Laurie Devore

Stalled romance author Jac joins the cast of a popular dating reality show for publicity reasons. She has a one-night stand prior to the start of taping with Henry who is (unbeknownst to her) one of the show's producers. Henry hates his job but doesn't feel he can leave. Jac is rudderless and desperate for a publishing comeback. This is not a feel-good, cozy story and there's a lot of jagged edges here. Classifying this as a romance feels inaccurate, and describing it as a "dramedy" also didn't feel right. It's more of a character study and a biting commentary on the falseness and manipulations of created fame, with multiple dysfunctional relationships and a darker romantic sub-plot. The author writes the reality show filming process like it's a social experiment in manipulation. Honestly, it's believable.

I struggled with the main characters as I found them to be so unlikable (both apart and together) that it was hard to root for them. Jac had a hardness to her which made it tricky to warm up to her. She's complex and harsh, and there's a push-pull with her personality that as a reader I found difficult to fully process. I didn't really like Henry and I don't like the uneven balance of power that existed in his relationship with Jac. Almost everything Henry did felt manipulative, almost to the very end. And the bulk of the book is less about their romantic relationship and more about the superficiality and misogyny and voluntary exploitation that takes place on romance reality shows. If that's what you're looking for then this is the story for you. But this book just wasn't for me: I found it difficult to finish, although I did see it through to the end where the resolution and lighter tone of the ending didn't quite seem to fit with the bulk of the story. I ultimately gave it 3 stars because it was well written overall, but I really didn't enjoy this read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.… (altro)

PHEWWW.
Holy. I don't even know what to write. I just finished this book, and honestly, I am in a mix of emotions right now. Let's start at the beginning:

I didn't want to read this book. You know how when you get a lot of books out from the library and tell yourself "I'm going to read this book, and then this one, and then this", so on? So I got out quite a few and decided to start with this one because it just happened to happen like that.
I had to CARRY myself through the first like 5 or 6 chapters because I was reading it and was realizing that it just didn't appeal to me. I was just not going for this vibe. Questioning why I even picked it up in the first place.
I wanted to take another book, it was that bad. But because I have this thing where I can't move on without finishing one thing first, I forced myself to read it. And boy did I get lost in it.

After the first, let's say, third, of the book, I couldn't put it down. You know, sometimes the blurb/summary of the book doesn't do grace for the book. It's so much more in depth than what the blurb is telling you. So many twists, relationships and friendships, bonds.... This book had me in the feels. The best friend friendship in this book just KILLED me in the end, I was so annoyed that things worked out the way they did, but that's for you to read.

For those of you wanting to read this book, don't give up. The first couple of chapters may seem like they're confusing with all the new characters and references, but you'll get the feels of it pretty quick. Read half of it and then a little bit more and then you won't be able to put it down. (Yes that's like 2/3, but you need the 2/3 to have a good understanding of the remaining 1/3).

It's worth it. Oh hell it is.… (altro)

How to Break a Boy had me up til 1 am yelling "WHAT ARE YOU DOING" and "YESSSSSSSS" at literally every single character besides maybe Claire who is a total marshmallow.

This is a book that demands a pack of beer, a bowl of popcorn, and a box of tissues.

**Honestly, with the release coming up on us, I've been thinking about this book A LOT (a friend was yelling about the ARC I sent her and I ended up mentally and EMOTIONALLY revisiting it). Devore is one of the BEST new voices in contemporary YA. Some of her scenes are so raw, but there's also plenty of humor and good lord WHIT, MY CINNAMON ROLL SON.

Anyways, so looking forward to any future titles from this author. Stellar.… (altro)