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booksnooksandglory's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review*
This was a fun read overall but it wasn't what I expected nor wanted so I'll give you the pros, cons, and other thoughts so you can decide for yourself if you wanna pick it up:
This was a fun read overall but it wasn't what I expected nor wanted so I'll give you the pros, cons, and other thoughts so you can decide for yourself if you wanna pick it up:
Pros:
-Great chemistry between the MCs: Mainly romantic chemistry, at first it was a push-pull dynamic but once the story advances both gravitate towards each other in the cutest and subtle ways. There was also some sexy build-up, which led to a couple of fun smutty scenes.
-Badass female MC: Sadie is an undercover FBI agent which makes her fun as is but there were some scenes that showed her quick thinking and skills.
-Badass female MC: Sadie is an undercover FBI agent which makes her fun as is but there were some scenes that showed her quick thinking and skills.
Cons:
-The male MC: Though sometimes he was endearing, most of the time he was a sexist pig. I don't have a liking for men who objectify women left and right. He was surrounded my worst men but that didn't distract me from his inner monologue "I like to watch joggers in tight Lycra with bouncing breasts", and the not so thinly veiled homophobia this dude displayed on a few occasions "I'm not gay or anything but I notice muscles", that's inner monologue, he's "straight-talking" to himself... He was the typical douchebag we see in movies and IRL unfortunately. I have no interest in seeing men like him as heroes in romance books, sorry.
-Food talk: I personally wasn't affected, nor do I think it made the book worse but it was weird and I don't think putting a trigger warning will showcase the detail in which I think some people might be affected. Both MCs are obsessed with food, they are not foodies the food talk is usually them thinking about how much they ate, how much exercise they need to do to burn those calories, or if they can afford the food. I think people with ED or in recovery should consider this before picking it up.
-Info dumping: This is an FBI investigation romance so some information is needed to follow along. However, the information kept going even after the climax was done. This is not an issue of the book but I personally didn't care much for the investigation if it didn't affect the MCs and I get that Sadie worked hard on the case and it makes sense that she would care for the development but I didn't, so it was a bit boring.
-Food talk: I personally wasn't affected, nor do I think it made the book worse but it was weird and I don't think putting a trigger warning will showcase the detail in which I think some people might be affected. Both MCs are obsessed with food, they are not foodies the food talk is usually them thinking about how much they ate, how much exercise they need to do to burn those calories, or if they can afford the food. I think people with ED or in recovery should consider this before picking it up.
-Info dumping: This is an FBI investigation romance so some information is needed to follow along. However, the information kept going even after the climax was done. This is not an issue of the book but I personally didn't care much for the investigation if it didn't affect the MCs and I get that Sadie worked hard on the case and it makes sense that she would care for the development but I didn't, so it was a bit boring.
Other thoughts
The smut is not detailed and short. Obviously, this is my opinion, for YA readers it's a bit more than usual but I'm used to a bit more spice. It's fun and well written so it comes down to preference. I didn't put it in pro because I usually want more detail but it's certainly not a con, especially since it fits the book greatly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism