0.5/5 ⭐️
TWs (that were not added in the book):
Before I break down this…book, thank you S&S for an e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review and note that it will have spoiler content.
Oh boy, where to begin. Let’s start with the basic elements of the story.
The prose.
There was not a complex sentence in sight. Not even a compound one for that matter. It’s marketed as women’s fiction, but the voice was giving very much YA. Now, I have nothing against a YA voice in adult lit, as it provides a comprehensible language for readers, especially to those who are still relatively new to the genre of lit fic like myself, but the thoughts were painfully incomplete, it had me annoyed that I didn’t get any resolution within the book and that those dependent clauses were only there for dramatic??? effect. It always had me wanting more, but not in a way most people expect.
The pacing.
The timeline for this book was everywhere. Past to present, with no clear indication or transition words that it was changing. And the spacers??? Nearly half of where they were placed didn’t make sense for the flow of the book at all. My mind was being hurled from part to part, all within the same chapter without a sliver of cohesion in Jess’ POV. Also, the chapters. My God. It felt 2x longer than 23 chapters.
The main character.
Just as “everywhere” as the pacing. Her thoughts weren’t cohesive, which made me think that she was an unreliable narrator but thinking back on it, I think it was an…attempt at creating a MC with ADHD, which if that’s the case, it fell through the cracks and drowned to the deepest trench. She was “confidently unconfident” in all the ways; yes, she’s in her early-mid 20s??? and things are up in the air, but she was just so PROFOUNDLY naïve and it was exhausting to read most times. There was no character development at all. Whatsoever. She started as the same morally blind sympathizer as she started as. Those not even half-baked attempts (aka listing every traumatic thing that happened to Black people in the news and initially turning her nose up at the BSU at her college), thinking she was connecting to who she was as a Black woman (or as a Black person in America in general) were not the thought provoking ideals the author was trying to convey.
The “love interest”
I mean this with the utmost disdain. He doesn’t deserve love. At all. No redemption arc can bring him to me even seeing his POV on anything. From chapter 1, he was unbearable. A brief conversation on affirmative action from the perspective of a white man??? It’s a no from me. Confessed his “love” at the most inconvenient of times? Hard pass. Had views of every mainstream republican in America? Boringgg. Gaslighted the hell out of Jess for his own agenda? Pathetic. Stood up for her once? Cmon man, that’s the BARE MINIMUM.
The “plot”
Is still in draft 1 mode. Aside from the parasitic (not forbidden, don’t get it twisted) romance, Jess is a Black woman who’s trying to find her place in a capitalistic society. She’s comfortable but unhappy in one job, follows a man (ignoring the fact that he’s white) to his new job which is just as toxic as the first but on the curtain I like to call “Collaboration.” She moves in with Josh after she gets fired (I’m indifferent on whether she deserved it or not) and she becomes the “friend who leaves her friends out to dry because she’s with a rich guy.” She doesn’t reconcile with her father until it’s too late (the delivery on that subplot line was not foreshadowed well, because, some woman named ??? (the fact that I can’t even remember her name is saying something and I just finished the book). She’s in a “complicated” relationship herself texting her out of the blue to come home??? Not being upfront from the get go??? Nope. Overstepped. I still don’t know who’s she’s meant to be.
The trope
Book influencers have really taken the idea of tropes to a whole new level recently and as one myself, I’ve seen more and more of the tropes being used as a marketing tactic (which isn’t bad necessarily) but there needs to be some sense of awareness when pushing out books to ARC readers and future readers once it’s published. Because this book?? Enemies to lovers??? Absolutely not. Now, I am aware that this is a women’s fiction novel, but the whole subplot of romance doesn’t even seem to be developed to a 50% threshold. Not even addressing his…political views, the guy is annoyingly hot & cold with Jess from chapter to chapter and with that hate crime of an ending, I can say with certainty that the couple would not last in the near future, regardless of politics.
