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Reviews tagging 'Cursing'
10 Things That Never Happened: Material World, Book 1 by Alexis Hall
23 reviews
panbread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content, Grief, and Car accident
fuzzywilson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood and Car accident
just_one_more_paige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent
skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Idk. There were so many things Jonathan did in the very beginning of the book that had me thinking "yeesh they're going to have to do a really good job of convincing me to like this guy for this to work." And....they didn't. It didn't work. Yes I felt for him in a lot of moments, yes I could see what Sam saw in him in some moments. Part of me *was* rooting for the relationship to work. But that same part of me was also desperately hoping for there to be even unconvincing proof that Jonathan was changing as a boss and wouldn't be so controlling and terrible towards his employees. And that just didn't happen.
So while I liked some things about this book, and was engaged, it was far more frustrating than satisfying for me.
One thing I will say for the book's credit is that I appreciated it debunked Stockholm Syndrome (briefly). It infuriates me when people act as if that's a real thing and so I was glad to see pushback on that in the book.
If you're fine with romances where the love interest is genuinely a terrible person to people he has power over, then I'd recommend this to you (genuinely--that's not even sarcastic. I know that wouldn't be a dealbreaker for some people). Otherwise, you might just be frustrated and wish this could have been as good as you wanted it to be.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Graphic: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Homophobia, and Car accident
redheadorganist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Cursing and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
what_karla_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
1/5 spice (fade to black)
Workplace romance with the grumpy boss? Oh yes... this one was a treat.
Tropes:
Boss/Employee
Grumpy/sunshine
Forced proximity
Family dynamics
Holiday shenanigans
Faked amnesia
Single POV
Jonathan really was that boss you love to hate because they are just so logical about everything. But oh my goodness, seeing him thaw out for Sam was swoon worthy. I listened to the audiobook and was laughing on more than one occasion because of their banter. Jonathan really did care in his own grumpy way, and I loved seeing Sam figure out all his quirks and mannerisms. The whole amnesia plot wasn't a huge conflict, and I was glad to see that it didn't create a long, drawn-out 3rd act break up. But you see it coming, and you know that hair brained scheme is going to coming crashing down on Sam eventually. But by that time, the feelings are involved.
Overall, this was a cute rom com with a diverse cast of characters. I could totally see this being turned into a holiday movie. The spice is very low and fades to black after some heavy kissing scenes. I only wish there was a bit more tension leading up to those moments. Otherwise, it was all nicely done.
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content
caseythereader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
- 10 THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPENED is an expansion on the world of the BOYFRIEND MATERIAL books, and basically, if you loved those books, you're gonna love this one too.
- The premise is bananas (fake amnesia??!) and I was very into it. Hall is so good at writing bumbling characters, whether that be physical or emotional bumbling. And, as silly as this book is, it also deals with some very real feelings and relationship dynamics.
- The supporting cast of this book is great as well, and I hope we get some of their stories in future books.
Graphic: Cursing, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, and Death of parent
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Alexis Hall does it again! I absolutely adored this book - here's a reminder of how these books are connected to BM & HM from Alexis' Instagram post on 4/15/2023 (https://www.instagram.com/p/CrEcGcgrQFl/) for those who are unfamiliar:
💙 Material World is a London Calling spin-off series. 5 books are planned (3 for London Calling & 2 for Material World) & all are set in the same universe.
❤️ London Calling is exclusively about Luc & Oliver (their final book will be called Father Material. Release date: tbc). Material World will feature 2 standalone stories about different couples. 10 Things That Never Happened (Jonathan & Sam) is book 1. Book 2 belongs to Tyler & has the unofficial title of Himbo de Bergerac. (Release date: tbc.)
Anyway, you will find the following in this book:
- a cat named Gollum (this felt extremely important and is why I noted it first hahah)
- first-person POV of main character named Samwise, who runs a bed & bath retailer
- grumpy owner Jonathan (who made an appearance in Husband Material at the wedding setting)
- opposites attract and grumpy x sunshine
- forced proximity - Sam & Gollum live with Jonathan while he "recovers" from his amnesia hahaha
- a family Christmas party with sweet traditions!
- planning for a company-wide Christmas party with a budget of 150 pounds a head!
- the silliest but also most serious (yet unserious) banter between our love interests
- workaholic learns to unwind and take life less seriously
- found family!
I really enjoyed that most of this book took place inside Jonathan's home, and was filled with conversations between Jonathan and Sam. I liked that each conversation led them to unpacking and unraveling something that one of them (usually Jonathan) was struggling with. Jonathan is your typical workaholic who could be compared to Ebenezer Scrooge because of his penny pinching and lack of empathy or desire to build a genuine connection with his employees. Sam, on the other hand, cares deeply about others, especially his quirky group of colleagues, and he is desperately trying to get Jonathan to see them as people, not just workers.
Sam doesn't want this only for his friends, but also for Jonathan's sake! Jonathan seemingly lives a lonely life on purpose, constantly pushing his family away, even though they seem keen to spend time with him. He seems to feel unworthy of being loved or desired unless he is financially providing and ensuring his family avoids poverty. I thought both of these characters were deeply authentic, and I definitely had people from my real life pop into my mind as I read this. I think this is the perfect holiday romcom to read this holiday season, as it will make you giggle, kick your feet into the air when the grumpiness finally falls away a bit, and then make you upset when things inevitably go wrong. It has all the inner workings of a cozy and delightful holiday romcom!
steam rating: closed-door/fade-to-black
cw: cursing, bullying, toxic relationships (familial, work, friends), injury (concussion after falling), medical content (main character goes to hospital for fall/concussion and follow up appointment), car accident is mentioned, grief
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief and Car accident
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Honestly, the last book set in this universe ([book:Husband Material|58323892]) was a bit of a miss for me, so I'm glad this one wasn't. My only complaint, really, was that I wished we could have gotten a bit more of Sam's background. It's briefly mentioned at the end, but I wanted a bit more. I guess this is going to be a series, though, so maybe we'll get more in a future book!
All in all, if you're looking for a fun rom-com with the fake amnesia plot and the grumpy/sunshine trope, definitely pick this one up!
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Grief, and Car accident
meganpbennett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the eARC!.
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism