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Cupid Calling
Ejiro Odavwaro wants to fall in love. Obiora Anozie wants a free vacation. Both hope they’ll find what they want on the upcoming reality dating show Cupid Calling, where they’ll be competing alongside twenty-eight other bachelors for the heart of one bachelorette.
The very last thing they expect is to fall for each other.
The very last thing they expect is to fall for each other.
437 pages, ebook
First published October 25, 2022
49 people are currently reading
2107 people want to read
About the author
Viano Oniomoh
12 books489 followersViano Oniomoh is a passionate reader and writer, who was born and raised in Nigeria. She spends fifty percent of her time writing, forty percent reading, and the other ten listening to BTS. She may or may not use magic to get everything else in her life done. She also has no idea how to write about herself in the third person.
Find more about her at vianooniomoh.com
You can also connect with her on social media:
Viano Oniomoh on Facebook
@vianoniomoh on Twitter
and @vianoniomoh on Instagram.
Find more about her at vianooniomoh.com
You can also connect with her on social media:
Viano Oniomoh on Facebook
@vianoniomoh on Twitter
and @vianoniomoh on Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
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November 1, 2022A m/m contemporary set in a UK Bachelor-type dating show. Obiora is a second generation Nigerian Brit, proudly bisexual, still struggling to see a way forward after the devastating death of the woman he loved years ago. Ejiro is a recent immigrant whose abusively controlling and homophobic mother is trying to make him return to Nigeria. Ejiro considers himself straight in a not-thinking-about-it way but turns out to be demisexual and biromantic, both things he needs to come to terms with as he falls for Obiora.
That’s a lot of backstory angst. However, the actual romance is almost completely angst-free. There’s a looooong slow burn with lots of pining in the first half (if you like pining you will be in heaven because this is Pine Forest), and then lots of mutual adoration and endearments when they get together. There’s basically no internal conflict—Obiora is very patient with Ejiro’s need to take his time before a sexual relationship, Ejiro understands Obiora’s bereavement, and they are both immensely kind to each other.
I have to say, I found it a bit rose-tinted, in large part because of the implausibly nice British setting which seems frankly a bit too optimistic about this goddamn country's racism and homophobia and xenophobia. It's very much how things ought to be, but that just kind of made me think about how they are. It's possible I've been reading too much news for my own good.
The world of the book is a super positive one. Ejiro’s mother is awful, but she’s a long way away, and the actual environment they live in, both on and off TV, is super queer friendly, such that they both feel safe with coming out on TV and with public PDAs. Ejiro lives really quite well on the salary of an assistant chef in his uncle’s restaurant, and Obiora can afford lavish balloon rides as a personal trainer, and being wildly visible contestants on a popular reality show talked about on social media has no downsides. Basically, it's *extremely* soft and sweet and gentle to its leads. I would have liked a bit more tonal variation in the second half even with that, but if what you want is a long wallow and total escape, this will float your boat perfectly.
That’s a lot of backstory angst. However, the actual romance is almost completely angst-free. There’s a looooong slow burn with lots of pining in the first half (if you like pining you will be in heaven because this is Pine Forest), and then lots of mutual adoration and endearments when they get together. There’s basically no internal conflict—Obiora is very patient with Ejiro’s need to take his time before a sexual relationship, Ejiro understands Obiora’s bereavement, and they are both immensely kind to each other.
I have to say, I found it a bit rose-tinted, in large part because of the implausibly nice British setting which seems frankly a bit too optimistic about this goddamn country's racism and homophobia and xenophobia. It's very much how things ought to be, but that just kind of made me think about how they are. It's possible I've been reading too much news for my own good.