Now I already despise miscommunication, but this book took it to a whole new level. Like please just talk it out like the adults you claim to be (well…no actually, that would’ve just made it worse so scratch that.)
The “controversial topics”
Reverse racism. Affirmative action. Diversity hire. Josh should’ve not been a devil’s advocate. It’s tired and just tacky. And the relentless Black stereotypes that was clearly just a stepping stone for conversation that was brought up unceremoniously and practically every chapter was very unrefined. There was no real thought in adding more fuel to the fire than to just have more division between Josh and Jess and sell the lackluster “opposites attract” trope. (Because once again, it is NOT enemies to lovers by a long shot.) Grief? A poorly executed subplot. It was just added to further Jess’ rationale??? in the process of wanting (but not wanting) to take Josh back (again).
The “romance”/ “relationship”
Was nonexistent. The dialogue was so painfully forced, the jokes weren’t funny, the chemistry was not even bubbling, the “comfort” moments were irregularly placed, and the miscommunication was overcooked. Four parts…for all of that. And the fact that there was a whole confession scene in PART 2 adds to the untimely pacing. We were only on chapter 10??? In terms of spice, I was very grateful for the fade to black explicit scene because with all the telling and not showing in the kiss parts alone, I wouldn’t be able to stomach an entire sex scene of those two (would’ve skipped it if I’m being real). “Controversial” topics were always brought up in every talk with Josh by Jess and it was a “here we go again” moment each time. There was no new perspective on how Jess really felt on issues that concerned Black people in America, just the same regurgitated “oh yeah this happened, it enrages me” and Josh opening his mouth to offer a “take” in the name of “opposites attract.”
And my GOD. The gaslighting that Josh did. The amount of “I love yous” and not even a chapter later, he’s apologizing.
Over.
And over.
And over.
And guess fucking what? Jess took his ass back.
Every.
Single.
Time.
Till the last miserable page. (in which the chapter alone is a hodgepodge of carelessness in itself.) Because how the hell are you going to coerce someone into doing something that YOU KNOW makes them uncomfortable and say what they’re doing is pointless in the same breath??? The emotional abuse was as clear as the sky on the hottest day in California.
The strawberries on the cover: an unnecessary metaphor
So Jess is allergic to strawberries. She still eats them and it got so bad that Josh rushed her to the hospital. My interpretation? The strawberries represents that Josh is bad for her, and she KNOWS it, but refuses to stop being with him, just like she still eats the strawberries. Also, the way that Josh supposedly stopped eating strawberries for her just seems so bare minimum to me, yet again.
The title of the book: repetition overdone
Everything’s fine. A phrase that is (I’m inferring) to depict the lies she tells herself (and her father who is probably the realest person in the entire book next to the Wine Girls) when things aren’t the best. It lost its “touch” super early on in the reading and from then on it seemed a cop out to add some philosophical meaning.
The last line of the blurb: answered the question too literally and was sickening.
In summary, as a Black reader, this made me uncomfortable everywhere (in a bad way). Topics were no where near handled well. It was real, alright. Real extreme from both sides of the political spectrum. It caused more division than unity, from the blurb to the last chapter. There’s nothing funny about this book. Especially with that ending, which was honestly jarring…in not the best way. There was way too much focus on the romance and ~still~ political views that didn’t allow for a decent grieving process. It felt as an afterthought of a plot point to finally make Jess see some sense which felt very artificial. This book could’ve been at least an easy 3 ⭐️ alone if she just kept the try-hard political angle and the blatant racism with no clear resolution out of it.
And for the record. No it’s not just a goddamned hat. Nor is it someone’s “civic duty” to watch something that is CLEARLY uncomfortable for them. Also, the ending was far from thought provoking. It was racist and a bit antisemitic to throw around that eerily disturbing string of words for Josh’s last quote. It’s obvious to who Trump is similar to.
If only this were satire, then this book would make sense (somewhat).
