Over it
Love U Down is an interesting read. I kept going because the backstage information about music production and tours was really interesting in a romance. Berlin checks a lot of MMC boxes but he's also the biggest reason for 3 stars. Yo, or Myomi, is also a fascinating FMC even though a lot of tricks got a little old after a while.
#TheGood
The characters were fairly root-for-able. I liked them for the most part. Yo seemed capable and her goals were refreshing to see on page. She really was about music and her business and I liked seeing how goal oriented she was. Berlin falls into the protective MMC category, the "you hurt my wife you'll end up hurt" variety which is always fun. And Charm, one of Yo's bandmates, was also a decent side character. The found family moments Yo gets to share with Berlin's family was also nice and it was a change of pace for the MMC to come from a stable home.
#TheBad
Ummmm at first the conflicts were a little angsty. This is a fun drunk fake marriage turned real deal romance. Berlin comes across as an asshole MMC to others but with brutal honesty who's soft for the right one. Trope I love. And Yo is the trying to break it in the business as a trio in a rapping girl's group. So of course there's other women drama. The ex girlfriends who can't catch a clue. Again, at first as a conflict this was interesting and went with the story. It feels like in a Romance there are different leveled conflicts, and in this case the ex Girlfriend not catching a clue can be step 1. So when it gets resolved, the MMC settles it and clarifies it the FMC is on tge same page, and as a reader I'm ready for the next conflict but here it doesn't quite come. Instead these women keep being a problem. Yo had to actually lay hands a couple of times, and honestly it bothered me. I know it's a staple in a lot of Urban Romances but here it doesn't quite fit. One lick sure ok but by the 2nd and 3rd time I started to feel Berlin was doing a shitty job of making sure his lady was secure because she shouldn't need to get out of pocket that many times, whether against an ex or a mouthy frenemy. I also had an issue with Yo putting her hands on Berlin. First slap made sense for the situation, he calmly told her not to hit him again. The 2nd and 3rd time she slapped him gets labeled as toxic love but it really pmo. It was not only unnecessary I felt by that point in their relationship what she was slapping over was nonsensical "how dare you be in the same vicinity of your ex!" SLAP! I also truly didn't like how that behavior was glossed over. It made Yo seem immature. Between slapping the shit out of Berlin a few times and laying hands on his exes or popping off at his exes it was hard to view her as a mid-twenties woman.
#TheUgly
That cliffhanger was really unnecessary. Like really really. Again the same exact conflict coming back and being a problem even after the MMC said he handles it makes me look sideways at the MMC. In a read that already felt overly long. He lacks BDE if he can't get his ex-thot psycho hoes under control. I also really hate how the cliffhanger hinges on very obviously wrong situation. How is an ex preggers with bloodwork proof when he never had his blood drawn and they been together at this point for close to a year or at a year? It made zero sense. It was like dipping back into a dry empty ass well for drama for the sake of drama when we already had some good drama brewing with the jealous groupmate or what about the childhood friend turned adulthood associate-only turned possible foe? I thought that was going to be extended in some way, like feeding info and gossip to the blogs but no we are still dealing with delulu exes and Yo getting upset at obvious lies. Like Yo at this point he has your name tatted on his body and did some thangs for your career. I would have preferred this just ended here with a good epilogue. If not maybe the cliffy could be related to a new drama or conflict.