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The Girls #3
Smart Girl
Brilliant designer Miko Jin is a hopeless romantic. She’s spent most of her life falling in love over and over again…with the men she finds in the pages of her favorite novels.
When Miko meets Liam Ashton, it’s love at first sight. At least, for her. Sure, the two of them are polar opposites, and yes, he seems to be dating someone new each week. But Miko knows what true love is and that you can’t rush it—after all, what she lacks in real-world experience, she makes up for in book smarts. With novels as her guide, and her best friends by her side, she knows she can get Liam to love her back. But just like any good romance novel, fate has a few plot twists in store. Will Miko get her own happy ending? Will she find the strength to stand up for what she deserves even if it means breaking her own heart?
When Miko meets Liam Ashton, it’s love at first sight. At least, for her. Sure, the two of them are polar opposites, and yes, he seems to be dating someone new each week. But Miko knows what true love is and that you can’t rush it—after all, what she lacks in real-world experience, she makes up for in book smarts. With novels as her guide, and her best friends by her side, she knows she can get Liam to love her back. But just like any good romance novel, fate has a few plot twists in store. Will Miko get her own happy ending? Will she find the strength to stand up for what she deserves even if it means breaking her own heart?
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 19, 2016
779 people are currently reading
5282 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Hollis
27 books32.3k followersRachel laid the foundation for her lifestyle brand and media company with the same unfiltered honesty and staunch inclusivity that made her a two-time #1 New York Times bestselling author. Hollis connects with a highly engaged and growing global audience of women who treasure her transparency and optimism. She is one of the most sought-after motivational speakers, plays host to one of today’s top business podcasts and is a proud mama of four who uses her platform to empower and embolden women around the world. Rachel calls Texas home; more specifically the Hill Country just outside of Austin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 441 reviews
June 24, 2015
I'm pretty biased here, I know... but if we were friends IRL I'd totally recommend this book to you! ;)
January 29, 2016
Wow. I have never seen a series just fumble so hard at the end like this before. I actually don't even know if I am going to read the first two books and short story from this series in the future because that is how much this last entry has annoyed the crap out of me. The writing was chopped because every five minutes we had another pop culture reference thrown in that added nothing to the overall story. The plot was simply, girl is in love with a guy and does everything she can to get guy to fall for her. That's it. We have no character development at all for the male love interest. The happily ever after was rushed and made me roll my eyes.
Miko is the main focus in this the third and I believe final installment in The Girls series by Rachel Hollis. I absolutely loved book #1 and #2 and was looking forward to Miko's story because she was such a funky and funny person in books #1 and #2. I wish I knew what happened to that character, because this one was boring and such a cliche it was painful reading about her antics.
We got information dumps about Miko from other characters like Landon and Max and it would have been smart to set up her character's personality in the prior two books. It felt like a lot of new information was dumped on us in this book about her, and none of it hung together very well. Miko is apparently a hopeless romantic and has read every book that has ever existed it seems. She is into Halloween (and couple costumes) and all she wants is to have Liam Ashton fall in love with her because she sees the real him.
So the character of Miko is paper thin through this whole book. We hear about how great she is via other people and we do get smidgens of how she designs spaces which I would have appreciated more of in this book. Instead we have to wade through page after page about how perfect Liam is, how he looks like a golden god, how perfect his hair is, that his hair is growing out, etc. I felt like I was reading a teenage girl's diary about her crush who looked her in the eyes once today in the hallway. I in turn wanted to throttle and smack Miko upside her head.
Unlike with the prior two books I have nothing really to say about the male love interest in this book. We don't get to "see" him at all. We only get regurgitated facts about why he is so perfect from Miko when she is inner monologing about him or when she is telling him how perfect he is to his face.
Other than that Liam is a blank slate and I really wish that we actually got to see what made him so "perfect" and why these two would fit since I didn't feel any chemistry between these two at all. I was bored and was honestly praying for a third party to be introduced that would show Miko what a nitwit she was being about a guy she decided to be insta-love with.
We do get to see glimpses of Landon and Max. I was disappointed though. The interactions between Miko and Landon and Max was not that great. We just got repeated utterances by Landon about Miko stop selling herself short and them getting into arguments about Miko pretty much turning herself inside out to make herself be someone that Liam loves.
The writing was not that great this time either. There were so many pop culture references that it made my head spin. It wrecked the entire flow of the novel for Miko to keep referencing things such as, now I know how Hazel in the Fault in Our Stars felt when she was trying to breathe. I mean seriously? Just say, "I find it hard to breathe because I don't really work out" or something other than that line. Things like that took me out of the book every time.
The setting was not well utilized this time either. The previous two books really played up locations.
The ending was laughably bad. I was praying for a plot twist or something because that would have at least been interesting.
Miko is the main focus in this the third and I believe final installment in The Girls series by Rachel Hollis. I absolutely loved book #1 and #2 and was looking forward to Miko's story because she was such a funky and funny person in books #1 and #2. I wish I knew what happened to that character, because this one was boring and such a cliche it was painful reading about her antics.
We got information dumps about Miko from other characters like Landon and Max and it would have been smart to set up her character's personality in the prior two books. It felt like a lot of new information was dumped on us in this book about her, and none of it hung together very well. Miko is apparently a hopeless romantic and has read every book that has ever existed it seems. She is into Halloween (and couple costumes) and all she wants is to have Liam Ashton fall in love with her because she sees the real him.
So the character of Miko is paper thin through this whole book. We hear about how great she is via other people and we do get smidgens of how she designs spaces which I would have appreciated more of in this book. Instead we have to wade through page after page about how perfect Liam is, how he looks like a golden god, how perfect his hair is, that his hair is growing out, etc. I felt like I was reading a teenage girl's diary about her crush who looked her in the eyes once today in the hallway. I in turn wanted to throttle and smack Miko upside her head.
Unlike with the prior two books I have nothing really to say about the male love interest in this book. We don't get to "see" him at all. We only get regurgitated facts about why he is so perfect from Miko when she is inner monologing about him or when she is telling him how perfect he is to his face.
Other than that Liam is a blank slate and I really wish that we actually got to see what made him so "perfect" and why these two would fit since I didn't feel any chemistry between these two at all. I was bored and was honestly praying for a third party to be introduced that would show Miko what a nitwit she was being about a guy she decided to be insta-love with.
We do get to see glimpses of Landon and Max. I was disappointed though. The interactions between Miko and Landon and Max was not that great. We just got repeated utterances by Landon about Miko stop selling herself short and them getting into arguments about Miko pretty much turning herself inside out to make herself be someone that Liam loves.
The writing was not that great this time either. There were so many pop culture references that it made my head spin. It wrecked the entire flow of the novel for Miko to keep referencing things such as, now I know how Hazel in the Fault in Our Stars felt when she was trying to breathe. I mean seriously? Just say, "I find it hard to breathe because I don't really work out" or something other than that line. Things like that took me out of the book every time.
The setting was not well utilized this time either. The previous two books really played up locations.
The ending was laughably bad. I was praying for a plot twist or something because that would have at least been interesting.
February 16, 2017
4.5/5 stars
'Smart Girl' is the third and last installment in The Girls series. It can be read as a stand alone yes, but of course having read and loved the previous books, I full heartedly believe you should read them as well :)
REVIEW:
Rachel Hollis has done it again! Another intelligent, quick-witted, and fun read! This time the story revolves around our girl Miko, a hopeless romantic with plenty of quirk and sarcasm to go around. When brilliant up and coming designer Miko is hired by her long time crush Liam, she decides this is the perfect opportunity to enact those realization moments from her favorite books in an attempt to make him fall in love with her. Liam might resist Miko at every turn and deny her everything that she wants, but Miko knows best. She knows that they belong with each other and she'll do whatever it takes to make him realize it.
