Fake Dating

The Love Hypothesis | Book Review

- Bunny 1 Comment

About The Book
Reluctant Ph.D. candidate Olive Smith fakes a relationship with notorious professor Adam Carlsen to appease her best friend. When Adam supports her at a chaotic science conference, unexpected attraction sparks between them. Olive navigates real feelings while balancing love and her academic dreams.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3Wf0fe9

My Rating

I felt unsure about this book before picking it up. All I knew was that it had a lot of hype and centered around a STEM-based romance. Although I love reading adult romance, I hadn’t read one with a STEM focus before. But after the first ten chapters, I really got into it. So if you’re finding the beginning slow, try giving it at least until the halfway point.

The story follows Olive, a Ph.D. candidate who starts a fake-dating relationship with Adam Carlsen, a well-known young professor. It combines the fake-dating trope with a grumpy-sunshine dynamic. While everything kicks off a bit quickly—Olive practically jumps on Adam in the first chapter—I appreciated how the story eventually slowed down.

Olive’s character was likable, and I could understand why she struggled to let people in. That said, I’m not usually a fan of characters who miss what’s right in front of them. Adam, though, was an amazing love interest—and maybe I just have a thing for no-nonsense male characters. Their chemistry felt strong, with just the right amount of witty banter.

“That’s the thing with science. We’re drilled to believe that false positives are bad, but false negatives are just as terrifying.”

As for spiciness, I wouldn’t call it overly steamy, but it’s not a closed-door romance either. I’d give it a spicy rating of 2.5 out of 5. The one intimate scene the author included works well for readers who prefer a mostly clean romance with a hint of spice. In my opinion, it won’t make you blush, but it does offer a descriptive moment.

One of my favorite parts of the book focuses on how women in STEM get treated. The author highlights their struggles to be taken seriously in a male-dominated field, which sadly reflects reality. This added depth to the story and underscored the importance of having more women in STEM.

Overall, the writing style shines, and the plot keeps you engaged. If you don’t mind the third-act miscommunication trope when it’s executed well, you’ll enjoy this book. It serves as a fun read and a great palate cleanser between heavier books. I look forward to reading more from this author and believe this book absolutely lives up to the hype.

In the comments, let me know if you’ve read this book or any others by the author. Don’t forget to like and share this post with fellow book lovers. And if you enjoy book reviews, hit the follow button so you never miss a post!

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

If you want your reading experience to be more unique and personalized, the Custom Keychains of “The Love Hypothesis” will keep the love going.

The Upside of Falling // Book Review

- Bunny 1 Comment

Synopsis
Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world was blown apart years ago and Brett just barely holding his together now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined. When the line between real and pretend begins to blur, they are forced to answer the question: is this fake romance the realest thing in either of their lives?

My Rating

My Thoughts
This is a sweet, simple, and short young adult contemporary that I enjoyed right from the start. The plot unfolds quickly, and we learn a lot about the characters early on. However, the quick start was a minor con, since by the have way point the story started to lag a little.

In the book we follow Becca, a romance book lover, who is still dealing with the scars her father left when he walked out on her mom and her. You could tell that her father’s choice deeply affected her, and that she was, in a way, damaged by it. I liked seeing a character that had a lot issues, but not necessarily a mental illness.

Opposite Becca, we have Brett, who seems to be the typical jock. But, like Becca, there’s a lot more to his character. Sure he is the popular, hunky high-school athlete, but he desperately wants his parents to be proud of him. He puts his dad, as well as his parents’ marriage, on a pedestal, which ultimately leads to disappointment.

In the story, Becca and Brett start up a fake relationship, because of some snotty comments made by Becca’s ex-best friend. Personally, I loved how Brett started the fake dating, and was such a sweetheart the whole time. Becca annoyed me at first, since she was not being a very good fake girlfriend. Yet it did fit with her personality, and her history with relationships.

However, at times, Becca was somewhat rude to Brett, because he was different than her. Why is it that girls in books tend to be more judgmental than the guys? But, the romance was cute and it progressed naturally. They might have started off fake, but took time to get to know one another for real. Becca and Brett were cute together fake or not.

“People always talk about falling in love but no one ever talks about falling out of it.”

Although, I wouldn’t say their relationship was ‘To All The Boys’ level good; I didn’t mind the love story being mid-range. Honestly, the book showcased some other important topics that were almost more interesting than the fake dating plot. Something major happens to Brett’s family life, and although it wasn’t shocking (I saw it coming miles away), it was an interesting turn of events.

The side characters were all fleshed out, good characters, and it was nice to see Becca clear the air with her former BFF. The two have this whole moment, and it was a big “aha” moment for Becca. As readers, we fall so in love with books and their stories, that we sometimes forget that they are still just a work of fiction. They can always be our comfort zone, but will never be our reality.

Also, there were a lot of little things added in to the story that I liked, such as Becca’s need for pro/cons lists, and Brett’s funny one-liners. There was even a mention of buying 4 books for $36.00, which is a steal in my opinion. And, I don’t think they were even secondhand books.

Overall, the book was an easy read, with a good plot and writing style. I already know that I will be reading more of this author’s works. Also, there is a part in the story where Becca tells Brett that she categorizes things in her mind. Labeling things as ones that are worth remembering, and the ones that aren’t. Now, it isn’t a way to live life, but it was fascinating to think about which moments or days I’d say are worth remembering.

Please know that divorce is a major subject in the book as well as another type of relationship issue in the book that I won’t mention as not to spoil anything. Nevertheless, some people might not like the way such topics are handled in the book. I for one, am not a fan of the outcome, since it is something that is unforgivable in my eyes. Even so, I was generally happy with the story.

Quick PSA, there is a scene that showcases a murder (of books), but it’s okay, you will get through it. Don’t forget to hit that like, and follow my little book blog for more reviews.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny

Book Tropes // The Ones I Love

- Bunny 2 Comments

Hi Friends,
There are so many book tropes out there that I just love. Sure, there are ones that I am not a fan of, or I think they are over done. But, I pretty much enjoy a lot of common book tropes. I am such a basic reader. Anyhow, I thought it would be fun to share my favorite book tropes with you all.

Enemies-to-Lovers: This has to be my favorite trope of all. There is just something about to rivals that fall in love. I have never actually seen this play out in real life, and don’t really think it is a normal thing. However, in books, it works so well. At least it does most of the time. I’ve read a few books where the characters weren’t true enemies, or the relationship just didn’t work well. Still, despite being predictable, one of my favorite enemies-to-lovers is ‘P.S. I Like You‘ by Kasie West.

Bad Girl, Gone Good: I am not sure if this is a typical trope, or a trope at all. Yet, I enjoy books were there is a bitchy/mean girl character that changes for the better. Think Regina George becoming Lizzie McGuire. Okay, that might not be the best explanation for this trope, but I think you get what I mean. ‘If I’m Being Honest‘ by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley is the perfect example of how to do this trope right. The book is one actually one of my favorite reads of 2021.

Fake Dating: I think that almost every romance reader can attest to the fact that this is one of the best tropes in books. For some reason, I cannot get enough of fake relationships. There is something adorable about a fake relationship, or relationship of convenience turning into something real. Instead of recommending one of my favorite, well known, fake dating stories, I will share one that I’m hoping to read, ‘The Upside of Falling‘ by Alex Light. This is from a Wattpad author and sounds like a sweet YA contemporary.

Forced Proximity: Every since I was a kid, plots where the characters are trapped somewhere always interested me. And, I am not talking about horror stories. When I think of this trope, the Dawson’s Creek episode when Pacey and Joey get stuck in a K-Mart always comes to mind. I believe that I have only ever read one stuck together book, but it was very enjoyable. The book was ‘By Your Side‘ by Kasie West in which a boy and girl get locked inside a library. How could a reader not love this plot?

Friends-to-Lovers: I was hesitant to put this on the list, because I am not sure of my feeling on the trope. I use to think I wasn’t a fan of friends-to-lovers stories, but my opinion of them has changed. Don’t get me wrong, it still isn’t an all time favorite trope of mine, but it is growing on me. After reading ‘How Not To Fall In Love‘ by Jacqueline Firkins, I can see myself reading more books with this trope in the future.

There you have the book tropes that I adore! I will most likely be doing a post on the tropes that I don’t like, because there are some that I cannot get behind. Leave a comment letting me know what your favorite trope is whether it is in movies or books. Also, like this post and share it with others.

Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny