What do you think?
Rate this book
Not That #2
Not That Impossible
If this was your classic Cotswolds murder mystery (it’s not) and Jasper Connolly was a proper journalist (he isn’t) then when a dead body is discovered in a local man’s house, Jasper would write an award-winning front-page article, and his journalism career would finally be up and running.
Instead, he gets scooped by his ex-English teacher, gets yelled at by his editor, and is starting to think that he’d be better off sticking to his actual career of being a personal trainer.
Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Liam Nash, the straight, married man who has never shown even a tiny bit of interest in Jasper?
Turns out Liam is not straight, he’s not married anymore, he is definitely not a fan of Jasper showing up at his crime scenes…and he can not seem to stop kissing Jasper.
After years of thinking that his dreams of love and happily ever after were impossible, it’s starting to look like maybe, just maybe, Jasper was wrong.
Wouldn’t be the first time.
Not That Impossible is a 75k-word romantic comedy about a wannabe journalist who might not wannabe anymore, and a grump of a detective who is finally getting over himself and going after what he really wants (it’s Jasper). There are also a couple of dead guys somewhere in the mix, but not all mysteries get solved. Besides, who even cares about that with all the kissing and stuff going on? This is a romance!
Instead, he gets scooped by his ex-English teacher, gets yelled at by his editor, and is starting to think that he’d be better off sticking to his actual career of being a personal trainer.
Meanwhile, Detective Chief Inspector Liam Nash, the straight, married man who has never shown even a tiny bit of interest in Jasper?
Turns out Liam is not straight, he’s not married anymore, he is definitely not a fan of Jasper showing up at his crime scenes…and he can not seem to stop kissing Jasper.
After years of thinking that his dreams of love and happily ever after were impossible, it’s starting to look like maybe, just maybe, Jasper was wrong.
Wouldn’t be the first time.
Not That Impossible is a 75k-word romantic comedy about a wannabe journalist who might not wannabe anymore, and a grump of a detective who is finally getting over himself and going after what he really wants (it’s Jasper). There are also a couple of dead guys somewhere in the mix, but not all mysteries get solved. Besides, who even cares about that with all the kissing and stuff going on? This is a romance!
314 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2023
218 people are currently reading
486 people want to read
About the author
Isabel Murray
12 books397 followersIsabel is a writer, a reader, and a lover of love. She couldn’t stick to a subgenre if her life depended on it, but MM romance is her jam. She lives in the UK, reads way too much, and cannot be trusted anywhere near chocolate.
Website: https://isabelmurrayauthor.wordpress.com
Other links: https://isabelmurray.carrd.co
Website: https://isabelmurrayauthor.wordpress.com
Other links: https://isabelmurray.carrd.co
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
April 29, 2023
I’m very sorry to say that this one was nowhere near as good as the first book, on the contrary it was quite….uninspired and not funny at all. I skipped a lot of pages because I really didn’t care for Jasper’s erotic fanfic stories -I mean, one was ok for the humorous aspect but pages and pages of irrelevant stories became tiresome. Jasper’s interaction with all the other characters (except Adam and Ralph) were boring too and barely relevant . Also, Liam! What was his freaking deal?? I might be a bit slow but I really didn’t understand why he acted like that with Jasper. . Why did he make him suffer like that or why did he go on a date with Ray when apparently he was in love with Jasper and he wanted Jasper for more than a year. How can you love someone and say to his face in public while he brings you coffee and donuts the day after that he was just a hookup and that he’s being clingy?? Because I’m sorry but his reasons were really lame . I mean, he was younger yes but not a minor (24 is a man not a boy) or that he was his cousin’s best friend 🙄bohoo , so freaking what? I was so excited to read his story because I love grumpy stern cops but he let me down pretty hard - yes he was sweet and kind at the end but after his previous behavior his “sweetheart” and “baby” sounded patronizing. And I loved loved Jasper even though he was kind of a doormat. His open, honest and stubborn love for Liam was the sweetest part of the book yet I would have liked for him to go on a date with another guy and totally ignore Liam, to give him a taste of his own medicine .
Also, the MCs were mostly teasing each other the entire book but without really having sex. I mean it was all about that with them (they barely had any scenes together apart from a few naked encounters) and yet there’s barely any sex scenes and that single one there was it wasn’t even that hot. Jasper’s fanfic stories were way hotter . So yeah, I’m a pouting now and I’ll probably be sulking for the rest of the night because I was so so so looking forward to reading this book.
Also, the MCs were mostly teasing each other the entire book but without really having sex. I mean it was all about that with them (they barely had any scenes together apart from a few naked encounters) and yet there’s barely any sex scenes and that single one there was it wasn’t even that hot. Jasper’s fanfic stories were way hotter . So yeah, I’m a pouting now and I’ll probably be sulking for the rest of the night because I was so so so looking forward to reading this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2023
This was fun, but not really a romance.
And tbf, the blurb says it’s a romantic comedy, so no idea why I expected it to be more. The snippets of the fanfics one of the MCs (Jasper, who’s pov we get throughout the book) is writing, are romancier (is that even a word?) and smuttier that what we get in the book.
So yes. It’s the story of Jasper, a fitness instructor and wannabe journalist, and who’s been in love with Liam, his bff Adam’s cousin, for as long as he can think back.
And he’s been writing fanfics about Liam, for almost as long as he’s been in love with him, even if he never published them.
Problem was, I didn’t like Adam. While Jasper was cute, open, and bumbling around in an adorable way, Adam behaved - for the most time - like a dick. I understand that having a younger boy crushing on you while you’re in love with your wife was weird, but there’s no real excuse in how he behaved when he finally “gave in” to his attraction (no ow/om drama, he’s been divorced for over a year when it happened).
So yeah. I loved being part of Jasper’s life, and his thoughts. But I almost cheered when he temporarily decided that he’s done with Liam. And on top of that, the daddy/boy dynamics didn’t quite felt right.
2.5 stars rounded up because it still was mostly nice. And because I loved Jasper.
And tbf, the blurb says it’s a romantic comedy, so no idea why I expected it to be more. The snippets of the fanfics one of the MCs (Jasper, who’s pov we get throughout the book) is writing, are romancier (is that even a word?) and smuttier that what we get in the book.
So yes. It’s the story of Jasper, a fitness instructor and wannabe journalist, and who’s been in love with Liam, his bff Adam’s cousin, for as long as he can think back.
And he’s been writing fanfics about Liam, for almost as long as he’s been in love with him, even if he never published them.