"It took Bella ages to convince Edward to let down his guard. Why should my own love story be any different?"
Even though the plot may sound a bit cliche, Hollis manages to bring her own spin to things and deliver a smart and funny read. Miko's literary reenactments usually end in disaster and will have you laughing your ass off!
Miko has been one of my favorite characters since we met her in book one. She brings so much humor to each book and having her as a narrator was bloody brilliant! Miko being a huge book nerd makes her character even more relatable than she already is and all of her literary references felt like a nod to us readers. From Harry Potter to Jane Austen, I couldn't get enough. There was a point in this book where the humor was set aside though. Miko becomes flaky, obsessive, and completely unrecognizable. It made this story so much more real because we've all been there where we get so immersed in a man and start to lose sight of ourselves. I loved Miko's growth in her story and how she was able to recognize when enough is enough.
"Two half people don't make a whole. You've got to be completely whole on your own before you can be one half of anything."
Liam was a frustrating character. I wanted to shake him most of the time and that's being nice. Miko tells us of his great attributes and apparently he has redeeming qualities but we just don't get to see them first hand which was kind of a let down. I spent most of the book hoping Miko would get a grip and find someone actually worth her time. But in his defense, he was honest from the very beginning of his intentions. And in the end, he did redeem himself in a way that only Miko can love and appreciate.
The ending did feel a tad rushed, but I loved the epilogue! It was awesome to see the whole gang together and happy at last. Overall, I really loved this book! It was quick, funny, and light-hearted. A must read for those who have been a fan of The Girls!
*Huge thanks to the author for sending me an ARC for review!*
'Smart Girl' is the third and last installment in The Girls series. It can be read as a stand alone yes, but of course having read and loved the previous books, I full heartedly believe you should read them as well :)
REVIEW:
Rachel Hollis has done it again! Another intelligent, quick-witted, and fun read! This time the story revolves around our girl Miko, a hopeless romantic with plenty of quirk and sarcasm to go around. When brilliant up and coming designer Miko is hired by her long time crush Liam, she decides this is the perfect opportunity to enact those realization moments from her favorite books in an attempt to make him fall in love with her. Liam might resist Miko at every turn and deny her everything that she wants, but Miko knows best. She knows that they belong with each other and she'll do whatever it takes to make him realize it.
"It took Bella ages to convince Edward to let down his guard. Why should my own love story be any different?"
Even though the plot may sound a bit cliche, Hollis manages to bring her own spin to things and deliver a smart and funny read. Miko's literary reenactments usually end in disaster and will have you laughing your ass off!
Miko has been one of my favorite characters since we met her in book one. She brings so much humor to each book and having her as a narrator was bloody brilliant! Miko being a huge book nerd makes her character even more relatable than she already is and all of her literary references felt like a nod to us readers. From Harry Potter to Jane Austen, I couldn't get enough. There was a point in this book where the humor was set aside though. Miko becomes flaky, obsessive, and completely unrecognizable. It made this story so much more real because we've all been there where we get so immersed in a man and start to lose sight of ourselves. I loved Miko's growth in her story and how she was able to recognize when enough is enough.
"Two half people don't make a whole. You've got to be completely whole on your own before you can be one half of anything."
Liam was a frustrating character. I wanted to shake him most of the time and that's being nice. Miko tells us of his great attributes and apparently he has redeeming qualities but we just don't get to see them first hand which was kind of a let down. I spent most of the book hoping Miko would get a grip and find someone actually worth her time. But in his defense, he was honest from the very beginning of his intentions. And in the end, he did redeem himself in a way that only Miko can love and appreciate.
The ending did feel a tad rushed, but I loved the epilogue! It was awesome to see the whole gang together and happy at last. Overall, I really loved this book! It was quick, funny, and light-hearted. A must read for those who have been a fan of The Girls!
*Huge thanks to the author for sending me an ARC for review!*
August 14, 2018
This is third in a series and the friends group is setup and established in the other books so I definitely recommend reading them first. Also, the others don't suck so definitely read them first. And then maybe stop.
If you're going to title a book "Smart Girl" it's probably a good idea that the main character not be dumb as a box of rocks. Miko wants a guy so she delves into all the romances that she reads and figures that she'll just recreate key scenes and obviously Liam will respond appropriately. At less than a quarter in, she has recreated the opening Shades of Gray interview scene (despite having known him for ages) and is in process of acquiring ipecac syrup so she can make herself sick like in Sense and Sensibility. This is so stupid I just can't even!
This is exacerbated by the one actual interaction she has had with Liam ending with him telling her "hey, I know you have a crush but it isn't going to happen because I'm a big, dumb, emotionally stunted moron." Or words to that effect. It was brutal and frank and that she walked away from that scene still wanting him destroyed my last vestige of respect for her.
I'm going to do my best to convince myself there is no Miko book so I can still enjoy the memory of the others where she's charming and spunky and fun. This story is a pile of stupid on top of a dungheap of cliché.
If you're going to title a book "Smart Girl" it's probably a good idea that the main character not be dumb as a box of rocks. Miko wants a guy so she delves into all the romances that she reads and figures that she'll just recreate key scenes and obviously Liam will respond appropriately. At less than a quarter in, she has recreated the opening Shades of Gray interview scene (despite having known him for ages) and is in process of acquiring ipecac syrup so she can make herself sick like in Sense and Sensibility. This is so stupid I just can't even!
This is exacerbated by the one actual interaction she has had with Liam ending with him telling her "hey, I know you have a crush but it isn't going to happen because I'm a big, dumb, emotionally stunted moron." Or words to that effect. It was brutal and frank and that she walked away from that scene still wanting him destroyed my last vestige of respect for her.
I'm going to do my best to convince myself there is no Miko book so I can still enjoy the memory of the others where she's charming and spunky and fun. This story is a pile of stupid on top of a dungheap of cliché.
January 3, 2016
"Maybe trying to live out your own love story means that you have less time to read about other people's."
Such a lovely book with strong female characters!How can I not give this book 5 stars? I really enjoyed reading about Miko and her adventures,the writing is excellent and there are soooo many amazing book references!
"I mean,jeez,even Cinder acted more natural than that,and she was half cyborg!"
The supporting characters were just as lovable as the main ones and I really love how Miko's girls always took care of her.Miko definitely develops as a character throughout this book and I really connected with her.She's an amazing character.I also loved her brother-#brolove!And,of course,I love the message that this book sends-you have to love yourself first in order to grow up and love somebody else.
And that ending was the sweetest thing ever.
You can read this review on BookishFever.
*E-copy provided by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley.*
February 19, 2016
I had a lot of problems with this book. It didn't feel like it was part of the same series. Party Girl and Sweet Girl were about Landon and Max, rather than the boys they were involved with. Both Landon and Max had amazing growth in their books, but poor Miko actually got worse in her book. And yes, that was the point, but I hated reading about it. The relationship between Miko and Liam reminded me of every bad non-relationship I've either been involved with or witnessed. I honestly kept waiting for another guy to show up and unexpectedly sweep Miko off her feet, but it never happened. Instead, we're supposed to be okay with one romantic gesture at the end and sweep the fact that Liam is terrible under the rug. Even if I'm supposed to believe that Liam did change, why am I supposed to want him with Miko? He brought out the worst in her. When I realized that I wasn't going to like Miko/Liam, I hoped this would turn into a lesson that not all relationships are good ones. I wanted happiness for Miko, but I never once wanted Liam to be the reason for it. This book really rubbed me the wrong way, which is so disappointing because I absolutely adored the first two books in this series. I'm sad to see it end this way. Also, Miko's book references were very cute in small doses in the other two books, but I found myself rolling my eyes during this one. There were way, way, way too many for me to find cute and charming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
November 16, 2015Arc offered in exchange for an honest review
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More reviews and book talk at :
February 14, 2016
A copy of this book has been provided by Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review"
5 "I now believe in fairies" stars!
For those who read my reviews and know me, know that I LOVE reading stories with nerdy/quirky - smart girls as the lead characters.
These characters tend to live in a world of their own because they don't think or react to situations like the rest of the normal people around them.
I find these characters colorful, unique, intriguing, fascinating.
I absolutely loved this story!
The characters were colorful and well developed, and the writing was wonderful.
I really enjoyed reading this author's voice.
Miko was a great character to get to know. I loved her references to SO many books that I've read and loved.
Liam was the perfect broken, scowly male lead.
Their journey was an amazing read.
This is the first book I've read in the series (and from this author), and I'm anxious to reading the first two in the series.
It can be read as a stand-alone, but I think I would have gotten more of the 'inside references' between Max, Landon, and Miko if I had their history from the previous books.
I recommend this book, and look forward to reading more work by this author.
July 11, 2017
An unimpressive end to a super sweet series
I really did not like this one at all. It felt like a movie trilogy that changes producer/director for the last film. Though the remaining ensemble stayed consistent Miko (who was the main character) became unrecognizable. She was this kickass ball buster in books 1 & 2 but became & stayed a sad pathetic & oblivious doormat until the near end in this one. Honestly, the grand gesture didn't negate my dislike for Liam in the end. He was just too much of a douchecanoe from the start. The irony that this one is called "Smart Girl' when she was portrayed as an idiot.
I'm only giving 2 stars because you get to follow along with Landon & Brody.
I really did not like this one at all. It felt like a movie trilogy that changes producer/director for the last film. Though the remaining ensemble stayed consistent Miko (who was the main character) became unrecognizable. She was this kickass ball buster in books 1 & 2 but became & stayed a sad pathetic & oblivious doormat until the near end in this one. Honestly, the grand gesture didn't negate my dislike for Liam in the end. He was just too much of a douchecanoe from the start. The irony that this one is called "Smart Girl' when she was portrayed as an idiot.
I'm only giving 2 stars because you get to follow along with Landon & Brody.
December 8, 2015
rating: 4.5/5
Original review on Julalicious Book Paradise
I'm so grateful that I got the chance to read this book before it came out. I was so happy when I saw that I could read it and jumped on the occasion. And just to tell you how much I was dedicated to this book, I could only read on my cellphone and it was written small, but I did it because I needed to and I'm so happy that I did.
I loved Miko's character from book 1 and I couldn't wait to read her book, but I won't lie to you, she got on my nerves for a while in this book. You have to love how driven she is and how she doesn't care much about other people think about her. She loves her weirdness and we love her for it, but in this, that girl disappeared for a while and it made me sad because I really wanted to hit her and tell her to look at herself in the mirror and see who she was becoming.
That said, I do understand that love can make us do crazy things and Miko isn't the kind of person to do things half-way and that's why I forgive her and still love her (hey, a girl that reads that much can't all be bad right? hahahaha). With that in mind, I tried to be more understanding towards what she was going through, but it was hard sometimes when you saw her do things that were so unlike Miko.
Her ideas for getting Liam were quite funny and it never happened in the way she planned. Making her memorable? Yes, that worked, but capture his love? Not so much. You have to give her credits for making all of those things and still not giving up after some ended in disaster. She really was determined to prove they were meant to be and nothing was going to stop her from getting him.
Liam... Oh... What to say about Liam. I love that name, but other than that, it took me a long time to fully like his character. Whenever I started to like him, he did something that made me mad and the process had to be redone. Even learning more about him could have make me accept how he was now, I still couldn't believe how selfish he could be towards Miko.
Chemistry between the two of them? Yes, there was a lot of it, but nothing was easy for them and I really couldn't wait to see how it was going to end. I wanted Miko to wake up, I wanted Liam to wake up. I wanted them to know what they were and fast.
I'm trying not to spoil anything because this book isn't due before another two months and I don't want to give spoilers, but this book is worth it and if it's the last book of the series, that ought to satisfy everyone who loves those books. If more books would be added or a spin-off could be written, I would be the first in line waiting for that or those books. :)
Thank you NETGALLEY and LAKE UNION PUBLISHING for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Merged review:
rating: 4.5/5
Original review on Julalicious Book Paradise
I'm so grateful that I got the chance to read this book before it came out. I was so happy when I saw that I could read it and jumped on the occasion. And just to tell you how much I was dedicated to this book, I could only read on my cellphone and it was written small, but I did it because I needed to and I'm so happy that I did.
I loved Miko's character from book 1 and I couldn't wait to read her book, but I won't lie to you, she got on my nerves for a while in this book. You have to love how driven she is and how she doesn't care much about other people think about her. She loves her weirdness and we love her for it, but in this, that girl disappeared for a while and it made me sad because I really wanted to hit her and tell her to look at herself in the mirror and see who she was becoming.
That said, I do understand that love can make us do crazy things and Miko isn't the kind of person to do things half-way and that's why I forgive her and still love her (hey, a girl that reads that much can't all be bad right? hahahaha). With that in mind, I tried to be more understanding towards what she was going through, but it was hard sometimes when you saw her do things that were so unlike Miko.
Her ideas for getting Liam were quite funny and it never happened in the way she planned. Making her memorable? Yes, that worked, but capture his love? Not so much. You have to give her credits for making all of those things and still not giving up after some ended in disaster. She really was determined to prove they were meant to be and nothing was going to stop her from getting him.
Liam... Oh... What to say about Liam. I love that name, but other than that, it took me a long time to fully like his character. Whenever I started to like him, he did something that made me mad and the process had to be redone. Even learning more about him could have make me accept how he was now, I still couldn't believe how selfish he could be towards Miko.
Chemistry between the two of them? Yes, there was a lot of it, but nothing was easy for them and I really couldn't wait to see how it was going to end. I wanted Miko to wake up, I wanted Liam to wake up. I wanted them to know what they were and fast.
I'm trying not to spoil anything because this book isn't due before another two months and I don't want to give spoilers, but this book is worth it and if it's the last book of the series, that ought to satisfy everyone who loves those books. If more books would be added or a spin-off could be written, I would be the first in line waiting for that or those books. :)
Thank you NETGALLEY and LAKE UNION PUBLISHING for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Original review on Julalicious Book Paradise
I'm so grateful that I got the chance to read this book before it came out. I was so happy when I saw that I could read it and jumped on the occasion. And just to tell you how much I was dedicated to this book, I could only read on my cellphone and it was written small, but I did it because I needed to and I'm so happy that I did.
I loved Miko's character from book 1 and I couldn't wait to read her book, but I won't lie to you, she got on my nerves for a while in this book. You have to love how driven she is and how she doesn't care much about other people think about her. She loves her weirdness and we love her for it, but in this, that girl disappeared for a while and it made me sad because I really wanted to hit her and tell her to look at herself in the mirror and see who she was becoming.
That said, I do understand that love can make us do crazy things and Miko isn't the kind of person to do things half-way and that's why I forgive her and still love her (hey, a girl that reads that much can't all be bad right? hahahaha). With that in mind, I tried to be more understanding towards what she was going through, but it was hard sometimes when you saw her do things that were so unlike Miko.
Her ideas for getting Liam were quite funny and it never happened in the way she planned. Making her memorable? Yes, that worked, but capture his love? Not so much. You have to give her credits for making all of those things and still not giving up after some ended in disaster. She really was determined to prove they were meant to be and nothing was going to stop her from getting him.
Liam... Oh... What to say about Liam. I love that name, but other than that, it took me a long time to fully like his character. Whenever I started to like him, he did something that made me mad and the process had to be redone. Even learning more about him could have make me accept how he was now, I still couldn't believe how selfish he could be towards Miko.
Chemistry between the two of them? Yes, there was a lot of it, but nothing was easy for them and I really couldn't wait to see how it was going to end. I wanted Miko to wake up, I wanted Liam to wake up. I wanted them to know what they were and fast.
I'm trying not to spoil anything because this book isn't due before another two months and I don't want to give spoilers, but this book is worth it and if it's the last book of the series, that ought to satisfy everyone who loves those books. If more books would be added or a spin-off could be written, I would be the first in line waiting for that or those books. :)
Thank you NETGALLEY and LAKE UNION PUBLISHING for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Merged review:
rating: 4.5/5
Original review on Julalicious Book Paradise
I'm so grateful that I got the chance to read this book before it came out. I was so happy when I saw that I could read it and jumped on the occasion. And just to tell you how much I was dedicated to this book, I could only read on my cellphone and it was written small, but I did it because I needed to and I'm so happy that I did.
I loved Miko's character from book 1 and I couldn't wait to read her book, but I won't lie to you, she got on my nerves for a while in this book. You have to love how driven she is and how she doesn't care much about other people think about her. She loves her weirdness and we love her for it, but in this, that girl disappeared for a while and it made me sad because I really wanted to hit her and tell her to look at herself in the mirror and see who she was becoming.
That said, I do understand that love can make us do crazy things and Miko isn't the kind of person to do things half-way and that's why I forgive her and still love her (hey, a girl that reads that much can't all be bad right? hahahaha). With that in mind, I tried to be more understanding towards what she was going through, but it was hard sometimes when you saw her do things that were so unlike Miko.
Her ideas for getting Liam were quite funny and it never happened in the way she planned. Making her memorable? Yes, that worked, but capture his love? Not so much. You have to give her credits for making all of those things and still not giving up after some ended in disaster. She really was determined to prove they were meant to be and nothing was going to stop her from getting him.
Liam... Oh... What to say about Liam. I love that name, but other than that, it took me a long time to fully like his character. Whenever I started to like him, he did something that made me mad and the process had to be redone. Even learning more about him could have make me accept how he was now, I still couldn't believe how selfish he could be towards Miko.
Chemistry between the two of them? Yes, there was a lot of it, but nothing was easy for them and I really couldn't wait to see how it was going to end. I wanted Miko to wake up, I wanted Liam to wake up. I wanted them to know what they were and fast.
I'm trying not to spoil anything because this book isn't due before another two months and I don't want to give spoilers, but this book is worth it and if it's the last book of the series, that ought to satisfy everyone who loves those books. If more books would be added or a spin-off could be written, I would be the first in line waiting for that or those books. :)
Thank you NETGALLEY and LAKE UNION PUBLISHING for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
December 8, 2015
Smart Girl is book three in the Girls series. The narrator is Miko. This book can be read as a standalone. Each book has a different narrator and is about a different couple. However the characters from the other books are featured in this book. I had previously read book two, Sweet Girl.
Smart Girl is Miko's story (she is friends with Landon and Max from the previous books). I would classify this book as Chick Lit.
I really enjoyed this book. However, I feel like I had an easier time starting the previous book, Sweet Girl. Because even though I had not read the first book I knew that I did not know any of the characters. And truthfully I did not feel like I was missing anything. But in this book already on the first pages Max and Taylor from Sweet Girls are featured. And while I remembered parts of that book well, I read it so many books ago that I could not remember some of the specifics. And that started to really bug me. I did re-read the last chapter so that part was fresh. The author does remind us of some things. But there were just some specifics that I could not remember. Although that said, Taylor is more of a minor character in this book. And the more I read the more I remembered about Max and Landon and Miko.
Miko is a designer and an event planner. She works with her best friend Landon (they started their own event planning business). She is a hopeless romantic, an avid book-lover and kind of nerdy.
She has had a huge crush on Liam (Max and Brody's brother). He is a notorious player and does not commit to any woman.
There were a ton of bookish references in this book. I did definitely enjoy this aspect of the book a lot. However, I am not sure if it was just a bit too much. I definitely liked how much Miko loved books. And I liked how it played into the story. But there were so many references that it was almost overwhelming.
I really enjoyed Liam opening a new restaurant. I also really enjoyed seeing some of Landon and Miko's event planning business and Miko designing. I also loved seeing Max at the bakery and all of Miko's plans and schemes (even if most of them seemed bound to fail). It was still pretty cute.
Liam was definitely an intriguing guy. He was very opposed to being in a relationship. So that was a huge obstacle. But it did make for an interesting story. I loved how everybody was friends or related to everybody else. Such wonderful people!
I do think that the end might have been a bit rushed. But I really liked the epilogue. The book was a charming and delightful quick read. The more I read, the more I could not put the book down. It was addictive. If you enjoyed the other books then this book features more of the same. This book was really good and it even made me get all teary!
Thanks to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read this e-book.
January 22, 2016
3.5 stars
This was a cute, funny read. It is my first venture into Rachel Hollis' writing and there are lots of things I enjoyed about it. This is book three in the series but considering I haven't read the others, this stands alone well. I can gather from Smart Girl who the other books were about but I didn't feel left behind by missing information.
Miko, the lead female character is a lovely mixture of quirky, warm, kind and a little off the wall. She's a talented designer for event planning and busy furthering her business. She's had a full-on desperate crush on Liam for about a year, this crush is something any woman can identify with, but it felt a little teenage in some aspects. Liam is described so that I did feel the pull of his attractiveness and understood Miko being besotted, but actually the more I got to know him, the less I liked him. As the story progressed, there were elements of Liam that totally frustrated me, neither could I respect Miko for her persistent tolerance of some of these issues.
The writing was fun, witty and stronger in the first 60% than later on. The book and writing is perfect for when you are in the mood for a light, easy read. I enjoyed this read and I'll definitely be looking out for more from Rachel Hollis.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in return for an honest review.
Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.
This was a cute, funny read. It is my first venture into Rachel Hollis' writing and there are lots of things I enjoyed about it. This is book three in the series but considering I haven't read the others, this stands alone well. I can gather from Smart Girl who the other books were about but I didn't feel left behind by missing information.
Miko, the lead female character is a lovely mixture of quirky, warm, kind and a little off the wall. She's a talented designer for event planning and busy furthering her business. She's had a full-on desperate crush on Liam for about a year, this crush is something any woman can identify with, but it felt a little teenage in some aspects. Liam is described so that I did feel the pull of his attractiveness and understood Miko being besotted, but actually the more I got to know him, the less I liked him. As the story progressed, there were elements of Liam that totally frustrated me, neither could I respect Miko for her persistent tolerance of some of these issues.
The writing was fun, witty and stronger in the first 60% than later on. The book and writing is perfect for when you are in the mood for a light, easy read. I enjoyed this read and I'll definitely be looking out for more from Rachel Hollis.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in return for an honest review.
Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.
November 20, 2015
3.5 stars
Received from netgallery in exchange for an honest review.
Smart girl is a fun, quirky read that I read really fast!
The premise of the book is not that original...it is the classic girl likes her friend's brother, tries to get him to like her scenario. Having said that, this book is fun and a very fast (and enjoyable read). The characters in this book are likable and entertaining.
Miko is very accomplished in her business. She is confident, accomplished, on top of things and comes up with unique ideas of how to design a space or throw a party. In her private life, she is less confident and often seems immature. She turns to her favorite books to help her find a way to get the object of her desire (Liam) to see her as more than just his sister's friend.
