Jane
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
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To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise is interesting enough. The protagonist was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares her core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them are blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I advocate for…this.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to have develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the thought that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There is awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.
Rating Description:
1.0 - DNF/Despise
1.5 - Almost DNFed and wish I had
2.0 - Almost DNFed but had redeeming qualities/just boring
2.5 - Alright with lots of notes
3.0 - Alright with notes but I'm not raving about it
3.5 - Technically good but I'm not raving about it
4.0 - Love but with notes
4.5 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book but still with notes
5.0 - Love it so much I want to highlight the book and notes are very positive
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To be transparent, I compare most contemporary romance/romance-comedy books with ‘Animal Husbandry’ by Laura Zigman. It’s a book I read back in my 20s (in the early 2000s). I may not remember all aspects of that book, and I don’t know if I would still love it as much as I did if I do a re-read now, but I remember how I felt when I first read it. And if I don’t feel that when I read a book of the same genre, then I probably won’t rate it high.
That said, Book Lovers didn’t come close to my experience when I read ‘Animal Husbandry’. So now we all know why I rated this the way I did.
This isn’t a bad read and it also isn’t the kind of book that you would immediately forget after reading. But it wasn’t outstanding either. It’s alright.
The premise is interesting enough. The protagonist was positioned as the woman the man leaves when he finally finds the one. Not necessarily a woman scorned but more like the wrong match in a conventional love story.
Given that set-up, one should be rooting for the protagonist but I just could not. I don’t know if it’s because I just felt like she didn’t need to be in a relationship or if it’s because I just didn’t find her love interest very interesting. I mean…he’s a good match for her. He’s good looking and shares her core values. But other than that, he’s…blah. Actually, both of them are blah. While I am not a fan of over-the-top romance, that does not mean I advocate for…this.
Maybe this is, again, an issue I have with the timeline. The whole thing happened in month’s time. But I don’t think so. A month is long enough to have develop a romance. So, I think it’s because I can’t buy into the thought that two very much guarded, careful, and professional people would easily shift gears without much awkwardness. There is awkwardness but it doesn’t seem enough and it was very run of the mill. Dare I say it…tropey.
Another thing I had an issue with is the title. The title is Book Lovers. While loving books was a big factor in the story, the pivotal plot point here is loving city life. Loving books seems incidental compared to how much loving city living factored into the issues that came up in the story. So yeah, I think there’s a mismatch with the title. But given how the author’s other book was titled ‘Beach Read’ when the story’s setting was by a lake, this issue seems to be part of an on-going pattern.