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katiekeske's review against another edition
This was better than I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be more like a romcom, a bit campy and silly, especially based on the cover. It was actually much more serious, in a good way!
It's a slow burn romance with character growth and the relationship building over time.
This is my first time reading this author, and I was pleased with the world-building. The story was well written with an interesting plot. I'm looking forward to reading more by her.
It's a slow burn romance with character growth and the relationship building over time.
This is my first time reading this author, and I was pleased with the world-building. The story was well written with an interesting plot. I'm looking forward to reading more by her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and War
Minor: Pregnancy
Body shaming is toward the male Alien who is shrunk by his fellow aliens.mx_manda's review against another edition
5.0
Oh. I do like a pleasant surprise. Warms my shriveled, black little heart.
So. The first 20% of this story isn't anything too unexpected; it's pretty standard cookie cutter SFR at its most basic elements. We have Emma, a.k.a. Pixie, a.k.a. Eleven, who is a rare female soldier in a human army mechanized fighter unit.
Meaning.
She gets to wear a big-ass robo-suit and beat the heck out of things.
Except no one can see inside and tell who she actually is.
5-foot-nothing with a slight weight to match, the suit allows her to fulfill her dream of being in the military and Doing Things. All of the men in her unit respect her, and she's one of the dudes.
The alien men they're fighting alongside of though?
Not so much. They're the most unhinged, show-boating chauvinists, and Emma hates spending any time with them. She refuses to leave her suit so they have no idea who number Eleven "Pixie" is. But the worst offender of them all is her counterpart, Agan, who can never shut up or take a clue.
Agan is very impressed with human fighter number Eleven, his bro who does him some solids and saves his tail (HA) a few times. When they're stranded after a dangerous mission and have to walk back to base, things go well until it's time to stop for the night and Eleven needs to leave his suit.
Because Eleven isn't his bro at all. Eleven isn't a he...he's a she. A very tiny, adorable she who is spitting mad and unimpressed with his Opinions about where women belong and what's appropriate for them to do and not do. And she is not yielding to him.
After an ambush that leads to losing his giant stature, Agan is forced to accept even more help from Emma, and he worries about how he'll navigate in the world now that he's about 6" tall.
And.
This is where the magic starts, y'all. And it's so delightfully unexpected. I had so many Feelings during this, some very good laughs, and I will definitely revisit this story at another time, because it's sweet and lovely, and seeing an OTT Alpha Male character who suddenly can't loom and impose have to utilize other methods to win a woman over without strong-arming her? Getting to see Emma feel 100% safe around Agan and fall for him because of his actual charms and personality was delightful to read.
I worried the sex was going to be cringey and uncomfortable to read, but it surprised me too. I love good surprises.
And the resolution and ending to this? Works really well. This is the best work of Simcoe's I've read to date.
I have to give this one a Real Rating of 4.5 stars.
Problematic Content—minor quibble: sex and gender are not the same thing.
Multiple times, Emma gets upset that she's being discriminated against based on her gender, when it's her sex they're basing everything on. I know these terms have been used interchangeably in the past, but gender is identity and there are over 30 of them. Sex is physical body parts/genetic make up (there are 6, iirc), and what Agan's attitudes are based off of.
So yeah, that "gender reveal party" you've attended is really a "sex organs reveal party," sorry, y'all. I know it doesn't sound as cute, but no one can tell you a child's gender except that child when they're old enough.
It's a minor thing, but it was enough to make me want to mention it.
So. The first 20% of this story isn't anything too unexpected; it's pretty standard cookie cutter SFR at its most basic elements. We have Emma, a.k.a. Pixie, a.k.a. Eleven, who is a rare female soldier in a human army mechanized fighter unit.
Meaning.
She gets to wear a big-ass robo-suit and beat the heck out of things.
Except no one can see inside and tell who she actually is.
5-foot-nothing with a slight weight to match, the suit allows her to fulfill her dream of being in the military and Doing Things. All of the men in her unit respect her, and she's one of the dudes.
The alien men they're fighting alongside of though?
Not so much. They're the most unhinged, show-boating chauvinists, and Emma hates spending any time with them. She refuses to leave her suit so they have no idea who number Eleven "Pixie" is. But the worst offender of them all is her counterpart, Agan, who can never shut up or take a clue.
Agan is very impressed with human fighter number Eleven, his bro who does him some solids and saves his tail (HA) a few times. When they're stranded after a dangerous mission and have to walk back to base, things go well until it's time to stop for the night and Eleven needs to leave his suit.