The world of the book is a super positive one. Ejiro’s mother is awful, but she’s a long way away, and the actual environment they live in, both on and off TV, is super queer friendly, such that they both feel safe with coming out on TV and with public PDAs. Ejiro lives really quite well on the salary of an assistant chef in his uncle’s restaurant, and Obiora can afford lavish balloon rides as a personal trainer, and being wildly visible contestants on a popular reality show talked about on social media has no downsides. Basically, it's *extremely* soft and sweet and gentle to its leads. I would have liked a bit more tonal variation in the second half even with that, but if what you want is a long wallow and total escape, this will float your boat perfectly.
January 2, 2024
This was such a sweet story! 2 Nigerian guys, British-Nigerian actually (Obiora and Ejiro) participate in a dating reality show ,Bachelorette, to win the heart of a beautiful woman. Set in a pretty unrealistically-painted UK with some OTT moments the show is however fun and almost every character in the book is a nice person (homophobic Hunter and Ejiro’s mother being the exceptions). Obiora is an out and proud bisexual who still mourns the loss of his beloved girlfriend 5 years prior and Ejiro is a shy sweet guy who thinks himself straight but who,during the show discovers that he’s demisexual and biromantic.
I loved the first part of the book , I loved the pining and the guys getting to know each other , I liked the show-related details and the sexuality and consent topics. And then they got together and everything became blushes, and tears and trembling and 100 on-page I love yous, and …OMG, they acted like Victorian maids. It was toooo much crying and sobbing and looking into each other eyes and declarations after declarations. I just wanted it to be over. So of you like sappy,cheesy and tooth-rotting sweet romances this is the book for you. The writing is ok and overall is a good book , I enjoyed it.
*******SPOILER********
* Of course the bachelorette chose the richest guy of all the men there. After all ,her dream was to see the world . And what better way than on the arm of a Duke’s grandson 🤣🤣 . Well, I was glad it was Jin, I liked him from the start. Though I kind of liked Chris Wu too.
I loved the first part of the book , I loved the pining and the guys getting to know each other , I liked the show-related details and the sexuality and consent topics. And then they got together and everything became blushes, and tears and trembling and 100 on-page I love yous, and …OMG, they acted like Victorian maids. It was toooo much crying and sobbing and looking into each other eyes and declarations after declarations. I just wanted it to be over. So of you like sappy,cheesy and tooth-rotting sweet romances this is the book for you. The writing is ok and overall is a good book , I enjoyed it.
*******SPOILER********
* Of course the bachelorette chose the richest guy of all the men there. After all ,her dream was to see the world . And what better way than on the arm of a Duke’s grandson 🤣🤣 . Well, I was glad it was Jin, I liked him from the start. Though I kind of liked Chris Wu too.
February 14, 2024
An incredibly sweet slow burn romance about two male contestants on a dating show falling in love with each other rather than the bachelorette. Lovers of reality dating shows will eat this up and it has a very fun multimedia format so you can see the commentary of people watching the reality show they're on. So fun, so sweet, a bit longer than it needed to be but I loved this couple and seeing them find their way to each other.
December 20, 2023
Welp, she's done it again. Viano Oniomoh has written yet another 5 star romance with characters I adore. Somehow, even though both of these MC's have real family issues, Ejiro dealing with an abusive mother and Obiora mourning the death of his first love...the tone never got bogged down. I especially appreciated Obiora's grief was handled here, honestly made me think of how I view "dead partner" stories moving forward. The slow burn was executed to absolute perfection and when their friendship dynamic began to take a turn, I was locked in. The chemistry felt so natural to the characters and the sexual tension?? The actual sex scenes?? Perfection. Outside of the romance, I was surprised at how engaged I remained in the reality show plot...like I knew just enough about the other contestants to be somewhat invested and always looked forward to the (really well done!) recaps & social media posts. As a Nigerian Igbo woman, the incorporation of my culture into this book was fantastic and made me feel right at home.
Was it a little idealistic and cheesy with lots of lovey-dovey scenes post-HEA? Yes. Did I eat every single one of these moments up? Also yes. Ultimately, I feel like the real shit™️ Obiora & Ejiro were working through as individual characters kept this book from feeling too fluffy. By the end, I was just so happy for their individual character development/happiness that I wanted to see them getting loved on as much as possible. Also, Obiora was down BAD for Ejiro and I'm a simple girl... give me an outwardly cocky character who is whipped for their love interest, I'll eat it up everytime🤷🏾♀️
After two 5 star books in a row, I am officially committed to reading everything Viano's ever written. I can't wait to see what she has in store for 2024.
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Yeah it’s giving new favorite author… full RTC when I’m done giggling and kicking my feet
Was it a little idealistic and cheesy with lots of lovey-dovey scenes post-HEA? Yes. Did I eat every single one of these moments up? Also yes. Ultimately, I feel like the real shit™️ Obiora & Ejiro were working through as individual characters kept this book from feeling too fluffy. By the end, I was just so happy for their individual character development/happiness that I wanted to see them getting loved on as much as possible. Also, Obiora was down BAD for Ejiro and I'm a simple girl... give me an outwardly cocky character who is whipped for their love interest, I'll eat it up everytime🤷🏾♀️
After two 5 star books in a row, I am officially committed to reading everything Viano's ever written. I can't wait to see what she has in store for 2024.
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Yeah it’s giving new favorite author… full RTC when I’m done giggling and kicking my feet
October 31, 2022
Me after reading only the first few pages: oh, so this is going to be a 5 star read then?
Really, I was immediately so invested and so ENTERTAINED. This is truly a top tier romance book, it was SO freaking cute.
First of all, the dating show setting was done so well. I loved how developed and detailed it was, and how much we were actually taken through all of the episodes. Especially the episode summaries were a really fun format to achieve that, and seeing the comments was so fun (plus I loved all the nods to BTS in the usernames!).
But the star of the book were the characters and their romance. I absolutely loved seeing them go from annoyance to slowly opening up to each other, to eventually falling in love (and falling HARD). Particularly Ejiro was really special to me, being such an introvert and figuring out his sexuality over the course of the book. I just wanted to give him a huge hug, if he would welcome one.
Really, I was immediately so invested and so ENTERTAINED. This is truly a top tier romance book, it was SO freaking cute.
First of all, the dating show setting was done so well. I loved how developed and detailed it was, and how much we were actually taken through all of the episodes. Especially the episode summaries were a really fun format to achieve that, and seeing the comments was so fun (plus I loved all the nods to BTS in the usernames!).
But the star of the book were the characters and their romance. I absolutely loved seeing them go from annoyance to slowly opening up to each other, to eventually falling in love (and falling HARD). Particularly Ejiro was really special to me, being such an introvert and figuring out his sexuality over the course of the book. I just wanted to give him a huge hug, if he would welcome one.
February 4, 2024
I finished this one ages ago but somehow never got around to reviewing it 😫😭 One day when I reread it, I’ll have to come back and write a real review. Suffice to say for now, I loved it, LOVED it! The demi rep REALLY hit home in a multitude of ways and I found myself tearing up for my younger self wishing I’d have had books like this to help me figure it out.
As I said, I will definitely revisit Calling Cupid; it’s a perfect comfort read for me.
August 25, 2024
cute queer romances saving my life since 2020!! obiora is so fucking whipped for ejiro (like hello?? saving him as 'loml' on his phone??? ok simp (affectionate)) and their romance was the perfect amount of slowburn. like i was giggling & kicking my feet and shit. straight romances will literally NEVER make me feel that way and that's just facts, baby, cheers!!
January 16, 2024
3*
It got too mushy (even for me) by the end, but the slow burn/pining/yearning worked for me!
It got too mushy (even for me) by the end, but the slow burn/pining/yearning worked for me!
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April 7, 2024I'm sorry, but that's going to be a DNF as I don't feel like I want to read yet another book where an adult character discovers his sexuality and ponders about it all the time and that pondering takes most of the book.
