boookishbrit's review
5.0
Lots of funny parts in this book. But it also had some very serious themes in it. This is my favourite in the series so far. The next book needs to be out NOW! I feel like I can relate to this story so much when it comes to Sophie's interests outside of her bedroom (hah). Maybe it is because she is around the same age as me.
larissa_ami's review against another edition
4.0
I forgot how good this series was. Compared to other books in this genre this novel is a true gem. I know that erotica and romance can't always be super realistic but in the past I read too many novels that were quite over the top sometimes and they also resembled each other alot. Abigail Barnette's novels manage to blend realistic descriptions of everyday life with the swoon worthy stuff that is the lure of romance and erotica. I also love that this series shows an actual relationship with highs and lows and not just the same old they fall in love and the live happily ever after. Reading about couple fights and bumps along the way is actually more interesting than reading about perfect relationships. Of course there are also conflicts in every other romance novel but I find that it is too often a super big conflict after which there is no contact and the characters involved ask themselves what is going to happen but the reader nows exactly what is going to happen. But to see characters interact during and after a fights in a realistic way is no nice.
I highly enjoyed this novel.
I highly enjoyed this novel.
mrsbooknerd's review
1.0
I have read all of the 'The Boss' series by Abigail Barnette up to 'The Ex' and found the earlier novels to be quite enjoyable. They lack the high-drama and hysteria that other series such as FSoG, Crossfire and This Man series have, but because they are more grounded they tend to be less repetitive and more emotional. However, I really didn't like this novel at all. It was shallow and lacked focus and I almost gave up a few times.
Based on the title, I assumed that the main plot would be Steven's tell-all book and the impact that it would have on Neil personally and emotionally, the impact on the wedding and the impact on Emma during her pregnancy.
There was an absolute reel of subplots in this novel, but none of them were really dealt with in any depth, so they lacked all impact and emotion. They should have been cut down to one or two alongside the main plot so that each one wrung us out emotionally. Subplots were - if you can keep up - I'm probably forgetting some but you can see why no one plot had any depth. So much content with so little impact. Some of them were only ever mentioned in one chapter and then we moved on and it was barely spoken of again. It read like a series of shorts in one binding.
Neil was an absoluteimmature, detestable prick arse in this novel. I didn't particularly like him in the previous books, but there is no way that I would ever consider him a 'hero' now. He picked fights like a teenager, he took drugs and alcohol and let his fiancé, pregnant daughter and her husband deal with the fall out. He was rude and unsympathetic. He came across as entitled and lacking in empathy or understanding for those in a worse situation than him. I really, really disliked him. At one point I was even hoping that Sophie would turn her eye to Ian instead and Neil would be gone.
Sophie wasn't much better in this book. She was barely around Neil and spent most of her time worrying about shallow and superficial pursuits instead of the bigger topics that were dealt with.
Overall I just didn't think that this came together as a book. It just read like a collection of short stories about the same characters. There was no emotional impact despite the topics handled and the main characters were like sulking teenagers instead of adults.
Based on the title, I assumed that the main plot would be Steven's tell-all book and the impact that it would have on Neil personally and emotionally, the impact on the wedding and the impact on Emma during her pregnancy.
Spoiler
Instead, it was set up and then wasn't dealt with at all except for passing comments about it and then toward the end there was a really unsatisfactory 'confrontation' which fizzled out. By the end of the book, I'd almost forgotten that it had even been a plot point. We were told about Neil's reaction through Sophie, but she was barely with Neil, so we never really saw it ourselves, so it was easy to brush it aside as unimportant. Emma wasn't impacted at all, in fact she wasn't even told until after Olivia was born. The wedding didn't suffer a bit, no paparazzi turned up to ask questions, no other exes coming out of the woodwork… It just faded.There was an absolute reel of subplots in this novel, but none of them were really dealt with in any depth, so they lacked all impact and emotion. They should have been cut down to one or two alongside the main plot so that each one wrung us out emotionally. Subplots were - if you can keep up -
Spoiler
Neil's mother dying, Neil taking a cocktail of drugs and alcohol to deal with his grief, Neil going into therapy and giving up alcohol, Neil and Sophie getting married, Sophie's mother losing her home in a fire and coming to live with them, Sophie's mother hating Neil, Valerie still being in love with Neil. Elizabeth turning up in a baby shop, Amir parting ways with Neil and Sophie, Ian and his wife (I've totally forgotten her name) being introduced, Sophie realising that she is also bisexual, Ian and his wife divorcing, Emma going into labour prematurely…Neil was an absolute
Sophie wasn't much better in this book. She was barely around Neil and spent most of her time worrying about shallow and superficial pursuits instead of the bigger topics that were dealt with.
Overall I just didn't think that this came together as a book. It just read like a collection of short stories about the same characters. There was no emotional impact despite the topics handled and the main characters were like sulking teenagers instead of adults.
elsadantas's review against another edition
4.0
Este é o quarto livro da série O Chefe. Nele iremos lidar com um novo drama na vida de Neil.
