Post by omnivore on Nov 12, 2021 20:10:34 GMT -7
When I think of LJ Shen, I think of bully romance, which I don't enjoy as a rule. This was not that!
Plot: Hero and heroine dated for six months, until he cheated on her. Six months later, his dad is dying, and he asks her to pretend they are engaged to make his dad happy.
Hero is a jerk, sure. In fact he is a big jerk. But he is also kinda sweet. And funny.
Heroine gives as good as she gets. More even. While still remaining sweet and not a raging cow. (Not that I have anything against cows).
Both the hero and heroine grow up and toward each other throughout the book.
Their relationship was beautiful. Throughout the book, the feeling I had was that she could not say no to him, and he needed her desperately (even though he might not have admitted it). I didn't feel as if the one person loved more. Also,the hero was rich, and the heroine was not, but it didn't have that power imbalance feel because she didn't need (or even want) his money. In fact, it was totally irrelevant to her.
And the banter between them was really funny 
- Even though he cheated on her, it wasn't a cheating book. The cheating was a symptom of other problems that got worked out during the course of the book. In the beginning, she started dating a different guy and is contemplating sleeping with him.
- Family and friends are important. She only has her dad, and she is close to him, but he didn't get page time in the book. I thought this was weird, but it also fit the story. His family plays a large part in the book.
- ETA: I'm not a big fan of grand gestures or OTT proposals, but this book delivered. It was gorgeous because it wasn't just a made-for-instagram proposal, he knew it was important to her which is why he did it the way he did.
I am rating this book a solid 4 stars. It is currently the only book in my Contemporary Favorites folder. (I only have 2 books in my Historical favorites folder. I don't choose favorites easily )
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