Meteorologists in love? Well, don't get too excited. Let's just say I would've had a better time sticking to my favorite weather blogs than whatever the heck I got here.

I have a lot of words to describe In Stormy Weather, but if I had to pick just one, it would be excessive. Everything is just so over the top—the characters, the romance, the storm chasing, the working in a male dominated field, even the spicy scenes. At some point, you have to wonder if subtlety is indeed dead or if this book was just out on a personal mission to kill it.

Where to begin? Quincy is a meteorologist in a field where literally every single other person is a guy (at least according to this book). And every time she has an interaction with them, they immediately look down on her and disparage her because she's a woman. Now, I'm a girl in STEM, so I know what it's like to be a female working in a male dominated field. But how can there not be a single male ally out there for Quincy except the love interest?

And so we start into what can only be described as slavish ass kissing on the part of Sebastian for the entire 400 pages of this book. Every time they get together, he calls her amazing and brilliant and resilient and yada yada yada. Like, I get it, girl is accomplished. But no real person talks like this unless they're aiming to be sycophant of the year.

Speaking of compliments taken too far, we also have Quincy's two BFFs. Every time the three girls are together, they first have to take turns complimenting each other on how amazing and successful they are, before we can move on. Like come on! How do these poor souls ever find the time to exchange any useful information, when they need to preface every single exchange with many platitudes of greatness?

This book was primarily written in dialogue form. It must take up at least 95% of all prose in here. But just because something has the potential to be banter doesn't mean it succeeds. The majority was so bland and, quite frankly, an obvious attempt at filler that I often caught myself losing focus and skimming, just to get to something good. You add to that the never ending reassurances between the characters on how successful and awesome and badass they all are, and you can see how this starts to feel like a slog.

Back to meteorology for a second (the main reason this book caught my eye). It is a science of predictions, so everything comes with a rate of confidence. But the way this book tells it, it's all black and white, and the only two people in the entire world who can make the right call are Quincy and Sebastian. And they do so by taking a millisecond glance at the data, followed by Sebastian goading Quincy into being a "badass bitch" and telling their discoveries to the world. As if having your lover "believe in you" is the only thing you need to be good at your job.

And don't even get me started on the spicy scenes (long to the point of cringey), page length (also long), the incessant Truth or Dare (inserted into every conversation), Quincy's credentials (having millions of followers on social media, which was brought up again and again), and the storm chasing (putting oneself and one's partner and potential rescuers' lives in danger, just to "prove" oneself). Like, have mercy!

Obviously, this book does not believe in the concept of subtlety. It has the bones of a good romance, but it was firmly buried under a tsunami of "rah rah go Quincy you're a girl" messaging that got real old real quick. And if someone's really that educated and accomplished and they still have to put their lives in imminent danger over and over again just to make themselves believe it, then probably the right place to work through that is in therapy and not through their lover and their friends complimenting them to death.

So there you have it. I probably would've had more fun just reading weather blogs, which I will go do right now.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Not gonna lie, Ali Hazelwood is my guilty pleasure. And Two Can Play is the perfect little escapist read to take me away from it all.

What is there to say that I haven't said a thousand times before? I love Ali Hazelwood, and this story is the perfect example why. Her writing is so spunky and vivacious, it never fails to engage me and put a smile on my face. Even when she uses her signature miscommunication trope, I'm still there for the ride, and that says something.

Speaking of miscommunication, that is the crux of this story. But before you go and throw this book out the window, know that it wasn't too bad here. The novella length saved it from the excessive and extravagant treatment that Ali is known to give her full length novels. Instead, we get just the right dosage and then it's all quickly resolved.

I'm not much of a video game player, so I did go into this with a bit of hesitation. But no worries, Ali has a penchant for writing smart, loveable characters, and I immediately fell in love with both Viola and Jesse. If ever there was a romance trope I adore, it's pining, and this had it in spades. In fact, both of our main characters were partaking, so the sizzle was high.

If I had one quibble, it's that the spicy scenes take up too much of the book, especially considering that this is a short novella to begin with. I wanted less of the sexed-up Viola and Jesse, and more of the regular version. But that's my problem. Every time I read one of Ali's novellas, I end up wanting more. But then I complain that the full length novels are too much. Sorry, Ali, it seems you just can't win with me.

I understand this first came out on audiobook format a few years, and it's only recently that it has been published to written form. That's interesting, and it might be the first time I've ever heard of such a thing. But I didn't listen to the audio, I've only read the book, so all my thoughts are solely for the latter.