Ele será surpreendido com o lançamento de um livro que irá falar sobre uma ex relação amorosa abusiva.
Sophie e ele irão então ter que lidar com os problemas que esse livro irá trazer para as suas vidas, terão também que lidar com os vicios de Neil e com os ciumes de Valerie.
Isto tudo, enquanto tentam organizar o casamento deles, e tentam afastar todas as dúvidas que têm sobre se devem ou não arriscar um casamento.
Eu adoro imenso este casal, os dramas que os envolvem são sempre muito sérios, o que nos faz torcer cada vez mais pelo amor dos dois.
Como sempre, o que me custa imenso nesta leitura, é a relação aberta dos dois, pois a vida sexual deles já é tão ativa e intensa que, na minha opinião, acrescentar pessoas à atividade sexual deles não era necessário.
Ele será surpreendido com o lançamento de um livro que irá falar sobre uma ex relação amorosa abusiva.
Sophie e ele irão então ter que lidar com os problemas que esse livro irá trazer para as suas vidas, terão também que lidar com os vicios de Neil e com os ciumes de Valerie.
Isto tudo, enquanto tentam organizar o casamento deles, e tentam afastar todas as dúvidas que têm sobre se devem ou não arriscar um casamento.
Eu adoro imenso este casal, os dramas que os envolvem são sempre muito sérios, o que nos faz torcer cada vez mais pelo amor dos dois.
Como sempre, o que me custa imenso nesta leitura, é a relação aberta dos dois, pois a vida sexual deles já é tão ativa e intensa que, na minha opinião, acrescentar pessoas à atividade sexual deles não era necessário.
queenoferebor's review
4.0
I'm pleasantly surprised with these books. They are sooo good and so real!
Moaaar, give me moaaaar!
Moaaar, give me moaaaar!
hmbagnall's review against another edition
5.0
My favorite thing about this series is the complexity and depth of the characters. They're real, rounded out, flawed, interesting people. Especially in this book!
nigmatillium's review
5.0
First of all I take back what I said about Emir's relationship in the review I wrote on the third book. I should have known better too, he was obviously not thrilled about his wife's vacation, only I thought he was simply missing her. That being said, Emir is still awesome and despite not being in the series that much, he's definitely one of my favourite characters.
Turning my attention to Sophie and Neil, I was a little anxious reading this book. The title made me wonder who the ex is, or better said which one of the exes. Like in The Bride where the bride was, well, all of the brides, here the ex was, well, all of the exes, only some of them more troublesome than the other.
At first, when I started reading the series, I saw Neil as a regular 45+ year old guy, nothing special about him, but after reading more than a half of the series he's much more attractive to me. Getting to know what he's been through and how he dealt with the issues in his life does something to me and I am even more proud of him than the last time. And what a weird thing, this shift on how I view Neil throughout the books.
I'm completely taken with this series, I am enjoying it so much.
Luckily for me the next title is not as anxiety inducing as the others or as it was before I read this one, so I am looking forward to whatever else happens in Sophie and Neil's lives. And, as usual, I'm keeping an eye open for Emir.
Turning my attention to Sophie and Neil, I was a little anxious reading this book. The title made me wonder who the ex is, or better said which one of the exes. Like in The Bride where the bride was, well, all of the brides, here the ex was, well, all of the exes, only some of them more troublesome than the other.
At first, when I started reading the series, I saw Neil as a regular 45+ year old guy, nothing special about him, but after reading more than a half of the series he's much more attractive to me. Getting to know what he's been through and how he dealt with the issues in his life does something to me and I am even more proud of him than the last time. And what a weird thing, this shift on how I view Neil throughout the books.
I'm completely taken with this series, I am enjoying it so much.
Luckily for me the next title is not as anxiety inducing as the others or as it was before I read this one, so I am looking forward to whatever else happens in Sophie and Neil's lives. And, as usual, I'm keeping an eye open for Emir.
claudia_lion96's review
4.0
Well, there's the end to the best erotica series I've ever read. I just want to print a thousand copies and rain it down on everyone and yell, "THIS IS WHAT THE WORLD SHOULD BE READING, PEOPLE. THIS IS WHAT FIFTY SHADES SHOULD LOOK LIKE!"
I loved this. It was awesome. As the 4th book in the series, it hit a point where the characters have matured and the relationship between Sophie and Neil sort of lacked the same drama as before because they have learned from their past mistakes and had a loving, honest and open relationship #relationshipgoals #amirite?!
So hurrah to Abigail Barnette/Jenny Trout. Seriously, go read her blog about Fifty Shades. That shit it fantastic.
I loved this. It was awesome. As the 4th book in the series, it hit a point where the characters have matured and the relationship between Sophie and Neil sort of lacked the same drama as before because they have learned from their past mistakes and had a loving, honest and open relationship #relationshipgoals #amirite?!
So hurrah to Abigail Barnette/Jenny Trout. Seriously, go read her blog about Fifty Shades. That shit it fantastic.
carmenchacon's review
4.0
I always love reading about Sophie and Neil. One of my favorite couples in this genre. I can't wait for the next one.