-- rivalry done well (considering it's about competing gym owners, that's saying a lot!) -- really fun banter -- nice chemistry -- interesting seconPros:
-- rivalry done well (considering it's about competing gym owners, that's saying a lot!) -- really fun banter -- nice chemistry -- interesting secondary characters -- aspirational lifestyle/business smarts/social media portrayed believably, among the best examples I've come across in contemporary romance -- she is smart, determined, and sticks to her principles FOR REAL, not the half-hearted way some heroines do -- he respects her and is the one who commits first
Cons:
-- it loses momentum about halfway through. They're at a conference, it's done well, and then a bunch of overused tropes get thrown in without conviction (forced proximity, mildly stalkery/controlling behavior, etc.) and it sorta drags from there. -- some noticeable typos -- weirdly square language. Like I haven't experienced this many "gosh" "darn" and "hecks" like...ever. Not in 1950s children's books, not in 70s/80s YA, not in fade-to black romances, not in a weekend’s Leave it to Beaver marathon.
I have to admit, that last con became really distracting to me--at first, it was mildly amusing, maybe even a touch charming, but there is so much of it, and it is so weirdly old-fashioned and mannered, that every time it happened, it really took me out of the story. This won't bother everyone, but it did chafe for me.
I have zero problems with books that are not explicit or show characters who are more reserved, formal, whatever, but I do tend to stay away from books specifically labeled "clean" because there's usually a whole host of other issues that come along with that. I dug a little after all those folksy non-swears and found that the author has referred to her books as "clean," but I'm glad I didn't know that ahead of time, since this one manages to be modern, feminist, fun, and sex-positive despite that. I just found the language got under my skin.
3.5 stars If the momentum of the first excellent half had been sustained, and if the down-home exclamations had just been cut out altogether, this would have been rated higher. Willing to try some of her others, though, there are a lot of smarts and sparks in this despite my issues....more
I really liked the kids, his girl-dad vibe, and the western setting.
But the FMC is incredibly shallow and childish. I get thatDNF a few chapters in.
I really liked the kids, his girl-dad vibe, and the western setting.
But the FMC is incredibly shallow and childish. I get that stereotypical NY girl will change, but it is a LOT very early on without seeing pretty much anything that is interesting or redeeming about her--her internal digs at people, including repeatedly thinking how gross her friend's pregnancy is, aren't even funny. Plus she's engaged to the biggest douchebag on the planet! Which says a lot about her. And when I took at a look at the synopsis for book two, wondering if this protagonist just wasn't for me and maybe I should try another one, something huge and serious happens to one of the other characters, very much beyond the scale of what I'd expect even with the trigger warnings at the beginning. It's too heavy for a contemporary romance for my taste, especially as I have no confidence it would be handled well based on how the FMC is written.
Also, 400+ pages for a romance...ugh. Almost always a bad idea....more
DNF around 28%. It's not awful, but I've just read a million better versions of this grumpy boss story. Some of the humor is kind of cute, but a lot oDNF around 28%. It's not awful, but I've just read a million better versions of this grumpy boss story. Some of the humor is kind of cute, but a lot of it also isn't quite as clever as it's meant to be, and I find the weird lofty aristocracy ties intrusive and annoying. Plus his feelings are revealed way too soon with far too little substance. Meh....more
Enjoyed this so much at first, because with her amnesia and not remembering their past relationship/break-up, it seemed primed to be a great modern coEnjoyed this so much at first, because with her amnesia and not remembering their past relationship/break-up, it seemed primed to be a great modern contemporary romance version of an angsty Harlequin Presents book. And it was, for awhile, but it just got progressively more ridiculous (I really, really did not enjoy the amount of time and space devoted to her Comicon shenanigans, even as someone who enjoys pop culture and some fan events) and the dialogue/relationship more annoying. It also skipped over a lot of their past relationship and needed more explanations for the break-up aside from the one scene, it just felt very sketched in....more
I like Clare Connelly’s HPs, but the two Dares I’ve read have been far below her usual standard. This one has a guy who is an unbelievably selfish, hoI like Clare Connelly’s HPs, but the two Dares I’ve read have been far below her usual standard. This one has a guy who is an unbelievably selfish, hot-cold asshole, all supposedly because he’s still in love with his dead wife? I never bought it. This heroine deserved way better....more
I've never been to camp, but I was obsessed with it as a kid. I’ve seen The Parent Trap! I've read Laura's Luck and countless other summery books! I lI've never been to camp, but I was obsessed with it as a kid. I’ve seen The Parent Trap! I've read Laura's Luck and countless other summery books! I love hot dogs and roasting marshmallows and sneaking around after dark with flashlights!
So this book, set at a soon-to-be-closed camp during its last hurrah with former campers, was such a pleasure. I loved the setting and all the activities, and the friendships and the sense of slowing down time. It made me feel nostalgic for something I’ve never actually experienced.
There are a few things that I think would have made me enjoy this more, however:
-- I really liked the two girls reconnecting, but I think focusing equal time on them (and specifically, their individual romances) diluted both their stories. I would have preferred if this was entirely Jessie’s POV with a strong Hillary friendship that either led into a book two for Hillary or just a reduced role/POV/relationship focus for her. Hillary’s romance wasn’t as compelling as Jessie’s anyway, and her back story is one we’ve read in many stories before.