This book is already so long and I keep mixing the characters (but maybe that's my fault as I've been reading the book on-and-off for about, I want to say 6 months? Maybe more?) and I'm sad to say I do not really care.
This book is already so long and I keep mixing the characters (but maybe that's my fault as I've been reading the book on-and-off for about, I want to say 6 months? Maybe more?) and I'm sad to say I do not really care.
February 27, 2024
By the time I finish this, I have read 438 books in my life-time but nothing quite compares to this one. Everything about this story was perfect from the slow-burn process to sexual attraction to a full blown crush to sensual attraction to the slow Demi-sexual awareness to the description of consent voilation on different counts(not by the main characters) to their romance in full blown passion. I am very much in awe of this author because her talents bleeds through all this pages from the beginning to the end and if there’s one thing that will peak my interest more than a well written love story, it is TALENT
Ejiro and Obiora had feelings of love towards each other way before anything was concrete between them and no once did I doubt that love… if another love story was written with this timeline, I’d probably think too soon? But with them? It’s natural. When you’ve indeed found your person… and for Ejiro to have two incredible loves in his lifetime? Absolutely beautiful.
Their physical intimacy was off the charts. Tears stinging your eyes passionately adorable + the appreciation of Nigerian culture? Through foods and mannerisms? Have I said this is amazing yet?
I would be stuck on this story for a while and I’m so excited to read more from this author.
Lowkey I feel the need to tell her thank you.
Ejiro and Obiora had feelings of love towards each other way before anything was concrete between them and no once did I doubt that love… if another love story was written with this timeline, I’d probably think too soon? But with them? It’s natural. When you’ve indeed found your person… and for Ejiro to have two incredible loves in his lifetime? Absolutely beautiful.
Their physical intimacy was off the charts. Tears stinging your eyes passionately adorable + the appreciation of Nigerian culture? Through foods and mannerisms? Have I said this is amazing yet?
I would be stuck on this story for a while and I’m so excited to read more from this author.
Lowkey I feel the need to tell her thank you.
September 9, 2023
🥹
This is a slowwwwwwwww burn. Obiora and Ejiro needed time to connect, and we were privy to how friendship turned into more. I was worried that dating game aspect would have caused unnecessary drama for these two, but it was actually the shared experience of figuring what they needed in a relationship. I'm happy Sophia portion resolved nicely and they were honest. The exploration of Ejiro's sexuality on page was really fascinating. One of things that I often see in romance is the person knows they are queer. There's trial and learning and we get to be apart of him finding out what makes sense. He's a tender one. Lots of blushing on his end. I also loved loved grief was handled as ongoing process. Obioro was still trying to honor his time with Ada and fall in love. These two things are important and not mutually exclusive.
I was smiling for 80% of the book minus the crap therapist and manipulative mom portions 😒
CN: homophobia, grief (car accident/death of a partner), strained familial relationships, emotional manipulation (parent and partner)
This is a slowwwwwwwww burn. Obiora and Ejiro needed time to connect, and we were privy to how friendship turned into more. I was worried that dating game aspect would have caused unnecessary drama for these two, but it was actually the shared experience of figuring what they needed in a relationship. I'm happy Sophia portion resolved nicely and they were honest. The exploration of Ejiro's sexuality on page was really fascinating. One of things that I often see in romance is the person knows they are queer. There's trial and learning and we get to be apart of him finding out what makes sense. He's a tender one. Lots of blushing on his end. I also loved loved grief was handled as ongoing process. Obioro was still trying to honor his time with Ada and fall in love. These two things are important and not mutually exclusive.
I was smiling for 80% of the book minus the crap therapist and manipulative mom portions 😒
CN: homophobia, grief (car accident/death of a partner), strained familial relationships, emotional manipulation (parent and partner)
March 4, 2024
Well-meaning story, which never quite took flight for me. There was nothing to dislike: the writing was competent, the MCs sympathetic, the McGuffin of the dating show drove the action along.