Problem was, I didn’t like Adam. While Jasper was cute, open, and bumbling around in an adorable way, Adam behaved - for the most time - like a dick. I understand that having a younger boy crushing on you while you’re in love with your wife was weird, but there’s no real excuse in how he behaved when he finally “gave in” to his attraction (no ow/om drama, he’s been divorced for over a year when it happened).
So yeah. I loved being part of Jasper’s life, and his thoughts. But I almost cheered when he temporarily decided that he’s done with Liam. And on top of that, the daddy/boy dynamics didn’t quite felt right.
2.5 stars rounded up because it still was mostly nice. And because I loved Jasper.
January 12, 2024
3.5
Definitely not as funny as book one but still entertaining.
I just want to wrap Jasper up in a duvet, play his fireplace noises and feed him Snickers, he was so cute.
Liam was an absolute dickhead though and I did feel like he took advantage of the way Jasper felt about him.
It was nice to see more of the Adam and Ray story from the perspective of Adam's best friend too.
What bothered me though was all the fanfic content. It felt very repetitive after the first couple of times and I'm not really into barbarians or space rangers so it didn't do much for me, and I ended up skipping the majority.
I'd have rather seen more of Jasper making Liam work harder to get back on his good side, Liam trying to win Jasper over or even Liam's POV because he was just unlikeable for me and Jasper came across as a bit of a doormat for Liam, even when he treated him badly.
Definitely not as funny as book one but still entertaining.
I just want to wrap Jasper up in a duvet, play his fireplace noises and feed him Snickers, he was so cute.
Liam was an absolute dickhead though and I did feel like he took advantage of the way Jasper felt about him.
It was nice to see more of the Adam and Ray story from the perspective of Adam's best friend too.
What bothered me though was all the fanfic content. It felt very repetitive after the first couple of times and I'm not really into barbarians or space rangers so it didn't do much for me, and I ended up skipping the majority.
I'd have rather seen more of Jasper making Liam work harder to get back on his good side, Liam trying to win Jasper over or even Liam's POV because he was just unlikeable for me and Jasper came across as a bit of a doormat for Liam, even when he treated him badly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2023
I love this author’s writing but I think they forgot this was a romance?
It was a very entertaining “days in the life” of Jasper but the romance was heavily lacking. Liam was honestly a pretty shitty man. He didn’t deserve Jasper and he was barely in the book until over 80% in. When he was around, he was an absolute shithead.
It was a very entertaining “days in the life” of Jasper but the romance was heavily lacking. Liam was honestly a pretty shitty man. He didn’t deserve Jasper and he was barely in the book until over 80% in. When he was around, he was an absolute shithead.
November 11, 2024
The first in this series is a perfect rom-com. This one however is neither fun or romantic. My biggest problem is Liam - I didn't like him at all. Lowering my rating to 2 ⭐⭐
June 12, 2023
Loved this
I wrote a super long review, Kindle lost it, so I'll just say I loved this just as much as book one.
I wrote a super long review, Kindle lost it, so I'll just say I loved this just as much as book one.
April 30, 2023
In my mind, this wasnt a romance at all. Before 80%, Jasper and Liam shared maybe two on-page interactions, and they mainly consisted of Liam being an asshole. The change in Liams demeanor at 80% came out of literally nowhere and made absolutely no sense. I honestly wish this book had been about Jasper finding someone else who actually loved and cared about him.
May 3, 2023
This was all right but fell short of my expectations given how much I loved Not That Complicated. I liked Jasper a lot, but could not understand what he saw in Liam. Liam was an ass and did not deserve sweet Jasper. The humor was also forced at times. The fanfic that Jasper about Liam wrote got to be a bit much at the end. I also didn’t realize when I started reading this that the plot revolves around the same two murders featured in book 1, but things are told from Jasper’s perspective as he tries his hand at journalism. Adam and Ray pop up a lot.
March 13, 2025
reread, march2025
is liam still a massive dick? oh, for sure. did i like him better this time around, kinda. i think i figured out my issue with this book, as much as i like, nay love, jasper… not that impossible should have been from liam's point of view.
in first and third book in the series the more “grouchy” mc has been the only pov. thus, their dickish moments are softened by the fact that we know that they're actually going through it. therefore, if liam had been the main pov i think it would have softened him out as a character. his love for jasper wouldn't have felt so out of nowhere.
still, i love jasper and i'm glad we got to spend some time in his head. four stars for you buddy <3
***
i'm just gonna come out and say it, idon'tthinkliamdeservedjasper 🫣
now, am i glad that jasper got his mans? sure, go off king, get it. however, if it were me i would've given up on liam after he rejected the donuts. i don't fuck with any man who rejects donuts that i've gone out of my way to buy.
tbh, it felt like liam got body snatched at the last minute … like, this is the man who was just unnecessarily mean to jasper the entire book and then, BAM! he's declaring his love … uh huhhhhhhhh, mmmmkay …
that said, i really liked jasper and he really saved the story for me. also, this book is extremely readable and i finished it in one sitting.
while i don't think not that impossible is as good as book one, i did still have a fun time following jasper on his quest for love and journalism!!
“... I’m not sure the reality of me will be able to live up to your expectations, but I want to try.”
“The reality of you will be beyond my wildest dreams,” I assured him.
“No pressure.”
I smiled slowly. “You feel pressure?”
“I have a history of disappointing people, and you’re the one person in the world I least want to disappoint. Yes. I feel pressure.”
is liam still a massive dick? oh, for sure. did i like him better this time around, kinda. i think i figured out my issue with this book, as much as i like, nay love, jasper… not that impossible should have been from liam's point of view.
in first and third book in the series the more “grouchy” mc has been the only pov. thus, their dickish moments are softened by the fact that we know that they're actually going through it. therefore, if liam had been the main pov i think it would have softened him out as a character. his love for jasper wouldn't have felt so out of nowhere.
still, i love jasper and i'm glad we got to spend some time in his head. four stars for you buddy <3
***
“Okay, one? It can’t possibly fire up my obsession again because that fire is eternal and unwavering and will be burning bright when the sun devours Earth. And two, can we not call it an obsession? That makes it sound weird. He’s my soulmate.”
i'm just gonna come out and say it, idon'tthinkliamdeservedjasper 🫣
now, am i glad that jasper got his mans? sure, go off king, get it. however, if it were me i would've given up on liam after he rejected the donuts. i don't fuck with any man who rejects donuts that i've gone out of my way to buy.
tbh, it felt like liam got body snatched at the last minute … like, this is the man who was just unnecessarily mean to jasper the entire book and then, BAM! he's declaring his love … uh huhhhhhhhh, mmmmkay …
that said, i really liked jasper and he really saved the story for me. also, this book is extremely readable and i finished it in one sitting.
while i don't think not that impossible is as good as book one, i did still have a fun time following jasper on his quest for love and journalism!!
December 27, 2023
3.5 stars
Ok, so, I read this in one sitting and was thoroughly entertained by this rom com. That’s why I rounded up.
But….
I honestly didn’t like either of these MCs. Liam is a total dick. Only to the other MC, Jasper. He’s perfectly nice to everyone else. And Jasper goes so far beyond a doormat, it’s just pathetic.
I still don’t understand why Liam acted like he did, even with all the groveling and personality transplant.
But still, I love this writer. And the story was so fun.
Ok, so, I read this in one sitting and was thoroughly entertained by this rom com. That’s why I rounded up.
But….
I honestly didn’t like either of these MCs. Liam is a total dick. Only to the other MC, Jasper. He’s perfectly nice to everyone else. And Jasper goes so far beyond a doormat, it’s just pathetic.
I still don’t understand why Liam acted like he did, even with all the groveling and personality transplant.
But still, I love this writer. And the story was so fun.
May 2, 2023
I loved Ms. Murray's NOT THAT COMPLICATED for what it was, a romantic comedy rife with humor and implausible situations. This book revisits the characters from that book, with the focus on a different couple whose interactions are neither romantic nor humorous. Jasper, a ninny, "loves" Liam, a dick, for vague reasons. Because he's older and mean, or something. Adam, ridiculously cool in NTC, is a ninny here too, and his love for Ray is just as vague and inane as Jasper's for Liam. Jasper and Adam are firmly established as delusional stalkers. The whole thing was distasteful, implausible, and unsexy despite the reams of amateurish "fanfic" written by Jasper.
I so enjoyed NOT THAT COMPLICATED that I read Ms. Murray's other titles but didn't enjoy them. Now, having taken no pleasure from this book, I think I'm done with Ms. Murray's books.
I so enjoyed NOT THAT COMPLICATED that I read Ms. Murray's other titles but didn't enjoy them. Now, having taken no pleasure from this book, I think I'm done with Ms. Murray's books.
November 27, 2024
Loved it even more than the first one. It seems everybody hated Liam but I loved him. Asshole. And Jasper is just adorable.
September 28, 2023
that's me being generous, unfortunatelly
April 28, 2023
Parts of it were fantastic.
I wish I knew prior starting it that the MCs are in one room/ interacting less than 30% of the page time. The timeline follows Not That Complicated. For an impatient reader who hates repetition it was a struggle to feel engaged.
But Jasper was the sweetest MC that has ever MC-ed. Will reread it at some point.
I wish I knew prior starting it that the MCs are in one room/ interacting less than 30% of the page time. The timeline follows Not That Complicated. For an impatient reader who hates repetition it was a struggle to feel engaged.
But Jasper was the sweetest MC that has ever MC-ed. Will reread it at some point.
June 1, 2023
One MC writes self-insert RPF fanfics about the other MC. I was about to let it slide, but the fanfics are on-page, for multiple pages, multiple times, and are even a plot point by the end of the book. I tried. But I just can't.
And I wish the MCs spent more time together! They barely did.
The previous book, Not That Complicated, was funny and excellent. I recommend everyone to check it out. This one though...
And I wish the MCs spent more time together! They barely did.
The previous book, Not That Complicated, was funny and excellent. I recommend everyone to check it out. This one though...
August 21, 2023
I enjoyed this a bit less than book 1, it definitely didn't have me rolling on the floor, but it was a pretty entertaining and easy read. This book overlaps the first book and is told entirely from the perspective of Jasper, Adam's best friend. Jasper is an extremely sweet (and ripped) but slightly bumbling personal trainer/aspiring journalist. And he has carried a torch for Liam, Adam's cousin, since he was 14 years old. Liam, we've already met, and I think he is kind of where this book goes sideways for me. Poor Jasper is infatuated with this guy, but we never understand why, really. Liam is an absolute jackass for quite a lot of this book. He strings Jasper along, treats him like a disposable hook-up, and is just generally a surly presence in this book. He does kind of explain himself at the end, but I still wasn't a fan. There's also this bit that the author does, where she has Jasper write fanfic about Liam. While this an objectively hilarious and bonkers thing to do, I was really annoyed that there were so many excerpts from said fanfic. It was like when people write about sexy dreams in fiction - just an absolute waste of time. I think Isabel Murray is a great writer and has nailed the rom-com vibe, but this one fell a bit short for me compared to Not That Complicated.
March 6, 2025
I love May Archer and TJ Klune and whoever else is funny but there's just something about Isabel Murray's writing that I can't get enough of. So freakin funny and the characters are delightful. I love the single POV and that you still get an idea of the other person's thoughts, just from their interactions. Was looking forward to Jasper and Liam's story and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 28, 2023
Jasper is, as they say, a lovey lad. He’s a bit of a disaster, a bit of a himbo, a bit of a sad boy. His darkest secret was a hilarious surprise. I wasn’t sure if I would like this one as much as the first, but i most definitely did.
March 2, 2025
It is not really a romance, it is not really a mystery (nothing is found out about the bodies found in book one, and it is implied it will just be a cold case) and objectively might not stand up well without book 1. I am really not sure what this was supposed to be. It has a very cute, himbo, main character, some frantic fanfiction jokes, a romantic resolution dropping out of nothing (and then no sex for a few days after the love declaration because after them telling each other they love each other MC2 has "to be in bed in an hour because I need to be up early tomorrow for work.”, ok, this is not a romance, really...)
October 28, 2025
3.75⭐️
In book one, Ray was hounded by a nosy reporter for a great story on a dead body he found in his house. That reporter is Jasper—the main character of book two. Jasper is a chaotic mess, who works at a gym but is trying to get into reporting on the side. He’s also got an unhealthy obsession with his best friend’s hot older cousin, Liam. Liam is a detective, and Jasper has been in love with him since he was a teen. This book follows Jasper’s strange journey to win Liam’s heart.
This book has:
-age gap (Jasper is 24, and Liam is in his 30s)
-unrequited love (at first)
-ridiculous fanfiction
-huge muscley MC with submissive tendencies
I’ll start off by saying I did find this book hilarious. I’ve been having a rough week, but reading this book actually got me smiling and chuckling to myself. Jasper writes (bad) erotic fanfiction about himself and Liam, and it is incorporated in the story quite a few times. I personally found it really funny. In general, there are a lot of fun one-liners as well, similar to book one. This book is definitely a romantic comedy, not a full romance.