Also, someone needs to write The Limerence Saga ASAP. Ali, I hope that's you?

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I love Ali Hazelwood, I really do. But her recent tendency towards the meek and emotionally immature female main character has me throwing my hands up in exasperation.

This has been a slow, steady decline. Hazelwood has always been a fan of the miscommunication trope (or no communications at all, as the case may be), and it's the one overarching conflict in all of her books. But to make this trope into a scenario in which hundreds of pages could be written to keep two seemingly compatible people apart, one or the other must suffer from an inability to say what's on their mind. And so here we go again in Deep End.

This book had so much potential. Instead of the usual STEM participants that we've come to expect, we have collegiate athletes who also happen to take their education seriously. Now, as a STEM girl myself, I'm all for scholastic excellence, so to have both that and athletic achievement was almost too much for my nerdy heart to take. But the keyword here is "almost" because it started to go off the rails pretty much immediately.

Scarlett is a diver who harbors a secret inclination for BDSM-style sex. She also suffers from mental block and leftover trauma (the reasons behind the aforementioned inability to communicate). In swoops Lukas, a hot swimmer who just happens to harbor her same sexual inclinations. Only problem? He's the ex of her best friend.

On paper, the premise sounds fine. But even a cursory glance would have you come to the realization that the main conflict for the couple (her friend/his ex) is a thin one at best. How long could this self-inflicted martyrdom on behalf of her friend—who encouraged them to get together in the first place—go on for Scarlett? Well, the book clocks in at almost 450 pages, and you really start to feel it as it goes on.

By the time we get to the final culminating conflict, the wheels have really come off. Scarlett, in all of her meekness, could only watch in horror and victimhood as her friend, whom she has lied to and gaslit the whole way, finally called her up on it. But since Scarlett is the main character and could do no wrong, her friend was the one who eventually had to shoulder the blame and come crawling back to apologize.

You know, in psychology, there is this concept of nice versus kind. Nice is the superficial construct of always saying polite pleasantries and what the other person wants to hear, all in service of getting them to like you. But kindness is a deeper, more empathetic understanding of how to help the other person in the long run, even if it means they might not like you as much in the short term. Scarlett is all former, but the book is written such that it makes her seem like the latter, and I found the whole thing insufferable.

I don't blame the characters, obviously, since it's the authors who make them that way. And I don't even really blame the authors. I get that romance as a genre has always been looked down upon and to be taken seriously, writers feel that they must lean ever more into the conflicts and the trauma and the flawed characters in order to get there. But at some point, you've plumbed the depth of the scenario, and there is just no way to dig any deeper without going so over the top that you're just taking away from the story and the characters.

Also, a big deal is made about the BDSM exploration in this story, with the author even including a note to warn readers at the beginning. But it was so tame that I'm not sure I would've even noticed if the book had not made a huge deal of it. As it stands, the spicy scenes were steamy enough, but they also contain the sort of odd, inadvertently funny quirks that pepper Hazelwood's sex scenes (swallowing a whole boob in another book, constantly tear licking in this one).

And don't even get me started on how all the guys in this story seemed to lust after Scarlett, even though she's devoid of personality and can barely utter a complete sentence around them without a lot of hemming and hawing. Does it remind you of a certain book that rhymes with Twimight? Hmm, maybe that's just me.

All this complaining and yet I keep coming back to Ali Hazelwood. Her writing just grabs me, and no one does banter quite like her. So when we weren't stuck inside Scarlett's head and her back-and-forth about how she has no friends and no one could like her and how scary every male is and how she can't possibly let her best friend know about her feelings, I actually had fun. But it was just so few and far in between, and the rest so exhausting, that it sucked all the energy out the book.

Am I going to keep reading Ali Hazelwood? I don't know. The issue seems to lie in her full-length novels where she has the page count to really go to town on her female main characters, while her novellas remain as fun as they've always been. So there, I guess I've just answered my own question.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

When it comes to vibes, romances can run the gamut. Some are funny, some are steamy. An Academic Affair felt like one big cerebral hug, and I adored every moment of it.

These days, I'm always a little surprised when I enjoy a romcom. Long gone are the days where every single one I pick up is a winner. Now I feel more like a cynic, snarling in my head about the silly characters, unrealistic situations, and forced tropes that make reading a romance more cringey than swoony. So when I find one I actually enjoy, I get pretty excited.

