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Holiday Read
The ultimate sexy and escapist rom com for book and beach lovers. Will delight fans of Emily Henry and Josie Silver. When romance-fanatic Candice meets writer Alexis, she thinks her happy ending is finally on its way. He walks into her struggling Cornish surf school, and they hit it off straight away. Until she discovers that Alexis has been using their courtship as inspiration for the romantic novel he's struggling to write. When Alexis offers to bring her in on the deal if Candice helps him deliver a winning book to his publisher, she accepts, and along with Alexis' agent Daniel, they embark on a very unusual summer of love, as Candice tries to teach the men the recipe for a successful romance. But you can't have a great love story, without a great romantic hero. Will Candice find hers before the summer is over?
432 pages, Paperback
Published July 4, 2023
64 people are currently reading
516 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 264 reviews
December 16, 2022
I just tried so hard to enjoy this book and I couldn’t connect with each of the main characters. The familiarities with Beach Read was obvious and it felt like this is unlikable execution of the similar plot line.
The hero is exploiting the success of romance novels without showing enough respect to the genre. It seems like only thing is important for me to get paid handsomely and do everything he can to achieve his plan including using heartbroken woman as a muse to bring him more commercial success!
Even the cover resembles “Beach Read” so I decided to stay with the original concept and doing something I really don’t like by choosing my dnf option!
I wish I enjoyed this read a little more!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria&Aries for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
The hero is exploiting the success of romance novels without showing enough respect to the genre. It seems like only thing is important for me to get paid handsomely and do everything he can to achieve his plan including using heartbroken woman as a muse to bring him more commercial success!
Even the cover resembles “Beach Read” so I decided to stay with the original concept and doing something I really don’t like by choosing my dnf option!
I wish I enjoyed this read a little more!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria&Aries for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
November 15, 2022
CW: consent issues
In this story, a struggling surf instructor trying for a fresh start in a UK surfing town meets Alexis, an author who's a bit stuck on his current project--a romance novel. As their relationship unfolds, it comes to light that Alexis has been using Candice as inspiration for his writing, and then Candace decides to help him with the book.
Conceptually, this book has an interesting premise. The writing is also textured and distinct, with unique characters and dilemmas that pull you in.
But I don’t think this book is quite hitting the emotional cues it’s meaning to.
While miscommunications and social cue mistakes are totally okay (especially in an autistic or autistically coded character, as Alexis appears to be), being autistic is not an excuse to take advantage of someone, and readers in the romance genre do not want to be second-hand victimized by the male lead.
Alexis asks her to come over again after she’s refused the night before and expressed a desire to keep the relationship simple and work-focused. When she relents, he offers her alcohol upon her arrival, and as the day progresses, Candice becomes totally inebriated. And then Alexis kisses her without clear consent and takes things further. (It doesn’t matter if she’s somehow impulsively interested, as little sense as that makes given the character development leading up to this point. She’s not of clear mind and cannot give full consent, even if she had voiced it--which she did not.) At that point, they’re interrupted and she finds the notebook and what he’s really writing about. Despite them brainstorming for a separate story idea throughout the day, this notebook has notes including details about Candace, going into objectifying commentary about her body. Candace is understandably shaken and disgusted. Alexis claims the notes were only for him, that he messed up, etc.
It doesn't matter if the notes were only for him. He's a creep for ogling her body AND for writing it down AND for lying about it AND for using her AND for disregarding her clear "no" the day before and continuing to ask/try to finagle an opportunity to get with her AND for getting physical with her while she's intoxicated.
This is not a light buzz. The narrative describes Candace as having trouble walking, at this point. This is deeply, deeply disturbing. It's not something that women readers want to see in a romance novel. It's something some of us have been through and feel traumatized by. The male lead should be the person who INTERVENES and keeps things like that from happening. He should be the person holding other men accountable and respecting her decisions. Male leads can be flawed, they can misunderstand, but in a romance novel, I would argue that they can't have a solid arc where they learn how to not behave predatorially after making choices in that manner. That's a very, very different type of story, and one that should be undertaken quite cautiously and with lots of input from sensitivity readers.
As a reader a third into the book, I don’t think Alexis fully understands why using someone else in this way is not acceptable (because if he does, then that’s even worse), and I don’t know that I want Candace to be the way he learns better. I want better for her, especially after her traumatic past. Lots of women have been there, in the "Oh, you didn't mean to pressure me/make me feel unsafe/make me uncomfortable and now you feel bad? Well, let me just help you learn to navigate these social dynamics better" role, and it often just leads to being on the receiving end of continued creepy behavior. That's not romantic. That's stressful. That's crying into your hands late at night, feeling like a terrible person because you're not sure if your friend/work mate/class peer/etc. is TRYING to make you feel scared when they continually make comments that are off-color despite prior conversations asking them to be more respectful. That's struggling to function as they continually disrespecting boundaries you've set just a little bit at a time, until the boundary is far, far behind you. That's not Emily Henry. That's not sunny, cute, cartoon beach scenes.
If I'd read the first third of this book without the cover or marketing material, I'd have thought this story is a literary fiction novel about a dysfunctional man and a traumatized woman colliding into a potentially dark and gruesome situation. But it's trying to be a romance, and it's not working.
I also don’t understand why Candace is attracted to Alexis much at all. He has two fleetingly positive moments with her amidst a myriad of her cringing at his pretension and lack of regard for others. It’s like the story decided it was time for her to like him because he finally expressed desire more overtly, and the expectation that she would just return that immediately is…not realistic. Also, it seems out of sync with the baggage she's walked away from her last relationship with. You know, the one where she was always the giver and never the receiver. The one where she was constantly taken for granted and manipulated. If Alexis is supposed to be the male lead, we need to see DIFFERENCES between how he treats her and how her ex did. We need to see him RESPECT HER AGENCY. His behavior is doubly uncomfortable because of the clear socioeconomic gap between them. He's paying her for lessons, and she's living out of her van.
He can BE weird. He can BE uncomfortable. He can fail to notice when he’s inconveniencing people!! He can be self-absorbed! But he doesn't have to disrespect her "no" or make moves while she's intoxicated. And the reader can discover his endearing and wonderful traits along with more of his vulnerability as Candace does. That connection has to build more organically than it has. He can still be awkward. But show us more of his simple, authentic reactions to things like surfing or getting his foot stung.
I absolutely adore neurodivergent rep in romance. It makes me feel seen and understood. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are just a handful of things in this first third that make the book not a romance novel.
He absolutely cannot tread lines of grey/no consent or outright disregard for her wishes (and neither can she, for that matter. Consent goes both ways). Because then, that makes this a nightmare, rather than a romance (as it is marketed). Right now, he’s acting as though he thinks he can just keep trying to convince her into whatever he wants (a relationship? Just something casual? We have no clue), and it’s not romantic.
No means no. Full. Stop. “I want to keep this simple” should be read by him as “I want to keep this simple” until she directly says otherwise. That is not an invitation to ask again the next day. If he's misunderstood what she meant there, having them have an awkward encounter the following day where she spells it out more clearly would be fine, so long as it's clear to the reader that he genuinely didn't get what she meant.
I love the idea of him struggling to write and her helping him. As a writer--I've been there! I really, really wanted to like Alexis.
But I hate his not listening to her clear “no” and his lack of respect for her agency. It made me feel uncomfortable as a reader, and I really, really hope the writer makes some changes to address this before the book is released.
There ARE elements that work here. The love of surfing (chef's kiss), the bits of his social dysfunction (his nerves, his self-remonstrating comments when he realizes he's been inconveniencing them at the diner), and Candace's need for something more and independence—all of those can mesh together to tell a cool story. I just think the first third needs some critical dialogue and plot elements retooled.
Taylor Cole, I am begging you to give this first third another try. You've got a unique voice, and your settings (especially Demigorgons) are so cool! But, I'm worried that most readers won't make it past the first third because of the issues mentioned above.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
——
Got the ARC in today! <3 Review to come.
Any book about romance and writers usually interests me; definitely curious to see how this diverges from Emily Henry's work.
In this story, a struggling surf instructor trying for a fresh start in a UK surfing town meets Alexis, an author who's a bit stuck on his current project--a romance novel. As their relationship unfolds, it comes to light that Alexis has been using Candice as inspiration for his writing, and then Candace decides to help him with the book.
Conceptually, this book has an interesting premise. The writing is also textured and distinct, with unique characters and dilemmas that pull you in.
But I don’t think this book is quite hitting the emotional cues it’s meaning to.
While miscommunications and social cue mistakes are totally okay (especially in an autistic or autistically coded character, as Alexis appears to be), being autistic is not an excuse to take advantage of someone, and readers in the romance genre do not want to be second-hand victimized by the male lead.
Alexis asks her to come over again after she’s refused the night before and expressed a desire to keep the relationship simple and work-focused. When she relents, he offers her alcohol upon her arrival, and as the day progresses, Candice becomes totally inebriated. And then Alexis kisses her without clear consent and takes things further. (It doesn’t matter if she’s somehow impulsively interested, as little sense as that makes given the character development leading up to this point. She’s not of clear mind and cannot give full consent, even if she had voiced it--which she did not.) At that point, they’re interrupted and she finds the notebook and what he’s really writing about. Despite them brainstorming for a separate story idea throughout the day, this notebook has notes including details about Candace, going into objectifying commentary about her body. Candace is understandably shaken and disgusted. Alexis claims the notes were only for him, that he messed up, etc.
It doesn't matter if the notes were only for him. He's a creep for ogling her body AND for writing it down AND for lying about it AND for using her AND for disregarding her clear "no" the day before and continuing to ask/try to finagle an opportunity to get with her AND for getting physical with her while she's intoxicated.
This is not a light buzz. The narrative describes Candace as having trouble walking, at this point. This is deeply, deeply disturbing. It's not something that women readers want to see in a romance novel. It's something some of us have been through and feel traumatized by. The male lead should be the person who INTERVENES and keeps things like that from happening. He should be the person holding other men accountable and respecting her decisions. Male leads can be flawed, they can misunderstand, but in a romance novel, I would argue that they can't have a solid arc where they learn how to not behave predatorially after making choices in that manner. That's a very, very different type of story, and one that should be undertaken quite cautiously and with lots of input from sensitivity readers.
As a reader a third into the book, I don’t think Alexis fully understands why using someone else in this way is not acceptable (because if he does, then that’s even worse), and I don’t know that I want Candace to be the way he learns better. I want better for her, especially after her traumatic past. Lots of women have been there, in the "Oh, you didn't mean to pressure me/make me feel unsafe/make me uncomfortable and now you feel bad? Well, let me just help you learn to navigate these social dynamics better" role, and it often just leads to being on the receiving end of continued creepy behavior. That's not romantic. That's stressful. That's crying into your hands late at night, feeling like a terrible person because you're not sure if your friend/work mate/class peer/etc. is TRYING to make you feel scared when they continually make comments that are off-color despite prior conversations asking them to be more respectful. That's struggling to function as they continually disrespecting boundaries you've set just a little bit at a time, until the boundary is far, far behind you. That's not Emily Henry. That's not sunny, cute, cartoon beach scenes.
If I'd read the first third of this book without the cover or marketing material, I'd have thought this story is a literary fiction novel about a dysfunctional man and a traumatized woman colliding into a potentially dark and gruesome situation. But it's trying to be a romance, and it's not working.
I also don’t understand why Candace is attracted to Alexis much at all. He has two fleetingly positive moments with her amidst a myriad of her cringing at his pretension and lack of regard for others. It’s like the story decided it was time for her to like him because he finally expressed desire more overtly, and the expectation that she would just return that immediately is…not realistic. Also, it seems out of sync with the baggage she's walked away from her last relationship with. You know, the one where she was always the giver and never the receiver. The one where she was constantly taken for granted and manipulated. If Alexis is supposed to be the male lead, we need to see DIFFERENCES between how he treats her and how her ex did. We need to see him RESPECT HER AGENCY. His behavior is doubly uncomfortable because of the clear socioeconomic gap between them. He's paying her for lessons, and she's living out of her van.
He can BE weird. He can BE uncomfortable. He can fail to notice when he’s inconveniencing people!! He can be self-absorbed! But he doesn't have to disrespect her "no" or make moves while she's intoxicated. And the reader can discover his endearing and wonderful traits along with more of his vulnerability as Candace does. That connection has to build more organically than it has. He can still be awkward. But show us more of his simple, authentic reactions to things like surfing or getting his foot stung.
I absolutely adore neurodivergent rep in romance. It makes me feel seen and understood. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are just a handful of things in this first third that make the book not a romance novel.
He absolutely cannot tread lines of grey/no consent or outright disregard for her wishes (and neither can she, for that matter. Consent goes both ways). Because then, that makes this a nightmare, rather than a romance (as it is marketed). Right now, he’s acting as though he thinks he can just keep trying to convince her into whatever he wants (a relationship? Just something casual? We have no clue), and it’s not romantic.
No means no. Full. Stop. “I want to keep this simple” should be read by him as “I want to keep this simple” until she directly says otherwise. That is not an invitation to ask again the next day. If he's misunderstood what she meant there, having them have an awkward encounter the following day where she spells it out more clearly would be fine, so long as it's clear to the reader that he genuinely didn't get what she meant.
I love the idea of him struggling to write and her helping him. As a writer--I've been there! I really, really wanted to like Alexis.
But I hate his not listening to her clear “no” and his lack of respect for her agency. It made me feel uncomfortable as a reader, and I really, really hope the writer makes some changes to address this before the book is released.
There ARE elements that work here. The love of surfing (chef's kiss), the bits of his social dysfunction (his nerves, his self-remonstrating comments when he realizes he's been inconveniencing them at the diner), and Candace's need for something more and independence—all of those can mesh together to tell a cool story. I just think the first third needs some critical dialogue and plot elements retooled.
Taylor Cole, I am begging you to give this first third another try. You've got a unique voice, and your settings (especially Demigorgons) are so cool! But, I'm worried that most readers won't make it past the first third because of the issues mentioned above.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
——
Got the ARC in today! <3 Review to come.
Any book about romance and writers usually interests me; definitely curious to see how this diverges from Emily Henry's work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2022
DNF at 45%
For starters, thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in advance!
Secondly, oh boy. I picked this thinking 'why is this book a blatant copy of Emily Henry?'. With a shrug, I wondered, how bad could it be to give it a chance? Even if Beach Read is my least liked book from Henry, who knows -perhaps Cole has a card up their sleeve to enchant me with.
Well. How wrong I was.... It was far worse than Beach Read. A hidden marriage, hidden plans, unappealing main leads. The one and two star reviews were also angry with a couple moments, and it wasn't until I myself had the pleasure to read said scenes that I understood why.
The thing with haters to lovers is that, 9 out of 10 cases, they never really hate each other. People sometimes are like onions, and this subgenre is all about taking each layer out and falling for the onion and the person within, understanding them in ways you wouldn't dream of. They might even admire one another, or share some interests, fears, motivations. It all comes down to the moment where they understand they aren't that different, and giving in to the curiosity of friendship or romance, and seeing that what you might've hated was a side of them, tied to a time and place.
When a writer sets up one of the first meetings between the leads, and wants to make it clear these two are super different, there's a lot of pathways you can take. But, why, as an author, writing a main lead, that also happens to be an author, think it was a good idea to have him complain that romance is overrated, and all women went crazyyy over Bridgerton, because "it's all dials down to sex for a romance book to be a best seller"? What, exactly, is the appeal of this man criticizing the genre he is in, that we barely know because he's oh-so-mysterious (other than the reference that he looks like James Bay)? It is slightly offending to some, disrespectful to the female lead (an avid lover of romance) and to me, plain crude. Later after that, it gets worse too, when we discover why he was even getting close to her to begin with and what he had already written about her. There's a lack of mutual respect in their interactions, no true attraction between them. Nothing about them made me swoon. Nada. Zero.
And look, I can see how Taylor Cole thought it'd be funny or even ironic!! They'd probably love to see us warm up the more we'd get to know him, and how misunderstood he actually is.... Alas, that process might begin after you finish half of the book, and this isn't worth my time when my feelings aren't even lukewarm, they're simply cold. To finish of with a Beach Read comparison, this had similar characters, but not enough creativity and dialogue to match Henry's charm.
Alas, one thing I'd complement is that there was a somewhat comfortable atmosphere related to the setting; an English beach, a waitress that gives surf lessons, struggling to rebuild herself. An author at loss with writing a romance. The groundwork wasn't a bad one to build a story on comfort and second chances at love. Sad to see it didn't happen.
For starters, thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in advance!
Secondly, oh boy. I picked this thinking 'why is this book a blatant copy of Emily Henry?'. With a shrug, I wondered, how bad could it be to give it a chance? Even if Beach Read is my least liked book from Henry, who knows -perhaps Cole has a card up their sleeve to enchant me with.
Well. How wrong I was.... It was far worse than Beach Read. A hidden marriage, hidden plans, unappealing main leads. The one and two star reviews were also angry with a couple moments, and it wasn't until I myself had the pleasure to read said scenes that I understood why.
The thing with haters to lovers is that, 9 out of 10 cases, they never really hate each other. People sometimes are like onions, and this subgenre is all about taking each layer out and falling for the onion and the person within, understanding them in ways you wouldn't dream of. They might even admire one another, or share some interests, fears, motivations. It all comes down to the moment where they understand they aren't that different, and giving in to the curiosity of friendship or romance, and seeing that what you might've hated was a side of them, tied to a time and place.
When a writer sets up one of the first meetings between the leads, and wants to make it clear these two are super different, there's a lot of pathways you can take. But, why, as an author, writing a main lead, that also happens to be an author, think it was a good idea to have him complain that romance is overrated, and all women went crazyyy over Bridgerton, because "it's all dials down to sex for a romance book to be a best seller"? What, exactly, is the appeal of this man criticizing the genre he is in, that we barely know because he's oh-so-mysterious (other than the reference that he looks like James Bay)? It is slightly offending to some, disrespectful to the female lead (an avid lover of romance) and to me, plain crude. Later after that, it gets worse too, when we discover why he was even getting close to her to begin with and what he had already written about her. There's a lack of mutual respect in their interactions, no true attraction between them. Nothing about them made me swoon. Nada. Zero.
