ireadtoescape_'s review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Lucinda is so problematic! Lol.
The fact that whenever she describes Bexley’s incompetence, she speaks about him being fat and never actually mentions what really makes him incompetent. All the creepy sexual harrassy stuff? Nah. He *is* fat though and apparently that’s all that makes him terrible. She references him as such multiple times ☹️
This was made worse for me with how very often she spoke about just how small and teeny tiny she is. 💀 This book came out in 2016, right!!?? 👀👀 Sally, you ought’a know better, boo! 5 foot nothing hahahahaha 😶
There are a number of weird references that made me cringe when she said them. Comparing your somewhat messy apartment to a slum in Kolkata is so racist! 😷 What do you mean?!! I struggled to read past that. I also noticed the use of the “old” spelling of Kolkata in the book 👀👀. The name was corrected to right spelling in 2001…!
Not long after that there was a problematic reference to albinism to describe someone Lucy hated. 🫤 I hat to re read that because I honestly couldn’t believe it.
Then there were just a bunch of obtuse comments relating to mental health that seemingly messed with this lily-white world of Lucy and Josh.
Lol. What’s with the hate on blondes? 😂😂 Sending love to all the blondes tall and brown-eyed🫶🏾
Also, the ridicule of short men?? So unnecessary. Just to emphasise how big big Josh is all big and big. Urgh. Because it’s not like we had any idea how big and perfect he is.
The writing was also so sporadic. Parts of it just threw me off but I honestly didn’t care enough to try and understand it or keep track. Josh’s pining was cute until it got a bit creepy and controlly. The creepy blue-eyed fetishisation wall paint business??? Girl, run!!
Sally, girl… 👀👀👀
The fact that whenever she describes Bexley’s incompetence, she speaks about him being fat and never actually mentions what really makes him incompetent. All the creepy sexual harrassy stuff? Nah. He *is* fat though and apparently that’s all that makes him terrible. She references him as such multiple times ☹️
This was made worse for me with how very often she spoke about just how small and teeny tiny she is. 💀 This book came out in 2016, right!!?? 👀👀 Sally, you ought’a know better, boo! 5 foot nothing hahahahaha 😶
There are a number of weird references that made me cringe when she said them. Comparing your somewhat messy apartment to a slum in Kolkata is so racist! 😷 What do you mean?!! I struggled to read past that. I also noticed the use of the “old” spelling of Kolkata in the book 👀👀. The name was corrected to right spelling in 2001…!
Not long after that there was a problematic reference to albinism to describe someone Lucy hated. 🫤 I hat to re read that because I honestly couldn’t believe it.
Then there were just a bunch of obtuse comments relating to mental health that seemingly messed with this lily-white world of Lucy and Josh.
Lol. What’s with the hate on blondes? 😂😂 Sending love to all the blondes tall and brown-eyed🫶🏾
Also, the ridicule of short men?? So unnecessary. Just to emphasise how big big Josh is all big and big. Urgh. Because it’s not like we had any idea how big and perfect he is.
The writing was also so sporadic. Parts of it just threw me off but I honestly didn’t care enough to try and understand it or keep track. Josh’s pining was cute until it got a bit creepy and controlly. The creepy blue-eyed fetishisation wall paint business??? Girl, run!!
Sally, girl… 👀👀👀
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
Minor: Racism
joensign's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Vomit
snslayer's review against another edition
Too repulsed by the fatphobia to keep going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
aditiy's review against another edition
i liked it except for the fatphobic comments...can we not
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia
nicolarivera's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Fatphobia
annick's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
I read it a few years ago (before the film version) and enjoyed the office enemies to lovers trope, and banter. And the sexual tension in some of the scenes.
the narration needed more editing.
In the end I prefer the film version because it lacks a lot of the annoying narration of the book.
the narration needed more editing.
In the end I prefer the film version because it lacks a lot of the annoying narration of the book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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 have been seeing this all over the book community and my best friends kindly got me this for my birthday and I decided it was finally time to read this. I enjoyed this book; I was just hoping for more and waiting for more.
This book is based around Lucy Hutton, she is the baker of cakes, she is an outstanding assistant and professional nice girl. She is waging war. She's got the whole office on her side – except for tall, dark and charmless Joshua Templeman he’s been nothing but hostile since the moment they met and now it feels like nothing matters as much as taking him down. They are tapped together under the fluorescent lights, they become obsessed with this addictive rivalry. There's the Staring Games, The Mirror Games, the HR Games. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything, especially when there is a huge promotion up for grabs. She is going to destroy the man she can’t seem to get out of her office, the man she hates, the man who’s taking up far too much space in her head. If Lucy wins, she’ll be Joshua’s boss. If she loses, she’ll resign. The race is on – but the real games have only just begun.
I liked this book. I think Lucy was hilarious and her smurf addiction was so funny even if it was only touched on for a moment. I was expecting this book to be more of a slow-burn, like one touch and they were nearly combusting and it wasn’t really like that. It was like they kissed, they realized their feelings, they both get jealous, they both kick off and then smut end of. I wanted more of the office tension, I wanted Josh to stay on the job and to hear who actually got the interview. I would have loved to see them make out in the office after everyone expected they loved each other. I thought the story like was a great idea, I just wanted more of the slowburn, enemies-to-lovers trope. I think what would have elevated it would have been Josh’s point of view throughout the whole book and maybe started it when the merger happened. The timeline kept jumping and it wasn’t clear at times.
Overall it was a good book, I was just wanting more and was expecting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Vomit and Fatphobia
wilybooklover's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.0
I get why people like this so much, purely from a romance standpoint. The narrative is so tightly focused on the two main characters and all of their interactions, it’s almost as if they were in their own little Romance Bubble and you know what? I’m here for it. I don’t care about side-plots, give me the two characters together on page in every scene! The dialogue and banter were cleverly written, and the sex was very, well, sexy It’s a very sensual book. But sadly, these were about the only things I liked about the book.
Spoiler
(aside from a kiss scene which is basically the hero sexually assaulting the heroine but written as if it's supposed to be sexy).The main reason the romance didn’t really work for me because Joshua Templeman is like, the exact opposite of what I find attractive or sexy, and the book is so focused on him and his appearance and behaviour that it's hard to forget it. He’s controlling and mean bordering on cruel to the heroine for no real reason. He’s creepy He’s super tall and muscular and chiselled, which I know is virtually inescapable in the romance genre but incredibly unattractive to me. Not to mention his woe-is-me attitude because people use him for his looks and then leave him when they get to know his shitty personality (has he ever considered maybe possibly being nice to people? Just a thought!). I cannot imagine a man who is more likely to turn me off and leave me stone cold if I created him myself.
Spoiler
(I’m sorry, who paints their bedroom walls the exact same shade as their coworker’s eye colour??).And then there’s Lucy. I was sympathetic to her work situation, but that’s about it. Her inner monologue is so judgemental about everyone and everything that it was hard to read at times. And really offensive — if you can think of any type of shaming, -phobia, or -ism, Lucy engaged in it. Fatphobia, racism, ableism, slut-shaming, gender essentialism, even height-shaming which is ironic considering she’s literally five feet tall herself and never shuts up about it. I’m not sure why all of these little quips are even in there because they don’t serve any real character-building purpose; all they do is make it unbearable to be in our main character’s head. And I get that it’s romance so of course our characters are going to find each other attractive, but the degree to which she objectified Josh’s body made me a bit uncomfortable.
Also, RIP to the HR department in this fictional company. I know these two were the bane of your existence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Medical content, Racism, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Ableism
Minor: Eating disorder
lindsayerin's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
goldenrxses's review against another edition
the mc is so shallow and loves to define people by their looks. don’t just tell me lucy is a good person, SHOW ME. of course the conventionally unattractive character is a lazy creep and is compared to an pig. described in such vile terms - really says a lot about the author of the book. gross.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia