This Is Not a Love Scene

by S.C. Megale

Lights, camera—all Maeve needs is action. But at eighteen, a rare form of muscular dystrophy usually stands in the way of romance. She's got her friends, her humor, and a passion for filmmaking to keep her focus off consistent rejection...and the hot older guy starring in her senior film project.

Tall, bearded, and always swaying, Cole Stone is everything Maeve can't be. And she likes it. Between takes, their chemistry is shockingly electric.

Suddenly Maeve gets a taste of typical teenage dating life, but girls in wheelchairs don’t get the hot guy—right? Cole’s attention challenges everything she once believed about her self-image and hopes for love. But figuring this out, both emotionally and physically, won't be easy for either of them. Maeve must choose between what she needs and what she wants, while Cole has a tendency to avoid decisions altogether. And her failing lungs might not wait for either.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Disability, Fiction, Young Adult Romance, Realistic Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2019

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

First I'd like to thank S.C. Megale and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a free copy of this book.

I'm extremely happy I didn't have to pay for this book. God! I really wanted to love this book but I just didn't vibe with this one.

I know I'm suppose to fall in love with Maeve as she bravely lives with Muscular Dystrophy but God! she was so self absorbed. I tried I really did try to like her but Maeve didn't have one redeeming quality. She didn't want people to treat her differently because of her disability but if you didn't treat her differently because of her disability she got mad. She didn't want to be treated like a child but behaved liked a 5 year old. If people looked at her it was because of her disability, if people didn't look her it was because of her disability.

Maeve, sweetie the world doesn't revolve around you.

Also she didn't want to be friends with other disabled people, because that would be sad.

You're not better than them!

The back of the book informed me that the author S.C. Megale has the same condition as her MC but I pray for the sake of her friends and family that she's nothing like Maeve.

One more thing: Cole the so called "love interest" NOPE!
Girl, he's just not that into you. AT ALL!

I already know I'm going to be in the minority with my opinion but I just didn't enjoy this book at all.

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I went into this one with low expectations because the early reviews were mixed, but I ended up enjoying the story quite a bit. I wouldn't say the main character is my favorite person in the world, but I did appreciate a glimpse into the life of someone with muscular dystrophy. The strengths of the book were seeing how the character dealt with things most kids her age don't have to worry about as well as seeing how her family was affected as well.

Eighteen year old Maeve loves film making and guys. Unfortunately, most boys her age don't seem to give her a second glance because she is in a wheelchair. However, maybe her luck is changing as one of the actors in her senior film project, Cole, appears to be interested in her. But maybe the chemistry they share will end up amounting to nothing. Or maybe love is in Maeve's future. Who knows? You probably should just read the book to find out!

Maeve is a bit awkward, comes on too strong, and has other flaws just like any other person in the world but I never felt she was annoying, it was more sometimes she made me cringe. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt when it came to certain situations because I think not knowing what the future had in store for her factored into some of her behavior.

I've been going back and forth trying to decide if Cole needed to be more fully developed as a character or if it was a realistic portrayal of a teenage boy. Maybe it's a bit of both. I just wish I understood him better but then again it's not like when I was in school I ever solved the mystery of teenage boys. Teenagers are weird, that's for sure.

I did enjoy this one even if it wasn't a perfect read.

On a side note, I thought what the author wrote in the Acknowledgments about her brother was beautiful and it made me tear up.

I won a free advance copy of this book in a giveaway but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

[Kelly (Diva Booknerd) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't say this lightly but this was absolutely awful.

⛔ Girl hate.
⛔ Weird and inappropriate friendships with elderly men.
⛔ The idolisation of men while women are treated with hostility.
⛔ Main character openly and proudly announcing a preference to flirt with married men.
⛔ Inappropriate joking about becoming a lesbian and pretending to have an intellectual disability.
⛔ Constantly sexualising men. She also mentions that her behaviour is so she isn't mistaken for being asexual and it's important she feels normal.
⛔ Love interest has absolutely no interest in a relationship beyond his own pleasure. Sending unsolicited photos of his genitals.
⛔ Maeve also feels uncomfortable around other people with disabilities.

For transparency purposes, I'm a physically abled person but this was absolutely terrible. I'm all for young women exploring their sexuality, their bodies and with multiple partners as long as you're safe but this sends a message to young women to settle and be thankful for any male attention. That women aren't in a position to dictate the boundaries of our relationships, that we need someone else to show us our own self worth. Ladies, no. Absolutely not.

Do not put men on pedestals and put down other women simply for existing. Ladies, you deserve more, demand more. You're worth it.

This book however is not.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review

First line: I liked being ridden, and offered the chance to pretty much every guy in Video II

Me: Wait... what am I reading? ( checks Goodreads and NetGalley quickly)

Despite that jolt of electricity, I can assure potential readers that This is Not a Love Scene is targeted for a teen audience. Eighteen year old Maeve is an enthusiastic filmmaker, looking for romance and trying to get her parents to quit their hovering and let her be a normal teenager. As a protagonist, Maeve is a wise cracking mischief maker that doesn't let her muscular dystrophy stand in her way.

Novelist Shea Megale, born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy II, presents a very realistic portrait and heartwarming story that certainly is bound to attract a bit of buzz upon its release. I really liked Maeve as a character and she did remind me a bit of different people I have encountered in my lifetime. Because so many of my fellow reviewers have mentioned it, I would like to address something. Part of Maeve's storyline is about being physically attracted to a boy in her class and wondering if a girl in a wheelchair can get the boy. The boy in question is the tall, handsome and mysterious, Cole Stone; whom Maeve begins to see as the one she wants to be her first. Now while Cole might not be written as the type of fella that I would like, this is Maeve's story and I am going to follow this girl to the end. There is this great scene between Maeve and her doctor and what the sexual experience will be like for a person with muscular dystrophy. Nice to see a teenage character actually using the resources around them and not just asking Doctor Google!

However, I cannot pretend it's a perfect story and Megale does put a lot of information regarding other characters in the book and I recognize( without giving away anything)that some veins of the plot do seem a bit unfinished. All in all, it is a promising debut for an author that I am sure we will continue to hear about in years to come.


Goodreads Review 05/05/19
Publication Date: 07/05/19

[Book Smeller · Rating 1 out of 5]

This Is Not A Love Scene
Written by S. C. Megale
Genre – YA Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
Rating – 1/5 Stars
Available for Sale 5/7/2019

Maeve is an 18 year old living with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy, she is surrounded by friends and family who love her dearly. Like any young woman, she desires to love and be loved. Maeve and her friends are obsessed with filming. The group decides to join a filming course. It is here that she meets Cole. Her heart rate increases and her desire to explore sexuality finally meets its opportunity.

I wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it did not meet the mark for me. I had a difficult time relating to the main character, Maeve. Maeve has little self respect for herself and when it comes to boys her age, she doesn’t care if they have much respect for her. Unfortunately, she throws herself out there and almost comes off as desperate. She has a good friend in her life, who cares deeply for her. However, she would rather be disrespected by good looking Cole. He’s just not that into her and she deserves so much more. I mean KC likes her for who she really is, he is proud to be around her. This book frustrated me. I am also disabled and I have a lot of self respect for myself, I wanted and hoped Maeve would be similar in that aspect. She was not a strong female character.

[Lindsi (Do You Dog-ear?) · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Everyone [is] a pool noodle, sinking and thrashing out for another's noodle to stay afloat."

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. Warning! There are some small spoilers regarding the content of this book, but the information is relevant to the review.

I honestly don't know where to start with this one. I have some major issues with the story, but I can also see what the author was trying to convey, even though I don't agree with how it was presented. Maeve has muscular dystrophy and is confined to a wheelchair, but she tries to be as independent as possible. However, Maeve was not a likeable person.

First of all, I don't feel like Maeve respected herself or others, and she craved male attention. Even between her parents, she preferred her father's help over her mother's. They seemed to have a better relationship, but I thought she unfairly judged her mother's actions. It was clear her mother cared, just not in the way Maeve wanted. She also sought out older men and made connections with them. She referred to them as her OMFs (Old Male Friends), and would send them flirty messages and touch them in a way that made it seem like she was interested. She got a kick out of making older men smile at her, want her even, when she had no intention of reciprocating those feelings. Also, a lot of these interactions happened before she was eighteen, which makes them highly inappropriate.

Secondly, Maeve was very sexist. She preferred the attention and help of men over women, and always compared how the two interactions would vary. "IF SHE WERE A GUY: 'Yes, sir. Can you overnight express me to your bed by any chance?' BECAUSE SHE'S NOT: 'I can do it myself, thanks.' She nodded and walked off. I can never tell how standoffish I sound. But it's her fault for not being a guy, right?" She does this the entire book, especially when a female tries to help her in any capacity. She would brush off their good intentions, and think about how a male would have been better or more helpful.

Thirdly, Maeve was a shitty friend. She often comments on how frequently her friend Mags has to turn down male advances, and even admits to being jealous of the attention. It's obvious Mags doesn't like being hit on by random dudes, and it's something that really bothers her. Maeve is oblivious and really insensitive when it comes to her friend's feelings. Mags made a comment about a man creepily rubbing her back, and Maeve just thinks about how much she likes back rubs.

The love interest was barely a character. Cole would saunter in somewhere, act completely uncomfortable around Maeve, and then he'd leave. He seemed to be more communicative when they sexted, because that's pretty much all they did, and would barely speak when they were together. I'll admit that he was helpful when they played putt-putt, but that was also one of the few times they met without him rubbing one out. Most of their interactions were for the benefit of his penis. I'm all for Maeve exploring her sexuality, and really appreciate sex-positive books, but I wish it had been with someone who actually cared about her. Instead, this douche canoe that can't look at her, jerks off on her wheelchair while his other hand in her pants. He can barely look at her, but he's okay with touching? Maeve was a consenting adult, and she made it clear that she wanted to do these things with him, but the interactions really bothered me. She should have wanted more for herself. She settled for the first person to show her interest, even though his interest was mostly for selfish and sexual reasons. At one point he said, "I don't know how to like you." Seriously? He couldn't even care enough to remember that she had MD or what that meant.

KC is a random side character. They've supposedly been friends since kindergarten, and no one thought it was weird that they'd never been to his house. He's always shady about where he gets things (costumes, bowling shoes, etc.) and no one really questions it. Suddenly, he confesses feelings for Maeve, and they all learn he's in a dark place. It didn't fit into the rest of the story, and his depression should have been discussed more. Also, once they realized things were bad, they should have involved an adult.

Speaking of involving an adult, there were a lot of situations where one was needed. Instead, Maeve tries to handle everything on her own, which only made things more complicated. She should have told her parents when her photograph was used without her permission, and she should have told them about KC. I wish Maeve's parents had been way more involved in her life. Yes, they take care of her, but they also drop her off at a park in the middle of the night and tell her to call them when she's ready to go home. They ask very few questions about what she's doing, or who she's doing them with. Yes, Maeve is an adult, but she's still in high school. She also has medical needs that not everyone is equipped to deal with.

Everything, and I mean everything was a dirty joke or thought to Maeve. Nothing was safe, not even her food. "...sauerkraut with social anxiety and sausages that couldn't quiet get it up." She was crude and careless. There's a difference between letting someone know what you want, and being sexually aggressive.

I was happy the author wanted to write about a character with MD, and show that she was capable of living her life just like everyone else. Maeve had dreams and goals she wanted to achieve, but she wasn't a nice or likable character. Having a disability didn't mean she could treat people however she wanted, but she took advantage of their kindness and thought the world was happy helping her.

As you can see, I have a lot of issues with This Is Not a Love Scene, and I'm not even going to touch the ending. Yes, sure, it's what Maeve wanted, but ugh. She deserved so much better than that. Cole admitted that he couldn't give her what she wanted (the future part, because he was happy to share his dick in various ways), and she was totally okay with that. I'm not sure Maeve understands what love is, because it definitely wasn't what she had with Cole.

I think Maeve's character is an insult to women everywhere, and should not be seen as an example to follow.

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Bloglovin' | Amazon | Pinterest

[Nkisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

*I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This book about Maeve a teenager who has muscular dystrophy and desperately wants to find love and does not want to be held back by her disability. The concept of this book is a fabulous idea and if written right could have been brilliant. However, it wasn’t it was terrible and had so many things wrong with it. Firstly, Maeve is one of the most self-centred MC’s I’ve come a cross to the point where it is difficult to emphasis with her at all. She treats her friends like shit and only wants to talk about herself. She treats her love interest like he’s some kind of super star even calls him by his full name, ‘Cole Stone this Cole Stone that’. Cole Stone is just not that into you and is loser. I thought this was going to be an uplifting romance and all I got was a problematic mess don’t even get me started on the whole KC drama. It really is a shame because the concept was such a good idea.

