The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
taliaalongi'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
4.25
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Ableism
melodybanner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Fatphobia
diana_raquel'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? Yes
3.75
Please tell me people who look like us can be desired.
Please tell me people who look like us can have happy endings.”
This book has been on my radar for quite some time, due to the fact that involves the world of fan fiction. As a fan girl myself I found myself attracted to it. And the plus size representation was a plus!
I really enjoyed this book. Is it the best goddam romance that I ever read? No. But it is a light, cute, heartwarming romance about a fan girl meeting her celebrity crush that its also her online best friend. Its a good summer reading!
Tully recommend it if you want a light, cute summer reading!
Graphic: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Cursing, Sexual content, and Body shaming
Moderate: Child abuse, Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Eating disorder
cor_luz's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Fatphobia and Body shaming
frantic_vampire'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
5.0
Graphic: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Moderate: Ableism
sreddous's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The sex scenes are goooooooood. Really good descriptions, really easy to get immersed in, good pacing, nice creative things going on. Great stuff there!!
I think what makes this not be a 5-star experience for me is that I feel like we don't get enough of an actually-deep emotional connection between Marcus and April. I sort of had a hard time trying to figure out why I didn't really feel like I connected to THEIR connection. Like... I'm definitely the target audience for this. I, too, have my share of AO3 stories written and bookmarked, and the idea that "Marcus is based on a real celebrity" eh, didn't bother me, because it's not like he's EXACTLY like "the real person" he's based on (I feel like lots of literary characters are probably based on real people anyway). So that didn't take me out of the experience.
I think what kept me from being very immersed most of the time is that the book tried to juggle the following topics in the context of its own universe:
1. Marcus is a celebrity who plays a character that is popular in fandom.
2. April and her friend group write sexually-explicit fanfic of that character.
3. April has to separate 'TV characters' from the 'real person Marcus' she's dating, while she's still writing sexually-explicit fanfiction of that character.
4. Marcus is hiding that he, too, likes sexually-explicit fanfiction.
5. Marcus is also "trying not to be seen as just the characters he plays/the persona he puts on for the paparazzi" but as a real person.
I feel like.... items 3-5 sort of... don't go that well together? I guess it's the secrecy stuff that makes everything feel a little shallow and tense in a not-fun way. Like, if Marcus was like "lmao yeah I actually do read and enjoy plenty of that stuff even though it ofc can't be called canon" on their first date, then I think he and April could actually bond over their shared hobbies. But they don't do that, so I don't reeeally see why April being like "I'm a geologist" just about literally gives Marcus an erection at the dinner table lmao. I think I scratched my head for most of the book, thinking, "Why...do you guys like each other?" We were throwing around the word "love" on page 295, and I was still thinking, "I kinda don't see why yet".
So yeah. I think this could be tightened up in a way that actually explores these characters connecting and bonding over shared hobbies and building chemistry, but as-is their actual romantic connection feels surface level and a biiiiiiiiiiit too fast-paced. Not that 100% of literary romances need to be slow-burn, but I feel like this one was still a bit too fast for how serious things got.
Overall, though, I still enjoyed this. Some of the best sex scenes I've read in a while, definitely recommend!!
Minor: Fatphobia
just_klaudia'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
2.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Body shaming, and Bullying
kay_arielle'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: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
imaginingly'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Fatphobia, Sexual content, and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexism and Cursing
Minor: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Toxic friendship
mariakureads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The writing on this book is the same from what I remembered from past reads and drew me in and I loved it. It was modern and witty, fun and a bit sassy thanks the main female MC, April. April feels a bit familiar, can't place her exactly or what about her feels familiar, but she's smart, opinionated, sassy, witty, and writes fanfiction. I mention the fanfiction because it plays a pretty large part within the book because apparently the male MC too writes fanfiction for the very same fandom... But he's also the leading man for it.
Overall I liked the book and found it to be an easy read but being a fan of fanfiction, this was weird for me to see in a published book. Some chapters were set up to open to look like an AO3 fic, chapter title and tags and all, so that was just so weirdly off-putting for me as a reader. Just as weird as thinking that any actor is writing fanfics about the show their starring in to write fix it fics so personally that always took me away from the story and it's pacing and became a bit hard to get back into the actual story.
It's nice to have romance books featuring older main characters and supporting cast. Especially now that I get older, so I do appreciate that Dade tends to have books with MCs in their 30's and older.
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia