Genre: Romance/Comedy
Book Rating: 8
Personal Rating 8.5
This book was a delight to read. I enjoyed it. Quite a bit to be honest. Mostly for the laughs, and the side characters. Not that the mains weren't fun, but I'm starting to notice with this type of genre that the witty, pointed, caring well put together best friends are just more fun. But more on that later.
One night stands rock, especially when they go horribly wrong. Laughter abounds and really risky circumstances come. And the massive flash of misdirection in which the book is based on is just pure writing genius. It might be my favorite thing about this book.
Julia. For the most part I loved her. Really. A lot of her one liners where just hilarious. She made a very fitting heroine. When faced with a situation she boldly does what is needed and moves on. That's how you handle a one night stand. I actually don't have much to say here. She was, unfortunately though, the typical kind of unassured, undervalues their own awesome, type of person this genre is filled with. It's almost as if the only way romance can work is if the girl needs to be rescued. I secretly wonder what it would be like if a girl didn't need to be rescued but ended up having a man swoop in and save the day regardless of the fact that they were doing just fine.
Luke. Sigh. My only issue here is why always the cheating spouse. Why cant a man just be an asshole and that's why you had to leave him. Maybe I am just jaded by this whole infidelity plot stuff. There has to be another way to make a woman realise enough is enough. Otherwise. I didn't hate him enough to not like him. That is good. Usually a romance novel can drag out the evil villain to the point where even a five year old can see the heroine must run for the hills. Thankfully this was a quick and easy affair of goodbye and I am moving on. I really liked that.
Meagan. Yes. Yes and yes. Honestly more of her would've sold this book. Funny, witty, self assured, living a boring day life and a steamy erotica novelist side life. And quite possibly having an affair with her brother's best friend. This is the stuff main characters should be made off. Very self assured and still having all the drama as well. I don't see why there cant be both. This is the type of friend any girl should have. In fact I don't think she was pushy enough, but her ability not to over push just makes her that much more enjoyable--so I cant hate on that. Honestly why didn't she get at least one sex scene. How could the author do this to us. Yeah I liked her way more than Julia but what can I say, she made sense, wasn't flitting away in the wind, didn't have a desire to be in a relationship while pretending she didn't want one at the same time. She was the type of person you wanted to see hooked up because she deserved it versus needed it. Sadly this book was not her time to shine. Oh well I must read the next one then.
Simon. Just what every book needs a tall deliciously hunky slice of man meat. That has got to be the one thing I like about chick lit/Romance. Their blatant disregard for making the women be the ones objectified and going out of their way to make the men the sex gods of the book. There are loads of books with women being the steamy centers of the action, why not throw men under the bus and use them as sex objects too. It seems fair to me. That aside he was just great. I actually liked him too. I might have liked him better if he wasn't blonde, but I get it. And he didn't do anything stupid either. And he went for what he wanted, same as julia did, but did it with a natural assertion versus, me cavemen you jane, i save jane, you woman mine!, kind of heroe saves the day blah these novels usually have.
Peter, I honestly cant remember what he looks like. And that is genius because I loved him. Cool smooth not overbearing, a great best friend. Naturally sexy without all the typical over steamed up stuff. Hence why I remember him so well yet still can't recall a single feature. He oozed steam without having to actually be steamy and that's just my kinda preference when reading a novel. Sneak it in there without actually telling me, same as I felt about Megan. She was just hot without me having to be told she was hot or have a sex scene. So I can say I like peter and her for much the same reasons. And would've liked to see more of both. Not necessarily because I wanted to see them hook up, and I do, but for page time purposes. Sometimes the story needed more to transition with. To take you out of the story just long enough to make you on edge as to what was happening with the main plot. I guess I felt like there wasn't enough to take them from the fun best friends, to oh I'm just going to tease you with this so you want more in the next book. I don't think it payed of well as a tease, there just wasn't enough. I'm interested but only because I loved their characters, relationship or not.
The sex. Just absolutely awesome. Romance/chick lit isn't necessarily erotica, so sometimes the sex can be a little tame. This book, was not floating in tame. So you get all the witty sex jokes, the drama of a new relationship, with steamy nudity that doesn't hold back for fear of running the light and fun atmosphere of this genre. That was very refreshing.
The plot moved along rather well. No real hiccups or strange things that shouldn't have happened. Medium paced I would say. Tension at perfect pitch when leads are sharing the same space. Just fine really. Only issues here, the oh he was a ladies man thing. Sigh. Honestly who cares. We are adults, if he had sex with the whole country either you believe he wants you or you don't. Same with the cheating man angle, and the not so self confident woman plot device. There has to be a better way to make someone be hesitant about dating you. On the flip side, Simon was all if she's' my sisters friend she might have picked me out specifically because of who I am, money, status. Blah blah blah. Honestly neither of these two things are big detractors for a mature adult. I just couldn't by into them as excuses everytime they popped up, thankfully not a lot, because who cares really. The past is the past. Judging someone to your past relationships is one thing, but pulling out things that have nothing to do with your actual experience from dating, or the person you are now using them on, i just have problems going down that road.
And the humor. Oh my oh my oh my. I laughed so hard reading this book. I really want to pull some of the lines out to explain how I squeed with joy reading this book. Between all four of the characters some of the most interesting one liners came up. 'when did we turn into the sisterhood of the traveling pansies" was one of my faves. I nearly chocked on my own air. And i can't lie, i read these books for witty sexual banter. I'm an adult. Most of my jokes are based around sarcastic double entendres and sex. These books thrive on this type of normal everyday adult humor, it's light fun, and downright enjoyable hilarity. And this novel has it in a volume that simply delights my senses. I'm laughing typing this.
With all the minor issues stated this next one added enough to drop the one star, the ending. I wont say how it ends, but i will say is Simon had an emergency right after putting the woman he loved before his job for a week. There is no chance in hell Julia could make the Luke comparison she made after being physically, not in a sexual way, shown the complete opposite for days. It was an unrealistic jump in conclusions. I couldn't go along with it. And then the end end, just a bit to predictable and, well… where was it. It felt like it didn't end. Like there was no resolve, and neither were there hints to what would be in the next of the series. Is there more of them, is the whole megan and peter thing going somewhere. What? It just seemed to stop and I was like I need at least five more pages here. It felt like the door just closed and magically no one was standing on either side. Didn't know whether they were going away, to be happily ever after, if someone was waiting across town secretly having an affair, if there was someone there eying them up plotting to ruin their bliss, if it really was the end and there would be no more, series over. It just seemed very very slightly unfinished, like almost there but not quite.
Other than that. There isn't much wrong going on here. Plot almost perfect, humour beyond perfect. Characters, side characters brilliant, mains, a little bit cliched but still brilliant. And did I mention sexual tension. I'm surprised my eyes didn't burn from the perfect blend of sex, romance and hilarity that is this novel. I would recomend it to anyone. Everyone. The only problem now is when is the third book going to be out and now I must read the first one. Consider me addicted.
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