[Vicky Again]

I love the concept and was really excited with the disability rep, but there were a few things that I just had pretty huge issues with

1) the acephobia
2) Cole Stone the asshole
3) some sensitive topics (not about disability) were approached . . . brashly

I really wanted to like this and even set it aside to give myself more time to really get into it, but there are some things that just came off as hurtful to me, unfortunately.

[Jessica Greenfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly a story about a girl who is in a wheelchair and finding love made me want to read it since I can relate to Maeve because I'm also disabled too. I started to like it until I became uncomfortable with the relationship between Maeve and Cole's "relationship". It wasn't the love story I was hoping for tbh. I'm sorry to say that This is Not a Love Scene is an awful book. But that is just my opinion. I stooped reading it feeling uncomfortable. I wasn't expecting that kind of a relationship. I'm honestly dissapointed especially when I'm disabled wanting to connect with Maeve and feeling hopeful. :( I wished her parents were more protective in my opinion and check her phone and I wish Maeve could just break up with him. I understand if girls wants to be curious, but the way Maeve was in a sexual relationship just made me uncomfortable :( I'm very dissapointed.

1/5 stars

[Samantha || Fictionally Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rating: 1 Star
TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING: Attempted Suicide, acephobia, homophobia, depression, sexism

“I liked bring ridden, and offered the chance to pretty much every guy in Video II"

The above quote is the first sentence that starts the book, and if your mind went to the gutter, just keep it there because that’s basically where this book was the entire time. This is Not A Love Scene is a story about an aspiring director, Maeve, who according to the book summary yearns for romance, however, she feels like her life with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, is the cock block to her greatest romance yet. However, when actor Cole Stone is agrees to be casted in her film, she feels like this is her one chance to finally have the romance she’s dreamed of…

I honestly don’t know where to begin with this review that doesn’t make it sound like I am just berating the book–because I don’t want to–but this book rubbed me in all the wrong places. First and foremost, I did not like our main character, Maeve. Self-absorbed and horny is the complete defining traits of our MC. That’s it. I could not relate to her at all, except that we both have a love for film. With little to no self respect for herself, she lets Cole and others walk over her and basically treat her like a toy than an actual human being. Not only does Maeve never respect herself, but she shows little to no respect to anyone else–especially those of the female sex. It was almost a repeated point that was driven that Maeve did not like interacting or having anything to do with females.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” The woman rose and shoved the whole clipboard in my lap.
IF SHE WERE A GUY: God, chivalry. Mmph.
BECAUSE SHE’S NOT: Overkill assistance. Offensive.

The girl hate and sexism was strong in this novel. Repeatedly she sought after the help and advice from the males in the novel and continued to shun any and everything that had to come from someone who had a vagina. Maeve completely disregarded the feelings, and emotions of her friend Mags–almost to the point where I felt like she was condemning Mags for not liking and reciprocating actions that were made towards her like Maeve would have.

With that said, let’s get to the main character trait of our Maeve–horniness. Now I am a lover of erotica and raunchy sex books, but that wasn’t what I signed up for with this book. The only goal Maeve had throughout this entire novel was sex. No matter who it came from (which to me sends out a SUPER wrong message to the target audience). Sex was the only thing on Maeves mind, every other paragraph it seemed was about sex or how she couldn’t get it because of her disability or how hard it was to get sex, or an innuendo to sex. Literally the book ends with “…I just want to fuck Cole Stone.” I was annoyed with the sex.

Lucky for us, Maeve isn’t the only problematic character in this novel–we have our love interest (if you can call him that) Cole Stone, AKA the guy Maeve tries to sleep with throughout the novel, AKA the asshole. One dimensional at best, Cole used Maeve simply for his own pleasure and that was it. Literally that was it.

“Tonight was different. Tonight, I felt normal. Healthy. Not asexual. Tonight, I felt like a person.”

With so much sex talk, came a lot of phobia–specifical acephobia, and crude/rude jokes about lesbianism. Maeve makes these remarks like in the quote above, to dissolve any and all thought that because she is in a wheelchair doesn’t mean she isn’t capable of attraction and how it’s important that she come off as normal (as if those who identify as asexual are not normal) and that is why she comes off strong towards men. Maeve then goes on to crack jokes with Mags about how her boy troubles could be wiped clear by wishing to be a lesbian. I felt like her references to asexuality and crude jokes came off very acephobic, homophobic, offensive, and super problematic.

One big ass yikes fest.

One of the biggest yikes of this novel, at least for me, was the author’s handling of depression and suicide. As a person who struggles with depression, and has attempted suicide several times in the past–this book made me mad. It made me mad, because it made the supporting character, KC, who was going through this battle and struggle feel like just a throw in, like “oh wouldn’t this be great for our MC to deal with.” I felt like the issue of suicide and depression was brought up, tapped lightly on the head and just left there. The representation was poor–to me at least– and to some extent I felt like how things played out invalidated the supporting character’s struggle– to which it felt like it invalidated my own.

I could say a lot more about how problematic this book was, but I think I will keep it to these main points. As you can see, I did not enjoy this book at all, and because of the lack of a content warning, or trigger warning, I had to take some time away from family and friends and do some heavy self care.

I don’t want to deter anyone, maybe this book has elements that you can relate to and glean from as it is a own voice novel for disability through muscle dystrophy. To which–fantastic! I am glad that you could! However, I do implore you before you pick this one up if you do–to please practice self-care before, during, and after reading.

(Huge thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for sending me an ARC for my honest review! Quotations taken from an uncorrected proof and may change upon final publication.)

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book. But I could not. Cole is the absolutely worst person ever and I don’t understand the attraction. Maeve was annoying and Megs was obnoxious. I don’t mind books about terrible people when the author knows they are terrible but I think we were supposed to like them all. Also, I felt this book had a very anti feminist slant to it which I am not used to reading in books anymore.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Sophia · Rating 1 out of 5]

nope no no no.

What the actual-

WHAT EVEN WAS THE ROMANCE?? COLE SUCKS. HE’S A CRAP LOVE INTEREST. I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW MAEVE WAS A “SEXUALLY PROUD” PERSON UNTIL I READ THE BACK. THIS WAS SO VERY EXTREMELY BORING AND MY ASEXUAL SELF HATED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. PROS?? THIS WAS SHORT. THANK JESUS.THAT IS ALL.



——-
*edit: tw at the end* plus depressed people stereotypes. nah fam

*vomit*

[MC Roberts (Disappear In Ink) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you to the author and Goodreads.

//Review//

This book had so much potential, but it fell short for me. I can’t decide between 1 or 1.5 stars. In the first half or so of the book I might have said 3.5. The story on a whole just didn’t cut it though.

I love #ownvoices. There should definitely be more stories with that premise! So, I had high hopes for this story. However, the fact that Maeve, the main character, doesn’t let her differences define her is one of the few (and I mean very few) great things about her. She keeps her head up for the most part and tries to not let things get to her, but the thing I couldn’t take was how utterly self absorbed she is. She thinks everyone is staring at her wheelchair or her service dog or her lack of a boyfriend. I couldn’t help but want to sit Maeve down and tell her that she’s not defined by MD - or how many guys she’s kissed.

For most of the story, she whines about how she wants a relationship when *cough* in all actuality, all she really seems to want is a love life. And the guy she’s got her eye on? He’s a total jerk. Not a kind, caring boy who wants the best for her (ahem, like KC? I’m sort of glad Maeve didn’t go for him because he deserved so much better than Maeve’s immature personality). He’s more like a creep who would take advantage of naïve girls in a heartbeat. I didn’t like Cole from the start, and I don’t understand how the MC could stand him either, much less fall head over heels in love with him.

The plot was sadly predictable - what was going to happen to each of the characters in the end was pretty obvious from nearly the beginning. But it had its moments. Quinten, one of Maeve’s friends, was brilliant and brought some action and good humor to the story. I liked Maeve’s friends better than Maeve herself. They seemed to, for the most part, have a bit more common sense.

I wish I could have enjoyed this book better. It could have been a cute love story, but it turned out that it just wasn’t for me. :(

frequent cussing, innuendos, and adult themes including two heavily romantic scenes

[Marochka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Худшая. Книга. В. Мире.
Я не шучу. Это был просто ад.
Я всегда, читая книги об инвалидах или людях с психическими проблемами, испытываю некоторые угрызения совести, если они мне не нравятся: может, я плохой человек? Может, я чего-то не понимаю? Ведь надо толерантно относиться к таким героям.
Так вот эта книга не из той серии. Это не я плохой человек, это героиня самый отвратительный человек на свете!
Вы только посмотрите на рейтинг и отзывы на Goodreads: 3,14! Я в жизни не видела, чтобы столько единиц книге ставили и столько негативных отзывов с ненавистью (нет, НЕНАВИСТЬЮ) к героине было.
В Мейв ужасно абсолютно все.
- Она уверенна, что все в мире крутится вокруг нее.
- Она водит дружбу с какими-то старыми извращенцами, которые все время ее лапают и хотят поцеловать;
- Мейв – настоящая извращенка, флиртующая со всем, что движется (даже – особенно - с женатыми мужчинами), которой нравится, когда ей присылают фотки членов;
- Мейв – худший друг в мире, реально худший;
- Мейв уверенна, что она талантлива, умна и весела, но это не так;
- Мейв ужасно отнеслась к бедной Патрисии, и даже не почувствовала за это вину;
- Мейв считает себя значительно выше других инвалидов и всячески очень некрасиво игнорирует все их попытки начать с ней общаться;
- Мейв не нравится, когда к ней относятся по особенному из-за коляски, но она любит, когда незнакомые мужчины предлагают понести ее на руках (что она им и позволяет), и вообще Мейв считает, что она дар божий: она милостиво позволяет людям ей помогать не потому, что она нуждается в помощи (а она нуждается, абсолютно со всем), а потому, что людям, по ее мнению, это доставляет удовольствие – быть нужными ей;
- Если на Мейв пялятся, ей это не нравится: это из-за ее кресла. Если на нее не смотрят, ей не нравится это еще больше: это из-за ее кресла! Вообще весь мир крутится исключительно вокруг Мейв и ее кресла.
Что касается отношений в книге… Это ад. Мы абсолютно (как и Мейв) ничего не знаем о Коуле. Он очень странный и необщительный (он может только присылать Мейв свои гениталии и просить ее о том же), и совершенно очевидно, что он абсолютно ничего не испытывает к Мейв и общается с ней, видимо, наполовину из жалости, наполовину из-за того, что считает легкодоступной девушкой, которая может доставить ему удовольствие.
С чего он, в итоге, становится главным любовным интересом, непонятно никому. Самые дико нелепые отношения, о которых я читала.
По идее, нормальным романтическим интересом для Мейв должен был стать добрый и милый друг ее детства Кейси. Но его линия еще глупее, чем линия Коула. С чего Мейв всю книгу думает, что Кейси хочет покончить с собой (нет, серьезно, с чего она это решила???), но ничего с этим не делает?Вообще. Только причиняет ему еще больше боли. И как можно дружить с человеком с детского сада, но ничего не знать о нем и его семье? Такое вообще возможно? И финал… Господи, какой же бред.
В послесловии сказано, что у автора та же болезнь, что и у героини. И тут я хочу процитировать самый популярный отзыв к книге: «Искренне надеюсь, ради друзей и родных автора, что она совсем не похожа на своего персонажа».
Когда я читаю книги, я часто делаю пометки в электронке важных моментов и событий, чтобы не забыть потом их отметить в рецензии. Обычно это просто закладки с парой слов в комментарии. Что-то вроде: «Лучший друг героини», «Героине - 18» и т.д.
Но это не тот случай. Вот некоторые из моих пометок (добавлены по мере прочтения книги):
«Он прислал ей фото члена, а она счастлива до безумия?»
«Речь о проституции перед бабульками?»
«Странная дружба со старыми извращенцами и женщинами, сидящими в тюрьме»
«Мастурбация в парке, когда даже ни разу не целовались?!»
«Как можно дружить с человеком с детского сада и ничего не знать о нем?»
«"Когда твой друг готов покончить с собой"… С чего она это взяла?!»
«"Я задавалась вопросом, не плохо ли я поступила с Патрисей"… Да ты редкостная сволочь!»
«Почему она ничего не делает, если думает, что ее друг хочет покончить с собой? Он же даже в школу не ходит. Они пошли на премьеру фильма, хотя думают, что Кейси готов умереть? Да что она за друг такой?!»
«Самая идиотская книга, что я читала»
«Эта идиотка сидит на морозе, притом, что Кейси не выходит… Ее родители столько для нее сделали, а ей плевать».
«Ура, она умирает!»
«Нет, она выжила…»
«Коулу глубоко наплевать на нее. Зачем он пришел? Не верю. Мы ничего о нем не знаем. Дико странный персонаж и автор».
«"Его плоть была горяча"… Да что не так с этим автором и героями? Что за дебильные отношения и описания?!»
«Героиня может умереть во время секса, поэтому нужно быть очень осторожным и быть уверенным, что ей было удобно… Но он "резко в нее вошел" на заднем сидении машины, дурдом».
«"Он вошел в меня одним резким толчком"… Какая мерзость»
«"Я вдоволь натрахаюсь с Коулом Стоуном"… Прекрасные последние слова для книги».
Мне кажется, для отзыва на эту книгу достаточно одной фразы: «НИКОГДА! НИКОГДА НЕ ЧИТАЙТЕ ЭТОТ УЖАС!» Все. Остальные отзывы и рейтинг это подтверждают. Кошмар.

[Manon the Malicious]

DNF @ 12%, a few pages after:

"“Oh, I’m so sorry!” The woman rose and shoved the whole clipboard in my lap.
IF SHE WERE A GUY: God, chivalry. Mmph.
BECAUSE SHE’S NOT: Overkill assistance. Offensive."

Not my thing.

[Diana Iozzia · Rating 1 out of 5]

“This is Not a Love Scene”
Written by S.C. Megale
Review written by Diana Iozzia

Reading about a young woman with muscular dystrophy finding herself and discovering her first love sounded like a lovely idea to me. I was very hooked by the premise, thinking this would be a very cute, but serious book about first love and disability. However, I was completely disappointed by this book. Here are some thoughts on the book.

To begin, Maeve, is an eighteen-year-old woman, who has muscular dystrophy. She offers a very interesting perspective into her world and informs us readers of things we didn’t know about being disabled. For that, I felt that I enjoyed those portions of this ‘own voiced’ book. She is interested in seeking out a degree and future career in film, so we see her meet an actor and film with her and her friends. This is the basic story arc, but most of this story is her relationship.

1. I feel that this book is not written for the appropriate age. Yes, I understand that books about sexuality in high school are not very common, but this was so edgy, it felt that it was not appropriate for younger readers. Young adult fiction is often appropriate for students 15 and up. I felt that this book would have been great, if it was for adults, instead of teens.
2. The dialogue seemed very juvenile for me, especially so. I understand that as a 23-year-old woman, my language is not going to be equal to that of a 16-year-old. However, it felt very foreign and alien-like. I guess I have come to grips that I prefer young adults to act a little more adult than this, but there are so many better books for teens with much better and more realistic dialogue.
3. I did not connect with most of the main characters. The characters I did like were barely in the book and given strange plot lines and actions to take. I did like Mags, K.C., and Elliot, but neither of these are the main protagonist and her love interest. Our main character, Maeve, is very self-absorbed and conceited, denouncing others’ actions when she makes similar choices.
4. There is also a very strange dynamic between Maeve and her “old man friends”, who she often meets online. There is an anecdote, where she was at an event, met an old man who bought her ice cream, and spent the whole day with her, before asking if he could kiss her. Also, one of her main communication styles is through e-mail with one “OMF” about her getting ‘action’ with teen boys. Highly inappropriate. I understand that most older gentlemen are completely innocent, but I felt this sent a slightly muddled message.
5. I am a prude. Okay, I said it. But I cannot be the only reader who doesn’t want to hear silly, bathroom humor or sexual jokes in every paragraph. The flirting is strange and out of place. If I found out my (future) child talked like this!
6. I love a good romance. This was not. I did not enjoy the love interest! I feel that a good romance makes you fall in love with the characters a little, or we would not be able to connect and love vicariously. I felt the characters barely interacted, and when they did, it fell flat. This title is right; this is not a love scene. This is just awkward, boring teens + sexual feelings.
7. Lastly, there is a very strange side story about one of the characters and a mental health issue. This felt very weird and out of character. We sort of understand, because there is a major reference to a book about romance and disability. So, I see how Maeve’s character is set out to change that stereotype and be a hero, but it felt really odd. I felt it was handled very poorly.

In conclusion, this was not the book I thought it was going to be. I do not mind if a book for teens handles more serious topics, but I would have preferred this book to be different in almost every way.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for sending me an advanced reader’s edition in exchange for reading and reviewing purposes.

[Chanon · Rating 1 out of 5]

*Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

emoji rating scale: 😩🙁😐😀😍
Not a Love Scene rating: 😩

-----
read my review: click here
-----

I really wanted to love this YA story because I haven’t read anything like it in the past, but I did not vibe with this read. AT ALL. *insert crying face* I almost DNF’d this, to be honest. So let’s dig right on in!

This story follows Maeve — an 18 year old girl who’s living with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy — who’s trying to figure out how live like a “normal” human. It fell short for me with Maeve’s personality, her friends, and her love interests. AKA: this whole book.

What stood out to me the most was how completely self absorbed she is. It was constantly brought up that she felt like everyone was staring at her wheelchair, or her service dog, or the fact that she’d have a completely normal guy standing next to her, or the fact that she DIDN’T have a guy next to her, etc. I felt like the point of this book was to let others know that you aren’t defined by your disability…but instead the book revolved around the fact that Maeve was extremely defined by it. *you’re still an independent woman, girl*

DON’T 👏 EVEN 👏 GET 👏 ME 👏 STARTED on the horrible love interests that I hope teens / young adults run from after they read this story. UGH! This is the most frustrating part for me. I hate reading about a girl who can do SO much better, but who settles for the bottom of the bottom (I’m talking about where the bottom feeders live).

First we have Cole Stone — a total idiot, a man not worth my breath — who *I’m sorry to say* is just not that into you girl! This dude didn’t care about her disease, didn’t care about really getting to know her, didn’t care about holding an in-person conversation, didn’t care a whole lot about anything other than sex.

Then we have some more wasted breath with the second *random* love interest, KC. I totally get *and applaud* Megale for bringing up a really serious issue: depression in teens. But bringing it up is where it ended. There was no character development here; I felt like KC was just thrown into the pages randomly, and because of him, Maeve ended up in the hospital. *hell to the no*

And also, who only talks to their friends via text messages but never seems to have real face-to-face interactions with them?

UGH. I am getting heated just writing this review. I may be in the minority here with my opinion but this book just irked me so much, I can’t stand it.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for an ARC of this book.

I was excited to read this book, because it didn't seem like anything I have read in my YA section. Sadly, I did not care for the story. I felt like a lot of the story was meant for shock value. I read the opening to my 18 year old, and he gave me a scrunched up face. When I was done, I showed him the last sentence, and he was dumbfounded. So was I! What could've been a great story was muddled with too many storylines and too much unnecessary information. It made me sad and left me feeling uncomfortable with the message it was sending to all young women. I even had a long talk with my own three teenagers about the book. I really wish that it had been more focused on the main character and less about all of the other people around her. I know there are kids who will enjoy it, but it was not for me.

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two alternative titles I thought up for This Is Not A Love Scene:
1. This Is A Sex Scene
2. This Is Not A Good Book

I am so disappointed. I read the synopsis, and thought the premise would be absolutely enchanting. The idea of a disabled girl finding love when she previously thought it would be impossible? I couldn't wait to read it! Unfortunately, I wish that I had waited forever to read it and right now I want to burn it out of my brain.

Maeve is more horny that Rhysand in A Court of Frost and Starlight. Don't let the description that she wants love fool you; no, all she wants is sex. I honestly don't think there was one single page in this 300 page sucker that didn't have a reference to sex in it, or at the very least, some cringe worthy flirting.

This book should really not have been written for young adults. Although the main character is eighteen and a senior in high school... it really doesn't feel like she is. I mean, yes, some teens have sex and it's fine to talk about that, but really? The entire plot of the book revolves around sex? The only thing Maeve can think or talk about is sex?

I honestly wasn't sure she was in high school for the longest time because in this novel, there is only one scene that takes place at school, and that's when she and her friend ditch class to hang out in the bathroom talking about sex. There were also some cringy, awkward, and overly explicit descriptions of sex and sexting (that might rival SJM levels of explicit and cringy) where I just skipped sections of the book without reading because as a 17 year old myself I felt uncomfortable reading them.

Maeve is incapable of seeing or thinking of anything without turning it into sex. At one point, she sees some little kids playing in a fountain and she describes the fountain as erotic?? She's eating sausages and she makes a sex joke out of them? The first line of the book is "I like being ridden, and offered the change to pretty much every guy" and wow I should have known from then and just put the book down and not read it but I foolishly thought the rest of the book wouldn't be like it... or worse.

Maeve even has some extremely creepy relations with Old Man Friends, who she nicknames OMFs. Apparently from the way it's written, old men just gravitate towards her? She emails them, hangs out with them. At one point, she talks about how one random old man stranger buys her ice cream and then spends the whole day with her and at the end he asks to kiss her on the cheek??? And instead of being like eww that's inappropriate and creepy, Maeve literally says "Just the cheek? Shame..."

Maeve also basically worships all men and hates all women. This applies for people her age, people slightly older than her, and of course, her Old Man Friends. In the book, she basically only has one female friend, and the entirety of their friendship is talking about boys and sex. Other than that, she surrounds herself with guys.

In fact, she even plays out two conversations in her mind whenever speaking to a guy. She literally says IF SHE WAS A GUY (I would say x) BUT SINCE SHE'S NOT (I'll say y). At one point, someone basically steals her service dog, and she's like IF SHE WAS A GUY I would call it a minor misunderstanding BUT SINCE SHE'S NOT I'll threaten legal action where's my lawyer. And when someone offers to mail her letter, IF SHE WAS A GUY can you overnight me to your bed BUT SINCE SHE'S NOT no.

And while I'm complaining about the over sexualization of everything, let's talk about her "love interest" and by that I mean sex interest, Cole. After reading this book, I can tell you exactly zero things about his personality. What I can tell you, is that he's really sexy. Apparently. Because that's literally the only thing Maeve describes or wants about him. It's like how Bella only likes Edward because he's good looking, except x1000 because now instead of Bella yapping about Edward's gorgeous sparkling vampire skin, Maeve yaps about Cole's d*ck. For pages. And pages. And pages.

I'm so done. I want to throw this book. It's awful. But, mind you, if you thought the sex made it bad enough, there are some things that make it Even! Worse!

Back to never knowing they're in high school, it seems that Maeve has one small goal besides having sex. She does want to go to UCLA to study film. So do all of her friends (her guy friends, obviously, because she doesn't have any other friends). Well, it turns out that even though she apparently regularly ditches class and is never seen to be doing homework or studying or anything, she and all of her friends get in! Hooray! Don't even get me started on how unrealistic that is; UCLA is the most applied to school in the country, then have ~15% acceptance rate, their average GPA is like 4.6. That school is insanely difficult to get into, and I know people who had like 4.5 GPAs (out of 4) and perfect scores on the SAT and a bunch of extracurricular activities and volunteer work and all of that and they still got rejected so the idea that Maeve who literally cares about nothing but sex and doesn't seem to put in any work at all, and all of her friends, would get in no problem without even being concerned about the idea of getting rejected is laughable.

This last point is the absolute worst though, the last string. This book was really problematic in the way it discussed lgbtq+ people. Everyone in the book is straight by the way, so no representation there. Lgbtq+ people are mentioned twice:
1. Maeve and her one female friend are complaining about guys and Maeve flippantly says "clearly I just shouldn't be with men. I wish I were a lesbian," and her friend replies "Same." That's the only time this is ever mentioned or addressed in the book. This is mildly annoying how cavalierly she seems to treat the issue, dismissing the struggles they go through so she can whine about not getting enough sex.
2. After texting a guy, Maeve says "tonight I felt normal. Healthy. Not asexual. Tonight, I felt like a person." This is EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC is she just basically invalidating asexuals and saying that the're not normal They're not people? That you have to have sex in order to be a person???

This book is awful and should be burned off the face of the planet. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[Brittany]

This was a DNF for me. Sadly I tried really hard to press on but I could not connect at all to the Main Character in this story, I applaud the author for giving this character a voice but I personally just could not get into it. I may try again at a later date.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing this digital copy for preview in return for an honest review.

[isabell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited when I got offered an eARC for this book as I had never read a book about a main character with Muscular Dystrophy before and knowing that it was an #OwnVoices book I was even more excited.
Unfortunately, I ended up not really enjoying the book.

My first problem was the main character, Maeve. She was an absolutely horrible person and I hated her so much! She was extremely self-absorbed and she constantly acted like a child even if she didn't want to be treated like one. Sorry but if you don't want to be treated like a child, then maybe don't act like a freaking 5-year-old! I also hated how Maeve was constantly sexualizing men! I get that this is a book about first love but Maeve made me so uncomfortable. There was barely a single guy she saw who she didn't sexualize and it was disgusting.