Maybe the stakes weren't that high, maybe there was a smidgin too much niceness, but I feel mean for not having liked this more.
Maybe the stakes weren't that high, maybe there was a smidgin too much niceness, but I feel mean for not having liked this more.
April 15, 2025
**Most of my reviews contain detailed Content Notes (including CW/TW) sections, which may include spoilers and general tags. I have tried to mark them appropriately, but please use caution.**
3.5/5
Ebook
* Summary: Two men enter a reality dating show a la The Bachelorette while dealing with personal struggles, and find comfort and love in each other, instead of the Bachelorette.
* Stats: CR, M/M, open door, standalone.
* Notes: I struggled with this one and thought quite a lot about DNFing - which made me so sad as Viano Oniomoh is a favourite - I’m glad I didn’t though! To be honest, I’m not a reality TV watcher and have my own, somewhat unkind, opinions about the kinds of people who would agree to be on a reality dating show, so just getting into the concept here was kind of a struggle. Likewise, I found the first half or so of the book so slow. I love Viano Oniomoh and once things got moving later in the book, I did enjoy it, but the start was rough for me. I loved Obiora’s family and how loving and supportive they were of him (even when they did go astray occasionally) and enjoyed both main characters. I found Ejiro and his struggles with both identifying his sexuality and as an immigrant with a complicated parental relationship very compelling. I liked how Obiora and Ejiro come to understand grief and its place in their relationship. I actually liked that the main relationship is very low angst, sweet, kind and supportive - because the rest of the story had plenty of stuff that I found difficult - I don’t buy the version of England, reality TV or celebrity culture that it’s imagining. It felt a little too glossy and sugarcoated.
Incomplete, but still spoilery, Content Notes
3.5/5
Ebook
* Summary: Two men enter a reality dating show a la The Bachelorette while dealing with personal struggles, and find comfort and love in each other, instead of the Bachelorette.
* Stats: CR, M/M, open door, standalone.
* Notes: I struggled with this one and thought quite a lot about DNFing - which made me so sad as Viano Oniomoh is a favourite - I’m glad I didn’t though! To be honest, I’m not a reality TV watcher and have my own, somewhat unkind, opinions about the kinds of people who would agree to be on a reality dating show, so just getting into the concept here was kind of a struggle. Likewise, I found the first half or so of the book so slow. I love Viano Oniomoh and once things got moving later in the book, I did enjoy it, but the start was rough for me. I loved Obiora’s family and how loving and supportive they were of him (even when they did go astray occasionally) and enjoyed both main characters. I found Ejiro and his struggles with both identifying his sexuality and as an immigrant with a complicated parental relationship very compelling. I liked how Obiora and Ejiro come to understand grief and its place in their relationship. I actually liked that the main relationship is very low angst, sweet, kind and supportive - because the rest of the story had plenty of stuff that I found difficult - I don’t buy the version of England, reality TV or celebrity culture that it’s imagining. It felt a little too glossy and sugarcoated.
Incomplete, but still spoilery, Content Notes
March 31, 2024
I cannot resist a romance set in a dating show. The drama! The gossip! The betrayal! It’s too good.
December 18, 2022
Ok I reallyyyy loved this book I love me some reality shows (although the bachelor isn't actually one that i watch) and this premise was great! Obiora and Ejiro were so sweet together! And I love how consent was discussed and treated in this.
The way the relationship progressed between these two...*swoons* I jus been reccing this to everyone as a sweet read!
The way the relationship progressed between these two...*swoons* I jus been reccing this to everyone as a sweet read!
January 14, 2023
Books review;
Short description: Two guys goes on a reality dating show like the Bachelorette. But they end up falling for each instead of the Bachelorette.