And look, I can see how Taylor Cole thought it'd be funny or even ironic!! They'd probably love to see us warm up the more we'd get to know him, and how misunderstood he actually is.... Alas, that process might begin after you finish half of the book, and this isn't worth my time when my feelings aren't even lukewarm, they're simply cold. To finish of with a Beach Read comparison, this had similar characters, but not enough creativity and dialogue to match Henry's charm.
Alas, one thing I'd complement is that there was a somewhat comfortable atmosphere related to the setting; an English beach, a waitress that gives surf lessons, struggling to rebuild herself. An author at loss with writing a romance. The groundwork wasn't a bad one to build a story on comfort and second chances at love. Sad to see it didn't happen.
May 6, 2023
This book caught my eye and I thought it would probably make a good beach read, so I dove in. The cover was cute and set at the beach.
The Description:
The ultimate sexy and escapist rom com for book and beach lovers. Will delight fans of Emily Henry and Josie Silver. When romance-fanatic Candice meets writer Alexis, she thinks her happy ending is finally on its way. He walks into her struggling Cornish surf school, and they hit it off straight away. Until she discovers that Alexis has been using their courtship as inspiration for the romantic novel he's struggling to write. When Alexis offers to bring her in on the deal if Candice helps him deliver a winning book to his publisher, she accepts, and along with Alexis' agent Daniel, they embark on a very unusual summer of love, as Candice tries to teach the men the recipe for a successful romance. But you can't have a great love story, without a great romantic hero. Will Candice find hers before the summer is over?
My thoughts:
The Cornish setting seemed like a nice place right on the beach. I liked Candice's entrepreneural spirit in starting her surf school on the side while she worked at the cafe. Alexis was deceptive and seemed nice at first, but I didn't really like him after reading a while. Candice seemed like an open person and wanted so badly to have a nice romantic partner. I felt sorry for her. I didn't really get invested emotionally in this book as there wasn't a lot of depth to the characters. I think they could have been fleshed out more. The book did read well and I enjoyed it.
Thanks to Aria & Aries through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on May 11, 2023.
The Description:
The ultimate sexy and escapist rom com for book and beach lovers. Will delight fans of Emily Henry and Josie Silver. When romance-fanatic Candice meets writer Alexis, she thinks her happy ending is finally on its way. He walks into her struggling Cornish surf school, and they hit it off straight away. Until she discovers that Alexis has been using their courtship as inspiration for the romantic novel he's struggling to write. When Alexis offers to bring her in on the deal if Candice helps him deliver a winning book to his publisher, she accepts, and along with Alexis' agent Daniel, they embark on a very unusual summer of love, as Candice tries to teach the men the recipe for a successful romance. But you can't have a great love story, without a great romantic hero. Will Candice find hers before the summer is over?
My thoughts:
The Cornish setting seemed like a nice place right on the beach. I liked Candice's entrepreneural spirit in starting her surf school on the side while she worked at the cafe. Alexis was deceptive and seemed nice at first, but I didn't really like him after reading a while. Candice seemed like an open person and wanted so badly to have a nice romantic partner. I felt sorry for her. I didn't really get invested emotionally in this book as there wasn't a lot of depth to the characters. I think they could have been fleshed out more. The book did read well and I enjoyed it.
Thanks to Aria & Aries through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on May 11, 2023.
November 6, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.
DNF at around 30 %.
Personally, I prefer my love interests not to be misogynistic authors with an inflated ego who want to profit off a genre that is typically beloved by women when he doesn't even enjoy said genre.
I had to look up if this book was written by a man because I could not believe a female romance author would write a male main character like that.
Mild spoilers ahead.
Alexis, the MMC, is an author who has published two novellas that were critically acclaimed but not a commercial success. But he wants to be an author, so he decides to write a romance novel, basically because of how successful Bridgerton is, despite it being bad in his eyes. He says he doesn't understand the appeal of mass-market romance books, that Bridgerton is historically inaccurate but sighs that "you can never talk women out of it."
He then proceeds to explain that he has not yet conducted any research, but his novel has already been sold based on the first three chapters. Oh, and then he says that he wants to write something that makes women want to sleep with their husbands because that is what made Fifty Shades so successful.
So, to recap, this man is not interested in the romance genre, he doesn't get it, but of course, he is very interested in the money the genre generates. He has not yet done any research but is sure he can be the next big thing. Talk about inflated male ego.
I do not know if he later has some big revelation about how maybe you shouldn't only write a book in a genre you don't like because it might make you money, but I also did not care to find out.
I have no interest in reading a romance novel with a love interest like that, it's gross and problematic.
Women still get ridiculed for their love of romance novels, the genre is seen as less sophisticated and all those sexist prejudices about romance and romance readers, and here we have a romance novel with a love interest that seems to think the same but still wants to write a book. Because, you know, we are all only waiting for a romance book written by a man whose heart is not even in it.
As someone who enjoys the romance genre, I honestly found this book insulting to read.
There were also other issues apart from the blatant misogyny and ignorance portrayed by the male main character.
Early in the book, the FMC's colleague is drooling over the MMC in a way that felt completely inappropriate, almost objectifying him. Regardless of my feelings toward him later on, I really didn't like the way they talked about him, if a man was talking about a woman this way, people would call him a gross creep.
The book is set in Newquay, a place I visited and loved, and usually when I read a book that is set somewhere I know, I get a nice sense of nostalgia. But in this case, the setting did nothing for me. It felt like a generic surfer town that could be anywhere in the world, the charm of Newquay is not to be found on paper, which was really disappointing.
And lastly, I have to say that I am a bit confused by the title and cover choice. Going in, I fully expected this to be a straight-up Emily Henry rip-off because the title is so similar to Beach Read, the cover style is similar to EH's covers, and the little blurb on the cover is very reminiscent of the one that is on Book Lovers. I don't think I would have ever paid money for this if I saw it in a bookstore or online, simply because I don't want to read plagiarized works and this book almost looks like it is a plagiarized version of Beach Read and Book Lovers.
I wish I could say something positive about this book but I genuinely cannot, I am sorry for leaving such a bad ARC review but in its current form, I would not recommend it to anyone.
DNF at around 30 %.
Personally, I prefer my love interests not to be misogynistic authors with an inflated ego who want to profit off a genre that is typically beloved by women when he doesn't even enjoy said genre.
I had to look up if this book was written by a man because I could not believe a female romance author would write a male main character like that.
Mild spoilers ahead.
Alexis, the MMC, is an author who has published two novellas that were critically acclaimed but not a commercial success. But he wants to be an author, so he decides to write a romance novel, basically because of how successful Bridgerton is, despite it being bad in his eyes. He says he doesn't understand the appeal of mass-market romance books, that Bridgerton is historically inaccurate but sighs that "you can never talk women out of it."
He then proceeds to explain that he has not yet conducted any research, but his novel has already been sold based on the first three chapters. Oh, and then he says that he wants to write something that makes women want to sleep with their husbands because that is what made Fifty Shades so successful.
So, to recap, this man is not interested in the romance genre, he doesn't get it, but of course, he is very interested in the money the genre generates. He has not yet done any research but is sure he can be the next big thing. Talk about inflated male ego.
I do not know if he later has some big revelation about how maybe you shouldn't only write a book in a genre you don't like because it might make you money, but I also did not care to find out.
I have no interest in reading a romance novel with a love interest like that, it's gross and problematic.
Women still get ridiculed for their love of romance novels, the genre is seen as less sophisticated and all those sexist prejudices about romance and romance readers, and here we have a romance novel with a love interest that seems to think the same but still wants to write a book. Because, you know, we are all only waiting for a romance book written by a man whose heart is not even in it.
As someone who enjoys the romance genre, I honestly found this book insulting to read.
There were also other issues apart from the blatant misogyny and ignorance portrayed by the male main character.
Early in the book, the FMC's colleague is drooling over the MMC in a way that felt completely inappropriate, almost objectifying him. Regardless of my feelings toward him later on, I really didn't like the way they talked about him, if a man was talking about a woman this way, people would call him a gross creep.
The book is set in Newquay, a place I visited and loved, and usually when I read a book that is set somewhere I know, I get a nice sense of nostalgia. But in this case, the setting did nothing for me. It felt like a generic surfer town that could be anywhere in the world, the charm of Newquay is not to be found on paper, which was really disappointing.
And lastly, I have to say that I am a bit confused by the title and cover choice. Going in, I fully expected this to be a straight-up Emily Henry rip-off because the title is so similar to Beach Read, the cover style is similar to EH's covers, and the little blurb on the cover is very reminiscent of the one that is on Book Lovers. I don't think I would have ever paid money for this if I saw it in a bookstore or online, simply because I don't want to read plagiarized works and this book almost looks like it is a plagiarized version of Beach Read and Book Lovers.
I wish I could say something positive about this book but I genuinely cannot, I am sorry for leaving such a bad ARC review but in its current form, I would not recommend it to anyone.
December 17, 2022
I would like to start off this review by thanking Aria and Aries for sending me an advanced reader copy of "Holiday Read" by Taylor Cole in exchange for my honest review. Let's jump into this.
