A review by kj468
Mr. Romance by Louisa Masters

lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

This book wasn't for me, to be honest. The premise was so good. So *so* good. I loved the opening scene -- really a banger of a way to open the book. The other 250 pages? Not so much.  I'll list out a few reasons I didn't love it, in case it's helpful for anyone deciding if they want to pick up this book or not.

  • I honestly didn't like Charlie. He's rich -- often in a snobbish, judgy, and kind of bull-dozing way, which is never acknowledged by anyone in the book as a character flaw. While he's incredibly generous with his money (so much so that one of his "friends" actually thought they were in a sugar-baby situation with Charlie), it felt a little too much like charity at certain points for me. A great example of this is the way Charlie acts about clothes -- he insults Liam's clothes frequently because they aren't "stylish" enough, and while Liam was a decent sport about it, it felt uncomfortable, not like fun banter. Here's a couple of example quotes that highlight what I mean:
    • (Charlie offered to buy Liam new clothes): "It's a work expense. [...] Like today, you came to brunch with me and had to wear brunch-appropriate clothing. Which, honestly, that outfit --" -C // "Are you about to insult my clothes again?" There's a thread of laughter in [Liam's] voice.  // "Yup. I really, really am. 'Clothes' is a good word, because 'outfit' was really stretching things."
    • (Both shopping for a suit for Liam): "Good evening, gentlemen. What can I help you with today?" [The clerk] clocks Lee's jeans and sweater, and his smile fades a little before rallying when he sees what I'm wearing. And it's not because I'm in designer wear -- I'm wearing Levi's and a Franklin U hoodie over a plain white tee -- but he can obviously sense that I have style and appreciate clothing. Which Lee does not.
  • Charlie (again, a bit of a bull-dozer) randomly renames Liam as Lee?? Like, Charlie fully is like 'hah you don't seem like a Liam to me, I'm gonna call you Lee instead'. And Liam goes with it, but his name is still Liam - like in the chapter titles, it always says Liam. I think maybe it's supposed to be a cute nickname, but felt more like Charlie deciding something about Liam *for* Liam without letting Liam have any actual input (this vibe comes up a few times tbh)
  • The chemistry was off to me. It felt like the chemistry was nonexistent for the first 40% of the book, and then all of sudden it was *there*, except it felt super inauthentic because it was missing for 40% of the book and there was no build-up to it.
  • The writing wasn't super consistent. There were some mood swings that I think are supposed to feel natural -- or maybe the mood was supposed to come through earlier in the scene and I didn't pick up on it. Similarly, Charlie was constantly doing or saying things that he claimed was 'out of character for him', which felt like a lazy form of characterization.
  • More petty but: has the author ever seen a drunk person? There's a scene where Charlie is drunk and it's soooo overdone, just not how drunk people actually are. This is a direct quote (and no, it doesn't make any more sense in context than out of context): 
    • "Something's wrong!" Charlie declares in alarm as the elevator jolts into motion. He lifts his head and looks around with wild eyes. "The world is moving! We're trapped in a box! Oh no, they have us! The machines rose up!" He struggles upright from where the guys propped him against the side wall and starts stabbing all the buttons on the control panel. [...] // "It's fine, Charlie," I say in my most soothing voice, keeping a tight grip on his hands as Jake and Artie wrestle him toward the back wall. // His eyes focus blearily on me. "Lee! They got you too? Oh noooo. I wanted to save you." // "I know. Uh... you can save me now? You just need to keep still for a minute so we can, uh, do the plan?" [...] // "The plan! Yesssss. We'll do the plan." Charlie nods enthusiastically.
  • Also on the pettier side: there are some really cringy attempts at slang. At times, it felt like a book written by Regina George's mom. (ex: 'our situation is kinda awks'; calling Taylor Swift 'Tay Tay') 

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rep: MLM, bi MC, gay MC
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tags: friends with benefits, family included
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ratings: ease: 4 // funny: 2 // plot: 3 // romance: 2 // total: 2