I really adore this book and the character. It was do much more cute than I thought it would be. It isn't spicy but there is so many cute moments.. moments that just give you butterflies in your stomach. I love how different the writing style was.. you don't just get the view from both MC but you also get the view from people watching the show. the author is Nigerian so I also could relate a lot to the expectations african parents have to their children. The dynamic between the family members was so relatable for me who also grew up with african parents.
Stars: 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
🦋Butterflies: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Favorite quote:
"Obiora laughed lightly. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m just curious.” That seemed to be an understatement. The look in Obiora’s eyes was hungry; if curiosity were rain, then Obiora was a thunderstorm."
🙄 Genre:
🥘 Romance
🥘 Contemporary
🤫Trope:
🥊 Slow burner
🥊 Rival to friends to lover
⚠️Trigger/ Content Warning⚠️:
🎥 Emotional abused
😲 Representation:
🖌 Ethnicity; Black; African; Nigerian
🖌 LBGTQ+ ; Demisexual, Biromantic & Bisexual
➕Recommendation:
Yes.. freaking hell.. still processing how fucking cute this was.. I'm gonna reread this a million time I just know it. I freaking loved so much about this. It may have been a bit too lovely dovely. So be aware if you wanna pick it up.. because otherwise it will be the same as wanting a steak but eating a cupcake.. you wouldn't enjoy it as much.
E & O will forever have my heart. 😭
Pick it up if you want a cute romance.. then this is definitely for you.. the slow burner and pining is EVERYTHING.
Short description: Two guys goes on a reality dating show like the Bachelorette. But they end up falling for each instead of the Bachelorette.
I really adore this book and the character. It was do much more cute than I thought it would be. It isn't spicy but there is so many cute moments.. moments that just give you butterflies in your stomach. I love how different the writing style was.. you don't just get the view from both MC but you also get the view from people watching the show. the author is Nigerian so I also could relate a lot to the expectations african parents have to their children. The dynamic between the family members was so relatable for me who also grew up with african parents.
Stars: 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
🦋Butterflies: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Favorite quote:
"Obiora laughed lightly. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m just curious.” That seemed to be an understatement. The look in Obiora’s eyes was hungry; if curiosity were rain, then Obiora was a thunderstorm."
🙄 Genre:
🥘 Romance
🥘 Contemporary
🤫Trope:
🥊 Slow burner
🥊 Rival to friends to lover
⚠️Trigger/ Content Warning⚠️:
🎥 Emotional abused
😲 Representation:
🖌 Ethnicity; Black; African; Nigerian
🖌 LBGTQ+ ; Demisexual, Biromantic & Bisexual
➕Recommendation:
Yes.. freaking hell.. still processing how fucking cute this was.. I'm gonna reread this a million time I just know it. I freaking loved so much about this. It may have been a bit too lovely dovely. So be aware if you wanna pick it up.. because otherwise it will be the same as wanting a steak but eating a cupcake.. you wouldn't enjoy it as much.
E & O will forever have my heart. 😭
Pick it up if you want a cute romance.. then this is definitely for you.. the slow burner and pining is EVERYTHING.
October 28, 2022
3.5
The first 50% was a solid 4 star read for me, but it lost me a bit in the back half. If you like really swoony dialog, you might feel differently though! It just isn't my preference in romance.
What I liked:
- The pining! A+! Honestly, this is how you write two characters who are falling for each other!
- The demi rep! The conversations about sexuality were amazing. People should read this book just for that
- The discussion around consent! Loved it!
- The family dynamics
- The two mains while they were filming the show
- The spice!
What didn't work for me:
- The back half of the story got overly swoony. I've never heard two people call each other baby so much, and it just kind of makes me want to barf.
- The characters post reality show felt like they were almost different people. I really missed the pining when it was gone.
- I wish the last half would have been edited down a bit. I think there was just some unnecessary filler in there.
- Some of the conversations didn't feel natural.
