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A review by kfmcf
Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I'm really not sure what this book wanted. Did it want to deep dive into marriage issues? Did it want to explore different facets of anxiety? Did it want to be a romance? It was so muddled trying to decide what it wanted that everything fell short.
I wish it that it had been more character focused - not just on the leads. The main plot was about this "Bachelorette" style radio dating show and it honestly felt like it didn't matter. Plus, Everly (FL) had no other real character depth besides her anxiety. As someone with anxiety and panic attacks, if that was what I was boiled down to in a book I would be disappointed. Also Chris (ML) seemed to have 0 flaws except his daddy issues.
There was also an overarching theme of parental issues in this book. Parental issues in a story are fine but the parents in this book were so obnoxious that I genuinely didn't know what I was supposed to think. Obviously Chris' dad was supposed to be awful, but Everly's parents with their weird off and on again separation was bizarre. And they were playing her like a weird middleman and then she *finally* spoked to them about 75% into the book. So so so many things could be solved through communication and while this can be a useful device in stories, I feel it was leaned on too heavily here. I also feel that there were just too many problems. There was no steady flow or climax to the story. It was just a bumpy road.
Honestly, I really wish the story had been about Stacey. Her conflict of being afraid of love and relying on dating to feel validated was far more endearing and then her finally having the confidence to take a dive on something more "real" was immensely more interesting.
Overall, I never was able to truly escape into this book. I think another edit and polish and trim could have aided it but really I think it mostly just needed to find a more solid footing.
I wish it that it had been more character focused - not just on the leads. The main plot was about this "Bachelorette" style radio dating show and it honestly felt like it didn't matter. Plus, Everly (FL) had no other real character depth besides her anxiety. As someone with anxiety and panic attacks, if that was what I was boiled down to in a book I would be disappointed. Also Chris (ML) seemed to have 0 flaws except his daddy issues.
There was also an overarching theme of parental issues in this book. Parental issues in a story are fine but the parents in this book were so obnoxious that I genuinely didn't know what I was supposed to think. Obviously Chris' dad was supposed to be awful, but Everly's parents with their weird off and on again separation was bizarre. And they were playing her like a weird middleman and then she *finally* spoked to them about 75% into the book. So so so many things could be solved through communication and while this can be a useful device in stories, I feel it was leaned on too heavily here. I also feel that there were just too many problems. There was no steady flow or climax to the story. It was just a bumpy road.
Honestly, I really wish the story had been about Stacey. Her conflict of being afraid of love and relying on dating to feel validated was far more endearing and then her finally having the confidence to take a dive on something more "real" was immensely more interesting.
Overall, I never was able to truly escape into this book. I think another edit and polish and trim could have aided it but really I think it mostly just needed to find a more solid footing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing and Alcohol