Because Eleven isn't his bro at all. Eleven isn't a he...he's a she. A very tiny, adorable she who is spitting mad and unimpressed with his Opinions about where women belong and what's appropriate for them to do and not do. And she is not yielding to him.
After an ambush that leads to losing his giant stature, Agan is forced to accept even more help from Emma, and he worries about how he'll navigate in the world now that he's about 6" tall.
And.
This is where the magic starts, y'all. And it's so delightfully unexpected. I had so many Feelings during this, some very good laughs, and I will definitely revisit this story at another time, because it's sweet and lovely, and seeing an OTT Alpha Male character who suddenly can't loom and impose have to utilize other methods to win a woman over without strong-arming her? Getting to see Emma feel 100% safe around Agan and fall for him because of his actual charms and personality was delightful to read.
I worried the sex was going to be cringey and uncomfortable to read, but it surprised me too. I love good surprises.
And the resolution and ending to this? Works really well. This is the best work of Simcoe's I've read to date.
I have to give this one a Real Rating of 4.5 stars.
Problematic Content—minor quibble: sex and gender are not the same thing.
Multiple times, Emma gets upset that she's being discriminated against based on her gender, when it's her sex they're basing everything on. I know these terms have been used interchangeably in the past, but gender is identity and there are over 30 of them. Sex is physical body parts/genetic make up (there are 6, iirc), and what Agan's attitudes are based off of.
So yeah, that "gender reveal party" you've attended is really a "sex organs reveal party," sorry, y'all. I know it doesn't sound as cute, but no one can tell you a child's gender except that child when they're old enough.
It's a minor thing, but it was enough to make me want to mention it.
smuttyland's review against another edition
3.0
So um it was something, I like how they clicked and worked together how she doesn't take a shit and I like how he redeems himself. I laugh I swoon that part was really nice BUT the scenes with him still being an inch tall or so and doing intimate things just weird me out AND I felt robbed because it was till the very end he got back his original size
becxreadz's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Liked
*Slow burn romance
*Opposites attract
*Forced proximity, literally in her bra
*tiny hero, so different from the big larger than life alien heroes
*Character growth
*action filled
*interesting smut scenes with the tiny hero
*Slow burn romance
*Opposites attract
*Forced proximity, literally in her bra
*tiny hero, so different from the big larger than life alien heroes
*Character growth
*action filled
*interesting smut scenes with the tiny hero
ebgracie77's review against another edition
5.0
This was magical! I love how the author used the shrinking of the hero to teach both of them empathy for the other. It was wonderfully done. Also, I thought it was amazingly funny how everything starts when he shrinks. She needs a safe place to put him and she put him in her bra! It was the funniest thing I have read in so long. This was a treat and so much fun. I only wish I had more time with them at regular size together.
bookishfairy's review against another edition
3.0
I read this quite quick, but it's mostly because I skimmed a lot. I'm giving the book 3 stars cause it's a store you don't see often it was really nostalgic of 2000's movie. The romance was cute and made sense but a lot of the story just dragged needlessly, which kind of spoiled the book for me. I was a bit bored.
I will try other books by the author, I want to give her another try!!
I will try other books by the author, I want to give her another try!!
amanda_p's review against another edition
5.0
Oh. I do like a pleasant surprise. Warms my shriveled, black little heart.
So. The first 20% of this story isn't anything too unexpected; it's pretty standard cookie cutter SFR at its most basic elements. We have Emma, a.k.a. Pixie, a.k.a. Eleven, who is a rare female soldier in a human army mechanized fighter unit.
Meaning.
She gets to wear a big-ass robo-suit and beat the heck out of things.
Except no one can see inside and tell who she actually is.
5-foot-nothing with a slight weight to match, the suit allows her to fulfill her dream of being in the military and Doing Things. All of the men in her unit respect her, and she's one of the dudes.
The alien men they're fighting alongside of though?
Not so much. They're the most unhinged, show-boating chauvinists, and Emma hates spending any time with them. She refuses to leave her suit so they have no idea who number Eleven "Pixie" is. But the worst offender of them all is her counterpart, Agan, who can never shut up or take a clue.
Agan is very impressed with human fighter number Eleven, his bro who does him some solids and saves his tail (HA) a few times. When they're stranded after a dangerous mission and have to walk back to base, things go well until it's time to stop for the night and Eleven needs to leave his suit.