I would like to disclose that I DNFed this book at about 50%. I firstly found the title to be misleading, this doesn't have anything to do with holidays. I was excepting a Emily Henry-esque type of book and this wasn't even close to my expectation. The plot is all over the place and I find the MMC, Alexis, to be truly gross. He's misogynistic and a major creep. What caused me to DNF this book was the part where his publisher tells Candice, the FMC, that Alexis wrote a story under an anonymous name about killing women. If the several misogynistic comments throughout the beginning of this book weren't bad enough, the author hits us with that. You can write a grumpy, misunderstood MMC without him being sexist. I like my romance books without bigotry towards women,
I would like to disclose that I DNFed this book at about 50%. I firstly found the title to be misleading, this doesn't have anything to do with holidays. I was excepting a Emily Henry-esque type of book and this wasn't even close to my expectation. The plot is all over the place and I find the MMC, Alexis, to be truly gross. He's misogynistic and a major creep. What caused me to DNF this book was the part where his publisher tells Candice, the FMC, that Alexis wrote a story under an anonymous name about killing women. If the several misogynistic comments throughout the beginning of this book weren't bad enough, the author hits us with that. You can write a grumpy, misunderstood MMC without him being sexist. I like my romance books without bigotry towards women,
July 8, 2023
***3.75 stars!***
Full review to follow once I can get my garbled thoughts together…
Full review to follow once I can get my garbled thoughts together…
November 22, 2022
To be honest, I didn't have super high hopes for this one. In that sense, it didn't disappoint.
Based on the title and the description, I was expecting a beachy, summer romance. What I got was a messy love triangle amidst so many other subplots. Two words... too much.
The intention was there but the execution of all of the different plotlines was not successful. I was disappointed because even though there was a slow burn element, I wasn't rooting for anyone to fall in love... I couldn't remember backstories like her looking for her dad or her working through a divorce until they were randomly brought up at random moments in the story.
The only saving grace was the theme of female friendship and the beach setting, because who doesn't love the beach?
Thank you to Net Galley and Aria & Aries for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Based on the title and the description, I was expecting a beachy, summer romance. What I got was a messy love triangle amidst so many other subplots. Two words... too much.
The intention was there but the execution of all of the different plotlines was not successful. I was disappointed because even though there was a slow burn element, I wasn't rooting for anyone to fall in love... I couldn't remember backstories like her looking for her dad or her working through a divorce until they were randomly brought up at random moments in the story.
The only saving grace was the theme of female friendship and the beach setting, because who doesn't love the beach?
Thank you to Net Galley and Aria & Aries for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
November 10, 2022
First, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Aria for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. As both a reader and a writer, I am always humbled by the opportunity to read a book before its official debut.
Unfortunately, this is a book I couldn't finish and will not be recommending.
To begin, the title of this book is misleading. It doesn't take place during the holidays, it doesn't really appear as if anyone is 'on' holiday, either. This feels like it was an attempt to draw in readers who like Emily Henry (i.e. Beach Read), and this book is not comparable to Beach Read, or any other Emily Henry book, in the slightest.
As a writer, the pages I did manage to make my way through were not enjoyable. The dialogue feels forced and uncomfortable, and it doesn't sound believable. It felt as if someone was trying really hard to make dialogue that sounded real that they wound up making it sound fake. There are also pages upon pages of exposition that don't feel necessary to the story, though it's a little difficult to understand what the story is given that we spent the better part of 3-5+ pages talking about limpets. I would have to imagine books go through an editing process before they're approved for reader's eyes, but it looks as though this came straight from the writer's computer.
As a reader, I am, truthfully, offended. I am proud to be a romance reader, despite the fact that it's a genre many people look down on, especially men. So imagine my surprise when I find that a female author has decided to write a male character who is misogyny personified and make him a romance writer...even though he doesn't understand or like the genre. I read romance to escape into a world where grumpy men (not sexist, just grumpy) have cinnamon roll hearts and are GOOD humans. I trust romance writers with my heart because I know they'll take good care of it. And the choice to have a character prominently featured who makes fun of the romance genre and those who enjoy it felt like a slap in the face as both a romance reader and a woman.
As much as I would love to say this book had redeeming qualities, I can't. Perhaps it gets better as the book goes on, but if I've given a book about 30% and it STILL isn't keeping my attention, it's just not a good story. Plus, I'm not in the business of being made fun of when I'm trying to enjoy a book.
I won't be recommending this title to anyone. The title is misleading, the description is lacking, the female characters are mediocre at best, and the male main character is offensive beyond belief.
Unfortunately, this is a book I couldn't finish and will not be recommending.
To begin, the title of this book is misleading. It doesn't take place during the holidays, it doesn't really appear as if anyone is 'on' holiday, either. This feels like it was an attempt to draw in readers who like Emily Henry (i.e. Beach Read), and this book is not comparable to Beach Read, or any other Emily Henry book, in the slightest.
As a writer, the pages I did manage to make my way through were not enjoyable. The dialogue feels forced and uncomfortable, and it doesn't sound believable. It felt as if someone was trying really hard to make dialogue that sounded real that they wound up making it sound fake. There are also pages upon pages of exposition that don't feel necessary to the story, though it's a little difficult to understand what the story is given that we spent the better part of 3-5+ pages talking about limpets. I would have to imagine books go through an editing process before they're approved for reader's eyes, but it looks as though this came straight from the writer's computer.
As a reader, I am, truthfully, offended. I am proud to be a romance reader, despite the fact that it's a genre many people look down on, especially men. So imagine my surprise when I find that a female author has decided to write a male character who is misogyny personified and make him a romance writer...even though he doesn't understand or like the genre. I read romance to escape into a world where grumpy men (not sexist, just grumpy) have cinnamon roll hearts and are GOOD humans. I trust romance writers with my heart because I know they'll take good care of it. And the choice to have a character prominently featured who makes fun of the romance genre and those who enjoy it felt like a slap in the face as both a romance reader and a woman.
As much as I would love to say this book had redeeming qualities, I can't. Perhaps it gets better as the book goes on, but if I've given a book about 30% and it STILL isn't keeping my attention, it's just not a good story. Plus, I'm not in the business of being made fun of when I'm trying to enjoy a book.
I won't be recommending this title to anyone. The title is misleading, the description is lacking, the female characters are mediocre at best, and the male main character is offensive beyond belief.
May 3, 2023
1.5⭐️
Holiday Read unfortunately did not hit the way I was hoping it would.
I did not connect to the characters or the storyline. I can see why people DNF this by 30-50% in; it was extremely difficult to see where the book was going and why the reader should continue with it.
SLIGHT SPOILER: I read the book till the end, and the main character, Candice, does not actually end up with Alexis (the first man introduced whom all the reviews are rightfully shitting on).
I remained confused as to who the romance was supposed to be about, and was shocked that at 75% in, I was still with my doubts as to who Candice would end up with. This also didn't work for me, as this clearly meant that the chemistry and emotional connection between the couple did not shine through at all (or even exist).
Also, this is such an irrelevant point, but the most unrealistic part of this was when Candice called soccer/football 'soccer', and NEITHER of the two English men she was speaking to corrected her to football.
Looking back, there was also an issue with dubious consent in the beginning surrounding drinking, and Alexis was overall an ass in general for attempting to make money writing a romance book while simultaneously being condescending toward the genre.
I rounded this up to the two stars due to Candice not ending up with who I originally thought she would, and for the strong female friendships and bonds she had throughout the book. Her friends were very sweet!
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria and Aries for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review of the book!
Holiday Read unfortunately did not hit the way I was hoping it would.
I did not connect to the characters or the storyline. I can see why people DNF this by 30-50% in; it was extremely difficult to see where the book was going and why the reader should continue with it.
SLIGHT SPOILER: I read the book till the end, and the main character, Candice, does not actually end up with Alexis (the first man introduced whom all the reviews are rightfully shitting on).
I remained confused as to who the romance was supposed to be about, and was shocked that at 75% in, I was still with my doubts as to who Candice would end up with. This also didn't work for me, as this clearly meant that the chemistry and emotional connection between the couple did not shine through at all (or even exist).
Also, this is such an irrelevant point, but the most unrealistic part of this was when Candice called soccer/football 'soccer', and NEITHER of the two English men she was speaking to corrected her to football.
Looking back, there was also an issue with dubious consent in the beginning surrounding drinking, and Alexis was overall an ass in general for attempting to make money writing a romance book while simultaneously being condescending toward the genre.
I rounded this up to the two stars due to Candice not ending up with who I originally thought she would, and for the strong female friendships and bonds she had throughout the book. Her friends were very sweet!
Thank you to NetGalley and Aria and Aries for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review of the book!
January 15, 2023
Candice has fled to Cornwall after leaving her husband to try to find her father and start a surf school. She meets Alexis, a writer who is struggling to finish the romance novel he is under contract for. There’s some initial attraction between Candice and Alexis, but she calls things off after realizing Alexis is taking inspiration for his book from her. She begins to help him with his book, initially just with some research, but is soon writing chapters of the book. Will their co-writing reignite their relationship or will Candice fall for someone else?
I hate having to write bad reviews buuuuuuut here we are. I was honestly expecting an Emily Henry knockoff based on the title/description/cover and while there were some similarities, this book had so many subplots that never felt fully resolved and an incredibly misogynistic character. With the love triangle, it felt like the one character was chosen simply because he was less awful than the other love interest and did the bare minimum. Also, one of the main characters is very anti-romance and goes on a long diatribe about how terrible romance is… in a romance book.
