#SinglePOV

3½⭐️/5 (fine, but some quite significant issues)

On the one hand, yay for autism rep in romance, and yay for making the POV MC the autistic one.

On the other hand, making that autistic MC also a buffoon of the “unemotional nerd” stereotype is … a choice, I guess? One could argue that he’s just not interested in engaging in society’s judgment of his differences. And that’s a valid read. But it’s not a particularly positive stereotype, and yet it’s also the stalking horse of the entire story.

There are parts of the autistic POV MC’s experience to which I could absolutely relate. I can’t flat-out say it’s an unrealistic representation. An effort was made?

So … YMMV, I guess.

Tags: #FirstPersonPOV #LearningToLove #Neurodiverse #RomCom #SinglePOV #SlowBurn #StructureMeetsWhimsy

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

3½⭐️/5

Without spoilers, I’ll just say that I don’t resonate well with the central tension in this story. Outside of that, I though the humor was well done, and enjoyed the interactions with the side characters — I thought it showed a supportive and 3D social network.

Tags: #AgeGap #CareerFirst #ClosetedVsOut #FirstPersonPOV #HiddenRelationship #SinglePOV #WorkplaceEthics

3½⭐️/5

tl;dr: I think the core relationships are interesting, but there’s just a lot going on in this story, and not all of it moves the relationships forward. It’s not awful, just a little scattershot.

Tags: #Awakening #BestFriendsSibling #CommitmentIssues #FakeRelationship #LoveTriangle #SinglePOV #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