Overall I think this is a good book! I honestly think if you don't have an aversion to ultra-swoony romance like me, you would probably LOVE this!
The first 50% was a solid 4 star read for me, but it lost me a bit in the back half. If you like really swoony dialog, you might feel differently though! It just isn't my preference in romance.
What I liked:
- The pining! A+! Honestly, this is how you write two characters who are falling for each other!
- The demi rep! The conversations about sexuality were amazing. People should read this book just for that
- The discussion around consent! Loved it!
- The family dynamics
- The two mains while they were filming the show
- The spice!
What didn't work for me:
- The back half of the story got overly swoony. I've never heard two people call each other baby so much, and it just kind of makes me want to barf.
- The characters post reality show felt like they were almost different people. I really missed the pining when it was gone.
- I wish the last half would have been edited down a bit. I think there was just some unnecessary filler in there.
- Some of the conversations didn't feel natural.
Overall I think this is a good book! I honestly think if you don't have an aversion to ultra-swoony romance like me, you would probably LOVE this!
June 12, 2024
I wasn't extremely fond of the writing but I ignored it because The Representation. It's a very lovely slow-burn; the part where the attraction is palpable but they're denying it was very well written. Also, "biromantic demisexual". Try saying THAT ten times.
(sidenote: I think this might be my first Queer Nigerian book?? wow)
(sidenote: I think this might be my first Queer Nigerian book?? wow)
February 14, 2023
Very Cute
I enjoyed this book! It was such a unique storyline. It was a lot of fun to read. At times the plot moves pretty slow, but overall it was a great story.
I enjoyed this book! It was such a unique storyline. It was a lot of fun to read. At times the plot moves pretty slow, but overall it was a great story.
November 25, 2023
OH. MY. GOD! ❤️❤️😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😭😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😭😭😭😭😭😭
July 13, 2024
2024 is not over yet but I can already say with confidence that this is my favourite read of the year.
August 25, 2023
Aww, this was very cute!
I loved the MCs - they both really worked as characters and their personalities and backstories worked in juxtaposition to each other without losing specificity. The way the relationship built over the course of the book was done really well imo, including after the show was over. I was concerned there would be some contrived drama over the reality show (or family or whatever) - but there really wasn’t.
This was probably the best fake reality competition/dating show I’ve read. I appreciated that the bachelorette and producer were written as savvy but not cruel, and kind but not cheesy - I don’t hugely love the more cynical reality show portrayals bc why would these contestants be sticking around in such a toxic environment? I would just walk! But I was never wondering that - the environment was pretty positive without being ridiculous, which was refreshing to see. And even when the MCs had complex motivations for continuing to participate, it felt realistic but never dark. …And I never confused any of the other contestants which is frankly a feat given how many there were.
I loved the friendly competitiveness, especially between the two MCs but also between the contestants and the bachelorette herself - I think it’s hard to realistically write people being competitive in a non-toxic way, or at least I often see it written unrealistically. Here, as a competitive person I felt seen lol.
Some minor quibbles - as usual there was a bit too much “HEA on screen” for me at the end but ymmv, and there were some word choices/errors that were a bit glaring but this was self-published and I enjoyed the rest of the writing (the news/social media excerpts - fantastic!) so I wasn’t hugely bothered by them.
I loved the MCs - they both really worked as characters and their personalities and backstories worked in juxtaposition to each other without losing specificity. The way the relationship built over the course of the book was done really well imo, including after the show was over. I was concerned there would be some contrived drama over the reality show (or family or whatever) - but there really wasn’t.
This was probably the best fake reality competition/dating show I’ve read. I appreciated that the bachelorette and producer were written as savvy but not cruel, and kind but not cheesy - I don’t hugely love the more cynical reality show portrayals bc why would these contestants be sticking around in such a toxic environment? I would just walk! But I was never wondering that - the environment was pretty positive without being ridiculous, which was refreshing to see. And even when the MCs had complex motivations for continuing to participate, it felt realistic but never dark. …And I never confused any of the other contestants which is frankly a feat given how many there were.
I loved the friendly competitiveness, especially between the two MCs but also between the contestants and the bachelorette herself - I think it’s hard to realistically write people being competitive in a non-toxic way, or at least I often see it written unrealistically. Here, as a competitive person I felt seen lol.
Some minor quibbles - as usual there was a bit too much “HEA on screen” for me at the end but ymmv, and there were some word choices/errors that were a bit glaring but this was self-published and I enjoyed the rest of the writing (the news/social media excerpts - fantastic!) so I wasn’t hugely bothered by them.
September 8, 2024
Content warnings: death of a loved one (in the past), homophobia, shitty parenting, toxic relationship (in the past), grief, emotional abuse
Well this was a fucking DELIGHT. I do have to admit that I didn't quite understand why the entire world was going feral for the idea of this particular director doing a very stock standard reality show. Like, the show the two protagonists are participating in is really just The Bachelorette but more diverse and with more contestants. There's genuinely nothing special or unique about the premise other than that this director is involved. And I don't REALLY see the world going feral for such a generic concept purely because a particular director is at the helm.
ANYWAY. That being said, I adored this. I loved Ejiro and his journey of self discovery a LOT. I loved Obiora and *his* journey to move past his grief. I loved the setting and the side characters and the reactions from the public thrown in at the end of each "episode" of the show.
This definitely dealt with some darker topics than I expected it to, but I had a truly lovely time with it and I hugged my Kindle at the end of the book so you KNOW it was good.
Well this was a fucking DELIGHT. I do have to admit that I didn't quite understand why the entire world was going feral for the idea of this particular director doing a very stock standard reality show. Like, the show the two protagonists are participating in is really just The Bachelorette but more diverse and with more contestants. There's genuinely nothing special or unique about the premise other than that this director is involved. And I don't REALLY see the world going feral for such a generic concept purely because a particular director is at the helm.
ANYWAY. That being said, I adored this. I loved Ejiro and his journey of self discovery a LOT. I loved Obiora and *his* journey to move past his grief. I loved the setting and the side characters and the reactions from the public thrown in at the end of each "episode" of the show.
This definitely dealt with some darker topics than I expected it to, but I had a truly lovely time with it and I hugged my Kindle at the end of the book so you KNOW it was good.
April 16, 2023
3.75
I really enjoyed the first half and all the pining, but the second half was almost too low on angst/tension/conflict for me so it felt a bit too long? It's not necessarily a bad thing and the character work is great which is the most important thing in a romance imo, but yeah the second half held my attention a little less than the beginning. The demisexual rep was fantastic though! Like some of Ejiro's thoughts about his previous relationship and how he couldn't possibly be ace because he had sex were extremely relatable to me, I really loved that part.
I really enjoyed the first half and all the pining, but the second half was almost too low on angst/tension/conflict for me so it felt a bit too long? It's not necessarily a bad thing and the character work is great which is the most important thing in a romance imo, but yeah the second half held my attention a little less than the beginning. The demisexual rep was fantastic though! Like some of Ejiro's thoughts about his previous relationship and how he couldn't possibly be ace because he had sex were extremely relatable to me, I really loved that part.
March 16, 2024
Further proof why I would hate to be on any kind of reality tv/dating show.
May 20, 2024
3.5
Première partie très cool, j'ai beaucoup aimé les passages pendant la tvr mais une fois à l'extérieur de l'émission ça traine un peu en longueur pour rien
Première partie très cool, j'ai beaucoup aimé les passages pendant la tvr mais une fois à l'extérieur de l'émission ça traine un peu en longueur pour rien
January 5, 2025
Endless love story.
More places, people, side plots
than necessary.
2.5 rounded up
More places, people, side plots
than necessary.
2.5 rounded up
December 22, 2024
This was sweet and really nice
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