When it comes to romance novels, having a bit of fantasy has always been a must for me. That was until I finally decided to take the leap and read my first rom-com in about a decade. Let’s just say, I love it here and I don’t want to leave!
The Deets
Of course, while spending time in the most glorious place on earth, Barnes & Noble, it took 3 walk-arounds to get me to finally stop at the Rom-Com table. In my opinion, the synopsis always sounds the same. Some girl is helpless and her life sucks, she meets a guy, she finds her worth in him, and they live happily ever after. Thankfully, this book was not like this!
It starts with Olive, a Ph.D. student who is gettin’ it in the mud! As a loyal and caring friend, she gets swept into drama when one little lie to her best friend Anh leads her into having a fake relationship with Sexy Black cloud Dr. Adam Carlson. With realism, comedy, and a slow-burn romance, Ali Hazelwood, the author, brings to life my love for rom-com novels!
Plot: 4/5
For a standalone novel, I felt that this really gave it to the reader short, sweet, and to the point. Just the right amount of fluff, and just the right amount of brewing until it got where I wanted it to be. Not to post any spoilers, but the plot follows the characters smoothly without getting tunnel-vision, or leaving out the other characters that bring life to the story.
The setup in how they portray the characters also flows nicely to understand why Olive, the main character, does what she does. I feel that in some books, characters can take a turn for the worse for absolutely no reason that makes in order to reach the climatic part of the story. I was happy to see that Olive doesn’t go rogue.
Writing: 5/5
Lately, I have been reading a lot of books that are in the first person. It was nice to finely feel that I was on the outside looking in. A witness to the overall picture and not just Olive’s life. Yes, the main storyline is on Olive in her life, but the simple writing really did it for me!
Word Building: 5/5
When I say simplistic, I don’t mean it literally. I feel as though there is a line between writing for feeling, and adding so much fluff that the feeling is gone completely. With Ali Hazelwood’s writing style, I felt that her word building elucidated the feeling that she had precisely. Allowing the reader to know the characters’ heart and intentions. You also begin to know their fears. Through how the character reacts to her friends also with specific wording Hazelwood uses, you begin to know their quirks as well. All in all, a good book, with proper setup, and traditional writing to binge on and complete in less then 24 hours. Which is exactly what I did.
Overall: 5/5
With all the hype, I’ve given this book so far, it’s pretty obvious why I rated it 5/5. The only thing that could have been the slightest bit better if I was feeling Petty is I wish one simple thing didn’t start the entire storyline. I was expecting something much larger of a reason as to why they began fake dating. I also expect more out of Anh, Olive’s best friend.
However, I will say in regards to how it ended, I give it a loud Chef’s kiss! Molding the characters to each other yet still keeping their individuality won brownie points from me. Additionally, it landed me in the rom-com lover family as well.
SO if you have an afternoon to yourself, and want to be swept away ever so nicely, this book is just for you. Don’t forget to let me know how you like it in the comments!
