I know…I know…
I’m late to this one. The hype was ridiculous on #bookstagram and TikTok, so I wanted to wait and I’ve never been this conflicted with a book. I never thought it possible to love the story line, yet not the characters (at first). Don’t get me wrong…Lucy and Josh had their shinning moments that made me swoon and clap for them. Unfortunately, there were too many cringe-worthy moments.
Will I read another Sally Thorne novel? Absolutely! Will I watch the movie? I’ll give it 20 minutes. (Update: I watched the movie and loved it WAY more than the book…weird.)
The nickname “Shortcake” was forced. It’s cute to use nicknames every now and then…but all the time? No thanks. What I couldn’t get over was the urge to “kill” each other. I get it…It was the enemies to lovers trope. But damn! Lucy literally imagined choking him and then told him. Then you’ve got Josh’s aggression. Lucy even felt unsafe at times with him in the elevator. Red flag for me…until they kissed in the elevator.
But I get it. Their chemistry was founded on a equal hatred for one another.
Lucy was very much ready to jump his bones and while I’m all for a woman who knows what she wants, it felt too forced. It came off less forced in the movie, though, which was another win for me while watching.
With that being said…I read the book in a day. The writing itself was quick and fun. The storyline/premise was inviting. There were a lot of things I loved about this book, but the characters at times were too much.
I have a love/hate relationship with the book and I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing. Would I recommend it? Yup! Would I read it again? No, but I would watch the movie again…for the third time 🙂
Pens and Prosecco 