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A review by lindsaymck
Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
My first Chloe Liese book and I know I will devour the rest with the same enthusiasm I felt with this one. Her ability to write inclusively with autism and anxiety representation is masterful; rather than being seen as flaws to be overcome, she makes her main characters perfectly imperfect exactly as they are and - in this case - perfectly imperfect for one another.
Bea and Jamie have a meet-disaster where drinks spill on clothes (twice), worst impressions are made, and a game of hide-and-seek ends with them getting stuck in a closet and almost kissing. As intrigued as they are horrified at this, the chemistry is definitely there, but can it overcome their stubbornness? A little meddling from friends leads to them anonymously texting one another leading up to a not-so-blind date. Realizing they’ve officially been set up, Bea and Jamie devise a fake-dating revenge plot that marks the start of a beautiful friendship where real feelings can grow… the type of feelings that are unconditional and everlasting.
As Jamie and Bea put on a loveydovey show for their friends, I was happy that there was zero miscommunication about comfort levels and expectations. There was maturity and honesty and mutual support and I loved it. Of course there were internal narrations of swoony things smothered down for fear of being shared too soon - and I greedily ate those up - but there was never any hiding true feelings as they bloomed. It felt fresh, especially considering that Bea’s autism and Jamie’s anxiety makes open communication so pivotal to their overall well-being.
Some favorite words of affirmation:
Bea: “It means a lot that you didn’t act like you see me differently now.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear as the wind whips it across my face. ‘I don’t see you differently. I see you better.’”
Jamie: “You give people permission to be themselves rather than what the world tells them they should be. Maybe that’s not summed up on a résumé or a test score the way my strengths are, but you have gifts, Bea, and gifts like yours matter.”
Jamie: “You’re the best thing in my life, I want to tell her. You’re safe and real and perfectly imperfect. We started as a lie, and now we’re the truest thing I’ve ever known.”
My one criticism is the frustrating AF third-act breakup. The logic of Bea basically breaking up with Jamie - a man who is so loyal to her that he clearly declared that he would side with Bea and her sister if she and Jean-Claude broke up - when he did absolutely nothing wrong did not compute. Make it make sense that “oh, my sister was emotionally abused by your roommate/childhood friend? We can’t see each other right now because you’ll remind her of him and my happiness will stop her from moving on. Oh, you have experience being discarded like you don’t matter? I’m gonna do it anyway.” This insensitive baloney felt so forced and out of character, like a swift uppercut to the jaw, and I feel some type of way about it. I have three sisters and I would NEVER hold them back from being happy with the love of their lives in an effort to support me. In my opinion, it was an act of selflessness that is so misguided it becomes selfish, like Bea was solely in charge of her twin sister’s healing.
Ending on a high note… The ways Jamie and Bea put effort into learning how to speak one another’s language has set a new romance bar. Jamie stocking up on soups he made in the freezer for her food texture-sensitivity, supporting her in opening herself to painting again, and his romantic-as-fuck tattoo come to mind along with Bea teasingly appreciating her curmudgeonly Capricorn and loving his rigidity and rules as much as she loves bringing her chaos to balance them.
I’m excited to see what’s next for the Wilmot sisters!
Bea and Jamie have a meet-disaster where drinks spill on clothes (twice), worst impressions are made, and a game of hide-and-seek ends with them getting stuck in a closet and almost kissing. As intrigued as they are horrified at this, the chemistry is definitely there, but can it overcome their stubbornness? A little meddling from friends leads to them anonymously texting one another leading up to a not-so-blind date. Realizing they’ve officially been set up, Bea and Jamie devise a fake-dating revenge plot that marks the start of a beautiful friendship where real feelings can grow… the type of feelings that are unconditional and everlasting.
As Jamie and Bea put on a loveydovey show for their friends, I was happy that there was zero miscommunication about comfort levels and expectations. There was maturity and honesty and mutual support and I loved it. Of course there were internal narrations of swoony things smothered down for fear of being shared too soon - and I greedily ate those up - but there was never any hiding true feelings as they bloomed. It felt fresh, especially considering that Bea’s autism and Jamie’s anxiety makes open communication so pivotal to their overall well-being.
Some favorite words of affirmation:
Bea: “It means a lot that you didn’t act like you see me differently now.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear as the wind whips it across my face. ‘I don’t see you differently. I see you better.’”
Jamie: “You give people permission to be themselves rather than what the world tells them they should be. Maybe that’s not summed up on a résumé or a test score the way my strengths are, but you have gifts, Bea, and gifts like yours matter.”
Jamie: “You’re the best thing in my life, I want to tell her. You’re safe and real and perfectly imperfect. We started as a lie, and now we’re the truest thing I’ve ever known.”
My one criticism is the frustrating AF third-act breakup. The logic of Bea basically breaking up with Jamie - a man who is so loyal to her that he clearly declared that he would side with Bea and her sister if she and Jean-Claude broke up - when he did absolutely nothing wrong did not compute. Make it make sense that “oh, my sister was emotionally abused by your roommate/childhood friend? We can’t see each other right now because you’ll remind her of him and my happiness will stop her from moving on. Oh, you have experience being discarded like you don’t matter? I’m gonna do it anyway.” This insensitive baloney felt so forced and out of character, like a swift uppercut to the jaw, and I feel some type of way about it. I have three sisters and I would NEVER hold them back from being happy with the love of their lives in an effort to support me. In my opinion, it was an act of selflessness that is so misguided it becomes selfish, like Bea was solely in charge of her twin sister’s healing.
Ending on a high note… The ways Jamie and Bea put effort into learning how to speak one another’s language has set a new romance bar. Jamie stocking up on soups he made in the freezer for her food texture-sensitivity, supporting her in opening herself to painting again, and his romantic-as-fuck tattoo come to mind along with Bea teasingly appreciating her curmudgeonly Capricorn and loving his rigidity and rules as much as she loves bringing her chaos to balance them.
I’m excited to see what’s next for the Wilmot sisters!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Emotional