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randi's review against another edition
Disclaimer to start: I am not, as far as I've tried, a romance girlie. I keep branching into what sounds interesting and I think I need to just accept I'm not that kind of reader. So take all this with that grain of salt:
I just could not get through this. The only way I can describe the way the characters and their dialogue is that they felt over-acted. The mood swings in every conversation were just too much (the characters would go from joking and laughing to nearly [or fully] crying to angry to joking to horny to etc etc etc in a single scene). Like inexperienced actors going for campy but landing on too-exhausting-to-keep-up. The actual plot up until I quit was actually really solid, I just couldn't stand the execution. (Like a painting with great composition but in a style that is very much not for me.)
In the Entirely Personal Taste camp -- I wish Seth had been meaner. I was kind of surprised in the beginning that he was a perpetrator of her high school bullying, I assumed he'd been a bystander that did nothing so as to keep him in the not-so-much-of-a-jerk-to-still-be-dreamy zone. But then he was? And that was interesting for a few chapters until it was revealed no, actually, he was tricked into calling her a mean name out loud and didn't even know it was going to be a mean prank. Maybe that flips again later idk I'm not reading further. But for a childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers sort of story, I wish the bullying had been worse? Like that he was truly an actual asshole and not just that one time he didn't know he was talking into a hot mic. That would also make Cassie having to be homeschooled make more sense cuz the Embarrassing Event didn't feel like. Nearly bad enough. Definitely not a great experience but, idk, maybe I just went to more brutal public schools. (Most of the kids I knew that were bullied into being homeschooled were like. Physically beaten on the playground and/or relentlessly picked on in class so that it was disruptive to the teachers.)
For someone that Cassie is constantly calling her "mortal enemy" (including OUT LOUD TO HIS FACE which... ngl I cringed, I didn't mind it as an internal dialogue cuz honestly same, I'm also a melodramatic bitch but oh my god), the two didn't feel like they ever really stopped being friends. It felt more like they were besties, she moved away, they drifted apart, and now she's back in town. I wanted more awkwardness. I wanted Mia & Nicholas of Princess Diaries 2 fame levels of animosity-turned-romance toward each other.
I'm also sad that we didn't see Seth with his transformation-fucked-up scars cuz that was a really fun werewolf mechanic (not that he's really an actual werewolf though that's splitting hairs) but it was gone before it was really on the page. Also would have been a neat little parallel between the two leads with the undercurrent of body positivity.
I could go on but 80% of my issues with this book are rooted in me expecting something different and I don't want to critique a cupcake because I was hungry for a chicken dinner. Perhaps I'll be compelled to pick it up again when I'm in the mood for something more cupcake shaped but for now, farewell.
I just could not get through this. The only way I can describe the way the characters and their dialogue is that they felt over-acted. The mood swings in every conversation were just too much (the characters would go from joking and laughing to nearly [or fully] crying to angry to joking to horny to etc etc etc in a single scene). Like inexperienced actors going for campy but landing on too-exhausting-to-keep-up. The actual plot up until I quit was actually really solid, I just couldn't stand the execution. (Like a painting with great composition but in a style that is very much not for me.)
In the Entirely Personal Taste camp -- I wish Seth had been meaner. I was kind of surprised in the beginning that he was a perpetrator of her high school bullying, I assumed he'd been a bystander that did nothing so as to keep him in the not-so-much-of-a-jerk-to-still-be-dreamy zone. But then he was? And that was interesting for a few chapters until it was revealed no, actually, he was tricked into calling her a mean name out loud and didn't even know it was going to be a mean prank. Maybe that flips again later idk I'm not reading further. But for a childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers sort of story, I wish the bullying had been worse? Like that he was truly an actual asshole and not just that one time he didn't know he was talking into a hot mic. That would also make Cassie having to be homeschooled make more sense cuz the Embarrassing Event didn't feel like. Nearly bad enough. Definitely not a great experience but, idk, maybe I just went to more brutal public schools. (Most of the kids I knew that were bullied into being homeschooled were like. Physically beaten on the playground and/or relentlessly picked on in class so that it was disruptive to the teachers.)
For someone that Cassie is constantly calling her "mortal enemy" (including OUT LOUD TO HIS FACE which... ngl I cringed, I didn't mind it as an internal dialogue cuz honestly same, I'm also a melodramatic bitch but oh my god), the two didn't feel like they ever really stopped being friends. It felt more like they were besties, she moved away, they drifted apart, and now she's back in town. I wanted more awkwardness. I wanted Mia & Nicholas of Princess Diaries 2 fame levels of animosity-turned-romance toward each other.
I'm also sad that we didn't see Seth with his transformation-fucked-up scars cuz that was a really fun werewolf mechanic (not that he's really an actual werewolf though that's splitting hairs) but it was gone before it was really on the page. Also would have been a neat little parallel between the two leads with the undercurrent of body positivity.
I could go on but 80% of my issues with this book are rooted in me expecting something different and I don't want to critique a cupcake because I was hungry for a chicken dinner. Perhaps I'll be compelled to pick it up again when I'm in the mood for something more cupcake shaped but for now, farewell.
tarynjoy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
cyoussef11's review against another edition
3.5
This book was surprisingly enjoyable for the most part but I had a couple issues with pacing. The first half of the book was so funny and engaging and there was so much tension but as the book went on, I found myself getting a bit irritated with Cassie not getting that Seth was literally in love with her because it was glaringly obvious. Anyway it had a cute ending i appreciated.
clioreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
curvygirlsreadromance's review against another edition
4.0
Nobody writes a grovel like Charlotte Stein!
Cassie and Seth grew up as the best of friends before they grew apart and he became her high school bully along with his new friend group. Ultimately, Seth humiliates Cassie in a stunt that traumatizes her into finishing her diploma through homeschooling. Nearly ten years later, Cassie returns to town upon inheriting her grandmother's house after her death. She and Seth cross paths again and supernatural shenanigans ensue.
This was a fun, slow burn romance during which Seth and Cassie find their way back to one another. Stein is able to redeem the hero in a way only she can. For millennials, if Halloweentown had a romance story, this would be it. Perfect for fall or Halloween reading.
Cassie and Seth grew up as the best of friends before they grew apart and he became her high school bully along with his new friend group. Ultimately, Seth humiliates Cassie in a stunt that traumatizes her into finishing her diploma through homeschooling. Nearly ten years later, Cassie returns to town upon inheriting her grandmother's house after her death. She and Seth cross paths again and supernatural shenanigans ensue.
This was a fun, slow burn romance during which Seth and Cassie find their way back to one another. Stein is able to redeem the hero in a way only she can. For millennials, if Halloweentown had a romance story, this would be it. Perfect for fall or Halloween reading.
allison_vista's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
parenii_audiobooks3x's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kappnjellybean's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
codex99's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5