Jason Molenda reviewed The Upside to Being Single by Emma Hart
Review of 'The Upside to Being Single' on 'Goodreads'
Bailed around 20% of the way through the book.
Set in New Orleans, our heroine is a manager of a hotel with an absentee owner. One night out on the town with her girlfriends, they all agree to flash some guys on a balcony and there's one guy giving our heroine some smoldering looks. Next day, surprise, the new owner shows up and it's smoldering looks guy. And then we're treated to the new owner of the hotel where she's worked for nine years making comments about her breasts and body and I can't do it.
Another example, after working together for like two days, our heroine has the day off and is enjoying a lazy morning at home. The new owner shows up unannounced at her door, says he has access to personnel records which is why he knows where she lives, comments on the fact that he can …
Bailed around 20% of the way through the book.
Set in New Orleans, our heroine is a manager of a hotel with an absentee owner. One night out on the town with her girlfriends, they all agree to flash some guys on a balcony and there's one guy giving our heroine some smoldering looks. Next day, surprise, the new owner shows up and it's smoldering looks guy. And then we're treated to the new owner of the hotel where she's worked for nine years making comments about her breasts and body and I can't do it.
Another example, after working together for like two days, our heroine has the day off and is enjoying a lazy morning at home. The new owner shows up unannounced at her door, says he has access to personnel records which is why he knows where she lives, comments on the fact that he can see her nipples because she's not wearing a bra, and says they should go office furniture shopping. YIKES. That's a lock-the-doors-hire-a-lawyer situation, not cute, not OK.
I know the whole point of the romance genre is the Happily Ever After, and because we know there will be an HEA, readers are open to stories that can go to uncomfortable or dark places -- we know there will be redemption and things will work out. And I see it as my own personal hangup that I'm not giving the author the room to make these first scenes right. The fact that our heroine doesn't seem to have a problem with any of these situations leads me to think that the author doesn't see the problem with them either. If the author or the heroine were grappling with these, or even acknowledging them, I'd be along for the ride. But so far, the only thing our heroine is noticing is how hot the new owner is.
I'm sure there's a fun HEA romcom style book in here, and the heroine is a fun disorganized personality, but I'm so grossed out by the owner of a company making these inappropriate comments and advances on a direct employee that he's just met, I'm out. I'm sure other folks will be able to look past this and enjoy the book. It's not for me.
No rating - I didn't get far enough into it to have any opinion.