This story works for me on almost every single level. First and most importantly, the premise makes sense. Every book of this genre, in order to cultivate a romance between its main characters, has to come up with valid reasons to keep them interacting with each other. And the one used in here—partner hire—is such an interesting and underutilized method, I have to marvel at its cleverness.

What follows is the sweetest of slow burns, turning academic rivals Sadie and Jonah first into friends, then into lovers. Because their rivalry underpins a lot of their interactions, we also get to participate in a bunch of fun arguments between the two of them, both on the personal front as well as the academic one.

Speaking of academics, I absolutely adored the setting. I have a soft spot for studious, hardworking, smart people who fall in love, and this delivered in spades. We also got to see a lot of Sadie and Jonah's areas of expertise and research, and it was fun to geek out a bit, even in a romance. Their struggle to survive in the cutthroat world of academia made me love them even more.

And maybe all of this hits upon the crux of why I enjoyed this story so much. At a time when other books of the genre seem to come up with ever more over the top schemes in order to force their ridiculous characters together, it's a breath of fresh air to read about genuinely sweet people falling in love under sane circumstances.

By the way, is it me or does it seem like Jodi McAlister is setting up for Chessie and Elias to each have their own stories? If so, I can't wait.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

What’s a girl to do when the only constant presence during the last millennium of her life has been a guy who’s contractually mandated to murder her?

What was it like before Ali Hazelwood came into my life? Well, for one thing, my cheeks didn't hurt so much from all that smiling and laughing, I'll tell you that.

As you'd expect, Hot for Slayer was pretty much a hoot from beginning to end. It was easy to fall into Aethelthryth's world, trying to carve out a life for herself by drinking sustainable scumbag blood and staying away from any vampire slayers. But when a slayer shows up with no memory of their rivalry, what's a vampire to do but invite the cutie over to do sudoku puzzles together and nurse him back to health?

In order for a novella to be successful, it all comes down to the characters. You have to plumb enough depth into them that they feel real and fleshed out, but you're obviously constrained by page count. And Ali Hazelwood totally gets it right with Aethelthryth and Lazlo. They're so sweet and kind and smart, you can't help but adore them.

In addition the characters, there were so many little touches that made this not just a fun read, but a memorable one. The writing was sharp, the dialogue snappy, and the situations authentic and hilarious. There were even little nods to vampire lore, which definitely added to the whole atmosphere.

Sometimes with a full-length romance, it can feel like the conflicts drag out unnecessarily, making it feel long and convoluted. And so to read a novella is quite refreshing. Every scene counts and there are no unnecessary misunderstandings or conflicts just to pad out the pages.

All in all, this was such a cute and delightful way to spend an hour or two. Thank you, Ali Hazelwood, for yet again delivering on the fun.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

Not that I would've expected any less from Ali Hazelwood, but Check & Mate was absolutely the adorable and delightful romcom I needed.

Mallory used to love playing chess, but she hasn't played a single game in four years. So when she accidentally faces the #1 ranked player in the world and completely annihilates him, she's rightfully shocked. But it's one thing to stumble into a one-time win, it's another thing altogether to actually commit to playing the game. So what if she can't get Nolan out of her head and he wants a rematch? Mallory has disavowed chess, and she has no intention of changing her mind.

What can I say here that I haven't said about Ali Hazelwood a thousand times before? I read her books for the banter, the snark, and the puns, and she delivers every single time. I feel like I always have a permanent smile affixed to my face, just grinning like an idiot, every time I pick up one of her stories. And let me tell you, I'm not above having a good time.

Instead of being the usual STEM representatives, this time our characters are chess players. Now I know next to nothing about the game, but that didn't stop me from fully connecting with the characters and clapping and cheering for their successes. In particular, Mallory was an easy heroine to root for, and I was so there for her.

In terms of conflicts, I was happy to see that Hazelwood didn't rely on her default miscommunication trope like usual. Instead, Mallory was knocking on the doors of martyrdom, and while that did cause my eyes to roll a few times, the story moved along speedily enough that I didn't end up suffering any permanent eye damage.

Since this is YA, my biggest concern going in was whether this would feel too young to me. But that totally ended up being a nonissue. The story reads just like any other Hazelwood, but with the spicy scenes removed. It even contained the obligatory main character who wasn't into sex until they met "the one," a staple of Hazelwood's at this point. But if your concern is coming from the other direction (i.e. should I let my teen read this?), well that's a different conversation altogether.

It's so nice to have an author you can rely on anytime you're slumping and in need of a frothy, fun, but never frivolous read. And so Ali Hazelwood delivers again, just when I need her the most.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

On the one hand, I did have some fun with this one. But on the other hand, shouldn't these characters be in therapy instead of a romcom?

Let me preface this by saying that my opinion here is decidedly in the minority. I see so much love for this book, so I'm inclined to think this is probably a me-problem and not a book-problem. I'm getting to that cynical old age when I should stop reading romances about silly young 'uns and move onto more serious novels about geriatric leads.

But since you're still here, I might as well tell you my thoughts.

First, the good. The premise of this book is a lot of fun, about a romance author all romanced-out and pretending for her readers. There is a lot of trope awareness within the pages, so it almost feels a bit meta as you're reading it. I also thought the banter was top notch, and it definitely had me chuckling along.

But then, the not so good. I feel like this book took every possible minor issue that the characters could have had and laid it on so thick, it robbed any semblance of reality from the story. Find out your favorite romance author doesn't believe in happily ever after? Cancel her. Caring for an ill loved one? Why not make it almost Munchausen by proxy. Love someone but can't physically be in the same location? Don't even consider long distance, just call it quits and wallow in self-pity.

It's hard to take a story seriously when it's so over the top on everything. I understand that to have a story at all, there needs to be conflicts and resolutions. And yes, sometimes one has to stretch the conflicts a bit in order to have a story last the requisite 300 pages to be called a book. But this one went so hard to town with just about everything, it started to feel vaguely farcical.

And this nuttiness extended to the characters too. At the center is Margot, the most beautiful and successful female lead ever, yet so full of self-doubt that she needs constant reassurance from everyone around her, which she manifests as rudeness and brattiness and borderline harassment.

"No, Forrest, you listen. You gave me every indication that you were interested. I thought maybe we could have a little fun in this godforsaken place, but since that's obviously not something you're capable of, I'm happy to find it somewhere else."

Yikes, talk about a red flag! Then there is Forrest, yet another one of those doormat male leads, existing solely to fall in love with and bolster up our female lead, no matter how poorly she behaves. I cringed so hard in embarrassment for them both, my cheeks were permanently pink while reading this.

And the cherry on top? They were both caring for ill loved ones, but to a degree that was so extreme, these said loved ones had to formulate complicated plans to extricate themselves from this unwelcome, excessive style of smothering and guilt/self-conflagration. My eyes rolleth out of my head, my friends.

At its core, in order for me to buy into a romance, I have to believe that people can fall in love with the main characters, and it just didn't happen here. It's one thing to suspend disbelief, and I'm happy to do so for pretty much every book I read. But the way Margot and Forrest were written, they were just a step too far beyond disbelief for me.

Readaroo Rating: 3 stars

I feel like to really enjoy Ali Hazelwood and her brand of romance, you have to be someone who loves nerdy science talk and wacky banter, the more the better and preferably all in the same sentence. Lucky for me, that's exactly the sort of thing I enjoy.

Let's start with the science here. Hannah and Ian both work for NASA on engineering teams that land rovers on Mars. Yeah, I pretty much hyperventilated when I realized that was the setting of their romance. It harkens back to my youth when I dreamed of working for NASA, so you can understand my excitement. Then you add in the copious amounts of technical jargon that Hazelwood always sprinkles into her stories and my space-loving heart was just blown into smithereens.

Of course as always, the dialogue was on point and had me in stitches from beginning to end. It's not just the conversation between our two mains. It's also all the side chatter and even the inner dialogue. Everything felt so sharp and witty and thoroughly delightful.

One thing is that Hazelwood's stories do tend to rely excessively on the miscommunication trope. So it's with relief that I report the conflicts in here actually make sense and it's not just two people deciding not to say simple things to each other. And since it's a novella, the conflicts don't drag on and on, but rather is resolved swiftly and with satisfaction.

I loved this story so much! I only wish Hazelwood had saved the premise for a full-length novel instead so I could've had more of it.

Readaroo Rating: 4.5 stars

Did she sound like a whiny child? Yes. Did she care? Not even a little bit.

Oh boy. Here we go.

When I first heard about this story, I thought this was it. Billed as Knives Out meets enemies-to-lovers, you couldn't get me to say "Sold!" fast enough. I immediately dropped everything on my TBR and made room for this. But alas, I'm having a hard time pointing to even one thing I liked about it.

Let me start by saying that when an author wants a down-on-their-luck heroine but don't quite know how to write one, the result is often someone like Maggie. Instead of being a character who is sympathetic and cheer-worthy, you get one who is precious, annoying, and at times downright mean. She needs constant reassurance that she's special and worthy, but she's so stuck in her pity party that all she can give back is insecurity and insults.

Enter Ethan, our nice, handsome, charming male lead who crushes hard on Maggie, no matter what she does and says to him.

"Sometimes I lie in bed at night, thinking of ways to kill you and make it look like an accident."

In case it's not clear, that isn't the murderer talking, that's Maggie speaking to Ethan. Yikes. Seriously you guys, you know anyone who's attracted to people wanting to kill them? Yeah, me neither. And Ethan's response wasn't to run out of there screaming like a banshee, but rather something insipid and flirty. I just can't.

So when you put these two characters together, you'd be right to think their interactions would be vapid and cringe-inducing. And indeed they were. Every dialogue was as dull as dishwater, yet presented like they were some sort of witty repartee deserving of swoon. Reader, I did not swoon. Indeed, I should say I was lucky I did not suffer permanent damage from the constant eye-rolling.

In order for enemies-to-lovers to work, it has to make sense why they were enemies in the first place. But here, to pile on to poor Maggie's characterization of being annoying and full of herself, her only reason for disliking Ethan, which she states time and again, is that he's "handsome and charming and . . . universally adored." Ah, pettiness doesn't look good on anyone, and Maggie certainly didn't change my mind.

It's hard to stay engaged with such bland, unlikable characters, and the writing didn't help either. During what should've been emotionally charged moments, it often felt like we were just dropped there without any buildup or the necessary cues. In fact, when Ethan revealed the big ol' secret of his job prior to being an author, I actually laughed because I thought it was a punchline and he was joking.

But what about the mystery, you ask? Well, it had potential, but ultimately ended up rather clichéd. It's clear that the focus of the story was on Maggie and Ethan, and the rest of the characters were more or less cartoony cutouts lifted from the mystery genre. And I'm willing to put up with that, if not for the very end.

Mystery writers everywhere, in case it's not clear, I never want to reach the end of the mystery and see the line "there are some mysteries that are better left unsolved, some questions better left unanswered." Uh, no. Writers, it is your duty, after all that build up, to make sure I know every which way exactly how it all unfolded. It is not cute nor satisfying to leave a big part of the mystery unsolved just because.

But hey, don't let me dissuade you. I see nothing but glowing reviews for this book, so what do I know? But if you're unsure, I've devised a litmus test:

"Dobson thinks we tried to kill Eleanor. But that's crazy. Isn't that crazy? I think that's crazy. Because you are you. and I am me, and we are not a we?"

If that quote and all the italics made sense to you, have at it. Otherwise, you're probably better off saving your TBR—and your eyes—for a less exasperating read.

Readaroo Rating: 1 star

This was such a cute, short story. It was the perfect way to kick off the holiday reading season, or if you're like me, scrambling to fit in even one seasonal read, then you'd have successfully met your quota.

This has got everything I'd want in a romcom—tension, sizzle, romance, and absolutely hilarious banter. Honestly, I don't think anyone does banter quite like Ali Hazelwood. She often has me in stitches, and this time, I was at the library, so I had to stifle my laughter and do the silent shakes, for fear of being kicked out.

I will say, having read quite a few books by Hazelwood now, I've come to recognize what seems to be her excessive reliance on the miscommunication trope. Yes, the guy has professed every which way how much he loves the girl, and yet, she doth protest. But since this is a novella, it doesn't go on and on past the point of believability like it would in a full-length novel. Instead, we get it all sorted out pretty quickly, and that makes this reader very happy.

I can't think of anything bad to say about this other than it's short and I want more. But then that's my problem with every short story. Anyhoo, definitely recommend if you're a fan of Ali Hazelwood and looking for a fun way to spend an hour or two.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars

I don't know, you guys. This feels more like a crazy fever dream or maybe a drug-induced trip than a proper romcom.

Delphie has unexpectedly died. As if that isn't surprising enough, she comes face-to-face with her soulmate in the waiting room of her Afterlife Therapist. But before she can fully introduce herself to the dreamy man, he's sent back to Earth with no recollection of their meeting. Now Delphie has just ten days to find him on Earth and get him to kiss her, or else she will remain dead forever.

You got me with that premise. It's undoubtedly intriguing, with loads of potential for the story to go every which way, all of them interesting. But almost from the very start, it felt like something was a little bit off, and I just couldn't shake that feeling throughout the whole story.

When I'm reading a romcom, my criteria isn't that high. I'm looking for banter, lots of sparks, and adorable characters I just want to squish and cheer for. But this story didn't really have any of that. I kept waiting and waiting, and eventually we reached the end.

Instead, this felt more like a zany slapstick comedy, where the heroine kept almost getting what she wanted, but through a variety of strange coincidences, all of them rather cringey, she does not. She almost runs into the man of her dreams, but she has a wardrobe malfunction that exposes her nether regions. She almost runs into him again, but instead has to draw a naked woman. She almost runs into him a third time, but alas, misses him by minutes and has to dance the hand jive on stage in front of dozens of strangers. Like, what? And this kept going on and on.

But what about the characters? Surely our heroine is sweet and loveable? Well, she's quirky, I'll give you that. And also rude and snippy. But for reasons unknown, the recipients of her ire all want to be her friend. They constantly invite her along to everything even though she has rejected them for years. The thing is, if someone were rude to me over and over, I wouldn't want to be their friend. But hey, I'm just a cold-hearted reader, so what do I know.

Okay, but surely there is sparks and tension galore? Well, no on that front too. I didn't feel even a blip of chemistry anywhere in this story. Delphie is just her usual mean self to our main male character, and he takes it like a champ and still lusts after her.

The one thing that's meant to make Delphie seem more sympathetic to readers is her relationship with her next door neighbor, Mr. Yoon. But that was a miss for me too. The whole thing gave off a weird vibe. She kept treating him like a child who didn't know better even though he's just an old man who can't talk.

So there you go. I suspect someone played a joke on me and swapped my copy of the book with one titled The Love of My Rudelife. Because that's the only explanation I have for why I didn't enjoy this book that everyone else so clearly adores.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars

Look at me, turning into a Christina Lauren fan.

When I think back to The Soulmate Equation, one of the things which stands out most vividly in my mind is Fizzy. In fact, I'd wager to say she is probably the most memorable supporting character I've ever come across in a romcom. She's sassy, fun, and so sharp with a comeback, it brought an undeniable zing to every page she was on. So it's particularly exciting that CL decided to bring Fizzy back and make her the star of her own story.

Of course, when authors revisit a character, there is always the fear that what made the character so special in another book doesn't translate to the new one, that the magical essence somehow gets lost. But I'm happy to report that nothing got lost here, ladies and gentlemen. Fizzy is just as scintillating and irreverent as ever, and I very much enjoyed her journey of finding her happily ever after.

The premise of this story is certainly an interesting one. I don't watch much reality TV, but I've caught a few episodes of dating shows while flipping through the channels and getting inadvertently caught up in the drama. After all, there is a reason they're so wildly popular. So I was definitely curious to see how Fizzy's dating show would shape up, and it ended up being a fun and unique one.

I will say though, I've noticed CL has a habit of writing scenarios for their main characters that are somewhat questionable and unethical, and it happened again here. The whole point of a dating show is to enter into it to find a potential mate, and you can't do that if you're already having a side relationship. This is especially true if you're the star of the show, as it makes it incredibly unfair to the contestants who are dating you. This was even mentioned in the story by Fizzy and Connor as being a part of Fizzy's contract. And yet, the book never goes on to address this moral quandary and mostly glosses over it by making everyone happy for the couple, including the contestants.

Another thing that struck me is that CL is two white authors writing a Chinese American main character, which seems a bit tricky. But they did tread gently, and as a result, struck a good compromising note. If you're looking for a book on anything related to the Chinese American experience, this isn't it. The book doesn't dive too deep or really at all into that. But honestly, I feel like that's the right call, as anything more would've probably come off as forced or inauthentic.

Thoughts and quibbles aside, I really did have loads of fun with this story. Was it a bit cheesy and drawn out towards the end, with a third act breakup that totally mystified me, as in the way of most romcoms? Yes. But that doesn't detract from how overall entertaining it was. I just gobbled it up, all the while having a big, silly smile on my face.

I never thought the day would come, but that's two Christina Lauren books I've enjoyed back-to-back. If that isn't a sign that I need to read more from this author duo, I don't know what is. The only question is, which of their 30 books should I go with next?

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars