A review by wellreadandhalfdead
The Deal by Elle Kennedy
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
There were so many times I wanted to stop reading this book because I disliked it so much, but I continued because I was almost done. I wish I had stopped reading because I liked the end about the same as the rest, which is to say I didn't like it much. I'll start with what I did like:
The main character is a survivor of rape. The rape is discussed but happens before the book begins and it has consequences for her life. However, she is not a broken person, as many rape survivors are portrayed. It deeply affected her but she is able to get treatment and continue on to a promising life. I thought this was wonderful because it's so rare to see a portrayal like that. I also thought the banter between the two leads was pretty cute.
The banter, though, was also part of my problem: every character had the same voice. They had the same sense of humor, and they even used the same slang. My other problem with the banter and the attitudes of the characters in general was the rampant misogyny. It's standard mid-2010's misogyny, i.e. girls are overemotional and willing to sleep with guys for status, and men are driven by primal urges instead of their brains. It's stuff that's aged like milk and left a similar bad taste in my mouth. The heroine, Hannah, has an overwhelming "not like other girls" quality that is obnoxious. The story thinks that because she's not blonde and skinny, she is a rarity, which really speaks to the author's limited imagination more than anything else. I found that the trope that the story is based on, the "fake dating" trope, was all that made the story interesting, and that was resolved halfway through the book; after that, there wasn't a lot that was interesting. I was bored and annoyed, and mostly just wished I could rewind time to before I started the book.
The main character is a survivor of rape. The rape is discussed but happens before the book begins and it has consequences for her life. However, she is not a broken person, as many rape survivors are portrayed. It deeply affected her but she is able to get treatment and continue on to a promising life. I thought this was wonderful because it's so rare to see a portrayal like that. I also thought the banter between the two leads was pretty cute.
The banter, though, was also part of my problem: every character had the same voice. They had the same sense of humor, and they even used the same slang. My other problem with the banter and the attitudes of the characters in general was the rampant misogyny. It's standard mid-2010's misogyny, i.e. girls are overemotional and willing to sleep with guys for status, and men are driven by primal urges instead of their brains. It's stuff that's aged like milk and left a similar bad taste in my mouth. The heroine, Hannah, has an overwhelming "not like other girls" quality that is obnoxious. The story thinks that because she's not blonde and skinny, she is a rarity, which really speaks to the author's limited imagination more than anything else. I found that the trope that the story is based on, the "fake dating" trope, was all that made the story interesting, and that was resolved halfway through the book; after that, there wasn't a lot that was interesting. I was bored and annoyed, and mostly just wished I could rewind time to before I started the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape and Child abuse