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donielletonese's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
tatendz's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
THINGS I LIKE:
- Their meet-cute was beautiful - I thought it was gonna not work with the Cinderella trope but it worked perfectly from them as it wasn’t referenced all the time but in small details. Like, the costumes for the Halloween party, her speech at the charity as foreshadowing her fate as the Queen, how they playfully went by code names when they met, their midnight Wine/crackers chats
- I love how Gale was written despite going with the playboy trope - his redemption arc was Swift but not forced. I loved how it wasn’t done out of the pursuit of proving to others that he is serious but from chasing Odette did he show his character. His love for poetry - how it was shown in by changing the structure of the prose for the days to be represented as his letters to Odette.
- Can we have a round of a applause for men who take accountability and apologise🙂 (haven’t seen that a lot)
- There wasn’t no forced miscommunication - rather if there was a fight it was reasonable as it reflected a flaw in their character than being added as a plot device.
- I took many quotes from this book - especially ones that apply to confronting the anxieties of life. Such as, ‘Don’t think of the end before appreciating the beginning’ (This came from the Gale)
- I loved how this book focused on building the rapport of Gale/Odette, where they were able to have unique moments that made their connection special. Such as, the ‘Clark Kent disguise’, Midnight wine talks and songwriting/poetry.
- Their banter is ELITE - like I forget that I haven’t seen the flirty but childlike playfulness in a couple for a long time. Like, playing footsies or silly roasting battles or play fighting. Usually there is a focus on mastering the playful but packed with sexual tension and this continuous allusion to something happening.
- I liked the side characters - like, Her mother was hilarious (despite obvious flaws I loved her), her lawyer/partner in crime with mother (despite having really small parts), Wolfgang/Iskander and Arthur (RIP). They were written to show their personalities while adding to the main plot and still standing out.
- How can I forget about Odette?? It’s giving a tease of Lana Del Rey - like sad depressing siren music (yep that’s Lana and what you gonna do about that??)
THINGS I DISLIKE:
- The dynamic between Odette and her sister wasn’t explained - only through the perspective of the mother and that would be obvi tainted. I would’ve loved to see more scenes of them interacting outside the influence of the parents to gage their dynamic. Cause there was nothing that alluded to her double agenda when she married - like I actually didn’t know whether to root for her or hate her.
- The father was made out to be this legendary guy but it seems with the destruction he made he really isn’t💀 - I would’ve loved to read flashbacks to establish how special his connection to Odette is - the only flashback is the trauma of him leaving so why do you still love him?? Show me then telling me.
- Her singing career was binned so fast😭😭 - I feel like it only acted as a personality trait then an actual plot device. AGAIN - Lana tease with only doing one concert every full moon😭😭 and at some random city aswell
- Their meet-cute was beautiful - I thought it was gonna not work with the Cinderella trope but it worked perfectly from them as it wasn’t referenced all the time but in small details. Like, the costumes for the Halloween party, her speech at the charity as foreshadowing her fate as the Queen, how they playfully went by code names when they met, their midnight Wine/crackers chats
- I love how Gale was written despite going with the playboy trope - his redemption arc was Swift but not forced. I loved how it wasn’t done out of the pursuit of proving to others that he is serious but from chasing Odette did he show his character. His love for poetry - how it was shown in by changing the structure of the prose for the days to be represented as his letters to Odette.
- Can we have a round of a applause for men who take accountability and apologise🙂 (haven’t seen that a lot)
- There wasn’t no forced miscommunication - rather if there was a fight it was reasonable as it reflected a flaw in their character than being added as a plot device.
- I took many quotes from this book - especially ones that apply to confronting the anxieties of life. Such as, ‘Don’t think of the end before appreciating the beginning’ (This came from the Gale)
- I loved how this book focused on building the rapport of Gale/Odette, where they were able to have unique moments that made their connection special. Such as, the ‘Clark Kent disguise’, Midnight wine talks and songwriting/poetry.
- Their banter is ELITE - like I forget that I haven’t seen the flirty but childlike playfulness in a couple for a long time. Like, playing footsies or silly roasting battles or play fighting. Usually there is a focus on mastering the playful but packed with sexual tension and this continuous allusion to something happening.
- I liked the side characters - like, Her mother was hilarious (despite obvious flaws I loved her), her lawyer/partner in crime with mother (despite having really small parts), Wolfgang/Iskander and Arthur (RIP). They were written to show their personalities while adding to the main plot and still standing out.
- How can I forget about Odette?? It’s giving a tease of Lana Del Rey - like sad depressing siren music (yep that’s Lana and what you gonna do about that??)
THINGS I DISLIKE:
- The dynamic between Odette and her sister wasn’t explained - only through the perspective of the mother and that would be obvi tainted. I would’ve loved to see more scenes of them interacting outside the influence of the parents to gage their dynamic. Cause there was nothing that alluded to her double agenda when she married - like I actually didn’t know whether to root for her or hate her.
- The father was made out to be this legendary guy but it seems with the destruction he made he really isn’t💀 - I would’ve loved to read flashbacks to establish how special his connection to Odette is - the only flashback is the trauma of him leaving so why do you still love him?? Show me then telling me.
- Her singing career was binned so fast😭😭 - I feel like it only acted as a personality trait then an actual plot device. AGAIN - Lana tease with only doing one concert every full moon😭😭 and at some random city aswell
bookishmess's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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 was kicking my feet the whole time. This is what I was missing. Romance genre is such a landfill nowadays this was a cute breath of fresh air.
jae_28's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Although I wasn’t a fan of the writing, I did like the story. I liked the characters, they got on my nerves in the best way. Odette’s mom though… both moms got my nerves actually. That first hundred pages were hard to get through, and several times I almost DNF. Once I got through that it became manageable. The characters felt real, but the dialogue threw me. I understood why Gale’s English was more formal, but then that leaked into the way Odette and her mom spoke too. It felt more like a writing issue than them getting used to the way he talked and subconsciously imitating it.
I definitely didn’t expect that ending and even though I was shocked and curious, I’m not sure if I want to continue the series. As I said, I’m not a fan of the writing. The plot was interesting and captivated me, but it was hard to really get invested because there were mechanical errors all the way through and the language was awkward sounding and executed half the time. This didn’t feel or read like a final draft and I’m scared I’m gonna get into the second (and or third) book and find the same issues. I might revisit in a few weeks but we’ll see.
I definitely didn’t expect that ending and even though I was shocked and curious, I’m not sure if I want to continue the series. As I said, I’m not a fan of the writing. The plot was interesting and captivated me, but it was hard to really get invested because there were mechanical errors all the way through and the language was awkward sounding and executed half the time. This didn’t feel or read like a final draft and I’m scared I’m gonna get into the second (and or third) book and find the same issues. I might revisit in a few weeks but we’ll see.
srh_rhrjn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mgondwe's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The digital version had a few formatting/typo issues, however despite this, I rapidly devoured this book. Surprisingly, this was an enjoyable read with a lot heartfelt and funny moments throughout the story. The author’s writing easily transported into an alternate universe, the characters felt real, and I enjoyed the courtship between Galahad & Odette. The ending had me shook, and definitely made me want to get book 2 only to see where their story goes from there.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Death, Dementia, Death of parent, and Abandonment
justkeyreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Oh Gale, this sweetie was so sweet trying to sway Odette to be his wife. The way the first time he saw her it was Shakespeare and the slow burn of their romance 🥰 as they both need something from this marriage of convenience.