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A review by carleneslibrary
A Faithful Proposal by Jennie Goutet
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I wanted to like this book. It had the makings of a good story, it was well-written, and I've read the book after it (A Daring Proposal) and LOVED it. This fell flat for me though.
Anna and Harry fell into insta-love, despite being very different from one another and having very few things in common. Harry fell in love immediately, and while He Falls First is one of my favorite tropes, I usually like if there's a reason he falls? Anna kept telling herself she didn't love him but she had about as much insta-love as him, again, without any real reason for it.
About halfway through the book picked up and got more interesting. Various plot points picked up, the relationship was actually tested, and I enjoyed the book for a while. But then... Anna and Harry really didn't mesh. I was convinced that Harry was obsessed with Anna (not in love, obsessed in a cringy way) and Anna spent a long time convincing herself she was in love with Harry, but the fact of the matter was he hated society and wanted to be a rector forever and she loved London and all the excitement that came with it. And the solution was simply that she changed for him. She gave up her dreams and these important parts of who she was simply because she saw her friend happy and convinced herself she loved Harry. I HATED her changing for a man she spent most of the book feeling lukewarm about. I absolutely got the ick.
There were some cute moments at the end with side characters that made it satisfying, but my least favorite part about this romance book was the romance, so it's safe to say it wasn't a favorite for me. I'll stick with the incredible third book and try never to think about this one again.
Anna and Harry fell into insta-love, despite being very different from one another and having very few things in common. Harry fell in love immediately, and while He Falls First is one of my favorite tropes, I usually like if there's a reason he falls? Anna kept telling herself she didn't love him but she had about as much insta-love as him, again, without any real reason for it.
About halfway through the book picked up and got more interesting. Various plot points picked up, the relationship was actually tested, and I enjoyed the book for a while. But then... Anna and Harry really didn't mesh. I was convinced that Harry was obsessed with Anna (not in love, obsessed in a cringy way) and Anna spent a long time convincing herself she was in love with Harry,
There were some cute moments at the end with side characters that made it satisfying, but my least favorite part about this romance book was the romance, so it's safe to say it wasn't a favorite for me. I'll stick with the incredible third book and try never to think about this one again.