Because Eleven isn't his bro at all. Eleven isn't a he...he's a she. A very tiny, adorable she who is spitting mad and unimpressed with his Opinions about where women belong and what's appropriate for them to do and not do. And she is not yielding to him.
After an ambush that leads to losing his giant stature, Agan is forced to accept even more help from Emma, and he worries about how he'll navigate in the world now that he's about 6" tall.
And.
This is where the magic starts, y'all. And it's so delightfully unexpected. I had so many Feelings during this, some very good laughs, and I will definitely revisit this story at another time, because it's sweet and lovely, and seeing an OTT Alpha Male character who suddenly can't loom and impose have to utilize other methods to win a woman over without strong-arming her? Getting to see Emma feel 100% safe around Agan and fall for him because of his actual charms and personality was delightful to read.
I worried the sex was going to be cringey and uncomfortable to read, but it surprised me too. I love good surprises.
And the resolution and ending to this? Works really well. This is the best work of Simcoe's I've read to date.
I have to give this one a Real Rating of 4.5 stars.
Problematic Content—minor quibble: sex and gender are not the same thing.
Multiple times, Emma gets upset that she's being discriminated against based on her gender, when it's her sex they're basing everything on. I know these terms have been used interchangeably in the past, but gender is identity and there are over 30 of them. Sex is physical body parts/genetic make up (there are 6, iirc), and what Agan's attitudes are based off of.
So yeah, that "gender reveal party" you've attended is really a "sex organs reveal party," sorry, y'all. I know it doesn't sound as cute, but no one can tell you a child's gender except that child when they're old enough.
It's a minor thing, but it was enough to make me want to mention it.
So. The first 20% of this story isn't anything too unexpected; it's pretty standard cookie cutter SFR at its most basic elements. We have Emma, a.k.a. Pixie, a.k.a. Eleven, who is a rare female soldier in a human army mechanized fighter unit.
Meaning.
She gets to wear a big-ass robo-suit and beat the heck out of things.
Except no one can see inside and tell who she actually is.
5-foot-nothing with a slight weight to match, the suit allows her to fulfill her dream of being in the military and Doing Things. All of the men in her unit respect her, and she's one of the dudes.
The alien men they're fighting alongside of though?
Not so much. They're the most unhinged, show-boating chauvinists, and Emma hates spending any time with them. She refuses to leave her suit so they have no idea who number Eleven "Pixie" is. But the worst offender of them all is her counterpart, Agan, who can never shut up or take a clue.
Agan is very impressed with human fighter number Eleven, his bro who does him some solids and saves his tail (HA) a few times. When they're stranded after a dangerous mission and have to walk back to base, things go well until it's time to stop for the night and Eleven needs to leave his suit.
Because Eleven isn't his bro at all. Eleven isn't a he...he's a she. A very tiny, adorable she who is spitting mad and unimpressed with his Opinions about where women belong and what's appropriate for them to do and not do. And she is not yielding to him.
After an ambush that leads to losing his giant stature, Agan is forced to accept even more help from Emma, and he worries about how he'll navigate in the world now that he's about 6" tall.
And.
This is where the magic starts, y'all. And it's so delightfully unexpected. I had so many Feelings during this, some very good laughs, and I will definitely revisit this story at another time, because it's sweet and lovely, and seeing an OTT Alpha Male character who suddenly can't loom and impose have to utilize other methods to win a woman over without strong-arming her? Getting to see Emma feel 100% safe around Agan and fall for him because of his actual charms and personality was delightful to read.
I worried the sex was going to be cringey and uncomfortable to read, but it surprised me too. I love good surprises.
And the resolution and ending to this? Works really well. This is the best work of Simcoe's I've read to date.
I have to give this one a Real Rating of 4.5 stars.
Problematic Content—minor quibble: sex and gender are not the same thing.
Multiple times, Emma gets upset that she's being discriminated against based on her gender, when it's her sex they're basing everything on. I know these terms have been used interchangeably in the past, but gender is identity and there are over 30 of them. Sex is physical body parts/genetic make up (there are 6, iirc), and what Agan's attitudes are based off of.
So yeah, that "gender reveal party" you've attended is really a "sex organs reveal party," sorry, y'all. I know it doesn't sound as cute, but no one can tell you a child's gender except that child when they're old enough.
It's a minor thing, but it was enough to make me want to mention it.
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