Liam is starting a new restaurant and hires Miko to help him design her space. Along the way she comes up with ways, via her favorite book heroines, to catch his eye. Her attempts and mistakes/mess ups are fun to watch. I wanted to yell at her a couple of times to just be herself and to never attempt to make herself or anyone "sick" again. I don't want to give anymore of the story away but to say that I really enjoyed it. The story wrapped up very nicely and never felt rushed. So many romance books spend the entire book, leading up to a predictable ending only to rush and end the book in one paragraph. I did not feel that this Author rushed anything in this book. I was surprised by the ending but I was not disappointed in it either. I thought just like the book, the ending was light, cute and brought a smile to my face.
This book is part of a series but work great for me as a stand alone book. I liked the light and fun manner of this book. Reading this book was almost like watching a light romantic comedy DVD. It was cute, it was sweet, contained close friends, the characters got into some funny situations, there was angst, longing, etc. This is the perfect book for someone who likes romance with a little humor.
Received from netgallery in exchange for an honest review.
Smart girl is a fun, quirky read that I read really fast!
The premise of the book is not that original...it is the classic girl likes her friend's brother, tries to get him to like her scenario. Having said that, this book is fun and a very fast (and enjoyable read). The characters in this book are likable and entertaining.
Miko is very accomplished in her business. She is confident, accomplished, on top of things and comes up with unique ideas of how to design a space or throw a party. In her private life, she is less confident and often seems immature. She turns to her favorite books to help her find a way to get the object of her desire (Liam) to see her as more than just his sister's friend.
Liam is starting a new restaurant and hires Miko to help him design her space. Along the way she comes up with ways, via her favorite book heroines, to catch his eye. Her attempts and mistakes/mess ups are fun to watch. I wanted to yell at her a couple of times to just be herself and to never attempt to make herself or anyone "sick" again. I don't want to give anymore of the story away but to say that I really enjoyed it. The story wrapped up very nicely and never felt rushed. So many romance books spend the entire book, leading up to a predictable ending only to rush and end the book in one paragraph. I did not feel that this Author rushed anything in this book. I was surprised by the ending but I was not disappointed in it either. I thought just like the book, the ending was light, cute and brought a smile to my face.
This book is part of a series but work great for me as a stand alone book. I liked the light and fun manner of this book. Reading this book was almost like watching a light romantic comedy DVD. It was cute, it was sweet, contained close friends, the characters got into some funny situations, there was angst, longing, etc. This is the perfect book for someone who likes romance with a little humor.
January 26, 2016
OH MY GODS. Of all the girls books, this one is my absolute favorite!!! I loved it so hard. I have so many highlights and so many notes. It was so fun and smart! ;) Miko Jin is quirky and confident in herself. She's equally as confident in her ability to make play boy, Liam Ashton fall in love with her. As the synopsis says, sure, the two of them are polar opposites, and yes, he seems to be dating someone new each week, but Miko concocts a plan based off of the fictional love stories she's so well attuned to that is sure to work! Or so she thinks. The "plot twists" and quirky moments fit the story perfectly. I laughed and awed and loved all the book references as a true book nerd myself. I was scared for Miko as her friends kept warning her that she was going to get herself hurt, and she did, but I think we all get hurt when we fall in love at some point. Miko had the best group of friends, the best family, and most of all the best heart. Miko Jin knows what she wants and goes for it. There are lessons to be learned in this book and fun to be had. Check it out! It's definitely one for the favorites shelf.
December 31, 2016
It may have taken me a few days but I got though it and had fun. I laughed and even sympathized with Miko. She was a woman that loved to love. I enjoyed her journey and meeting her host of friends. For me, Liam was like an after thought.
February 7, 2016
Rating: 4.5/5
Review coming soon!
Review coming soon!
January 25, 2016
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read more about this review, quotes, and other reviews at my blog, Carlene Inspired.
Miko views the world behind the pages of her books and her designs. She's quirky, she's smart, and she's best friends to Landon and Max. She the third and final member of the girls. With her two best friends in love and her business taking off, Miko has finally decided it is time to put her master plan into action. She's a hopeless romantic through and through, so taking the best ideas out of the pages of books is sure to win her the love of Liam Ashton, right? Except, Miko can't get the book ideas to work in real life, Liam enjoys his life as a womanizer, and her heart is seriously on the line. With her best friends by her side, Miko is ready to find true love, even if it means being every character from every great romance to make it happen.
This is my favorite book in the entire series, hands down. I didn't expect to love Miko's story as much as I did, nor did I realize how important it was for me to get it. Miko is every bookish best friend ever; she's totally awkward, really smart, and that big first love has her acting exactly as any one of us have at some point in time. I admit it, I cried reading this, but I also laughed a lot. Seriously, if you need a laugh this one is for you. It got to the point where my boyfriend was laughing at me for laughing so hard. Rachel Hollis is hilarious, she already knows that though. This book is more than just the final chapter to an incredible series, or a lot of laughter and tears, it's got a soul that I didn't expect. Miko is 26, but when it comes to relationships she's incredibly young. Her growth in this book is tremendous, her self hate and self love will make you overflow with feelings, and her weirdness will make you absolutely want to know her in real life. Plus, this story is one that will ring true for many, because that first big love makes you lose yourself and knowing who you are is so much more important than getting the guy you've crushed on forever.
Besides Miko though, I love what we get out of the other characters. We already know her best friends, Landon and Max, and their stories, but we see a side of them we didn't get to see in the past. This time, they have a friend that they know better than anyone else and she's on a self-destructive path. I love how funny Miko's antics were, but I also love that her best friends, as well as new friends, were pushing for her success in life more than her success in love. Plus, there's Liam, the guy that you've wanted to know about since you started this series, admit it. He's hard to like at times, but so easy to love. It's really nice to see him find himself too, as well as see he wasn't all perfect all the time. I really did enjoy their relationship, even if it wasn't an ideal one. It felt real, plus the feelings you get from Miko, and the understanding into her brain, are so important to the overall book and the lesson she has to learn. Plus, it opened up the doors to the most amazing literary romantic gesture ever. The details Rachel gave this book were so good, I really enjoyed reading about the designing that Miko was doing, as well as about her family and her relationship with her brother. Everything in this book brought so much more dimension to Miko, and like I said, this book is absolutely my favorite now.
If you haven't read any of The Girls books, I suggest you start at the beginning. What may seem like chick-lit cliches are so much more than that, especially with Rachel's humorous writing, quirky characters, and unique story line. Plus, if you didn't know, the first book is based on Rachel's real life career of starting an event company at 21 and she does all the research that goes into these books to make them come to life. Everything about this book is quotable and the life lessons will ring true for anyone, of any age. It's cute, it's sweet, contains life long friends, and a story line that will leave you wanting for so much more. It's the perfect ending to a series that I have come to love and I am seriously hoping Rachel continues to write more books, because she has a real talent for it.
Read more about this review, quotes, and other reviews at my blog, Carlene Inspired.
Miko views the world behind the pages of her books and her designs. She's quirky, she's smart, and she's best friends to Landon and Max. She the third and final member of the girls. With her two best friends in love and her business taking off, Miko has finally decided it is time to put her master plan into action. She's a hopeless romantic through and through, so taking the best ideas out of the pages of books is sure to win her the love of Liam Ashton, right? Except, Miko can't get the book ideas to work in real life, Liam enjoys his life as a womanizer, and her heart is seriously on the line. With her best friends by her side, Miko is ready to find true love, even if it means being every character from every great romance to make it happen.
This is my favorite book in the entire series, hands down. I didn't expect to love Miko's story as much as I did, nor did I realize how important it was for me to get it. Miko is every bookish best friend ever; she's totally awkward, really smart, and that big first love has her acting exactly as any one of us have at some point in time. I admit it, I cried reading this, but I also laughed a lot. Seriously, if you need a laugh this one is for you. It got to the point where my boyfriend was laughing at me for laughing so hard. Rachel Hollis is hilarious, she already knows that though. This book is more than just the final chapter to an incredible series, or a lot of laughter and tears, it's got a soul that I didn't expect. Miko is 26, but when it comes to relationships she's incredibly young. Her growth in this book is tremendous, her self hate and self love will make you overflow with feelings, and her weirdness will make you absolutely want to know her in real life. Plus, this story is one that will ring true for many, because that first big love makes you lose yourself and knowing who you are is so much more important than getting the guy you've crushed on forever.
Besides Miko though, I love what we get out of the other characters. We already know her best friends, Landon and Max, and their stories, but we see a side of them we didn't get to see in the past. This time, they have a friend that they know better than anyone else and she's on a self-destructive path. I love how funny Miko's antics were, but I also love that her best friends, as well as new friends, were pushing for her success in life more than her success in love. Plus, there's Liam, the guy that you've wanted to know about since you started this series, admit it. He's hard to like at times, but so easy to love. It's really nice to see him find himself too, as well as see he wasn't all perfect all the time. I really did enjoy their relationship, even if it wasn't an ideal one. It felt real, plus the feelings you get from Miko, and the understanding into her brain, are so important to the overall book and the lesson she has to learn. Plus, it opened up the doors to the most amazing literary romantic gesture ever. The details Rachel gave this book were so good, I really enjoyed reading about the designing that Miko was doing, as well as about her family and her relationship with her brother. Everything in this book brought so much more dimension to Miko, and like I said, this book is absolutely my favorite now.
If you haven't read any of The Girls books, I suggest you start at the beginning. What may seem like chick-lit cliches are so much more than that, especially with Rachel's humorous writing, quirky characters, and unique story line. Plus, if you didn't know, the first book is based on Rachel's real life career of starting an event company at 21 and she does all the research that goes into these books to make them come to life. Everything about this book is quotable and the life lessons will ring true for anyone, of any age. It's cute, it's sweet, contains life long friends, and a story line that will leave you wanting for so much more. It's the perfect ending to a series that I have come to love and I am seriously hoping Rachel continues to write more books, because she has a real talent for it.
April 25, 2019
I REALLY wanted to like this book...I really did. The first one surprised me, and the second was pretty decent, but this one just fell so flat for me. I was looking forward to reading this book because Miko was the main character, and she is so adorable and charming in the other books. I love that she's such a nerd, and that she loves books so much. I really felt like I was going to be able to relate to her, and maybe... maybe that's why I disliked this book so much. I was able to relate to her on every level except with her obsession with Liam. Because that's exactly what it was: an obsession. It wasn't cute or endearing or "love", and really, from the beginning, I was completely annoyed with her. It's one thing to be a hopeless romantic which I think can be a really endearing quality in someone, (Who doesn't want to believe in a "happily ever after"?) but it's quite another thing to be so hopelessly romantic that you are completely blinded by it.
November 18, 2021
The negative reviews are a little daunting but I loved the first two of this mini-series. We'll see ...
---
22% into the book and I can't go on. What a letdown. I liked Miko in books 1 and 2, but she must have left the building, this is someone so completely different, and not in a good way.
Better call it a day.
Should have read and taken to heart my friends' reviews.
---
22% into the book and I can't go on. What a letdown. I liked Miko in books 1 and 2, but she must have left the building, this is someone so completely different, and not in a good way.
Better call it a day.
Should have read and taken to heart my friends' reviews.
January 22, 2016
Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Okay. I'm annoyed. But where should I begin? This review most definitely contains spoilers.. it has no summary, and it serves as a place to semi-rant.. please skip this review if you have not read the book yet.
Disclaimer: I did not read the first two books in this series. So I'm not sure if that would have changed my opinion about the main characters or the plot line.
There are so many great ratings on this book. I'm frustrated that I didnt love it as much. I read this in a day and I guess it's a good thing that the writing was good enough to make me so annoyed with the character.
Okay. I'm annoyed. But where should I begin? This review most definitely contains spoilers.. it has no summary, and it serves as a place to semi-rant.. please skip this review if you have not read the book yet.
Disclaimer: I did not read the first two books in this series. So I'm not sure if that would have changed my opinion about the main characters or the plot line.
There are so many great ratings on this book. I'm frustrated that I didnt love it as much. I read this in a day and I guess it's a good thing that the writing was good enough to make me so annoyed with the character.
January 18, 2016
Miko is a young naive designer with her heart set on dating good looking Liam Ashton, a successful entrepreneur. Miko is a friend of Liam's sister and when she sees her opportunity to dazzle him with her smart business designs she takes it.
Miko is a geek at heart and has spent most of her life focused on her talents. She hasn't dated many men and is inexperienced in this area. The question is can she seduce the untamed Liam Ashton.
This book was sweet with a hint of comedy. The main character try's her best to play it cool but finds herself a little flustered. This was a nice easy read book with a sweet ending.
Book 3 in a series of novels however can be read as a standalone story.
I rate this book 4* out of 5. Although I enjoyed it I found the main character to be a little too girlie for me at times. I feel the tittle Smart girl was maybe not quite on the mark. Yes Miko is a smart girl in her field of interest but I think that is as far as it goes.
I recommend this book as a light bed time read.
Romance novel
*An advanced copy of this book was given to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Miko is a geek at heart and has spent most of her life focused on her talents. She hasn't dated many men and is inexperienced in this area. The question is can she seduce the untamed Liam Ashton.
This book was sweet with a hint of comedy. The main character try's her best to play it cool but finds herself a little flustered. This was a nice easy read book with a sweet ending.
Book 3 in a series of novels however can be read as a standalone story.
I rate this book 4* out of 5. Although I enjoyed it I found the main character to be a little too girlie for me at times. I feel the tittle Smart girl was maybe not quite on the mark. Yes Miko is a smart girl in her field of interest but I think that is as far as it goes.
I recommend this book as a light bed time read.
Romance novel
*An advanced copy of this book was given to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
March 4, 2016
I absolutely adored this book! I already liked Miko from Party Girl and Sweet Girl and was excited to read her story.
I've seen a bit of criticism regarding the third installment of the Girls series and I've also seen a post from Rachel Hollis almost having to "defend" Miko's story.
I found it honest. I prefer Miko's messiness at 26 than reading about a heroine who's 26 and accomplished in every aspect of her life.
She's a hopeless romantic, but doesn't have that much experience with love. That's why she ends up burning and losing herself in order to get close to Liam Ashton.
I loved the many book references, but I understand that for someone not familiar with the genre they might be too much. Maybe it's just a personal preference. I adore the heroine's quirkiness.
Now, I know there's not going to be another Girls book, but I would have loved reading a story about Malin and Tosh...for some reason I thought there was something there.
I've seen a bit of criticism regarding the third installment of the Girls series and I've also seen a post from Rachel Hollis almost having to "defend" Miko's story.
I found it honest. I prefer Miko's messiness at 26 than reading about a heroine who's 26 and accomplished in every aspect of her life.
She's a hopeless romantic, but doesn't have that much experience with love. That's why she ends up burning and losing herself in order to get close to Liam Ashton.
I loved the many book references, but I understand that for someone not familiar with the genre they might be too much. Maybe it's just a personal preference. I adore the heroine's quirkiness.
Now, I know there's not going to be another Girls book, but I would have loved reading a story about Malin and Tosh...for some reason I thought there was something there.
May 21, 2017
This was a disappointing end to a cute trilogy. I'm not sure if the title was supposed to be ironic? If Miko, the main character, was in fact supposed to be the "smart girl" of the title, well... she made a string of really dumb decisions. There was nothing smart about her juvenile plan to snag the boy she "loved." There's nothing smart about being the most willing booty call on the planet. And honestly? I think the author is smart enough to know that relationships built solely on sex do not turn into lifelong, committed soulmate connections.
My biggest problem with this book is that I've listened to the author speak. I like her. I think she has a lot of sense and a decent moral compass. I think she gave her audience (or at least part of her audience) exactly what they wanted, but I feel like she compromised her own values by turning lovable Miko into a sleazy character.
My biggest problem with this book is that I've listened to the author speak. I like her. I think she has a lot of sense and a decent moral compass. I think she gave her audience (or at least part of her audience) exactly what they wanted, but I feel like she compromised her own values by turning lovable Miko into a sleazy character.
January 28, 2019
I liked the first two books but skipped through this one to finish it. I feel like if I am giving one star I should at least write why so here it goes:
Female character - Miko, was the most annoying heroine I’ve read for a long time and I was thinking as I am reading it “Book name must meant as a sarcasm tho, right?” She was really stupid! And that book references keep me rolling my eyes.. We get it girl you like reading stop it already!
It’s sad really though because she was cool in the first two book and I was really looking forward to reading her book. After 1/3 of the book I could not read it anymore though so I just read the last chapter and the epilogue and that was it.
English is not my first language so I am struggling to write my feelings about this book but you got the gist of it. Cheers!
Female character - Miko, was the most annoying heroine I’ve read for a long time and I was thinking as I am reading it “Book name must meant as a sarcasm tho, right?” She was really stupid! And that book references keep me rolling my eyes.. We get it girl you like reading stop it already!
It’s sad really though because she was cool in the first two book and I was really looking forward to reading her book. After 1/3 of the book I could not read it anymore though so I just read the last chapter and the epilogue and that was it.
English is not my first language so I am struggling to write my feelings about this book but you got the gist of it. Cheers!
June 7, 2019
First of all, I am a big Rachel Hollis fan. The first Book in this series was very cute. The second book was also good. However this book took a turn from characters who have determination, complexity, and ambition to a character who is whiney, desperate, immature, sad, pathetic, and who seems to harass and stalk a love interest. I could only listen to about 40% before I decided that I did not even want to hear the end of the story. Don’t waste your time and money on this one. Stop after Sweet Girl (#2) in the trilogy.
August 3, 2021
I truly enjoyed this book, it was a perfect light read between all the Fantasy books I've been reading lately.
The protagonist was just so relatable in her love for books and happy endings, yet the book didn't turn into a cliché story about her being completely naive. I think it was nice, light and refreshing which is never a bad thing with romance novels.
FULL REVIEW: https://goo.gl/JsROfK
I received a copy of this book for free via NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.
The protagonist was just so relatable in her love for books and happy endings, yet the book didn't turn into a cliché story about her being completely naive. I think it was nice, light and refreshing which is never a bad thing with romance novels.
FULL REVIEW: https://goo.gl/JsROfK
I received a copy of this book for free via NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2018
I debated giving this one 3 or 4 stars. Maybe 3.5. I didn’t like it as much as the others, but I appreciated the story. I love that Miko is such a book nerd and I “got” nearly all of the references.
This book had more “adult” themes. And while I think it was still pretty darn clean, I don’t think I will let my teenagers read it as I did the others.
This book had more “adult” themes. And while I think it was still pretty darn clean, I don’t think I will let my teenagers read it as I did the others.
December 4, 2018
I love this series. Each book focuses on a different friend with her own quirky personality and sense of humor. But watching the girls interact with each other is what really makes the series. And while there's a love story mixed in with each one, the books mainly focus on the girls, their careers and the lives that they are making for themselves.
May 29, 2020
A book that makes you laugh and cry with a very interesting main character.
This is my first book by the author and I enjoyed reading it and I have to check out the other books in the series.
Thanks to netgalley
This is my first book by the author and I enjoyed reading it and I have to check out the other books in the series.
Thanks to netgalley
February 5, 2020
Audiobook.
Wow. I have not encountered such a nauseating book as this in probably about six months. Wish it could’ve been longer.
This book pissed me off and redeemed itself over and over again. I started out really liking it. I thought Miko was going to be a funny, smart and strong character, based on how she was in the past two books (ESPECIALLY the first one), and the beginning of the book was portraying that and I was loving it. But it just went downhill from there. Every time there was an up, it never quite got itself back up to where it was in the beginning. And those ups redeemed the book less and less ever time until the culmination of the absolute worst, most sickening ending of a series I think I’ve ever read! Unfortunately, there’s going to have to be some spoilers in this, because I don’t think I can accurately reflect my feelings without providing examples from the book. And it absolutely will be long.
The previous two books ended with fairytale happy endings which lowered my ratings of them. The started out with strong, likable, independent women characters with real life problems that you could root for them through. But they slowly dissolved into being all about their love interests, with an ending slapped on to make them seem a little more well rounded than being guy obsessed by giving them major and unreachable to a lot of people, life accomplishments that made me like them even less because to me, they were no longer relatable. Why I thought this book would be different, I don’t know.
Miko worked at the event planning firm that Landon got an internship at. She was there many years before Landon, and she was very successful. She was the most normal, likable person at that firm and I liked her from the start. Her quirks came out in the second book, where she is mainly a side character, because she is Landon’s best friend, not Max’s. I was excited to learn more about Miko and see how she worked through some major life issue and what reward she would reap at the end of it. SPOILER ALERT. There was none. I’m not even kidding you, Miko’s entire story was about how she went from having a huge crush on Liam Ashton, to becoming his booty call, and then her internal struggle with wanting to be more, even though she agreed to be a booty call knowing Liam would never pursue anything further. And this is where the ups and downs really kicked in. Miko constantly backtracked on herself, wanting to quit Liam, and ultimately actually quitting him, but every single time running right back to him. She had a moral compass that she desperately knew she needed to follow, but absolutely had no hope of being able to. By the end, when she actually did finally end things with Liam, and stood strong against Landon and Cassadee when they tried to help him get another chance with her, I was like YES! Finally, some strong character development. (Side note: there was absolutely none of that in this story. Complete opposite on all the character’s parts in my opinion.) Landon even tries to tell Miko that she’s never try to trick her friend like that and let Cassadee take all the blame for it! Then, literally in like the next portion of the book, Landon is a blubbering baby while taking part in an extremely extravagant gesture that literally all of Miko’s friends, acquaintances and and even her own brother and Liam’s parents take part in, to try to convince her to give Liam yet another change. Of course she gives in and the story ends there with a happy ending. Never mind the disgustingly nauseating apologue that I will get to shortly. Not only does this scene portray Miko as the ultimate weak character, but it shows that all her closest friends and family can’t even support her in her strength to finally kick and selfish player to the curb!
THEN we have to listen to the epilogue where literally every single character gets married and lives happily ever after. I don’t know why, but I thought maybe the apologue would redeem the book by telling us that Liam once again messed up and that three years later Nico is better than ever and achieving all the greatness that she has the capability of achieving and is a happy, strong, independent woman without a man. But no. There apparently can’t be a happy ending in someone’s life without them having a boyfriend and getting engaged. What happened to women’s empowerment Rachel Hollis????
Now that’s just the highlights of why I couldn’t stand how the author ruined a strong character and diminished her to a hopeless pile on the ground. Not that it isn’t realistic and relatable for a woman to constantly go back to a man no matter how horribly he treats her, a lot of us have been there, but what would have been the most relatable, was watching her figure out how she can be whole and happy without a guy. She even says before the huge gesture of “love” scene from Liam that you can’t be two parts of a whole without being whole yourself. She goes from saying that to like the next day falling back into Liam‘s arms just because he spews some romance language at her. Any guy can do that. What happened to women being strong and standing up against empty words? Where did the becoming a Whole part of her journey even happen? Nowhere! What was the point of spewing all of these self empowerment things to herself and listening to them from her best friend if she was never going to listen to it in the first place. She just fell back into the guys arms over and over again. And then of course, the author has to make it even more unrealistic by making Liam decide that he actually IS in love with her and he’s going to just snap his fingers and stop being a player. Then they’re going to be in love and get married. What the actual f***. There is literally only one other book that I can think of that made me this infuriated at the end, and when I finished it I actually threw it across the room. If this was a physical book, I would have most definitely done the same with it.
And then of course there were the little side irritations of the supporting characters, her best friend Landon and Max. Max for one was barely a part of this book, so I wonder why they even gave her her own book in the first place before this one. And if Landon could get any more annoying then she was in the second book, and totally ruining herself as the strong character she portrayed to be for most of the first book, she accomplish going further in the opposite direction in this book than she did in the second. She was even more ditzy this time around, and all she ever did was partake in scenes where she gave Miko advice to be a better person that no one ever took. And then spent all her of her other scenes not being able to keep her hands off of her “super hot boyfriend!” How many times do we have to hear that their boyfriends are just soooo hot??? 🤮 And oh yeah, did I mention the she doesn’t seem to be able to say another word other than “girl”? Do her friends even have names? Or are they just all called “Girl”? THAT was so EFFING annoying. I think it was some sort of shameless plug at the author’s really popular books at this time; “Girl, Stop Apologizing,” and “Girl, Wash Your Face.” But these are books that constantly preach women’s empowerment. And then she comes out with this drivel of a book. Thank God for voice text, or I don’t think my fingers would be able to hold out and get all of this bottled up fury out. I am so disappointed in Rachel Hollis as an author after listening to this series. It almost invalidates everything I heard from her in her empowering non-fiction books. She can go from saying all that to writing a character who is the complete opposite of everything she says we call can be. Just, too disappointing.
End rant.
Wow. I have not encountered such a nauseating book as this in probably about six months. Wish it could’ve been longer.
This book pissed me off and redeemed itself over and over again. I started out really liking it. I thought Miko was going to be a funny, smart and strong character, based on how she was in the past two books (ESPECIALLY the first one), and the beginning of the book was portraying that and I was loving it. But it just went downhill from there. Every time there was an up, it never quite got itself back up to where it was in the beginning. And those ups redeemed the book less and less ever time until the culmination of the absolute worst, most sickening ending of a series I think I’ve ever read! Unfortunately, there’s going to have to be some spoilers in this, because I don’t think I can accurately reflect my feelings without providing examples from the book. And it absolutely will be long.
The previous two books ended with fairytale happy endings which lowered my ratings of them. The started out with strong, likable, independent women characters with real life problems that you could root for them through. But they slowly dissolved into being all about their love interests, with an ending slapped on to make them seem a little more well rounded than being guy obsessed by giving them major and unreachable to a lot of people, life accomplishments that made me like them even less because to me, they were no longer relatable. Why I thought this book would be different, I don’t know.
Miko worked at the event planning firm that Landon got an internship at. She was there many years before Landon, and she was very successful. She was the most normal, likable person at that firm and I liked her from the start. Her quirks came out in the second book, where she is mainly a side character, because she is Landon’s best friend, not Max’s. I was excited to learn more about Miko and see how she worked through some major life issue and what reward she would reap at the end of it. SPOILER ALERT. There was none. I’m not even kidding you, Miko’s entire story was about how she went from having a huge crush on Liam Ashton, to becoming his booty call, and then her internal struggle with wanting to be more, even though she agreed to be a booty call knowing Liam would never pursue anything further. And this is where the ups and downs really kicked in. Miko constantly backtracked on herself, wanting to quit Liam, and ultimately actually quitting him, but every single time running right back to him. She had a moral compass that she desperately knew she needed to follow, but absolutely had no hope of being able to. By the end, when she actually did finally end things with Liam, and stood strong against Landon and Cassadee when they tried to help him get another chance with her, I was like YES! Finally, some strong character development. (Side note: there was absolutely none of that in this story. Complete opposite on all the character’s parts in my opinion.) Landon even tries to tell Miko that she’s never try to trick her friend like that and let Cassadee take all the blame for it! Then, literally in like the next portion of the book, Landon is a blubbering baby while taking part in an extremely extravagant gesture that literally all of Miko’s friends, acquaintances and and even her own brother and Liam’s parents take part in, to try to convince her to give Liam yet another change. Of course she gives in and the story ends there with a happy ending. Never mind the disgustingly nauseating apologue that I will get to shortly. Not only does this scene portray Miko as the ultimate weak character, but it shows that all her closest friends and family can’t even support her in her strength to finally kick and selfish player to the curb!
THEN we have to listen to the epilogue where literally every single character gets married and lives happily ever after. I don’t know why, but I thought maybe the apologue would redeem the book by telling us that Liam once again messed up and that three years later Nico is better than ever and achieving all the greatness that she has the capability of achieving and is a happy, strong, independent woman without a man. But no. There apparently can’t be a happy ending in someone’s life without them having a boyfriend and getting engaged. What happened to women’s empowerment Rachel Hollis????
Now that’s just the highlights of why I couldn’t stand how the author ruined a strong character and diminished her to a hopeless pile on the ground. Not that it isn’t realistic and relatable for a woman to constantly go back to a man no matter how horribly he treats her, a lot of us have been there, but what would have been the most relatable, was watching her figure out how she can be whole and happy without a guy. She even says before the huge gesture of “love” scene from Liam that you can’t be two parts of a whole without being whole yourself. She goes from saying that to like the next day falling back into Liam‘s arms just because he spews some romance language at her. Any guy can do that. What happened to women being strong and standing up against empty words? Where did the becoming a Whole part of her journey even happen? Nowhere! What was the point of spewing all of these self empowerment things to herself and listening to them from her best friend if she was never going to listen to it in the first place. She just fell back into the guys arms over and over again. And then of course, the author has to make it even more unrealistic by making Liam decide that he actually IS in love with her and he’s going to just snap his fingers and stop being a player. Then they’re going to be in love and get married. What the actual f***. There is literally only one other book that I can think of that made me this infuriated at the end, and when I finished it I actually threw it across the room. If this was a physical book, I would have most definitely done the same with it.
And then of course there were the little side irritations of the supporting characters, her best friend Landon and Max. Max for one was barely a part of this book, so I wonder why they even gave her her own book in the first place before this one. And if Landon could get any more annoying then she was in the second book, and totally ruining herself as the strong character she portrayed to be for most of the first book, she accomplish going further in the opposite direction in this book than she did in the second. She was even more ditzy this time around, and all she ever did was partake in scenes where she gave Miko advice to be a better person that no one ever took. And then spent all her of her other scenes not being able to keep her hands off of her “super hot boyfriend!” How many times do we have to hear that their boyfriends are just soooo hot??? 🤮 And oh yeah, did I mention the she doesn’t seem to be able to say another word other than “girl”? Do her friends even have names? Or are they just all called “Girl”? THAT was so EFFING annoying. I think it was some sort of shameless plug at the author’s really popular books at this time; “Girl, Stop Apologizing,” and “Girl, Wash Your Face.” But these are books that constantly preach women’s empowerment. And then she comes out with this drivel of a book. Thank God for voice text, or I don’t think my fingers would be able to hold out and get all of this bottled up fury out. I am so disappointed in Rachel Hollis as an author after listening to this series. It almost invalidates everything I heard from her in her empowering non-fiction books. She can go from saying all that to writing a character who is the complete opposite of everything she says we call can be. Just, too disappointing.
End rant.
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