What I enjoyed:
-the descriptions of Cornwall/the locals/surfing
-strong friendships
-found family theme
-all the dogs!
Unfortunately, this is just not a book that I can recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.
I hate having to write bad reviews buuuuuuut here we are. I was honestly expecting an Emily Henry knockoff based on the title/description/cover and while there were some similarities, this book had so many subplots that never felt fully resolved and an incredibly misogynistic character. With the love triangle, it felt like the one character was chosen simply because he was less awful than the other love interest and did the bare minimum. Also, one of the main characters is very anti-romance and goes on a long diatribe about how terrible romance is… in a romance book.
What I enjoyed:
-the descriptions of Cornwall/the locals/surfing
-strong friendships
-found family theme
-all the dogs!
Unfortunately, this is just not a book that I can recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.
March 10, 2023
I had to stop reading this one around 30%. It was just absolutely terrible. I was expecting an Emily Henry knock off of Beach Read considering the description, name of the book, and cover. There was nothing redeeming about what I read and quite frankly, I was disgusted with the MMC.
Once I checked out other reviews, I saw a bunch of people agreeing and DNFing too so it's time to end this misery.
Thanks Netgalley and Aria & Aries for an ARC.
Once I checked out other reviews, I saw a bunch of people agreeing and DNFing too so it's time to end this misery.
Thanks Netgalley and Aria & Aries for an ARC.
August 8, 2023
Holiday Read
⭐️⭐️
Author: Taylor Cole
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Aria and Ares and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: The ultimate sexy and escapist rom com for book and beach lovers. Will delight fans of Emily Henry and Josie Silver. When romance-fanatic Candice meets writer Alexis, she thinks her happy ending is finally on its way. He walks into her struggling Cornish surf school, and they hit it off straight away. Until she discovers that Alexis has been using their courtship as inspiration for the romantic novel he's struggling to write. When Alexis offers to bring her in on the deal if Candice helps him deliver a winning book to his publisher, she accepts, and along with Alexis' agent Daniel, they embark on a very unusual summer of love, as Candice tries to teach the men the recipe for a successful romance. But you can't have a great love story, without a great romantic hero. Will Candice find hers before the summer is over?
My Thoughts: The premise seemed interesting and I love Emily Henry and really thought this would float along those lines. It was too close to the plot of Beach Read. While I did read the whole book, it is not a book I would recommend. I wouldn’t even mind the similar plot line if the characters were fleshed out differently. The hero, Alexis, is too commercial, too much about money and even if he leaves the devastated Candice in the wind, no regard. Alexis behaviors were too predatorial to be the hero of the novel. The non-consent issue is a big red flag no-no for me, even in a fictional book. The only scenario where this may work is the hero saving the heroine from a third-party consent issue. This is not the case. Some parts of the story were cool, especially the author’s attention to detail, really ironing out some of the descriptor scenes, I loved. Overall, this is just not a book I would recommend. It is so rare that I give a book 1 or 2 stars. But the non-consent issue just weighs too heavily.
⭐️⭐️
Author: Taylor Cole
I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Aria and Ares and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.
Synopsis: The ultimate sexy and escapist rom com for book and beach lovers. Will delight fans of Emily Henry and Josie Silver. When romance-fanatic Candice meets writer Alexis, she thinks her happy ending is finally on its way. He walks into her struggling Cornish surf school, and they hit it off straight away. Until she discovers that Alexis has been using their courtship as inspiration for the romantic novel he's struggling to write. When Alexis offers to bring her in on the deal if Candice helps him deliver a winning book to his publisher, she accepts, and along with Alexis' agent Daniel, they embark on a very unusual summer of love, as Candice tries to teach the men the recipe for a successful romance. But you can't have a great love story, without a great romantic hero. Will Candice find hers before the summer is over?
My Thoughts: The premise seemed interesting and I love Emily Henry and really thought this would float along those lines. It was too close to the plot of Beach Read. While I did read the whole book, it is not a book I would recommend. I wouldn’t even mind the similar plot line if the characters were fleshed out differently. The hero, Alexis, is too commercial, too much about money and even if he leaves the devastated Candice in the wind, no regard. Alexis behaviors were too predatorial to be the hero of the novel. The non-consent issue is a big red flag no-no for me, even in a fictional book. The only scenario where this may work is the hero saving the heroine from a third-party consent issue. This is not the case. Some parts of the story were cool, especially the author’s attention to detail, really ironing out some of the descriptor scenes, I loved. Overall, this is just not a book I would recommend. It is so rare that I give a book 1 or 2 stars. But the non-consent issue just weighs too heavily.
May 13, 2023
Holiday Read has many of the ingredients of a successful romance, but it fell flat.
Set in Cornwall, our main character is working in a cafe and trying to establish a surf tuition business. She has left an emotionally abusive husband after he gets her best friend pregnant and is trying to find her dad.
The story focuses on her getting caught up with classically good-looking but highly self-absorbed writer Alexis. He’s come to Cornwall to research ideas for his (hopefully) best-selling romance. Unfortunately he’s not feeling it, so enlists Candice to offer a more authentic voice.
From start to finish I found the scenario improbable. There were red flags aplenty being ignored and I was waiting for the what seemed inevitable double-cross. For a romance it fell spectacularly short on romantic feelings.
Thanks NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this. Sadly it was a case of there’s other writers doing this stuff better.
Set in Cornwall, our main character is working in a cafe and trying to establish a surf tuition business. She has left an emotionally abusive husband after he gets her best friend pregnant and is trying to find her dad.
The story focuses on her getting caught up with classically good-looking but highly self-absorbed writer Alexis. He’s come to Cornwall to research ideas for his (hopefully) best-selling romance. Unfortunately he’s not feeling it, so enlists Candice to offer a more authentic voice.
From start to finish I found the scenario improbable. There were red flags aplenty being ignored and I was waiting for the what seemed inevitable double-cross. For a romance it fell spectacularly short on romantic feelings.
Thanks NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this. Sadly it was a case of there’s other writers doing this stuff better.
Read
December 4, 2022thank you netgalley for providing an e-arc in exchange of an honest review
I DNFed at 40% and I tried to push through but it simply wasn’t for me.
this book wasn’t the way the description made it seem to me and the plot wasn’t interesting enough for me to want to read further.
Also, I feel like If you’re using the “Emily Henry fans will love it” as a way to promote your books you’re setting the expectations too high.
dnfed
April 11, 2024It would take a lot more than effort to finish this book. I couldn't get past the snobbery in this and I tediously managed to reach 26% before deciding that this is not for me.
Given Alexis’ attitude toward romance books that he’s ironically trying to write, I think this is how he would have written one - dry.
And I refuse to feel sorry for not wanting to waste my time on this further.
Still, my thanks to Aria & Aries, NetGalley and the author for my copy. All opinions are honest and my own.
Given Alexis’ attitude toward romance books that he’s ironically trying to write, I think this is how he would have written one - dry.
And I refuse to feel sorry for not wanting to waste my time on this further.
Still, my thanks to Aria & Aries, NetGalley and the author for my copy. All opinions are honest and my own.
November 11, 2022
special thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC!
unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. i loved the setting and female friendships between some of the characters but overall, it felt the plot was all over the place at times and for some reason i kept getting lost.
unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. i loved the setting and female friendships between some of the characters but overall, it felt the plot was all over the place at times and for some reason i kept getting lost.
November 19, 2022
Let me first say thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Truthfully, I only made it 25% in before I had to DNF the book! The male character epitomizes every reason why romance novels get a bad rap.
Truthfully, I only made it 25% in before I had to DNF the book! The male character epitomizes every reason why romance novels get a bad rap.
Read
April 20, 2025 Sorry not sorry to say I DNF-ed this one. I tried.
I read 38% (up to chapter Thirteen) and gave up on Holiday Read.
It reads as if the author had (badly) Frankensteined a romance novel by picking parts and tropes from already popular books in the genre and tried gluing them together with copious pop culture references in hopes that readers would pick up Holiday Read and the author could cash in on the romance trend.
For me it already didn't start off too well, the first few pages didn't draw me into the story so throughout the first chapter I found myself skimming some of the exposition and focusing on the dialogue, but even that felt forced between the characters.
And the fact that the word tit-limpeting is thrust upon us 10 times within the first few paragraphs (yes, I counted) doesn't help the book either.
Unfortunately, it didn't really get any better, and then it got to the point where I knew no matter how this book ends, it just reads like an insult to the romance genre. So I stopped and didn't want to continue reading Holiday Read.
Oh, come on. No. Just no.
People often try to imply that authors of romance novels are injecting their own autobiographical views, hopes and experiances into their stories. Let me tell you that the quote above and several other passages in the book read not only like the premise of Alexis's (the male protagonist's) book, but also like the intent of the author of Holiday Read herself. Making the book read as if these were the author's autobiographical contributions.
It's sad to write such a harsh review!
tldr: please don't bother.
Thanks to Netgalley, I received an advance review copy, and this review represents my true and honest opinion of Holiday Read.
