I'm starting to get tired of this trend of 'if a girl acts like perv not only it's okay but it's actually funny!' First of all: this is the typeDNF 30%
I'm starting to get tired of this trend of 'if a girl acts like perv not only it's okay but it's actually funny!' First of all: this is the type of book that demands a lot of suspension of disbelief. That Rebecca would just do what Vanessa wants even if it is clearly not part of her job or connected to it (ie: Vanessa is not a tyrant, if Rebecca was to be unjustly fired on the basis of not wanting to agree to do an 'outside job' for her boss). Then again Rebecca can't be all that smart as she then believes that it's a good idea for people to believe that she is Vanessa and that they will understand if she reveals later on that she isn't (where is she living? the moon?!).
What really annoyed me was that Rebecca thinks it's perfectly okay to sneak a photo of a builder's bum as it is a very good looking one so that she can then send it to her friend. The narrative tries to make it so that she is aware that she was being a bit of a perv but it's okay since he then quite rightfully acts in an unfriendly manner towards her (so he deserved it?!). Do pervy, clueless, air-heads make for sympathetic or realistic main characters? Not really. If we were to switch their genders in that scene (so that it is a male sneaking a photo of a woman's bottom, a woman he does not even know or has even seen before)...not so funny right?
Another thing that I noticed was the lack of logic: the builder catches our protagonist red-handed and believing that she is his employer (who he knows is an unpleasant person by her reputation) tells her: "I'd thought you'd be more rottweiler than chihuahua" (which leads us to believe that he is not that threatened by her or her authority over him) before then telling off his mates for not warning him of her arrival as "I could have got myself sacked up there just now". If he was so worried about meeting Vanessa wouldn't he have avoided comparing her to a dog?
The book is also full of lazy stereotypes (like the taxi driver who pats his stomach and talks about his 'missus') that don't really come across as funny or clever takes on real people. There is Rebecca's housemate from hell (who is an exaggerated take on the lazy, smelly, sexist housemate)...Vanessa is an amalgamation of 'devil' bosses found in The Devil Wears Prada and My Not So Perfect Life
My advice is to skip this one!
Merged review:
DNF 30%
I'm starting to get tired of this trend of 'if a girl acts like perv not only it's okay but it's actually funny!' First of all: this is the type of book that demands a lot of suspension of disbelief. That Rebecca would just do what Vanessa wants even if it is clearly not part of her job or connected to it (ie: Vanessa is not a tyrant, if Rebecca was to be unjustly fired on the basis of not wanting to agree to do an 'outside job' for her boss). Then again Rebecca can't be all that smart as she then believes that it's a good idea for people to believe that she is Vanessa and that they will understand if she reveals later on that she isn't (where is she living? the moon?!).
What really annoyed me was that Rebecca thinks it's perfectly okay to sneak a photo of a builder's bum as it is a very good looking one so that she can then send it to her friend. The narrative tries to make it so that she is aware that she was being a bit of a perv but it's okay since he then quite rightfully acts in an unfriendly manner towards her (so he deserved it?!). Do pervy, clueless, air-heads make for sympathetic or realistic main characters? Not really. If we were to switch their genders in that scene (so that it is a male sneaking a photo of a woman's bottom, a woman he does not even know or has even seen before)...not so funny right?
Another thing that I noticed was the lack of logic: the builder catches our protagonist red-handed and believing that she is his employer (who he knows is an unpleasant person by her reputation) tells her: "I'd thought you'd be more rottweiler than chihuahua" (which leads us to believe that he is not that threatened by her or her authority over him) before then telling off his mates for not warning him of her arrival as "I could have got myself sacked up there just now". If he was so worried about meeting Vanessa wouldn't he have avoided comparing her to a dog?
The book is also full of lazy stereotypes (like the taxi driver who pats his stomach and talks about his 'missus') that don't really come across as funny or clever takes on real people. There is Rebecca's housemate from hell (who is an exaggerated take on the lazy, smelly, sexist housemate)...Vanessa is an amalgamation of 'devil' bosses found in The Devil Wears Prada and My Not So Perfect Life
i really wanted to like this but there is a scene early on, one that acts as the catalyst to the remainder of the story, that feels way too similadnf
i really wanted to like this but there is a scene early on, one that acts as the catalyst to the remainder of the story, that feels way too similar to one from Liar, Dreamer, Thief by Maria Dong. the opening of this novel also feels kind of...messy. it's the kind of opening that tries to be gritty and real, but feels sensationalistic and more suited to a piece of media from the late 90s/early 2000s. if this novel is on your radar i recommend you check out reviews from readers who have actually finished this....more
i can get behind a lot of silly nonsense but the way both MCs act is too much for me. they are moronic, their actions make no sense given theirDNF 50%
i can get behind a lot of silly nonsense but the way both MCs act is too much for me. they are moronic, their actions make no sense given their established goals/backgrounds...and dio mio, i thought this type of dynamic had been put to rest. our protagonist is the worst offender. few books have frustrated me as much as this. the world-building was poorly executed, the characters and their motivations were at best random, at worse, devoid of personality and or reason, and the atmosphere was severely lacking. if it had leaned more into its own cheesiness, of being a homage to vampire media aimed at a primarily teen female audience, then maybe i could have kept on reading...but nope, this book thinks it has edge. lots of embarrassing choices made by the storytelling...yikes, just yikes....more
the first pages establish this as a book that might appeal to fans of watt-pad or colleen hoover. the writing is abysmal. our mc doesn't wear muchdnf
the first pages establish this as a book that might appeal to fans of watt-pad or colleen hoover. the writing is abysmal. our mc doesn't wear much make-up, she gets up later than her roomies because that's just like so real, while her li is a pound-shop take on the 'i'm just so deeply fucked up' type of guy (sir, chill. you are just a generic asshole).
