Get a Life, Chloe Brown

Because that’s how people should behave; they should fill in each other’s gaps. 

This was really fun! I loved seeing the MCs go from clashing to gradually discovering how much they compliment each other, with this super low-key enemies to lovers vibe. Chloe is a wonderfully grumpy character with a biting sense of humor. I loved her relationship with her sisters (looking forward to reading their books already!) and the excellent representation of living with chronic pain. So, so relatable. And Red is such a sweet guy, I instantly loved him. His kindness always shined through even when he hit some lower mental places, and I loved how it was always clear from his chapters that he was an artist even when his art wasn’t mentioned—just that specific way he sees the world. His inner journey to recovering after an abusive relationship was well-handled, and I kind of liked that he was the one with that storyline: in m/f romance it’s far more common to see the female lead in this position, and it was refreshing to see another angle.

The book is absolutely packed with delightful banter. Whether these characters communicate face to face or via e-mails, there are always lines to laugh at. Hell, they pack witty one-liners even into their inner monologues, and it always happens so naturally. I kept laughing and smiling as I read. At the same time, the prevalence of humor never cheapened or downplayed the more serious, heavier topics the book touches on.

It would’ve been an absolute five-star read for me if not for how the third-act break-up played out. I know those are a staple of the romance genre—the characters need to have that moment of doubt before they fully commit to their happy ending and all that. But the way it happened, idk, it came a bit out of the left field. On one hand, Red’s backstory does explain why he reacted the way he did, but by that point I would’ve expected it to be a shorter knee-jerk reaction followed by talking it out quickly. The fact that instead it turned into a semi-prolonged drama clashed for me with the character progression both Chloe and Red had earlier over the course of the plot. It’s the kind of dramatic misunderstanding I can accept in YA, but in adult romance like this it feels sort of contrived.

Two things:

1. I need to figure out how to rate books that are probably good for their genre, but where I don't like the genre. I would think that for people who enjoy steamy romances, this might be a 4-star read. But I do not like that genre, so I would give it 1-star if I were rating it so I could remind myself if I liked it or not. But that doesn't feel fair to the author or to the readers who are interested in books like this.

2. I need to stop adding books to my library hold queue without reading the description first. I think this book was recommended to me because I enjoyed "Red, White and Royal Blue." The thing is: I enjoyed that book DESPITE it being a romance. If I'd taken a moment to read the description of this one, I would've realized it would not be my cup of tea.

Alas. At least it was quick.