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leoni_plu's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racism and Classism
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Terminal illness and Death of parent
probablyshannon's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Minor: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
bootsmom3's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
Graphic: Cancer, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
dogbuttsandbooks's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
this book reads as earnestly anti-Black and pro-racism. Spends the entire 323 pages discrediting the Black FMC and excusing the white MAGA hat wearing MMC’s racism and politics. It’s actively harmful, and you should read it under no circumstances.
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
saibhandari's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
- Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC -
This book wasn't great - the two main characters, Jess and Josh, weren't particularly interesting and I couldn't tell you much about any of the supporting characters. I didn't really believe that they had chemistry, as most of their dialogue seemed to be insulting each other with zingy (but ultimately empty) comebacks. Rather than being an "enemies to lovers" novel, it felt more like a "people who have very little in common and don't even have a passion in the form of hatred to lovers who also don't really seem to like each other" and that just didn't make sense. I do wonder if, not being from the US, I missed some of the cultural context that would have made this book more interesting to me.
The second half of the book was a little bit more interesting (hence 2 stars rather than 1), as it explored the dynamic between Jess and Josh a bit more in terms of their differences and how their relationship is affected by said differences. I know this book has gotten a lot of flack from people on TikTok and I reckon a big part of this is because the blurb reads like a classic, cute, light-hearted romance novel, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Still, that doesn't make the book good, it's just not the weird, racist novel that people are portraying it as.
This book wasn't great - the two main characters, Jess and Josh, weren't particularly interesting and I couldn't tell you much about any of the supporting characters. I didn't really believe that they had chemistry, as most of their dialogue seemed to be insulting each other with zingy (but ultimately empty) comebacks. Rather than being an "enemies to lovers" novel, it felt more like a "people who have very little in common and don't even have a passion in the form of hatred to lovers who also don't really seem to like each other" and that just didn't make sense. I do wonder if, not being from the US, I missed some of the cultural context that would have made this book more interesting to me.
The second half of the book was a little bit more interesting (hence 2 stars rather than 1), as it explored the dynamic between Jess and Josh a bit more in terms of their differences and how their relationship is affected by said differences. I know this book has gotten a lot of flack from people on TikTok and I reckon a big part of this is because the blurb reads like a classic, cute, light-hearted romance novel, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Still, that doesn't make the book good, it's just not the weird, racist novel that people are portraying it as.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend this to my friends.
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Racism
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