-- There were a couple of times when the story lost its flow a little abruptly and I'm not sure why.
-- A little more time spent on Jessie's relationship would have made this more romantic. I liked it a lot, but it didn't quite hit swoon levels. (But ohhh—the dog!) I guess this is a hybrid of contemporary romance and “women’s” fiction.
-- But most importantly: call me heartless, but I think the ending would have been stronger if (view spoiler)[the camp had not been saved (hide spoiler)] and there hadn't been such a perfectly tied up HEA across the board. One of the worst things about summer is that it comes to an end--but it's also part of your growth process and what makes those memories particularly bittersweet. The emotional weight of yearning and sadness and trying to be brave are so well described throughout the story that the ending would have felt deeper and truer if it hadn't been quite so conventional.
3.5 stars I'm totally reading this duo's other books, though. Looks like they love all the summery things....more
2.5 stars Weird mix of contemporary romance (beginning is cute, with potential for lots of great angst) and eventually, controlling stalkery MMC behav2.5 stars Weird mix of contemporary romance (beginning is cute, with potential for lots of great angst) and eventually, controlling stalkery MMC behavior--the combo is jarring and not well done here, it really felt like two different books. Also repetitive and WAY too long at over 600 pages (originally published in two books with a cliffie, now combined).
There is something here in the emotions and relationships, but the writing is in need of more rounds before it would be cohesive....more
She died just as she lived: alone, perplexed, and wearing something a bit shit.
There's nothing like a British rom com when the writing is sharp. So fuShe died just as she lived: alone, perplexed, and wearing something a bit shit.
There's nothing like a British rom com when the writing is sharp. So funny from beginning to end, with sparky chemistry and a lively heroine with a very full life—but one who sometimes feels uncertain and unanchored as well. There are also surprisingly touching secondary relationships, which are very close in feeling to the best parts of Sarra Manning's Unsticky.
I was so excited to read this, because I was in Scotland last summer and absolutely loved Isle of Skye! It’s other worldly beautiful, and we visited wI was so excited to read this, because I was in Scotland last summer and absolutely loved Isle of Skye! It’s other worldly beautiful, and we visited whisky distilleries and ate oysters while we gazed dreamily at the sea and wondered why we didn’t wake up and do all that everyday.
So I’m really bummed that this book, set in a whisky distillery on Skye, just isn’t working for me. I don’t love the exposition-heavy, somewhat scattered writing style, I can feel the framework of the trilogy snapping into place, the h/H feel pretty typical, movie star/rock star/whatever characters are not my thing, there are way too many mentions of Julia Roberts, I hate the nickname “Princess” and how it is always, always egregiously overused in books, she refers to a gross prank she pulled in the past that I hate, she overreacts in a Rachel-and-Monica-fogged-Danny kind of way, and neither the rom-com hijinks nor the attempts to give angsty back story ring particularly true. The whole thing just feels a bit forced and a bit overly referential, as there are a ton of pop culture echoes in the dialogue and zany scenarios.
I wish there was more immersion in the setting as well. And call me delusional, but so much of this felt very American to me, too, though maybe that’s a by-product of a ton of contemporary romance language and sitcom shenanigans.
Skimmed ahead—the second half does seem better, and the sex seems surprisingly not bad—but it’s not enough to save this for me. So disappointed.
Started off just fine, I loved the Wyoming ranch setting and it felt like it was going to be super cute.
But there was so much freaking exposition thaStarted off just fine, I loved the Wyoming ranch setting and it felt like it was going to be super cute.
But there was so much freaking exposition that I started to get uneasy, and then at least three times the momentum was lost in a significant moment because the story goes off on a tangent. And THEN it somehow it turned into a typical, nearly-every-single-NA-box-checked New Adult/indie romance novel, down to the same litany of tired phrases, annoying nicknames, and pseudo-dominant sex that seems to reproduce itself over and over in those categories. There might’ve been a cute book in here somewhere, but it is completely obscured by the writing.
The light-hearted romance + occasionally awkward smut thing doesn’t feel entirely natural as written, either. And his whole vibe was off, as he’s supposedly a reformed manwhore with random details thrown in to prove it (some of the sex, the icky sleeping with his childhood first kiss’ mom thing) but he never acts that way except when it’s supposed to be shocking or exciting you.
I was absolutely floored to look at the book editions and find that this was apparently published by Dial, a division of Penguin? After finding so many NA language and situational markers, I thought this was an independently published book, not one with the benefit of editorial help, especially a publisher as big and well-respected as that. (Explains the cover, though.) So annoyed by this, and am disappointed I can’t rely on the name being synonymous with quality any longer.
Not the author’s fault—I don’t know what this book’s path was to publishing, I can see why it sparked interest (I so hoped it would be another Amy Barry-type western series), but this was taken on, acquired, and released way before it was ready.
1.5 stars Docking it an extra half star for writing and editing that should have been way better. Concept + quirky cover aren’t enough to cut it....more
Wendy Darling
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contemporary-romance
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