beckyyreadss's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I discovered Samantha Young on Tiktok within the last year or so and I love Fight or Flight and I adored A Cosmic Kind of Love. When I saw her new book being released, I was instantly on Amazon to pre-order this bad book and she has done it again – she's made me all fuzzy and warm inside within these 300 pages.
This book follows Star Shine Meadows, and she is all about freedom, thanks to the hippie parents who raised her. She is juggling her jobs as a professional costume character actor and a line sitter, she believes in no expectations, no stressful ambitions and no strings-attached relationships. So, when she meets a birthday girl’s grumpy uncle while working a princess party, she can’t help but push his buttons. She will never see him again and honestly, she thinks he’s hot. Rafe Whitman may be a veterinarian with a great bedside manner, but that doesn’t mean his patience extends to anyone with opposable thumbs. His family will not stop nagging him about finding “the one”, so it comes as a surprise when Rafe comes to Star with an offer: he’ll pay her more than she will make doing her odd jobs if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at family gatherings. She can stop sitting in line waiting for someone else’s new phone and he’ll get his family off his back. When the tension between them heats to a breaking point, Star’s desire for “no strings” is tested against Rafe’s staunch stability. They say opposites attract; will it work?
The storyline isn’t unique with the grumpy sunshine, but this is the first time I've read a book where it’s rich boy x poor girl relationship. I love Star determined to be herself – even though she’s got this rich boyfriend and she’s trying to impress the family, but she’s still like let me live in a crappy apartment in Staten Island and I want to still do my odd jobs because of the freedom she has to offer. I love that it’s the whole black cat x golden retriever as well. I liked that Star’s friends were the only ones to call out her bullshit especially when they knew why she was doing what she was doing.
I didn’t like Rafe at times and the way he was always wanting control, he knew that Star had a different background and that she was free-spirited but then he wants to lock her down, like go away. I didn’t like the communication breakdown, that lead to the third-act breakup messy “I don’t know how to tell the other that I'm uncomfortable shit.” it just drove me up the wall a bit.
I would love for this to become a series with the other hot vets especially because I'm certain there was something going on between the receptionist and the other hot vet. I would love for Gigi to get her own happy ending as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying and Child abuse
mrsjoylovesbooks's review
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Thank you to @berkleyromance for the free ebook and @PRHAudio for the audiobook.
The Love Plot is the definition of the grumpy/sunshine romance trope. Rafe is literally in a bad mood when he meets Star, who is dressed as a Disney princess at his niece's birthday party. His mood isn't a whole lot better the next time he sees her either. Despite their drastic differences, these two opposites end up in a fake-dating situation. Rafe needs his family to get off his back and stop trying to set him up and Star likes the idea of traveling across the country with what Rafe is willing to pay her. Rafe is serious and Star is just enjoying life and satisfied with her goal of being happy and not worrying about a career or anything else. I enjoyed the fake dating and I really liked Rafe, so much that I would have liked his POV. Star just wasn't my kind of heroine. Maybe it was just a little too much of the "free spirit" influence of her hippie parents and her unwillingness to compromise in the name of her uniqueness, but she came across as immature for most of the book. Of course, she does have emotional growth by the end of the story and I appreciated her journey to get there. I didn't see the emotional connection on page as much as their obvious physical connection. Despite this, I really liked Rafe and how Star made him happy. It was nice to see how much his true personality came out and his sweet side shined the more time he spent with Star. Both characters had family issues even though their families are drastically different and I appreciated that they both were able to overcome those issues. Star especially had some healing to go through because of her family and this subplot added a lot of emotion to the story. Oh, and Rafe is a veterinarian who sometimes takes pets home to care for them overnight. I mean, he is seriously sweet!
CW: parental neglect
The Love Plot is the definition of the grumpy/sunshine romance trope. Rafe is literally in a bad mood when he meets Star, who is dressed as a Disney princess at his niece's birthday party. His mood isn't a whole lot better the next time he sees her either. Despite their drastic differences, these two opposites end up in a fake-dating situation. Rafe needs his family to get off his back and stop trying to set him up and Star likes the idea of traveling across the country with what Rafe is willing to pay her. Rafe is serious and Star is just enjoying life and satisfied with her goal of being happy and not worrying about a career or anything else. I enjoyed the fake dating and I really liked Rafe, so much that I would have liked his POV. Star just wasn't my kind of heroine. Maybe it was just a little too much of the "free spirit" influence of her hippie parents and her unwillingness to compromise in the name of her uniqueness, but she came across as immature for most of the book. Of course, she does have emotional growth by the end of the story and I appreciated her journey to get there. I didn't see the emotional connection on page as much as their obvious physical connection. Despite this, I really liked Rafe and how Star made him happy. It was nice to see how much his true personality came out and his sweet side shined the more time he spent with Star. Both characters had family issues even though their families are drastically different and I appreciated that they both were able to overcome those issues. Star especially had some healing to go through because of her family and this subplot added a lot of emotion to the story. Oh, and Rafe is a veterinarian who sometimes takes pets home to care for them overnight. I mean, he is seriously sweet!
CW: parental neglect
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse
abcdefgerda's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I am soso grateful to have recieved an ARC of this story.
I had been in a dark place and Star and Rafe's story was like a best friend's hug that makes everything better.
I love the lightheartedness of RomComs in general but Samantha Young manages somehow to break my heart and then stitch it back together in just one book. Rafe and Star's (hers even more so) story is so relatable and touching. The pressure from their parents, how their whole lives have been molded from the views of their parents.. beautifully written
Hugo and Pippa's moods gave me whiplash honestly but I think it mostly hurt because I know so many people exactly like them haha
I just know that this book is going to be my comfort book from now on and I can't wait to and the physical copy to my shelf ❤️
I had been in a dark place and Star and Rafe's story was like a best friend's hug that makes everything better.
I love the lightheartedness of RomComs in general but Samantha Young manages somehow to break my heart and then stitch it back together in just one book. Rafe and Star's (hers even more so) story is so relatable and touching. The pressure from their parents, how their whole lives have been molded from the views of their parents.. beautifully written
Hugo and Pippa's moods gave me whiplash honestly but I think it mostly hurt because I know so many people exactly like them haha
I just know that this book is going to be my comfort book from now on and I can't wait to and the physical copy to my shelf ❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse and Bullying
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