A fresh new take on the enemies-to-lovers romcom with mental health rep and more complexity! I enjoyed the unique characters and the depth behind the sweet story, but I felt that the chemistry between the characters was lacking, that some of the choices made were not okay and that the pacing from slow burn to sudden lovers was a bit off. This is a dual POV story following Julien, who is a sommelier at his aunt and uncle’s restaurant, and Greg, who is a TikTok famous bartender looking for a fresh start from his financial and relationship problems. Both of them also struggle with mental health issues, with Julien having OCD and being neurodivergent, and Greg having chronic anxiety and taking medicine which causes libido problems. When Greg is hired to help Julien’s family’s restaurant to get more customers, the two of them clash and turn into work nemeses. Even though, of course, they both find the other one extremely attractive…
Greg was easy to root for already from the beginning, whereas it took me much longer to warm up to Julien. He came across as a bit whiny and stuck up. I especially had a problem with his sommelier manners. I’m very interested in wine myself, and I can understand where he comes from. But even though there certainly are wine and food combinations that are objectively “correct” or at least more accurate, you should never tell the customer they are wrong or look down on their wine choice if they choose not to go with your recommendation. We all have different palettes and wine is supposed to be fun, so Julian’s wine snobbery didn’t sit very well with me. It also felt like a very strange career choice wanting to be a sommelier when he’d had such a bad childhood experience from alcohol and didn’t drink at all himself. On that note, I was also quite taken back by the scene where Greg tried to force Julien to taste his cocktail. On that note, I was also quite taken back by the scene where Greg tried to force Julien to taste his cocktail. Both Greg and Julien made a lot of questionable choices throughout this book that made it hard to fully root for them at all times, and I didn’t really feel the chemistry between them. I enjoyed the slow burn to start with and the fun work nemeses part (even though it was obvious from the start that they would soon hit it off) but then it suddenly went from friends to lovers and the creation of a sex pact almost out of nowhere. And then the third act with the sudden miscommunication, almost (?) cheating and out of character behavior is just… best left without too many comments. But I enjoyed the story overall and how it felt more complex and with more depth than your average romcom. I really appreciated the sex positivity with the new take on what satisfying sex can look like, especially the consent parts in both physical and emotional aspects, and the authentic way in which the problems that OCD and medicine can cause in all aspects of life was described. There was a pretty good character growth towards the end and I loved how they eventually dared to be vulnerable and take a leap of faith for each other. I also absolutely loved Julien’s aunt and uncle and Greg’s friends! They were all so supportive and loving, and the story of how Julien became the child his aunt and uncle couldn’t have themselves was so heartwarming. So, even though I had some issues with this story, it was all in all a fast-paced, sweet and enjoyable read! Thank you Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC, which I have voluntarily reviewed. Rating: 3 stars Get your own copy: Bookshop.org Amazon Author info: Timothy Janovsky
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This was such a gloriously ridiculous and completely adorable book! Wren has never been kissed, but he wants that movie-perfect ending more than anything. So much that he puts himself in one awkward situation after another… with a lot of help from his adorkable and supporting friends. There’s so much crushing, pining and swooning, and an overload of sweetness, but also some amazing character development and queer and demisexual representation. Even though Wren Roland is a 22-year-old college graduate, he’s never been kissed. Mostly because he wants his first kiss to really matter. He’s had quite a few almost-kisses though, with boys he’s written saved emails to trying to figure out why the kisses never happened. The most significant of his almost-kisses was with his long-time crush Derick Haverford, who ghosted Wren afterwards and left him with a broken heart.
After another failed kiss at his birthday party and a few drinks too many, Wren sends the emails out to all the boys he’s almost kissed, stirring up a lot of things and feelings… and awkward situations. It doesn’t really make things easier when Derick shows up on the first day of Wren’s summer job at a drive-in theater as the new social media intern… I loved this hilarious and cute story, and all the wonderful banter and humor. There were also some really great character developments, a wonderful queer chosen family, and a demisexual awakening that was so well and realistically executed. This would definitely have been a five-star read for me if it hadn’t been for the obvious similarities with To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, only that Lara Jean’s letters were replaced by emails and it was a queer main character. I also had a bit of a problem connecting with the characters as twenty something year-olds. They all felt way too immature for that (more like 16 than 22 at times, and I think the story and the way they acted would have made so much more sense if they’d been graduating High School rather than college). But all in all, this book was an absolute joy to read! There was no steam at all, which felt refreshing, but a lot of love and friendship, neverending summer nights, drive-in movie nostalgia, a second chance romance and a wonderful journey of self-discovery. Never Been Kissed is a book that will make you smile and warm your heart! Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the advance review copy! All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Rating: 4 stars Get your own copy: Bookshop.org Amazon IndieBound Author info: Timothy Janovsky |
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September 2023
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