i can appreciate romance, cheesy lines, and so forth, but the writing here is cringe in a rather soulless way (so that i can't even enjoy it in a so-bad-it's-funny kind of way). if you like this book, fair enough...to me however this is the type of book that i would categorize as garbage. if it happens to be on your radar i recommend you check out other reviews....more
disclaimer: the below opinions are based on a small portion of this book so if you are looking for a more comprehensive review of Determination, i recdisclaimer: the below opinions are based on a small portion of this book so if you are looking for a more comprehensive review of Determination, i recommend you check out reviews from readers who have actually finished it.
dnf
not only does her neck grow "taller" when her father praises (one would expect something along the lines of 'she stood a little taller', or that the praise made her 'straighten her shoulders' etc...). a few pages later we get a scene featuring a man whose "winged ears twitched." on the whole, the writing is very unconvincing. the opening scene struck me as particularly clunky, and there are several corny descriptions, both detailing our mc's actions and her inner thoughts/emotions. that is not to say that Khan is a bad writer or this a bad book. i believe that a more thorough editing process would have improved Khan's storytelling or, at the very least, made her writing smoother and more fluid. ...more
our mc, the (quasi)estranged daughter of wealth, runs her own fashion brand and is possibly in line to inherit the family empire...sounds familiar?dnf
our mc, the (quasi)estranged daughter of wealth, runs her own fashion brand and is possibly in line to inherit the family empire...sounds familiar? initially, this nod to Crash Landing onto You amused me. however, Zen Cho's latest novel quickly devolves into a bland rehash of romcom and K-drama clichés. what's most disappointing is the complete absence of Cho's trademark witty humor and playful satire. Cho's prose feels flat and uninspired compared to her usual works.
it pains me to admit that The Friend Zone Experiment feels like an attempt to cash in on the romcom trend. while i understand its potential for commercial success over Cho's fantasy novels, i had hoped for her to inject more of her style into the genre. instead, we're served one cliché after another—like a beautiful MC who doesn't realize her own attractiveness ("conscious about her jaw," but somehow "no less lovely now—more so, if anything").
despite the characters' wealth, Cho's attempt to immediately garner sympathy for our 'relatable' MC (who has launched a successful brand and owns a flat in London... in this economy?) feels rushed and contrived. then there's this perplexing moment: "She had wondered over the years if he was gay and that was why things had gone wrong when she’d fallen for him. But she wasn’t wearing a blouse under her jacket, and there was something about the way Ket Siong’s eyes were carefully avoiding her neckline that made her think that wasn’t it." i don't even know where to begin with this. it was a choice, one that would not be out of place in a Wattpad story, but i am dissapointed to see an author who previously centred her stories on queer characters write something so banal.
this novel falls short of Cho's usual brilliance (boring characters, predictable story, flat writing) and lacks the charm and depth i have come to expect from her...more
It's-a me, Luce, and-a welcome to my review! Bellissimo!
I wasn't a fan of Mcquiston's previous books (I only managed to finish Red, White & Royal BluIt's-a me, Luce, and-a welcome to my review! Bellissimo!
I wasn't a fan of Mcquiston's previous books (I only managed to finish Red, White & Royal Blue, which was childish, even by romcom standards) but I decided to give their latest novel a chance. However, within just a few pages, I found myself cringing at their humor (dildos...ah-ah) and their portrayal of places outside of America (that whole pub scene in London...why?)...it's giving Emily in Paris. Mcquiston writing once again delivers some serious wattpad vibes, or the kind of character interactions and scenarios that would not be out of place in a romance movie of the netflix original variety.
The introduction of the Italian tour guide sealed my dislike for this book. His welcome: "Ah! The last two! Meraviglioso!" It's the same tired caricature of an Anglo-American's perception of an Italian, which is an amalgamation of clichés based on men from Rome or Naples (who are often portrayed as loud, boisterous, charming, handsy even). Imagine someone from northern italy or from a small southern town, working with or for a British company, greeting clients with a 'meraviglioso!'. Ridiculous, right? He also says "Ciao bella" to Theo because of course he fucking does.
And don't get me started on the cheek-kissing... Americans have misunderstood this whole kissing cheeks greeting. Depending on where you are in Italy, you might do it with family, friends, and depending on the setting, with friends of friends or when your friends are introducing you to someone or whatever. The Italians who work in Britain or with a British/non-Italian clientele wouldn't pull this.
It's frustrating how this Fabrizio character, despite his fluency in English, can't seem to resist sprinkling in Italian phrases/words like 'meraviglioso,' 'ciao,' 'grazie mille,' etc. It feels lazy and perpetuates a shallow stereotype. Frankly, it comes across as puerile, so much so that I doubt whether I'll bother finishing this book. Unless it's revealed later on that Fabrizio isn't actually Italian or is just playing up to the expectations of non-Italians (performing his own Italianness, so to speak), this portrayal is just lazy.
I don't care if you want to make fun of Italy and Italians, go for it. All I ask, is that you be clever, witty even, about it. Don't resort to such tired clichés, which are so unimaginative & unfunny that they could have been generated by AI.
Anyway, YMMV, so if you are the kind of reader who likes Emily in Paris chances are this book will be up your street....more
luce (cry bebè's back from hiatus)
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