I read 38% (up to chapter Thirteen) and gave up on Holiday Read.
It reads as if the author had (badly) Frankensteined a romance novel by picking parts and tropes from already popular books in the genre and tried gluing them together with copious pop culture references in hopes that readers would pick up Holiday Read and the author could cash in on the romance trend.
For me it already didn't start off too well, the first few pages didn't draw me into the story so throughout the first chapter I found myself skimming some of the exposition and focusing on the dialogue, but even that felt forced between the characters.
And the fact that the word tit-limpeting is thrust upon us 10 times within the first few paragraphs (yes, I counted) doesn't help the book either.
Unfortunately, it didn't really get any better, and then it got to the point where I knew no matter how this book ends, it just reads like an insult to the romance genre. So I stopped and didn't want to continue reading Holiday Read.
‘[...]I’m aiming for a book that will make women readers want to sleep with their husbands. That night. That’s basically the whole raison d’être of the book. It’s in the official proposal.’
Oh, come on. No. Just no.
People often try to imply that authors of romance novels are injecting their own autobiographical views, hopes and experiances into their stories. Let me tell you that the quote above and several other passages in the book read not only like the premise of Alexis's (the male protagonist's) book, but also like the intent of the author of Holiday Read herself. Making the book read as if these were the author's autobiographical contributions.
[Alexis]‘God, I’m a prick sometimes.’
‘Only sometimes,’ I[Candice] say, smiling. ‘For the other ten percent of the time, you’re doing just great.’
He looks at me differently and, for the first time since we met, I can see a flicker of desire.
It's sad to write such a harsh review!
tldr: please don't bother.
Thanks to Netgalley, I received an advance review copy, and this review represents my true and honest opinion of Holiday Read.
May 14, 2023
He's a tit limpet. In bed.
This is going to be an unusual one to rate, but ultimately I'm giving it four stars because I feel it was massively underrated and that just won't stand with me because I have found some beautiful thoughts and sentiments I relate to! I loved how the author talked about romance novels using the FMC's voice. Sometimes fiction, especially romance novels are so underrated, shoved under the "chick-lit" genre as if they're something less than.
People get so weird about romance fiction. As if it's something shameful, a guilty pleasure that should be hidden within the dust jacked of Serious Literature and read in secret.
Loved the journey of Candice and really found a lot of myself in some of her situations. Like falling for an asshole and not trusting your gut feeling because of their manipulations.🫠 I also loved that she has no idea what to do with her life, just bouncing between things, trying to find herself. People don't talk about it often - how sometimes we can feel lost in this huge world, without any sense of direction. It's okay to switch jobs, move, break off a marriage, fall for the wrong guy, and then maybe fall for the right guy too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria&Aries for the eARC!
This is going to be an unusual one to rate, but ultimately I'm giving it four stars because I feel it was massively underrated and that just won't stand with me because I have found some beautiful thoughts and sentiments I relate to! I loved how the author talked about romance novels using the FMC's voice. Sometimes fiction, especially romance novels are so underrated, shoved under the "chick-lit" genre as if they're something less than.
People get so weird about romance fiction. As if it's something shameful, a guilty pleasure that should be hidden within the dust jacked of Serious Literature and read in secret.
Loved the journey of Candice and really found a lot of myself in some of her situations. Like falling for an asshole and not trusting your gut feeling because of their manipulations.🫠 I also loved that she has no idea what to do with her life, just bouncing between things, trying to find herself. People don't talk about it often - how sometimes we can feel lost in this huge world, without any sense of direction. It's okay to switch jobs, move, break off a marriage, fall for the wrong guy, and then maybe fall for the right guy too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria&Aries for the eARC!
May 13, 2023
‘𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚜?’
‘𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚑, 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢.’
‘𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚠’𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞?’
‘𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝. 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚑,’
‘𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚎.’
‘𝚃𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚢, 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐.’
‘𝙴𝚡𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢..’
🍷🍷🍷.75 / 5
🌶️ / 5
»»————-✼————-««
Review:
A huge thank you to NetGalley and the author for this gifted eARC!
This book was a wee bit of a rollercoaster for me I can’t lie! I absolutely adored the Cornwall setting, all the places of Newquay are places I’ve been before and honestly I’m gunna have to convince Mr Boyfriend to go on a cute Cornwall holiday soon because I just need all the romcom small town vibes🥹 Taylor’s description was fantastic and I truly felt like I was sat on a sunny Cornwall beach surrounded but surfers and tourists, even though it was pouring down with rain and I was actually stuck in traffic😭
I started off this book absolutely loving Alexis, he came across as this very misunderstood author type who was a little weird, I hear most authors are? He seemed very set in his ways, and had all these deep and 3D conversations with grit and depth and idk were actually lengthy and interesting. Sometimes in romcoms I can find conversions between characters a little flat? As in they’re a bit surface level and just seem a wee bit short. Alexis and Candice didn’t have that at all; all there conversations were full and long and exciting. For anyone who hasn’t read it yet, close your eyes and cover your ears **Alexis is a dick** you can open your eyes now… I can’t explain more without spoilers but honestly when I got to know him more, I was kinda heartbroken for Candice; it was like a flip switches and suddenly I couldn’t stand him anymore, and I honestly low key hate him. You truly never know anyone as well as you think…
Once Daniel came onto the scene I started to realise how infuriating and annoying Alexis is, he’s so unaccommodating and just nothing compared to Daniel… I want Daniel! He’s sweet and kind and just an all round guy, he takes care of Candice and never pressures her to do or feel anything she’s not ready for. Candice describes her favourite factor of romance as: 2 characters who have a deep connection and feelings for each other but can’t be together so they have this deep longing for each other that no one else knows about accept them; and I really felt this between Candice and Daniel. I thought it was so cleaver and it kept me reading as they had so many moments that got ruined; it felt so natural and like real life when you long for someone you can’t have. I wish we could have delved into Daniels character a wee more, found out more about his life; it would make me love him more!
All 3 of our main ladies are honestly top tear, they’re funny and relatable and have this family dynamic that you can only get with your found family. The added disasters of the cafe and their dating mishaps made them all relatable. I really loved that we didn’t get to dive into Makayla trauma too much, it felt really on character to keep these dark hidings to herself and I think it represents a significant amount of woman who feel the same way; saying it out loud makes it true, if we don’t tell anyone it never happened. Candice was also secretive to start and it make me feel really confused as to whether or not I liked her for the first 5 chapters. But as she came out of her shell in the community more and we got to know her better I really started to love her. I was rooting for her and empathised with her trauma in ways that made me angry at the men who wronged her.
I found the first 5 chapters quite wordy and long, but they were important for setting the scene and introducing the characters. I think the ending was perfect and honestly I’m not sure i’d change a thing. It was the perfect holiday read with all the vibes that I needed to get me in the summer mood! Bring on the sunshine ☀️
For lovers of:
- Romance set in Cornwall
- Hawaiian FMC
- Found family
- Author MC
- Surfing
‘𝙸𝚝’𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎, 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚑, 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢.’
‘𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚘𝚠’𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞?’
‘𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝. 𝙸’𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚝𝚑,’
‘𝙰𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚜𝚎.’
‘𝚃𝚛𝚒𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚙𝚑𝚢𝚜𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚢, 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐.’
‘𝙴𝚡𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢..’
🍷🍷🍷.75 / 5
🌶️ / 5
»»————-✼————-««
Review:
A huge thank you to NetGalley and the author for this gifted eARC!
This book was a wee bit of a rollercoaster for me I can’t lie! I absolutely adored the Cornwall setting, all the places of Newquay are places I’ve been before and honestly I’m gunna have to convince Mr Boyfriend to go on a cute Cornwall holiday soon because I just need all the romcom small town vibes🥹 Taylor’s description was fantastic and I truly felt like I was sat on a sunny Cornwall beach surrounded but surfers and tourists, even though it was pouring down with rain and I was actually stuck in traffic😭
I started off this book absolutely loving Alexis, he came across as this very misunderstood author type who was a little weird, I hear most authors are? He seemed very set in his ways, and had all these deep and 3D conversations with grit and depth and idk were actually lengthy and interesting. Sometimes in romcoms I can find conversions between characters a little flat? As in they’re a bit surface level and just seem a wee bit short. Alexis and Candice didn’t have that at all; all there conversations were full and long and exciting. For anyone who hasn’t read it yet, close your eyes and cover your ears **Alexis is a dick** you can open your eyes now… I can’t explain more without spoilers but honestly when I got to know him more, I was kinda heartbroken for Candice; it was like a flip switches and suddenly I couldn’t stand him anymore, and I honestly low key hate him. You truly never know anyone as well as you think…
Once Daniel came onto the scene I started to realise how infuriating and annoying Alexis is, he’s so unaccommodating and just nothing compared to Daniel… I want Daniel! He’s sweet and kind and just an all round guy, he takes care of Candice and never pressures her to do or feel anything she’s not ready for. Candice describes her favourite factor of romance as: 2 characters who have a deep connection and feelings for each other but can’t be together so they have this deep longing for each other that no one else knows about accept them; and I really felt this between Candice and Daniel. I thought it was so cleaver and it kept me reading as they had so many moments that got ruined; it felt so natural and like real life when you long for someone you can’t have. I wish we could have delved into Daniels character a wee more, found out more about his life; it would make me love him more!
All 3 of our main ladies are honestly top tear, they’re funny and relatable and have this family dynamic that you can only get with your found family. The added disasters of the cafe and their dating mishaps made them all relatable. I really loved that we didn’t get to dive into Makayla trauma too much, it felt really on character to keep these dark hidings to herself and I think it represents a significant amount of woman who feel the same way; saying it out loud makes it true, if we don’t tell anyone it never happened. Candice was also secretive to start and it make me feel really confused as to whether or not I liked her for the first 5 chapters. But as she came out of her shell in the community more and we got to know her better I really started to love her. I was rooting for her and empathised with her trauma in ways that made me angry at the men who wronged her.
I found the first 5 chapters quite wordy and long, but they were important for setting the scene and introducing the characters. I think the ending was perfect and honestly I’m not sure i’d change a thing. It was the perfect holiday read with all the vibes that I needed to get me in the summer mood! Bring on the sunshine ☀️
For lovers of:
- Romance set in Cornwall
- Hawaiian FMC
- Found family
- Author MC
- Surfing
November 18, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC!
I feel the marketing should go in a different direction for this book. With the cover, title, and description of Holiday Read, I’m afraid people will go in expecting something different. It’s selling as an escapist romance, but that did not come across for me.
What I liked about the book was the setting, the focus on the importance of healthy friendships that feel like family, and Candice taking control of her life and not being complacent! Yesss, we love that journey!
However, the negatives unfortunately overshadow the positives.
The plot points (some unnecessary, I dare say?) felt equally forced and forgotten at the same time. This requires the reader to suspend reality when these plot points are “resolved”, which took me out a bit. The dialogue often feels disjointed and irrelevant in moving the plot forward.
With our leading lady, there is a lack of communication not only with the other characters, but with us, the readers. This made it difficult for me to root for her, because I was often unsure how she felt in situations or what she really wanted, especially with the Alexis and Daniel moments.
Speaking of the Alexis and Daniel moments, this love triangle/work partnership did not work for me. When one romantic male lead is an unlikable, selfish, misogynistic human being - it's easy to write him off. While the other is obviously a more likable person, the conservations required for relationship building were glossed over, so as the reader, I was not pulled in. The triangle was unnecessary and ineffective.
Overall, I feel there is a disservice to the author by selling this book as an “escapist beach read rom-com”. If the reader goes in knowing this is a story of a woman finding a new life for herself after a tumultuous past by taking on a new career opportunity that leads to her fighting for respect in a field so often looked down upon; all while navigating the obstacles of working directly with a petulant male colleague, and catching feelings for the other, there might be a more positive reaction? But as it stands, the story falls flat and is inconsistent in its objective.
I feel the marketing should go in a different direction for this book. With the cover, title, and description of Holiday Read, I’m afraid people will go in expecting something different. It’s selling as an escapist romance, but that did not come across for me.
What I liked about the book was the setting, the focus on the importance of healthy friendships that feel like family, and Candice taking control of her life and not being complacent! Yesss, we love that journey!
However, the negatives unfortunately overshadow the positives.
The plot points (some unnecessary, I dare say?) felt equally forced and forgotten at the same time. This requires the reader to suspend reality when these plot points are “resolved”, which took me out a bit. The dialogue often feels disjointed and irrelevant in moving the plot forward.
With our leading lady, there is a lack of communication not only with the other characters, but with us, the readers. This made it difficult for me to root for her, because I was often unsure how she felt in situations or what she really wanted, especially with the Alexis and Daniel moments.
Speaking of the Alexis and Daniel moments, this love triangle/work partnership did not work for me. When one romantic male lead is an unlikable, selfish, misogynistic human being - it's easy to write him off. While the other is obviously a more likable person, the conservations required for relationship building were glossed over, so as the reader, I was not pulled in. The triangle was unnecessary and ineffective.
Overall, I feel there is a disservice to the author by selling this book as an “escapist beach read rom-com”. If the reader goes in knowing this is a story of a woman finding a new life for herself after a tumultuous past by taking on a new career opportunity that leads to her fighting for respect in a field so often looked down upon; all while navigating the obstacles of working directly with a petulant male colleague, and catching feelings for the other, there might be a more positive reaction? But as it stands, the story falls flat and is inconsistent in its objective.
November 30, 2022
This title might make you think this is a Beach Read knock off, but it’s not. It’s also not nearly as good.
The story follows Candice who has recently moved from Hawaii to Newquay, a English beach town, to run away from her failed marriage and start up a surfing school. She meets an writer struggling to write his romance novel.
This is marketed as a romance novel but it really didn’t feel like one, at all. There’s a lot of hinting at romance but we get very few romantic scenes, and they’re also not great. The writer character was clearly some form of autistic, although it’s never specified. It felt very wrong how he was written off as a douchebag who just wants to cash on writing a romance novel because they are hot right now. He was also horrible to the female main character and it all just felt a little little ableism.
Honestly this book felt like a Hallmark movie. There was just no clear plot for a big part in the beginning and at like 40% there were too many plotlines. I will summarize all of them:
* Failed marriage/emotionally abusive husband
* Husband cheats with best friend
* MC wants to start a surf school
* MC wants to be a writer
* MC wants to find her biological father
* MC works at a quirky restaurant with a quirky owner and a quirky coworker/best friend
* MC cowrites a book
* Two love interest
LIKE PIC TWO AND STICK WITH THEM. I swear none of these were fully fleshed out and some like the finding of her biological father were resolved so quickly and randomly it was ridiculous.
I can’t really think of main strong point expect for the women supporting women in this book. Although the best friend was also just a little too quirky for me, so much that she didn’t really feel like a real person. But I guess it deserves half a star. So it’s a 1,5 star for me.
Thank you Netgalley for this eARC. I am sad to say I didn’t like this more but I’ll always give a honest review.
The story follows Candice who has recently moved from Hawaii to Newquay, a English beach town, to run away from her failed marriage and start up a surfing school. She meets an writer struggling to write his romance novel.
This is marketed as a romance novel but it really didn’t feel like one, at all. There’s a lot of hinting at romance but we get very few romantic scenes, and they’re also not great. The writer character was clearly some form of autistic, although it’s never specified. It felt very wrong how he was written off as a douchebag who just wants to cash on writing a romance novel because they are hot right now. He was also horrible to the female main character and it all just felt a little little ableism.
Honestly this book felt like a Hallmark movie. There was just no clear plot for a big part in the beginning and at like 40% there were too many plotlines. I will summarize all of them:
* Failed marriage/emotionally abusive husband
* Husband cheats with best friend
* MC wants to start a surf school
* MC wants to be a writer
* MC wants to find her biological father
* MC works at a quirky restaurant with a quirky owner and a quirky coworker/best friend
* MC cowrites a book
* Two love interest
LIKE PIC TWO AND STICK WITH THEM. I swear none of these were fully fleshed out and some like the finding of her biological father were resolved so quickly and randomly it was ridiculous.
I can’t really think of main strong point expect for the women supporting women in this book. Although the best friend was also just a little too quirky for me, so much that she didn’t really feel like a real person. But I guess it deserves half a star. So it’s a 1,5 star for me.
Thank you Netgalley for this eARC. I am sad to say I didn’t like this more but I’ll always give a honest review.
April 23, 2023
Firstly, a big thank you to Aria and Aries and NetGalley for the ARC.
I had high hopes for this books as it sounded like the perfect book for me. I’m a massive fan of Emily Henry and from the description, I assumed this book would give off the same vibe. And it did, to some extent, but something fell flat with this story which was really disappointing.
Let’s talk characters – I did like Candice as a main character, and I love her friendships with Makalya and Demi. They are good, entertaining side characters who are written well. Alexis seemed okay to begin with, but I don’t know why he had to be turned into such a jerk in the end; I really don’t think that was the right decision but for some people it might have been the expected path for him. Daniel is also a good character; the designated good guy. All in all, I didn’t find any issues character wise besides Alexis suddenly going from a bit of annoyance to a completely awful person.
Plot wise, this story feels a bit all over the place and moves at a weird pace. There are too many short, unnecessary filler chapters that don’t add much. The search for her dad is randomly mentioned here and there and then she suddenly figures it out at the end – I don’t think this moment, which is such a big thing to happen, is given enough attention in the book. I’d have liked to have seen more happen with Daniel and Candice - I’m nosey, I’d like to have to seen more of them after they together, popping an epilogue in could have been a good idea.
I never like to be negative about a book, but something is really missing from this plot, I wasn’t swept up by the plot and the romance, but I do love the friendships in this, and of course, the setting is glorious and well described.
I had high hopes for this books as it sounded like the perfect book for me. I’m a massive fan of Emily Henry and from the description, I assumed this book would give off the same vibe. And it did, to some extent, but something fell flat with this story which was really disappointing.
Let’s talk characters – I did like Candice as a main character, and I love her friendships with Makalya and Demi. They are good, entertaining side characters who are written well. Alexis seemed okay to begin with, but I don’t know why he had to be turned into such a jerk in the end; I really don’t think that was the right decision but for some people it might have been the expected path for him. Daniel is also a good character; the designated good guy. All in all, I didn’t find any issues character wise besides Alexis suddenly going from a bit of annoyance to a completely awful person.
