#NuisanceEx

4¾⭐️/5

The only reason this isn’t 5⭐️ is just some personal preference stuff. This is an otherwise perfect story. No notes.

Tags: #Awakening #FearOfRuiningFriendship #HalfUnavailable #MyKidsLoveYou #NuisanceEx #SharedBed #SingleParent #SinglePOV #ThirdPersonPOV #WorkplaceEthics

4½⭐️/5

What starts off as something of a wacky romcom ends up pretty serious by the end. That’s not bad — just surprising.

Tags: #DualPOV #FamilyIssues #JoinMyFamily #LoveAtFirstSight #LoveTriangle #NuisanceEx #RichPoor #RomCom #ThirdPersonPOV

CW: on-page slow decline of a parent due to dementia and other health issues. Xe Sands’ emotional narration makes this brutal.

Tags: #Awakening #BackHomeAgain #BondThroughBadTimes #FamilyIssues #FamilyIssues #JoinMyFamily #NuisanceEx #SecondChance #SingleParent #SmallTown #ThirdPersonPOV

2¾⭐️/5

Kellogg has done a solid job updating the "place in society" theme to the queer community and gender presentation. Liz's narrative shows her struggles to find (and afford) clothes which match her gender identity. Some are too femme and she feels constrained, while others are too masc and like she's putting on a costume. Relatable!

Having said that, it’s still Pride & Prejudice. It’s still about people being mean to each other and not actually talking, let alone communicating. And, IMO, the big 80% drama in this one goes a direction I find exasperating, and sends exactly the wrong message to the reader, shaming the wrong people.

Tags: #BIPOC #Misunderstandings #NuisanceEx #Retelling #RichPoor #RivalsToLovers #SecretsAndBetrayal #SinglePOV #ThirdPersonPOV

3¾⭐️/5

I know, I know, the Hollywood stuff was the entire point of the book. But I don’t connect with the “actors and their families give up their right to privacy” narrative, so it was a bit much for me.

Tags: #Celebrity #FirstQueerRelationship #NuisanceEx #PTSD #SinglePOV #ThirdPersonPOV

3½⭐️/5

My relatively low rating here is mostly because I don’t connect very well with celebrity tropes. There were several laugh-out-loud moments, but overall the miscommunication was just more than I enjoy.

I’d read more by the author, though.

Tags: #Celebrity #ClosetedVsOut #DualPOV #ExpirationDate #LearningToLove #Misunderstandings #NuisanceEx #ThirdPersonPOV

4¼⭐️/5

For me, there’s a fine line when basing tension on self-confidence issues. Too little self-confidence plus too much drama means I’ll end up just rolling my eyes through the inevitable misunderstandings and scenes with two people talking but not actually communicating. Too much self-confidence and I’ll just end up rolling my eyes at how cheesy, entitled, and het it all feels. This story walks up to that line, and then Riverdances back and forth across it.

I very much appreciated the “what if suddenly someone was nice to you and had your back” themes. We definitely need more of those in romance.

Tags: #BiPanSexualMC #DualPOV #FakeRelationship #FamilyIssues #MarriageOfConvenience #MoneySolvesNothing #NuisanceEx #RichPoor #SecretShame #ThirdPersonPOV