say no to some things Ahn asked of her during the fake dating, especially because Olive didn't seem the type of person to be pushed around. I also found a few too many similarities between this book and the only other Ali Hazelwood book I've read: Love, Theoretically. I got a little tired of hearing about how the female lead couldn't read anything on the male lead's face, some of the cheesy dialogue or circumstances, about the tallness, washboard abs, and dimples of the dudes, and the best female friend who is kind of loud/obnoxious and pretty much only present to further the lead's story. I also would liked to have seen some more communication between the main couple before they moved along with their relationship, because there was a lot of lying involved initially. And, as just a nit-picky thing, I hate that some of the characters say "Ol." To me, it just doesn't sound like an organic nickname and is too phonetically similar (when you're listening to an audiobook) to Ahn's name.
I love a book that can make me cry, and the aftermath of the incident with Tom did just that. It is worth noting that what happened with him in the book could be a trigger for some people. It was jarring, although well-written.
Finally, while I've heard this began as a Reylo fanfic, I really don't see much of a connection to their story. Olive in particular is nothing like Rey. Adam is merely an indistinct shadow of Kylo. And to be honest, Adam just doesn't have much character at all.
I give Callie Dalton 4/5 ⭐ . She very much has a Valley Girl voice, which is a sensory frustration for me. She can sometimes be a tad overdramatic in her reading efforts, but also, her male voices are quite good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cancer, Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
corrieroe's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Eating disorder and Alcohol
jazdono's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
At the beginning of the book, I was really skeptical, to the point of expecting the book to become my first DNF of the year. The prologue seemed like I was about to read a book that had a “quirky” and overly pessimistic take on grad school. As a grad school myself (who really loves it), I was really hesitant to read a book with such a negative view on academia. The pessimism never really went away, but if became less of a focus in the story than the beginning made me expect. The story overall read like it was written either by or for people who had no experience in grad school—it combined a lot of stereotypes and common knowledge to give a sense of “knowing what I’m talking about”. Olive has a very generic life as a grad school student, and it felt like her experience in academia was missing any personal uniqueness.
Once I got past the quirkiness and into the actual plot, it was a fun read! I wouldn’t call the book necessarily well-written, and there were definitely some parts that had me saying “this is so dumb”, but at the end, I was smiling while I read and really rooting for the characters. Sometimes you just need a story to read that’s fun, and that’s exactly what this book was. It was filled with so many romance tropes that it almost read like a fanfiction at some points, but the author has a great sense of humor and even pokes some fun at the story for being so trope-filled! It’s a quick read (I finished it in one sitting, though I probably shouldn’t have stayed up the whole night) and overall a good mood-lifter.
(VERY minor spoilers) A note on the “LGBTQ+“ classification of the book: there are some gay side characters, and the main character is demi (she explains the concept, though the term is never used). However, this story doesn’t strike me as one someone would be looking for if they wanted an LGBTQ+ story.
Once I got past the quirkiness and into the actual plot, it was a fun read! I wouldn’t call the book necessarily well-written, and there were definitely some parts that had me saying “this is so dumb”, but at the end, I was smiling while I read and really rooting for the characters. Sometimes you just need a story to read that’s fun, and that’s exactly what this book was. It was filled with so many romance tropes that it almost read like a fanfiction at some points, but the author has a great sense of humor and even pokes some fun at the story for being so trope-filled! It’s a quick read (I finished it in one sitting, though I probably shouldn’t have stayed up the whole night) and overall a good mood-lifter.
(VERY minor spoilers) A note on the “LGBTQ+“ classification of the book: there are some gay side characters, and the main character is demi (she explains the concept, though the term is never used). However, this story doesn’t strike me as one someone would be looking for if they wanted an LGBTQ+ story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder
There isn’t actually an eating disorder in the book so much as discussions of eating only a little (due to budget) and forgetting to eat that could be a trigger to some people.
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