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melio22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
mtn_gal_jane_reads_books's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
4.5
mckinseyf's review against another edition
3.0
This was written in 2014 and it shows - you can tell that if this were written more recently, some parts would have been done differently. I'm not strongly opposed to the boss-employee dynamic in romance (though it's not my favorite), but if you are I'd advise against this one. While Dee isn't Austen's direct supervisor and the relationship isn't as problematic as it could have been, the power imbalance is still present. This is also one of Jae's older novels which is reflected in the writing not being as strong as her more recent works. Overall still decent if you're ok with the relationship dynamic and just want to turn your brain off for a bit.
chatswithzach'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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
maybeiwill's review against another edition
3.0
The story is good but the narrator just did not work for me. I will not listen to another book narrated by her, no matter who the author is.
prismaticcroissant'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? It's complicated
4.25
mmgagnon186's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
k_cao_xai's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Who knew a head injury could result in happily-ever-after?
Character Impressions:
Austen Brooks
The balls on this woman to kiss a total stranger because her gaydar is pinging up to eleven…
Austen is a sweetheart. My favorite thing about her is that she’s honest with her feelings. She doesn’t tell Dee what she’s feeling to make Dee feel bad, but to make sure Dee understands her. Unlike everyone else at the company who’s either afraid of Dee or trying to kiss ass, Austen doesn’t know Dee, so she treats her like she would anyone else. She’s kind and caring, but doesn’t let Dee order her around like other employees.
Danielle “Dee” Saunders
Tough, tall workaholic ice queen who is more of a sweetheart than even she herself realizes.
Dee works way too hard for people who care too little about her, so it’s a little jarring when she encounters Austen who shows her nothing but tenderness and care. I absolutely adore Dee’s banter with Austen and how she welcomes the fact that Austen doesn’t let Dee tell her what to do without saying “please” first.
The balls on this woman to kiss a total stranger because her gaydar is pinging up to eleven…
Austen is a sweetheart. My favorite thing about her is that she’s honest with her feelings. She doesn’t tell Dee what she’s feeling to make Dee feel bad, but to make sure Dee understands her. Unlike everyone else at the company who’s either afraid of Dee or trying to kiss ass, Austen doesn’t know Dee, so she treats her like she would anyone else. She’s kind and caring, but doesn’t let Dee order her around like other employees.
Danielle “Dee” Saunders
Tough, tall workaholic ice queen who is more of a sweetheart than even she herself realizes.
Dee works way too hard for people who care too little about her, so it’s a little jarring when she encounters Austen who shows her nothing but tenderness and care. I absolutely adore Dee’s banter with Austen and how she welcomes the fact that Austen doesn’t let Dee tell her what to do without saying “please” first.
Minor Characters:
Toby: Austen’s cockatoo. Always has good timing.
Dawn & Aiden: Austen’s closest friends. They watch out for Austen and only want the best for her.
Austen’s Family: Compared to Dee, Austen’s family are great. They’re close and I’m glad to see the healthy family dynamic.
Dee’s Family: Dee’s family suck. It’s no wonder she’s the way she is because of how they treat her. At least Tim is a decent brother.
Kudos Entertainment Employees: All the people who gossip and spread lies in this company suck.
Dawn & Aiden: Austen’s closest friends. They watch out for Austen and only want the best for her.
Austen’s Family: Compared to Dee, Austen’s family are great. They’re close and I’m glad to see the healthy family dynamic.
Dee’s Family: Dee’s family suck. It’s no wonder she’s the way she is because of how they treat her. At least Tim is a decent brother.
Kudos Entertainment Employees: All the people who gossip and spread lies in this company suck.
Story Impressions:
I was surprised to find out that most of the story isn’t a buildup to the two women finally being together, but rather them navigating the issues of secretly dating as a boss-employee couple. They start dating halfway through the book and the other half is them trying to be together without anyone at work finding out. It does add a different kind of conflict for their relationship.
I would have liked to see more of their romance on the page rather than have it be summed up, like see one of their first dates, rather than be told they’ve been on dates, but again, the story was more about the struggles of dating in secret rather than the steps they took to finally be a couple.
One thing I appreciate is that whenever Austen jumped to conclusions about Dee’s feelings, Dee cleared things up within record time. This was great because I was dreading unnecessary drama if one of them were to pretend everything’s okay when it’s not. Luckily, they act like adults and talk things out.