Furthermore, she treated almost all women (except her mother and her friend) with hostility. There was so much girl hate, it was ridiculous! I wish authors would stop using girl hate in their books for absolutely no reason at all! Maeve even says herself that she would treat these women differently if they were male!

For me personally, I also felt no connection or chemistry between Maeve and Cole, the love interest. They didn't make me feel anything and Cole was an absolute asshole who, in my opinion, didn't care at all about Maeve. Instead, he just seemed to have wanted to get into her pants. He also had no personality at all except for maybe being a douche.

At last, I also felt that some sensitive topics (like depression and self-harming) weren't treated respectfully and that they have been executed poorly. It also felt more like a plot device. I have no personal experience, but to me, it did seem harmful.

[Tiffani Reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow is this book problematic!

I went into this book knowing it was an own voices novel about a girl with Muscular Dystrophy and what I was expecting versus what this book was about are shockingly different. Here I was expecting this book to be about how Maeve doesn’t let her disability get in the way of accomplishing the things she wants to do. When really this book is about how much she wants to f*ck Cole Stone.

Dear lord this book gives people with disabilities some bad PR. Maeve is frequently rude to everyone, dismisses other people’s feelings, or cannot stop talking about how horny she is. At one point she blows off a friend to go masturbate in the handicap stall because Cole sexted her. Ummmm..... WHAT!?!?

To say I hated this novel is an understatement, I do not like posting negative reviews but this will most likely be my most hated book of the year.

*I received a copy of this book from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

[georgie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a disaster

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Note: an eARC of this title was acquired via NetGalley.

What to say about This Is Not a Love Scene that isn’t completely negative? I mean, yes, this book is #OwnVoices and, yes, it contains physical disability rep… but not much else. Even though the main character Maeve has moments of self-confidence where she stands up for herself and her worth, she’s still kind of an asshole, the book was super problematic, and I was happy to leave them both behind. (Like, the biggest thing I took away from the story is that I shouldn’t have even finished it.)

First of all, Maeve is self-absorbed. We know hardly anything about her friends (like their interests, their home lives, or even their last names), she eye-rolls anything her parents suggest that will legitimately keep her alive, and S.C. Megale introduces a far-fetched sub-plot because Maeve can’t believe that anyone would actually want to help children with disabilities (that basically resolves with an “oops my bad” from Maeve). She also whines for half the book that no one could even like her like that but is completely oblivious to the feelings a friend has for her. I neither understand how she has one friend—let alone three—nor do I get why they continue to friends with her.

Second, Maeve’s mean. She refers to a character in the book as “Mags’ asshole boyfriend” and then is surprised when her friend gets upset. She gets angry when other characters make light of or otherwise acknowledge how her disability makes her different… but then is also upset when those same people fail to relate to or understand how she encounters the world. (Like, they’re just supposed to know? Tell them!!!) She hates when her physical appearance is used as a qualifier but feels just fine describing side characters by theirs. 🙄

And third, the romance is just all kinds of no thank you. We’re supposed to feel as hot and bothered for Maeve’s love interest, Cole, as much as she does, but he’s not even that great of a guy. He doesn’t really acknowledge Maeve outside of the late-night texts they share, he sends her dick pics and then ghosts for about a week, and he strings her along and then is like “I can’t do this” after weeks of maybe-kind-of-but-not-really seeing one another… and Maeve continues to lust after him. Cole is obviously using Maeve’s desire to his advantage, but I also didn’t really like Maeve all that much either so… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I just… I wanted to like this book so much, and instead I got a mish-mash of nope with ew why and please don’t. (I want y’all to know that there is even more problematic bullshit I didn’t mention.)

PS. what is with the goddamn emoticons?! Does anyone still even use :) or :P in texts anymore??

[(Love, Stars and Books) · Rating 1 out of 5]

(I received a free eARC from NetGalley & the publisher for a voluntary and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own)

This is not a love scene by S. C. Megale

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: 1/5 stars

(Review)

(DISCLAIMER: All thoughts and opinions are my own.)


Maeve has a muscular dystrophy and it stands in the way of her romance, she has her friends and passion for filmmaking to distract her from rejection, and the hot older guy starring in her senior class class project.

I am really thankful that the publisher contacted me to offer me to review this book, but this has not impacted my review in any way.

I originally wanted to give this book a 2 star because I thought that although the story was predictable, it was okay, but as I transferred the notes from my kindle to my notebook, I found that I actually really didn’t like this story at all and that this story was pretty problematic for me.

I honestly didn’t empathize or feel bad for Maeve because she was so self absorbed. I expected that she would empathize with others who are disabled, but she feels uncomfortable with them, and not only that, she also rolls her eyes at a disabled charity (who are doing good) and thinks they’re pathetic, also, she doesn’t want to be associated with them.

I get that Maeve was supposed to be brought across as a person who didn’t let her disability stand in her way, but pulling down the others just felt kinda low. She also has a crush on Cole and frankly, it’s obvious that he wasn’t into her and was just looking for a good time.

The biggest turn off for me was Maeve’s inferiority complex towards other who are disabled and it irked me a lot. It made her come off as REALLY stand off-ish and it made me dislike her A LOT.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an eARC from Wednesday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. And boy howdy, is this going to be an honest review. It can be read here: http://twincitiesgeek.com/2019/05/thi...

[Emily Leyland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, this book. I have some major issues with the story, but I can see what the author was going for, despite the less than perfect presentation. Maeve has muscular dystrophy and is confined to a motorized wheelchair for life. She tries to maintain her independence as much as possible, and I empathize with her situation - I can't imagine how trapped you must feel living like that. However, Maeve is...kind of the worst.

Maeve has very little respect for herself, which I understand for someone who is starting to explore her sexuality on a base level, but she craves male attention seemingly for the sake of it. She got a kick out of making men - older and otherwise - look at her in a sexual light when she had no intention of reciprocating those feelings. She would send them flirty messages and touch them in a way that made it seem like she was interested. It was pretty icky.

She's also presented as incredibly sexist. She prefers the attention and help of men over women and always compares how the two interactions would play out:

"IF SHE WERE A GUY: 'Yes, sir. Can you overnight express me to your bed by any chance?'
BECAUSE SHE'S NOT: 'I can do it myself, thanks.' She nodded and walked off. I can never tell how standoffish I sound. But it's her fault for not being a guy, right?"

