Book Review Genre: Romance

Disclaimer: Reading is all about exploring new worlds, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.

The Analysis:

I had no idea this was connected to another book I reviewed, The Ex Swap. This is book 1, and you can totally read them out of order as I did. This was also my attempt at getting through my goal of reading through my TBR list without buying anything new. So, let’s book review it. But first, follow me on Goodreads.

Here’s The Blurb:

Giselle Stone is best known for her smoothie truck and her love of K-pop, but one of those things is not acceptable to her mother.
After she’s pushed to the edge of her patience—thanks, Mom—she concocts a lie that’s sure to get the parents off her back.
A fake long-distance relationship with her ex.
It’s a foolproof plan.
Until the other half of her lie suddenly shows up in Belize, looking ten times sexier than he did in high school.
Getting West Phillips to join her ruse is the easy part. Resisting his roguish good looks and worldly charm is… a little more complicated.
As West drags old feelings back to the surface, one problem becomes very clear.
He won’t settle down in Belize and she’s got roots too deep there.
Can Giselle stick to the plan without losing her heart? Or will she fall for someone destined to leave her?

Cover Critique:

I absolutely love it. The beautiful background and the adorable couple. The way she’s looking at him with adoration. A+++

Now The Story:

Book Info:
Pages: 278
Author: Nia Arthurs
Available: Amazon

A clean romance that doesn’t skimp on giving you the feels. I was invested in the characters as individuals and them as a couple. The mother was the driving force behind the fake dating excuse, but it came across as totally realistic. Most women can identify with well-meaning mothers/aunties/grannies pushing you toward the future they want for you and not necessarily the one God has planned. The heroine simply said, pump the breaks, and let me breathe. The hero just agreed to be her umbrella. And he’s just not that guy. He’s the playa and he wants to keep playing. But he can’t resist how good it feels to be in a committed relationship and really return love in full to one like the sweet heroine. From a writing standpoint, it was well written and dare I say better than book 2 as I read these out of order without getting confused. There is a wrench thrown in the story that I didn’t necessarily see coming that made sure the book didn’t fall prey to the boring middle. I would recommend this to others.

Let’s Get Specific: The heroine’s music choice is k-pop. No one should be penalized for their taste in music, but I’ve always believed that if you’re at a gathering then music should be played that suits the collective. I get it, the hero was winning points by putting her interests first. It matters especially because her family doesn’t support her music choice. But despite that background, I was imagining being at that party. Like, don’t make us all suffer because you are in love, lol.

The Conflict: But outside of the k-pop references, you’re reading for the conflict. This conflict centered around the hero wanting to leave Belize and the heroine wanting to stay. As much as I love my hometown I’ve never felt that same tug in the same way as the heroine. But I respected both their positions and their mutual retreat to neutral corners when they knew they weren’t seeing eye to eye. I also like that love doesn’t solve this problem and it’s made all the better for it. It made me curious as to what finally turned the tide for either of them.

The story then went from fake dating to real dating, but only for six months. That seemed like more than enough time for people to fall in love and for one to come to their senses for the HEA at the end. I would have appreciated more of a time crunch. Something to put the pressure on and help the characters realize more quickly where their feelings lied. But I suppose the option that was picked was more realistic.

The Sibling: This heroine also has a healthy relationship with her sister. A relationship that doesn’t always seem fair. The woman refused to let her sister (who’s in a wheelchair) handle any important decisions on her own. If I were in that position, I would grow to be resentful. She may be handicapped, but she’s an adult. If she says, she can handle something, explain why we shouldn’t believe her. The overprotective sister bit was set to 1,000. (Then again, I’ve been accused of doing the same thing.)

The Other Man: What revived the story for me was the sense that “Hot Asian guy” wasn’t completely out of the picture. It’s not a love triangle, but I’m here for the drama it evoked. And there wasn’t any really. A deep cultural rift appeared between them and it got very little conversation and she really didn’t seem to miss him. Although, the event itself had serial killer vibes and I wished she had majorly reamed out the brother. But this is the same guy that eventually shows up in book 2 and you get more clarity on who he is and what’s he about.

Why The Score?: The story did feel like it moved rather quickly after the six-month reveal. It ran headfirst into a panic attack subplot. One the heroine developed later on due to stress. Something that was rather believable if it wasn’t over a guy. Just seemed like a cheap reason to develop such an anxiety-inducing response under the circumstances. The guy wasn’t abusive, he was just leaving her, and she had no previous issues in her background to warrant such a response. The girl just didn’t like heartbreak. No girl does, newsflash. One point off.

That Ending: I’m really of two minds about the ending. One thing both sides agree on is that the heroine still has doubts in the epilogue and it’s not cute. But, people like this do exist. Those who just can’t be happy and their default setting is worry. I also alternate between this setting, quite often, lol. Here’s the confusion: the hero is the one to give in. But is it giving in or is it just a man finding a new dream. I would have appreciated more of a compromise on both their parts to make it work. Like the hero agrees to stay in Belize for the majority of the year, but the heroine promises to travel with him for the summers. But the way the hero showed up for the heroine was quite impressive.

Story At A Glance:

Recommendation:  4 out of 5

Read Series Continuation:  Yes

 Book Review The Ratings:

Book Cover Appeal:

🍓🍓🍓🍓

Story & Narration:

🍓🍓🍓🍓

Romance:

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

Character/(s) Personality:

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

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