Plot wise, this story feels a bit all over the place and moves at a weird pace. There are too many short, unnecessary filler chapters that don’t add much. The search for her dad is randomly mentioned here and there and then she suddenly figures it out at the end – I don’t think this moment, which is such a big thing to happen, is given enough attention in the book. I’d have liked to have seen more happen with Daniel and Candice - I’m nosey, I’d like to have to seen more of them after they together, popping an epilogue in could have been a good idea.
I never like to be negative about a book, but something is really missing from this plot, I wasn’t swept up by the plot and the romance, but I do love the friendships in this, and of course, the setting is glorious and well described.
November 5, 2022
This book really confused me. I don't know why it's called 'Holiday Read' because the characters weren't on a holiday or vacation in the book. I think that the book description is deceptive because it doesn't really have a lot to do with the beach. The main character, Candice, does run a surf school, but it's a minor plot point in the story. Candice moves to the town that she was born in, but she doesn't remember much about the town. She moved away when she was very young, and she mostly grew up in Hawaii. She moves to the town of Newquay in England.
Candice tries to start over again after her marriage falls apart. While at her work as a waitress at a cafe, she meets a handsome stranger named Alexis. She feels a spark with him, but things don't turn out as she planned them too. She finds out that he is writing a book and he's using Candice for inspiration. Candice also has a spark with Alexis' literary agent, Daniel. What will happen with them? Will she get another chance at love?
This book had a lot of different plots going on, and I found it difficult to focus on them. The ending of the story felt so rushed. Much of the book was drawn out and i was looking forward to the ending. When I got to the ending, I felt like I was missing pages in the story. I was confused by how abrupt things happened at the end of the book, and the story felt unresolved.
Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for an ARC of this book.
Candice tries to start over again after her marriage falls apart. While at her work as a waitress at a cafe, she meets a handsome stranger named Alexis. She feels a spark with him, but things don't turn out as she planned them too. She finds out that he is writing a book and he's using Candice for inspiration. Candice also has a spark with Alexis' literary agent, Daniel. What will happen with them? Will she get another chance at love?
This book had a lot of different plots going on, and I found it difficult to focus on them. The ending of the story felt so rushed. Much of the book was drawn out and i was looking forward to the ending. When I got to the ending, I felt like I was missing pages in the story. I was confused by how abrupt things happened at the end of the book, and the story felt unresolved.
Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for an ARC of this book.
May 12, 2023
So when romance fanatic Candice meets writer Alexis, she thinks her happy ending is finally on its way. He walks into her struggling cornish surf school, and they hit it off straight away. Until she discovers Alecis has been using their courtship as inspiration for the romantic novel he's struggling to write.
When Alexis offers to bring her in on the deal if Candice helps him deliver a winning book to his publisher, she accepts. But can Candice trust Alexis after his lies? And will she keep her focus when Alexis' sweet, handsome and loyal agent Daniel arrives on the scene? Together, Candice, Alexis and Daniel will embark on a very unusual summer of love, as Candice tries to teach the men the recipe for a perfect romance story.
Unfortunately I had to DNF the book around 60%. I tried getting into it but I felt like I was forcing myself to read and finish the book. I didn’t find the plot that interesting. It wasn't keeping me intrigued enough and the main characters? Yeah, I don't know how I feel about it (Alexis talking about u) but I will say I liked the setting and the friendships. Others may enjoy this book but for me it just wasn't it.
Thank you to netgalley and aria aries for this ARC in exchange for my review!!
When Alexis offers to bring her in on the deal if Candice helps him deliver a winning book to his publisher, she accepts. But can Candice trust Alexis after his lies? And will she keep her focus when Alexis' sweet, handsome and loyal agent Daniel arrives on the scene? Together, Candice, Alexis and Daniel will embark on a very unusual summer of love, as Candice tries to teach the men the recipe for a perfect romance story.
Unfortunately I had to DNF the book around 60%. I tried getting into it but I felt like I was forcing myself to read and finish the book. I didn’t find the plot that interesting. It wasn't keeping me intrigued enough and the main characters? Yeah, I don't know how I feel about it (Alexis talking about u) but I will say I liked the setting and the friendships. Others may enjoy this book but for me it just wasn't it.
Thank you to netgalley and aria aries for this ARC in exchange for my review!!
January 2, 2023
This book was not for me. I didn't really like any of the characters and while they did grow on me over time, it didn't happen fast enough for this book to work for me in the end. I also found it really confusing at the start because we had so much filler in the story and not a ton of substance. It took almost 80 pages to get to her meeting Alexis and another 50 before Daniel came on the scene. And I spent most of that time trying to figure out her back story and where the novel is set.
I don't need everything spelled out at the start but by page 50+ I'd like to have a bit more of a firm foothold in the character I'm supposed to be following and not feel like the book is rambling.
In the end, it didn't work for me in so many ways. It did get better, but I do think that it needs to be chopped by a good 100 pages or more, restructured a bit so we know what's what sooner, and that it shouldn't be set up as similar to Emily Henry's Beach Read which it doesn't even remotely resemble.
It's hard to give a bad review to a first novel but for me, this one came pretty close to a DNF and only the fact that it was an ARC made me push through.
*Received ARC via NetGalley.
I don't need everything spelled out at the start but by page 50+ I'd like to have a bit more of a firm foothold in the character I'm supposed to be following and not feel like the book is rambling.
In the end, it didn't work for me in so many ways. It did get better, but I do think that it needs to be chopped by a good 100 pages or more, restructured a bit so we know what's what sooner, and that it shouldn't be set up as similar to Emily Henry's Beach Read which it doesn't even remotely resemble.
It's hard to give a bad review to a first novel but for me, this one came pretty close to a DNF and only the fact that it was an ARC made me push through.
*Received ARC via NetGalley.
April 21, 2023
(1 star)
DNF at 47%
Reading this was not a good experience for me. I had too many opinions about it right from the beginning, especially because of the single POV. Candice lived in her head too much that she was oblivious about the present, that's how serious her tragedy was I'm guessing. She had two fairy godmother characters in her life, and somehow I rarely noticed their so-called kindness in the book.
Alexis was a judgemental, entitled jerk. And for some reason, it was okay for him to be. He knew he was a dick to the general population and did nothing to change that. I don't know how that can be endearing.
There wasn't any chemistry between the characters if I'm being honest. One minute Candice is fed up with Alexis, then the next we see her thinking about his supposed good looks and the connection she feels with him. There were a lot of plotholes and some very out-of-the-blue passages. It barely made sense after a point. The poor character build-up made it challenging to find uniformity in characters, and generally like them.
What really made continuing the book difficult was the miscommunication and the way the story unfolded.
DNF at 47%
Reading this was not a good experience for me. I had too many opinions about it right from the beginning, especially because of the single POV. Candice lived in her head too much that she was oblivious about the present, that's how serious her tragedy was I'm guessing. She had two fairy godmother characters in her life, and somehow I rarely noticed their so-called kindness in the book.
Alexis was a judgemental, entitled jerk. And for some reason, it was okay for him to be. He knew he was a dick to the general population and did nothing to change that. I don't know how that can be endearing.
There wasn't any chemistry between the characters if I'm being honest. One minute Candice is fed up with Alexis, then the next we see her thinking about his supposed good looks and the connection she feels with him. There were a lot of plotholes and some very out-of-the-blue passages. It barely made sense after a point. The poor character build-up made it challenging to find uniformity in characters, and generally like them.
What really made continuing the book difficult was the miscommunication and the way the story unfolded.
December 4, 2022
2.5 stars. Oh boy, this book took me forever to pass the 20% mark. Not only the premise is unoriginal but also the pacing is slow and all over the place. After the 40% mark it started to pick up, or maybe I was just too fustrated and skimmed all the uninteresting sections. It's good that the writer tried to put the focus on female friendship and a female lead trying to find herself after a bad break-up, but it's awful that the book uses the trope of the love triangle introducing two hunky male leads. How is she supposed to grow as an independent woman if she's forced (by the author) to choose between two guys in order to save her from an unfulfilling womanhood. Similar to other debut romance books I read that were just meh ("Float Plan" or "Lizzie & Dante"), the marketing aims to target readers of Emily Henry and Josie Silver. But these titles are just lower quality copy paste ideas that fail to bring anything new to the contemporary romance genre. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
July 12, 2024
I picked this up from the library because of the cover and I wish I had looked it up on Goodreads ahead of time 🙃. The summary sounds promising—a cute romcom about a struggling writer and a woman who teaches him about romance. Promising… but not at all what the book is actually about. The author may have set out to write that book, but she didn’t succeed. This shouldn’t be marketed as a romance or a romcom, it’s much more of a slice of life of the female MC, which is fine… except her life is really boring but also odd. It’s a book from a UK author but the MC is American/Hawaiian but speaks nearly exactly like the other British characters. Every other chapter almost is an out-of-place vignette with the side characters—be ready for a 1.5-page-long discussion of the female MC’s friend’s boyfriend’s dog’s name and how everyone misheard it as Koda instead of Coder… riveting. If it wasn’t the only book I brought with me to the pool I would have DNF’d, but at a certain point I had slogged through too many pages and stubbornly refused to quit.
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