The romance in this book wasn’t well paced, but the dynamic between the characters hit when they were going at it. The whole first 80% of the book was basically Liam being willing to hook up with Jasper, but insisting after he wasn’t his type and didn’t want to be with him. Then at the end they suddenly get together and live happily ever after. Liam didn’t even have to work for it! That was a little disappointing. I seriously didn’t get what was going on with Liam. Normally I like a single person POV, but I felt like we needed to see where Liam was coming from.. because he flip flopped on Jasper waaay too much for a grown ass 34 year old. 😂
The plot of the book, while still entertaining, basically just rehashed a lot of the “omg there are dead bodies in Ray’s house” plot from book one, just from Jasper’s perspective. So nothing really new there? I think book 3 had a new plot, so that could still be good!
I did still really enjoy this book overall, and despite some of my gripes, thought it was really funny. The author has a good writing style, and the humour hits for me. 👍
In book one, Ray was hounded by a nosy reporter for a great story on a dead body he found in his house. That reporter is Jasper—the main character of book two. Jasper is a chaotic mess, who works at a gym but is trying to get into reporting on the side. He’s also got an unhealthy obsession with his best friend’s hot older cousin, Liam. Liam is a detective, and Jasper has been in love with him since he was a teen. This book follows Jasper’s strange journey to win Liam’s heart.
This book has:
-age gap (Jasper is 24, and Liam is in his 30s)
-unrequited love (at first)
-ridiculous fanfiction
-huge muscley MC with submissive tendencies
I’ll start off by saying I did find this book hilarious. I’ve been having a rough week, but reading this book actually got me smiling and chuckling to myself. Jasper writes (bad) erotic fanfiction about himself and Liam, and it is incorporated in the story quite a few times. I personally found it really funny. In general, there are a lot of fun one-liners as well, similar to book one. This book is definitely a romantic comedy, not a full romance.
The romance in this book wasn’t well paced, but the dynamic between the characters hit when they were going at it. The whole first 80% of the book was basically Liam being willing to hook up with Jasper, but insisting after he wasn’t his type and didn’t want to be with him. Then at the end they suddenly get together and live happily ever after. Liam didn’t even have to work for it! That was a little disappointing. I seriously didn’t get what was going on with Liam. Normally I like a single person POV, but I felt like we needed to see where Liam was coming from.. because he flip flopped on Jasper waaay too much for a grown ass 34 year old. 😂
The plot of the book, while still entertaining, basically just rehashed a lot of the “omg there are dead bodies in Ray’s house” plot from book one, just from Jasper’s perspective. So nothing really new there? I think book 3 had a new plot, so that could still be good!
I did still really enjoy this book overall, and despite some of my gripes, thought it was really funny. The author has a good writing style, and the humour hits for me. 👍
May 23, 2024
Surprisingly, Not That Impossible was a much better experience for me than the first book, Not That Complicated.
Some portion of that is likely due to reduced expectations. I don't care if you say "this isn't a classic murder mystery" in the fucking blurb, you give me a dead body and cops and I'm gonna expect that fucking mystery to be solved. That's the deal. That's so hardwired in, that despite that same repeated warning in the blurb, and having read the first one already, I was still thinking to myself when I picked this up, maybe she'll do a proper fucking mystery this time. lol. Not until I got far enough in to get past my initial confusion and realized it's the same dead body, that this story is taking place simultaneously with the first book, did I really let go of the hope for a proper mystery.
(Note: I keep saying "first" book, but I feel like you could just read this one if you wanted. I think you could read either independently or both in any order.)
No, the main difference, I think, is in the main characters. Both books feature a couple where one guy is really sweet and the other is a prick. In Not That Complicated, it was the pov character, Ray, who was the prick. This time around we get the story through the sweet one, Jasper.
Jasper's a personal trainer, and aspiring journalist, who's been in love with his best friend Adam's cousin Liam since he was a teenager. It's not a secret. What is a secret though, (minor) .
Jasper's a lovable himbo type, and the whole thing is hilarious. The characterization isn't super deep. The other characters feel barely sketched in. I never really gave a crap about the love interest either. So I'm not sure it 100% rates a true 5-stars for me, (meaning I'm not sure I'd reread it) but that's pretty much entirely because it's much more sex focused than I'd prefer. Jasper's attraction to Liam doesn't really seem based on anything more than sex fantasies. But it was really fun and funny in spite of that, and so I'll round it up to full marks.
Some portion of that is likely due to reduced expectations. I don't care if you say "this isn't a classic murder mystery" in the fucking blurb, you give me a dead body and cops and I'm gonna expect that fucking mystery to be solved. That's the deal. That's so hardwired in, that despite that same repeated warning in the blurb, and having read the first one already, I was still thinking to myself when I picked this up, maybe she'll do a proper fucking mystery this time. lol. Not until I got far enough in to get past my initial confusion and realized it's the same dead body, that this story is taking place simultaneously with the first book, did I really let go of the hope for a proper mystery.
(Note: I keep saying "first" book, but I feel like you could just read this one if you wanted. I think you could read either independently or both in any order.)
No, the main difference, I think, is in the main characters. Both books feature a couple where one guy is really sweet and the other is a prick. In Not That Complicated, it was the pov character, Ray, who was the prick. This time around we get the story through the sweet one, Jasper.
Jasper's a personal trainer, and aspiring journalist, who's been in love with his best friend Adam's cousin Liam since he was a teenager. It's not a secret. What is a secret though, (minor) .
Jasper's a lovable himbo type, and the whole thing is hilarious. The characterization isn't super deep. The other characters feel barely sketched in. I never really gave a crap about the love interest either. So I'm not sure it 100% rates a true 5-stars for me, (meaning I'm not sure I'd reread it) but that's pretty much entirely because it's much more sex focused than I'd prefer. Jasper's attraction to Liam doesn't really seem based on anything more than sex fantasies. But it was really fun and funny in spite of that, and so I'll round it up to full marks.
April 28, 2023
4.25
Thoroughly enjoyed this!
It gets a little bit knocked off because I feel like I didn't have quite enough insight into
also because I felt like the
This was a fun, lighthearted read, à la Murray and I wholeheartedly recommend it if
- you've enjoyed Murray's work so far
- enjoy dry British humour
- a delightful Himbo-ish, golden retriever main character whose heart is deep and unfaltering in it's love sounds like something you'd enjoy
Some quotes
NSFW infos:
- One out gay man (24, 6ft3, who has a six-pack because he works out every day and is a personal trainer!!! Points for good abdominal muscle rep!)
- One out bisexual man (thirties, 6ft1/2, light strawberry blonde hair)
- intercrural
Thoroughly enjoyed this!