Oof, this is problematic. I'm all for being guy crazy, but that doesn't mean you have to shaft all women - especially those who are trying to help you. It doesn't seem to be because she doesn't want the help in general, which I'm more inclined to understand, but solely due to the gender of the person doing the offering.

Speaking of help, there were a lot of times when Maeve needed it. Instead, she tries to handle everything on her own, which only made things more complicated and ultimately led to her hospitalization . I wish Maeve's parents had been more involved in her life. Sure, they take care of her, but they also drop her off at random locations at any hour of the day or night and drive off until she texts that she's ready to go. They ask very few questions about what she's doing, or who she's with. It was baffling. As someone without any medical limitations, my parents would have been up my butt with this behavior. I'm sure there's a hard balance to find when you have a child in a wheelchair, but Maeve was seemingly able to do whatever she wanted at any time, Again, it's baffling.

And then there's Cole Stone, ostensibly Maeve's love interest - he barely registers as a character. Cole would appear, Maeve would describe without any detail - other than "large" - how sexy he was, he would act completely uncomfortable, and then he'd speed away in his janky car. Oh, but he's a verbose sexter - and isn't that what we're all truly looking for? Their sexual interactions made me cringe. I could relate on some level to those first bumbling encounters where you're excited that ANYONE is showing interest, but Maeve never seemed to have a second of doubt or self-preservation. I wish she had wanted more for herself. She settled for the first person to show her any sort of interest if we can even call it that - it read more as Maeve forcing herself on Cole and him reciprocating for the notch on his bedpost. I'm all for Maeve exploring her sexuality, but I wish it had been with someone who actually expressed real interest and cared about her. And that there had been an iota of character growth by the end of the book. That ending is possibly the worst I've come across. I understand the fury of a cliffhanger or an unsatisfying ending for the greater good, but this was just trash.

Numerous criticisms aside, I was glad to read a story about a character with MD. Besides her physical limitations, Maeve is much like any other teenager. It would have been much more effective if she was a somewhat likable character. Having a disability shouldn't mean you can treat people however you want, and Maeve does exactly that. Her quest for normalcy is understandable but naive. Normal doesn't exist. I hope this book resonates with others because it fell quite flat for me. I wish that wasn't the case, but such is reading.

[TEMI · Rating 4 out of 5]

How did I say that someone choosing to lean their weight on the metal that dehumanizes it? That by not asking my permission, just doing it, showed unquestioning acceptance? Maybe even intimacy?

characters: 4/5
pacing: 2/4
actual substance of the story: 4/5
romance and/or significant friendships: 4/5
the writing: 3.5/4
creativity: 2/2

- 0.5 points because of one stupid line (yeah, I'm mad about it)

19/25 | 3.8 STARS

Maeve, a sardonic, blunt, and outgoing character, is a filmmaker. She happens to have muscular dystrophy which requires her to use a wheelchair. When she meets Cole Stone, an actor her and her friends are using in one of their film projects, she loves the way he undoes the dehumanizing society does to her. Plus, she thinks he's hot.

I love Maeve as a character and I'd like to defend her. I've seen tons of reviews saying she's terrible to her friends, and that definitely isn't true. People have also said that she says she wants to be treated like everyone else, but then she turns around and wants to be treated differently because of her condition. That also isn't true at all.

I think too many of the people reviewing this are middle-aged people who just don't understand her sense of humor. Whenever one of her friends gives her a playful shove, she says it's "abuse of the disabled." That's a joke. And one of her best friends Mags is dating someone who constantly verbally harasses her, but she still has the heart to be supportive of Mags' relationship. And when she's taking advantage of the lenience people give her because of her disability, she isn't harming anyone at all. You may find it crappy to do, but she's just a teenager and exploits society when she wants because why not?

For example, she has one class that she finds extremely boring so she asks to go to the bathroom and brings Mags to "help" her. Her teachers have the mentality that she can take as much time as needed to pee, so she's playing the system just so she can talk with her friend for an hour. She isn't hurting affecting anyone but herself; she's simply just missing whatever is being taught in class.

People might also say that Maeve is awful to her friends because after one of them told her that he liked her, she told him to give her some time to process it. She clearly didn't have the same feelings as KC and you people are being hella hypocritical when you think women should be able to reject people and make their own decisions, but the second you think two people belong together, you think the girl is being the rude one. There's also another instance of Maeve being a "trashy friend," but I don't want to get into spoilers so I'll just say, THAT WASN'T HER FAULT AT A L L.

And let me tell you, I hate Cole Stone. I hate how Maeve likes him so much. I hate how boring he was. I hate how Maeve acted like he was a celebrity and called him Cole Stone, rather than just Cole. And I hate hate hated that ending. But I believe that Maeve should be able to choose what she wants to do and who she wants to be with.

End of that rant.

I also loved the humor in this.

François shook a victory shake, and even though he was the whitest dog ever, I heard Martin Luther King Jr.'s voice narrating it like a civil rights speech. Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, free at last!

There was a few relatively emotional moments for me in this book. I'll be honest and say that I teared up a bit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Only things I didn't like: 1) This book is written in an awkward past tense that makes it seem like Maeve is telling us a story at times, and I wasn't a fan of that. 2) There's a part where Maeve texted Mags something along the lines of, males are so difficult, I wish I were a lesbian, and that didn't sit well with me. I kind of just went, oh, shut up, in my head. I don't know.

But I pretty much loved this book!

I received an ARC of this from St. Martin's Press through Netgalley.

[Lootz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book free from a Goodreads giveaway.

I wanted to like this book, but it was just not for me. It felt like I was dropped into the middle of a story and then it ended abruptly so for me it was incomplete. I'm not quite sure how to describe it but I just needed more back story on this friend group or something. It really frustrated me and made it difficult to get into the story. Then, when I finally felt like the story was really going somewhere, it ended too soon. I think the bones of a good novel are here, but it needs more work.

Possible Spoilers


The story line with the charity went nowhere and kinda came out of nowhere. I still don't understand why the woman stole her dog or why she stalked Maeve and took her picture and then lied about it. I also agree with a previous reviewer, that Maeve was not a likable character. I'm not saying she had to be sweet and accommodating of everyone, but it needed maybe some background to explain why she was such a jerk sometimes.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read early for an honest review.

What I liked - I really liked Maeve's friends - Megs, Elliot, and KC. I loved their friendship dynamic and I wanted to learn more about KC's situation and his outcome.

What I didn't like - Her relationship with Cole made me feel really uncomfortable... which may have been the point? But not something I look for in a romance.