One of the early chapters was frustrating when Austen wouldn’t let Dee explain why Dee didn’t tell Austen that she was technically her boss. But they both had a reason for their actions and I’m glad it was resolved fairly quickly.
I only have one gripe about the plot.
It was a little too convenient when Dee’s brother, Tim, visited Austen’s house to check on her after she got hurt, just so he can catch them together. It’s a little weird to have your boss come over to your house, isn’t it? A phone call would have sufficed. But I understand it was a scene that had to happen so the two women can solidify their relationship in front of someone other than each other.
It doesn’t take away from the story however.
There were two things I did wish would have happened in the story.
1) I sort of wished it was only one of the company employees spreading lies about how evil Dee is, rather than it being most of the employees. The rest of the employees can believe this character’s lies, but I think it would have been better if there was only one person as the source. That way, when Austen finally stands up to them in the end to dispute those lies, she does it to a character I can hate rather than a random employee who happened to talk shit when she walked by.
2) Uncle Wade obviously knows Dee is the backbone of the company because without her, everything would fall apart. He knows this because when he thought she was going to quit in Chapter 12, he stumbled over his words and almost shat his pants. I would have loved to see one sentence of him regretting how he treated her. Maybe a phone call to say he needs her help once again and she finally just hangs up on him.
But that’s just my personal preferences.
Overall, I did enjoy the domestic blissful scenes the two women shared together, such as going on a hiking trip, furniture shopping, or spending time together at each other’s houses. I absolutely loved the climax and epilogue.
I would have liked to see more of their romance on the page rather than have it be summed up, like see one of their first dates, rather than be told they’ve been on dates, but again, the story was more about the struggles of dating in secret rather than the steps they took to finally be a couple.
One thing I appreciate is that whenever Austen jumped to conclusions about Dee’s feelings, Dee cleared things up within record time. This was great because I was dreading unnecessary drama if one of them were to pretend everything’s okay when it’s not. Luckily, they act like adults and talk things out.
One of the early chapters was frustrating when Austen wouldn’t let Dee explain why Dee didn’t tell Austen that she was technically her boss. But they both had a reason for their actions and I’m glad it was resolved fairly quickly.
I only have one gripe about the plot.
It was a little too convenient when Dee’s brother, Tim, visited Austen’s house to check on her after she got hurt, just so he can catch them together. It’s a little weird to have your boss come over to your house, isn’t it? A phone call would have sufficed. But I understand it was a scene that had to happen so the two women can solidify their relationship in front of someone other than each other.
It doesn’t take away from the story however.
There were two things I did wish would have happened in the story.
2) Uncle Wade obviously knows Dee is the backbone of the company because without her, everything would fall apart. He knows this because when he thought she was going to quit in Chapter 12, he stumbled over his words and almost shat his pants. I would have loved to see one sentence of him regretting how he treated her. Maybe a phone call to say he needs her help once again and she finally just hangs up on him.
But that’s just my personal preferences.
Overall, I did enjoy the domestic blissful scenes the two women shared together, such as going on a hiking trip, furniture shopping, or spending time together at each other’s houses. I absolutely loved the climax and epilogue.
Highlights:
- Highlight 1: The audiobook. Abby Craden uses certain tone inflections for Dee’s voice and I can’t--.
- Highlight 2: Austen being relentless at taking care of Dee after Dee gets hit by the tree topper.
- Highlight 3: Dee trying her best not to be seen with Austen the first time they pull up in a car together, and Austen just casually waves at another employee to say good morning.
- Highlight 4: Accurate fortune cookies.
- Highlight 5: Both women acting on their feelings when they realize who they want.
- Highlight 6: Austen and Dee’s height difference.
- Highlight 7: The story of how Austen’s mother reacted when Austen came out to her years ago.
- Highlight 8: Austen’s father being protective of her when Dee meets him for the first time.
- Highlight 9: Austen being understanding whenever Dee is held up at work, but Dee coming to realize she needs to prioritize Austen too.
- Highlight 10: I did nothing but clap at Page 356. Finally, the moment I was waiting for.
My Personal Tags About the Book:
- Lesbian protagonists
- Boss/employee pairing
- Workplace romance
- Sex was there but very tamed
- Meet cute
- Happily-ever-after
- Little to low angst
- Little to low drama
- Narrative cohesion
trufyre's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
3.5