Reviews with content warning for Death - Gekke gevoelens

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Gekke gevoelens by Tarah DeWitt

16 reviews

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

2.5

“We both know the judgment that comes with this line of work, the risks you take with certain material. And while I always strive to push the envelope on social commentary, I refuse to do it at the expense of someone else’s humanity. I’d rather tell shitty fart jokes and make fun of myself than be an asshole in the name of being edgy.”

➽ Funny Feelings is a feel-good romance about a female comedian! I was drawn in by the premise because the story sounded like it would be so much fun to read. We follow Farley Jones, a rising comedian who gets the chance to go on an important tour, but has to fake date her manager and long-time best friend Meyer! I really liked their friendship and the precious dynamic between Farley and his daughter Hazel, who is deaf. There was a lot of potential in this story, including the romance of friends-to-lovers (and age gap) and the exploration of being a woman working in the comedy industry. Some paragraphs managed to make me chuckle and I liked that quotes from different celebrities were used at the beginning of the chapters!

➽ Unfortunately, I had many issues with how the premise was executed. We not only have a dual POV but also dual timelines that bogged down the story. First I thought that Meyer would narrate the Past chapters and show us how they met and Farley would narrate the present. Instead, POVs and timelines got mixed up and I honestly couldn't tell if there was any structure behind the incorporation of the Past chapters. In my opinion, they slowed down the book and didn't add enough to the story. I also found that the POVs (both in first person) sounded too similar. In general, the story was rather slow and didn't deliver what it promised.

➽ This leads me to my second big problem: there was barely any plot and the fake dating doesn't really play a big part. I feel like if you promise fake dating and a grand comedy tour, you need to deliver. Neither of these aspects had any relevance to the plot and romance!! The main selling points were subplots at best and afterthoughts at worst. Since Meyer and Farley have been secretly pining after each other for ages (each believing it to be unrequited), the fake dating was barely used before they dated for real. It had no consequences for the plot and the reason they were pretending to date in the first place - the comedy tour - only takes place in the final 15% of the book! I was so disappointed, as I would have loved to see Farley go on tour, but we only got a few scenes with her and the other female comedians who are her idols. The plot was literally just Farley and Meyer getting together and learning about their past. Nothing else happened until the very end when the author had to add a completely avoidable miscommunication! Also, why did we need two epilogues??

➽ In general, the story just wasn't as hilarious as I had hoped. For a book about standup comedians, the writing wasn't really that funny and I expected more from Farley's character. Both her and Meyer felt shallow to me as we just got info-dumps about their past, but don't see how it affects them now. Therefore, I didn't feel like they grew throughout the story. Meyer's overprotectiveness began to annoy me towards the end and in general, I didn't see the chemistry between them.

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maharlafarley's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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gracescanlon's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Much to love here!

I’m a big fan of the friends to lovers, single dad, grumpy-sunshine, and workplace romance tropes. I’m not a fan of the fake dating trope usually, but when it’s two besties who’ve been pining after one another for years? That, apparently, is the fake-dating scenario for me!

I know it was frustrating that these two didn’t fully confess their feelings for years, but honestly, I felt it was beyond realistic. I’d definitely believe two best friends did the same in reality, especially two best friends with a professional relationship, and even more so if one of them is a single parent. Also, their repressing their feelings and rationalizing away each other’s signs was really the only instance of the miscommunication trope, so often over-utilized and poorly (annoyingly) done. I will admit that this particular miscommunication was a major through-line for most of the story, but again, it was incredibly believable, so I forgave it. Additionally, Meyer and Farley were otherwise fabulous communicators, which is just *chefs kiss.*

The Deaf representation was awesome! I loved that Farley was already fluent in ASL before meeting Meyer and Hazel. I felt that her learning ASL was both a ringing endorsement for and an effective normalization of studying the language, which more people should do (myself included). Hazel was so smart and funny, but still realistic. Meyer was a dad doing his best — and his best meant he was a great father in general. Hazel and Farley’s relationship was lovely — I wanted a little more of it, even though the story was about Farley and Meyer. I simply demand more Hazel, and more Hazel and Farley time!

Farley’s character growth throughout the novel was a joy to see. She was always unapologetically herself (love!), but to see her gain confidence in her abilities, and receive much-deserved support and success were both wonderful too. Also, women supporting women is the best! For Shauna and Kara (and Farley) to do so in a competitive, male-dominated field was a delight. They refused to be pitted against each other, supported and respected each other, and enjoyed each other’s company.

All stories have flaws, so here’s the handful I encountered in Funny Feelings:

The main characters’ names were odd. I understand their first and last names made reference to famous comedians, but I just didn’t like them. (That said, the nicknames they used with each other were adorable! “Fee,” and “My?” Or Meyer calling Farley by her last name — “Jones,” “Jonesy,” etc?? SO cute!)
I felt that Farley’s relationship with her father, especially after her mother passed, was woefully underdeveloped. Her dad was mentioned three times: he showed up once, and Farley addressed their relationship in one of her POV chapters, and she discussed him with Meyer in one of Meyer's POV chapters. I think the author should’ve committed more fully to fleshing out their dynamic, or should’ve said even less about it. Honestly, the story function performed by her father's character could've been done more concisely and effectively without him, perhaps using the misogyny and sexism faced by female comedians writ large. It could've been another (perhaps potential) manager that led Meyer to take Farley on as a client spur-of-the-moment.
The details and descriptions of the intimate scenes were inconsistent. The author would write perfect erotica, without being explicit or crass, but then the description would become much more vague. I just wanted consistency — either a continuation of the more detailed descriptions, or the use of more vague language — throughout the book.

In all, fun and emotional and heartwarming. I had so much fun reading this, and felt satisfied by the story when I finished it. Funny Feelings is, I think, the first romance I’ve read that didn’t overuse or misuse the miscommunication trope, and had relatable characters with realistic dynamics, and fleshed out more than just the two leads, all in the same novel. Brava!

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sebradley29's review against another edition

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5.0

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linnea_tornblom's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

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ashley_1206's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

4⭐️
honestly such a cute book i adore these characters and how open they are with eachother. they are realistic in a good way because me and farley i just UNDERSTAND her.

i love hazel she has my heart.

wish i didn’t have school because i was in a slump when reading this and didn’t have time to pick it up!! but really good i recommend i was able to pick it up after months

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