Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Business or Pleasure

Just one more reason why Rachel Lynn Solomon is an auto-buy author for me!

I loved the chemistry between the MCs, and the fact that it didn't automatically translate to the bedroom. The focus on communication in relationships was so great and realistic.

As a geek-girl, I loved the portrayal of Cons and fandoms; there was a nice peek into Hollywood and stardom without losing the primary storyline. Also, any book with mental health representation is a win for me.

All in all, it's exactly what you expect from a contemporary rom-com PLUS real talk about jobs and careers and sex and relationships and mental health and millennial melancholy.

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boba_n_books's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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? Yes

4.5

Spice rating: 🌶🌶️🌶️

Business or Pleasure was such a fun romcom. Chandler is a ghost writer and gets an offer to write a C-list actor’s memoir. But, the actor of a well-known werewolf show (basically Teen Wolf or The Vampire Diaries), Finn, just happens to be the guy she had a one-night stand with… and the worst sex of her life. Chandler puts that aside and decides to work with Finn and be professional until Finn asks how their one-night stand was, forcing Chandler to be honest about how awful it was. That is when Finn strikes a deal with Chandler: as they tour fan conventions for Finn’s fans and write his memoir, Chandler will teach him how to satisfy a woman. This leads to Chandler and Finn growing closer both in and out of the bedroom, blurring the line between business and pleasure.

Chandler and Finn have to be one of my favorite romcom couples. Their relationship is so healthy: full of communication, validation, acceptance, openness, and vulnerability. But, more than that, they grew as people together. Chandler learns that she should have the courage to go after what she wants, and Finn learns his self-worth isn’t tied to what he does.

I had so much fun with this book, and I highly recommend it to fans of romcoms with a good amount of well-written spice.

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pierrereads's review

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective slow-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? Yes

4.0

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vanesst's review

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lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

3.5

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displacedcactus's review

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emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This is a pretty enjoyable contemporary romance between two Jewish leads. I especially enjoyed it, because in far too many books, the sex is always perfect, the first time, without any communication. The whole central concept here is that the sex was *awful* the first time, but the dude didn't realize it, and our MC ends up offering to give him sex lessons as a way to pay it forward to his future lovers.

Of course, they both catch feelings.

I really appreciated that this book showed the reality that sex isn't always great, and even when you're communicating and your partner is doing their best, sometimes something like a poorly-chosen bit of dirty talk or an anxious intrusive thought can just totally derail things. Because our two characters work so hard, when fireworks do happen, they feel all the more sweet.

This book also gets big points for me for existing a couple of moments where jealousy could have reared its ugly head... and then just not going there. Instead we get mature adults who recognize that once you're in your 30s, most people have a romantic and/or sexual past, some people are going to be friends with their exes, and people are going to talk to members of the sex they are attracted to, without it being a sign of attraction. What a breath of fresh air.

This book wasn't perfect. The author made a few weird choices in changes she made to Seattle and the timing of real-life conventions, which any Seattleite or nerd will probably catch. It's maybe a little reductionist in how it talks about women and men's sexuality, and definitely pretty cis-het focused. But over all, I thought it was a fun read.

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