So my most recent post was flagged and briefly put behind a warning label. So racy! But apparently someone read it and realized it was just book reviews for a slightly naughty class. Here are the second three books - the ones I actually enjoyed.
Contemporary Assigned Choice:
The Billionaires Wake-up Call Girl by Annika Martin
Summary:
Finally, I know my favorite genre. It HAS to be the rom com. I appreciate the humor in my romance so much. And I like a heroine who isn’t a victim. If she wants to get bossed around a little, that’s okay, but she doesn’t depend on it and she doesn’t let her bedroom antics influence her real life. Unless they teach her to love again. Then I’m 100% in her corner! The story is uptight guy meets flighty girl. She teaches him to enjoy life, he teaches her to trust again. And Lizzie and Theo are perfect for each other! I loved the secondary characters - Lizzie's bestie (the protagonist of the sequel that I am DEFINITELY reading once I finish my last book for this class) and Theo’s sister are both solid, supportive anchors for our lovers. The setting might as well have been Mars for all I know about corporate America and billionaires, but it worked for me. And the connection on the phone? As a child of the 80s who regularly called late night DJs to practice flirting, this was RIGHT up my alley. Five stars, I absolutely loved it. Even the naughty bits!
Trope:
Enemies to lovers, boss/subordinate, trust issues, with just a hint of manic pixie dream girl
Triggers:
Embezzlement, dead parents
Favorite characters:
How to choose??? I guess Lizzie because she had been through so much and still had a positive attitude and a plan. I respect a girl with a plan.
Favorite thing:
How they really fulfilled a need in each other - him for stability and stalwartness, her for a balanced perspective and sense of fun - but they were also smouldering!
Least favorite thing:
There always seems to be a point in every romance I have ever read where if the characters just admitted how they feel and what they need, communication wouldn’t break down. However, Lizzie was very clear in her communication and STILL they found a way to not speak to each other for a little bit before the denouement.
Discussion Questions:
- What did you like most about this delightful book?
- What do you think of the “evil business woman trying to get ahead but also attracted to the boss/Sigourney Weaver in WORKING GIRL” trope?
- What is it about flirting on the phone? Is this only for those of us who have crossed the menopausal gauntlet? How do you youngsters feel about it?
- Why do so many romcoms have bakery themes?
- What is your favorite flavor of microwave popcorn and why?
Trans Girl High by Cami Kates
Summary:
Jenny is a stunning trans girl who was terribly bullied in Buffalo. She and her supportive parents have moved to the Pacific Northwest for her dad’s job, which allows her the chance to have her senior year in a new place where no one knows her past. She has sex with Zach by accident. Then she is outed by the bully from her old school who - a little too coincidentally - is at her new school. And even though she is trans, Hunter, Zach’s bestie is super hot for her and they fall in instalove. Hunter has some issues and suggests they form a throuple with Zach when he learns of their history. They have a bunch of young people sex, a misunderstanding, a breakup, a life-saving reunion and a sequel where we learn how they all ended up.
Trope:
MFM throuple, trans life, high school
Triggers:
Bullying, religious intolerance, sexual assault
Favorite characters:
I loved the parents! Jenny’s folks are the gold standard (except her dad for a bit at the end, even though he was kind of right) who accept and love her and want what’s best for her, Hunter’s parents probably think they are great, fostering independence in their high achieving son, but they don’t realize they are neglectful. Poor Zach’s batshit crazy, hyper-religious mom and his drug-fueled ignorant father are the stuff of nightmares, but very effective with little screen-time.
Favorite thing:
I love how these kids came from religious backgrounds but when their pal Riley came out and the church closed ranks against her, they thoughtfully looked at their faith and determined that there are many ways to interpret the Bible and it is important to put the love of your fellow human before a rickety dogma.
Least favorite thing:
The bully was fat and had bad skin and our heroes were stunning. Ugly people need love too!
Discussion questions:
- What did you learn about male to female transitions from this book?
- How comfortable were you with the medical details (for want of a better term) of Jenny’s sex life?
- Could you have a relationship with two people who are also friends? Is this a generational acceptance thing?
- How did you feel about the religious aspects of the book?
- Did you find it the tiniest bit creepy that they were still in high school, even though the writer was careful to tell us everyone was over 18?
Disabilities/Neurodivergent Assigned Choice
Daydreamer by Susie Tate
Summary:
This is the story of Lucy who has social anxiety, Reynaud’s Syndrome and a tendency to disassociate from reality. When the book starts out we learn that, while she is a very successful high-fantasy writer, she has moved to London to take a job in business to force herself out of her comfort zone as well as to reconnect with her childhood crush, billionaire Felix something-Italian. Their dynamic is mostly Lucy being shit at her job and Felix trying to fix her. This does not go well. But when we get a bit of their backstory and mix in the office politics - including an abusive boss and some really badly missed communication - it all comes together. There is a lot of community building, which is one of my favorite tropes, as well as some fairly steamy, but not too yucky or physically impossible, sex scenes. And a very badly trained pony. It all ends happily and there’s a bit of humor so I was completely won over! I am so thrilled that the books in this class got progressively more to my taste as the course went on. It would have been my instinct to ease in slowly, but being thrown directly into the deep end, content-wise, and then getting to more conventional romance really worked for me!
Trope:
Childhood crush, boss/subordinate, crabby asshole to nice boy, childhood trauma, trust issues
Triggers:
There is an assault that, refreshingly, wasn’t sexual, although the perpetrator’s reasoning seemed to be because Lucy wasn’t interested in his advances.
Favorite characters:
I love Victoria and Lottie. Victoria is a high powered business exec whose autism actually helps her be successful. Lottie is her assistant who works to help her navigate social interaction. I was really hoping they would fall in love too, but apparently Lottie has a thing with Victoria’s brother in the second book of the series which I will definitely be reading!
Favorite thing:
While the characters were kind of just their tropes at the outset, I loved the two first person perspectives. It fleshed them out really well.
Least favorite thing:
Oh my gosh, the lack of communication was frustrating until they - particularly Felix - learned to just say what they mean!
Discussion questions:
- What did you think of the dynamic of Lottie and Victoria?
- Can you diagnose everyone in this story, please?
- What did you think of the epilogue, did it feel real? What would you change about it?
- What do you think about Felix’s obsession with keeping Lucy warm at the expense of the comfort of others?
- Did Lucy’s outburst at the family dinner feel real to you? Why or why not?
And there we have it! I really enjoyed reading a bit outside my comfort zone. But I'm not going to take a horror or true crime class any time soon!
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