It gets a little bit knocked off because I feel like I didn't have quite enough insight into
also because I felt like the
This was a fun, lighthearted read, à la Murray and I wholeheartedly recommend it if
- you've enjoyed Murray's work so far
- enjoy dry British humour
- a delightful Himbo-ish, golden retriever main character whose heart is deep and unfaltering in it's love sounds like something you'd enjoy
Some quotes
"I was absently stroking a palm over his stomach. He sucked it in. I hid my smile. If I wanted to touch a six-pack, I had one of my own to play with. I adored his solid body" (p. 272)
"Luckily, I know you. And I like weird."
"Am I weird?"
"Yeah. You're my kind of weird. I love it. I love you." (p. 277)
NSFW infos:
- One out gay man (24, 6ft3, who has a six-pack because he works out every day and is a personal trainer!!! Points for good abdominal muscle rep!)
- One out bisexual man (thirties, 6ft1/2, light strawberry blonde hair)
- intercrural
March 3, 2024
Didn’t buy romance;
suddenly its love, not sex?
Funny, clever, hot.
suddenly its love, not sex?
Funny, clever, hot.
May 1, 2023
You know I really wanted to like it as much as I did the first book but I honestly don't buy that Liam loves Jasper. He's attracted to Jasper for sure, but love? For most of their interactions, Liam is either annoyedly rude or horny. I don't know if it's just me but I never once saw affection from him until I hit the 85% mark. Suddenly he's pushing Jasper's hair back and declaring his love. Like what? The book's almost finished by then! They probably interacted more in Jasper's fanfiction than in real life, geez. Show me, don't tell me. If a book is supposedly a romance but don't have characters that are convincingly in love, then what is it for? I feel massively let down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2024
Well-written, with one engaging MC and one arsehole. This might have worked, if the transformation from AH to lover had been more convincing and threaded much much much earlier on.
I'm not quite sure where I am with Isabel Murray; most of her books are curate's eggs, but the good bits are really rather good.
I'm not quite sure where I am with Isabel Murray; most of her books are curate's eggs, but the good bits are really rather good.
October 17, 2023
Alien Pirate Captain Liam Nash Plunders My Booty. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Jasper is a deeply unserious man. Also, if anyone has an INcompetence kink, he's definitely the MC for you. But adorable while messing everything up.
This book is as funny as the one before. So I'm giving it 4 stars even though I had some issues with it.
First, I'm not sold on Liam. How exactly did he fall in love with Jasper? When? Because seeing someone make a fool of themselves over you for years isn't really selling me.
Second, these people don't know each other enough to be IN love. At best, Jasper's is an obsession. And his is more believable. They've known of each other for ten years, I think? But none of this was time spent getting to know each other. Even during the events of the book, they're not doing that.
And yet, in spite of these reasonably big issues for me, I still found this incredibly enjoyable to read.
This book is as funny as the one before. So I'm giving it 4 stars even though I had some issues with it.
First, I'm not sold on Liam. How exactly did he fall in love with Jasper? When? Because seeing someone make a fool of themselves over you for years isn't really selling me.
Second, these people don't know each other enough to be IN love. At best, Jasper's is an obsession. And his is more believable. They've known of each other for ten years, I think? But none of this was time spent getting to know each other. Even during the events of the book, they're not doing that.
And yet, in spite of these reasonably big issues for me, I still found this incredibly enjoyable to read.
November 30, 2023
The first book of the series was great - amusing, quirky, romantic-ish. This one, not so. The plot happens largely concurrently with that of the first book (i.e. the murders/bodies are the same). MC Jasper grated on my nerves the whole time and whilst I was intrigued by Liam previously, I was confused and conflicted with much of Liam's behavior and motivations toward Jasper throughout; a bad pairing as far as I'm concerned. 2.5 stars at best.
June 24, 2023
Rounding up to 4 stars.
Quite silly with more of Jasper's fanfic on the page than necessary (and content warning for some food/exercise stuff) but the author's characters, voice and humour always work for me.
Quite silly with more of Jasper's fanfic on the page than necessary (and content warning for some food/exercise stuff) but the author's characters, voice and humour always work for me.
August 30, 2023
Lo dejo en dos porque me ha hecho reír a carcajadas en varias ocasiones, pero no me ha gustado demasiado.
February 16, 2025
Light-hearted, funny, yet far more ambitious that expected considering it's a sequel to a low-stakes and silly romcom, Not That Impossible by Isabel Murray features one of the most wholesome and endearing queer romcom main character I've read in quite a while. Although the marketing and the book's synopsis doesn't really mention it, Not That Impossible is a purposeful sequel to Not That Complicated rather than a spin-off story or anthology entry. Despite being narrated by another character and obviously having a different love interest, this novel covers the same events as its predecessor and includes all of the same characters portrayed in a different light from a new perspective. Knowledge of the events and the plot of the first book are required to enjoy Not That Impossible and the more familiar one is with the existing characters and story, the stronger and more satisfying this read can be. I picked up this novel on a whim, having recently received a three month free trial of Kindle Unlimited and was curious to see where this story went after reading the rather mixed reviews it has. I went in expecting more silly romcom shenanigans similar to the first book but ended up impressed by how much stronger and well-executed this story was. If you are considering giving this a read, do not read into how negative a lot of the top-rated reviews are and give it an honest chance before judging it.
In order to talk about and review Not That Impossible, recapping a bit of Not That Complicated is a must (this will contain spoilers of the first book which you SHOULD have already read if you are looking at reading this one). The general premise of the first book involves a 30+ yr old graphic designer Ray who is repeatedly forced to check-in to a local hotel after his house becomes a potential crime scene when a dead body is found mummified under the floorboards of his bedroom. The hotel's front desk is staffed by 20smth yr old Adam Blake who he has a "complicated" history with (get the title reference?) who has been utterly infatuated with Ray for years. Side characters in this story are Police Detective Liam Nash who is in charge of the investigation into the dead body found at Ray's house as well as Jasper Connolly, an amateur aspiring journalist who becomes involved while attempting to report on the case. Not That Impossible covers the same general story, except this time told from the perspective of Jasper who has been dreaming about Liam for the last decade. Additionally, although he is not the focus of the story, Adam is also heavily featured in this story as Jasper's childhood best friend and Liam's cousin. Timeline-wise, this novel actually starts much earlier than the first book as Ray doesn't find the dead body until well into this story and the it ends after Ray and Adam become a couple.
I make a point to recap the first book because it serves as important context in order to properly review and highlight some of this book's best features. Easily one of the best parts of Not That Impossible is how well it builds off of the existing story in Not That Complicated and fills in a lot of details that perfectly work around the original's continuity. While I found Not That Complicated's story to be fun and light-hearted, my review for that book wrote that the plotting felt a bit haphazard yet also contrived, seeking to get Ray and Adam into as many steamy scenes regardless of how plausible they seemed. Interestingly, this book feels the complete opposite where the story only has two notable sex scenes (technically only one while the other is mostly one-sided foreplay), but the rest of the plot feels purposeful and well planned out. From start to finish, this is a character-focused story specific to Jasper as it's less of a slapstick romcom and more of a standard contemporary romance drama. While still light-hearted and comedic, Not That Impossible is more than just Jasper x Liam scenes and heavily involves Jasper's pursuits as an aspiring journalist, his main day job as a personal trainer, and his Liam Nash erotica fanfiction writing hobby. While the last one obviously is played for laughs initially, by the end of the story even that one has an important narrative purpose. While early fanfics are hilariously silly, Murray uses them as a metaphor for Jasper's feelings; the most comical ones of him being killed off or sidelined in his own stories during his irl moments of dejection. Near the end of the story, one of the most comical moments of the book is when he hilariously role-swaps Liam and his character in the dom/sub warlord fanfiction (intimidating leader and plunderer, Jasper is most certainly not). The story is is such a substantial jump in quality and plotting that I almost feel like the events of the first book were written as a framework for this book, rather than the other way around. The way the discoveries of the two dead bodies contribute to Jasper's journalism pursuits, the involvement of Liam's professional work, and Adam's newly revealed thoughts via his friendship with Jasper that felt lacking in the first book, I have to commend Murray for how well the story comes together.
In terms of characters, Jasper is a national treasure and an absolute delight to read about. I previously commented that although I liked Not That Complicated, Ray's character voice and personality was a bit overdramatic for my taste (or as I wrote in the review, I'm not flamboyant enough for this story). However, Jasper is pitched perfect and is almost impossible to dislike, with a good balance of emotional IQ and a healthy amount of self-confidence/personal flaws. Jasper's narration style is highly entertaining and his character is a nice combination of geeky hobbies meshed with being physically attractive and fit (this is a key point that adds a lot of humor when Jasper overpowers detective Liam who is both older and gruffer, a refreshing reversal of a common m/m trope). The story has far more character growth and development than you would expect based on the romcom synopsis, and Jasper's journey with his writing pursuits is surprisingly ambitious and well-written, not to mention fully matching his existing movements and events in the first book. Not only that, but this story actually explains why all the other characters kept telling Ray not to sue Jasper for defamation in the first book and that's he's actually a good bloke. The character motivations also make perfect sense for why Jasper writes two off-beat newspaper articles that were seen as random and damaging in the first book.
Liam on the other hand, seems to be controversial to many other readers who write him off as a jerk and undeserving of Jasper. Whether its my own personality being somewhat similar to Liam or the fact that I'm a similar age to Liam (should I take offense at how OLD I am according to these books...?), I don't agree with these assessments. While Liam sends mixed signals on paper over the course of the book, reading between the lines actually paints a different picture and one that shows he does care about Jasper and means the best, despite how his actions and words are interpreted at face value. The story actually has great explanations for Liam's uncertainty around Jasper and I'd be lying if I said I haven't also done things in a similar vein. One minor critique is that the same cannot be said about what causes Liam to change his mind and follow through with his restrained feelings. This is a potentially big sticking point as the book elaborates how he first met Jasper as Adam's bratty teenage friend and how big their ten year gap is. While a ten year gap later in life is less of issue, it takes a pretty substantial shift in image to change that impression which the story doesn't really attempt to do. Not That Complicated avoided this pitfall by writing around it and having Ray first meet Adam when they're much older. This pairing doesn't have that luxury and has the potential to run into the uncomfortable idea of a grown adult x teenager pairing, despite Murray's attempt to downplay this scenario by stating Liam only started developing feelings a year prior to the story.
Surprisingly, despite not being part of the focal romantic pairing, Adam unexpectedly benefits almost as much as the other two in this book. I had critiqued that Adam's character and his interest in Ray felt underdeveloped and vague in Not That Complicated. Via his friendship with Jasper and his familial connection to Liam, this book shows a whole different side to Adam (dare I say, Adam actually has a personality outside of being just smoldering and cool here). The mutual pining and suffering between Jasper and Adam is refreshing and their friendly banter is great supporting material that I felt was lacking in the first book. On a side note, it had been a year since I read Not That Complicated so some of the details were a little fuzzy to me at first. For some reason I got confused and thought Jasper and Adam were related instead of Adam and Liam, so when Jasper mentioned that they were sort of friends with benefits before, I definitely raised an eyebrow (Isabel Murray's books have spice but I didn't know I was also signing up for incestral spice too). Comedic mix-up aside, this book definitely does not have any of that kind of forbidden encounters going on here.
As far as the writing is concerned, Not That Impossible again feels like a universal improvement in just about every way. Not That Complicated was certainly funny and had a lot of laugh out loud jokes, but the humor often walked the line between being funny and cringey with a mixed result. The overall story and read also had a low-stakes, just for fun steamy romance vibe that certainly has its purpose and readership, but felt like it could've been so much more with more ambition. Murray basically took my review for the first book and threw it back in my face, hitting just about every point of criticism I had. Besides the actual story, Murray's writing feels more polished and consistent, at times even clever and heartfelt. All of the slapstick humor and over the top silliness is downplayed in favor of more sophisticated humor (fanfiction jokes aside) and relies far less on pop culture references. While the comedy aspect of the romcom genre isn't quite as funny here, I am more than happy with the tradeoff for an overall stronger and skillfully story.
I normally specifically avoid referencing other opinions or reviews apart from brief mentions, but I feel the need to address how disappointed I am with the top-liked reviews for this book on Goodreads and other platforms. Except for one review, nearly every review bashes Liam as being an underserving jerk and criticizing this book for forgetting it was supposed to be a romance novel. It doesn't happen often, but upon finishing this read, I felt like I had to defend this book and address these points of criticism in hopes that potential readers will not be turned off by their reviews. The first point, although Liam can be perceived as a jerk based on his hot/cold signs and his hurtful words to Jasper, many reviewers fail to acknowledge that the character actually does care and at the end of the day, means well. Every interaction they have outside of the accidental run ins in the local coffee shop and at Ray's house is initiated by Liam where he provides Jasper valuable material for his journalism pursuits or is seeking out a personal connection. Additionally his terse yet caring inquiries to Adam about Jasper also provide a glimpses into his head in the middle section of the book where the character is mostly absent. Based on what I read in other reviews, a lot of these readers seem to be female m/m readers who are projecting their own preference for words of affirmation as a crucial love language (Liam's weakest love language) vs the character's preference for acts of service (the offers of information, their pizza dinner, etc.) and physical touch. There is a sizeable number of women who read romance m/m novels and this particular one seems to sit poorly with them. This is an weird hunch and while I don't mean to purposely stereotype, I do feel like this book is one that will likely appeal to queer individuals who actually are attracted to men far better than those who are not (particularly the sex scenes which feel different from past romance books I've read catered to chick lit readers). While there's always going to be a degree of subjective taste, the character's personality is an intentional choice that compliments the story and the author has the narrative details to back it up. Most comically, there is one review that has the characters of Liam and Adam mixed up which is kind of a major mistake, oops!
The second point that this isn't a romance novel is completely off-based and straight up baffling to me. So many of the most popular and well-received romance novels are typically romance in addition to character growth or another storyline incorporated in the book. Reviews that criticize Not That Impossible for giving Jasper a journalism interest or fanfiction hobby is ridiculous as they both add depth to his character and the substance to the story. The journalism element plays an important role in the character's self-realization of what's important and makes him happy, and the erotic fanfiction serves as a foil to the journalism and as a metaphor for the state of his broken heart to Liam, shifting accordingly as their relationship evolves. Even if Liam isn't in the picture 24/7 and the two characters are not conversing face-to-face often, the romance element is constantly present and connected to just about every other element in the story. If these criticisms were instead something along the lines of "This isn't a meet-cute romance story", "this isn't a fair, balanced sexual relationship" (there's a dom/sub commanding tone to it that won't be for everyone), "this isn't a steamy novel and doesn't have enough sex scenes", sure I can understand and follow these sentiments. But to say this book lacks romance is very off-base.
Other harsh online reviews (stereotypical for Goodreads) rant aside, Not That Impossible was an unexpectedly solid read for me! It certainly defied my limited expectations based on the first book Not That Complicated, and in direct conflict with majority of other readers, I greatly preferred this novel over the first one! From the plotting of the story, the more developed characters, more polished writing and sophisticated humor, Not That Impossible is a huge jump in quality and has a legitimately solid story instead of just coasting on silly humor and sex scenes. When I reviewed Not That Complicated, I wasn't sure if I'd ever go back to read the sequel especially with such an extensive to be read list. However, I'm glad that my current Kindle Unlimited marathon run gave me an excuse to revisit this book which is a fun and very quick read! (For Goodreads ratings, it's a 4.5 star rating rounded down, I'm very selective with my 5 star ratings).
*For more reviews, book lists and reading updates, checkout my blog TheBookGrind!
In order to talk about and review Not That Impossible, recapping a bit of Not That Complicated is a must (this will contain spoilers of the first book which you SHOULD have already read if you are looking at reading this one). The general premise of the first book involves a 30+ yr old graphic designer Ray who is repeatedly forced to check-in to a local hotel after his house becomes a potential crime scene when a dead body is found mummified under the floorboards of his bedroom. The hotel's front desk is staffed by 20smth yr old Adam Blake who he has a "complicated" history with (get the title reference?) who has been utterly infatuated with Ray for years. Side characters in this story are Police Detective Liam Nash who is in charge of the investigation into the dead body found at Ray's house as well as Jasper Connolly, an amateur aspiring journalist who becomes involved while attempting to report on the case. Not That Impossible covers the same general story, except this time told from the perspective of Jasper who has been dreaming about Liam for the last decade. Additionally, although he is not the focus of the story, Adam is also heavily featured in this story as Jasper's childhood best friend and Liam's cousin. Timeline-wise, this novel actually starts much earlier than the first book as Ray doesn't find the dead body until well into this story and the it ends after Ray and Adam become a couple.
I make a point to recap the first book because it serves as important context in order to properly review and highlight some of this book's best features. Easily one of the best parts of Not That Impossible is how well it builds off of the existing story in Not That Complicated and fills in a lot of details that perfectly work around the original's continuity. While I found Not That Complicated's story to be fun and light-hearted, my review for that book wrote that the plotting felt a bit haphazard yet also contrived, seeking to get Ray and Adam into as many steamy scenes regardless of how plausible they seemed. Interestingly, this book feels the complete opposite where the story only has two notable sex scenes (technically only one while the other is mostly one-sided foreplay), but the rest of the plot feels purposeful and well planned out. From start to finish, this is a character-focused story specific to Jasper as it's less of a slapstick romcom and more of a standard contemporary romance drama. While still light-hearted and comedic, Not That Impossible is more than just Jasper x Liam scenes and heavily involves Jasper's pursuits as an aspiring journalist, his main day job as a personal trainer, and his Liam Nash erotica fanfiction writing hobby. While the last one obviously is played for laughs initially, by the end of the story even that one has an important narrative purpose. While early fanfics are hilariously silly, Murray uses them as a metaphor for Jasper's feelings; the most comical ones of him being killed off or sidelined in his own stories during his irl moments of dejection. Near the end of the story, one of the most comical moments of the book is when he hilariously role-swaps Liam and his character in the dom/sub warlord fanfiction (intimidating leader and plunderer, Jasper is most certainly not). The story is is such a substantial jump in quality and plotting that I almost feel like the events of the first book were written as a framework for this book, rather than the other way around. The way the discoveries of the two dead bodies contribute to Jasper's journalism pursuits, the involvement of Liam's professional work, and Adam's newly revealed thoughts via his friendship with Jasper that felt lacking in the first book, I have to commend Murray for how well the story comes together.
In terms of characters, Jasper is a national treasure and an absolute delight to read about. I previously commented that although I liked Not That Complicated, Ray's character voice and personality was a bit overdramatic for my taste (or as I wrote in the review, I'm not flamboyant enough for this story). However, Jasper is pitched perfect and is almost impossible to dislike, with a good balance of emotional IQ and a healthy amount of self-confidence/personal flaws. Jasper's narration style is highly entertaining and his character is a nice combination of geeky hobbies meshed with being physically attractive and fit (this is a key point that adds a lot of humor when Jasper overpowers detective Liam who is both older and gruffer, a refreshing reversal of a common m/m trope). The story has far more character growth and development than you would expect based on the romcom synopsis, and Jasper's journey with his writing pursuits is surprisingly ambitious and well-written, not to mention fully matching his existing movements and events in the first book. Not only that, but this story actually explains why all the other characters kept telling Ray not to sue Jasper for defamation in the first book and that's he's actually a good bloke. The character motivations also make perfect sense for why Jasper writes two off-beat newspaper articles that were seen as random and damaging in the first book.
Liam on the other hand, seems to be controversial to many other readers who write him off as a jerk and undeserving of Jasper. Whether its my own personality being somewhat similar to Liam or the fact that I'm a similar age to Liam (should I take offense at how OLD I am according to these books...?), I don't agree with these assessments. While Liam sends mixed signals on paper over the course of the book, reading between the lines actually paints a different picture and one that shows he does care about Jasper and means the best, despite how his actions and words are interpreted at face value. The story actually has great explanations for Liam's uncertainty around Jasper and I'd be lying if I said I haven't also done things in a similar vein. One minor critique is that the same cannot be said about what causes Liam to change his mind and follow through with his restrained feelings. This is a potentially big sticking point as the book elaborates how he first met Jasper as Adam's bratty teenage friend and how big their ten year gap is. While a ten year gap later in life is less of issue, it takes a pretty substantial shift in image to change that impression which the story doesn't really attempt to do. Not That Complicated avoided this pitfall by writing around it and having Ray first meet Adam when they're much older. This pairing doesn't have that luxury and has the potential to run into the uncomfortable idea of a grown adult x teenager pairing, despite Murray's attempt to downplay this scenario by stating Liam only started developing feelings a year prior to the story.
Surprisingly, despite not being part of the focal romantic pairing, Adam unexpectedly benefits almost as much as the other two in this book. I had critiqued that Adam's character and his interest in Ray felt underdeveloped and vague in Not That Complicated. Via his friendship with Jasper and his familial connection to Liam, this book shows a whole different side to Adam (dare I say, Adam actually has a personality outside of being just smoldering and cool here). The mutual pining and suffering between Jasper and Adam is refreshing and their friendly banter is great supporting material that I felt was lacking in the first book. On a side note, it had been a year since I read Not That Complicated so some of the details were a little fuzzy to me at first. For some reason I got confused and thought Jasper and Adam were related instead of Adam and Liam, so when Jasper mentioned that they were sort of friends with benefits before, I definitely raised an eyebrow (Isabel Murray's books have spice but I didn't know I was also signing up for incestral spice too). Comedic mix-up aside, this book definitely does not have any of that kind of forbidden encounters going on here.
As far as the writing is concerned, Not That Impossible again feels like a universal improvement in just about every way. Not That Complicated was certainly funny and had a lot of laugh out loud jokes, but the humor often walked the line between being funny and cringey with a mixed result. The overall story and read also had a low-stakes, just for fun steamy romance vibe that certainly has its purpose and readership, but felt like it could've been so much more with more ambition. Murray basically took my review for the first book and threw it back in my face, hitting just about every point of criticism I had. Besides the actual story, Murray's writing feels more polished and consistent, at times even clever and heartfelt. All of the slapstick humor and over the top silliness is downplayed in favor of more sophisticated humor (fanfiction jokes aside) and relies far less on pop culture references. While the comedy aspect of the romcom genre isn't quite as funny here, I am more than happy with the tradeoff for an overall stronger and skillfully story.
I normally specifically avoid referencing other opinions or reviews apart from brief mentions, but I feel the need to address how disappointed I am with the top-liked reviews for this book on Goodreads and other platforms. Except for one review, nearly every review bashes Liam as being an underserving jerk and criticizing this book for forgetting it was supposed to be a romance novel. It doesn't happen often, but upon finishing this read, I felt like I had to defend this book and address these points of criticism in hopes that potential readers will not be turned off by their reviews. The first point, although Liam can be perceived as a jerk based on his hot/cold signs and his hurtful words to Jasper, many reviewers fail to acknowledge that the character actually does care and at the end of the day, means well. Every interaction they have outside of the accidental run ins in the local coffee shop and at Ray's house is initiated by Liam where he provides Jasper valuable material for his journalism pursuits or is seeking out a personal connection. Additionally his terse yet caring inquiries to Adam about Jasper also provide a glimpses into his head in the middle section of the book where the character is mostly absent. Based on what I read in other reviews, a lot of these readers seem to be female m/m readers who are projecting their own preference for words of affirmation as a crucial love language (Liam's weakest love language) vs the character's preference for acts of service (the offers of information, their pizza dinner, etc.) and physical touch. There is a sizeable number of women who read romance m/m novels and this particular one seems to sit poorly with them. This is an weird hunch and while I don't mean to purposely stereotype, I do feel like this book is one that will likely appeal to queer individuals who actually are attracted to men far better than those who are not (particularly the sex scenes which feel different from past romance books I've read catered to chick lit readers). While there's always going to be a degree of subjective taste, the character's personality is an intentional choice that compliments the story and the author has the narrative details to back it up. Most comically, there is one review that has the characters of Liam and Adam mixed up which is kind of a major mistake, oops!
The second point that this isn't a romance novel is completely off-based and straight up baffling to me. So many of the most popular and well-received romance novels are typically romance in addition to character growth or another storyline incorporated in the book. Reviews that criticize Not That Impossible for giving Jasper a journalism interest or fanfiction hobby is ridiculous as they both add depth to his character and the substance to the story. The journalism element plays an important role in the character's self-realization of what's important and makes him happy, and the erotic fanfiction serves as a foil to the journalism and as a metaphor for the state of his broken heart to Liam, shifting accordingly as their relationship evolves. Even if Liam isn't in the picture 24/7 and the two characters are not conversing face-to-face often, the romance element is constantly present and connected to just about every other element in the story. If these criticisms were instead something along the lines of "This isn't a meet-cute romance story", "this isn't a fair, balanced sexual relationship" (there's a dom/sub commanding tone to it that won't be for everyone), "this isn't a steamy novel and doesn't have enough sex scenes", sure I can understand and follow these sentiments. But to say this book lacks romance is very off-base.
Other harsh online reviews (stereotypical for Goodreads) rant aside, Not That Impossible was an unexpectedly solid read for me! It certainly defied my limited expectations based on the first book Not That Complicated, and in direct conflict with majority of other readers, I greatly preferred this novel over the first one! From the plotting of the story, the more developed characters, more polished writing and sophisticated humor, Not That Impossible is a huge jump in quality and has a legitimately solid story instead of just coasting on silly humor and sex scenes. When I reviewed Not That Complicated, I wasn't sure if I'd ever go back to read the sequel especially with such an extensive to be read list. However, I'm glad that my current Kindle Unlimited marathon run gave me an excuse to revisit this book which is a fun and very quick read! (For Goodreads ratings, it's a 4.5 star rating rounded down, I'm very selective with my 5 star ratings).
*For more reviews, book lists and reading updates, checkout my blog TheBookGrind!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews